Chapter 475: Mandalay Conference (2)

Chen Jiageng originally intended to escort Jiang Anguo himself, but was refused.

However, Dai Anlan personally came to Mandalay Airport to see Jiang Anguo off.

Jiang Anguo turned to Dai Anlan beside him, his expression growing more solemn, his tone adding a note of gravity: "Brother, while I go to Jingdong, the defense of Mandalay is fully entrusted to you and the 200th Division."

Dai Anlan gave a slight nod, his tone firm: "Anguo, rest assured, with me here Mandalay will suffer no mishap. It's just that after the Mandalay Battle the 200th Division took heavy losses, veteran casualties are severe, and the troops need reinforcement, so genuine rest time is required. Nevertheless, I will allocate the forces defending Mandalay properly and will not allow any slip."

In fact, Jiang Anguo's st Division is stationed on the south bank of the Mi Jie River, so the th Division can safely rest in Mandalay.

Unfortunately this is Myanmar, and Dai Anlan cannot recruit replacements locally for the lost troops.

If Jiang Anguo did not possess the WarSystem, he would not dare to fight like this; he would not even bring the troops to rest, killing his way from Myanmar back home and then from home back to Myanmar.

He's just a step away from killing across the whole earth!

Jiang Anguo patted his shoulder, as if a brother were patting his junior.

His gaze shifted to the distant barracks, then toward Pingmana, his tone carrying a hint of complexity: "I understand the 200th Division's difficulties; you fought the Mandalay Battle bravely and paid too many sacrifices. Rest assured about the manpower, I'll find a way for you."

"At present the Japanese Army to the south, after successive defeats, is already severely weakened and lacks the strength to advance northward; the defensive pressure on Mandalay is temporarily low, so you can take the opportunity to let the troops rest and replenish personnel and equipment."

The Japanese Army's 15th Corps now has a combat-ready force, namely the rd Division, Sakura Province Three.

Don't say the Expeditionary Force has difficulty replenishing troops; the Japanese Army is also facing shortages.

He paused, then shifted his tone and continued: "Leave the 113th Regiment at Pingmana for now; I'll deal with them after I return from Jingdong."

A hint of doubt flashed in Dai Anlan's eyes, then he nodded: "Fine, the immediate priority is to hold Mandalay; the Japanese forces at Pingmana are not yet a threat. After the troops finish resting, we can deal with them later."

He didn't notice that when Jiang Anguo mentioned Pingmana, a barely perceptible worry flickered in his eyes.

Jiang Anguo did not tell Dai Anlan that the commander of Pingmana's 113th Regiment, Matsui Hideharu, is an extremely tough opponent.

Not long ago, a Reconnaissance Plane discovered that Matsui Hideharu had not led his troops to withdraw from Pingmana; instead, he was fortifying the position on site, digging deep trenches and laying Barbed Wire, apparently intending to hold it long-term.

This scene forced Jiang Anguo to proceed with caution.

He knows all too well how troublesome the Japanese are at holding fortifications; according to the original plan, the 56th Division would advance into Yunnan, and Matsui Hideharu's troops would build defenses on Songshan, causing Song Xilian's unit to suffer a roughly 1:7 casualty ratio before barely breaking the Japanese positions.

Jiang Anguo even envisions that horrific scene, which still haunts his mind, because he had seen the main battlefield of the Songshan campaign and had at that time dispatched men to build fortifications on Songshan.

Matsui Hideharu's move clearly aims to turn Pingmana into a second Songshan; if it drags into a protracted war, the consequences would be unimaginable.

The 200th Division is the Expeditionary Force's elite; its soldiers are veteran fighters who have endured countless battles, and its combat power is exceptionally strong.

But if they were to assault Pingmana's sturdy fortifications head‑on, even committing the entire 200th Division, they might still fail to break through, and Jiang Anguo absolutely cannot watch this elite division suffer needless losses.

When Jiang Anguo visited the Songshan campaign, he recalled clearly that the battle involved rotating attacks among units; a single unit's assault incurred losses over thirty percent, causing its combat effectiveness to plummet.

"Brother," Jiang Anguo spoke again, his tone even more solemn, "the defense of Mandalay must not only stay alert to the remaining Japanese forces to the south but also keep a close eye on Pingmana's movements. Matsui Hideharu is a cunning and troublesome foe; his fortifications at Pingmana are no coincidence. You must dispatch Reconnaissance Plane units to monitor closely and must not rashly commit troops to attack. Everything will be redeployed after I return."

Jiang Anguo was somewhat worried that the Chongqing side would be eager to open the Dian-Mian Highway and might directly order the th Division to move south and attack Pingmana.

Seeing his solemn expression, Dai Anlan also grew more cautious and hurriedly replied: "I understand, Anguo. I will immediately dispatch reconnaissance troops to closely monitor the Japanese movements at Pingmana, will not act rashly, will fully defend Mandalay, and will wait for your return."

Jiang Anguo gave a slight nod, and his concerns eased a little.

He knew Dai Anlan was steady and capable; with him stationed in Mandalay, the position would surely be held and the hidden threat at Pingmana could be dealt with properly.

Jiang Anguo looked again toward Pingmana, a flash of resolve in his eyes; he would never let Matsui Hideharu's scheme succeed.

"Time is tight, I won't say more." Jiang Anguo grabbed his hat and hurried toward the conference hall doorway, "Mandalay, I'm counting on you!"

"Go without worry, Anguo! May you swiftly pacify Jingdong and return safely!" Dai Anlan shouted loudly.

Jiang Anguo didn't look back, merely waved his hand as his figure hurried onto the C47 transport plane.

The transport plane landed at Lashu Airport, where Lin Yi had been waiting early.

"Regiment Commander." Lin Yi approached Jiang Anguo's aircraft.

Jiang Anguo nodded, "Lin Yi, thank you for your effort, everything is settled, right?"

Lin Yi understood what the Regiment Commander meant and immediately replied: "Everything is settled, and the surroundings have also been secured with guards."

"Good, Lin Yi, from now on you are my Deputy Division Commander of the st Division; compile a roster for the 201st Division, and I'll review it later." Jiang Anguo said.

Come to think of it, due to various delays, the st Division is essentially a makeshift amalgamation of three Infantry Regiments.

Some support arms were also recruited by Jiang Anguo from various places, such as Zhang Bing's tank battalion and Jiang Sanpao's artillery.

"Understood." Lin Yi never imagined that within just a few months he would become a Deputy Division Commander.

"Alright, no more idle talk; have Yao Quanyi come to see me, and then pull the Independent Regiment entirely to Lashu Airport. This time at Jingdong, it seems we still have to rely on Yao Quanyi's Independent Regiment." Jiang Anguo said loudly.

"Regiment Commander, Commander Yao is already on his way, and the Independent Regiment's soldiers have all assembled, awaiting your order." Lin Yi said.

Jiang Anguo was pleased; Yao Quanyi's actions were swift, and within about half an hour the troops were ready to depart at any moment.

"Good, well done. In a moment have them board and fly to Jingdong; speed is essential, aim to transport everyone within a day." Jiang Anguo worried about a repeat of the Changde Airport situation—small, inconvenient for transport, far away, with limited capacity.

"Regiment Commander, Lv Guoquan, commander of the 93rd Division, has built an airport in Jingdong that can fully accommodate our C47 transport plane. The meteorological officer reports no rain today, and transporting a whole regiment's troops poses no problem at all." Lin Yi said confidently.

One transport plane can carry 28 people, while Jiang Anguo's Infantry Regiment numbers 3,653 men—a very large formation.

At least 132 sorties would be needed to transport the entire regiment to Jingdong.

On foot, transport vehicles— that's simply insane.

The winding mountain road of nearly three hundred kilometers would take ten days to half a month to reach Jingdong.

By then, don't say Jingdong is gone; the Thai enemy would probably have crawled all the way to Xishuangbanna.