Chapter 48: Preparing to Enter Thailand?

Returned to the command post.

Jiang Anguo gradually recovered; he now knows what it feels like to kill, though in fact there is no feeling, because they are a bunch of beasts.

It's just like killing a chicken—one slash and it's dead.

Jiang Anguo stared at the map, pondering.

From where did the Japanese plane come? Tonggu should not have fallen yet, so it must have flown from Yangon; Yangon is over a thousand kilometers from Yunnan, and only a fool would fly that far.

That means they need a nearer airfield, in northern Myanmar, which is still in the Expeditionary Force's hands.

His gaze gradually shifted to the neighbor of Myanmar—Thailand.

In 1939, Siam was officially renamed Thailand.

"Thailand." Jiang Anguo punched the spot marked Thailand; this lackey truly changes sides with the wind—seeing Japan invade Southeast Asia, he also launched an attack, reclaimed territories taken by France, and when Japan faltered, he broke the alliance with Japan and leaned toward the United States.

One must know that the Southeast Asian lot used to be our subordinates.

Only Thailand is close enough for Japanese planes to make a round trip; this aircraft didn't even carry ammunition, apparently it just observed from Tengchong to Baoshan and returned. Yet the Japanese pilot was bold enough to fly at low altitude.

In fact, Jiang Anguo simply didn't understand this aircraft; the Japanese Type 97 Command Reconnaissance Aircraft can travel up to 2,400 kilometers.

Of course, the return leg must be calculated; the Japanese Army didn't dare fly straight from Yangon, and indeed they entered Chinese territory from the Thai direction.

Moreover, the deceased pilot Nakamura had already carried out multiple reconnaissance missions; it was just an unlucky coincidence that he ran into Jiang Anguo this time.

Jiang Anguo contemplated how to solve the Thailand issue; in reality the Expeditionary Force had clashed with the Thai Army—initially the Expeditionary Force held the advantage, but later Thailand brought in the Japanese and used tanks to push the Expeditionary Force back home.

The Senary Army's 93rd Division was stationed on the Myanmar–Thailand border.

Jiang Anguo glanced at his points; they were truly abundant, having already reached the threshold.

He could now exchange for a ten‑thousand‑person army; the exchange also yields a daily 20,000 points, which, when calculated, must be Jiang Anguo's earnings.

But exchanging for an infantry unit now has little effect; if he exchanged for an Armored Troops unit, facing Myanmar about to enter the rainy season, it would become a quagmire.

Thus Jiang Anguo's current troop composition and numbers are just right.

It can still stand a fight against the Japanese Army without drawing undue attention from all sides.

Northern Myanmar is mountainous and covered with dense primeval forest, utterly unsuitable for large‑scale operations; therefore small, regiment‑level forces are just the right size.

The Seventh Company commander Jin Jian (jungle), the Eighth Company commander Quan Zong (mountain), and the Ninth Company commander Qian Jiaguo (jungle) have traits that perfectly suit mountain and jungle warfare.

Jiang Anguo wants to send troops to disgust the Thai people and assist the Chinese Army over there.

But the number of troops dispatched would be small—no choice; if he sent more, logistics would still be an issue.

First, they must go to Jingdong in Myanmar; departing from Xishuangbanna is naturally close, but starting from Tengchong to Jingdong is truly far.

"Five hundred kilometers or more," Jiang Anguo shook his head, contemplating whether to dispatch troops.

This route—five hundred kilometers—is truly hard to solve!

Entering Thailand for guerrilla warfare is also extremely difficult; without a popular base, the numbers will inevitably dwindle.

A company has 160 men; if Myanmar sends a division's strength, it amounts to eight or nine thousand troops.

Jiang Anguo gritted his teeth and decided to still send troops to Thailand to harass the Thai Army and the Japanese forces in Thailand.

He again used the System Exchange to obtain an infantry company, led by Company Commander Li Yi.

Lucky enough, Li Yi's trait turned out to be Rainforest, making him even more suited to the Southeast Asian battlefield; of course, Li Yi's rank is only Company Commander, so his command scope and impact are limited.

Aside from the Nationalist Army's uniforms, Li Yi's troops are equipped entirely with Japanese‑style weapons.

When Jiang Anguo exchanged, he directly selected the Type 38 rifle; the Type 38 rifle is actually unsuitable for jungle combat, its effective range is much shorter than the German Mauser K98k, and its lethality is inferior to the Mauser.

The Type 38 rifle is too long; in jungle fighting, the barrel can easily be blocked by trees.

But Jiang Anguo cannot bring troops into Thailand, so he cannot supply them once they're inside.

"Li Yi, this time you will lead troops into Thailand, conduct guerrilla warfare there, eliminate the enemy's armed forces, and all logistics must rely on yourselves," Jiang Anguo said.

"Yes, Commander."

"You are authorized to resupply on site under special circumstances, authorized."

Jiang Anguo rubbed his hand on his neck, and Li Yi nodded.

Li Yi's unit carries no heavy weapons; each squad is equipped with a Grenade Launcher and a crooked‑handle light machine gun.

Mortars and mountain guns are omitted entirely, as they hinder marching speed; the map shows a straight‑line distance of five hundred kilometers, but the actual march could be six hundred or even seven hundred kilometers through rugged mountains.

"Each person carries the maximum base ammunition and seven days of Military Rations," he said, though in reality Jiang Anguo only issued enough Compressed Biscuit and chocolate for the unit.

Compressed Biscuit saves space, and chocolate provides calories.

Individual load limits prevent it, and they must also carry marching blankets, raincoats, and other personal gear.

"System, why are Grenade Launchers so cheap?" Jiang Anguo noted that he had exchanged for 16 Grenade Launchers; he had expected them to cost as much as mortars—at least 75 points—since the System Upgrade raised the price, and previously a 60 mm mortar cost 150 points.

But 16 Grenade Launchers only cost 32 points, meaning each costs just 2 points.

That's even cheaper than a rifle, which now costs 5 points.

"Host, the Japanese Grenade Launcher price is exactly this, cheaper than the Type 38 rifle."

The Grenade Launcher being so cheap was unexpected for Jiang Anguo, but his ammunition still costs 2.5 points each; fortunately, buying a Grenade Launcher comes with ten shells.

This let Jiang Anguo exploit another system loophole: why buy ammo when he could just buy Grenade Launchers?

"System, does this count as a loophole?" Jiang Anguo asked.

"No."

Good; Jiang Anguo seized the chance, reasonably exchanged for several Grenade Launchers, and gave all the shells to Li Yi's company.

Grenade Launchers on the European battlefield are merely children's toys, but in Southeast Asia they inflict massive damage on the Chinese Army.

At five hundred meters, the lethal coverage is considerable, often posing a great threat to Machine Gunners.

Japanese Grenade Launchers exist because the Japanese are too poor to produce large artillery, resulting in this small cannon.

One person can carry it; the Grenade Launcher weighs only 2.7 kg and can even hold ten shells.