Chapter 407: Westward to Mandalay

Stilwell at first really didn't intend to attack Mandalay at this time; that was simply insane, leading a group of routed troops into a counter‑attack.

As for that Atlantic cigar‑smoking Churchill, Stilwell simply didn't want to deal with him.

It's downright brainless; Stilwell could be a regiment commander, while Churchill at most is a Platoon Leader.

Because he never regarded the Allied Forces as friends, the British's interests were only their own; these people are pirates, and since the Age of Sail they've been pirates.

Pirates never care about anyone else.

At that time the Expeditionary Force's units were all retreating; even though the th Division had won the Tonggu counter‑offensive, Stilwell didn't think it was a good moment for a counter‑attack. Then he followed the Expeditionary Force's main body along the railway from Mandalay to Myitkyina.

The units suffered heavy attrition, morale was low, and combat effectiveness was even worse.

It's not that they lacked combat power; when you plan a counter‑offensive, a battle, your ally—the British—actually abandoned their positions, giving the Expeditionary Force no chance to react, causing every level of the Expeditionary Force to see no hope of victory.

At that moment, striking the Japanese Army, which was celebrating victory, was clearly unwise.

Stilwell just didn't understand why the th Division, despite fighting throughout the entire Myanmar Campaign, still had the capacity to counter‑attack the Japanese Army.

Stilwell was somewhat dispirited; it seemed this anti‑communist plan would fail.

But he was extremely unwilling to accept it; he believed Jiang Anguo was a general capable of hard battles and had good troops. Now the Japanese Army in Mandalay was only a division, while his own forces far outnumbered the Japanese.

The distance from Myitkyina to Mandalay, over four hundred kilometers, was enough for the Expeditionary Force to take half a month or even longer.

Stilwell now could only command a portion of United States officers, a small contingent of soldiers, and the Denary Air Squadron that had retreated into India.

The Denary Air Squadron was Stilwell's absolute strength.

Originally the British intended to transfer this United States air squadron to Africa to assist Montgomery in Africa in attacking Rommel.

Churchill is a Platoon Leader; then Montgomery must be a Squad Leader.

He would absolutely never command troops.

Stilwell didn't know Montgomery's capabilities, nor had he ever met Montgomery even once.

But given the current situation, the Americans would not place their absolute focus on Europe or Africa; the United States cared more about Hawaii and the security of the mainland United States.

The strain of two consecutive naval battles made American transport ships in the Pacific Ocean nervous, even forcing them to route via South America to New Zealand and then to Australia.

The loss of the Pacific Fleet forced the remaining American Army destroyers and cruisers to hunker down in the South Pacific region, escorting transport ships toward Asia.

Indeed, when Stilwell delivered this batch of "somewhat aged" weapons, the mainland United States—perhaps the Roosevelt administration—had already loaded the first ten infantry divisions' equipment onto ships, revving up full speed toward Asia.

"Perhaps I truly don't belong here," Stilwell said, staring at the kerosene lamp and fixing his gaze on the map.

He had countless chances to win the Myanmar Campaign and drive the Japanese into the sea; even when the Japanese Army first seized Yangon, Stilwell already discerned the Expeditionary Force's combat capability during the first Tonggu operation.

Back then he was very confident, but repeated battle defeats, starting from his withdrawal from Mandalay, made him realize the British were unreliable.

Moreover, he had already submitted a report on the Myanmar Campaign to President Roosevelt, detailing the battle's course and denigrating the British as completely worthless.

However, while Stilwell was still frustrated that this campaign could not get underway,

Jiang Anguo had long been riding a Jeep toward the Xibu front, and the moment Stilwell boarded a plane to leave Lashu, the st Division functioned like a high‑speed machine.

There were no shouted orders, no fluttering flags, only concise gestures and strings of encrypted codes passed in the darkness.

Jiang Anguo stood beside the Jeep, his gaze sweeping over the marching columns.

Ahead, more than three hundred American‑made GMC ten‑wheel trucks formed four long rows, their roofs strapped with Ammo Boxes, oil drums, and field radios.

Inside each cargo compartment, twenty soldiers sat back‑to‑back, rifles standing upright like a forest, their eyes calm beneath helmets, silent.

They knew that the march to Xibu was not a drill but a decisive battle.

Morale soaring!

The convoy, like a steel giant serpent, wound its way through the northern Myanmar hills.

The mountain path was narrow, with cliffs on one side and a deep gorge on the other, yet the convoy moved as smoothly as flowing water.

At each hazardous bend, two engineers held glowing sticks to guide the way.

Whenever a bridge was encountered, reconnaissance troops inspected it in advance.

Every five kilometers a supply point offered hot water and Compressed Biscuit.

Today's northern Myanmar differs from before; a cement road, built with the help of all soldiers mobilized from Lashu and Xibu, had long been completed.

It wasn't to the point that a Jeep ride could make Jiang Anguo vomit.

Behind them were supplies, the convoy stretching for several miles.

Lin Yi had already gone to Chongqing; the one handling logistics was Zhuge Mingliang, and after confirming that it was Zhuge Mingliang who used mirrors in the Jingmen Mountains to signal the William Battalion,

When Jiang Anguo set out for Myanmar, he asked Zhuge Mingliang whether he would go, and Zhuge Mingliang agreed without hesitation.

Here he had no relatives left, so he might as well go to Myanmar and see.

Even if it was his first time flying and his first time abroad.

After arriving in Myanmar, Jiang Anguo placed Zhuge Mingliang beside Lin Yi; in just three days, Zhuge Mingliang had grasped the entire st Division's logistics, and was surprised that the division's strength exceeded thirty thousand men.

That was almost the size of an entire army.

Jiang Anguo admired how quickly Zhuge Mingliang could take over Lin Yi's duties; the surname seemed born for logistics talent.

Jiang Anguo didn't even need to spend any points to Exchange such talent.

Jiang Anguo arrived at Xibu ahead of schedule.

Dai Anlan saw Jiang Anguo, hurried forward, gave his shoulder two heavy pats, and said, "Anguo, you fought well at home! You wiped out two Little Devil divisions at once, and crucially reclaimed Yichang."

It seemed Dai Anlan and the group of th Division officers behind him had come specifically to greet him.

Everyone's eyes were filled with envy as they looked at the star on Jiang Anguo's shoulder; Jiang Anguo hadn't even had time to take off his shoulder board—he was already a Major General at a young age, the youngest general in the entire army.

But soldiers have their own pride; Jiang Anguo was strong, and their th Division was not weak, fighting hard battles. Yet they truly envied the ability to annihilate two Japanese divisions.

Especially the Japanese 13th Division stationed in Yichang.

Jiang Anguo nodded at the crowd, "I won't waste words here; this time Stilwell has already greeted everyone. He wants to counter‑attack Mandalay, and if we're fighting, we'll fight properly. I intend to go to Mandalay and annihilate the Little Devil's 18th Division, avenging the soldiers who fell in Myanmar!"