Chapter 52: Tell Me, Are You Afraid of Death?

Meng Fanle's efficiency in handling matters is very high; after spending a little money, he still managed to get some information: a merchant in Mangshi is asking about the whereabouts of an aircraft, offering an extremely high price—if the plane can be found, he is willing to pay two small yellow fish.

The temptation is simply too great, and on top of that business is slow now, so everyone pitched in to search for the aircraft.

Jiang Anguo doesn't care about this, and the spies in Yunnan are beyond his reach; unless he catches them, he will certainly make sure they don't die a good death.

Jiang Anguo straightened his uniform in front of a mirror and said, "Xiao Si, how does it look, still quite handsome, right?"

Xiao Si didn't grasp the meaning of handsome, but smiled earnestly and said, "Young Master, it really does look good."

Receiving the praise, Jiang Anguo nodded contentedly.

Wearing the uniform is truly handsome; Jiang Anguo now wears it daily, yet he must maintain a blank expression before outsiders, which is exhausting.

All Independent Battalion soldiers, 2,665 in total, were waiting for Jiang Anguo at the drill ground.

Jiang Anguo took the Horn and stepped onto the review platform; he had stood on this platform countless times, and this would be his last, uncertain whether he could come back alive, but at this moment his spirit was soaring.

"Today, I'm giving you all the Last Lesson," Jiang Anguo announced loudly.

The Last Lesson, indeed, Jiang Anguo decided to march out, forced to depart early; he miscalculated one thing—the Dian-Mian Highway, which is a road; only from Yangon to Lashu is there a railway.

The Dian-Mian Highway actually runs from Kunming to Lashu, Myanmar, spanning 1,146.1 km in total, with the Yunnan section measuring 959.4 km; the remaining stretch is the road built from the Chinese border to Lashu.

Jiang Anguo had always assumed it was a continuous railway, but it turned out to be a road; as a result, his Independent Battalion's forces would have to march on foot into the Myanmar battlefield.

At a marching speed of at most 20 to 40 km per day, the trek from Tengchong to Lashu still demands over 250 km, leaving Jiang Anguo little time.

If they departed any later, the Myanmar Campaign would already be over.

Bottom, the assembled people were puzzled why it was the Last Lesson; only officers above company rank knew the army was about to set out, and Jiang Anguo had already notified them in advance.

Once he finishes the mobilization, all officers will also mobilize the soldiers.

Jiang Anguo nodded to both sides; two soldiers pulled the cloth off the review platform, revealing a bright red character, "Death."

After so many days of literacy drives, everyone has learned many characters, and even the least literate soldier knows a hundred characters.

Learning can change some things; we now know how to read a map, otherwise with the map placed in Front, a Company Commander or Platoon Leader wouldn't even comprehend it.

Death, everyone now recognizes.

All the soldiers stood quietly, causing no commotion.

"Tell me, are you afraid of death?" Jiang Anguo shouted loudly, questioning.

All Independent Battalion soldiers roared in unison, "Not afraid."

"Not afraid."

"Not afraid."

Only after a long while did the voices subside.

Jiang Anguo looked around and said, "Nonsense, I myself fear death, yet you claim you're not afraid of death."

"Haha."

Everyone was once again made to laugh by their officer.

"Come, Mi Long, you're the loudest laugher, tell me, are you afraid of death?" Jiang Anguo asked, pointing toward Mi Long.

"Not afraid." Mi Long stretched his neck and said with unwavering resolve.

Regarding Mi Long's performance, Jiang Anguo was very satisfied, but he was not prepared to let Mi Long off.

"You used to be the most afraid of death; now tell me why you're not afraid of death."

Being called out by Jiang Anguo, Mi Long felt truly embarrassed and scratched his head.

"Come, tell everyone why you are not afraid of death now."

"Report, Battalion Commander, before I thought fearing death was not worthwhile; now I feel that being a soldier means sacrificing for the nation, even dying in front of the people." It seems recent training has greatly impacted Mi Long.

Mi Long had previously always prevented the cannon fodder from enlisting, yet on the battlefield he now displays an unafraid demeanor.

If Mi Long stayed in Chanda, he could live comfortably; he has a physique and wisdom that others lack, making him one of the top wealthy individuals in Chanda.

"Very well, we serve in the army to protect our homeland; now we truly face life-and-death, and if the Myanmar War is lost, our China battlefield will be in real trouble."

Jiang Anguo again turned to a soldier and asked, "Zhao Laosi, why did you join the army?"

Zhao Laosi, Machine Gunner of the 2nd Company, 3rd Platoon.

Zhao Laosi hadn't expected to be singled out and was at a loss for words, until a nearby comrade poked him, prompting him to vaguely stand up.

"I do it to eat a full stomach." Zhao Laosi's answer instantly left Jiang Anguo bewildered.

In just an instant, Jiang Anguo thought of a countermeasure.

"Are you full?" Jiang Anguo asked.

Zhao Laosi nodded forcefully, "I'm full, Battalion Commander; since joining the th Division, I've never been this full in my life."

"Is everyone full?"

"Full."

Over two thousand people shouted in unison, and Jiang Anguo's ears were truly a bit overwhelmed.

"I hear it, your voices are so loud; many of you enlisted just to eat, but now the Japanese don't want us to eat, they want to exterminate the Chinese; will you fight?" Jiang Anguo said with a ferocious expression.

"Not fight."

"Kill the Japanese."

"Beat Little Japan to death."

"Death, everyone will die, I also fear death, but this death must be worth it; everyone knows China's resistance war has already lasted five years, many of us have encountered Little Japan, their aircraft and tanks constantly harm our forces, and now the internationally supplied tanks and aircraft are all in Myanmar; the Japanese want to occupy Myanmar, cutting off our rear; can we agree to this?" Jiang Anguo shouted.

"Cannot."

"In five thousand years of Chinese history, it has never once been destroyed or exterminated by a foreign tribe; the Japanese will not succeed either," Jiang Anguo said, punching the sky forcefully.

No foreign tribe has ever been able to conquer the Chinese; the Japanese dreaming of occupying China is nothing but a daytime fantasy.

"If anyone is afraid of death, step forward; I'm telling you, I'm going to Myanmar to fight the Japanese Devil, and I will not be stopped if you try to back out now."

No one stepped forward; instead, everyone simply stared straight at Jiang Anguo.

Supplementary Battalion Commander, we'll go with you to fight the Japanese Devil; if I die in battle, I hope my brothers can bring my ashes back.

Supplementary Battalion Commander, I'm not afraid of death either.

Supplementary Battalion Commander, we've trained this long just to drive out Little Japan.

At worst, in eighteen years we'll be a good man again.

Jiang Anguo knew that these people already had cohesion.

From a group of scattered soldiers to now showing initial results, Jiang Anguo was already satisfied.

At present, his Supplement Battalion—no, it should be the Independent Battalion—is only missing a real sword‑and‑gun battle.

Next, we'll meet the Japanese on the battlefield.

Lin Yi stood to one side and wrote in a notebook: Expeditionary Force th Division Supplementary Battalion Commander Jiang Anguo, on the 30th day of the 3rd month of the 31st year of the Republic, at Chanda delivered a mobilization address, and thereafter the entire Independent Battalion soldiers set out toward Myanmar.