Chapter 402: Old, Worn American Arms

Everything seemed to be on the right track.

The unexpected visitor from Chongqing broke the tranquility of Lashu.

Stilwell, that little old man, flew back from Chongqing with his Staff Corps, but instead of returning to Myitkyina to command the Expeditionary Force's main body, he came to Lashu.

Moreover, there was a batch of air‑dropped supplies slated to land at Lashu Airport.

"Where did these supplies come from?" Jiang Anguo asked, puzzled.

One should know that his Independent Regiment—no, his st Division—from top to bottom revolves around him, and its logistics rely entirely on the WarSystem.

But now someone suddenly wants to deliver supplies to him, which is indeed surprising.

"Division commander, according to the telegram sent back by our personnel in Myitkyina, it should have come from India," Lin Yi said.

Lin Yi, now the deputy Regiment Commander of the st Division, still bears the primary responsibility of maintaining the logistics of the 202nd Division.

"India?" Jiang Anguo repeated.

Indeed, the southern part of Myanmar is entirely in the hands of the Little Devil, so it must have come from India.

"Let's go," Jiang Anguo stood up, "we'll go meet that commander‑in‑chief."

He wanted to see what Stilwell, that little old man, intended to do; although he had previously told him they would go together to Mount Fuji to view the cherry blossoms, Jiang Anguo had no habit of taking an old man to enjoy flowers.

Lashu Airport had cleared a runway for the transport aircraft Stilwell brought to land.

At that moment, aboard a C47 transport, the American was happily directing ground personnel to unload the weapons and equipment from the plane.

However, nobody paid any attention to the American.

Even though there were many "Americans" at the airport.

"Hey, Jiang, long time no see, you scored a victory on the Huaxia Battlefield!" Stilwell walked over, intending to hug Jiang Anguo.

Jiang Anguo dodged, but his hand caught Stilwell, saving Stilwell's face.

"Yes, General, it's been over half a month. I wonder, General, why you came to Lashu this time?" Jiang Anguo asked.

Stilwell said seriously, "Jiang, first congratulations on becoming a Major General. I have a telegram from Chongqing, hoping you can dispatch troops to attack the Japanese in Myanmar."

Alright, Jiang Anguo didn't need to guess; surely the United States gave Chongqing some benefit, and then sold himself out.

"General, you mean we should counterattack the Japanese in Myanmar," Jiang Anguo pressed.

Stilwell nodded, "Yes, Jiang! Your victory in Huaxia is precisely the right moment for us to press the advantage!"

The old man had indeed learned the idiom, but it seemed unrelated to pressing the advantage, as the Japanese main force in Myanmar still retained combat power.

"General, you mean to let my single division fight the entire Japanese 15th Army. You should know, General, when we fought in Jianghan, my Independent Regiment lost more than half its manpower. Though my Independent Regiment is now an Infantry Division, both personnel and weapons are lacking," Jiang Anguo emphasized the word 'lacking'.

In fact, that was the case.

Jiang Anguo's Infantry Division had received no reinforcements; even the two Infantry Regiments promised at the time had not yet been shipped.

Stilwell smiled, "Jiang, you needn't worry about that. Look, these are the weapons and equipment I've prepared for you, all the most advanced rifles from the United States."

Jiang Anguo understood; Stilwell was waiting for him here!

"Also, Chongqing will supply you with two Infantry Regiments' manpower, which will be delivered to Lashu via our American Army's transport aircraft within the next two days, and you can receive them directly."

Stilwell continued, "Of course we won't let a single Infantry Division carry out this mission; the 200th Division of the Expeditionary Force, as well as its main body, will cooperate with you in this Myanmar counteroffensive."

Jiang Anguo said nothing, but walked to a transport aircraft and signaled the ground crew to open the weapon crate before him.

Clearly there was little gun‑oil scent inside; when the crate was opened, Jiang Anguo's face darkened a bit, thinking, 'You Americans think I'm a fool, don't you?'

Having suffered defeat at Midway, you need Huaxia to ease the pressure on the Pacific, but if you demand us to risk lives, you must show sincerity.

Jiang Anguo picked up one rifle, pulled the bolt, clack, and found no ammunition.

"General, first I thank you for the weapons and equipment you sent. But General, as far as I know, this rifle in my hand is a 1903 Springfield rifle; undeniably, it's a fine gun!"

Obviously Stilwell was pleased, but Jiang Anguo shifted his tone.

"But General, your latest rifle should be the M1 Garand, not this already‑stocked Springfield, right?"

Jiang Anguo looked at Xiao Si, "Xiao Si, go get the Tatai; there's a gun under my office to bring over."

"Yes, General." Xiao Si knew that in front of outsiders, he couldn't call him Young Master.

In fact there was no rifle; Jiang Anguo had just exchanged for an M1 Garand and placed it in his office at Lashu Airport.

Xiao Si quickly fetched the rifle, and Jiang Anguo displayed it, "General, first thank you for the weapons and equipment, but General, my troops are equipped with Mauser rifles of 7.92 mm caliber, whereas the two weapons your country supplied use 7.62 mm ammunition; if my troops were to equip this rifle, the logistical burden would be huge."

Stilwell stared in disbelief at the M1 Garand in Jiang Anguo's hand; its brand‑new barrel, even from a distance, emitted the scent of gun oil.

He realized he had lost face on a grand scale.

In fact the American Army had already begun fielding M1 Garands, and the remaining Springfield rifles, in such quantity, could not simply be discarded; they could only serve as aid supplies.

"This!" Stilwell was at a loss for how to respond.

Jiang Anguo placed the Garand in Xiao Si's hands and said, "General, our nation greatly needs your help, but please you and Mr. Roosevelt show your sincerity. You may fool others, but you cannot fool me!"

"Weapons are the warriors' second life!"

"General, I know at Midway you lost the entire Pacific Fleet and also lost Midway. You need us to hold the Japanese on land; that's fine, but General, you must show sincerity, because these alone are definitely insufficient."

Jiang Anguo stared straight at Stilwell, causing Stilwell to step back two paces.

Stilwell's forehead broke into a light sweat; he wiped it with his hand, "Jiang, I will definitely bring up the issues you raised with President Roosevelt, but please trust me—I came to Huaxia to lead you in defeating the Japanese."

"General, without doubt, our current target is the Japanese. Whether it's the Expeditionary Force or Huaxia, we need United States assistance, we need more supply shipments, and that requires your coordination. But give me some time; I need to reorganize my troops, and in seven days my forces will launch an attack on the Japanese in Mandalay." Jiang Anguo said seriously.

"Really? Jiang!" Stilwell asked.

"Of course!"