Chapter 407: The Fifth Greatest Wonder of the World

Today, the Second Group Army has two armies under its command: the Thirtieth Army and the Forty-second Army.

The Thirtieth Army Commander is Tian Zhennan, and the Forty-second Army Commander is Feng Anbang. Tian Zhennan is a graduate of the Baoding Military Academy for Accelerated Officer Training, while Feng Anbang rose through the ranks, starting as a common soldier and working his way up step by step.

Within the Second Group Army, there are a total of three divisions and one Independent Brigade: Huang Qiaosong's Twenty-seventh Division, Zhang Jinzhao's Thirtieth Division, Chi Fengcheng's Thirty-first Division, and Wu Pengju's Independent Forty-fourth Brigade.

At the same time, the Second Group Army now also has an artillery regiment belonging to the group army; this artillery regiment possesses twenty-four Type 92 Infantry Guns and twelve 150mm Mortars.

This batch of artillery was also partially captured from the Japanese Army by the Second Group Army during the fighting at Niangziguan in Jin Province, while the rest was provided by the Sichuan Army through cooperation.

Therefore, as Sun Lianzhong now defends Taierzhuang, he feels almost no pressure in his heart; his own foundation is solid, and he is confident.

Furthermore, after the July 7th Incident, when Chang Kaishen invited various local warlords to discuss the grand strategy for the War of Resistance.

Yunnan Province Provincial Chairman Long Yun proposed to everyone at the military conference that, in view of the Japanese Navy's strength, our country's Coastal Region would be in danger of falling completely.

At the conference, the Yunnan Army's proposal won the approval of many generals, and Chang Kaishen also agreed to this plan, stating that the central government would support it.

Bristles and Tung Oil are very attractive items to Western countries; the United States, France, the British Isles, and other international parties all participated in the bidding.

Some foreign friends also marveled: "This is a road carved out by fingers," and compared the Burma Road to the Panama Canal and the Suez Canal.

The Yunnan Army was temporarily stationed in Hankou, waiting for the latest notification from the Nanjing Command; the Fifth War Zone lacked troops, so Li Delin called Chang Kaishen.

In January 1938, the Burma Road Construction Bureau was established in Kunming; at that time, the Chinese side recruited some intellectuals from the Southwest Hinterland who had fled the war from the coastal areas.

However, this Battle of Nanjing took place at about the same time as in the original timeline, and the Yunnan Army could not arrive in time, so they did not participate in the battle.

Once the Coastal Region is blockaded by the Japanese Navy, the foreign resources our country needs will be cut off, so a road must be built to connect to Nanyang.

Because the Sichuan Army occupied the Langxi line south of Nanjing, allowing the defenders inside the city to break out from the south and link up with the Sichuan Army, the Yunnan Army received news that the Battle of Nanjing had ended and the defenders had retreated to Anhui Province when they arrived in Hankou.

This would prevent the supplies needed for the War of Resistance from being unable to be transported in via road after the Coastal Region was blockaded by the Japanese Navy.

For the defense of Taierzhuang, Sun Lianzhong's Second Group Army has only the strength of three divisions and one brigade, which is truly a bit thin; one must know that the Japanese Army's assembled force on the North Line alone consists of four or five divisions.

But, with the Japanese invaders being so ferocious today, Lu Han still prioritizes the greater cause. Even though he is now under the command of the Northwest Army's Second Group Army, Lu Han still has not the slightest complaint in his heart.

"Good, good, good..." Seeing Sun Lianzhong agree, Li Delin was very happy.

The Yunnan Army's Sixtieth Army has three divisions under its command: the 182nd, 183rd, and 184th Divisions. The entire army totals over forty thousand men, and the Sixtieth Army is also the elite of the Yunnan Army.

At that time, after Roosevelt learned of this, he dispatched ambassadors to inspect it, and the British side did the same; after on-site inspections, the ambassadors of both sides were moved by it.

After returning to his country, the U. S. Ambassador to China, Johnson, said, "The Burma Road project is massive, but it lacks machinery and was opened purely by human labor, relying entirely on the hardworking and enduring spirit of the people along the route. This kind of spirit is unmatched by any other nation in the world."

Although the Chinese side had no money, Tung Oil and Bristles are military supplies, and the Chinese side was willing to provide these materials as a substitute.

The British *The Times* praised it thus: "Only the Chinese could complete such a massive project in such a short time."

They praised the Chinese people for building the road with their own hands, calling it simply incredible; it is the fifth greatest wonder of the world, and this road is just like the Egyptian pyramids.

He only hoped that his troops could achieve results in the Fifth War Zone and report the good news to the millions of common people in Yunnan Province.

Ever since the July 7th Incident, Long Yun of Yunnan Province had mobilized elites to march out of Yunnan; originally, the Yunnan Army's first battle should have been the Battle of Nanjing.

It was only after Lao Chang ordered the Yunnan Army to march north to support Xuzhou that Lu Han felt that as long as the Yunnan Army's first battle could be fought well, it would be fine to be under the command of the Guangxi Clique and under the control of Sun Lianzhong.

In this way, Li Delin was very happy, and the arrangements for the Taierzhuang Campaign were made more securely.

To let the common people of Yunnan Province understand that the Yunnan Army they spent money to support did not let them down; now, hundreds of thousands of common people in Yunnan Province are tightening their belts for the War of Resistance, eating chaff and vegetables, and leaving money and grain for the troops.

If one or two divisions were let in, Sun Lianzhong's meager force would likely not be able to stop them, so Li Delin still needed to mobilize an army to serve as the Taierzhuang reserve force.

Amidst this turmoil, the Chinese side completed the construction of the Burma Road at such a fast speed that many countries did not believe it at first, because the Chinese side was so backward.

After simple training, these intellectuals started their jobs and gradually became the technical backbone of the Burma Road construction personnel.

Although the central government had no money, the Nanjing Command could provide various tools for building the road. After receiving this news, Long Yun was also very helpless; he suggested seeing if they could conduct bidding for famous international companies.

Therefore, Long Yun of Yunnan Province and the Nanjing Command put their heads together and decided to just do it themselves, preparing to spend one year building it for traffic.

"The Yunnan Army's Sixtieth Army is under the control of Sun Lianzhong. Brother Lu, if you have any objections to this arrangement, we can discuss it further."

In the face of national righteousness, Lu Han was still willing to submit to the arrangements of Li Delin of the Guangxi Clique. Even though the Guangxi Clique and the Yunnan Army had forged a life-and-death feud during the infighting years ago.

Lu Han nodded, "No problem, Officer Li, I have no objections."

The Sixtieth Army is equipped with weapons imported from France; the Light and Heavy Machine Guns and Mortars are all French-made, the soldiers even wear Steel Helmets, and there is even a specialized anti-gas unit.

They dispatched technical personnel to Yunnan Province to conduct surveys, concluding that building such a road would take at least six or seven years, and that was the fastest result.

Seeing Lu Han agree readily, Li Delin continued: "Very well, for this Taierzhuang Campaign, Second Group Army Commander-in-Chief Sun Lianzhong will have full command."

Lu Han stood up: "No problem, my Yunnan Army marching north is for the War of Resistance."

Six or seven years? By the time this road is built, the opportunity will have long passed; what the Chinese side lacks now is time, and they simply cannot afford to wait.

Li Delin looked at Lu Han, "Old Lu, how about the Yunnan Army's 60th Army serving as the reserve force for Taierzhuang?"

In August 1938, the Burma Road construction was completed and initially opened to traffic; in October, it was officially opened.

However, since the Battle of Songhu began, the National Government's funds flowed away like water; regarding the construction of the Burma Road, Chang Kaishen stated that the central government could not come up with the money and hoped that the local government of Yunnan Province would resolve the funding issue.

Yunnan Province mobilized over three hundred thousand people to participate in the construction of this road, among whom were many women, children, and the elderly.

The United States and the British Isles both estimated it would take six or seven years, yet the Chinese side only spent nine months to build it; this is simply a fantasy.

Some domestic newspapers praised the Burma Road as another miracle of the Chinese nation after the Great Wall and the Grand Canal.

Now that the Burma Road has the aid of Sichuan Province, the construction time was three months earlier than in the original timeline, being built in half a year.

(End of this chapter)