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

"Your Excellency, the 56th Infantry Regiment is about to arrive in Lashio and is ready to be deployed for battle at any time." Lieutenant General Renya Mutaguchi, who was still in Mandalay, listened to his subordinate's report without any change in expression, as if the reinforcements rushing to Lashio were not his elite regiments, but just a trivial matter.

"Did you encounter any resistance from the expeditionary force along the way?" After a while, Lieutenant General Renya Mutaguchi looked up at the communications officer and asked in a calm tone.

Normally, since the expeditionary force dared to besiege Lashio rashly, it must have expected that the Japanese army would urgently send reinforcements. Lashio was the logistical hub of the Burma battlefield and a place that both sides were vying for, so its importance was self-evident.

Logically, the expeditionary force would have set up ambushes along the route that reinforcements were bound to take. Even small-scale harassment could have slowed down the Japanese army's march and bought time for a frontal assault.

Therefore, before the 56th Regiment set off, Mutaguchi Renya repeatedly emphasized that it was essential to send out elite reconnaissance teams to clear the way ahead and scout ahead, and to be on guard against ambushes. At the same time, he strictly ordered the troops that if they encountered small groups of expeditionary forces harassing them, they should not engage in battle, but simply speed up and reach Lashio as quickly as possible to support the defense.

In short, there was only one goal: to reach Lashio as quickly as possible.

Now that I hear that they arrived in Lashio in just over two days, it's strange that Lieutenant General Renya Mutaguchi is like this. Could it be that they didn't encounter an ambush?

"The telegram didn't mention any ambush," the communications officer said, bowing slightly, his tone tinged with uncertainty. "Presumably, there wasn't an ambush. Perhaps the expeditionary force was short-handed, having been fully committed to the assault on Lashio, and simply didn't have enough troops to stop our reinforcements."

Renya Mutaguchi nodded slowly, his face still expressionless, but he accepted the statement in his heart.

Yes, the 200th Division was already a defeated army. Even with the support of a mysterious force, its strength would be limited. It would be difficult to besiege Lashio with all its might, let alone have extra troops to stop his elite regiment.

Thinking about it that way, it seems reasonable.

"Why wasn't there an ambush? That doesn't make sense." But then he frowned and muttered to himself.

Just as he had thought, the normal combat logic of a person would be to set up an ambush on the route that the reinforcements would inevitably take, and even if they couldn't defeat them, they would still harass them and delay their march.

Even if the expeditionary force is short-handed, sending dozens or hundreds of men to harass the enemy can still cause some trouble for the regiment and slow down its advance.

But now, the journey has been smooth sailing, without any obstacles, which is too abnormal and not scientific at all.

This unusual calm made Renya Mutaguchi feel uneasy; he sensed that something was amiss.

That's just so illogical.

"Your Excellency, could the attack on Lashio be just a smokescreen? Is the expeditionary force's real objective to force us to withdraw our frontline troops so that they can retreat?" the communications officer boldly speculated.

"It's very likely." Lieutenant General Renya Mutaguchi pondered for a while and felt that this possibility was very high. However, it was too late to change the battle plan now. He didn't have many regiments left to spare because the 18th Division had been reorganized into a three-unit system, abolishing brigades and directly commanding regiments.

The 18th Division now consists of only three infantry regiments, one mountain artillery regiment, one engineer regiment, one supply regiment, and one cavalry battalion, with its overall strength reduced by nearly one-third compared to before.

Therefore, after transferring two infantry regiments, Lieutenant General Renya Mutaguchi felt that the troops were somewhat insufficient.

"Does the division commander want to change the operational plan?" the communications officer inquired.

"No need." Lieutenant General Renya Mutaguchi took a deep breath, slowly stood up, his eyes hardening, and gave the order in an unquestionable tone, "Let the 56th Regiment continue to reinforce Lashio and fully support Masao Watanabe. Lashio must be held! As for the main force of the expeditionary force in the north, they are already a bunch of defeated soldiers, no match for them. Even the engineer regiment can defeat them."

He paused, then continued, "Pass the order: have the engineer regiment and cavalry battalion depart immediately to continue the blockade plan. Cut off the main force's retreat route at all costs; do not allow them any chance to escape back home!"

"Hai," the communications officer replied immediately.

Meanwhile, along the railway line south of Lashio, the atmosphere was extremely tense. Long Wenzhang and Meng Fan lay on a hidden earthen slope, keeping a close eye on the direction from which the Japanese reinforcements were coming.

In the distance, dust billowed, and the sounds of footsteps and vehicles gradually became clearer. The vanguard of the Japanese 56th Regiment was advancing rapidly along the railway.

Leading the way were two Type 95 light tanks, speeding along the dirt road beside the railway, recklessly crushing the roadside weeds as they made their way forward.

Long Wenzhang's eyes narrowed, his fists clenched tightly, and he whispered to the messenger beside him, "Get ready. Detonate the tanks as soon as they reach the minefield!"

The messenger immediately responded, and the soldier in charge of detonating the explosives received the order and immediately kept a close eye on the two tanks that were getting closer and closer.

The next second, just as two Type 95 light tanks drove into the area where the pressure cooker mines were laid, two vehicles entered the area.

"boom!--"

"boom!--"

Two earth-shattering explosions rang out in succession, like thunderclaps, echoing throughout the entire mountain forest.

The massive shockwave instantly whipped up clouds of dust and debris, while flames shot into the sky, illuminating the entire railway line.

The first Type 95 light tank at the forefront was overturned by the immense power of the landmine explosion. The tank body was instantly deformed, and countless fragments of armor were blown apart and scattered everywhere. The Japanese soldier inside the tank screamed and died on the spot. The entire tank was instantly engulfed in flames and turned into a pile of charred scrap metal.

The second tank that followed was not spared either; the force of the landmine explosion pierced through its armor, and armor fragments rained down on the surrounding ground, filling the air with smoke and dust that blotted out the sun.

The worst off were the Japanese soldiers who were closely following behind; the shockwave from the explosion and the flying armor fragments took many of them away.

The Japanese soldiers further away were completely stunned by this sudden turn of events.

They stopped in their tracks, standing there dumbfounded, staring at the scene before them, their faces filled with shock and bewilderment, momentarily forgetting to react.

"Anti-tank mines?!"

This was the first thought that popped into the minds of all the Japanese soldiers.

They never imagined that there would be anti-tank mines here, and that they would be so powerful that they could blow two Type 95 light tanks to scrap metal!