Quartermasters can also fight the devils

Faced with the aggressive stance of the Japanese army, the United States, England and other countries continued to protest, but in order to avoid overly stimulating the Japanese government, the United States, England and other countries did not take any practical and effective measures to respond to the Japanese government.

The appeasement policies of the United States, England and other countries encouraged the Japanese government's aggressive pace. In February 1939, the Japanese army occupied China's Hainan Island, cut off the sea transportation line between Hong Kong Island and Singapore, and directly threatened the colonies of the United States, England, the Netherlands and other countries in Southeast Asia.

At the same time, war clouds were gathering in Europe. For its own interests, England could only seek compromise with the Japanese government by sacrificing China's interests in Asia, so as to concentrate its own strength in Europe to deal with the powerful Germany.

On July 22, the Foreign Minister of the Japanese government and the British ambassador to Japan signed the Arita-Credge Agreement in Tokyo, in which Britain recognized that Japan "has special needs" in China.

However, the concessions taken by England to the Japanese government aroused strong dissatisfaction from the United States. Therefore, on July 26, the United States announced the abolition of the US-Japan Treaty of Commerce and Navigation signed with the Japanese government in 1911.

In 1938, the war between the Chinese government and Japan entered a stalemate phase. The United States's understanding of the Chinese government's role and significance in resisting the Japanese army began to change. Some senior officials in the United States government began to propose to the government through various means that assisting the Chinese government in the war of resistance was of great significance to stopping Japan's expansion of its war of aggression and safeguarding the United States' interests in the Pacific and Southeast Asia.

In 1940, after France was defeated and surrendered to Germany on the European battlefield, the United States was pushed to the front line of the confrontation with the Axis Powers of Germany, Italy and Japan. In September 1940, the Japanese army occupied the northern part of Indochina and signed the Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy, with the United States and England as the main enemies. This completely intensified the contradiction between Japan and the United States.

Immediately, the United States announced an embargo on scrap iron and steel to Japan. At the end of 1940, President Luo of the United States agreed to organize the American Air Force Volunteer Team to fight in China, and sent a military delegation to China to study the issue of military assistance.

On September 1, 1939, the Second World War officially broke out in Europe. On June 4, 1940, after the British and French forces were defeated by the Germans in Dunkirk, the three British home islands became precarious. For the strategic policy of the British country, the primary task in the Far East was to defend India, the colony that exported the most resources, and to regard the remaining colonies as the strategic depth for defending India.

Britain hoped to use the valuable experience and strength of the Chinese government's army in long-term battles with the Japanese army to support Britain's military situation in its Far East colonies, especially Burma, India, and Malaysia, thereby saving Britain from the crisis in the Far East rear.

Therefore, starting from October 1940, Britain was the first to open the long-blocked Burma Road, and then began to plan a military alliance between China and Britain.

At this time, the United States also needed the Chinese government's army to consume a large amount of the strength of the main forces of the Japanese Army in the war, so as to achieve the goal of tying down the Japanese troops on the Chinese battlefield and prevent the main forces of the Japanese Army from pouring into Southeast Asia and the Pacific region to pose a threat to the colonies of the United States.

At the same time, the United States is also making full use of the Chinese government's role as an effective military ally of the United States, and hopes that after the war the Chinese government can become a loyal political ally of the United States in Asia.

However, if the Japanese army occupied Burma and controlled the Burma Road, it would be difficult for the strategic materials, weapons and ammunition provided by the United States and England to the Chinese government. In this case, the Chinese government's army would find it difficult to continue to maintain its position in the face of the fierce attack of the Japanese army. This would be extremely detrimental to the global strategy of the United States government. Therefore, the United States actively supported the Chinese government to send troops into Burma to fight the Japanese army.

In January 1941, the British government appointed Major General Dennis as the army military attaché to the Chinese government and began to discuss the issue of a military alliance between China and Britain with the Chinese government. At the same time, Britain also invited a military investigation team from the Chinese government to visit Myanmar, India and Malaysia. Later, after many consultations between the Chinese government and Britain, the two sides signed the "Sino-British Joint Defense of the Burma Road Agreement" on December 23, 1941, formally forming a Sino-British military alliance.

After China and England signed the "Agreement on Joint Defense of the Burma Road", the Chinese government decided to organize a Chinese Expeditionary Force to go to Burma to support the British army in fighting against the Japanese army.

When the Chinese Expeditionary Force formed by the Chinese government arrived at the border between China and Myanmar in Yunnan Province, Commander Du placed his headquarters in Dali, while the 200th Division, the vanguard of the expeditionary force, entered Baoshan. However, Britain was still watching the specific direction of the Japanese army's actions and did not agree to the Chinese Expeditionary Force, which had already arrived at the border, to enter Myanmar.

In January 1942, the Sixth Army, the vanguard of the Chinese Expeditionary Force, had arrived at the Yunnan-Burma border. However, the British government still had illusions about the Japanese attack and did not immediately agree to the Chinese Expeditionary Force's crossing the border into Burma. At the same time, the Chinese government's Military Commission also stepped up the mobilization of the Chinese Expeditionary Force.

On January 30, 1942, the Japanese offensive forces quickly captured all the important towns in eastern Burma. In February 1942, England saw the ferocious speed of the Japanese offensive and knew that it could not withstand the speed of the Japanese offensive with its own troops in Burma. So, in accordance with the agreement, it asked the Chinese Expeditionary Force for help in the defense of Burma.

In early February 1942, only the 49th and 93rd Divisions of the Sixth Army of the Chinese Expeditionary Force entered the Jingdong area of ​​Myanmar, while the rest of the Chinese Expeditionary Force was still gathering and waiting near the Burma Road.

On February 16, 1942, the Japanese army began to attack Rangoon, the capital of Myanmar. This time, England could no longer sit still and directly sent a request to the Chinese government, hoping that the Chinese government's expeditionary force would enter Myanmar to fight against the Japanese army.

After receiving the formal request from Britain, the Military Commission of the Chinese Government ordered Commander Du, Deputy Commander of the First Route Army of the Chinese Expeditionary Force, to lead the Fifth Army, Sixth Army, and Sixty-sixth Army of the Chinese Government, a total of ten divisions and more than 100,000 officers and soldiers, into Burma to begin fighting in aid of Britain.