Chapter 1445: Taking Another Step Forward

Wang Yan spent the New Year with his brothers in Burma.

Of course, supplies were scarce at this time, so the feast was nothing lavish; it merely consisted of wheat-flour dumplings with a hint of meat flavor, accompanied by white liquor, foreign spirits, and all sorts of messy locally brewed Burmese wines.

Even so, the brothers were quite content.

After all, over there were still the Nationalist Army brothers fighting the Japanese to the death.

This point was crucial: by now, the brothers under Wang Yan's command all knew that they were they, and the Nationalist Army was the Nationalist Army.

This was a consensus within the ranks that Wang Yan had intentionally cultivated, a result of long-term infiltration.

Ever since the failed crossing of the Nu River to the north, the brothers had been disheartened, so Wang Yan seized the opportunity to convey this message: from now on, everyone would fight for themselves and make money for themselves, so that when the fighting stopped, they could use that money to live good lives.

In fact, his brothers were quite wealthy; while heavy weapons were scarce, they had plenty of small guns and light cannons, sourced from foreign aid, gifts from the Nationalist Army, and captures from the little Japanese; each man had several guns, which was all money.

Additionally, there were various samurai swords, ranging from the lowest-ranking NCO blades to the highest, a general's sword, of which only one had been captured after a year of fighting; these swords could also be sold for money.

Other items such as watches, leather belts, and so on were equally valuable; the brothers had killed countless little Japanese devils and had become highly skilled at looting corpses.

Moreover, on occasion, they had even stumbled upon Japanese warehouses, seizing quite a bit of gold, making them veritably rich enough to drip oil.

Without money, even if the brothers wanted to kill the little Japanese, their motivation would be significantly lacking; with money in their own pockets, their drive was sufficient, and they would also be more careful with their lives during combat.

Furthermore, Wang Yan had registered the home addresses and family members of his brothers, promising that if any died in battle, he would find a way to contact their families when opportunities arose in the future to distribute pensions and look after their households.

Although none of this had been implemented yet, at least his willingness to record these details gave the brothers something to hope for and allowed them to feel a bit more at ease.

While the brothers were enjoying a comfortable New Year, the battlefield in Burma was a complete mess.

Previously, they had ruined the Japanese army's excellent situation, nullified Japanese reinforcements, and allowed the Allied forces to beat the enemy around.

However, just as Wang Yan had said, whether he and his brothers participated in the fighting played a decisive role on this Burmese battlefield.

Without their participation and lacking Wang Yan's command, the Japanese army quickly stabilized its footing and began reinforcing once again; by the time of the New Year, another thirty thousand troops had been sent, showing they were truly determined.

After all, the little Japanese were currently fighting on multiple fronts—invading China, battling in the Pacific, and fiercely engaging in Southeast Asia—with tensions high everywhere; yet even under these circumstances, they could still dispatch thirty thousand men to Burma, which was indeed a display of great determination.

With these thirty thousand fresh troops, the Japanese army, having already stabilized the situation, launched a frantic counterattack; the Allied forces in southern Burma were quickly pushed back, and by the time the New Year passed and spring approached, the Japanese advanced triumphantly, driving the Allied forces back once more.

Those in the north had been on the verge of capturing Mandalay, but after several months of fighting, they were beaten back again and forced to huddle in defense.

By this point, the foreign devils and the Expeditionary Force officers, who had been intoxicated by the prospect of merit, finally woke up as they watched the situation deteriorate step by step.

How could they have fought for several months only to end up exactly where they started, as if no fighting had occurred at all?

Thus, they finally thought of Wang Yan again, and of the cannon fodder under his command...

In truth, they had thought of him long ago; otherwise, Luo Youlun would not have spoken so much nonsense back then, as he had been sent with a specific mission; it was just that Wang Yan was impervious to bribes or threats, obeying deployments but ignoring orders to attack, simply refusing to send out troops.

At that time, the situation was indeed so favorable that others could do nothing if he refused to commit troops, so they merely cursed and continued striving for merit; now, however, it was not merely a matter of thinking of him, but rather thinking of him until they nearly died of anxiety.

Because Luo Zhuoying had fallen out with Stilwell and had disagreements over command, he had been transferred away and replaced by an even more formidable figure, Chen De; this man was a bona fide old Kuomintang member who had participated in various major events within the country in the past and held high positions.

The first thing he did upon arrival was to send a telegram to Wang Yan, ordering him to immediately join the battle, and then began to rectify the discipline of the Expeditionary Force.

The Expeditionary Force was actually quite wealthy; if Wang Wang Yanguang could get rich just from battle spoils, let alone the regular army; of course, the regular army's captures were few, but they excelled at greasing palms up and down the chain, engaging in large-scale smuggling and arms trafficking across western and southern Yunnan; what Chen De was doing was cutting off these sources of income.

In matters like this, it wasn't just Chen De who would fail; even if the Baldy himself came, it wouldn't work; after all, if the Baldy truly had the capability, his subordinates wouldn't be so chaotic, nor would there be so many factions.

Returning to the matter of persuading Wang Yan to send troops, Chen De naturally could not succeed either; although he spoke very politely, he offered nothing substantial, so how could Wang Yan possibly commit troops?

When the previous favorable situation had been created, he truly had received no benefits, only a telegram of encouragement from the Baldy; could that be eaten as a meal?

Was Chen De as powerful as the Baldy? If he sent a single telegram ordering troops to advance and they immediately did so, would that even make sense?

"Lord Wang, look at this..."

"Look at what?" Wang Yan took a sip of his wine, picked up some soybeans, and crunched them loudly; "There's not a single benefit offered; what is there to look at?"

"Then surely you can give us an answer; you must at least name a price."

"I'm just a muddy-legged peasant; how would I understand all that? Besides, regarding the matter of resisting Japan and saving the nation, is it appropriate to haggle over prices?"

Luo Youlun was speechless and choked with emotion; this ability to speak blatant lies while looking someone in the eye was not something a muddy-legged peasant possessed; he wanted benefits yet also wanted to curse people.

"Then how should we reply?"

"No reply!"

"But we have received the message; Commander Chen knows about it."

Wang Yan asked strangely, "He knows what he knows, and I won't reply to what concerns me; what's the problem? Hmm?"

"No problem." Luo Youlun felt quite dejected; he knew that Wang Yan was too lazy to even perform superficial courtesies; surely he could have found some excuse to make things look better for everyone...

He let out a long sigh, turned around honestly, and left.

"Dreaming beautifully, asking our brothers to sacrifice their lives without offering any benefits? Pah!" Mi Long spat a mouthful of saliva, raised his wine cup, and said, "Come, come, let's drink, let's drink; ignore them; one day isn't enough to cause heartache."

"We can't ignore them," Wang Yan said, taking a sip of wine with him and smiling; "The Japanese army has already started moving toward us; our good days are numbered."

"When will this war ever end? It seems endless once it starts."

"Sooner or later there will be an end; I estimate it will be no later than five years."

"So you are currently finding a way out for our brothers?" Seeing Wang Yan raise an eyebrow, Mi Long laughed heartily; "Don't think I'm a brute; let me tell you, I'm not stupid; I just usually don't like to use my brain; but I understand these matters."

"Are we currently great rebels who have been granted amnesty? I reckon you don't want to return to the country either; otherwise, once we finish off the little Japanese devils, it will be our turn to be attacked; surely we must take this opportunity to demand as many benefits as possible, whether people, weapons, ammunition, food, or anything else; the more, the better."

Wang Yan shook his head amusingly; "You heard this from Fan La and the others, didn't you? Coming here to deceive me."

"So do you really not want to go back?"

"Do you want to go back?"

"I dream of it day and night!" Mi Long took a fierce gulp of wine.

"We will definitely be able to go back; come, come, let's not talk about these sad things; drink, drink."

While Wang Yan was here sipping his wine, over there Chen De, unable to receive a reply from Wang Yan, couldn't help but curse loudly, calling Wang Yan someone who wouldn't release the eagle until seeing the rabbit, cursing that Wang Yan was not a Chinese man and deserved to be killed.

Of course, he was merely venting; anything else was truly unrealistic; it was just to let off some steam.

He couldn't even fully vent his anger; instead, the more he cursed, the angrier he became, so he had no choice but to endure it and send a telegram to the Baldy for instructions on how exactly to deal with this anomaly, Wang Yan.

Thus, Wang Yan received another message of encouragement from the Baldy; Wang Yan similarly did not reply, and the Baldy also cursed loudly.

No one had expected that Wang Yan would become the most critical link on the Burmese battlefield; the difference between him fighting and not fighting was far too obvious.

Within three days, Wang Yan received another telegram promoting him to the rank of general and appointing him commander of the New First Army. This army was formed from the New 38th Division and the New 28th Division, both of which had been battered into a sorry state over the past period. After reorganization and reinforcement with fresh troops, another candidate had originally been slated for command, but since Wang Yan refused to act without guaranteed benefits and the situation here was extremely grave, they had no choice but to swallow their pride and install him.

It is worth noting that the commander of the New 38th Division was Sun Zhongneng, whom Wang Yan had previously met; subsequently, Sun would succeed to the position of commander of the New First Army.

Adding Wang Yan's own unit to these, the force now comprised three divisions, a very powerful strength indeed.

The moment Wang Yan received the telegram, he was already plotting how to reorganize the forces, intending to squeeze out Sun Zhongneng and the leaders of the New 28th Division so that all these troops would become his own.

"My lord?" Luo Youlun watched Wang Yan lost in thought, assuming he was still dissatisfied with this offer, and felt compelled to offer a gentle reminder, "This is sufficient; truly, it is unwise to push things to the extreme, my lord..."

Hearing his earnest words, Wang Yan shook his head with amusement: "Where did your mind wander? This is enough; any more and I fear I would suffer from indigestion. I was just thinking about the 38th Division; when my unit first arrived at headquarters, I had a brief encounter with Sun Zhongneng, never expecting that by a twist of fate, we would become comrades stirring the same pot."

"Indeed, only my lord possesses such martial prowess; who would have thought that in merely a short year, you would rise to this height? Congratulations to my lord on your promotion."

Wang Yan waved his hand: "You are the scholar; send telegrams to Old Chiang and Chen De expressing my gratitude, and be sure to add that I will surely devote myself loyally to the Party and the Nation, driving out the Tartars, a duty I cannot shirk. Additionally, inquire about the situation there, re-establish contact with the 38th and 28th Divisions, and order them to report their respective statuses to me.

Go, transmit the order: pack up our belongings; we must depart no later than the day after tomorrow."

Luo Youlun and the messenger both accepted the order, and before long, Wang Yan's subordinates began to move.

The divisional headquarters also bustled with activity; several radio stations clicked and beeped incessantly as Wang Yan finally began receiving news from the outside world.

Information from the entire battlefield flowed toward Wang Yan, until the telegraph operators' hands cramped from translating.

The staff officers nearby spread out maps and worked with their notebooks, compiling various intelligence reports to summarize and present to Wang Yan shortly, allowing their commander to review the consolidated information.

If one were to describe this moment, it could be said that for this brief period, the entire Burmese battlefield fell silent; whether foreigners or personnel related to the Expeditionary Force, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

This was the imposing prestige Wang Yan had established over the preceding year.

In contrast, the Japanese side grew both nervous and excited; it was quite possible they learned of his appointment as commander even two steps faster than Wang Yan himself.

Wang Yan, who had vanished for two months, had finally reappeared; they were likely already making various preparations, vowing to kill Wang Yan and all his subordinates.

The next day, Wang Yan's unit finally departed from here; simultaneously, his message was conveyed to the foreigners and to his two divisions with whom he had not yet united, while communication with headquarters was established, launching an attack against the Japanese army.

This time, Wang Yan held a higher position and wielded greater influence; bolstered by his previous combat record, his words now carried weight. It could be said that he virtually directed the entire war effort in Burma.

The offensive he launched was naturally different; attacking from both north and south simultaneously, he personally led the charge, penetrating deep behind enemy lines.

Currently located in southern Burma, far from the north, the only way to resolve the situation in northern Burma was to create problems for the Japanese army in the south, forcing them to redeploy their troops. Once the Japanese made any movement, the pressure in northern Burma would immediately ease, allowing forces to threaten the Japanese from the south, causing them to struggle to defend both flanks until they became unable to support either side.

This was the grand strategy, yet the key lay in specific execution; without delivering powerful strikes, any strategy would be futile.

With Wang Yan personally taking the field, how could anything possibly go wrong?

Although the Japanese army currently held superiority in troop numbers in Burma and was relatively more combat-capable, once Wang Yan made his move, he demonstrated his power in merely half a month.

The units fighting alongside Wang Yan felt a sense of ease, and their combat achievements were by no means small; although their own losses were not light, the Japanese casualties were absolutely far more severe.

Wang Yan continued to focus his attacks on Japanese logistics, continuing the unfinished work of the Allied forces by destroying Japanese supply transport along the coast, forcing them to route supplies through Thailand and thereby extending their supply lines.

His operations grew increasingly large-scale, effectively bringing the Allied forces in the region under his unified command; within less than a month, the Japanese were forced to withdraw troops from the north to reinforce. The methods employed by the Japanese also became increasingly varied, with all sorts of poison gas shells already deployed, truly vicious in nature.

Once the Japanese withdrew troops from northern Burma, Wang Yan remotely commanded his two divisions, whom he had never yet met, to thrust forward directly, launching another surprise attack on Mandalay that terrified the Japanese and inflicted casualties, before turning and fleeing immediately, vanishing without a trace.

The Japanese had deeply absorbed the lessons learned from fighting Wang Yan and did not dispatch troops to pursue, knowing that in the past, Wang Yan would retreat whenever he saw no opportunity.

However, this time they miscalculated; the two divisions did not leave but instead surrounded Mandalay, cutting off external supply lines. Yet just as the Japanese attempted to wheel around and encircle them, these two divisions fled once again.

Simultaneously, as the Japanese wheeled their forces back, the Allied armies in other areas advanced their front lines even further, thoroughly disgusting the Japanese, who nevertheless found no effective countermeasure.

They could only watch helplessly as their troops were gnawed away bit by bit, their sphere of influence shrinking step by step; in merely half a year, the situation was beaten back into the highly favorable position for the Allied forces that had existed previously.

This was not their fault; it was all because Wang Yan was simply too strong...

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