Chapter 408: Pre‑Battle Training

Annihilate the Little Devil 18th Division completely.

As soon as Jiang Anguo finished speaking, everyone drew a sharp breath of cold air.

Only Dai Anlan examined Jiang Anguo, saying, "Anguo, are you really sure we should fight? The main force is still in Myitkyina, hasn't moved; even if we fight, it would take a month to prepare."

Obviously, as a battlefield veteran, Dai Anlan knows exactly how much time the Expeditionary Force needs to prepare for this counter‑offensive.

Jiang Anguo nodded, "What, no confidence!"

"Ha ha, since you say fight, then the vanguard must be my 200th Division," Dai Anlan said with a bright laugh.

"No problem, the vanguard must be the 200th Division. Whether the Fifth Army's main force arrives or not, our two divisions can take down a Little Devil division without much trouble," Jiang Anguo said.

Jiang Anguo turned toward the map, his finger thrust heavily at the Mandalay city area: "But this battle cannot be a brute force. Urban combat, jungle warfare, night raids, anti‑sniping—each aspect must be drilled into our bones."

In reality, the 200th Division has courage and morale.

But its tactical coordination, or rather modern warfare tactical coordination, is still a bit lacking.

Even Jiang Anguo, regarding jungle and urban combat, learns as he fights; his shooting is excellent, but his tactics are merely average.

Immediately, he shouted, "Order! Summon all companies, battalions, and Regiment Commanders of the 200th Division at once; everyone must attend the pre‑battle tactical training!"

The crowd fell silent.

"First lesson: urban combat," Jiang Anguo said, pointing to a man beside him. "It will be taught by Yao Quanyi, commander of the Independent Regiment of the 201st Division. He was the overall commander of the Yichang Campaign, leading the Independent Regiment in Yichang against the Japanese Army's 13th Division in urban combat, annihilating the enemy's main force, with his own casualties exceeding two thousand."

A murmur instantly spread through the room.

Yao Quanyi's name had already spread throughout the Expeditionary Force with the great Jianghan victory.

Everyone rose, casting respectful glances; that was authority forged in blood and fire.

In fact, it wasn't just rumors; even the Chongqing side wanted to transfer Yao Quanyi away.

But by a twist of fate, Yao Quanyi became the commander of this battle, or rather the Regiment Commander of the Independent Regiment, which is the crucial point.

"Second lesson: jungle infiltration and assault," Jiang Anguo pointed to another slender, dark‑skinned officer, "It will be taught by Li Yi, Major Company Commander of the Guerrilla Battalion of the 201st Division."

Compared with Yao Quanyi, Li Yi's name is obscure.

Someone showed a puzzled expression: what merits does this man have to stand alongside Yao Quanyi?

Li Yi, after withdrawing from Thailand into Yunnan, has been recuperating in Chanda, and was personally assigned by Jiang Anguo to the front to impart jungle warfare experience.

Jiang Anguo said, his voice ringing, "Perhaps you don't know Li Yi. But let me tell you, before the Myanmar Campaign began, I sent him leading 160 men to infiltrate the Northern Thailand jungle, hiding by day, moving by night, crossing poisonous‑snake, miasma‑filled lands, and single‑handedly destroyed the Thai army's supply depot on the Thai‑Myanmar border, burning the Little Devil's fuel, food, and so on!"

He paused, his gaze like a blade: "Without this battle, the Japanese Army could use the Thai forces to strike our Expeditionary Force toward Jingdong, even threatening the Yunnan border directly."

The room fell utterly silent.

No one dared to underestimate the silent Major any longer.

Dai Anlan glanced at Li Yi; as an officer of the 200th Division, he was well aware of the battlefield's movements. The communications office had actually intercepted some Thai telegrams, but they had dismissed them at the time.

Now that the pieces fit together, he realized just how huge the deeds of his brother‑in‑law were.

His gaze deepened as he looked at Jiang Anguo.

The young general seemed to hold the entire Myanmar War in his hands, surveying the whole situation!

Li Yi stepped forward, saying briefly, "In the jungle there is no road; the heart becomes the direction. Kill the enemy, leave no trace."

Dai Anlan nodded, whispering to the adjutant beside him, "Record these two. Keep in touch later, find a way!"

Jiang Anguo leaned in, "Hey! I said, I'm still here!"

Dai Anlan felt a bit embarrassed; indeed the 200th Division consists of elite soldiers, but jungle warfare is not a plain, nor can one simply charge with a rifle fueled by hot‑blooded zeal.

The training began immediately.

Yao Quanyi demonstrated before the sand table how to use hand grenades and explosive packs to clear enemies from houses in the city.

Li Yi led men into the rear mountain dense forest, teaching camouflage, traps, and silent kills.

Time was tight; the instruction lasted only three days, and all units, under their adjutants' lead, moved at full speed toward Xibu and Corner Mei.

And Jiang Anguo stood on high ground, watching the bustling camp, silently thinking, "18th Division… you think you're defending Mandalay, but in fact it's a grave."

The wind whirled the battle flags, rattling. The decisive battle has already begun its silent prelude.

The Expeditionary Force's such frequent troop movements cannot avoid drawing attention.

In Lashu and Dongzhi under Jiang Anguo's command, Japanese Army spies were completely cleared, but those Burmese people are truly hard to judge.

And precisely because of those Burmese, they continue to frequently relay messages to the Japanese Army.

In reality, as long as a Burmese person appears at the Expeditionary Force camp gate, no further order from Jiang Anguo is needed; officers of all ranks quietly take them away and then deal with them.

Mandalay, headquarters of the Japanese Army 18th Division.

June 20, 1942, late night.

The heavy rain had just ceased, and the Yi Luo Wa Di Jiang shimmered with an iron‑gray glow.

The basement of the headquarters was dimly lit; the map of Myanmar on the wall was densely scribbled with red and blue pencils like a spider web.

Division Commander Mukoda Koya stood by the window, his sword still sheathed, brows tightly knit.

He had just received an urgent report from Intelligence Director Qing Shui Xiao Jian: In the past seventy‑two hours, the Expeditionary Force's movements along the Lashu‑to‑Xibu line have been unusually frequent.

"The Chinese Army's truck convoy marched at night with lights off, radio silent, yet aerial reconnaissance still caught at least three hundred transport vehicles converging toward Xibu." Qing Shui Xiao Jian's voice was low, sweat beading at his temples, "More suspicious is the surge in C‑47 take‑offs and landings, over eighty flights daily, all destined for Lashu."

"Perhaps the Chongqing side is reinforcing Lashu."

Mukoda Koya slowly turned, his gaze like an eagle: "Can the unit numbers be confirmed?"

"Preliminary identification shows a 200th Division flag under Dai Anlan, and another new‑numbered unit, '201st Division,' whose previous number was the 200th Division Independent Regiment, commander Jiang Anguo." Qing Shui Xiao Jian handed over a photo, "This man is the enemy commander we annihilated in the Jianghan Campaign's defeat of our 13th and 39th Divisions."

Mukoda Koya took the photo, stared at the young yet resolute face, and remained silent for a long time.

"Did this man also previously take part in the assault on Seikei's airborne unit and the Tonggu counter‑offensive organized by the Chinese army?" Mukoda Koya asked.

Chief of Staff Kurokawa Kunisuke of the 18th Division nodded, "Yes, that's the man!"

"He is a formidable enemy of the Imperial Japan!" Mukoda Koya exclaimed.