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

"But if too many of the 18th Division's main forces are withdrawn, the plan in the Myitkyina direction will fall apart completely, and the main force of the expeditionary force will take the opportunity to withdraw back to China. At that time, we will be attacked from both sides, and our situation will be even more difficult!" Colonel Moriya Seiji's tone was also very urgent. Although he knew that the situation in Lashio was very critical, wouldn't his planned offensive in Myitkyina go bankrupt?

The Myitkyina offensive was his own plan, a chance he had longed for to make a name for himself. If he could completely cut off the retreat route of the main force of the expeditionary force and annihilate the remnants of the expeditionary force, he could completely occupy the entire territory of Burma. This achievement would be enough to allow him to advance further, get rid of the title of colonel, and join the ranks of generals.

Once he reached his position, promotion was virtually impossible; many of his colleagues were stuck at the rank of colonel, never able to advance any further in their entire lives.

He had been lying low for many years and finally got such a great opportunity. How could he be willing to let his long-planned scheme go completely bankrupt just because he was rushing to help Lashio?

How could I possibly let this opportunity to change my destiny slip away?

"But what will happen to the front lines if Lashio is lost? Have you thought about that?" Major General Haruki Isayama stared coldly at his opponent. "Lashio is the logistical hub for all frontline troops, the only transit point for weapons, ammunition, food, and medicine! Once Lashio is lost, the frontline troops will be trapped in a desperate situation of running out of ammunition and food. At that point, forget about occupying Burma; all our troops will collapse without a fight!"

At the same time, his tone grew increasingly cold, each word piercing to the heart: "At this critical juncture of life and death, you're still thinking about your own petty schemes, about your own promotion? If the situation in Burma completely collapses, what's the point of you preserving the Myitkyina plan?"

"But..." Colonel Moriya Seiji wanted to argue his point, but when he looked up, he saw the cold gaze of Commander Iida Shojiro, so he immediately shut up.

"Immediately send a telegram to the 18th Division, ordering them to dispatch a regiment to Lashio as quickly as possible to provide support! At the same time, send a telegram back to Watanabe Masao, demanding that the garrison of Lashio fight to the death, even to the last man, to hold Lashio until reinforcements arrive!" Iida Shojiro's eyes showed no hesitation, and his tone was firm and unquestionable.

Lashio is absolutely not to be lost. If Lashio is lost, the supply lines will be cut off, all the troops on the front lines will be in dire straits, all the previous gains will be wasted, and it may even lead to the collapse of the entire Burmese battlefield.

As for why he didn't send more reinforcements, it wasn't that he didn't value Lashio, but rather that he was considering the logistical challenges.

Although some Burmese have chosen to ally with the Japanese army, which helped them solve many problems related to the transportation of supplies and the transmission of intelligence, the core problem of logistical support has not yet been completely resolved.

In particular, most of the weapons and ammunition had to be shipped from Japan, which resulted in long transportation cycles and significant losses, making it impossible to support long-term operations for large-scale troops.

As for the captured British weapons, they were not put into service. Iida Shojiro was not stupid; he knew that the calibers of British weapons and standard Japanese weapons were completely different. If they were put into service, two different calibers of bullets would need to be supplied at the same time, which would greatly increase the pressure on logistics and supply, and might even lead to the embarrassing situation of "having guns but no bullets".

Although the Japanese Army and Navy often engage in some "idiotic" behaviors that disregard the overall situation and hinder each other, the Army is not entirely composed of fools. There are still "sophisticated" individuals like Shojiro Iida who know how to weigh the pros and cons and will not create hidden dangers for future operations for the sake of temporary convenience.

"Hai!" The communications officer immediately bowed and responded without the slightest delay.

Meanwhile, at the 18th Division of the Japanese Army, located near Mandalay, Lieutenant General Renya Mutaguchi, the division commander, was in his command post, quickly reviewing a telegram delivered by his subordinates.

After reading the telegram, a disdainful smile slowly crept onto his lips. He casually tossed the telegram onto the table, his tone full of contempt.

The 18th Division was an elite division of the Japanese army, but because it entered the war relatively late, it achieved very few results in the Burma battlefield, far less impressive than the 56th and 33rd Divisions.

This greatly displeased the proud and arrogant Renya Mutaguchi. They were a top-ranked family division, how could they be surpassed by these second-class divisions?

Therefore, he had been holding back his energy for a long time, eager to immediately join the battle, make outstanding achievements, and prove his command ability.

"A regiment?" Mutaguchi Renya scoffed. "Commander Iida, are you worried about our logistical support?"

He immediately saw through the subtext of the telegram—the order stated "no less than a regiment to provide support," which seemed to give him the space to allocate troops independently, but in reality it implied that if logistical conditions allowed, he could send more troops.

The so-called "logistical conditions" are, to put it bluntly, concerns about the supply of food and ammunition.

"What kind of question is this?" Mutaguchi Renya stood up, his smile growing even more arrogant. "A group of soldiers, is it really necessary to carry so much rations? There's plenty of wild grass and tree bark along the way, and we can even requisition food from the Burmese. Even without food, we can survive on grass. There's absolutely no need to carry extra rations!"

In his eyes, the Japanese army was very hardworking and resilient. As long as they could fight and make contributions, being a little hungry or suffering was nothing.

As long as you don't carry a lot of dry rations, you can greatly reduce the pressure on logistics. Not to mention sending out one regiment, even sending out two regiments would be no problem at all.

"Pass on my order: mobilize two regiments, assemble them immediately, and rush to Lashio as quickly as possible! Tell each regiment not to carry too much rations; use whatever supplies are available along the way. Reach Lashio in the shortest possible time to join forces with the garrison in the city to encircle and annihilate the remnants of the 200th Division, and wipe them out completely!"

"Commander, Commander Iida only requested the dispatch of one regiment. Would it be against orders to send two regiments? Moreover, the rations we carry are insufficient, and the soldiers may go hungry on the way, which would affect their combat effectiveness..." The staff officer hesitated for a moment and quickly reminded him.

He felt that he didn't have enough rations, and if he got into a tough fight, something bad would definitely happen.

"Shut up!" Mutaguchi Renya interrupted the staff officer sharply, his eyes full of impatience. "Commander Iida is worried about logistics, but I've already solved that problem! Sending an extra regiment will allow us to eliminate the enemy faster and achieve greater merit. What's wrong with that?"

"As for starvation? What kind of hardship is that? What difference does it make if the soldiers eat some grass and gnaw on some tree bark? Being able to survive and fight, and to earn merit, is their honor!"

"Go and relay the order immediately. If you delay the battle, you will be held responsible!"

"Hai!" The staff officer shuddered in fright and quickly bowed in response.