Chapter 464: Thai Army Strikes

Yangon, Japanese Army 15th Army Headquarters.

Behind a heavy solid‑wood desk, Iida Shojiro supported the tabletop with both hands.

His once‑upright figure now appeared slightly stooped, his face marked by fatigue and a grim look.

Only his eyes, fixed on the Myanmar map hanging on the wall, swirled with uncontainable anger and anxiety.

The newly received intelligence, like a series of daggers, pierced his heart.

After the North's Chinese army seized Mandalay, it only grew more ferocious.

On one hand they dispatched bomber formations to Air Drop propaganda newspapers across northern and southern Myanmar, portraying Chen Jiageng the merchant as the so‑called "Nanko Democratic Federal Republic President".

On the other hand they secretly courted the people of Myanmar, even moving large numbers of immigrants from China's Yunnan border to continuously bolster the forces in northern Myanmar.

This tactic has always been employed by the Japanese.

In each Southeast Asian region they cultivate their own people, i. e., agents, and then constantly reap local resources.

The Japanese are very skilled at this, and also very steady.

But now they did not expect that a country suddenly appeared in northern Myanmar, which they could not tolerate.

Not only Iida Shojiro could not accept it, even Myanmar volunteer Angshan could not accept it.

Angshan has already declared himself the leader of Myanmar, i. e., the President of Myanmar.

How could he allow anyone to establish a country on his territory!

"Baka! Baka yarou!" Iida Shojiro snapped his head up, smashed a fist onto the desk; the teacup on the desk rang "Bang—", scalding tea splashed out, wetting the intelligence documents at the corner of the desk.

Yet he paid no heed, only gritting his teeth and cursing, his voice full of resentment and fury.

"Jiang Anguo brat, Chen Jiageng a mere merchant, dares to set up a foothold in northern Myanmar? It is a blatant provocation against the Imperial Japan!"

Beside him, Chief of Staff Major General Ishiyama Haruki stood with his hands at his sides, daring not to speak.

He knew better than anyone that Iida Shojiro had already been driven to desperation by successive defeats.

In the recent Mandalay campaign, the Japanese Army 15th Army suffered heavy losses; its most elite 18th Division was completely annihilated, and division commander Muta Kugou Lian also fell in battle.

With elite forces halved, the troops originally meant to defend Myanmar are now almost gone; not only can they no longer confront the Expeditionary Force head‑on, even holding the current occupied zones is becoming difficult.

If it were the earlier Expeditionary Force units, the 15th Army would still have a fight left, but since the Chinese general Jiang Anguo appeared on the Myanmar battlefield, the whole situation seemed to have changed.

"Commander, please calm down." Ishiyama Haruki hesitated a moment, then slowly spoke, his tone respectful yet steady, "After the loss at Mandalay, our army's vitality is severely damaged; we truly have no troops to send, cannot contest the Expeditionary Force for control of Mandalay, let alone directly encircle Jiang Anguo and Chen Jiageng's forces."

Those words seemed to pour cold water over Iida Shojiro; he slumped back into his chair, thrust his hands into his hair, his face showing deep helplessness.

Indeed, the forces now in his hands are no longer the 15th Army that could sweep across Myanmar.

After the Mandalay battle, the entire army's strength sharply declined, leaving only two divisions usable.

One is the barely full rd Division, the other is the Fifty‑five Division, crippled by the Expeditionary Force and not yet fully replenished.

Worse, the 15th Army's air power, after multiple clashes with Jiang Anguo's troops, was almost wiped out; the few remaining aircraft can barely perform reconnaissance, unable to organize effective air interception, let alone launch attacks to destroy Jiang Anguo's propaganda bases and immigration routes.

"I know, I know everything!"

Iida Shojiro snapped his head up, bloodshot eyes, his tone full of agitation, "But can we just stand by and watch? Watch Chen Jiageng build that so‑called 'Republic' in northern Myanmar, watch Jiang Anguo rally the people, bring in immigrants, watch the Imperial Japan's rule in Myanmar crumble step by step?"

Iida Shojiro knows well that the main headquarters and Southern Army's focus are now on Moerzbik Port and mainland Australia; once those two places are seized, the United States will lose its foothold in the South Pacific.

Japan then has no rear worries, so the Southern Army cannot possibly send reinforcements to the Fifteenth Army.

He stood, walked to the map, his gaze locked on northern Myanmar, his fingertip pressed hard across the map, his tone vicious: "That Nanko Democratic Federal Republic, whether controlled single‑handed by Jiang Anguo or led by Chen Jiageng, must not exist! On Imperial Japan's soil, such dissent cannot be tolerated! Yet now we have no troops, our air power is insufficient—what can we do?"

A suddenly emerging country is an uncontrollable factor for Japan's occupation of Southeast Asia.

Ishiyama Haruki fell silent for a moment, his eyes slowly moving across the map, finally resting on Thailand's territory east of Myanmar, a spark of brilliance flashing in his eyes as he said slowly, "Commander, perhaps we can enlist external help."

"External help?" Iida Shojiro whirled around, looking at Ishiyama Haruki, a hint of doubt in his eyes, "Now the Southern Army is preoccupied, the main headquarters is far in Tokyo, they cannot provide us support—where would this external help come from?"

"Thailand." Ishiyama Haruki stepped forward, pointing to the Jingdong area on the map where Thailand borders Myanmar.

"Commander, Thailand and Imperial Japan are allies; the Luan Piwen·Songkan government has always depended on us, and only through our support can it stabilize its regime."

"Now we are in a bind; we can let the Thai Army act, strike eastward from Myanmar, cut off the Chinese army's rear, and attack Jingdong!"

The Thai government is, in fact, a puppet regime cultivated by the Japanese; before the Japanese Army entered Southeast Asia, Luan Piwen·Songkan had already had dealings with the Thai.

Moreover, the Thai Army is equipped with large numbers of Type 38 rifle, and many of its officers are also Japanese.

Iida Shojiro's eyes were instantly drawn to the name Jingdong; he leaned over the map, examining it closely.

Jingdong lies in eastern Myanmar, bordering Thailand, and is a key rear base of the Expeditionary Force in northern Myanmar; crucially, capturing Jingdong would threaten the Expeditionary Force's rear at the Yunnan border, especially Xishuangbanna.

Northern Myanmar is also Jiang Anguo's vital corridor for Yunnan immigrants entering Myanmar, and a transport hub linking the Expeditionary Force's units.

Once Jingdong falls and Lashu is taken, the Expeditionary Force's rear is cut off, its supply line severed, Jiang Anguo's immigration plan forced to halt, and the situation in northern Myanmar will completely reverse.

In fact, this mission had previously been attempted by a man, the Fifty‑sixth Division's Watanabe Masao, but he failed.

Of course, according to the original plan, the Thai Army was also prepared to attack Jingdong's Expeditionary Force.

However, this plan was thwarted when the Li Yi detachment sent ahead by Jiang Anguo directly destroyed their supplies, causing the operation to be delayed.

Without supplies, even the Thai Army cannot march through such vast primeval jungle.

This successfully restrained the Thai Army and also eased the situation of Lashu Expeditionary Force being attacked from front and rear.