Chapter 189: Counterattack Begins, Tonggu

Yalishanda's troops in Jialiva included all sorts of people, not just soldiers, but also British, Australians, Indians, Burmese. There were also British merchants in Myanmar, family members, and so on.

Yalishanda's surrender, however, caused great suffering to those people.

Yalishanda originally wanted to replicate the Dunkirk evacuation, after all moving overland should be simpler than by sea, but he forgot the ferocity of the Japanese Army, which gives no chance to catch one's breath.

They caught up right behind them, unlike at Dunkirk where Hitler's hesitation gave the Allied forces time to retreat.

Among the retreating troops, some were quite attractive, or rather, as long as they were female, they were left with only a breath of life.

It is easy to imagine: only a few of them had to serve tens of thousands of barbarians, and some family members had already been killed by the Japanese; the Japanese are not human at all, they are demons.

The British only then realized they had made a mistake, believing that surrendering to the Japanese would spare them.

At this time Yalishanda was also deeply remorseful, because after being captured he learned that the Japanese Army's weapons and equipment were still inferior to his own retreating force.

And when he saw the Japanese pursuit, he chose to surrender to the Japanese at once.

What made Yalishanda regret was that the Japanese pursuers numbered only a thousand, yet the nearly forty‑thousand British Army had actually surrendered.

The unit chasing this British-Myanmar Force was the Japanese 33rd Division.

The 33rd Division's main battles actually include the Zhongtiao Mountain campaign; of course, in the end this 33rd Division also suffered heavy losses in Myanmar, almost annihilated.

Tonggu's garrison was also under the 55th Division, Colonel Nan Sai Zhengxiong's Infantry 144th Regiment and other attached units, numbering about four thousand men.

Because the 55th Division suffered heavy losses at Tonggu, the Japanese commander placed the 55th Division at the rear to maintain order and transport supplies.

In addition, Tonggu also received the remnants of the 56th Division retreating from Lashu, and the 113th Regiment under Song Ji Xiu Zhi also entered Tonggu.

Of course they did not know that countless eyes were already lying in ambush in the distant jungle.

Colonel Nan Sai Zhengxiong was also unusually nervous; at night he did not sleep, but patrolled Tonggu with his men, scanning the distant forest.

"So quiet it's terrifying," Colonel Nan Sai Zhengxiong said.

"Colonel Nan, strengthening Tonggu's defenses is necessary," the patrolling Song Ji Xiu Zhi saw the 144th Regiment's Nan Sai Zhengxiong and immediately stepped forward.

Colonel Nan Sai Zhengxiong did not look at Song Ji Xiu Zhi; originally the 56th Division had prepared a flank attack on Lashu, but it gave the 55th Division a hard time, since the 55th Division had not performed well at Tonggu.

Now it is the 56th Division's turn to lose face.

After the heavy rain, the surroundings were too quiet, quiet enough to be frightening.

Colonel Nan Sai Zhengxiong stared fixedly at the distant forest, trying to discern something, but it was too dark; you simply cannot tell what's inside.

He felt something was missing, even the insect chirps were a few notes lower, and there were no frog croaks.

The fleeing remnants of the 56th Division that escaped the jungle included many who had gone mad; these mad ones, Colonel Nan Sai Zhengxiong had already assigned others to watch over, as their impact on morale was huge.

Some even claimed that there were man‑eating monsters in the primeval jungle.

Just hearing that gave goosebumps; Colonel Nan Sai Zhengxiong still didn't know how those people managed to escape.

"Have the patrol soldiers fire their machine guns into the trees," Colonel Nan Sai Zhengxiong ordered.

Bang bang bang.

The searchlight also pointed toward the direction of fire, but plunged into darkness, unable to see anything.

Japanese soldiers fired indiscriminately into the forest; fortunately the Expeditionary Force troops were far enough away, otherwise they would have been hit by Japanese fire.

After confirming no one was there, Colonel Nan Sai Zhengxiong felt relieved, perhaps he was being overly cautious.

It was also because the heavy rain provided cover; otherwise Colonel Nan Sai Zhengxiong would have ordered soldiers to patrol near the jungle every day, day or night.

Colonel Nan Sai Zhengxiong did not turn around, "Song, there's nothing in the jungle, it's completely quiet. Let's go, get some sleep."

Song Ji Xiu Zhi saw that Colonel Nan Sai Zhengxiong gave him no expression, and felt a bit helpless.

Until one a. m., Colonel Nan Sai Zhengxiong could no longer endure and went back to rest.

However Song Ji Xiu Zhi did not relax his vigilance; he constantly felt something in the jungle watching him, and the more it persisted, the more uneasy he became.

"Has the artillery been prepared?" Jiang Anguo immediately had Meng Fanle contact the artillery's Shi Xiaomao.

Soon the Messenger reported back.

"Commander, the artillery is ready and can fire on Tonggu at any time."

"Very good, tell Shi Xiaomao that the battle starts when his artillery company opens fire, and the Tank regiment and the 599th Regiment's assault begins when the artillery stops."

Tonggu's counterattack is signaled by the artillery.

Once the artillery stops, that is the charge to launch the assault.

Jiang Anguo positioned twelve mm Howitzers on the hill east of Tonggu, showing how much confidence he had in this battle.

Whether in manpower or weaponry, the Expeditionary Force far outmatched the defending Japanese troops.

At four a. m., the hill east of Tonggu was dead silent. Jiang Anguo did not sleep; he held a binocular, the cold lenses pressed against his eyes, and the distant outline of Tonggu in the night looked like a coiled giant beast.

The mountain interior was unusually damp and cold, yet the stationed soldiers remained absolutely silent.

"Company commander, have a sip of hot water," Meng Fanle handed over a military water bottle.

Jiang Anguo took it but did not drink, just held it, feeling its slight warmth. "Tell the brothers to sharpen all bayonets. The attack will start immediately; we will use the enemy's blood to honor the British souls that died at Tonggu."

Jiang Anguo did not understand; he could mobilize the th Division, but he could not sacrifice the Special Forces Unit merely to rally morale; it was to avenge the th Division soldiers who fell at Tonggu.

At the same time, inside Tonggu city, Colonel Nan Sai Zhengxiong woke from a nightmare.

He dreamed countless blood‑red eyes staring at him from the dark forest.

He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, walked to the window, and the outside silence unsettled him.

It was too quiet; even the insect chirps had vanished.

"Colonel, should we send a patrol out to check?" the adjutant whispered.

"Go out? Send them as a midnight snack for the jungle?" Colonel Nan Sai Zhengxiong waved irritably, "Send the order down, have all outposts raise alert; dawn is approaching, and that is when people are most lax."

He did not know that the "dawn" he awaited would arrive in a way he had never imagined.

At exactly five a. m.

Last night's gunfire at Tonggu had everyone on edge, Jiang Anguo included, fearing the Japanese had discovered them.

In the end, after waiting all night, no Japanese emerged.

Jiang Anguo put down the telescope, faced the nearby communications officer, and said only one word: "Fire!"

Shi Xiaomao, hearing the 448th Regiment's "fire" command, immediately shouted: "All Artillery, ten rapid shots."

The 150 mm howitzer had long had its barrel aimed at Tonggu.

In an instant, the ground began to shake!

Twelve 150 mm howitzers roared simultaneously, and the massive booming sound tore the pre‑dawn silence.

Streaks of fire ripped the night sky, like divine thunderbolts, striking the Japanese Army positions at Tonggu with pinpoint accuracy.

Nan Sai Zhengxiong's command post was instantly lifted by the blast wave, and rubble and dust rained down, striking him head‑first. He burst out of the building, and the sight before him made his soul flee. The entire northern part of Tonggu City turned into a sea of fire; explosions rose and fell, Machine Gun Position, Artillery observation posts, ammunition depots… the defensive works he had reinforced after arriving at Tonggu were erased one by one in the steel storm.

"Artillery strike! It's a Chinese artillery strike!" a staff officer screamed hoarsely, "Where did they get so many heavy guns!"

Nan Sai Zhengxiong clung to the wall, barely avoiding being knocked down. He had never experienced such ferocious artillery coverage; it exceeded all his notions of the Chinese Army.

Now is not the time to worry about the origin of the enemy's heavy artillery, but to think about how to counterattack.