Chapter 124: Jiu Mi Jingyi: Anxiety and Confidence

The Expeditionary Force guarding Bamo was not an elite unit to begin with; under the Japanese Army's Type 38 rifle fire, at the first encounter it was mostly wiped out, and the survivors fled into the primitive jungles on both sides.

Jiu Mi Jingyi did not send troops to pursue, because he understood his mission was to hold Bamo and Myitkyina, to control the airfield, so that reinforcements could be continuously flown in.

"Send a telegram to Singapore, saying we have already seized Bamo and Myitkyina is also under our control," Jiu Mi Jingyi said excitedly.

However, this airborne unit that the Japanese Army headquarters had high hopes for was tragic from the start.

During takeoff, two transport aircraft collided in the low visibility, turning into two massive fireballs that fell with rolling black smoke, and dozens of soldiers on board turned to ash before even seeing the battlefield.

And during the airdrop onto Bamo, a sudden downpour made matters worse. The heavy curtain of rain obscured the Pilot's view, and a transport aircraft veered off course and slammed into a towering mountain. The mountain shuddered violently, explosions echoed through the valley, fragments and limbs littered the ground, and the bodies would be consumed by the primeval forest.

Jiu Mi Jingyi stood in Bamo's makeshift Command post, listening to the heavy rain outside, his mind a swirl of emotions. Although he had successfully captured Bamo airfield, the cost was enormous. The unit that had once been fully manned now numbered fewer than six hundred.

Yet at that moment, a wild gleam flickered in his eyes.

"Send a telegram to Singapore!" Jiu Mi Jingyi shouted at the communications officer, his voice trembling with excitement, "Tell the Southern Army Headquarters that we have successfully seized Bamo! Myitkyina is already under our control! The Imperial Japanese Army's flag will be planted on Yunnan's soil!"

Since Jiu Mi Jingyi landed in Bamo, his vision has not been limited to the tiny Bamo; he also enjoys leading his paratrooper troops to attack Yunnan, and even to airdrop onto Chongqing.

One can only say that the Japanese Army never lacks gamblers.

The signal officer hesitated briefly, but carried out the order anyway.

Jiu Mi Jingyi looked at the rain curtain outside; although his heart ached over the losses, he felt an even greater gambler's fervor. He knew his forces were stretched thin, but he trusted the Imperial Japanese Army soldiers' individual combat ability and believed Bushido Spirit could overcome everything.

"As long as we hold the airfield, reinforcements can be continuously flown in," he muttered to himself, as if cheering himself on, "With Bamo's and Myitkyina's terrain, plus the imminent reinforcements, I can completely repel any attack by the China Expeditionary Force!"

Singapore, Southern Army Headquarters.

Terauchi Hisaichi held the dispatch in his hand, delightedly clapping as he read the word "Seized Bamo" on the Telegram. The usually composed Southern Army Commander rarefied a faint smile at that moment.

"I never expected that guy Jiu Mi Jingyi would proceed so smoothly!" Terauchi Hisaichi handed the Telegram to the Chief of Staff beside him, "This is tremendous news. The key to the Myanmar campaign lies in Bamo and Myitkyina. As long as we hold this place and coordinate with Watanabe Masao's offensive, once we capture Lashu, we can annihilate the Chongqing forces before us, completely cut off the Allied Forces' supply route to China, and even threaten India's flank."

He turned and ordered the staff, "Quickly prepare reinforcements! Since Jiu Mi Jingyi has already secured his foothold, we must immediately send aid. Air-drop onto Bamo, throw all our elite troops there!"

However, just as the staff officers were preparing to execute the order, a weather officer timidly stepped forward.

"General…" the weather officer lowered his head, his voice as small as a mosquito's buzz.

"Say whatever it is directly!" Terauchi Hisaichi frowned.

The weather officer swallowed, mustering courage: "General, MianDianBeibu is currently in the rainy season. According to weather balloons and front‑line observation stations, the downpours show no sign of abating, but rather a growing trend. In such weather, transport aircraft cannot take off at all. Even if forced, visibility is extremely low and the risk of crashing into a mountain is huge…"

He paused, then finally mustered the courage to state the disheartening figure: "In this transport of Jiu Mi Jingyi's paratrooper brigade, we have already lost eight transport aircraft. If we conduct another large‑scale airdrop, the losses could double."

Terauchi Hisaichi was stunned. The smile on his face froze instantly, then turned into raging fury.

"Baka!" he slammed the table, sending a teacup crashing to the floor, shattering, "You bunch of trash! If it rains, is there really no way? The Imperial Japanese Army's warriors are bleeding and dying on the front lines, and you tell me we can't fly?"

Silence fell over the Command post; every staff member bowed their heads, daring not to breathe.

Calming down, Terauchi Hisaichi placed both hands on the table, panting heavily. As the Commander, he knew the weather report was accurate. War is not only a contest of bravery but also of logistics and timing.

After a long pause, he inhaled deeply, his voice returning to icy calm: "Have the weather unit monitor Myanmar's weather continuously, twenty‑four hours nonstop! As soon as the sky clears even for a moment, immediately ready the troops and airdrop onto Bamo! We must turn Bamo into an iron wall before the Chinese can react."

Terauchi Hisaichi waited for clear skies, just as Jiang Anguo did.

While Terauchi Hisaichi was raging in Singapore, Jiu Mi Jingyi on the Myanmar front received a reply Telegram.

Seeing the Telegram's note "Weather severe, reinforcement postponed," Jiu Mi Jingyi's heart instantly chilled by half. Though he hadn't been intoxicated by a single successful raid, the harsh reality still filled him with despair.

He lacked confidence that fewer than six hundred men could stand against the continuously arriving China Expeditionary Force. Even if Japanese soldiers could hold ten at a time, absolute numerical inferiority would eventually drown them.

"Damn…" Jiu Mi Jingyi hammered the wall hard, "Is the heavens out to destroy me?"

Anxiety and fear festered in the darkness. Jiu Mi Jingyi paced back and forth in the Command post, envisioning countless scenarios of the Expeditionary Force's assaults, each outcome sending a chill down his spine.

Until late night, a rapid Telegram sound shattered the silence.

"Urgent telegram from the 18th Division!" the communications officer burst in, a strange excitement on his face.

Jiu Mi Jingyi snatched the Telegram, scanning it swiftly. As he read further, his furrowed brow relaxed, and a cold smile curled at his mouth.

"Hmph, it seems the heavens still favor the Imperial Japanese Empire."

It turned out that reconnaissance from the 18th Division showed the Expeditionary Force's main body, previously operating near Bamo, had suddenly altered its march, rushing toward Myitkyina.

"They intend to go to Myitkyina?" Jiu Mi Jingyi sneered, "To cut off my rear, or to besiege and block reinforcements? Naïve!"

In his view, the Expeditionary Force's reroute meant the pressure on Bamo would drop sharply. Yet he was cautious, or rather a gambler. He could not allow Myitkyina to fall, for if it were breached, the main force could retreat northward, rendering his airdrop onto Bamo and Myitkyina meaningless.

His paratroopers were deployed precisely to block the Expeditionary Force's rear.

"Relay my orders!" Jiu Mi Jingyi spun sharply, his gaze fierce, "Order the First Squadron to gear up immediately, move light and fast, rush to Myitkyina! Assist Lieutenant Colonel Gao Cun Jian Nan in defending Myitkyina! We must block the Expeditionary Force outside Myitkyina!"

The deputy officer hesitated, "Colonel, if we send the First Squadron away, won't Bamo's defensive strength become even weaker?"

"Idiot!" Jiu Mi Jingyi barked, "As long as Myitkyina holds, Bamo is safe. The Expeditionary Force's main body attacking Myitkyina shows they have abandoned Bamo. We only need to hold Bamo and await reinforcements. If Myitkyina falls, we become a trapped turtle!"

However, Jiu Mi Jingyi did not realize that this seemingly sound tactical decision fell right into a carefully laid trap, or gave an opportunistic enemy a grand gift.

Thus Bamo's defenses became as fragile as thin paper.