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

On the other side, a combat staff officer from the 56th Regiment's temporary camp strode into the command post. His steps were hurried, and his face was grave. He walked up to Fujimura Masuzō and reported in a heavy tone: "Colonel, the search squadron we sent out was ambushed by the enemy in the dense forest area. More than half of them were lost, and the squadron leader was killed in action."

Upon hearing this, Colonel Fujimura Masuzō's pupils contracted sharply. His most feared and certain guess had actually come true.

The search squadron was ambushed shortly after setting off. The ambush was incredibly precise, which made him even more certain that there was an enemy spy within his ranks, and that the spy was of a very high rank and could easily access core military orders.

"It must be a spy, and one in the communications squadron. Only by controlling the radio can we transmit intelligence immediately and allow the enemy to ambush us precisely!" Fujimura Masuzō said in a hoarse voice, turning to look at Lieutenant Colonel Matsushita Shuichi, the regimental chief of staff beside him.

Lieutenant Colonel Matsushita Shuichi's face also showed a hint of disbelief. His brows furrowed, and after a moment of silence, he slowly shook his head and said with certainty, "Colonel, I think it's unlikely."

"Why?" Fujimura Masuzo suddenly turned his head and looked at the other person.

"Because all of this is too illogical." Matsushita Shuichi stepped forward, pointed to the ambush area on the map, and analyzed in a deep voice, "We just issued the search order, the search squadron just set off, and the enemy completed the ambush deployment. The speed is ridiculously fast. Unless the spy has a secret radio that we are completely unaware of, and the signal is not detected at all, but under the current circumstances, this is simply impossible."

Upon hearing this, Colonel Fujimura Masuzō fell silent, realizing that Matsushita Shuichi's words made perfect sense.

But if it wasn't a spy leaking information, how can we explain that the enemy seemed to have eyes in the sky, knowing everything about their every move, troop movements, and marching routes?

He could accurately predict their actions every time, set up ambushes in advance, and gradually whittle them down. This extremely ruthless strategic vision and absolute control over the battlefield instilled a deep-seated fear in him, a commander of a Class A division who had fought for many years.

He had never been so passive, never been forced into such a desperate situation by an insignificant force. His troops were being constantly depleted, his supplies were being destroyed, his morale was crumbling, and even launching an offensive would be suicide.

For a moment, Colonel Fujimura Masuzo felt a slight urge to retreat.

Seeing that his expression relaxed, Matsushita Hideichi quickly pressed his advantage, bowing and suggesting, "Colonel, the immediate plan is twofold: first, to immediately report the intelligence here to the division commander and request the Special Higher Police to conduct a thorough investigation, making sure to find out the background of the commander of this militia group; this person is no ordinary individual; second, to suspend all offensive operations, hold the position, and wait for the 55th Regiment to arrive and join us. At that time, we will have an absolute advantage in troop strength, and even if the enemy is skilled at ambushes, we can calmly deploy our troops, advance steadily, and completely crush them."

In the past, the proud and arrogant Fujimura Masuzo would have refused to ask for help, feeling it was a great disgrace. But now, the successive defeats, the unknown fears, and the complete control he had been in had worn down his arrogance, leaving only the instinct to survive.

At this moment, Colonel Fujimura Masuzō's expression was uncertain. After hesitating for a moment, he gritted his teeth and agreed in a deep voice: "Do as you say. Immediately send a telegram to the division headquarters requesting intelligence support. At the same time, order the entire army to hold their positions and not to launch any attacks without authorization, and wait for the 55th Regiment to arrive!"

"Hai."

When Lieutenant General Renya Mutaguchi, commander of the 18th Division, received the urgent encrypted telegram from the 56th Regiment, he was sitting in front of the sand table in the division's command post, planning the overall deployment to annihilate the retreating troops of the Expeditionary Force in northern Burma.

When he saw the telegram's heading, he froze on the spot, completely stunned.

Correct!

I was just stunned.

According to the original plan, Fujimura Masuzo's 56th Regiment, as the vanguard, should have arrived in Lashio long ago to join forces with the 56th Division headquarters, and at the same time defeat the remnants of the 200th Division that were surrounded, and even achieve good results.

All of this was his idea.

But now a telegram has arrived saying that they haven't rejoined the main force yet, and are even stuck in place, unable to move an inch.

This completely stunned him.

"What on earth is Fujimura Masuzo doing?!" Lieutenant General Mutaguchi Renya suppressed his anger as he read through the entire telegram, only to be met with even deeper bewilderment and disbelief.

where is this?

This is the battlefield in Myanmar!

And who is the opponent?

An obscure local militia?

The results of it?

Never fought before?

He looked at the contents of the telegram repeatedly: the main force of the regiment had been ambushed repeatedly, two battalions had been severely damaged, the search squadron had lost more than half of its strength, the logistics supply camp had been destroyed, and the entire regiment had suffered more than half of its casualties. It was forced to hold its ground and wait for reinforcements, and dared not take the initiative to attack.

Every word felt like a slap across his face.

Is this scientific?

This is absolutely outrageous!

In his mind, local militias were just a bunch of undisciplined rabble armed with old weapons. They couldn't even defeat a small squad, let alone the elite Imperial regiments. He wouldn't even give such armed forces a second glance. Only the direct forces of the Central Army would earn his respect.

If it weren't for Fujimura Masuzō's name at the end of the telegram, he would never have believed it was real.

"Division Commander, when did a local militia become so powerful?" Chief of Staff Colonel Takeda Hisashi quickly approached, took the telegram, and after rapidly reading it, he froze on the spot, his face full of astonishment, his glasses almost slipping off, and he didn't come to his senses for a long time.

"This is simply unbelievable! A local militia group managed to rout an entire regiment of our 18th Division like this?"

Although the 18th Division had just completed its reorganization and some veterans had been transferred away, its combat effectiveness had declined slightly from its peak. However, even a weakened camel is bigger than a horse. It was still a Class A division with excellent equipment and training. How could it be defeated by a militia and forced to retreat and suffer heavy losses?

"I don't know." Renya Mutaguchi waved his hand impatiently.

"A ragtag militia managed to severely damage one of our regiments, forcing Fujimura Masuzo to retreat in fear. If word gets out, it's a disgrace to the Imperial Army!"

"Return to Denfumura Masuzo first and have him hold the position to the death. Do not engage in battle rashly."

"Furthermore, order the 55th Regiment to speed up its march and rush to the aid of the 56th Regiment. I want to see just who this militia, who dares to bite the Imperial Army, really is!"

"Hai," Takeda Hisashi quickly bowed and replied.

"Also, we need to find out the specific information about the commander of this militia. Let's see if we can get it out." After a moment's hesitation, Lieutenant General Renya Mutaguchi finally spoke up.

"Hai."