Chapter 743: This Is Not a Samurai Sword

Shanben Yifu set down the telescope and looked at him.

"What about the people who trust him?"

"Two divisions of the Myanmar Independence Army have already deployed on the left flank. They know the jungle well and can serve as guides. But—"

"But what?"

Tu Feiyuan Xian Da hesitated a moment: "But their equipment is inadequate. They only have rifles, no machine guns, no mortars. When they encounter Yingguo bunkers, they can only fill them with human lives."

Shanben Yifu remained silent for a long time.

He recalled Bental Mountain from the Malaya campaign, the Sakura Country soldiers who died in the jungle, and the Kuala Lumpur bought with twenty‑two thousand lives.

That was street fighting, urban combat, at least forces could still be deployed.

This is jungle warfare—no matter how many troops, they cannot be deployed.

"Tu Feiyuan," he finally spoke, "order all divisions to slow down. Do not charge head‑on."

Tu Feiyuan Xian Da was startled for a moment: "General, you mean—"

Shanben Yifu pointed at the jungle ahead.

"Look, the Yingguo have placed their main force in the jungle and are not fighting us head‑on. They stay in the shadows, we are in the open. The cannons can only be hauled by mules. The soldiers must crawl forward step by step."

He paused.

"This kind of battle cannot be rushed. If we rush, we will have to fill with human lives."

Tu Feiyuan Xian Da nodded: "Understood."

"Tell those who trust him to take the main attack. They know the jungle, know where they can go and where they cannot. The Sakura Country soldiers follow behind, advancing only when they meet hard resistance."

Tu Feiyuan Xian Da nodded again.

Shanben Yifu looked at him, his voice suddenly becoming very soft.

"Tu Feiyuan, Malaya has lost 42,000, Myanmar 53,000. Sakura Country does not have that many lives left to pour into the jungle any more."

Tu Feiyuan Xian Da lowered his head.

"Yes, General."

From afar came a muffled thump—the sound of a landmine exploding.

It was followed by gunfire, a rapid barrage of gunshots.

Shanben Yifu jerked his head up.

A communications soldier ran back from the front, bloodied all over: "General! The vanguard stepped into a minefield! One company—completely wiped out!"

Shanben Yifu clenched his teeth.

"Order all units to halt. Engineers forward, begin mine‑clearing."

He turned and stared at the pitch‑black jungle, a flash of complex emotion crossing his eyes.

How many people will this jungle devour?

He did not know.

But he knew it would be a great many.

February 12, deep in the jungle.

The engineers crawled on the ground, scanning inch by inch with metal detectors. Each shrill beep meant another mine had been found.

Mine‑clearing is a slow job. One person, a detector, a long probe. Find a mine, dig it out, disarm the fuze. One mine takes over ten minutes.

And in this jungle lie thousands of mines.

The soldiers crouched behind the engineers, rifles raised, eyes fixed anxiously ahead. Sweat ran down their cheeks into their eyes, stinging painfully. Yet no one dared wipe it away, no one dared move.

A young soldier whispered to the veteran beside him: "Sergeant, are we just waiting like this?"

The veteran gave him a glance.

"We wait. We can only move after the engineers finish clearing the mines."

The young soldier swallowed.

"How long will that take?"

The veteran was silent for three seconds.

"I don't know. Maybe a day, maybe two, maybe—"

He did not finish.

From afar another muffled thump sounded.

Another engineer stepped on a mine.

The young soldier closed his eyes.

He did not want to see.

February 13, advanced one kilometer.

Just one kilometer.

After a day of mine‑clearing, they had moved less than a kilometer. The Yingguo had laid so many mines it made one's scalp tingle. Every step risked an explosion beneath the foot.

At night, the soldiers huddled in hastily dug foxholes, daring not to light fires or speak. The jungle was black enough that a hand could not be seen, only occasional insect chirps and distant Yingguo cannon fire.

Shanben Yifu leaned against a tree, smoking.

Tu Feiyuan Xian Da walked over and sat beside him.

"General, another seventeen died today."

Shanben Yifu nodded.

"What about the Myanmar side?"

"Over forty died. They charged ahead, stepping on mines for us."

Shanben Yifu remained silent for a long while.

He recalled what Prime Minister Saionji had said before departure: "Jungle warfare, protect the soldiers well."

Protect the soldiers well.

How to protect?

In a place like this, bullets have no eyes, mines don't recognize people. Whoever rushes forward dies, whoever scouts dies.

He took a deep breath and pressed the cigarette butt out on a tree trunk.

"Tu Fei Yuan, tomorrow have the Sakura Nation soldiers go in front."

Tu Fei Yuan Xian Da was stunned.

"General? Didn't you say—"

Shan Ben Yifu cut him off.

"I know I said it. But over forty Burmese died, and only seventeen Sakura Nation troops died. It's hard to justify."

He stood up and looked at the pitch‑black jungle.

"Believe that he shed blood in Burma, and his soldiers are shedding blood for us. We can't let anyone think the Sakura Nation only hides behind. That isn't Bushido."

Tu Fei Yuan Xian Da stood and saluted.

"Yes, General."

Shan Ben Yifu waved his hand.

"Go to sleep. We still have to move tomorrow."

Tu Fei Yuan Xian Da turned and left.

Shan Ben Yifu stood alone in the darkness, staring at the unknown jungle ahead.

He suddenly thought of a question.

"Daka, how far is it still?"

Thirty kilometers? Or three hundred kilometers?

He didn't know.

But he knew that, no matter the Distance, they must finish the march.

February 14, Kenpade Bay.

The sun rose from the horizon, tinting the whole sea gold‑red. The water was calm, windless, wave‑less, only occasional gulls flew by, screeching a few harsh cries.

The Bismarck drifted silently on the sea, its massive hull gleaming cold metallic light in the sun. The Tirpitz followed behind, keeping a Distance of five hundred meters. The two giants resembled two sleeping beasts, quietly awaiting prey.

She Er stood on the bridge, holding a telescope and watching the faint, hazy port in the distance—Mumbai.

It had already been five days.

In those five days, the Yingguo fleet never came out once.

Chief of Staff walked to his side and handed over a cup of coffee.

"General, the reconnaissance aircraft just returned. The Yingguo are still in the harbor. Eight capital ships, five cruisers, all are present. Not a single one moved."

She Er took the coffee and took a sip.

"Jie Li Ke, what is he doing?"

Chief of Staff shrugged.

"Don't know. Maybe in a meeting, maybe scolding people, maybe sleeping."

She Er smiled.

"Sleeping? Can he even fall asleep?"

He put down the telescope and walked to the chart table.

Chief of Staff followed, pointing at Mumbai Port marked on the chart.

"General, our submarine has been patrolling outside the harbor. If the Yingguo dare to come out, they'll be spotted. Their fleet is slower than ours, their firepower weaker, coming out is courting death."

She Er nodded.

"Then why don't they surrender?"

Chief of Staff was momentarily stunned.

"Surrender? General, they are the Royal Navy. Proud Royal Navy, never surrender."

She Er sneered.

"Never surrender? Jie Li Ke's twelve capital ships fought two training ships for three hours and didn't win. This is the Royal Navy?"