Chapter 90: Establishing Authority

It is precisely because Jiang Anguo is the battalion commander that we cannot Exchange senior officers.

Jiang Anguo just now recalled that his rank does indeed appear higher than everyone else's; his current rank is only below Hu Xianqun.

A battalion commander is usually a major, but Jiang Anguo, after uncovering the Japanese army's movements, was promoted one grade and is now a Colonel.

Thus, having him command the Expeditionary Force soldiers of Lashu's six battalions is not wrong.

On the battlefield, the commanders have all fled, so the successor must be a subordinate of the fleeing commander; you can't have the lowest soldiers suddenly promoted to commander.

Jiang Anguo gathered the New 28th Division, New 29th Division, six battalions, and the battalion commanders at the former Lashu Staff Corps command post for a brief operational meeting.

He said, "I've gathered you today for one purpose: from now on, no one may retreat; anyone who tries to flee will be subject to military law."

"On what grounds do you forbid me to leave?" a troublemaker soon shouted.

Jiang Anguo said no more, and located the troublemaker among the crowd—or rather, within the troops.

The others were also poised to speak up, but hadn't opened their mouths.

"Bang."

The crack of the bullet, a distant head instantly sprayed with blood, and the faces and clothes of nearby soldiers were also stained with the slain soldier's blood.

Everyone stared at Jiang Anguo in panic.

Jiang Anguo stood atop an oil drum; Lashu has so many oil drums that they are uncountable.

"Who still wants to go, I'll let them go now."

Behind Jiang Anguo, a 500-man Guard Company, armed with spears and submachine guns, confronted the would‑be deserters.

The troops of the New 28th and 29th Divisions are not foolish; they know that this "going" does not mean returning home.

Jiang Anguo nodded, saying, "Very well, since no one is leaving, I now tell you that Lashu must be held, but rest assured I won't die defending it. With my th Division ahead, your task is simple: assist my forces in building the site and prepare to transport supplies to the front line."

As Jiang Anguo spoke.

"Buzz—"

The aircraft noise, clearly not from an American plane; at this moment American aircraft dare not enter Myanmar's skies.

If there were American fighters, they could at least meet the Japanese army on equal terms in the Myanmar battlefield.

The aircraft's stealthy lethality was indeed significant, and those below instantly panicked, "What chaos? We've never seen an aircraft."

"Look at it, how it appears—concealed, entering houses concealed." In this situation, even Jiang Anguo is powerless unless he immediately deploys the Anti‑Aircraft Company's fire.

But Jiang Anguo didn't consider this a chance, so upon first spotting the Japanese, he did not have the Anti‑Aircraft Company under Zhao Xincai fire at the aircraft.

Because anti‑air fire now would expose his position, the Japanese would surely dispatch a squadron of aircraft to bomb Lashu.

Jiang Anguo worries the Japanese will attack Lashu, given that the flight altitude is so low—under a thousand meters.

One can imagine how brazen the Japanese aircraft are.

"They actually flew over Lashu's sky," Jiang Anguo said, looking up.

It appears the Japanese are not aiming to attack Lashu.

That would be odd—perhaps they intend to bomb Yunnan, but the aircraft would have to take off from Tonggu, and Yunnan still has Chen Nade's fighters, so it shouldn't be feasible.

Soon the Reconnaissance Company relayed that the Japanese had attacked transport vehicles and personnel on the Dian-Mian Highway.

"Fine, the Japanese planes have left; why keep hiding!" Jiang Anguo shouted.

He has already instructed Meng Fanle to send men to block Lashu's rear road; to go back inland from Lashu one must use the Dian-Mian Highway, while any other route means traversing mountains and confronting endless ranges.

One of Jiang Anguo's headaches is Lashu's supplies; the mountain‑like stockpiles amount to at least ten thousand tons stored at Lashu.

Thousands of fuel drums are also stacked on both sides of the road.

Chaos—too chaotic.

Lashu's supplies are a chicken‑rib, yet also the Japanese's soft spot; the Japanese's long‑range raids can only solve logistics on site, but their attack routes go through scarcely traveled areas.

Thus, the Japanese aim is certainly to capture Lashu's supplies, replenish, and then continue their advance.

In that case, Jiang Anguo believes he remains safe in Lashu, at least he won't be killed by Japanese bombers there.

Jiang Anguo also had a sliver of luck: he didn't order the Anti‑Aircraft Company to fire; had he opened fire at first, his position would indeed have been exposed.

Before meeting the Lashu city defense troops' battalion officers, Jiang Anguo first assigned the twenty battalion‑level officers he had exchanged.

He combined the 1st Company (Company Commander Yao Quanyi), the 2nd Company (Company Commander Guan Qiang), and the 3rd Company (Company Commander Zhang Quan) into a battalion.

Battalion commander Yue Lin, with a defensive specialty, and deputy battalion commander Qian Desheng, with an offensive specialty.

Their specialties perfectly complement each other—one defense, one offense.

This is Jiang Anguo's Independent Battalion's First Battalion.

The 4th, 5th, and 6th Companies were organized as the Independent Battalion's Second Battalion, with battalion commander Yang Zhi (position‑defense specialty) and deputy battalion commander Li Jun (combat‑will specialty).

Li Jun is better suited for combat mobilization tasks, and the soldiers of the Second Battalion are on the front‑line positions.

Relatively, the Second Battalion's combat power is stronger; the 2nd and 3rd Companies are largely made up of Chanda's deserters.

All forces of the Second Battalion have combat missions, while the First Battalion's troops, aside from Yao Quanyi's company taken into Lashu, remain at Jiang Anguo's camp for rest.

All battalion‑level units lack any direct subordinate units, so Yue Lin and Yang Zhi must each select one of the three lower companies as their battalion headquarters.

It's not that Jiang Anguo failed to arrange; they have already entered the combat zone, and a sudden reorganization would severely impact combat effectiveness.

Although no additional units are added, the Anti‑Aircraft Company has already been allocated to the First Battalion, with part on the front positions of the 4th and 6th Companies and the remainder on the 5th Company and Tank Company positions.

Jiang Anguo transferred two platoons (each forty men) from his Guard Company, giving one to the First Battalion and one to the Second Battalion.

Independent Battalion's Third Battalion, battalion commander Hu Dali (jungle specialty) and deputy battalion commander Huang Xuan (mountain specialty).

Coincidentally, the 7th, 8th, and 9th Companies' commanders also have jungle and mountain specialties, so this unit is especially suited for jungle and mountain combat, meaning they are ideal for the Shanbang Plateau in northern Myanmar.

The 8th Company is currently absent, as it has other missions; its entire regiment is in the th Division, which is advancing north from Dongzhi according to Du Lvming's directive.