Chapter 409: The Alert 18th Division

As early as when the news of the Jianghan disaster reached Tokyo, the Japanese Headquarters had already issued a top‑secret training order:

"The Chinese army's combat power has surged dramatically, especially Jiang Anguo's unit. All war zones must strengthen vigilance and strictly prevent a counter‑offensive from the north of Burma. Mandalay, Myitkyina, and Lashu are designated as highest‑alert zones."

Obviously, Jiang Anguo's name had already made it onto the Japanese Headquarters' list after Okamura Neiji arrived in Nanjing.

Moreover, after a round of analysis, the Japanese Army concluded that the poison gas from Zhejiang‑Jiangxi and the bombers that bombed Tokyo all originated from this man.

Consequently, from the highest to the lowest ranks, the Japanese Army harbored bone‑deep hatred for Jiang Anguo.

Several battles of Changsha cost many lives, but they likewise drained the Chinese army.

Yet this very unit suddenly appeared on the Jianghan Plain, bringing two Chinese infantry divisions, first attacking Yichang, then Dangyang and Jingmen, and finally Jingzhou.

If he were given a hundred thousand troops, the Japanese would all want to be there; that's what a man like Jiang Anguo would do—would he attack Wuhan?

The Japanese Headquarters now dares not easily harm civilians within Huaxia, restraining itself vigorously, but it still cannot stop a lunatic like Matsui Ishigen; it can only urge him to be discreet.

Facing poison‑gas shells, even the Japanese Army lacks adequate defenses, and the gas masks are extremely crude.

The Headquarters is now lost in the fantasy of being able to defeat the United States; at present, the dominant side in the Pacific truly is Japan.

Thus, regarding territories within Huaxia, they have only one demand: defend the current occupied areas and handle the Chinese forces cautiously.

At this moment, further provoking the Chinese would be irrational.

In a Jianghan region, the Japanese can still afford losses.

Imperial Japan, now striking on all sides, has also paid the corresponding price—it cannot concentrate its superior troops.

The Japanese Army not only occupied Midway; in the South Pacific, it has also launched an amphibious operation, with the target being Morseby Port.

Obviously, as a South Pacific transshipment hub in the Americas, Morseby Port means the US‑Australian allied forces are not a mad Japanese Devil opponent.

The U. S. Navy, forced into a passive position, had no choice but to adopt German techniques: wolf‑pack tactics, using submarines to strike Japan's transport supply lines.

To thereby slow the Japanese Army's advance.

The Southern Army went from an initially smooth start to later, due to logistical supply issues, the Burmese Japanese 15th Army could only fight up to the line of Mandalay.

As for the 56th Division's Watanabe Masao, Mukoda Koya felt regret, and also reminded himself to be extremely cautious while in Burma.

After receiving the Headquarters' telegram, the 18th Division had already reinforced the city defenses.

The minefield around Mandalay was expanded to beyond five kilometers.

Within the city, the Buddha pagoda, clock tower, and bank building were all converted into fire‑support points.

Every street and alley in the city was preset with intersecting fields of fire; civilian house walls were bored through to form an underground passage network.

They even forced civilians to evacuate the core area, creating a 'no‑man's zone' to facilitate fire‑net coverage.

"Chinese, they want to take Mandalay." Mukoda Koya said coldly, "They have amassed the strength of two divisions; it doesn't look like a probe, but a decisive battle."

Shimizu Little Sword nodded: "I also reach the same conclusion. Especially Jiang Anguo, whose actions are cunning and who makes good use of surprise troops. If he joins forces with Dai Anlan, it would be an extraordinary offensive."

Mukoda Koya paced to the map, his finger tracing the line from Xibu to Mandalay.

He knew his own forces were under thirty thousand, while the opposite side had at least twenty‑five thousand elite Chinese troops; in fact, his side led in numbers.

But Mukoda Koya had developed a fear of the Chinese.

He was very clear that the opposing Chinese forces were not as simple as they appeared; the key was their firepower.

What has been confirmed so far includes not only German‑style rifles, but also a huge number of 105mm and 150mm Howitzers, and even the battalion units are equipped with large numbers of mortars.

At the same time, survivors of the earlier Tonggu battle mentioned that the Chinese forces were equipped with Soviet‑made T-34 tanks.

The most critical point, the Chinese air superiority, Mukoda Koya knew that before the Jianghan Campaign began, a massive air force had struck all Japanese airfields in Central China, and subsequently destroyed several key airfields in South China.

The Japanese Army, having lost air superiority, was as if it had lost Amaterasu's protection.

A hard fight, with more misfortune than luck.

Yet there was no fear in his eyes; instead, a near‑fanatical resolve shone through.

"Issue the order!" he shouted, turning sharply. "All divisions go to Condition One readiness! All reserve units near Mandalay, consolidate to the vicinity of Mandalay; outer outposts keep only observation posts. Tell the soldiers to muster the courage to serve the Emperor!"

"Conscript civilian labor, strengthen fortifications."

When the Japanese Army builds fortifications, it essentially costs lives.

Jiang Anguo had seen this in Yichang, and not only Yichang but also Jingmen, Jingzhou and other areas; beside Japanese fortifications there were often huge pits filled with civilian corpses.

After construction was completed, the Japanese would have the civilians continue digging a large pit, then gather those civilians together.

"Notify Meimu, Colonel Hamamoto, to strengthen defenses and be wary of the Chinese forces launching an attack at any time." Mukoda Koya issued command after command.

The Japanese 18th Division, Infantry 114th Regiment, its commander Hamamoto Kizaburō.

That unit was stationed at Meimu, about fifty kilometers from the Expeditionary Force's 200th Division's 598th Regiment garrison at Naokiu.

Meimu is the gateway into the Shanbang Plateau, akin to a strategic pass; holding Meimu allows the high ground to dominate the low, securing the advantageous terrain of the Shanbang Plateau.

Both sides' patrol soldiers, during this period, often had skirmishes, but no large‑scale battles occurred.

He knew that if Mandalay fell, the Dian-Mian Highway would be completely reopened, the Chongqing troops' morale would surge, and the Imperial southward strategy would suffer a severe blow.

This city must be held with blood.

"Also," he whispered, "immediately send a telegram to General Terauchi Hisaichi: request air‑support and order the Myitkyina garrison to prepare to move south for reinforcement."

Shimizu Little Sword hesitantly asked, "Division commander, didn't the Headquarters previously emphasize… avoiding a decisive battle with the main Chinese forces?"

"Now is not the time to avoid battle!" Mukoda Koya shouted, "If Jiang Anguo captures Mandalay, the next target is the southward Tonggu! The following step is Yangon!"

He walked to the shrine, gently brushed the Emperor's portrait, murmuring, "The glory of Imperial Japan must not be buried by my hands, Mukoda Koya."

Outside the window, dark clouds gathered again.

To the northeast, deep in the high‑mountain jungle near Mandalay, countless eyes silently stared at this ancient city on the eve of its burning.

Jiang Xingxue, the Guard Company Commander of Jiang Anguo, had now brought a newly reconstituted special forces unit of Jiang Anguo to the vicinity of Mandalay to scout Japanese movements.

War, in its silence, has already begun!