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

Du Yuming's fingertips landed heavily on the two characters **Lashio** marked on the military map. His knuckles tightened slightly, his eyes were resolute, and he spoke in a steady tone: "The problem must be here."

Based on his decades of military experience in leading troops and analyzing battle situations, combined with the scattered telegrams from the Japanese army that he had previously intercepted, he almost instantly identified the core issue.

"Lashio?" Upon hearing this, the staff officers all gathered in front of the map, staring at this transportation hub and logistics center in the heart of Myanmar. They were all stunned, their faces full of doubt and confusion.

Lashio's strategic location is indeed crucial, serving as a core node for the Japanese army to transport supplies and deploy troops. However, the previous discussion focused on the sudden halt in the main force of the Japanese army. What is the connection between the two?

"Sir, Lashio's strategic position is indeed important, but what does this have to do with the sudden halt in the advance of the two Japanese regiments?" A operations staff officer couldn't help but ask first, and the other staff officers nodded, their eyes full of confusion.

"Yes, Your Excellency, the troops we previously deployed near Lashio were scattered by the Japanese army long ago. There are no organized main forces of ours there at all. How could there be a problem here?" Another staff officer chimed in, and everyone stared at Du Yuming, waiting for him to give a reasonable explanation.

Faced with a barrage of questions, Du Yuming did not get angry. Instead, he suppressed his anxiety, raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet, and patiently explained, "You only focus on the Japanese army's marching movements, but you forget that logistics and supplies are the lifeline of the troops. Under normal circumstances, a Japanese independent combat regiment can only sustain high-intensity combat for three days at most with the ammunition, food, and medicine it carries. The continuous supply of materials depends entirely on the transport regiment transferring them from rear strongholds to support their continued pursuit and attack."

There was nothing wrong with what he said, so all the staff members present nodded in agreement without any objection, waiting for what he would say next.

"And right now, the only core stronghold that can simultaneously meet the logistical needs of two Japanese regiments and stockpile a large amount of war supplies is Lashio." Du Yuming's fingertip slid along the supply line on the map, his tone becoming increasingly certain.

"If something happens in Lashio, the Japanese army's supply lines will be cut off, and the front-line troops will run out of ammunition and food. Not to mention continuing to pursue our breakout troops, even their own survival will be in trouble. They will inevitably be forced to stop and dare not venture further."

"Sir, do you mean that something major happened in Lashio, and the Japanese army's supply lines were completely cut off, which is why the two regiments at the front stopped their pursuit?" The operations staff officer suddenly realized, but then immediately frowned, his tone full of doubt.

"That should be it. There is no other reason to explain why the Japanese army suddenly stopped advancing." Du Yuming pondered for a moment before speaking slowly.

To be honest, he couldn't understand it either. There was no main force of the expeditionary force in the Lashio direction, so why would there be a problem here?

Could it have been shut down?

That's even more impossible.

"But that doesn't make any sense!" the operations staff officer shook his head violently.

"We don't have any main force in Lashio at all. The two newly formed units were defeated and scattered in the early stages of the Japanese attack, suffering heavy casualties and losing their combat effectiveness long ago. They have no strength left to flank and counterattack, let alone take down the Japanese's supply stronghold! Could it be friendly forces? But the British have long since disappeared and would never do something so risky!"

These words hit the nail on the head, and the group fell into another argument. The atmosphere inside the tent instantly became tense, and no one could convince anyone else.

Just as everyone was arguing and sticking to their own opinions, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the tent. A communications soldier rushed in, clutching an urgent telegram, looking flustered and unsteady on his feet, his face full of shock.

"Report! Your Excellency, an urgent coded telegram from General Stilwell!"

Du Yuming frowned slightly, a hint of impatience flashing in his eyes, but he didn't seem to care much.

During this period, Stilwell's telegrams came one after another, all with the same content, urging him to lead his remaining troops to Imphal, completely disregarding the lives of the expeditionary soldiers. He had long seen through the selfish motives behind them and regarded them as just another ordinary telegram urging him.

"What is it now? Just say it." Du Yuming's tone was indifferent, even a little distant.

The communications soldier took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in his heart, and read the telegram clearly, word by word: "Telegram report: Lashio has been captured and occupied by our troops. We have severely damaged the headquarters of the Japanese 56th Division, annihilated thousands of elite Japanese soldiers, and simultaneously routed the Japanese 56th Regiment, destroyed all of the Japanese stockpiled supplies, and cut off the Japanese front-line supply lines!"

Upon hearing this, the previously noisy and argumentative headquarters instantly fell silent, so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

All the staff officers and adjutants froze on the spot, their eyes wide, mouths slightly agape, their faces filled with disbelief and shock. The sounds of their previous arguments, footsteps, and breathing all vanished.

Du Yuming abruptly stood up, his body swaying, his eyes filled with astonishment. The pencil in his hand fell to the ground, and he was speechless for a long time, completely stunned by the contents of the telegram.

The deathly silence inside the tent lasted for more than half a minute. Everyone was still reeling from the shocking news, and no one dared to speak, for fear that they had misheard.

After a long while, Du Yuming slowly steadied himself, his voice trembling slightly, and asked, "This...is this true? It's definitely not a lie or a misjudgment?"

He simply couldn't believe that Lashio, a major supply town heavily guarded by the Japanese army, had actually been captured, and that the Japanese division headquarters had been severely damaged and an elite regiment had been routed. Even a complete main force division of the expeditionary force might not have been able to achieve such a feat easily.

"It's true, Your Excellency!" The communications soldier hurriedly handed the telegram to Du Yuming. "This telegram is a secret Japanese telegram deciphered by British intelligence. After being handed over to General Stilwell, it was immediately sent to our headquarters. It is by no means fabricated."

Upon hearing this, Du Yuming reached out and took the telegram, scanning its contents repeatedly. He was already mostly convinced.

Although the British forces suffered repeated defeats and performed poorly on the Burma battlefield, their intelligence decryption and radio detection capabilities were still quite advanced.

Du Yuming took a deep breath, suddenly remembering the most crucial question: "The telegram mentions our troops, but which troops exactly?"

"Reporting to Your Excellency, according to the original Japanese telegram deciphered by the British, a part of the 200th Division, in cooperation with a local militia under our command, jointly captured Lashio and simultaneously routed the Japanese 56th Regiment." The communications soldier quickly explained clearly, word by word, not daring to omit anything.

These words caused another uproar inside the tent. The discussion that had just calmed down instantly resumed, and the staff officers looked at each other in astonishment.