Chapter 413: The 113rd Regiment in Retreat

Yangon, 15th Army Headquarters.

June 25, 1942, 10 a. m.

Telegrams fluttered in like snowflakes.

Mandalay's flames shot skyward, the area turned to scorched earth, the 18th Division's communications were cut— Iida Shojirou stood before a gigantic Burma battle map

in front of the map, his complexion iron‑blue.

The troops he could deploy were nearly exhausted.

55th Division? One regiment perished at Tonggu, another on the expedition to Moerzbih Port, only a remnant remains to guard Yangon.

33rd Division? Still in the Ren'ankiang and Ma Gui area, defending against the British forces from India and the Expeditionary Force's counterattack; even moving north to reinforce Mandalay would take at least seven days.

Now the most passive force is the Japanese Army; the Expeditionary Force faces supply difficulties, but Jiang Anguo's mobile depot is present.

The Japanese truly have no way; the rainy season makes their logistics extremely difficult, especially for the 33rd Division.

Ren'ankiang should be an oil field and a key point guarded by the British‑Myanmar forces, so supplies wouldn't be scarce; however, the British did the one most correct thing in Burma—they destroyed the Ren'ankiang oil field before the encirclement.

This led to the massive supplies stationed at Ren'ankiang being all consumed by the inferno.

Thus, the 33rd Division at Ren'ankiang can only rely on supplies shipped from Yangon.

At the start of the Burma Campaign, the Japanese main forces were the 33rd Division and the 55th Division; later, fighting the Chinese defenders at Tonggu inflicted considerable casualties on the 55th Division.

Southern Army Headquarters General Terauchi Hisaichi transferred the 18th Division from Singapore and Malaya, along with the 56th Division, into the Burma battlefield.

At this point, Japanese troop numbers in Burma peaked, with main forces exceeding one hundred thousand, not counting the Burmese volunteer army and some Thai auxiliary units.

However, up to now the Japanese have suffered heavy losses; in Burma they lost the 56th Division, though some soldiers remain.

But the entire 15th Army now has only two fully staffed divisions: the 18th Division and the 33rd Division.

If the 18th Division can be eliminated, that would almost break the backbone of the Japanese in Burma.

15th Army Commander Iida Shojirou is also in a dilemma; he counts on his fingers and finds he can mobilize few troops.

The only movable unit is the 113rd Regiment stationed at Pingmana.

It originally belonged to the 56th Division; because Division Commander Watanabe Masao "disappeared" during the assault on Lashu, headquarters ordered yesterday the cancellation of the 56th Division's designation, and the 113th and 148th Regiments temporarily came under direct command of the 15th Army.

"Order!" Iida Shojirou's voice cut like a knife, "113rd Regiment, march north immediately to reinforce Mandalay! 33rd Division, move toward Mandalay to support the 18th Division!"

The radio order was sent, and he let out a long sigh.

If Song Jing Xiu Zhi leads his troops swiftly forward, they might establish a blocking line south of Mandalay, first ensuring that the 18th Division's retreat route will not be cut off by the Chinese army.

At some point, Japanese commanders began to believe the Chinese counterattack would be unusually ferocious, even leading to annihilation.

In the past, that was always the Imperial Japanese Army chasing the Chinese army.

However, Iida Shojirou never expected Song Jing Xiu Zhi to disobey orders.

Pingmana.

113rd Regiment Headquarters, noon.

Myanmar's heavy rain arrived as scheduled.

The downpour poured, after a bright sun the whole northern Myanmar was shrouded in mist.

The 113rd Regiment, Japanese soldiers sweating like rain, were reinforcing anti‑tank trenches.

There were complaints, but under strict discipline they could only dutifully swing their engineer shovels.

Moreover, Song Jing Xiu Zhi conscripted all the Burmese civilians of Pingmana to "assist" the Imperial Japanese Army in building fortifications.

As for the uncooperative Burmese civilians, Song Jing Xiu Zhi has already sent them to the cycle of reincarnation.

Regiment Commander Song Jing Xiu Zhi stood on the watchtower, binoculars in hand, scanning the surrounding ridges.

The adjutant hurried up the tower, handing a telegram: "Commander's strict order: march north to Mandalay immediately!"

Song Jing Xiu Zhi did not respond, only coldly said: "Reply: Pingmana's defenses are strained, fearing the Chinese will exploit the gap; cannot currently redeploy main forces."

"But sir!" the adjutant, sweating on his forehead, exclaimed, "This is a military order! Disobeyers must perform seppuku as per the Battle Formation Manual!"

Song Jing Xiu Zhi finally turned, fearlessness in his eyes, only deep calculation: "Do you really think the Chinese will stop after taking Mandalay?"

He pointed east: "Jiang Anguo has been fighting from Jianghan all the way here; what tactics does he use? First cut off retreat, then encircle and annihilate the main force. He bombed Mandalay to lure our northern aid; and the real killing move."

He thrust heavily at Pingmana on the map, "Here!"

The adjutant was startled.

"Pingmana is Yangon's northern gateway, controlling the railway hub between Yangon and Mandalay. If this point falls, Yangon's gateway opens, and the entire southern line of Burma collapses."

Song Jing Xiu Zhi's voice was low, "Commander Iida was blinded by Mandalay's flames, but I see clearly: the Chinese want not just a city or a piece of land, but the entire front!"

He descended the watchtower, issuing orders as he went: "Transmit: all regiments go to Alert Level One! Add three machine‑gun nests on the Eastern Hill; lay anti‑landing mines on the northern riverbank; breach all civilian houses in the city to create cross‑fire positions; underground all granaries, oil depots, and ammunition stores!"

North of Pingmana lies a lake; no one would think of attacking Pingmana across the water, because you lack sufficient vessels for an amphibious assault.

He halted, a cold edge in his gaze, "I will turn Pingmana into a living coffin; whoever enters will die."

The adjutant tried to persuade, "But if Mandalay falls, headquarters will hold us accountable…"

"Mandalay cannot be rescued by a single regiment; going there would only hand the Chinese army a victory," Song Jing Xiu Zhi cut him off, "But if Pingmana falls again, Burma is lost. Rather than die rescuing Mandalay, we should hold Pingmana to the death; that is the greatest loyalty to the Empire."

He looked north, murmuring, "Jiang Anguo… if you dare come, I will make you know that to take Burma you must pay ten times the price!"

Song Jing Xiu Zhi must be called a defensive master; in this situation, one cannot say he made a correct judgment.

But just as the 'Matsuyama Campaign' replayed, he turned Pingmana into an iron bucket.

Pingmana was already a mountain fortress; after withdrawing from Tonggu, Song Jing Xiu Zhi, with the 113rd Regiment, kept conducting civil engineering, nearly hollowing out the city.

Strategically, the Expeditionary Force could bypass Pingmana, attack straight from Dongzhi through Tonggu, then south to Yangon, but that would expose the supply line right under the 113rd Regiment's watch.

That would force the Expeditionary Force to face the reality that to take Burma they must capture Pingmana.