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

"Baka! Disrupting morale, or I'll kill you!" Upon hearing this, Lieutenant General Watanabe Masao's anger erupted once more. He drew his sword from his waist, the tip pointing directly at the communications officer, his tone filled with murderous intent.

In his view, what the other side said was a complete lie—the 200th Division had long since lost all its heavy weapons and could not possibly possess heavy artillery. This was clearly false information deliberately spread by the enemy to disrupt his morale and make him make the wrong decision!

"Your Excellency, it's true. The outer outposts were indeed bombarded by heavy artillery, and the enemy's firepower was exceptionally fierce. The outposts' fortifications were simply no match for them. In just over ten minutes, they were reduced to ruins! Many soldiers were killed on the spot. The telegrams from the front lines clearly state this, and there is absolutely no exaggeration!" The communications officer could only grit his teeth, raise his voice, and emphasize each word.

"How is this possible? How could they have heavy artillery?" Lieutenant General Masao Watanabe still found it hard to believe, his eyes filled with disbelief, and his tone weakened. Those were heavy artillery pieces, how could they have them?

He muttered to himself, his face filled with bewilderment and confusion. Heavy artillery was no ordinary weapon; the difficulty of transporting it was completely beyond his comprehension.

"Could they have been left behind by the British?" a staff officer couldn't help but whisper, his tone tinged with uncertainty. "The British retreated in such a hurry, maybe they didn't have time to take some of the heavy artillery with them, and they picked it up?"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the command room nodded, their faces showing thoughtful expressions.

At the moment, this is the only answer that can barely make sense—aside from the heavy artillery left behind by the British army, they really can't think of any other way the enemy could have obtained heavy artillery.

"That can't be possible, can it?" another staff officer questioned. "Even if the British left behind heavy artillery, they would have destroyed it beforehand. How could they possibly leave it intact to the enemy?"

"Enough! Forget about the source of the heavy artillery! The most urgent problem now is that the outer positions have been lost, and the enemy has heavy artillery support. Their offensive momentum is getting stronger and stronger! You should all know the combat power of the 200th Division. Even without heavy artillery, they can fight to the death to take on the enemy. Let alone now that they have heavy artillery support!" Lieutenant General Masao Watanabe forced himself to calm down. Before, he was just angry, but now he had to resolve the crisis at hand as soon as possible.

He took a deep breath, his tone heavy: "It seems that our own forces are simply not enough to hold Lashio. We must seek reinforcements immediately!"

"Division Commander, the troops at the front absolutely cannot be recalled!" The lieutenant colonel, who had previously opposed the troop movement, stepped forward again, his tone urgent. "If the front-line troops are recalled, our previous plan to block the Expeditionary Force's retreat and expand our gains will be in vain. The main force of the Expeditionary Force will be able to withdraw back to China unscathed, and we will be put on the defensive in the face of the subsequent Yunnan-Burma offensive, possibly even suffering a complete defeat!"

Upon hearing this, Watanabe Masao was no fool and naturally understood the reasoning. The front-line troops were the main force of the 56th Division. If they withdrew, they would not only miss the opportunity to annihilate the remnants of the expeditionary force, but they might also be ambushed by the enemy, suffering heavy losses.

If the main force of the expeditionary force were to withdraw back to China intact, their subsequent offensive in western Yunnan would be put on the defensive.

Thinking of this, Watanabe Masao strode to the map, his eyes fixed on the direction of Mandalay, his finger tapping heavily on the map, his gaze gradually becoming firm.

A moment later, he turned around and said firmly, "If we don't recall the troops to the front lines, we'll request reinforcements from the 18th Division!"

The 18th Division has just joined the battle, and its main force is still in Mandalay, not too far from Lashio. Moreover, it has sufficient troops. If some reinforcements can be transferred here, it will definitely alleviate the crisis in Lashio and help defend this important town.

"Immediately send a telegram to the military headquarters, using earnest language, emphasizing the strategic importance of Lashio, and requesting the headquarters to order the 18th Division to quickly dispatch reinforcements to support Lashio!" Watanabe Masao raised his voice.

"Hai!" the communications officer responded immediately.

On the other side, at the 200th Division's position outside the city, Zheng Tingji looked at the Japanese stronghold that had just been captured not far away, his face full of emotion, and his heart filled with lingering fear.

Not long ago, the Japanese army's outer strongholds were impregnable, with light and heavy machine guns forming a dense net. The soldiers of the 200th Division launched several attacks, but were all driven back, suffering considerable casualties.

Looking at the Japanese army's fortified positions, Zheng Tingji was already prepared to deploy a suicide squad. Even at a heavy cost, he was determined to capture this stronghold and create an opening for the subsequent assault.

Before he could give the order, a messenger came running up excitedly and reported that Huang Zurong had sent a batch of heavy artillery to help them get out of their predicament.

Upon hearing about the heavy artillery, Zheng Tingji was naturally excited. However, when he saw the so-called "heavy artillery," his excitement froze instantly, replaced by speechlessness, and he even felt a bit like laughing and crying at the same time.

Is this thing called a heavy artillery?

Do you have such rudimentary heavy artillery?

As a result, the soldier in charge of the launch ignored him completely and struggled to push the vehicle forward.

"Can this thing really destroy Japanese strongholds?" Zheng Tingji couldn't help but ask.

One of the lieutenants, without turning his head, said, "Don't worry, Commander Zheng. This thing looks simple, but its power is definitely enough. I guarantee it can blast the Japanese stronghold into rubble!"

Seeing their confident demeanor, Zheng Tingji, trusting Huang Zurong, had no choice but to believe them.

As a result, this scene unfolded before our eyes.

"Boom—!"

With a deafening roar, the gas cylinder cannon was launched.

The gas cylinder filled with explosives struck the Japanese stronghold's fortifications with pinpoint accuracy, like a cannonball, instantly triggering a violent explosion that sent flames soaring into the sky and debris flying everywhere.

The once impregnable stronghold was blown apart like paper under the bombardment of the gas cylinder cannons, and a huge hole was blasted open in an instant, with the Japanese soldiers inside screaming in agony.

Immediately afterwards, the second and third "shells" were fired in succession. Each explosion destroyed a section of the stronghold's fortifications. Before long, the entire Japanese stronghold was reduced to rubble.

Standing on the high ground, Zheng Tingji stared in disbelief. His face, previously filled with confusion and helplessness, was now utterly shocked. Finally, he couldn't help but ask, "What...what kind of weapon is this? Its power is incredible!"

"Commander Zheng, this is called a gas cylinder cannon. Don't let its simple appearance fool you; once it's filled with enough explosives, its power is no less than that of a regular heavy artillery piece. It's perfect for dealing with the Japanese army's fortified strongholds!" the lieutenant next to him explained with a smile.

"Moreover, the shrapnel from the explosion could kill even more Japanese soldiers."

"Gas cylinder cannon..." Zheng Tingji murmured the name repeatedly. Although he had never heard of this weapon before, he was deeply shocked by its power.