Chapter 196: Before the Japanese Encirclement, Withdraw from Tonggu

May 6, 1942, 8 p. m.

Outside Tonggu City, the th Division headquarters.

The gunfire in Tonggu gradually subsided, but for safety Jiang Anguo and Dai Anlan did not enter Tonggu.

In the command post, a dim oil lamp cast an unusually solemn atmosphere.

Jiang Anguo and Dai Anlan both leaned over the map to sketch.

Dai Anlan, the battle‑hardened Division Commander of the th Division, furrowed his brows, his finger pressing heavily on the spot marked "Xi Bu" on the map.

"Anguo, is it too risky to head toward Xi Bu?" His voice was hoarse, weary from days of marching, but above all cautious as a soldier.

This retreat route was the "optimal solution" repeatedly examined by Jiang Anguo and the th Division officers: from Tonggu eastward to Taunggyi, then north to Corner Mei—the route Dai Anlan would take—finally back to Xi Bu and retreat to Lashu for rest.

But the final decision remained in Jiang Anguo's and Dai Anlan's hands.

The danger Dai Anlan feared was mainly that the Japanese Army in Mandalay would capture Corner Mei, then bite the th Division from behind and trap it in an encirclement.

But this road consists of mountain paths, relatively concealed, not easily seized by large Japanese Army formations.

In fact there is an even safer road: the one Jiang Anguo came by, the Meng Gong line, whose terrain is even more difficult.

"Anguo, perhaps we should take the road you came by," Dai Anlan said.

Jiang Anguo, however, shook his head. He picked up a red‑blue pencil and drew a starkly different, almost straight line on the map. That line ran from Tonggu straight to Taunggyi, then north through Corner Mei, and directly toward Xi Bu.

"Division Commander, look," Jiang Anguo's voice was cold to the point of cruelty, "the Southern Army's supreme commander Terauchi Hisaichi of Japan is now in Mandalay, preparing to celebrate his so‑called 'Myanmar Victory'. Our sudden capture of Tonggu would be a hard slap on his face at his victory banquet."

He paused, lifted his head, and stared at the oil lamp as if he could see through everything.

"For a commander of Terauchi Hisaichi's rank, face is more important than the strength of a division. The loss of Tonggu would be an unbearable blemish to his face. Therefore, at this moment he will not consider where we intend to run; he will be blinded by anger and humiliation and issue the most direct order that suits his pride…"

Jiang Anguo's pencil tip pressed heavily on the two characters "Tonggu".

"That means ordering the Fifteenth Army commander Fan Tian Xiang Er Lang, at any cost, to immediately retake Tonggu! To preserve the Imperial, the so‑called 'face' of the Empire."

Dai Anlan's pupils contracted sharply. He understood.

"We can exploit the window before the Japanese Army's encirclement solidifies around Tonggu, slip out of Tonggu, and go from Taunggyi straight back to Xi Bu," Jiang Anguo's finger traced the straight red line smoothly.

At this time Terauchi Hisaichi indeed knew the Expeditionary Force was attacking Tonggu, and was extremely displeased with Fan Tian Xiang Er Lang, even doubting whether he could continue as commander of the Fifteenth Army.

Consequently, Fan Tian Xiang Er Lang had ordered the 18th Division to turn back and attack Tonggu, and the 33rd Division to advance north from Yangon toward Tonggu, with the remnants of the 55th Division supporting the 33rd Division.

The 55th Division was essentially annihilated; the 144th Regiment was almost completely wiped out in Tonggu, its regimental commander slain, and Zhu Nei Kuan's main force, the closest to Tonggu, was at Mi Tie La.

A remaining unit of the 55th Division was drifting over the Coral Sea, preparing to attack Mo Er Zi Bi Gang.

"Since the Japanese Army intends to retake Tonggu, they surely assume we are still there. Their encirclement will center on Tonggu, forming a classic pincer from Mandalay and Yangon," Jiang Anguo continued, his analysis a scalpel that precisely dissected the enemy's mindset, "they will besiege an empty city, while we have already slipped away beyond their presumed ring of fire."

What neither Jiang Anguo nor Dai Anlan expected was that a document from the Chongqing side, deciding to contest the Mandalay Battle, had been intercepted by Japanese intelligence.

It was precisely this document that gave Jiang Anguo and Dai Anlan a great help.

It also gave Terauchi Hisaichi a false impression, leading the Japanese high command to be even more convinced that the Expeditionary Force would be at Tonggu, then move north, coordinating with the Fifth Army's main force to encircle Mandalay.

Both sides had their own calculations.

Precisely because that unexecuted order allowed Dai Anlan and Jiang Anguo to safely withdraw their troops back to Lashu.

At the time Jiang Anguo anticipated that the Chongqing side would engage in odd micromanipulations, deliberately inflating the reported losses in the battle report.

Dai Anlan did not understand then, only after Chongqing and the Fifth Army prepared a plan to counterattack Mandalay did he grasp the intention.

Even so, the Chongqing side still contemplated a counterattack on Mandalay, truly believing the th Division could capture Tokyo.

Dai Anlan fell silent. He stared at the two routes on the map: one safe, the other treacherous.

"It's a gamble!" he finally said, "We're betting on Terauchi Hisaichi's pride, on Fan Tian Xiang Er Lang's rigid command. What if they dispatch a rapid force that pursues us recklessly? The stretch from Taunggyi to Xi Bu is an undefended plain!"

"Division Commander, we have long been at the gambling table," Jiang Anguo stared into Dai Anlan's eyes, his tone unmistakable, "From deciding to hold Tonggu to launching our counterattack, every step has been a gamble. Now our biggest chip is the chaos that victory brings and the enemy commander's fury."

"And this route," Jiang Anguo's finger swept the red line again, "looks dangerous but is the fastest. We are not racing the enemy's legs; we are racing the enemy's mind."

"If," Jiang Anguo looked at the crowd, "the Japanese Army's main force catches up, then we'll just fight. What, no confidence? A regiment fights, a division fights, we just charge and kill!"

The command post fell into dead silence, only the oil lamp's flame flickering gently.

Dai Anlan looked at the officer before him, many years his junior, and felt he could no longer read Jiang Anguo; previously there were some dandy youngsters, who at once toyed with the Little Devils amid applause.

Relying on the th Division after re‑equipping at Lashu, Dai Anlan said with great confidence that he could break through the encirclement of a Japanese Army division head‑on.

"I was being overly cautious; we have already taken Tonggu, and now retreating to Lashu need not be so careful," Dai Anlan instantly relaxed.

"We are not fighting the Japanese on a map," Jiang Anguo added finally, his voice softening, "We are fighting Terauchi Hisaichi's pride; we bet he will not go to Xi Bu and block our retreat!"

Dai Anlan slowly closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, all hesitation and caution had faded, leaving only resolve.

"Anguo, we'll do as you say," he said in a low voice, "Order the troops to light‑pack immediately, prepare to move. Objective: Taunggyi!"