The expeditionary force began to dominate Southeast Asia by recruiting defeated soldiers

Chapter 214 Mutaguchi Renya: My power as the military commander is unlimited

On February 2, 1945, the atmosphere inside the Japanese 15th Army Headquarters was solemn and depressing.

Although sunlight streamed into the room through the simple window frames, it could not dispel the tension and confrontation that permeated the air.

On one side of the conference table, Chief of Staff Daisuke Hase looked solemn.

Regardless of his status, he knelt on the ground, his forehead almost touching the floor, and his tone was filled with an unconcealable worry and sadness:

"Your Excellency, once you cross the Chindwin River, the roads north to the Imphal Plateau are all jungle trails, making them extremely difficult to travel."

"Our supply lines are extremely fragile. If the logistics collapse, I'm afraid tens of thousands of troops will be trapped. Moreover, we are fighting with our backs to the Chindwin River. If we are defeated, we will have no way to retreat, and the consequences will be disastrous."

He raised his head, clasped his hands together and knocked them on the ground, then added earnestly, "Sir, please think twice!"

However, Mutaguchi Ren'ya, commander of the 15th Army, who was sitting at the top, was not moved by this advice.

He half leaned on the back of the chair, his eyes full of indifference and contempt, as if he was looking down at a stupid person.

"Isn't my power as an army commander unlimited?"

Thinking of this, Mutaguchi suddenly shouted: "Shut up!"

The sound was like thunder, echoing in the room.

He suddenly stood up from his seat and walked towards the kneeling Hase, his voice becoming more and more stern:

"I am the commander of the 15th Army! I make the final decision on the battle. Your responsibility is to perfect the plan, not to overstep your bounds and dictate!"

His tone was filled with unquestionable confidence, even a hint of pride. He looked at the silent staff and subordinates in the room, and a strong sense of superiority rose in his heart.

"Aren't all the famous military miracles in history achieved despite overwhelming opposition and against everyone's expectations?"

"Alas, after all, no one has the same vision and wisdom as me..."

Mutaguchi defended himself in his heart. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that he was comparable to the masters of military strategy. He compared himself to "Little Zhuge Liang" and was even secretly proud of his great strategy.

He was actually a "little Tojo" and walked quickly to the map. He stretched out his palm and slapped it hard, with the corner of his mouth raised, looking at everyone with a bit of provocation.

"Don't just look at the difficulties; look at the results my plan will bring if it succeeds." Mutaguchi's voice boomed, his tone filled with excitement and enthusiasm as he moved his finger across the map. "If we capture Imphal, we'll have control of all of Assam. This is the rear base for the Allied counterattack."

When he said this, his eyes were bright, as if he had seen the dawn of victory.

He raised his head, glanced at everyone in the room, and continued, "Capture Imphal and re-sever the Stevenson Road, and the Allied supply chain will be completely paralyzed. This is a strategy that will completely destroy the Allied forces."

His voice became increasingly high-pitched, and he was completely immersed in his own strategic ideas.

While spitting, he waved his arms, like an actor standing in the center of the stage, performing the "military miracle" he directed and acted out to the fullest.

Mutaguchi was obviously not satisfied with this. He paused, as if thinking of a more exciting future.

"Also, once Imphal falls to our locust army, we can assist Mr. Bose in establishing a puppet regime in Sindhu. By then, the American devils will undoubtedly panic. To protect South Asia, they will undoubtedly request Zhang Chi's troops to come to their aid. This is a strategy of besieging Wei to save Zhao."

He smiled complacently and continued:

"The Anmin Army's mechanized equipment will be completely useless once it enters the jungles and mountains along the border. It will be easily defeated by the warrior spirit of our Locust Army. By then, Zhang Chi's men will be nothing but fish on the chopping block."

His voice echoed in the room, but no one responded.

Everyone lowered their heads and remained silent.

Mutaguchi didn't care. His fantasy had broken through the constraints of reality, as if victory in the war was just around the corner.

"Everyone, my Locust Army is invincible. The Battle of Imphal will become the most glorious page in the history of our army." He patted the map and almost shouted to announce his conclusion.

Hase Daisuke was still kneeling on the ground, his face pale. He slowly raised his head, his eyes filled with reluctance and despair.

He knew very well that such arrogance and conceit would push the entire army into the abyss of destruction.

"But, sir..." Hase Daisuke took another deep breath and interrupted Mutaguchi Ren'ya again.

“我 15 军第 15、 31、33 共三个师团近9万士兵，再加上鲍斯先生的独立身毒第 1 师，与同样划归 15 军指挥的近卫 2 师，兵力逾12万。”

Hase Daisuke's voice gradually rose. "How can we guarantee the supply of food and fodder for such a large force if we rely solely on the jungle borderlands where there aren't even roads?"

Mutaguchi Ren'ya narrowed his eyes slightly, but his expression did not waver in the slightest.

He slowly waved his hand, signaling Hase Daisuke not to say anything more, but his eyes were full of confidence and disdain.

"It's just a small problem." He answered indifferently, as if he was not facing a major decision concerning the life and death of 12 troops, but an insignificant detail.

"Genghis Khan, the great conqueror, relied on cattle and sheep to conquer Europe. Why not follow his example and recruit a group of cattle and sheep, use them to carry food and fodder, and then slaughter them for military rations when we get there? Isn't that perfect?"

Mutaguchi Ren'ya was very proud at this moment. He felt that he had thought of everything and just happened to refute the annoying Hase Daisuke speechless.

"But..." Hase Daisuke wanted to say something else, but was interrupted ruthlessly by Mutaguchi Ren'ya.

"There's no point in saying more. We, the Yamato people, have been herbivores since ancient times. Even if we don't have logistics, aren't the jungles on the border full of plants? The Locust Nation warriors will definitely not starve then."

Seeing that Mutaguchi Ren'ya was unmoved, Hase Daisuke knew that no matter how much he said, it would be useless, so he just kept silent.

-----

On the other side, Imphal, a small town on the border between Sindhu and Pegu (the author says the map is at the end of the chapter), is still extremely busy at this time.

Imphal, which covers an area of ​​only 80 square miles, is home to countless military camps, hospitals, armories, ammunition depots and munitions depots.

With the Stevenson Highway roughly opened to traffic, a large amount of aid supplies sent by White Eagle to Qian Country were diverted to Yunnan Province via the Xinpingyang, Myitkyina, Bhamo and Tengchong roads.

Therefore, the supplies and food for the new 1st Army in the front were transferred from Imphal. Therefore, this small town surrounded by the Imphal Plain and surrounded by mountains became an absolute transportation hub and strategic location.

But in stark contrast to the increasingly busy material distribution in Imphal, the garrison in this city seemed unusually loose and lazy.

Stationed here at this time were the John Sindhu colonial forces, the 17th and 20th Divisions of the 4th Corps of the 14th Group Army.

The two divisions served as colonial troops, with all soldiers being Indians and only officers being white men.

And since John's side had refused to participate in the battle to liberate Pegu, the two rear garrison divisions were in a state of rest and quiet.

Not only did they not make any defensive preparations, they even did not mobilize in order to save money. They were still in a skeleton division state and their troops were not fully staffed.

The truly combat-capable troops were the 15th Army of the 14th Group Army, which was thousands of miles away.

At this moment, the main focus of No. 10 Downing Street and John's military was on Operation Overlord in a few months. Even some of the military aid and supplies promised by the White Eagles to the White Party were transferred to the mainland by John's side on the pretext that the European battlefield was more important.

Therefore, when Mutaguchi Renya gathered his troops, frantically plundered the locals, requisitioned cattle, sheep, food, and fodder, and plundered gold, silver, and treasures, making intense preparations for war, the first reaction of the John people was:

Oh, in order to save Mandalay, the Japanese are going north to fight Zhang Chi.

They never imagined that Mutaguchi Ren'ya, this "Little Tojo", would go west to find them and play the "home-changing tactic" for military merit.

In this way, Mutaguchi Renya set the time for the general offensive at the beginning of March, and time continued to advance minute by minute.