Chapter 213: Frontline Advance: Corner Mei

May 21, 1942, 9 a. m.

Xibu, on the town square, a platform was hastily erected with wooden planks and mud.

The sky was leaden gray, as if it too bowed its head for this belated memorial. On the platform there were no victory flags, only three neat rows of white wine bowls and steaming bowls of pork head meat. The white candle flames flickered in the wind, pale smoke curled, carrying a faint sorrow.

Below the platform were all the soldiers of the th Division who could still stand. They formed silent square formations, their uniforms still smelling of gunpowder and mud, youthful and weathered faces interwoven, yet everyone stood as straight as a rifle stock.

Dai Anlan stepped steadily and heavily onto the platform. He did not look at the thousands of troops below, but slowly lifted a coarse porcelain bowl filled with strong liquor.

His gaze swept over the empty seats, as if he could see familiar yet blurred faces.

He raised the bowl and spoke aloud, his voice not loud but clear enough to reach every ear:

"Brothers!"

"Today, we will not speak of battle merits, nor of glory."

His voice trembled slightly, bearing an uncontainable grief.

"We only salute—"

Dai Anlan suddenly raised the strong liquor high above his head, then with all his strength roared the words suppressed in his chest:

"Salute the brothers who died in battle!"

When the words fell, he flicked his wrist, splashing the liquor onto the ground below. The liquid seeped into the dry soil, leaving a dark stain, as if the earth drank this tragic offering.

"Salute the brothers who died in battle!"

The thousands of troops below seemed instantly ignited by the command. Every soldier raised his own bowl, and with the same motion smashed the liquor hard onto the ground!

"Whoa—"

Thousands of wine bowls tipped over simultaneously, the liquor merging into a sheet that soaked the entire square. The strong alcohol scent mingled with gunpowder and earth, forming a taste unique to soldiers—of victory and sacrifice.

Tears welled in Dai Anlan's eyes; when he withdrew from Tonggu at that moment, he thought he would never return in this life.

But his own brother‑in‑law had taken him on a huge undertaking; though it defied orders, his connections ran deep.

At worst, this division commander would quit.

The Principal especially despised officers who disobeyed orders; generally, after you refuse an order, it means you can sit on the cold bench.

Jiang Anguo, when leaving Taunggyi, also paid tribute to the brothers who died in the Eighth Company. At that time, the retreat order was so urgent that there was no time to take the brothers' ashes; the whole regiment could only find a place to bury the fallen brothers together.

Only the brothers' nameplates were taken.

Jiang Anguo, in Taunggyi, had Tie Quan build cemeteries for these warriors; each cemetery gave them a memorial, so later generations could pay respects.

From the moment he occupied Taunggyi, he had no intention of giving up; if the Little Devil wanted to come, let them come, he had already deployed troops in Taunggyi, ready to await the Little Devil's points.

Dai Anlan, holding a bottle of beer, came to Jiang Anguo's side and asked, "Anguo, why don't you go up and say a few words?"

It wasn't only Dai Anlan; a few staff officers of the th Division, the Deputy Division Commander, and the Regiment Commander also said a few brief words.

Jiang Anguo shook his head and said, "I'm not suited for speeches."

Many soldiers did not like alcohol, so Jiang Anguo provided cola, chilled cola, which for soldiers whose nerves had been strained for days was undoubtedly the best reward.

Many soldiers had never seen cola in their lives, yet the Young Master soldiers on the other side of the earth would not fight without cola.

The warriors were dazzled by the feast before them, and the previously suppressed emotions were completely released.

Jiang Anguo raised his cola and clinked it with Dai Anlan, laughing, "Brother‑in‑law, what are your next plans?"

"Speaking of plans," Dai Anlan also shook his head, took a sip, "Anguo, I may be away for a while."

Jiang Anguo, puzzled, asked, "Brother‑in‑law, what do you mean?"

"Our counter‑offensive on Tonggu is a private operation, and to outsiders it looks extremely risky, but fortunately it was without danger and achieved such a great victory. Still, I must go to Chongqing to plead guilty to the Principal," Dai Anlan said.

Dai Anlan knew clearly that this Tonggu counter‑attack had no order from Chongqing, no authorization from Fifth Army commander Du Yuming; it was he, as the highest commander of the th Division, who issued the order privately.

Moreover, along the march route, the radio remained silent, deliberately avoiding Du Yuming.

He could list ten thousand reasons: the aircraft were fleeting, the troops' morale high, but none of these are reasons, because no one saw any aircraft; the Expeditionary Force and Allied Forces were almost constantly pursued by the Japanese Army, meaning the Expeditionary Force's fighting on the Myanmar battlefield against the Japanese was commendable.

And our Allied Forces, the British.

By now they should already have been surrounded by the Japanese.

If not for Jiang Anguo's unprecedented fire support... Dai Anlan was uncertain whether this Tonggu counter‑attack would succeed, and what would happen if it failed.

But all those reasons appear pale and powerless before the words "Military law is like a mountain".

An army relies on iron discipline.

If today Dai Anlan can avoid punishment because of victory, then tomorrow, can tens of thousands of commanders act on their own because of their perceived "aircraft"?

Then this army would no longer be an army, but a band of armed brigands fighting each other.

Disobeying orders is the most taboo in Chongqing.

Jiang Anguo laughed, "What, brother‑in‑law, are you still afraid of implicating me?"

"Alright then," Jiang Anguo stood up, "The th Division should not retreat to Lashu; I still have a unit left in Taunggyi. Brother‑in‑law, if you dispatch a regiment to garrison Corner Mei, we can push the front further to Nao Qiu, forming a flanking position."

"Then I will go with you to Chongqing; the Principal is also my uncle, so no matter what, he won't be too harsh," Jiang Anguo said.

"What, Anguo, you still left a unit in Taunggyi," Dai Anlan affirmed clearly, all units had already entered Xibu.

Including Jiang Anguo's Independent Regiment.

"When did you do this, and where did this unit come from?" Dai Anlan asked, very puzzled.

Dai Anlan went to Chongqing alone; he simply did not want to drag Jiang Anguo into the mess.

Jiang Anguo gave him the chance to avenge Tonggu with a single arrow, and the pursuit order was also his, a responsibility he must shoulder alone.

"This is a unit formed by Chinese in Southeast Asia; they've always been in contact with me. You know my second sister married Chen Jiageng's fourth son, so we've always had dealings," Jiang Anguo gave a casual explanation.

It is also thanks to his background that he can act without drafting anything.