Chapter 460: Jiang Anguo: Nanko

The cheers announcing the founding of the "Nanko Democratic Federal Republic" by Chen Jiageng had not yet faded when a sudden sharp scolding came from the edge of the crowd, shattering the festive atmosphere.

Jiang Anguo slightly raised his eyebrows, thinking to himself that, as expected, someone would come to cause trouble.

He had long anticipated that the establishment of a nation by Nanyang Chinese would inevitably affect the interests of various forces, but he did not expect that the first to object would be a British.

Jiang Anguo had imagined Japanese spies hidden in Mandalay, or perhaps members of the Myanmar volunteer army stirring up trouble, but not a Briton.

That Briton was dressed in a British Army Major's uniform, his hair meticulously combed, yet his face could not hide impatience and arrogance as he pushed through the cheering crowd, storming toward the platform.

Smith walked while shouting loudly, his expression swaggering, forming a stark contrast to the jubilant Chinese civilians around him.

Jiang Anguo raised his hand and pointed at the fast‑approaching foreigner, his tone flat but carrying a barely perceptible chill, then turned to Dai Anlan beside him: "What's this British fellow about? Why has he come here to join the fun?"

Dai Anlan followed Jiang Anguo's finger, recognized the newcomer at a glance, furrowed his brows and explained: "Anguo, he's Smith, a Liaison from the Expeditionary Force Headquarters, who came to the front with General Stilwell. He's usually arrogant, always acting like a colonial ruler, and doesn't take our Expeditionary Force seriously."

While speaking, Smith was already restrained, and Company Commander Zhang Yuan of the second company escorted him over.

Smith looked up, his shoulders pressed painfully, his gaze sweeping over the stars on the two men's shoulders; though a hint of apprehension rose in his heart, he still forced a calm demeanor.

He knew clearly that the two young Huaxia generals before him were the core figures of this Mandalay counterattack, the greatest contributors to the annihilation of the Japanese Army's 18th Division and the recapture of Mandalay.

But in his view, the Huaxia Army was ultimately just an "ally" of the United Kingdom, and Myanmar was a British colony that could not be allowed to let Chinese people independently establish a nation here.

Before Jiang Anguo and Dai Anlan could speak,

Smith immediately raised his voice, his tone urgent and arrogant, with an unquestionable command: "General! You must stop that lunatic at once! Chen Jiageng is a lunatic! Myanmar belongs to us British as a colony, territory of the British Empire, and must not be allowed to establish any country here! This is a provocation against the British Empire and a sabotage of our allied relationship!"

He pointed at Chen Jiageng on the platform while speaking, his eyes full of contempt and anger, as if Chen's actions were an unforgivable crime.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Anguo's mouth curled into a mocking smile, and he sneered inwardly.

Sure enough, the face of a colonial empire—still dreaming of controlling Myanmar and oppressing Chinese—was utterly clueless, arrogant in polite terms, but in blunt terms, a lunatic.

Jiang Anguo slowly spread his hands, his face showing an innocent yet helpless expression, his tone flat but each word cutting to the heart: "Major, we have no authority to intervene. You must understand that the true owners of this land have never been you British, but the indigenous peoples who have lived here for generations, the Nanyang Chinese who have drifted here. You British are merely foreign colonizers; on what right do you point fingers at everything here?"

He paused, then his tone suddenly became solemn, saying word by word: "Moreover, Major, I must make it clear that our Expeditionary Force came to Myanmar with only one purpose—to open the Yunnan‑Myanmar supply line, support the domestic anti‑Japanese effort, and eradicate the Japanese Army in Myanmar. As for what happens on this land, what the Nanyang Chinese intend to do, our Expeditionary Force has no right to intervene, nor do we wish to."

Jiang Anguo spoke with reason and evidence, his tone neither servile nor overbearing, offering no concession yet no deliberate provocation, as if merely stating a fact.

Dai Anlan, standing nearby, watched Smith's irate demeanor and felt speechless.

These British, who usually cower on the battlefield yet scramble for advantage when it suits them, now find the Nanyang Chinese founding a nation that threatens their colonial interests, and they leap out to oppose it—truly despicable.

He tilted his head slightly, avoiding Smith's gaze, his expression full of helplessness, saying nothing, merely watching the farce before him in silence.

Smith was choked by Jiang Anguo's words and could not speak, his face flashing red then white, his anger intensifying.

He knew Jiang Anguo spoke the truth, but he could not accept Chinese establishing a nation in Myanmar; once this became a fact, the British Empire's colonial rule in the Nanyang would suffer a massive blow.

From the perspective of 'colonial sovereignty' it makes no sense!

Once a precedent is set, it becomes a huge problem for the stability of the British colonies in Southeast Asia.

Smith immediately offered another reason, his tone slightly softened yet still bearing a condescending air: "General, we are allies! The United Kingdom, the United States, and China form an anti‑fascist alliance; we should help each other, support each other. You cannot stand by and watch this destabilizing act, which would affect our joint effort against the Japanese Army!"

"Allies?" Jiang Anguo heard those words as if hearing the biggest joke, and burst into loud laughter, his laugh full of mockery and disdain.

Jiang Anguo's tone suddenly turned sharp: "Major, you have the nerve to call me an ally? Our Expeditionary Force treats you British as allies, fighting on the Myanmar battlefield with all our might against the Japanese Army, buying you time to retreat, yet you? You run faster than rabbits on Britain!"

Jiang Anguo's voice rose higher and higher, his tone laced with long‑suppressed anger, echoing throughout the venue.

The originally cheering crowd gradually fell silent, all eyes focusing here, their gazes full of displeasure toward Smith and contempt for the British.

"You British have operated here for years, wielding heavy troops, aircraft and tanks, yet when the Japanese invaded you fled without fighting, handing large positions to the Japanese, exposing our Expeditionary Force's flank to the enemy's guns, causing us huge casualties and turning the Pingman Na Battle into a loss!"

"Now, our Expeditionary Force has fought bloodily, recaptured Mandalay, reclaimed the land the Japanese seized for you British, yet you not only lack gratitude but leap out to block the Nanyang Chinese's nation‑building, meddling in our affairs—this is the 'ally' you speak of?" Jiang Anguo's words cut like knives, stabbing Smith, his eyes sharp as an eagle, making Smith feel utterly uncomfortable, his face pale, unable to utter a word.

At that moment, a steady tread sounded, and General Stilwell appeared in his American Army Lieutenant General uniform, his expression complex as he walked over.

He had arrived just in time, having clearly heard Jiang Anguo's remark, especially the "run faster than rabbits on Britain", almost bursting into laughter; his mouth twitched a few times, but he ultimately suppressed it.

After all, as the commander of the Allied Forces in Myanmar, he had to maintain his dignity and could not lose composure in such a setting.