The War of Resistance: From Overseas Chinese Mechanics to King of Nanyang

"Commander, please calm down, please calm down." Seeing Lieutenant General Watanabe Masao about to lose his temper, a group of staff officers from the division headquarters stepped forward to dissuade him.

"Your Excellency, this is not the time to be angry. We must find a way to protect Lashio from being lost."

The crowd's persuasion finally calmed down Lieutenant General Watanabe Masao, who was furious. He took a deep breath, forcefully shook off the staff officers' hands, and his eyes, though still cold and piercing, now showed a hint of suppressed rationality.

He knew better than anyone how critical the situation was—Lashio was the core stronghold of the Japanese army in Burma. If they lost their footing and the command system collapsed, the consequences would be unimaginable, and he, as the division commander, would have to bear all the blame.

"Baka!" Watanabe Masao couldn't help but grit his teeth and curse, kicking over the stool next to him. His voice was full of incomprehension and rage. "How dare the 200th Division! They're already a defeated army, their commander is seriously injured and unconscious, yet they still dare to turn back and attack Lashio? Aren't they afraid of being surrounded and annihilated by us?"

He really couldn't understand why the other side dared to launch a counterattack against Lashio.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Watanabe Masao paced back and forth in the command room, his mind churning with countless questions.

Not only did the enemy dare to retaliate, but they also chose a terrifyingly precise time—just when Lashio's forces were at their weakest after he had divided his troops.

This was no ordinary fleeing remnant; it was clearly a premeditated surprise attack!

Watanabe Masao stopped in his tracks, his gaze falling on the troop deployment map on the wall, his face growing increasingly grim.

The Japanese army that originally captured Lashio numbered around 10,000, but in order to expand the victory, he ordered his troops to split up and advance north, sending the main force to reinforce Myitkyina, and also diverting some troops eastward to block the Wanding Pass in western Yunnan, cutting off the expeditionary force's retreat.

Now, only a mere two thousand people remain in Lashio.

The key issue is that among these two thousand men, a portion were directly subordinate units such as engineers, supply troops, and communications personnel, numbering around one thousand. They were responsible for building fortifications, transporting supplies, and transmitting intelligence on a daily basis, lacking combat experience and completely incapable of undertaking frontal defense tasks.

In addition, there were field hospital medical staff, wounded soldiers, and civilian personnel from the division headquarters in the city. These people not only could not participate in the battle, but also needed to be protected by troops.

Only two companies were truly capable of fighting, and they were relying on this small force to defend Lashio.

The more Lieutenant General Watanabe Masao thought about it, the more panicked he became, because it was easy for the division headquarters to be destroyed if he made a mistake, and then it would be truly the end.

More importantly, Lashio was the Japanese army's logistics hub and transportation center in Burma. All supplies, ammunition, and medicines for the front-line troops were transported through Lashio.

Once Lashio is captured, the supply lines will be cut off, and the Japanese troops on the front lines will be in dire straits with no ammunition or food. The entire situation on the Burma battlefield could be reversed. Just thinking about this consequence made Lieutenant General Watanabe Masao's scalp tingle.

Unfortunately, faced with Watanabe Masao's fury and questioning, the staff in the command room all remained silent, heads bowed, and no one dared to respond.

"A bunch of useless trash," Lieutenant General Masao Watanabe couldn't help but curse.

"Pass on my orders! All garrison troops in the city must hold their positions to the death, not yielding an inch of ground! The engineering battalion must immediately cease all fortification construction, and the supply battalion must abandon its transport mission, fully arm itself, and be ready to support the various defensive lines at any time! Anyone who dares to retreat in the face of battle will be killed without exception!" Watanabe Masao took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, his eyes gradually sharpening, and he issued the orders in a deep voice with an unquestionable tone.

"Hai!" A communications officer immediately bowed and responded, then turned and ran quickly out of the command room without daring to delay for even a moment.

"Division Commander, should we recall the troops from the front?" As soon as the order was given, a major staff officer stepped forward and suggested urgently.

"Should we recall the frontline troops advancing north and east? Once the frontline troops withdraw, we can encircle them from both sides and wipe out the remnants of the 200th Division attacking Lashio in one fell swoop!"

These words immediately sparked discussion in the command room. Everyone knew that Lashio absolutely could not be abandoned, and no one dared to suggest a "tactical retreat." Holding out to the death was the only option.

Given the current troop strength in the city, the chances of holding Lashio are extremely slim. The only way to break the deadlock seems to be to recall the front-line troops and then encircle and annihilate the enemy from both sides.

"No, absolutely not." As soon as the words were spoken, a lieutenant colonel immediately stood up and objected firmly.

"Commander, you absolutely mustn't! The enemy's surprise attack is likely an attempt to force us to recall our troops to the front lines! They know they are outnumbered and facing difficulties in attacking fortified positions. If our frontline troops withdraw, they can take the opportunity to retreat at their own pace, and they might even ambush us on our retreat route. In that case, we will be attacked from both sides and suffer even greater losses!"

"Baka! In that case, it's impossible to defend Lashio with just these two companies in the city. Once Lashio is lost, even if the front-line troops stay in place, they will collapse without a fight due to lack of supplies. At that time, we will lose the entire 56th Division!" The major who had previously suggested troop redeployment immediately retorted, his tone agitated.

"Why couldn't we hold them? The 200th Division has already suffered heavy losses, losing all its heavy weapons. They have no heavy artillery, no siege equipment, so it's impossible for them to break through our carefully constructed defensive strongholds! As long as our defenders fight to the death and buy time, we can wait for the front-line troops to complete their deployment and then calmly return to reinforce them. At that time, we can wipe out the enemy in one fell swoop!" The lieutenant colonel raised his voice, not giving an inch.

"You..." The major's face turned pale with anger, and he wanted to continue arguing, but Watanabe Masao interrupted him sharply: "Quiet!"

Lieutenant General Masao Watanabe raised his hand to signal them to be quiet, and the command room instantly fell silent, with only the slightly rapid breathing of the crowd remaining.

Lieutenant General Watanabe Masao frowned deeply, lost in difficult thought—recalling the troops back to the front lines risked falling into an enemy trap and causing even greater losses; but if they weren't recalled, Lashio would be difficult to defend, and the consequences of losing it would be unimaginable.

"How are the various strongholds doing now? How is the 200th Division's offensive momentum? Can the defenders hold out?" After thinking for a while, Lieutenant General Masao Watanabe asked.

"There are no reports yet, so there shouldn't be anything..." Before he could finish speaking, the communications officer who had relayed the order earlier rushed in, his face pale.

"Your Excellency, the outer positions report that they have lost two-thirds of their strongholds. The 200th Division's attack is swift, and they have deployed heavy artillery."

"Nani..."

"This is impossible..."

"Absolutely impossible." Instantly, various shocked voices rang out in the command room. They absolutely refused to believe that there would be heavy artillery.