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

"I do not understand."

"Two hours ago, you said the 56th Regiment was only ten kilometers away! Now, two hours have passed, and you're still saying it's only ten kilometers?!"

"Ten kilometers is a distance even a pig could cover. Are they saying the 18th Division is even less capable than a pig?"

"A bunch of good-for-nothings! Useless!"

In a temporary command post in Lashio, Lieutenant General Masao Watanabe paced back and forth in the cramped command room with his hands behind his back, his face ashen. Suddenly, he stopped abruptly, turned around, and roared angrily at the communications officer who was standing bowing in front of him.

"Your Excellency Division Commander, the 56th Regiment sent an urgent telegram saying that they encountered strong enemy resistance en route. They launched several attacks, but all were repelled, and they are unable to advance, which is why they are delayed." The communications staff officer trembled with fear, lowered his head even further, and looked aggrieved, but dared not offer any explanation. He could only explain in a low voice.

"Have you encountered resistance?"

Upon hearing this, Lieutenant General Watanabe Masao's anger intensified, and he slammed his fist on the table in front of him.

"A complete regiment! A Class A regiment of the 18th Division at that! Couldn't even defeat a small blocking force? Incompetent! Utterly incompetent!"

He grew angrier as he spoke, his chest heaving violently, and the anger in his eyes almost bursting forth.

No wonder he was so angry; this was just too outrageous. The 18th Division was an elite Class A division of the Japanese army, yet it was blocked by an unknown blocking force ten kilometers away, unable to move an inch. Who would believe that?

Just these ten kilometers?

Is it that difficult?

Even if the enemy has an ambush, with the strength of a regiment, they should be able to break through even if they fight head-on, right?

In his eyes, it wasn't that the resistance was particularly tenacious, but rather that the soldiers of the 56th Regiment were too incompetent and Fujimura Masuzo was too useless!

Unfortunately, Watanabe Masao, who was furious at the moment, didn't want to hear any explanations. In his view, all the setbacks and delays were signs of incompetence.

He clenched his fists, his heart filled with resentment and frustration. If he hadn't been without his main force and only had some second-line defenders and remnants left, how could he have been beaten so badly by the 200th Division?

His guards had all been dispatched to fill gaps in the defenses, and now only civilian staff and officers remained in the command post; there were no soldiers left to send.

The defenses of Lashio are on the verge of collapse. Soldiers from the 200th Division have already stormed into the city and occupied most of it. If this continues, Lashio will fall completely without the need for reinforcements.

Will he really abandon the city and flee then?

The thought had barely crossed his mind when Watanabe Masao forcibly suppressed it.

Abandon the city and flee?

This is utterly shameful, not only for himself, but also for the Imperial Japanese Army!

If the navy found out, they'd probably be fired upon in celebration and ridicule.

Especially before this, the 200th Division had been utterly defeated by them and was on the verge of collapse.

This stark contrast, once it gets out, will cause him to lose all face. At that point, he will certainly lose his position as division commander, and may even be court-martialed.

He cannot lose, and he cannot run away!

"Send another telegram to the 56th Regiment, using strong language, ordering them to arrive in Lashio within half an hour and immediately launch a counterattack against the 200th Division's frontal assault to tie down their forces. If they cannot arrive within half an hour, hmph..." Watanabe Masao took a deep breath, his eyes growing colder and more resolute as he roared.

"Hai." The communications officer didn't dare to delay for a moment and immediately bowed in response.

……

Meanwhile, at the headquarters of the 200th Division, which had already occupied most of Lashu City, the atmosphere was completely different, filled with joy and celebration.

The temporary division headquarters was set up in a captured Japanese barracks. On the wall hung a battle map of Lashio, marked in red with the areas that the 200th Division had already occupied, covering almost half of Lashio.

Gao Jiren stood in front of the map, his smile never fading, his eyes filled with satisfaction.

He never expected that the battle to capture Lashio would go so smoothly. He originally thought that the Japanese army would put up a tough resistance with their strong fortifications and that they would even pay a heavy price. But to his surprise, with the support of the gas cylinder cannons provided by Huang Zurong, they made a series of rapid advances and quickly entered the city, gaining a complete advantage.

"Staff Officer Zhou, the Japanese army has few positions left in the city. How long will it take before we can completely capture Lashio and wipe out the remaining Japanese troops?" Gao Jiren asked Lieutenant Colonel Zhou Xu, the operations staff officer beside him.

"Sir, according to the reports from various units, the remaining Japanese positions are mainly concentrated in the core area of ​​the northwest corner of the city. There are remnants of the Japanese army there, relying on strong fortifications to put up a stubborn resistance. At the current pace of the attack, it will take at most half a day to completely wipe out the remaining Japanese army and completely occupy Lashio." Lieutenant Colonel Zhou Xu, the operations staff officer, immediately pointed on the map.

"Half a day?" Gao Jiren frowned, repeated the two words, and his tone was somewhat dissatisfied.

"It's been too long. The Japanese reinforcements are almost here. Regiment Commander Huang Zurong is leading his men to block the reinforcements in the south. He's under a lot of pressure. We can't put all the pressure on Regiment Commander Huang and his troops."

"Sir, this is already the fastest we can go. Although the remaining Japanese troops are few in number, they are all fighting desperately. Moreover, the fortifications in the northwest corner of the city are very strong. Our soldiers need to clear them out one by one, so we can't be fast at all." Zhou Xu explained hurriedly with a helpless expression on his face.

He also wanted to speed up the attack, but the battlefield situation was such that he couldn't rush it. Forcing a faster pace would only increase casualties and be counterproductive.

Gao Jiren fell silent; he knew Zhou Xu was telling the truth.

"How about we transfer the reserve force to support Commander Huang and his men? The overall situation is basically settled now, and the Japanese troops in the city no longer pose a significant threat. This reserve force can be deployed."

Upon hearing this, Gao Jiren's eyes lit up. He carefully considered Zhou Xu's suggestion, and after a moment, he slowly nodded and said firmly, "Alright, let's do it your way. Have Liu Shaofeng lead the reserve team to immediately support Commander Huang and his men. At the same time, order the remaining troops to speed up the elimination of the remaining Japanese troops."

He paused, then added, "Also, pass on my orders to Liu Shaofeng: tell him to put aside his arrogance, listen to Commander Huang's advice, obey Commander Huang's commands, not act on his own, and cooperate with Commander Huang to block the Japanese reinforcements."

"Yes!" Zhou Xu immediately bowed and replied.

Upon receiving the order, Liu Shaofeng did not hesitate at all and immediately led the reserve team straight to the battlefield outside the city.