After Stilwell returned from Tonggu, he was very ambitious and immediately began to make military arrangements for the decisive battle of Pingmanna. Subsequently, the headquarters issued an operational order, ordering the 200th Division to block the Japanese army in Tonggu for about 10 days, so as to buy time for the main force of the 5th Army to assemble on the Pingmanna line.

The 71st Division of the Japanese Army, which was requisitioned from the northeast, was seriously unable to adapt to the water and soil, and a large number of officers and men suffered from injuries and illnesses. Therefore, the Japanese 71st Division was located in Chiang Rai in northern Thailand, and together with four divisions of the Thai army, the Chinese army on the eastern front was contained. The other part of the 71st Division launched an attack on Legu and cooperated with the middle line of operations. Since the 55th Division of the 6th Army was already deployed in Leigu, the task of the 71st Division was to take Leigu and ensure that the 55th Division in the middle of the road captured the strategic point of Tonggu.

If the offensive went well, the 71st Division continued to capture Toshiba and encircle the Chinese army in Tonggu. The complex terrain and numerous rivers in the direction of Leigu increased the difficulty for the advance of the Japanese 71st Division. Coupled with the fact that the 55th Division sent engineering units to lay mines, small units attacked, and a large number of injuries and illnesses of its own, the advance speed of the 71st Division was almost like a snail crawling again, and it did not meet the requirements of the Japanese command. The 33rd Division of the Western Front did not advance fast due to the unclear situation of the British army, but on the contrary, the 55th Division of the Japanese Army advanced vigorously and vigorously in the center.

According to the comparison of forces between the two sides, Stilwell decided to use the 200th Division to block the attack speed of the 55th Division, and then deploy heavy troops in Pingmanna, use the 55th Division and the 49th Division to drag the Japanese 71st Division, eat the Japanese 55th Division in one fell swoop, and then assist the British Army on the West Road to re-encircle the Japanese 33rd Division, and then counterattack Rangoon. The military deployment was as follows: The 55th Division of the 6th Army was temporarily placed under the command of Du Yuming of the 5th Army, and the division transferred a regiment to strengthen Moltke's defense and stabilize the security of the left flank of the 200th Division. Ordered the 22nd Division to go to Guozhi and support the British army on the western road at any time.

The 96th Division was temporarily used as a reserve, and in addition, the 38th Division of the 66th Army was ordered to use the 200th Division to block and gain time to reach the front line of Pingmanna as soon as possible. In the current state, there is no problem with Stilwell's deployment, and Bai Chongxi and Ouyang Jian also agree with his deployment. Lao Jiang called and thought that it was completely feasible to try to eat the 55th Division of the Japanese army in Pingmanna. Whether the decisive battle of Pingmana can be realized depends on how much time the 200th Division can win in the blocking battle.

On March 25, the Japanese army advanced to the outer defense line of Tonggu in five days. At a distance of 100 kilometers from Huguan to Tonggu, the 55th Division attacked all the way under frequent attacks, and it should be said that it was fast. On the day that the 112th Wing, the vanguard of the 55th Division, arrived in Tonggu, it launched an attack on Okchun, the outer defense line of Tonggu. Defending Okchun was the 200th Regiment of the 600th Division. The Japanese 112th Wing, under the air cover of the 5th Flying Regiment of the Japanese Army, launched a powerful offensive.

After the Japanese artillery bombardment was extended, it was reasonable to say that the infantry should attack immediately, but an unbelievably strange scene appeared. The Japanese machine guns were actually fired condescendingly from the woods, and the defenders were a little confused about what kind of tactics this was. The 55th Division had learned from the previous operations in the British army, which was to find a big tree, and then place a plank on the tree, so that machine gunners and ammunition men could climb it and shoot at the British troops in the distance. Because the range of the light machine guns mounted on the trees exceeded the range of the British light machine guns, the British could only be beaten passively.

Bullets were fired from the woods and were difficult for the British to detect, and in several previous battles, the British were killed and wounded, making it difficult for the British to parry and quickly collapse. This time, the Japanese army still used this trick again, but the soldiers of the 200th Division were tempered by the fire of war, and the British army could not compare with it. The soldiers in the defensive position soon discovered that the Japanese machine guns were erected in the trees, and immediately returned fire with the attached anti-aircraft machine guns.

The range of the anti-aircraft machine guns far exceeded the range of the Japanese light machine guns, and the dense rain of bullets swept through, hitting branches and leaves flying wildly. I saw that the Japanese machine gunners fell from the tree like dumplings, and they were either killed or wounded, and after that, the Japanese machine gunners no longer dared to climb the tree. The Japanese had no choice but to adopt their usual offensive methods. Due to the strong air superiority of the Japanese army, bomber groups took turns dropping bombs on positions to cover the ground attack. Due to the strong fortifications of the defenders' tunnels, the Japanese aerial bombardment was not effective.

In order to seize air supremacy, on 21 March, the 5th Flying Regiment concentrated 102 fighters and 77 bombers to attack in turn, bombing the British Magway Air Base, destroying 28 British fighters and damaging 29, causing the British army to completely lose its air supremacy. Therefore, the Japanese bomber group could wantonly carry out indiscriminate bombardment of the defensive positions of the 600th Regiment. However, in the face of the strong defense of the 600th Regiment, the Japanese ground offensive was not effective, several charges were repulsed, and the corpses of Japanese soldiers killed in front of the 600th Regiment's position were scattered.

That night, Takeuchi Kuan, commander of the 55th Division of the Japanese Army, learned about the situation and said: "The enemy in front of us is the 200th Division, an elite unit of the Chinese army, which is well-armed and equipped with rich combat experience. We can't afford to lose if we blindly attack us, so we should immediately draw up a roundabout outflanking battle plan! Soon the Japanese army's roundabout outflanking operation plan was introduced. That is, the 112th Wing was ordered to continue to launch a frontal assault and exert pressure to attract the attention of the enemy.

The 143rd Wing was ordered to dispatch two brigades, and under the guidance of the Burmese traitors, to pass through a secret path in the woods from the east side of Tonggu, seize the airfield in the rear of Tonggu, and cut off the retreat of the 200th Division. Myanmar is very rich in vegetation, with 80 percent forest cover. There are forests everywhere inside and outside the ancient city, which is very disadvantageous for the defending side. Due to Ouyang Jian's care, Dai Anlan, with the help of local overseas Chinese, naturally would not let go of this path in the eastern dense forest.

Early the next morning, the Japanese army continued to launch a powerful offensive on the front. In the forest area on the east side, two Japanese brigades formed a column and came along the forest path. The Japanese search soldiers seemed to be alert, but they still did not find a group of tigers in full array. As soon as the Japanese detour unit appeared, it was discovered by the guerrilla brigade waiting for the rabbit, and the brigade leader Huang Xiang ordered the headquarters to immediately enter combat preparations. The guerrilla brigade had about 500 troops, and in order to strengthen its combat strength, Dai Anlan deliberately allocated 20 light machine guns from the British army's warehouses to the guerrilla brigade to increase the intensity of firepower.

"Captain, the division commander is really clever, the Japanese army really attacked from here. If we are not prepared, there is only a battalion of the 589th Regiment and an engineer regiment on the airfield, I am afraid it will be dangerous. A subordinate clamored. Report to the captain, the Japanese army dispatched 2 brigades! "Don't shoot without my order, we'll do it again after the third of the Japanese brigade." The Japanese continued to advance with the slightest notice, and the quality of their soldiers was so strict that there was no movement on the march. The Japanese entered the attack area, and Huang Xiang waved his hand.

A soldier quickly pressed the detonator, only to see a series of mines planted at various points on the path detonate one after another. The violent explosion immediately blew up the Japanese army, and with an order, a salvo of light and heavy firepower swept through the dense rain of bullets. Some soldiers threw grenades when they couldn't get enough of shooting, and in an instant, the forest path was covered in smoke. The Japanese soldiers were in a panic and confused for more than ten minutes, but after all, they were well-trained and began to return fire. After an hour of fierce fighting, the guerrilla brigade fell into passivity due to its small number of troops.

After dodging the first blows, the Japanese began to counterattack. More than 10 bombers flew in by the Japanese army's radio call, but the bombers could not tell friend or foe in the face of dense forests. There was no way, the Japanese bombers hurriedly dropped a few bombs and left. After the Japanese stabilized their position, the counterattack began to be sharp, and the guerrilla brigade was difficult to parry. At this time, the soldiers of the first battalion guarding the airport and some soldiers of the engineer regiment came up to support, and the living forces joined the battle group, and the Japanese army could not resist and had to retreat. The ambush was a complete victory, and the news quickly reached the division headquarters.

"Division Commander Dai, the two Japanese brigades attempted to sneak attack our airfield on the dense forest path on the east side, but they were severely attacked by our guerrilla brigade and the airport guard troops, and they fled in embarrassment. Captain Huang Xiang estimated that at least 500 Japanese soldiers were killed or wounded. Divisional commander, you are well deployed. "Chief of Staff Gao Jiren is excited." Chief of Staff, in fact, it was Deputy Commander Ouyang's idea to let me pay attention to the eastern forest area to prevent the Japanese army from fighting in a roundabout way. He said that the Japanese army would definitely rely on the advantage of the Burmese to be familiar with the terrain and sneak attack, and asked me to pay close attention to the eastern forest area. With the help of local overseas Chinese, the reconnaissance team found a small road leading directly to the airport, so I asked Captain Huang Xiang to guard the path. ”

"Deputy Commander Ouyang really has a third eye, otherwise we will suffer a big loss." "Yes, it's so hard that Deputy Commander Ouyang knows that there is a secret path in the eastern woods, it's like a god." "Report, the cavalry regiment has come to get a telegram, and the headquarters has arrived in Pingmu. Commander Hayashi reported that all the British troops in Pingmu had fled. No weapons and ammunition were left in the warehouses of the British army, but a large amount of food was left. A combat staff officer reported.

"Order Commander Lin to continue to search the British warehouses near Pingmu and try to find the weapons and ammunition of the British army." Dai Anlan continued: "Order Huang Xiang to continue to search for the movements of the Japanese army in the east and report to the division headquarters at any time!" "Report, the Japanese army has begun to attack the outlying positions again!" Dai Anlan stepped forward to take the phone: "Commander, a Japanese army tried to outflank the eastern woods, but was repelled by our guerrilla brigade and the airport guard troops, and wiped out more than 500 Japanese soldiers. ”

At the command post of the peripheral position, the regiment commander Shao Yizhi put down the phone and said excitedly: "The division commander reported that an enemy attempted a sneak attack on the east side, but was repelled by our guerrilla brigade and wiped out more than 500 Japanese soldiers. Immediately tell the news to all the brothers on the battlefield, and hit the Japanese army hard. When the combat personnel of the regiment headquarters heard this, they couldn't help but cheer. Reporting to the regiment commander, the Japanese launched an attack on the left flank and increased the strength of the attack. At this time, there was a roar in the sky, and dozens of Japanese bombers appeared in the sky.

Takeuchi, commander of the Japanese division, received a report from the roundabout troops: The enemy had been prepared for a long time, and the roundabout troops had been ambushed. Annoyed and ashamed, Takeuchi ordered the 144th Wing to fight on the left flank, and he wanted to eat the Chinese army defending the outer positions in front. The Japanese launched a tidal offensive, and the battle was extremely fierce. Along with the Japanese army's offensive forces, the 600th Regiment also invested all reserves.