The commander of the Japanese Southern Army, Terauchi Hisaichi, was sitting in his solemnly decorated headquarters office. On the table in front of him, an urgent war report was like a blockbuster bomb, making his originally stern face even gloomier.

“Baka? The Freedom Army has occupied half of Siam’s territory?” Terauchi Hisaichi stood up suddenly, slammed his hands on the table, his eyes wide open, staring at the intelligence officer who came to report in front of him.

The intelligence officer was wearing a neat military uniform, but at this moment he was frightened by the commander’s anger and his body was shaking slightly. He quickly stood at attention and replied with a trembling voice: “Commander, the intelligence is absolutely accurate. The Free Army, with the cooperation of the local resistance organization, has launched an extremely swift offensive. Our defense lines have been breached in many places. Now we have…” Before he could finish his words, Terauchi Hisaichi waved his hand impatiently and interrupted him.

“Enough! I don’t want to hear this nonsense! What I want is a solution!” Terauchi Hisaichi paced back and forth in the office. He knew in his heart that once Siam fell completely into the hands of the Free Army, it would mean that the Free Army would be able to successfully merge with the Chinese Expeditionary Force.

By then, once the situation of being attacked from both the east and the west was formed, the Japanese army’s war situation in Southeast Asia would be in an irreparable situation. This was something he could not accept in any way.

“Notify the commanders of each unit to come to the headquarters immediately for an emergency meeting!” Terauchi Hisaichi turned around and ordered his adjutant.

The adjutant saluted quickly, turned around and walked away quickly to convey the commander’s orders.

Soon, the conference room was filled with senior Japanese generals.

Terauchi Hisaichi walked into the meeting room with a gloomy face. Seeing him, everyone stood up and saluted.

Terauchi Shouichi nodded slightly and motioned for everyone to sit down, then went straight to the point: “Everyone, the current offensive of the Free Army in Siam has seriously threatened our strategic layout. If Siam is lost, we will face a pincer attack from the Free Army and the Expeditionary Force. I think everyone knows the consequences without me saying much.”

A short and fat general stood up and said, “Commander, I think we should immediately send more troops to Siam to strengthen the defense there and make sure to stop the Free Army outside the existing defense line.”

Terauchi Hisaichi frowned and asked in return: “Send additional troops? We are now facing a tense situation on all fronts and our manpower is already stretched thin. Where do you want me to draw troops from?” The general was speechless and sat back awkwardly.

At this time, another general who wore glasses and looked quite gentle spoke up: “Commander, in my opinion, we can try to divide the Free Army and the local resistance organizations. The cooperation between them is not indestructible. We can spread rumors, create conflicts and other means to cause divisions among them, thereby weakening their combat effectiveness.”

Terauchi Juichi pondered for a moment and said slowly: “This is a solution, but it may take a long time to take effect. What we need now is a plan that can immediately stop the Freedom Army’s advance.”

Just as everyone was expressing their opinions, the Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Suzuki, who had been silent, stood up, cleared his throat and said, “Commander, colleagues, I have an idea. We know that the Free Army’s supply lines are very long, which is one of their weaknesses. We can organize an elite force to raid their supply lines and cut off their supplies. Once the supply is interrupted, the Free Army’s offensive will inevitably be affected and may even fall into chaos.”

As soon as this was said, the meeting room was full of discussions. Some people thought that this was a risky move, going deep into the enemy’s rear to attack the supply line, and the whole army would be wiped out if they were not careful; but some people thought that this was the most feasible way at present, and it could deal a heavy blow to the Free Army in a short period of time.

Terauchi Juichi listened to the discussion quietly, weighing the pros and cons in his mind. After a long while, he raised his head and said with a firm look, “I think we can give Chief of Staff Suzuki’s suggestion a try. Although the risk is great, we don’t have a better choice at the moment. I order a regiment of the 18th Division to form a rapid assault force, led by Colonel Shimazu, to set out within three days to attack the supply lines of the Freedom Army.”

Upon hearing this, Colonel Shimazu immediately stood up and answered loudly, “Yes! Commander, I, Yamamoto Ichiro, will definitely fulfill my mission!” Terauchi Hisashi nodded and continued, “At the same time, other units must also strengthen their defenses and pay close attention to the movements of the Freedom Army. Once they are found to have a new offensive, a counterattack must be organized immediately. In addition, the intelligence department must increase its intelligence gathering efforts on the Freedom Army and the Expeditionary Force. I want to know their every move.”

After the meeting, all the generals left the meeting room to carry out their respective tasks. Terauchi Shouichi returned to his office and fell into deep thought again. He knew that this battle was related to the fate of the Japanese army in Southeast Asia, and there must be no mistakes.

At this time, in the Siamese Free Army headquarters, the atmosphere was very lively. The Free Army commander Lu Yuhua was sitting in front of a map with several staff officers, discussing the next battle plan.

“Comrades, we have successfully occupied half of Siam’s territory. This is the result of the bloody battles of all our soldiers. But we cannot let our guard down. The Japanese army will certainly not give up. They will definitely try every means to stop us from moving forward.” Lu Yuhua said, looking at the map with a firm gaze.

A young staff officer stood up and said excitedly: “Commander, in my opinion, we should seize the opportunity to capture the entire Siam in one fell swoop, then join forces with the expeditionary force and deal a fatal blow to the Japanese army!”

Lu Yuhua smiled and said, “It’s a good idea, but we also have to consider the actual situation. Although the Japanese army is at a disadvantage now, their combat effectiveness should not be underestimated. In addition, our supply lines are too long, which is a big hidden danger. We must ensure the safety of the supply lines in order to advance steadily.”

At this time, another staff officer said: “Commander, I suggest that we send a part of our forces to conduct reconnaissance on the possible counterattack direction of the Japanese army and make preparations in advance. At the same time, we should strengthen the protection of the supply lines and send more patrol troops to prevent sneak attacks by the Japanese army.”

Lu Yuhua nodded and said, “This is a good suggestion. In addition, we must strengthen our ties with local resistance organizations. They are familiar with the local terrain and customs and can provide us with great help. We must unite all the forces that can be united to fight against the Japanese army together.”

While the Free Army was busy planning its next move, the Japanese assault force had already quietly set out. Colonel Shimazu led his troops, taking advantage of the night, along a hidden path, toward the Free Army’s supply line. Their target was an important supply station of the Free Army in the rear.

After two days and two nights of rapid march, Colonel Shimazu’s troops finally arrived not far from the supply station. They hid in a dense jungle, waiting for the best time to attack.

“Colonel, we have already conducted reconnaissance and found out that the defense of the supply station is not tight, with only one company of the Freedom Army stationed there. We can launch a surprise attack before daybreak and take it down in one fell swoop.” A scout reported to Colonel Shimazu.

Colonel Shimazu nodded, a hint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes, and said, “Very good. Inform the troops to launch the attack at midnight. Remember, we must fight quickly and decisively, and never give the Free Army time to react.”

At midnight, everything was silent. Colonel Shimazu waved his hand, and the Japanese assault troops rushed towards the supply station of the Free Army like a group of hungry wolves. However, they never expected that the Free Army had already received intelligence and set up an ambush.

“Fight!” With the order, the free army soldiers hiding around the supply station opened fire one after another, and the Japanese army fell into chaos. Colonel Shimazu was shocked when he saw this, but he quickly calmed down and commanded his troops to counterattack.

“Don’t panic! Charge forward and destroy these Freedom Army soldiers!” Colonel Shimazu shouted loudly, waving his command knife. The two sides engaged in a fierce exchange of fire, and for a while, the sound of gunfire and explosions intertwined. With the favorable terrain and sufficient preparation, the Freedom Army soldiers defeated the Japanese army. Seeing that the situation was not good, Colonel Shimazu knew that the operation had failed, and had no choice but to order a retreat.

“Retreat! Retreat quickly!” Colonel Shimazu shouted as he fled into the jungle with his remaining troops.

The Free Army won the ambush and successfully defended the supply station. Lu Yuhua was very pleased when he heard the news.

“Comrades, this victory proves that our judgment was correct. The Japanese army is unwilling to accept defeat and will definitely take further action. We must continue to remain vigilant and be prepared for battle. At the same time, we must speed up our advance and strive to reunite with the Expeditionary Force as soon as possible.” Lu Yuhua said to all the soldiers in the command center.

At the Japanese headquarters, Terauchi Hisaichi was furious when he learned that Colonel Shimazu’s operation had failed.

“What a bunch of rubbish! You can’t even take down a small supply station!” Terauchi Juichi threw the documents in his hand to the ground and cursed.

Chief of Staff Suzuki consoled them, “Commander, although this operation failed, we cannot be discouraged. Although the Freedom Army has temporarily won, they have also exposed part of their troop deployment. We can re-formulate the battle plan based on this intelligence.”

Terauchi Shouichi took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. He knew that now was not the time to get angry, and he had to think calmly and find a way to deal with it.

“Notify all units to strengthen the construction of defensive fortifications and at the same time organize small-scale counterattacks to harass the advance of the Free Army. Also, continue to find ways to cut off their supply lines. I don’t believe that we, the Imperial Japanese Army, can’t deal with a group of rabble!” Terauchi Hisaichi said gritting his teeth.

In the following days, the Japanese army strengthened the construction of fortifications in Siam. Along the main defense line, trenches and bunkers rose from the ground. Soldiers worked day and night, piling sandbags into barriers and covering the front line with barbed wire. Small-scale counterattacks were also frequently dispatched. They took advantage of the night to launch surprise attacks on the front positions of the Free Army, hit and run, trying to disrupt the Free Army’s advance rhythm.

On the Free Army side, Lu Yuhua did not give the Japanese a chance to breathe. On the one hand, he organized the troops to advance steadily and continuously compressed the Japanese defense line; on the other hand, he further strengthened cooperation with local resistance organizations. The members of the resistance organization broke up into small groups, penetrated deep into the rear of the Japanese army, destroyed the transportation lines, attacked the Japanese patrols, and caused a lot of trouble for the Japanese army.

In a fierce battle, a battalion of the Free Army encountered stubborn resistance from the Japanese when it launched an attack on an important Japanese stronghold. The Japanese relied on solid bunkers and dense firepower networks to stalemate the Free Army’s attack. After learning of the situation, Lu Yuhua quickly dispatched mortar troops to carry out precise strikes on the Japanese bunkers. Amid the roar of the mortars, the Japanese bunkers were destroyed one after another. The Free Army took the opportunity to launch a charge and captured the stronghold in one fell swoop.

As for the supply line, although the Free Army successfully repelled a Japanese raid, they did not relax their vigilance. In addition to sending more patrols, they also set up more hidden sentries around the supply station. At the same time, they began to try to open up new supply routes to reduce the risk of the supply line being cut off by the Japanese.

The Japanese intelligence department also stepped up its efforts to collect intelligence on the Free Army and the Expeditionary Force. They sent a large number of scouts deep into the areas controlled by the Free Army to try to spy on the Free Army’s troop deployment and combat plans.

As the war progressed, the two sides fell into a stalemate. Terauchi Juichi became increasingly anxious, knowing that such a stalemate was extremely disadvantageous to the Japanese army. So he decided to go all out and once again planned a large-scale operation to try to turn the tide of the war.

He secretly mobilized two divisions of troops and prepared to launch a fatal surprise attack on the flank of the Free Army. In order to ensure the confidentiality of the operation, he ordered the troops to march at night and strictly restricted communications.

However, the Japanese army’s actions were still detected by the intelligence personnel of the Free Army. After Lu Yuhua learned of this information, he immediately called the staff to discuss countermeasures.

“The Japanese army is going to make a desperate move. They want to disrupt our deployment through this surprise attack. We must be prepared in advance.” Lu Yuhua said seriously.

After some discussion, the Free Army worked out a plan to take advantage of the enemy’s strategy. They deliberately left some gaps on the flanks to lure the Japanese army deeper, and then concentrated their superior forces to encircle and annihilate the Japanese army.

On a dark and windy night, the two Japanese divisions quietly launched an attack on the flank of the Free Army as planned. They thought their actions were unnoticed, but they didn’t know they had fallen into the trap of the Free Army.

When the Japanese army penetrated into the encirclement set by the Free Army, Lu Yuhua gave an order and the ambush troops of the Free Army rushed out from all directions. For a moment, the sound of gunfire was deafening and the Japanese army was in a desperate situation.

Colonel Shimazu’s unit was also part of the raid. He looked at the Japanese troops being beaten back and forth, and his heart was filled with despair. But he still waved his command knife and tried to organize his troops to resist.

“The Imperial Japanese Army will never surrender! Charge out!” Colonel Shimazu shouted at the top of his lungs.

However, everything was in vain. The encirclement of the Free Army became smaller and smaller, and the casualties of the Japanese army continued to increase. After several hours of fierce fighting, the Japanese surprise attack completely failed, and the two divisions were almost annihilated.

After hearing the news, Terauchi Juichi slumped in his chair and could not speak for a long time. He knew that the Japanese army’s war situation in Siam was completely irreversible.

After this decisive victory, the morale of the Free Army was greatly boosted. They accelerated their advance and made unstoppable progress.

In the Free Army’s headquarters, Lu Yuhua and his staff were discussing the final battle plan.

“Comrades, we are getting closer and closer to victory. Next, we must make a concerted effort to completely eliminate the remaining Japanese forces in Siam and successfully join forces with the Expeditionary Force.” Lu Yuhua said passionately.

Everyone expressed their agreement, with a gleam of victory in their eyes. (End of this chapter)