Chapter 202: Taunggyi, A Staging Point

This time's retreat, Jiang Anguo will not permit abandoning the Shanbang Plateau.

He wants this area, and with his current strength he has enough troops to hold this territory.

Mainly, after upgrading to a level‑3 system, the system grants so many points that any population within his own territory can earn points.

Unfortunately Burmese People can only give 1 point, whereas Chinese can give 2 points.

But having something is better than none.

Moreover, Jiang Anguo is now earning 96,000 points per day, so he is certainly not short of money.

Retreating from Tonggu, heading east across the mountains into the Shanbang Plateau, the first road junction is Lei Gu.

Jiang Anguo arranged a battalion's troops at Lei Gu.

Battalion commander Chen Lei, specialty mountain warfare, 653 men.

"Commander Chen, if the Japanese Army troops from the Tonggu Direction dare to pursue, you can retreat back to Taunggyi here," Jiang Anguo said as he left Lei Gu.

Chen Lei nodded, "Yes, Commander."

Lei Gu, as the name implies, means mountainous; in fact, Lei Gu itself is a lowland place surrounded by farmland.

Yet it is encircled entirely by mountains, so Chen Lei's specialty fits perfectly.

Even if the Japanese Army arrives, they can fully maneuver in the mountains and conduct guerrilla warfare.

Moreover, Jiang Anguo's battalion has very strong firepower; at the battalion level there are two 75mm infantry guns, which are especially suitable for mountainous terrain.

They may appear to have a smaller caliber, but in fact they are just right.

In the rainy mountains, using a 105mm howitzer to strike the enemy may not permit easy withdrawal.

Conversely, the 75mm infantry gun is perfectly suited to this environment.

The entire battalion alone fields twelve 81mm mortars, not including the fact that each Platoon also has a 60mm mortar.

Even a single battalion's artillery outnumbers that of a domestic division.

The retreat speed is neither fast nor slow, roughly twenty kilometers of marching per day.

Don't assume twenty kilometers is trivial; in reality, normal marching speed is only four kilometers per hour, and while running might be faster, they must still maintain combat readiness.

As a commander, many considerations arise in marching and fighting; moving too fast is unacceptable, as is moving too slowly.

In fact, twenty kilometers is already rapid for an army of over ten thousand, especially since the route consists entirely of mountain roads, not plains.

Because Jiang Anguo and Dai Anlan did not travel together, he does not know why so many soldiers are following behind him.

Jiang Anguo also does not plan to bring all the soldiers back to Lashu.

Lashu does not need to station that many soldiers either.

From Lei Gu to Taunggyi is one hundred kilometers; Jiang Anguo's main force took five days, and the Vanguard Unit only arrived then.

After arriving at Taunggyi, Jiang Anguo left a 448th Regiment force, Regiment Commander Tie Quan, specialty: jungle warfare.

Deputy Regiment Commander Zhao Dezhu, specialty: mountain warfare.

The two specialties complement each other, forming a mutual complement.

This made Jiang Anguo think of Li Yi, whose specialty is rainforest; after completing a mission in Thailand, Li Yi's company withdrew from Jingdong back to the home country, and from the Xishuangbanna direction returned to the Tengchong rear area.

Unfortunately, at that time they should have sent Li Yi directly to Lashu and then provided jungle warfare guidance to the entire Independent Regiment.

Tie Quan's regiment counts as an EnhancedRegiment, comprising four standard infantry battalions, each with 653 men, for a total of 2,612.

One Tank Company, 168 men, ten T-34 tanks.

Artillery Company, 198 men, six 105mm howitzers.

The regiment's directly attached battalion includes: Guard Platoon 48, Signal Platoon 58, Reconnaissance Platoon 58, Anti‑Tank Company 180, Logistics Company 188, Medical unit 68, etc.

Totaling over 3,500 personnel.

Taunggyi serves a crucial role on the Shanbang Plateau; it is the only extensive plain, and heading north from here reaches Corner Mei, then Xibu, and finally Lashu.

Lashu's geography is poor; its mountainous terrain aids defense but is unsuitable for development.

Conversely, Taunggyi is more suitable for Jiang Anguo to garrison troops.

Seeing Taunggyi's terrain reminded Jiang Anguo of a place: the "Land of Abundance" Sichuan, whose terrain is extremely similar to Taunggyi's.

On Taunggyi's east side are two routes Watanabe Masao intends to use to ambush Lashu: one from Lei Lin to Meng Gong, the other from Meng Yang to Meng Yan.

Both routes ultimately bypass Xibu and head straight into Lashu.

Watanabe Masao's strategy is not mistaken; he also fears that Xibu might host an Expeditionary Force, and if such a force is stationed there and remains combat‑effective without being repelled, it could defend Lashu.

Because behind Xibu lies the Mi Jie River, which has only one bridge leading to Lashu; if the bridge is destroyed, the Japanese Army cannot continue northward.

To ensure the roads and the air remain clear and safe.

Jiang Anguo also assigned two battalions, one heading north and one heading south, to construct a road from Lei Gu to Taunggyi and finally to Corner Mei, linking Xibu and the rear Lashu.

"Regiment Commander Tie," Jiang Anguo still unsatisfied, "Besides daily training, I give you another task: build an airfield at Taunggyi, so that combat aircraft can be dispatched directly from Lashu to Taunggyi."

"Yes, Commander."

Tie Quan thought and said, "Commander, I hope you can arrange some anti‑air weapons; I'm concerned that the Little Devil might send fighter aircraft to bomb Taunggyi."

Jiang Anguo slapped his forehead, realizing he had forgotten, nodded and said, "Regiment Commander Tie, let me know what supplies are still missing, and I'll arrange them at once."

In response to Tie Quan's request, Jiang Anguo assigned twenty 40mm Bofors guns and forty 20mm Oerlikon cannons.

Thus Taunggyi becomes like a hedgehog, awaiting whether the Japanese Army dares to launch a fierce assault.

As for the 88mm anti‑tank gun, it's better to skip it; its rate of fire is too slow, although a single shot is potent.

In fact, Jiang Anguo feared firing into empty air; it's better to have the dual‑barrel 40mm and 20mm, as the Little Devil only has a few fighter aircraft they can readily produce.

Therefore, the 88mm gun is unnecessary.

By this reckoning, Jiang Anguo will leave nearly five thousand troops at Taunggyi.

It's fine, and Jiang Anguo left an estimated two months' worth of food supplies, mainly canned goods; fresh food cannot be stored, so Tie Quan's troops must farm to obtain it.

Even if Jiang Anguo exchanged for fresh food, in the humid, sweltering May weather it cannot be stored for long.

The more he arranged it this way, Jiang Anguo felt the soldiers he had were increasingly insufficient.

After thinking it over, he simply left all the troops just exchanged onto Taunggyi.

"Taunggyi is our second base," Jiang Anguo said, looking at the busy soldiers with emotion.

Meng Fanle didn't understand the meaning of "448th Regiment seat" and asked, "448th Regiment seat, then where is our first base?"

Jiang Anguo gave Meng Fanle a look as if at a fool and said, "Fool, of course it's Lashu."

If he took that many soldiers back to Lashu, explanations would be inevitable; instead of explaining, they'd be placed on the frontline. Jiang Anguo also worried whether the Little Devil would come in from the Thailand direction, which is just Jingdong's 93rd Infantry Division.

Now these people are at Taunggyi, Jiang Anguo can develop here with great confidence.

Moreover, Taunggyi can serve as a forward base; moving west it can attack Tonggu and Mi Tie La, moving north it can support Lashu, and if the Japanese Army tries to advance into Xibu, they can strike the Japanese Army from the side.