The expeditionary force began to dominate Southeast Asia by recruiting defeated soldiers

As the top leader of the 212th Division, Zhang Chi lip-serviced the government, shouting, "Expand the army, prepare for war!" He then went to meet with the elders of the Pegu State's Kekanbang Anti-Japanese Autonomous Committee to discuss the land distribution issue.

Chief of Staff Tan Zhijie, who was actually in charge of the specifics of the expansion, was completely swamped. Just the paperwork for rewriting the newly compiled rosters took him and his staff of over 40 people three days and three nights.

If Tan Zhijie used to be just an ordinary staff officer of a miscellaneous division with the title of Whampoa Military Academy graduate, then now he is the steward of an entire army-level team and an absolutely powerful person.

However, although it is said that "once you have power, you can issue orders", Tan Zhijie, who just turned 30, touched his increasingly thinning hair and felt a mixture of pain and happiness.

Zhang Chi, the hands-off boss, is only responsible for combat and the provision of various weapons. The food, clothing, housing, and transportation of more than 4 people in the 212th Division, including logistics personnel, all fall on the shoulders of Tan Zhijie alone. As a result, his office turned into a vegetable market early in the morning.

"Old Tan, I brought you some top-notch river crabs. Look, they're freshly caught from the rice paddies, all mother and baby! Steam them at home and dip them in vinegar. They're incredible!"

The new commander of the Second Column, Bai Minghui, carrying a string of river crabs tied with straw, ignored the obstruction of the bespectacled clerk and rushed directly into Tan Zhijie's office.

"Damn it, when it comes to eating, no one in our 212th Division can compare to you except the division commander. Tell me, what the hell do you want?" The busy and overwhelmed Tan Zhijie spoke very rudely, with a lot of feminine connotations.

"I want cannons, I want artillerymen, you have to give me dozens of 105mm howitzers." Bai Minghui put the crab with bared fangs and claws on the cabinet with a smile, and picked up the sherry that Tan Zhijie had placed in the cabinet and poured himself a glass.

"You already have 168 Type 60 mortars and 24 Type 75 mountain guns in your fucking column. Do you want more guns? Do you have enough artillery? Do you have enough tractors? Yes, yes, yes, I want everything. Drink my wine and get out of here." Tan Zhijie cursed angrily.

"Oh, Old Tan, it is said that the cannon is the courage of the soldiers. For the sake of this crab full of crab roe, please give us our courage." Bai Minghui was not angry even after being scolded, and begged shamelessly.

Now the 105-level towed artillery is in the hands of the Artillery Column, and the M4A3 (105) medium tank with the 105 gun is in the armored battalion directly under Zhang Chi. Bai Minghui's Second Column only has a 75 gun. If a battle really breaks out, he will have to find friendly units to coordinate artillery fire, which makes him unable to sleep well.

"How dare you talk about crabs? The crabs sold by the villagers outside the base can be exchanged for a basket of things for one silver dollar. Even my glass of good sherry has to be bought with a knife." Tan Zhijie frowned and put down the pen in his hand, revealing a distressed expression.

You have to know that the sherry was specially given to him by Zhang Chi because he sympathized with his hard work. He usually didn't want to drink it.

"Old Tan, please be kind. Next time I kill a Japanese colonel, I'll get you a sword with my family crest."

"Your nose is like a dog's. Twelve White Eagle M2 105mm howitzers were just airlifted in yesterday. They're supposed to be used as reserves for the artillery corps. I'll assign them to you first." Tan Zhijie couldn't stand Bai Minghui's harassment and finally gave in. He shouted to the outside, "Xiao Yu, bring me Form A-12."

Soon, a staff officer came in with a pile of forms.

"Fill it out. We'll handle special matters specially. Get out of here as soon as you've filled it out. The 105 howitzers will be delivered to your Second Column's base in a while." Tan Zhijie knocked on the table with an unhappy look on his face.

However, just as one problem was solved, another one arose and there was noise outside the door again.

Tan Zhijie grabbed his hair and yelled at the door at the top of his lungs, "Which new regimental commander is here again? Tell him to go to the reception desk to get a form, fill it out, and then ask his column commander to stamp it. Uniforms, weapons, and ammunition must all be collected according to the form. This isn't a fucking nursery. There's no point in him running to my office!"

With a bang, the office door was pushed open, and Qi Quan, the commander of the First Corps, walked in. He saw Bai Minghui was also stunned for a moment, then immediately said: "Chief of Staff Tan, you have to help me coordinate with these new graduates of the Engineering School. My engineering battalion in this column doesn't even know how to do explosives right now, but we are counting on these students to lead the way."

At this moment, Tan Zhijie felt like a thousand alpacas were running through his heart. Although he was very grateful to Zhang Chi for giving him such great power and 100% trust, could you, Commander Zhang, come and take charge of this group of people?

-----

When the watch hands pointed to three o'clock in the afternoon, Zhang Chi whistled and left the empty warehouse.

The warehouse that was once empty and covered several acres is now filled with neatly parked M22 'Cicada' light airborne tanks (the picture is at the end of the chapter, the author said) and M8 'Teapot' light self-propelled artillery.

These two little guys are the main armored forces that Zhang Chi prepared for Hao Yi's fast movement.

之前作为主力的M4A3（105）中型坦克虽然正面防护上可以抵御所有鬼子坦克的主炮，105mm的主炮火力也异常强大，但30多吨的重量意味着它在遍布雨林的勃固只能沿着公路线或铁路线行进。

On the contrary, the M22 and M8, with their small bodies and light weight, can easily pass through muddy roads and travel through rainforests. They are suitable for fast movements such as pincer attacks and large-scale detours.

其中不到7.5吨的M22装备了37mm主炮、1500米穿深50mm，正好可以远距离击穿鬼子的九五轻、八九中、九七中等坦克，同时研发只需4000经验点，张弛派出装甲部队随便袭击几个鬼子外围据点就研发出来了。

As for purchasing, as a small tank that can be stuffed into a glider for landing, the retail price in the system is only 2100 Silver Lions.

The 15.6-ton M8 (due to the weight of its 75mm gun) boasted a top speed of 64 km/h and ample soft-kill capability. Having previously served as a support unit within an armored battalion and been deployed to other infantry units during combat, it was well-received by the infantry. The Japanese's strategically placed light and heavy machine gun emplacements were no match for its 75mm gun.

At the same time, its price is not expensive, only 2100 Silver Lion Coins are required.

Having made a fortune, Zhang Chi simply bought hundreds of tanks each. These tanks were incorporated into the armored battalion and self-propelled artillery battalion of the fast column. He had no worries about gasoline and planned to incorporate the excess tanks into the two infantry columns to further strengthen their combat effectiveness.

After all, the mountainous and rainforest-filled terrain of northern Bago is just right for these little guys to perform.

Zhang Chi wanted to let the stingy Japanese see how the rich fought. Even the infantry units under his command had to have armored cover.