Chapter 77: British, Go See God

The Japanese Army not only blocked the British Army's retreat.

At the same time they were also busy fighting fires, because their most important mission in Myanmar was to seize Ren'ankiang's oil fields to supply the homeland and the Navy.

If the oil wells were destroyed, it would cause considerable trouble later.

Sun Liren and Regiment Commander Liu Fangwu of the 113th Regiment, after a brief rest at Ren'ankiang, prepared to launch an attack on the Japanese Army, on the condition that the British Army cooperated by firing shells at the Japanese.

The rescue mission was not that smooth.

The Japanese Army also discovered this Chinese force, but did not know its numbers; the Sakima Brigade likewise remained steady.

Division Commander Sakurai Seizo of the 33rd Division also ordered the Sakima Brigade to hold the Defensive Line to the death and await reinforcements.

However, the troops led by Sun Liren were well‑trained, adept at night fighting and surprise attacks.

After two days of fighting, on April 18 the Japanese forces north of Ren'ankiang were cleared, but not annihilated; the remaining Japanese troops simply withdrew southward to the Japanese positions on Ren'ankiang's southern side.

After the victorious rendezvous, Sili Mu and Si Ke Te were truly overjoyed to the point of tears, both worrying whether they would be left behind.

Sun Liren commanded the British Army to retreat; his forces suffered over two hundred casualties, and everyone was wounded.

Looking at this British force, it was utterly unmotivated; of course, it was not all British—most were Myanmar and Indian soldiers.

What Sun Liren did not expect was that this force also included United States personnel and a large number of journalists and media.

These media reporters seized the opportunity, click‑clicking photos of Sun Liren's 38th Division.

A rough count showed that the British‑Myanmar forces surrounded at Ren'ankiang numbered over seven thousand, plus more than five hundred United States missionaries and reporters.

Not only that, there were also over a thousand draft horses, including tanks and artillery.

At this point Sun Liren was already wondering whether he could fight a battle against the Japanese at Ren'ankiang.

"Division Commander, the matter is settled," Liu Fangwu whispered as he approached Sun Liren.

Sun Liren nodded; before departing, Liao Yaoxiang found him and warned him never to trust the British Army, saying that in Tonggu and Pingmana they had all been deceived by the United Kingdom.

He also informed Sun Liren that the th Division had intercepted some United Kingdom supplies in Tonggu.

In total, over three hundred transport vehicles were reclaimed, and Sun Liren quietly seized a hundred of them.

"Send the rest to the United Kingdom," Sun Liren said.

The Expeditionary Force constantly yielded to the British because it wanted to secure its footing on the international stage.

Little did they know the United Kingdom only wanted to flee back to India and never intended to fight the Japanese in Myanmar.

It should be noted that in this battle Sun Liren not only repelled the Japanese but also forced them to withdraw from the southern positions at Ren'ankiang; the Japanese likewise made a British mistake by not knowing how many rescue personnel there were, while they also knew that the United Kingdom had over five thousand troops and horses inside Ren'ankiang.

This time the Japanese Army lost over a thousand men; after the Reconnaissance Plane had earlier assessed Ren'ankiang's strength, the Japanese did not linger and withdrew directly twenty kilometers.

Although the Japanese Army had air superiority, it was of no use in Ren'ankiang, mainly because the Japanese wanted to preserve Ren'ankiang's oil wells as much as possible.

Otherwise, this relentless bombing would leave the United Kingdom with nothing.

Sun Liren's New 38th Division's 112th Regiment also arrived on the 18th, not because they were slow but due to helplessness—there were no spare vehicles for transport, as most Transport Vehicles were busy moving supplies.

The remaining Transport Vehicles were also in United Kingdom hands, but the British kept fleeing.

"I intend to fight a battle at Ren'ankiang," Sun Liren said firmly.

He believed there was a chance to expand the victory!

Deputy Division Commander Qi Xueqi frowned, "Division Commander, is this not too risky?"

Sun Liren said with great confidence, "We have a numerical advantage; this battle will at least annihilate a thousand Japanese, and the opposing Japanese force should be around three thousand, otherwise they would have counter‑attacked by now. I'm sure the Japanese think our main force has arrived at Ren'ankiang. Once the th Division's reinforcement troops are in place and we coordinate with the British artillery, we can launch a counter‑attack."

Sun Liren's plan was flawless; if it unfolded as imagined, it could indeed damage that unit of the 33rd Division.

"Division Commander, are you sure the British are willing to cooperate with us? It seems they only think about fleeing," Liu Fangwu said helplessly.

Sun Liren paced back and forth and said, "I'll go talk to Sili Mu."

Obviously Sun Liren's idea was unnecessary; the th Division's reinforcement troops had been requested by Sili Mu from Stilwell, and after Yalishanda sent a Liaison Officer to Sun Liren's forces, the British conveyed the reinforcement numbers to Yalishanda and Sili Mu.

Both were dissatisfied and pressured Stilwell again; reluctantly, Stilwell transferred the th Division's 600th Regiment to Ren'ankiang and informed Sun Liren of this.

This was also Sun Liren's thought of cooperating with the th Division's troops to wipe out that Japanese force.

"Oh, General Sun, thank you for opening this gap, but I must tell you some bad news: the subsequent reinforcement troops, after learning the Japanese have withdrawn, have already been redirected," Sili Mu said, eyes wide, spouting nonsense.

At this moment Sun Liren made a mistake by believing Sili Mu, because Sili Mu was a British Major General and would not deceive him.

It wasn't until Sun Liren personally led troops escorting the British‑Myanmar forces back to Mandalay that, after only half a day's march, they ran into the hastily arriving 600th Regiment Commander Shao Yizhi of the th Division.

At that moment Sun Liren realized why the United Kingdom could not be trusted; this group was full of liars from top to bottom, and entrusting his back to them was utterly unreliable.

Sun Liren rode up to Sili Mu and said, "General, your troops are truly brave."

Sili Mu could not hide his embarrassment; he had indeed deceived Sun Liren, caring only about retreating.

"Of course, the British Empire lacks no brave warriors," Sili Mu replied nonsensically, shamelessly!

Sun Liren could do nothing but inform the th Division's rescue troops and quietly provide them with twenty supply vehicles.

The supplies were not only for Sun Liren to replenish; headquarters also needed to allocate them, so Sun Liren was not being stingy.

Even now, organizing a counter‑offensive is impossible; a crucial element of Sun Liren's plan was the British artillery.

Neither Sun Liren nor the 600th Regiment possessed heavy weapons.

But looking at the British's lax retreat, expecting them to follow us against the Japanese is sheer joke.

In fact, it wasn't only Sun Liren who mocked the British Major General Sili Mu; in Mandalay, Stilwell learned that the British had withdrawn once again.

He joked, "The British really should go see God."

Nevertheless, the Battle of Ren'ankiang was heavily publicized; both the United Kingdom homeland, the United States, and even Chongqing urgently needed a victorious narrative.