Chapter 130: Target

Bamo, this small town in northern Myanmar, is now shrouded in a bleak wind and bitter rain.

Between the broken walls and ruins along both sides of the street, a sharp smell of gunpowder mixed with charred corpses still lingers.

After the Japanese Army seized Bamo, they essentially carried out the Three Alls Policy there; because Kume Seichi's unit lacked supplies, they had to "survive on the spot", which does not mean the Japanese were to farm the land—basically the Little Devil's "survival" is the Three Alls: loot everything, kill everything, burn everything, openly turning bayonets against the unarmed Myanmar civilians.

One group of the unfortunate were brutally slaughtered, while another fled like startled birds into the deep forests, trembling in hunger and fear.

Only when the eastern horizon turned a pale dawn did the Myanmar civilians hidden deep in the woods dare to peek out. They looked anxiously at the city below and were surprised to find that the gunfire that had raged last night had ceased, replaced by a highly disciplined troop.

When they saw that the flag fluttering over the city walls was no longer the ointment flag but the blue sky, white sun, and red earth banner, tears welled in the eyes of these suffering people.

It is the Expeditionary Force of China.

The Expeditionary Force stationed in Bamo committed no harm to the Myanmar civilians, a stark contrast to the horrors they endured under the Japanese Army's atrocities.

At this moment, in a temporary command post inside Bamo city, Jiang Anguo was staring intently at the huge battle map on the wall. Though he had not slept a night, he remained vigorous and showed no sign of fatigue.

It's not that he isn't tired; he must rally his spirit, and one danger remains unchecked—the Japanese Army at Myitkyina.

Jiang Anguo ordered all soldiers to rest tightly, because after dawn they would set out for Myitkyina.

The defense of Bamo, however, was handed to the two newly exchanged units of Jiang Anguo: the Independent Regiment and Independent Battalion, battalion commander Jiang He, with a special defensive role.

The Independent Regiment's Engineer Battalion, battalion commander Fan Xuan, with a special civil engineering focus.

Each battalion had 653 troops, and Jiang Anguo could not keep the full 2,000‑strong establishment in Bamo.

He exchanged for 40 pilots and 160 ground staff.

The pilots' skills were quite comprehensive; they were versatile, proficient with bombers, fighters, and transport aircraft alike.

Jiang Anguo could not yet return to Lashu, so he could only have them drive transport vehicles back to Lashu on their own.

Currently Lashu does not have that many aircraft; everything will have to wait until Jiang Anguo returns to arrange more planes.

"Fan Xuan, your mission is to construct Bamo's defensive works, and also to repair Bamo's airfield as soon as possible; I will leave plenty of building materials here," Jiang Anguo said.

"Yes, Commander."

The remaining 494 slots were all exchanged, treated as reserve troops to replenish the front‑line units when needed.

Thus, he obtained 4,000 points again; he had no choice—if you don't spend them, you can't get points, otherwise two thousand men could give him four thousand points per day.

Jiang Anguo also sent a telegram to Song Yunfei at Lashu, stating that there was no need to bomb Bamo and Myitkyina airfields; Jiang Anguo had not expected Bamo to be taken so easily.

April 26, 08:08 a. m.

The rain still had not ceased, but the downpour had turned into a light drizzle.

At the assembly point outside Bamo city, all transport vehicles roared, forming a long convoy. After careful inspection, the severely damaged vehicles from the forced march were discarded and left in Bamo for Fan Xuan's Engineer Battalion to dismantle, while Jiang Anguo directly exchanged a batch of brand‑new transport vehicles from the system as replacements.

"Everyone board." Jiang Anguo still personally led the team toward Myitkyina.

At this moment, Jiang Anguo felt delighted. This operation not only earned him promotion and a raise, expanded the unit's establishment, but also dealt a heavy blow to the Japanese Army's swagger.

Killing the Little Devils is still profitable; this round earned Jiang Anguo over 12,000 points, and he even spared a Japanese major—a target worth 4,000 points.

However, this Japanese also earned Jiang Anguo a lot, as not only his own position rose, but the troop numbers increased—both good news.

Overall, it was still worth it.

However, in stark contrast to Jiang Anguo's high spirits, the Japanese Army's command was filled with wails and fury.

An urgent telegram from the front line lay on the desk of Terauchi Hisaichi, commander of the Southern Army. The telegram was brief and brutal: Bamo fell, Kume Seichi and his unit of over a thousand men are unaccounted for, presumed annihilated or captured.

It is evident that the Japanese Army's intelligence department knows the situation in Myanmar very well.

In such a case, they can still relay Bamo's intelligence back.

Terauchi Hisaichi's complexion turned a steel‑blue that seemed to drip water. He slammed the telegram onto the table, shaking the nearby teacup into a clatter.

"Baka! Kume Seichi, an absolute useless fool!"

The southern front, which had been proceeding smoothly according to plan, suffered a major setback here. Not only did it lose a strategic stronghold, but the humiliation was enormous. Under the Emperor's gaze, before the Navy and other army divisions, the proud Japanese elite paratrooper unit was crushed by the Chinese forces as if crushing a dead ant.

It was less than a day, though if you count from midnight, it would be two days.

But this is only the beginning.

When the headquarters learned that Kume Seichi had been captured, the entire staff headquarters went into a frenzy. The paratroopers, a new elite unit the Japanese Army was trying to form, had carried great army expectations. Yet in their first large‑scale combat they suffered the capture of their commander and total annihilation.

The enraged headquarters quickly issued a cruel decree: cancel the paratrooper unit's designation.

This unit, which had not yet had a chance to shine, was completely erased from history. All surviving or reserve paratroopers were disbanded on the spot, merged into ordinary army infantry regiments to fill the bottomless trenches.

As for Kume Seichi, still in northern Myanmar, he was unaware of this; by now he was Jiang Anguo's prisoner.

The Japanese headquarters, as well as Terauchi Hisaichi, commander of the Southern Army, hoped Kume Seichi would die for the Imperial Japan rather than be captured!

Terauchi Hisaichi not only lost face but also lost hundreds of well‑trained soldiers. What terrified him most was the information revealed in the last few telegrams sent back from Bamo: the Expeditionary Force's firepower and fighting will far surpassed those of the British and Nationalist forces previously encountered. Expecting a few hundred Japanese defenders in Myitkyina to stop Jiang Anguo's advance was like a fool's dream.

"Order the 18th Division to accelerate the pursuit immediately! Before the Expeditionary Force can establish a foothold, deliver a devastating strike!" Terauchi Hisaichi snarled as he issued the order.

Now Terauchi Hisaichi only hopes the 18th Division can clamp onto the Expeditionary Force's main force and wipe them out in northern Myanmar.