Chapter 1444: Counterattack

Luo Youlun strictly executed Wang Yan's orders, taking the wounded back to the western front to retrieve the main force.

Because Wang Yan had already stretched the entire Burmese battlefield thin, the return journey was relatively safe; the Japanese army had contracted their front lines and retreated a considerable distance.

This troop deployment from the homeland did not consist of new recruits but involved directly transferring some rear-guard forces, which was much faster. Therefore, the window of vulnerability created when Luo Youlun withdrew troops from the western front was very short.

During this Kong Chuang Qi, Wang Yan also conducted targeted operations to attract attention, thereby neutralizing the period of insufficient strength on the western front.

Luo Youlun had finally gotten his hands on military command, but he did not foolishly try to stir up trouble again; having stayed by Wang Yan's side, he had witnessed Wang Yan's prowess. From training to leading troops, from fighting battles to ideological work, from grand strategy and tactics down to conflicts between two individual soldiers, everything was handled in an orderly manner.

He watched with his own eyes as over four thousand new recruits went from being strangers to Wang Yan, to revering him, and now had become utterly loyal.

When Wang Yan spoke to his brothers, he never told them not to fear death, but rather urged them not to be reckless and to preserve their lives. He always emphasized that death must be worthwhile; his classic famous line was, "If a brother hasn't killed three Japanese devils before dying, then his death is a loss." Crucially, he actually led his brothers to achieve this.

Leading a force of over eight thousand men, including more than four thousand new recruits, they accomplished it. The casualty ratio was too exaggerated.

Therefore, Luo Youlun honestly led the troops according to Wang Yan's instructions, maneuvering around the front lines to launch an attack on Mandalay from the northwest.

At the same time, Wang Yan led his team charging in from the northeast, bringing out all the captured artillery and firing many shells.

Mandalay was the capital of Burma's last dynasty, its second-largest city, and the transportation hub of its inland region. If Wang Yan breached this place, the Japanese forces north of Mandalay would collapse; if this truly took shape, then the 'Battle of Mandalay' would be a pivotal campaign influencing the course of the war in the China-Burma-India theater.

The Japanese army certainly recognized this; they were even eager to cover every inch with artillery fire to bomb Wang Yan to death, showing considerable attention. Thus, after Wang Yan's previous maneuvers, the Japanese concentrated their forces to protect Mandalay; even after Wang Yan later retreated, the Japanese did not withdraw but remained strictly on defensive guard.

So although Wang Yan bombarded Mandalay with artillery, he ultimately failed to break in, and the casualties inflicted were not too great. The Japanese knew all too well that Wang Yan's Mobile Corps Commander warfare was godlike; they formed up strictly on the outskirts of Mandalay and refused to pursue even with superior numbers. They had indeed learned their lesson.

No wonder they are called little Japanese devils; they are cunning as ghosts.

Thus, after fighting for a night and exhausting all the shells for the various captured cannons—mountain guns and howitzers, which were large in volume, heavy in weight, inconvenient to carry, and unsuitable for Wang Yan's Mobile Corps Commander tactics—they decided that since they could not take them anyway, they might as well use them all to bombard the little Japanese.

Even if the casualties inflicted were not huge, firing dense volleys of shells for several hours still managed to cause several hundred casualties.

After expending all the shells and destroying the cannons, before dawn, Wang Yan, according to the original plan, split his forces into two columns and marched south to once again rescue the allied foreign devils who had been beaten back and trapped in west-central Burma.

These foreign devils were truly disappointing; although the troop numbers on that side were roughly equal, they were still being pinned down and hammered by the Japanese. By now, the Pacific War had been raging for nearly a year, and Wang Yan could clearly feel the decline of the Japanese army compared to when he first arrived on the Burmese battlefield.

This was a systemic problem: soldier training was inadequate, officer command was lacking, logistical supplies were beginning to fail, and all these factors combined caused the Japanese army to start sliding downhill little by little...

Wang Yan led his team for half a month, reached the location, made contact with the battered allied forces, and immediately launched a pincer attack, forcing the Japanese to face enemies on both front and rear.

Let alone Wang Yan leading the army; even if it were someone else, anyone capable of directly leading a force deep into Japanese encirclement as an isolated unit, adding over ten thousand troops to this stalemate battlefield, would bring about a critical change to the situation here.

After all, on this battlefield, both the allied forces and the Japanese army had slightly over twenty thousand troops each.

Even though the Japanese forces on the Mandalay side knew of Wang Yan's movements and had long since transmitted information here, meaning the Japanese here were already prepared.

However, in the face of such a stark disparity in actual troop numbers, preparations were useless, especially since it was Wang Yan commanding the operations.

Unsurprisingly, the situation here underwent a major change.

During the month it took for Japanese reinforcements to arrive, over a hundred battles, large and small, erupted here; relying on his powerful command ability, Wang Yan seized command authority over this sector.

Of course, this was without official title; initially, Wang Yan provided locations for the allied forces to attack, but often the allies did not listen, causing them to miss good opportunities, or because they failed to reposition, they were attacked by the Japanese, resulting in certain casualties.

Gradually, the commanders on that side began to act according to Wang Yan's suggestions. Wherever Wang Yan said to strike, they sent people to attack; however he ordered troops deployed, that is how they deployed them.

Wang Yan believed that deep down, the allied commander must be very happy.

Since there were no conflicting interests between them, all the credit belonged to the foreign devil commander, who was now becoming a famous general of Britain. Just based on the battles here, he could return safely to his homeland, and his life was made.

Precisely because of the foreign devil commander's cooperation, Wang Yan could oversee the entire battlefield situation and coordinate all troops comprehensively; coupled with their inherent numerical superiority and the fact that the allies lacked neither tanks nor artillery, the overall situation was that the joint force of the allies and the Expeditionary Force represented by Wang Yan drove the Japanese into continuous retreat.

When the Japanese showed signs of collapse, Wang Yan again dispatched allied personnel to split off and rescue the group to the south, scattering the southern Japanese forces and enabling the allied troops south of Mandalay to unite into one force.

The battles fought over the past month were extremely fierce; roughly calculated, Japanese casualties were at least four thousand, as this was the figure counted by Wang Yan's side.

The casualties inflicted by the allied side were likely even higher; in total, this single wave eliminated over ten thousand Japanese.

This was still Wang Yan holding back; his side mainly played a containing role, not letting his own brothers risk their lives recklessly. The life-risking tasks were left to the allied soldiers, while his side only sought opportunities to attack the enemy with superior numbers.

Overall, the objective of this battle was to revitalize the Burmese battlefield, minimize our own casualties, preserve strength, and let the foreign devils be the ones to die.

This battle also shattered the Japanese army's original calculations; although they had sent reinforcements, once these new troops arrived and they recalculated, they realized they hadn't gained much additional strength.

At the same time, the Japanese situation became even more passive; this time it was a true pincer attack, with Japanese forces in northern Burma facing enemies on both front and rear. The allied forces also began advancing eastward in southern Burma to expand their gains, cutting off Japan's land supply lines and completely trapping the inland Japanese forces.

This situation differed from the previous one; the large-scale collapse shook the morale of the Japanese army, an impact of considerable significance. Trying to turn the situation around would be extremely difficult, especially since the allies were still cutting off Japanese supplies, shaking morale even more severely.

With combat proficiency already declining and now facing such a perilous situation, Masazumi Kawabe, who had just arrived, felt his head was about to explode.

Why did he have to take the blame the moment he arrived?

Wang Yan finally once again gained a rare respite amidst the war, and his brothers under his command also got an opportunity to rest and regroup.

Seizing this opportunity, he once again reorganized his forces, incorporating the over four thousand men previously led by Luo Youlun into his own ranks.

Of course, there were not that many people left now; after all, in war, it wasn't just about killing little Japanese, as there were casualties on their own side too, just not as many.

Currently, the troops directly led by Wang Yan, counting everyone still alive, numbered over eleven thousand; there were also over a hundred severely wounded who had not yet died, plus several hundred others with various injuries affecting their combat effectiveness who needed time to recover. Roughly calculated, from the second entry into battle until now, direct deaths exceeded one thousand, and including the surviving wounded and disabled, the total surpassed two thousand.

Fortunately, they were fighting alongside the foreign devils, and thanks to loot taken from the little Japanese, although anti-inflammatory drugs, which had troubled Fan La for a long time, were scarce, they were not nonexistent; there was even the latest penicillin available on the market.

Plus, with Wang Yan personally stepping in as a military surgeon, he concretely saved many lives.

Additionally, there were of course many analgesic drugs, far more than anti-inflammatories; after all, whether little Japanese or foreign devils, everyone was popping pills while fighting...

However, unless absolutely necessary, Wang Yan rarely administered them to his brothers, as the addiction rate was too high; since they wouldn't die immediately after the war ended, the potential harm was too great, making the cost outweigh the benefit.

"Division Commander Wang, why are we reorganizing at this time?" Luo Youlun truly could not understand Wang Yan's decision. "At a time like this, we should expand our advantage, chase hard on the heels of the little Japanese, attack from north and south, and completely annihilate the Japanese forces in Burma!"

Wang Yan smiled: "Old Luo, the brothers are exhausted beyond measure; now that conditions allow, let them rest. Moreover, the foreign devils are fighting fiercely, the Japanese have suffered a great defeat and heavy losses, so there is no need for our brothers to continue risking their lives."

"Then we should pursue and kill the Japanese even more, eliminating their effective fighting strength!"

"Do I really need to spell it out so clearly? You are a smart man, Old Luo; surely you know my predicament? With the war fought to this point, the foreign devils have credit, you all have credit, tell me, do I have any credit?"

"Of course you do!"

"Then whose credit is mine?"

"Naturally, it was won jointly by everyone in our Expeditionary Force."

Wang Yan smiled: "That means there is no credit for me."

"We have worked together for some time; based on my understanding, you are not actually someone who cares about these things."

"Are you putting a tall hat on me?"

"The honest truth," Luo Youlun said. "But let's be real: without the Allied Forces and the Expeditionary Army, you alone could never have achieved what you have today."

"Of course," Wang Yan nodded with a smile. "But conversely, without me and my brothers, the Allied Forces and the Expeditionary Army would still be getting beaten senseless by the little Japanese. In past battles, my brothers and I played a critical, irreplaceable role. Yet with a single phrase like 'the merit of leadership,' everyone with a higher rank than me reaped the benefits."

"Didn't you keep swearing you'd kill the little Japanese? Why are you haggling over this now?"

"The little Japanese must be killed, but the future of my brothers and me must also be considered."

"Nurturing the enemy to boost your own importance?"

"How could I do such a thing? My brothers and I are merely resting and recuperating; we haven't aided the enemy. Don't slap that label on me. If they can't defeat the Japanese, it's because they lack the ability."

"But won't you still have to fight later? Won't your brothers still have to die? Might as well make one final push now, clean and decisive, to settle everything once and for all."

"Old Luo, we should be the same age, right? You've served as an official for many years; you shouldn't fail to see this." Wang Yan lit a cigarette. "People are simply cheap-skinned; treat them well, and they habitually ignore your contributions, thinking everything you do is obligatory. If you don't do it, it's wrong! Even if they know they're mistaken, they won't admit it and will still blame you. Tell me, whose fault is this?"

"Everyone is at fault..." Luo Youlun let out a long sigh. "With the nation in crisis, we still have to engage in such petty, dog-eat-dog scheming."

"I'll treat that as flatulence," Wang Yan said, his disgust written all over his face. "As if you're so pure yourself. If you weren't engaged in such petty scheming, could you even be speaking with me now? Enough. I've said what needed saying, and my meaning is clear. Don't seek misery from me. Go do whatever you need to do."

Luo Youlun left helplessly. He wanted to say Wang Yan was wrong, yet he himself wasn't right either; after all, he had come here to restrain Wang Yan, only to be forcefully suppressed...

At this moment, a phrase came to his mind: the king succeeds, the bandit fails; whoever wins is right.

Clearly, for now, Wang Yan was right.

"That kid is no good," the Veterinarian said after hearing the whole exchange. He walked over and snorted in displeasure. "His words are so light; it's not him who suffers the casualties!"

"The old man sees clearly. Everyone acts for themselves; who cares about others' life or death?"

"The old man sees it clearly: everyone does it for themselves; who cares if others live or die?"

"I haven't cared either. Of our thirty-odd old brothers, only twenty-odd remain now..."

"They've gone off to enjoy their blessings; only we poor wretches are still fighting. But I feel that in a few more years, the little Japanese will be driven away. Then the brothers who survive will enjoy their blessings. Whether that's a profit or a loss is hard to say."

"Everyone profited. Suffering a bit less is not necessarily a bad thing."

"I, this old man, didn't quite understand what you just said."

"Old man, people change. Why did those Emperors of ancient times who conquered the realm kill their brothers after ascending the throne? Because their brothers held great power, were disobedient, and too greedy. Once the common goal vanished, everyone would rebel. Isn't that exactly 'cooking the dog once the hare is dead'?"

"Your ambitions are huge; you're already thinking of yourself as an Emperor." The Veterinarian laughed heartily, inhaled his smoke wrong, and started coughing violently.

"Old man, once we fight our way back to the rear, just return to Chanda. Don't toss and turn anymore; we don't need just one more like you. There's been no news of your two sons; they were probably killed by the little Japanese devils. Later, I'll find you a wife in Chanda. Put some effort into it, have another child, and enjoy the good life."

"Old man, once we fight our way back to the rear, you should return to Chanda; don't keep struggling—we don't need just you. There's been no news of your two sons; they were likely killed by the little Japanese devils. Later, we'll find you a wife in Chanda; you can exert yourself to sire another child and enjoy the good life."

The Veterinarian glared, cursed at Wang Yan a few times, then sighed. "I also know my sons won't survive. But in war, how can there be no deaths? If they die, they die. This life of mine... it's just like this..."

?? Daily thanks to the good brothers who generously donate, cast monthly tickets, submit recommendation votes, and silently read for their tremendous support!

Daily thanks to all the good brothers who generously donate, cast monthly tickets, submit recommendation votes, and silently read the book for their tremendous support!