Chapter 552: The 33rd Division

Tokyo, inside the Imperial Palace's Imperial Study, the atmosphere was so heavy it was suffocating.

Emperor Hirohito, dressed in military uniform, his face ashen, tightly clutching a telegram, his angry voice echoed in the study: "How did this South Hua appear! Why did it suddenly declare war on the Great Japanese Empire?!"

In the Imperial Study, members of the Japanese Cabinet, the Army Chief of Staff, the Navy General Staff Chief and others bowed their heads, each looking terrified, none daring to meet Emperor Hirohito's gaze.

Originally, all of Japan's headquarters' focus was on the Pacific Theater and the China battlefield, completely unaware of the existence of a country called South Hua, until telegrams reporting South Hua's simultaneous declarations of war on Japan and Thailand arrived, plunging the Japanese high command into shock and chaos.

Army Minister Tojo Hideki stepped forward first, bowed, and said: "Your Majesty, we have urgently verified that South Hua is not a pre‑existing nation but a regime that suddenly emerged within Myanmar recently, its controlled areas mainly around Yangon, Mandalay and so on, which were precisely the defensive zone of our 15th Army."

"the 15th Army?" Emperor Hirohito's eyes hardened, his tone growing more furious.

"I recall the 15th Army was stationed in Myanmar, tasked with containing the China Expeditionary Force, but now? The telegram says the 15th Army was almost completely annihilated by the China army, Fan Tian Xiang Er Lang fell in battle, Zhu Nei Kuan was captured— is this the report you give me?!"

Tojo Hideki's face turned deathly pale, he quickly kowtowed: "Your Majesty, forgive me! I am guilty! The 15th Army's collapse was due to my improper deployment, failure to detect the China Expeditionary Force's troop movements in time, and never anticipating a regime like South Hua to appear suddenly, which disrupted our deployments."

Navy General Staff Chief Yong Ye Xiu Shen also stepped forward, bowed, and said: "Your Majesty, South Hua not only declared war on us, but also deployed its navy to defeat Xiao Ze Zhi Sanlang's southern fleet; its naval strength is not to be underestimated, possessing battleships, heavy cruisers and other advanced vessels, apparently having received equipment support from the American Army."

Originally the navy held the advantage; Japan's separation of navy and army was extremely severe, and the navy was even mocking the army's failure in Myanmar.

Yet a fleet that suddenly appeared actually defeated Xiao Ze Zhi Sanlang's southern fleet.

"American support?" Emperor Hirohito's brows knit, his tone full of doubt and anger, "The American Army is currently being held in check by our forces in the Pacific; how could they have the capacity to aid a suddenly appearing regime? Have you truly investigated? What exactly is South Hua's background?"

Prime Minister Jin Wei Wen Mo hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, we have uncovered some clues. The president of South Hua is Chen Jiageng!"

Emperor Hirohito asked: "The same Southeast Asian Chinese leader Chen Jiageng who has constantly supported China— when did he become president?"

But no one could answer Hirohito's question.

Because South Hua appeared suddenly in Myanmar, the only thing they knew was that its president was Chen Jiageng, a man who had always supported the China government's resistance.

And precisely because of this, after the Japanese Army under Xia Shan Feng Wen captured Singapore, a warrant was immediately issued to arrest Chen Jiageng, offering a high bounty to encourage people in Nanyang to turn him in.

Yet now this man has appeared in Myanmar and become president.

Moreover, he declared war on the Great Japanese Empire; this world must be insane.

However, Hirohito, beyond anger, could offer no other explanation.

Today's Japan, the army is being held on the Asian battlefield.

The crux is that the Japanese forces in Southeast Asia were few to begin with, having organized four hundred thousand troops before the offensive; after two naval victories, the Japanese troops have moved to the North Pacific and the South Pacific.

They even reallocated the original Southern Army to attack Papua New Guinea.

Moreover, the headquarters has decided to draw down all Class A Divisions in Huaxia, meaning that from now on, Class A Divisions in Huaxia will have their four‑regiment structures reduced to three‑regiment structures.

The surplus regiment will either return to the Japanese mainland or be reorganized in China, forming a new division to be deployed to the Pacific War.

Japan has become intoxicated with the joy of defeating the American Army; they now aim to expand their gains, first by seizing Australia.

However, relying solely on the remaining three hundred thousand troops of the Southern Army is insufficient to conquer Australia.

It is said that Japan has a hundred million people, but that figure includes colonial populations; the population of the Japanese mainland is under eighty million.

In 1942, the Japanese army numbered over six million, but under seven million.

Behind this massive number lies an astonishing fiscal advance.

Japan is constrained by population and time.

They cannot let a bunch of fresh recruits take up arms and fight the American Army in the Pacific; this clearly does not meet headquarters' requirements.

Thus, only Class A Divisions from the Huaxia battlefield and the Southeast Asia battlefield can be transferred to the Pacific battlefield.

On Ma Gui's wasteland, wind and sand swirled across the sky, dust billowed, and not a single blade of green could be found.

Yingjing Shengsan leaned on a broken rifle, staggering on the earthen slope, his cracked lips a bluish‑purple, his gaze hollow as he stared into the distance.

A bone‑deep despair spread from his limbs through his entire body.

He could no longer recall how long he and his men had gone without a proper meal; hunger gnawed like a festering wound, tormenting each of them day and night.

His command's rd Division had long ceased to look as it once did.

The once‑well‑equipped, fierce Japanese elite now appeared gaunt, their clothes tattered, faces smeared with dust and blood, eyes devoid of any fighting spirit, only numbness and despair remaining.

On this barren land, every edible thing—wild vegetables, grass roots, field insects, burrowing rodents—was scavenged by the troops and forced down their throats.

Even more chilling, once all found food was consumed, some soldiers began to eye the Burmese.

They had been driven to the brink; to survive they were forced to eat unfamiliar "meat," each bite accompanied by endless humiliation and despair, yet with no alternative.

The rd Division had long run out of ammunition and food.

The most lethal factor was the lack of food.

The division had been stationed for a long time in Ren'ankiang, its supplies entirely dependent on transfers through Yangon, the only lifeline they had.

But now Yangon had fallen for a full week, the supply line completely severed; without food or ammunition they were like birds with clipped wings, struggling hopelessly in the abyss.

Yingjing Shengsan knew clearly that they were in a hopeless situation.

Behind them were relentless Expeditionary Force pursuers, pressing step by step, granting them no respite.

Ahead lay a pre‑established encirclement; the Expeditionary Force soldiers stood in strict formation, sealing off any retreat.

He understood clearly that the China army did not intend to simply swallow his rd Division whole; their aim was to let him and his men die slowly on this barren land, starving and terrified until they gradually collapsed.

"Division commander, we… we really can't hold on any longer…" a soldier staggered to Yingjing Shengsan's side, his voice barely audible, his mouth corner still stained with unwashed grime.

"No more food, we… we're going to collapse…" As soon as the words fell, his vision went black and he fell heavily, never waking again.

Yingjing Shengsan looked at the soldier's corpse, slowly closed his eyes.

But at that moment, the sound of propellers rose from the sky.