Chapter 205: The Forgotten Regiment

Unless the Japanese Army actually reaches India, London's gaze will never turn here.

For Churchill, Burma can be abandoned, but India absolutely cannot.

Thus, Jiang Anguo is given enough time to develop his forces and occupy more territory.

And as long as the Japanese remain firmly nailed at Lashu and Dongzhi, they won't think they can easily cross that barrier.

Just north of Mandalay, Myitkyina and Bamo, where the Fifth Army is stationed, are not so easy to take.

After several months of continuous fighting, the Japanese troops' condition is not good, and asking them to move north to the more rugged Myitkyina and Bamo is clearly very difficult.

They might be able to capture them, but that was never in the plan.

Their Myanmar campaign plan was originally only to fight up to Mandalay, and that would have been the end; the set strategic objective was already achieved!

The mountain road from Mandalay to Myitkyina, over three hundred kilometers away, requires half a month to march, and the rainy season hits; for the Japanese's fragile supply line, this is exceptionally difficult.

Thus, the territories the Japanese disregard are precisely the moment for Jiang Anguo to act.

A brand‑new strategic objective clearly surfaces in his mind.

He no longer fights solely for Chongqing; he now fights for himself. He intends to turn Myanmar into his own "domain," into the most important resource 'points' in his system.

He looks at the vast green outside the window, his gaze no longer a simple military assessment but an almost greedy appraisal.

This land, together with all its people and resources, will be his.

After flying for a little over an hour, the engine's roar whistles. The fuselage begins to tilt slightly, descending slowly.

Lashu Airport.

When the C-47 transport's wheels "bang" onto the runway, kicking up a cloud of dust, Jiang Anguo finally feels himself drop from the cloud of strategy and ambition back onto solid ground.

Whether in a past life or now, Jiang Anguo always has a fear of flying.

Being in the air feels unsteady!

The hatch opens, and the air is mixed with the smell of fuel.

The hot, humid Myanmar rainforest is extremely uncomfortable.

The airport is busier than when he left, trucks stream continuously, ground crew shout loudly, and in the distance the construction site's expansion work continues around the clock.

Among the waiting crowd, a figure immediately breaks free and jogs toward the plane.

It is Lin Yi.

"Regiment Commander, you finally returned." Lin Yi's face bears a relief‑laden joy, though it looks a bit haggard.

Jiang Anguo briskly walks down the gangway and heavily pats Lin Yi's shoulder.

"Haha, our Lin Regiment Commander has also worked hard, handling logistics for all of us!" Jiang Anguo's hearty laugh masks the turmoil inside.

Lin Yi looks even more gaunt.

Jiang Anguo catches his own reflection in the aircraft window, cheeks hollowed, eyes with lingering bloodshot.

The battlefield is no child's play; every order concerns the lives of tens of thousands. This is true on the front lines and equally true in the rear. What Lin Yi bears on his shoulders is the food, water, waste, weapons, ammunition, and medicine for tens of thousands. This pressure is no lighter than commanding a battle.

"Regiment Commander, you've also lost weight," Lin Yi says softly, looking at Jiang Anguo, "The front… must be fighting hard, right?"

The wounded brought back from Tonggu have long been admitted to Lashu Hospital for treatment; all lightly injured patients have been expelled, and all medical supplies must be given priority to the Tonggu casualties.

Li Qing and Lei Ao, the two doctors, were then so busy their feet left the ground.

Now, many of the wounded have recovered and are eager to rejoin their units.

"They're all gone." Jiang Anguo withdraws his hand, surveys the logistical hub he built himself, his gaze deepening and firm. "Now the real test has only just begun."

The Tonggu battle can be said to have the lowest casualty ratio since the War of Resistance.

He didn't voice the bold, almost insane idea he had on the plane, but he knows that from this moment the land beneath his feet will no longer be merely a transit point.

He won't tell anyone this idea!

Lashu will be his starting point.

"By the way, Lin Yi, what are these transport planes and supplies for, and where are they flying?" Jiang Anguo asks, puzzled.

In fact, Lashu has few transport planes, still only the few seaplane transports from before, plus the small number of C-47s Jiang Anguo later exchanged for.

Lin Yi points to the soldiers moving supplies, "Regiment Commander, it's like this: these aren't the newly formed 22nd Division and 38th Division that transferred from Yinduo into India; they're still in the mountains. The weather cleared today, so I wondered if we could airdrop to them."

If not for Lin Yi's reminder, Jiang Anguo would have forgotten that two units are still trudging through Myanmar's forest.

Du Yuming's silence on moving those two units north to gather at Bamo and Myitkyina might actually make a counter‑offensive against Mandalay possible.

However, to meet the British request, Du Yuming could only send troops to Gariva; upon learning of the British Yalishanda's surrender, they immediately turned west toward India.

Jiang Anguo nods and asks, "Have you located their whereabouts?"

"Uncertain," Lin Yi shakes his head, "they're moving along the Yinduo direction, so it's hard to say where they are now; from the telegram it looks like they're lost."

Telegram—do they need to send a telegram to the Independent Regiment?

"Lin Yi, your telegram isn't a decrypted message from the Expeditionary Force Headquarters, is it?" Jiang Anguo says.

Lin Yi looks a bit embarrassed at the Regiment Commander's stare, "Hehe, yes."

Jiang Anguo taps his forehead, "Alright, I get it, you arrange it. Even two divisions in the jungle will make a huge disturbance; have the pilots observe carefully, search westward along Yinduo. Fifteen to sixteen thousand troops in the jungle won't move quickly."

"Remember to stock plenty of medicine; this Myanmar jungle is truly inhospitable. Malaria, fever, chills—tests too great for the soldiers." Thinking of the jungle's snakes, insects, rats, and ants makes Jiang Anguo's hair stand on end again.

Sun Liren and Liao Yaoxiang must now be most lacking in food and medicine.

"Yes, Regiment Commander," Lin Yi replies.

Jiang Anguo is very pleased with Lin Yi's idea to support allied forces under these circumstances.

Jiang Anguo glances at the map; Yinduo is only three hundred kilometers away, BF‑109 fighters can escort and return safely, and the transport planes have no problem at all.

He immediately goes to Lashu's hangar and purchases five more C‑47 transport planes, boosting supply‑delivery efficiency.