Chapter 542: Myanmar Naval Battle (6)

In Yangon, Jiang Anguo had already received a telegram from Jiang Zhiyuan, and he breathed a sigh of relief; this was the first naval battle since Nanko's founding.

Victory!

The most crucial ships, the Zhenhai and the Dingyuan, were unharmed.

They are the fleet's main force; if they were injured in the first engagement, the rest would be in trouble.

Moreover, they captured the opposing Japanese Army commander Ozawa Jiro, and also rescued several hundred Japanese Navy sailors who had fallen into the water.

At the Yangon dock, Jiang Anguo arranged for someone to organize a victory ceremony for Jiang Zhiyuan.

When he saw the warships slowly approaching from afar, he always felt the decks were empty, and at that moment he recalled that Nanko really was a makeshift troupe.

Even now they don't have a single national flag.

No wonder the warships look so empty.

That won't do; a flag must be put up.

"Xiao Si, send a telegram to Mandalay telling President Chen Jiageng that we can have a Nanko flag," Jiang Anguo said softly.

Xiao Si nodded and disappeared into the crowd.

The Nanko fleet, having just endured a great battle, looked so majestic.

"Anguo, what is the caliber of the guns on this battleship?" Dai Anlan, standing beside Jiang Anguo, couldn't help asking.

Jiang Anguo raised his hand and pointed to the lead ship, "The Zhenhai's main guns are 406mm—what a big beast!"

Sss!

The expeditionary force generals behind him all inhaled sharply, because in their understanding, the mm Howitzer was the largest gun, and many generals didn't even qualify to use it.

But now, the massive battleship before them actually had guns of 406mm caliber.

At that moment, Stilwell squeezed out of the crowd, "Jiang, first congratulations on winning this naval battle, but I'm curious—how did you purchase this battleship from the United States?"

Facing Stilwell's question, Jiang Anguo simply smiled.

"General Stilwell, this is the most advanced battleship. May I ask whether the United States has such a battleship? Moreover, this model is the Zhenhai, not a U. S. warship," Jiang Anguo said with a smile.

The Iowa-class battleship may still be in an American shipyard, not yet launched; even after launching it couldn't immediately enter combat—it would still be an empty shell.

Many components on a warship are installed only after the hull is launched.

Stilwell was at a loss for a rebuttal, because the intelligence he had received from home these past two days indicated that their own Iowa-class battleship was indeed still in the shipyard.

To become combat‑effective in the Pacific Theater, it would need at least another year.

But now, what stunned Stilwell and the Americans with him was that these self‑proclaimed Nanko people not only had a battleship, but also a German heavy cruiser behind them.

"And that destroyer behind it—that's our American Fletcher‑class destroyer!" Stilwell shouted.

The Fletcher‑class destroyer has indeed entered service with the U. S. Navy!

"Oh, General, you must have misread; this is clearly Nanko's Coastal‑class battleship. By the way, General, you shouldn't be asking me—I am a Huaxia general, not a Nanko general. You can wait until the ship docks and then ask the Nanko fleet commander Admiral Jiang Zhiyuan!" Jiang Anguo deliberately steered the conversation away, this old man was endless.

Stilwell was momentarily at a loss for words, because Jiang Anguo was right; he shouldn't be looking to Jiang Anguo for answers.

He could only have the accompanying officer behind him photograph the warship and immediately send the pictures back home, letting the domestic experts worry about it.

Stilwell's mission was to open the Dian‑Mian Highway, allowing Huaxia's troops to tie down more Japanese ground forces.

Now Stilwell has completed the White House's mission—not only completed, but exceeded expectations.

July 29, Yangon, clear weather.

Nanko fleet commander Jiang Zhiyuan, having gained massive popular support in Yangon, declared Yangon independent and joined the 'Nanko Democratic Federal Republic,' and the expeditionary force generals were already accustomed to this.

Since Mandalay, the cities heading south have all seemed to declare independence.

They had no objections; after all, they only needed to open the Dian‑Mian Highway.

The route from Yangon to Lashu has been opened.

Stilwell, having come to terms, had no objection; Burma isn't American territory, and who manages Burma is irrelevant to the United States.

But Stilwell was clear that Nanko's enemy was Japan.

That was enough; as long as their enemies aligned, we were friends, allies.

At least Nanko, like Huaxia, has decent soldiers capable of winning battles.

As for the British, let them go meet God.

In Burma they are a joke, not even worth a pig.

"You can't do this; you should protect the United Kingdom's legitimate rights in Burma!" the British liaison Smith said, suddenly resurfacing.

"You should rescue the United Kingdom's warriors, not be here."

No one paid any attention to Officer Smith; everyone here held a higher rank than him.

If the British were still in Burma, the expeditionary generals might have given them a face, but after this Myanmar Campaign, the generals internally agreed that the British were unworthy as allies.

The British only betray their allies; faced with such friends, better to have none.

Smith was eager to know where the United Kingdom's captured soldiers in Burma had gone; in fact he was a step too late, or rather a month too late.

The British‑Myanmar forces, fewer than 40,000, had already been driven by the Japanese to Moulmein to build railways.

According to Jiang Anguo's intelligence, the Japanese likely intended to use the prisoners to build a railway from Thailand to Burma.

That is why no British‑Myanmar troops were seen in Yangon.

Jiang Anguo should thank the Japanese for eliminating the British in Burma, and this Yangon campaign not only dealt with the Japanese but also with the Burmese volunteer army led by Angshan.

As for the Burmese in uniform, it's simple: the mines around Yangon have been taken over by the st Division; it's not that Nanko took over—Nanko's forces are too few—Jiang Anguo simply seized control immediately.

These prisoners were all sent to the mines for 16 hours of hard labor each day.

Also sent were prisoners from the Japanese Fifty‑five Division.

The Free Army needed manpower replenishment, which could only rely on captured prisoners, and before that they needed to brainwash those Japanese soldiers.

The only thing that gave Jiang Anguo a headache was the 365 Japanese Navy prisoners captured by Jiang Zhiyuan.

Jiang Anguo lacks a navy; three hundred plus men can't achieve much, but leaving them idle would seem wasteful.