Chapter 179: Dai Anlan Deploys Troops to Tonggu

Lin Yi stands aside, says nothing, just listens quietly.

He feels it's feasible; Lin Yi knows the Lashu base, only a few people.

Lin Yi now steps forward and says, and everyone's eyes also notice the Independent Regiment's deputy commander, "Division Commander, in fact our forces at Lashu are still quite sufficient."

"Lashu, aside from the tank units, also has a 1,600‑strong overseas Chinese unit; this unit can supplement the th Division. At the same time, two units have just been withdrawn from Bamo Myitkyina: the Independent Battalion and the Engineer Battalion, totaling 1,300 men; those two units can also be handed to Division Commander Dai." Lin Yi explains slowly.

The tank regiment itself is a unit that the th Division deployed, not discarded.

"This, may I ask, how many troops does your Independent Regiment actually have?" Regiment Commander Liu Shuren of the 599th Regiment asked curiously.

You have to know that we just said Jiang Anguo brought two to three thousand men, so even if your regiment has many people, you still can't produce that many units.

Independent Battalion, battalion commander Jiang He.

Engineer Battalion, battalion commander Fan Xuan.

Both of these units are at full strength, i. e., a 653‑person establishment.

Lin Yi smiled, did not answer Liu Shuren's question, and continued: "We can roughly provide the th Division with a 3,000‑person unit; if that's still insufficient, you seem to have forgotten that during Xibu we also rescued a captive unit of about 2,000 people, which has been lightly reorganized these past few days."

The unit Lin Yi mentioned is Long Wen Zhang's unit.

"If needed, we can march and train simultaneously, just as Division Commander Dai said, the marching supply will not be an issue. All material supplies will be delivered by air drop; even if the Japanese Army advances from Mandalay to Xibu, as long as we move fast enough, we can attack Tonggu before that. Of course, we won't let the Japanese Army enter the Shanbang Plateau so smoothly." Lin Yi seemed to speak lightly, but he knew in his heart that he had revealed his own background without consulting the Division Commander.

Snap.

Dai Anlan slapped the table, "Fine, except the 598th Regiment, the 599th and 600th Regiments have two hours to prepare; we will thrust straight from Xibu into Taunggyi."

Regiment Commander Gao Jiren of the 598th Regiment sprang up, "Division Commander, why is the Little Devil fight not our share?"

Dai Anlan calmed down and said, "Your 598th Regiment, since entering Myanmar, has always acted as the vanguard; in Tonggu you also suffered heavy losses, so now it's just right to rest at the rear."

Gao Jiren had nothing to add; indeed, the 598th Regiment, a force of nearly 3,000, now has fewer than 1,000 left, its base still exists, but now it must march a long distance to Tonggu; even if it reaches Tonggu, the 598th cannot alone shoulder combat capability, still lacking many troops.

"Division Commander, what do you think the Principal should do?" Chief of Staff Zhang Zhige asked.

Everyone looked at Dai Anlan; that was the biggest issue.

Dai Anlan paced back and forth twice, then said, "For now, do not report up. If a call comes from Chongqing, claim that enemy aircraft have appeared, and our forces will take the initiative to strike, establishing prestige for our Expeditionary Force in Myanmar and gaining more prestige for the Principal internationally."

From then on, a brand‑new th Division, or rather a hastily assembled th Division, was completed at Lashu.

Its strength surprisingly reached 11,000 men.

Xiao Dezi looked at the Mauser 98k rifle in his hand, still oiled and with gleaming rifling, "What a fine gun."

Platoon Leader Wang Wei yanked open Xiao Dezi's muzzle, "Xiao Dezi, remember not to point the muzzle at people; a good gun is meant for killing the Little Devil."

In a short time, all th Division personnel and Long Wen Zhang's reinforcement regiment, with Long Wen Zhang officially becoming the reinforcement regiment commander, Lin Yi completed the re‑equipping of the th Division in the briefest possible time.

Even Division Commander Dai Anlan could not believe his own uniform, all German‑style, his German steel helmet, and the German‑made weapons in his hands.

This is even stronger than the German‑equipped divisions of the past; back then their weapons were still primarily Chinese‑made.

Also, there was no machine gun as powerful as the MG42; each company actually had 15 guns, and each company also equipped four 60mm mortars.

The camp lacked 81mm mortars and also had no mountain guns, affecting the march.

This machine gun made Dai Anlan very envious; the Eighth Company had always fought alongside the th Division, its firepower truly fierce, though the ammunition was wasteful, and Dai Anlan had never fought such a well‑supplied battle.

Turning around, they changed from a Soviet‑equipped division to a German‑equipped division.

At that time, Dai Anlan curiously asked Lin Yi why there were no mountain guns; Lin Yi replied that they would be supplied to the th Division at the front.

Lin Yi explained that Jiang Anguo, upon learning that Dai Anlan was set to launch an attack on Tonggu, decided the th Division would be reorganized with light equipment, and the heavy weapons would be prepared for the th Division at Taunggyi.

This made Dai Anlan curious again, wondering what ability his brother‑in‑law actually had to procure mountain guns.

The th Division's soldiers, upon hearing they would retake Tonggu, were buoyed in morale; previously being chased by the Little Devil along the way had left them feeling humiliated and oppressed.

It should be noted that they had been swapping blows with the Little Devil on the battlefield, and because of unreliable allies they were constantly pursued.

Facing the Little Devil, the th Division shows no fear, fighting a bloody battle through Kunlun to Tonggu.

Even if another Tonggu Campaign occurs, they will surely win.

Dai Anlan was not blindly launching this attack; it wasn't just for his brother‑in‑law. Adding Jiang Anguo's forces would bring the total to nearly 15,000, delivering a decisive blow to the Little Devil‑occupied Tonggu.

Not only could it kill some Little Devils, but crucially it could also greatly disgust the Little Devils.

The Little Devil's main force is now in Mandalay, part of it escorting British prisoners, i. e., the Japanese Army's 33rd Division; timely support to Tonggu is clearly impossible.

Because the Expeditionary Force's main body, the Fifth Army under Du Lvming, thanks to Jiang Anguo's prior arrangements, smoothly entered Myitkyina and Bamo, shifting to defense.

With Du Lvming in the north, the Little Devil's forces in Mandalay could not make any major moves.

The Little Devil also knows that its troops no longer have the capacity to pursue or detach forces.

Indeed, the Little Devil had deployed four divisions in Myanmar, but after months of combat they were already exhausted troops.

Moreover, the 55th Division was shattered in Tonggu, and the 56th Division fell into a dire situation; Fan Tian Xiang Er Lang had few options left.

"Regiment Commander Lin, I entrust the th Division's logistical supply to you," Dai Anlan said gravely, gripping Lin Yi's hands firmly and solemnly.

Lin Yi felt flattered and startled; he had previously been just a member of a broken unit and had never led troops, yet suddenly Jiang Anguo assigned him a heavy responsibility.

"Yes, Division Commander, rest assured," Lin Yi said solemnly.

Lin Yi also felt a soldier's willingness to die for a confidant, of course directed toward Jiang Anguo, who had placed such crucial logistical work in his hands.

When Jiang Anguo received the th Division's withdrawal from Xibu to Lashu, he had already begun preparing to re‑equip the th Division.

If we switched directly to American equipment, the first problem is that it's hard to explain, and American equipment hasn't officially been re‑equipped yet.

It wasn't until the Expeditionary Force entered India that the Indian Expeditionary Force carried out the first American equipment re‑equip.

Thus, naturally, the first choice is definitely German equipment.

Dai Anlan looked at the th Division's departing soldiers, feeling a surge of heroism, and said, "Regiment Commander Lin, I leave the rear to you."

"Rest assured, Division Commander," Lin Yi shouted.

Dai Anlan knew Lin Yi was from Shanghai; he could tell from his accent.

Dai Anlan fell silent, then boarded a Jeep and headed south.

PS: I've seen many comments about ranks; to reply uniformly, I actually never thought about ranks, I forgot! Since everyone's opinions are so strong, I'll stay forever at Colonel Regiment Commander (pending, because I'm writing Yichang, handling the 13th Division, indeed the regiment commander can't hold it), which is actually interesting; system troop numbers and ranks aren't related. Your ideas opened my mind; I'm thinking, finally using the Independent Regiment's establishment, forming an EnhancedRegiment of 5,000, then stationing on Honshu Island, folks, you're blessed.