Chapter 406: Commander Du Who Has Lost His Command

Given the current state of the Expeditionary Force, it is only barely enough for basic sustenance.

Jiang Anguo's supplies to Du Yuming consist of, per soldier each day, 700 g of rice, 100 g of meat, 200 g of vegetables, and small amounts of salt, sugar, and tea.

Those with luck can also get cola and canned fruit.

The quantity looks decent, but it only guarantees normal daily needs and cannot meet the soldiers' combat requirements.

A force of thirty thousand men needs at least sixty thousand jin, i. e., 30 tons, of supplies each day.

Compared with the home front, Jiang Anguo's ration plan is already heavenly.

Many soldiers at home consider having a bite a good fortune; being fully fed is almost impossible.

When Jiang Anguo just went to Changde, the 150th Division's supplies were also extremely difficult.

Everything is hard at this time: the higher-ups, the civilians, and the troops alike.

To develop, to settle farms, to fight on the front, while the rear is short of food.

If you want to develop, the Little Devil won't give you time; they are squeezing the Huaxia Army's living space.

Seven days amount to 210 tons of supplies; at a 3‑ton load per vehicle, that requires 70 transport vehicles to complete the resupply.

Of course, to speed up transport and avoid weather‑related supply issues.

First, Du Yuming will order the troops to receive supplies as needed, essentially limiting daily food intake to about ten percent less than Jiang Anguo's allocation, thereby stretching the seven‑day ration to eight or even nine days.

Second, Jiang Anguo will dispatch an air transport squadron toward Myitkyina.

Compared with overland routes, the aerial speed is far faster.

"Sir, this is a telegram from the 201st Division; it says the supplies for the counter‑offensive on Mandalay will be staged at Bamo, and we should receive them there," Fifth Army Chief of Staff Luo Youlun said, holding the telegram.

Luo Youlun, a native of Meixian, Guangdong, belongs to the Huangpu Seventh Batch Artillery Section.

Du Yuming, puzzled, asked, "Youlun, do you mean the 201st Division is really preparing to counter‑attack Mandalay?"

Honestly, Du Yuming no longer wants to serve as commander of this Expeditionary Force; first he clashed with Stilwell, then Luo Zhuoying arrived, causing orders to be issued by anyone and the troops below not knowing whose command to follow.

Of course, Du Yuming also harbors grievances against the 201st Division, which alone refuses to obey him.

Du Yuming now notices that the 200th Division also seems to have slipped from his control.

"What about the situation with the 200th Division?" Du Yuming asked.

Luo Youlun glanced at the map and said, "According to the telegrams from the past two days, the 200th Division appears to be on the move, heading toward Jiaomei."

The 200th Division is garrisoned at Xibu, which is also the closest point to the Japanese Army.

Jiaomei lies west of Xibu, even nearer to Mandalay.

Du Yuming laughed in anger, "One by one, this commander of mine has no effect at all; I can't even move the troops, and they only report to me after they've moved themselves."

Of course, Du Yuming merely jokes that Jiang Anguo is his God of Wealth, and he naturally cannot offend that deity.

The key is that this God of Wealth is actually quite capable in warfare.

Back home, they outright destroyed two Japanese Army divisions, one of which was a Class A Division, the 13th Division, and captured its commander, Uchiyama Eitarō.

At that time in Myitkyina, Du Yuming received this good news from home, his face full of disbelief; everyone present felt the same.

When did the Little Devil become so weak?

But the problem is that the 13th Division and the 39th Division were indeed completely annihilated on the Jianghan Plain.

"So the 200th Division and the 201st Division are truly preparing to attack Mandalay," Du Yuming whispered.

Obviously Du Yuming would not think the 200th Division's troop movements are random and fed by idle stomachs; they must have a purpose.

"Sir, what should we do now?" Luo Youlun asked.

Du Yuming thought for a moment and said, "I don't have many units I can redeploy. The 36th Division's Li Zhipeng unit cannot move; Myitkyina is crucial to my Expeditionary Force's retreat route. I'll have Yu Shao's 96th Division advance to Bamo, and if supplies are sufficient, they will move south to Mandalay to cooperate with the 201st Division in combat."

Luo Youlun wanted to say something, but let it go.

"Yes!" Luo Youlun replied.

A new batch of supplies arrived in Myitkyina.

The happiest were the soldiers, who could get many good items from it.

There is also a special camp here, housing the Expeditionary Force's female troops, who handle communications, medical care, and reporting, all living in this area.

"Reporter Xie, these are the supplies delivered for you," Captain Li Wu led a few soldiers, carrying several baskets, to the women's camp.

Xie Fanghui, a native of Guangzhou, of the Huangpu Wuhan Branch Sixth Batch, is a female soldier, war correspondent, and follows the Expeditionary Force into the Burma campaign.

"Alright, thank you, Little Li, you may set them down," Xie Fanghui said softly.

Even so, that made Li Wu and his soldiers blush.

The Expeditionary Force maintains extremely strict discipline and never errs; Li Wu promptly set down the supplies and left with his men.

Turning around, Xie Fanghui seemed like a different person, her face beaming with a smile.

"Sisters, come out quickly! The supplies have arrived."

"Here it is."

"Wow, look, what a nice thing this is."

"Guiying, look, this is canned yellow peach."

Liu Guiying turned back; Squad Leader He Shan picked up a can already in her hand and exclaimed, "My goodness! This is a great find."

He Shan laughed, "Indeed! Since arriving in Myitkyina, the whole unit seems to have changed."

It's hard to say exactly how.

Everyone is hunting for odd items; in fact, what's being distributed are non‑essential goods such as sugar, chocolate, canned food, and some feminine necessities.

This is why the Expeditionary Force sent a telegram to Lashu to ask if they had any, prompting the arrangement.

Xie Fanghui picked up a brand‑new notebook and a pen, and whispered, "I really want to go to Lashu and see what kind of people they are!"

"Fanghui, you're thinking of men!" He Shan said, smiling at Xie Fanghui's lovesick expression.

He Shan's boyfriend Liu Quan serves in the 96th Division as a captain and company commander.

"No way, I'm just curious," Xie Fanghui said.

"Curious about what."

Everyone didn't know, but Xie Fanghui had her own channels; she knew these supplies came from Lashu, the th Division Independent Regiment, provided by Regiment Commander Jiang Anguo.

But that couldn't be said; Xie Fanghui knew that clearly.

"It's fine, sisters, look, this is still White Rabbit milk candy, how tasty it is." Xie Fanghui found a pack of White Rabbit milk candy, instantly drawing everyone's attention.

Everyone, you take one, I take one; we fairly divided the pack of candies.

The older ones also look after the younger, giving out some of their own candy.

The canned fruit wasn't enough either, so everyone poured the cans into a larger bowl, added a bit of water, cut the fruit flesh into small pieces, and shared them equally.

So pure!

Xie Fanghui saw the troops mobilizing and immediately realized a battle was coming; as a reporter, she had to follow the troops into combat, so she promptly filed a report upward, requesting to join.

Soon, Xie Fanghui also packed her belongings, preparing to follow the 96th Division into Bamo.