Chapter 556: Marshall Visits 'Hua

Afterwards, Stilwell took Marshall and drove to the Expeditionary Force's temporary headquarters.

The headquarters was set up in a hastily repaired building inside Yangon, its entrance heavily guarded, the Expeditionary Force's soldiers armed with loaded rifles, faces solemn, and the air was thick with the tension of the eve of a great battle.

Entering the headquarters, Du Yuming, Dai Anlan, Liao Yaoxiang and other Expeditionary Force generals were already waiting; upon seeing Marshall, they all rose, their expressions respectful yet tinged with doubt.

Of course, Jiang Anguo was also present; he merely watched Marshall with curiosity, standing hidden behind the crowd, inconspicuous.

The US Army Chief of Staff personally went to Yangon, which could only mean something extremely urgent.

Stilwell gave a brief introduction of Marshall's identity.

Marshall got straight to the point and directly explained the purpose of his visit.

He told the assembled Expeditionary Force generals in detail about the urgent situation of the Japanese Army preparing to invade Australia.

"Generals, I know the Expeditionary Force has just taken Yangon, the troops have endured hard fighting and urgently need rest," Marshall said earnestly.

"But now the Allied Forces are in a desperate situation; only you can contain the Japanese Army's forces and stop their advance on Australia."

As soon as he finished speaking, Du Yuming was the first to speak, his tone steady and firm, neither blindly agreeing nor outright refusing: "Mr. Marshall, first, our Expeditionary Force is willing to fight side by side with the Allied Forces to repel the Japanese Army; that is our duty. However, I have several questions I would like to ask you."

Marshall raised his hand and signaled: "General Du, please speak; as long as I can answer, I will say everything I know."

"First," Du Yuming's sharp gaze fixed on Marshall, "the Japanese Army stationed in Singapore is heavily manned and well equipped; as we understand, there are at least two divisions, plus a large amount of heavy weapons and Navy vessels supporting them."

"Our Expeditionary Force has just concluded the Yangon campaign, with considerable casualties and supplies not fully in place; a rash attack on Singapore would likely be unwinnable and could incur heavy losses."

Du Yuming was also seeking the greatest benefit for his own troops.

Marshall heard this, his expression grave, and nodded: "General Du, I am fully aware of the situation you described."

"Regarding supplies, the United States can immediately provide the Expeditionary Force with support, including ammunition, food, and weaponry; we will do our utmost to meet your operational needs. As for the Japanese Army's numerical advantage, I believe the Expeditionary Force's soldiers are brave in combat, and with our support they will certainly be able to contain the Japanese Army," Marshall said sincerely.

"Second," Du Yuming continued, "our Expeditionary Force's primary mission is to consolidate Burma's defense and protect the safety of the Dian-Mian Highway."

"If we divert a large number of troops to attack Singapore, Burma's defense will inevitably develop gaps."

"The Japanese Army's 33rd Division is still inside Burma, its strength largely intact; should the Japanese seize the opportunity to counterattack, all our previous efforts would be wasted and could even threaten Nanko's security." The Little Devil unit gave Du Yuming a convenient excuse.

Upon hearing this, Marshall's expression grew more urgent: "General Du, I understand your concerns. But trust me, the Japanese Army's focus right now is entirely on invading Australia; they simply have no surplus forces to counterattack Burma."

"Moreover, if we can prevent the Japanese from taking Australia, the pressure on the entire Pacific Theater will ease, and then the Allied Forces can pull more troops to support Burma and Nanko."

In reality, at this time the US Army still had most of its troops waiting at home for transport; the first batch of trained units had already been sent to Hawaii, awaiting the next stage of redeployment.

Beside him, Dai Anlan added: "Mr. Marshall, our troops are not afraid of fighting and are willing to contribute to the fight against the Japanese, but we cannot gamble with their lives, nor can we ignore Burma's defensive security. Please consider whether there is a more prudent plan."

Marshall sighed, his tone tinged with helplessness and pleading: "Generals, I know you have reservations, but there is no more time to hesitate. The Japanese Army's troop‑movement plan is underway; soon they will move south to attack Australia, and then it will be too late. I earnestly ask you to prioritize the big picture, immediately mobilize forces, and launch an attack on the Japanese in Singapore; even merely containing them would be the greatest help to the Allied Forces."

Du Yuming fell silent for a moment, exchanged a glance with Dai Anlan, Liao Yaoxiang and the others, then looked at Marshall and said firmly: "Mr. Marshall, we can dispatch troops to contain the Japanese in Singapore, but we have one condition. The United States must deliver sufficient supplies and weapon support on schedule, and must also send air forces to cooperate with us, containing the Japanese air power; otherwise we cannot guarantee combat effectiveness nor bear any potentially massive losses."

The Burma battlefield lacks air support; both Britain and the United States, upon entering Burma, have pledged to provide air support.

The result was that by the time the Japanese reached Tonggu, the American air units had already fled to India first.

Marshall heard this and was instantly delighted, quickly nodding: "No problem! I'll immediately send a Telegram to Huashengdun, urging them to swiftly allocate supplies and air support; we will meet all your conditions!"

Of course, since Nanko had set the precedent, this time Du Yuming was not holding back with the Americans.

The Expeditionary Force can deploy three divisions—the 200th Division, the 201st Division, and the 96th Division—to attack the Japanese in Southeast Asia.

Seeing this, Marshall naturally thought that the more troops the Expeditionary Force could commit, the better.

Originally, the Expeditionary Force that had withdrawn to India was being reorganized and trained by Stilwell, with funds paid in rupees, but now things were different; Du Yuming, upon seeing that Nanko was offering a direct 2.3 million US Dollars per month to lease a fleet for combat, was surprised.

He believed the Expeditionary Force should not be shortchanged.

Thus he likewise discussed the Expeditionary Force's combat remuneration with Marshall and Stilwell.

Marshall clearly had not anticipated this development, but given the urgency of the war, he immediately agreed.

And so they began negotiating the Expeditionary Force's pay.

The reported troop numbers turned out to be huge; Jiang Anguo reported the figures, with the 200th Division at ___ men, and only the 96th Division actually having 9,000 men.

Obviously Du Yuming is not suited for business; he made a loss‑making deal.

"General Jiang, may I ask, are you certain your troops number that many?" Marshall asked, puzzled, looking at Jiang Anguo.

Jiang Anguo nodded, stating confidently: "General, my troops are in Yangon; you may send someone to count them personally."

Of course, Marshall would not do that, but from the Burma battle reports he could clearly see that the Expeditionary Force's most combat‑effective unit was Jiang Anguo's 201st Division.

Deploying this division into the sequence attacking the Japanese in Southeast Asia, he believed, would relieve pressure on the Australian front.

In the end, the 201st Division received 1.1 million US Dollars per month, the 200th Division 750,000 US Dollars, and the 96th Division 550,000 US Dollars.

The American Army then spent an additional 2.4 million US Dollars.

In fact, the pay was comparable to that of the United States Army, but the Americans were willing to spend any amount as long as someone could contain the Japanese forces from behind.

The tense atmosphere inside the headquarters eased slightly.

Stilwell looked at the scene before him, a satisfied smile appearing on his face; he knew this urgent meeting had finally reached consensus.

And the weight in Marshall's heart finally lifted halfway.

He knew that the Expeditionary Force's sortie might be the only hope of stopping the Japanese from invading Australia.

At this moment, everyone understood that a new brutal war was about to unfold on Southeast Asian soil.

And this battle would decide Australia's fate and the direction of the entire Pacific Theater.