Chapter 487: Southward to Qinglai (Part 2)

Qinglai is only fifty kilometers from Da Qili; a regular infantry unit would need three days to cover it.

But the Independent Regiment is mechanized; its vehicles zip along the road at great speed, reaching the outskirts of Qinglai Cheng in just one morning.

From a distance, Qinglai Cheng's walls do not appear tall.

A few Thai soldiers are stationed at the gate, looking distracted and glancing around from time to time.

Clearly they did not expect the Expeditionary Force to arrive so quickly and are completely unprepared.

Yao Quanyi sits in the command vehicle, holding a binocular, observing Qinglai Cheng's defenses.

A cold smile curls at Yao Quanyi's mouth: "It seems the Thai Army indeed has no defenses. Brothers, get ready, charge, and capture Qinglai Cheng in one blow!"

As the order is given, the Independent Regiment's soldiers quickly dismount, split into three routes, and advance on Qinglai Cheng.

The first wave, under the cover of T-34 tanks, rushes toward the gate; the tanks' turrets fire first, "Boom—Boom—Boom," twelve tanks shell Qinglai.

Then the machine guns on the tanks fire, the "rat-a-tat" gunfire tearing the quiet of Qinglai Cheng.

The second wave circles from both sides, climbs the wall, attempting a flank breakthrough.

The third wave provides rear cover, suppressing the Thai defenders on the wall.

The Thai soldiers at the gate, hearing the gunfire, panic instantly, brandishing weapons and firing at the charging Expeditionary Force soldiers, but their fire is chaotic, most bullets hitting empty ground, unable to halt the Independent Regiment's advance.

A young Expeditionary Force squad leader, clutching an MP40 submachine gun, braves a hail of bullets.

He darts to the gate, pulls the trigger on the Thai soldiers there; the bullets precisely hit two of them, while the rest, terrified, drop their weapons and flee.

Behind him, Expeditionary Force troops, also armed, follow their commander closely.

"Charge! Kill!" the soldiers shout, exploiting the gap in the gate's defense and rushing into Qinglai Cheng.

The Thai defenders on the wall, seeing the Expeditionary Force pour in, are terrified into rout; they either lay down arms and surrender or scatter, having no capacity to resist.

A few stubborn Thai soldiers try to hide behind houses to resist, but Expeditionary Force troops quickly encircle them; after a few gunshots, they collapse to the ground.

Yao Quanyi leads the command staff, follows closely, storms Qinglai Cheng, directing troops to sweep remaining enemies while dispatching men to Qinglai Cheng's supply depot.

Inside Qinglai Cheng, fleeing Thai soldiers are everywhere; Expeditionary Force troops split into squads, clearing street by street, gathering surrendering Thais for custody and decisively striking those who resist.

A soldier with a rifle pursues a fleeing Thai soldier through the streets; after two blocks, he catches up, points his rifle at the man's back and shouts, "Don't move! Drop your weapon, surrender!"

The Thai soldier trembles all over, slowly turns, puts down his rifle, and clutches his head with both hands.

He keeps shouting, "Surrender! Don't kill me!"

His face is full of terror.

Meanwhile, the squad tasked with seizing supplies has reached Qinglai Cheng's supply depot.

It is a massive warehouse complex, with a dozen or so warehouses neatly arranged; a few Thai soldiers guard the entrance, and when they see the Expeditionary Force rush in, they offer no resistance and surrender. The troops fling open the warehouse doors, delighted by the sight.

Inside, foodstuffs pile like mountains, Ammo Boxes line up orderly, along with large quantities of medicine, clothing, military gear, and even several unopened artillery pieces and numerous Japanese Army‑supplied weapons.

"Great! So much supplies!" the First Battalion commander Quanzong of the Independent Regiment shouts excitedly, reaching out to touch the neatly arranged Ammo Boxes, his face beaming with joy.

"Leave a portion of troops to guard the warehouse; the rest continue clearing the enemy, and leave no corner unchecked." Quanzong begins deploying forces to defend the depot.

"Yes, Battalion commander!"

These supplies are enough to garrison forces in Qinglai and Da Qili for a long period and will provide strong logistical support for subsequent operations.

Yao Quanyi rushes to the supply depot, looks at the stockpiled goods, and a satisfied smile appears on his face.

"These are the supplies of four Thai Army divisions, great! Now they're all ours!" Yao Quanyi declares loudly.

He immediately orders the troops to inventory the supplies and guard them properly.

He also assigns soldiers to reinforce Qinglai Cheng's defenses.

He positions forces at the gate, walls, and other key points to prevent a Thai Army counterattack.

"Notify the division commander: we have successfully taken Qinglai Fu, the Qinglai garrison offered no resistance, supplies are being inventoried, all is well!" Yao Quanyi tells the communications soldier, his tone full of pride.

In just one afternoon, the Independent Regiment completely secured Qinglai Fu, cleared the remaining enemies in the city, finished inventorying the supplies, and Qinglai Cheng gradually returned to order.

Expeditionary Force soldiers garrison in every corner of Qinglai Cheng, vigilantly watching the surroundings while sorting the seized supplies, their faces full of victorious joy.

At this moment, Jiang Anguo receives Yao Quanyi's dispatch, a satisfied smile on his face.

He turns to Lv Guoquan beside him and says, "Yao Quanyi truly did not disappoint me; smoothly capturing Qinglai not only replenished our supplies but also firmly secured Northern Thailand, laying a solid foundation for our subsequent operations."

Lv Guoquan nods, sincerely praising, "Commander Jiang, your foresight and decisive pursuit in taking Qinglai was truly wise. With Qinglai as a base, we can firmly control Northern Thailand, contain the Japanese Army and Thai Army forces, and no longer worry about defending Da Qili."

"But," Lv Guoquan says, a hint of worry.

Jiang Anguo looks back and asks, "Division commander Lv, what are you worried about?"

"Commander Jiang, my 93rd Division's mission is to defend Jingdong; we may be unable to enter Thai territory!"

Lv Guoquan only now realizes his troops have already crossed the border into Thailand.

Of course, it is wartime; Thailand is also attacking the Expeditionary Force, so Lv Guoquan's 93rd Division is merely conducting a defensive counterstrike.

Jiang Anguo glances back at Lv Guoquan, seeing his concern.

Alas!

Jiang Anguo sighs inwardly, realizing after all this is not his own unit.

Jiang Anguo laughs, "Hehe, Division commander Lv, rest assured; I've got this covered. Moreover, this land will soon no longer belong to us. You know Mr. Chen Jiageng established Nanko in Mandalay. When the time comes I'll have Nanko take over directly."

"Is that so?" Lv Guoquan replies, a bit skeptical.

"But in the coming days, I'll need Division commander Lv to stay a bit longer in Da Qili. Once Mandalay sends troops over, these areas can simply be swapped with Nanko forces." Jiang Anguo says.

"Understood, Commander Jiang." Lv Guoquan feels a weight lift from his chest; now they're fighting in Thailand, and it's a real hot‑potato.

His 93rd Division certainly won't linger inside Thailand.

Had Jiang Anguo's Independent Regiment not arrive directly at Da Qili and, without hesitation, launched an attack on the Thai Army, the 273rd Regiment defending Da Qili under the 93rd Division would have also charged forward.

Jiang Anguo stands on high ground, gazing at distant mountains, his eyes steady and his heart full of confidence.

The Expeditionary Force's foothold in Northern Thailand is now secured; next, they will use Qinglai as a base to continue containing the enemy, to utterly crush the Japanese Army and its allied forces, to safeguard the peace of the Myanmar‑Thailand Border, and to advance bravely.