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

Therefore, the only thing he could provide was air support and partial arms aid, as well as troops entering western Yunnan by land as quickly as possible to attack the Japanese in Songshan, Tengchong and Longling from behind.

Zhang Chi thought quickly in his mind. Since Wei Junru's fighting style was similar to that in history, he would just stick to the original plan.

Thinking of this, he exchanged glances with Tan Zhijie, coughed lightly, and said, "Our main force is mainly equipped with mechanized vehicles. It will be quite difficult to directly cross Gaoligong Mountain and enter western Yunnan."

When Zhao Zizhuo heard this, his face darkened slightly.

In his view, the so-called "mechanized troops" were nothing more than troops equipped with trucks pulling artillery and small tanks, like the 200th Mechanized Division.

The so-called inability to adapt to mountain marching sounds more like an excuse for refusal - there is really no other reason not to send troops to attack the Japanese.

Wasn’t the bloody battle of Kunlun Pass fought by the 200th Division a great victory?

Zhang Chi knew at a glance that Zhao Zizhuo had misunderstood.

He felt helpless and sighed that this misunderstanding was not an isolated case.

Just like before encountering the White Eagle Army on the peninsula in the future, the Volunteer Army had a similar understanding of mechanized forces.

The so-called mechanized forces were little more than the White Party's five aces, or at most a bit stronger than them, with a few trucks, a few jeeps, a few Stuart light tanks, and a few 105mm and 155mm howitzers.

However, when they encountered the heavily armed 1st Marine Division and 1st Cavalry Division of the White Eagle Army on the peninsula, they realized that they had been tricked by the White Party and immediately suffered from "fear of insufficient firepower", a mental illness that even continued into the 21st century.

Zhang Chi's troops were obviously no match for the White Party's "truck troops".

His troops were well-equipped. Each ordinary infantry division was equipped with hundreds of mortars and howitzers, while the soldiers generally used submachine guns and semi-automatic rifles with huge bullet consumption.

The logistical needs were extremely large, and the transportation of ammunition, fuel, and food all relied on half-track vehicles.

If the support of inland waterway or railway lines is lost, it will be necessary to rely entirely on roads to maintain the supply of ammunition and fuel.

After all, the "shoulder-carrying and hand-held" and "mule-horse empire" cannot afford to supply mechanized troops.

Not to mention the light tanks, medium tanks, and various self-propelled artillery of the armored forces, which can only advance along roads or plains. Once they cross mountains and ridges, the probability of mechanical failure will increase greatly, and they will easily get into trouble.

(During a battle on the peninsula, the White Eagle Army advanced entirely along the highway, making it very easy to predict their route. This provided the Volunteer Army with opportunities for large-scale penetration and outflanking. Later, the White Eagle Army learned to be smarter, laying out their forces in a straight line and occupying the hilltops, making it difficult to fight.)

Zhang Chi quickly added, "Adjutant Zhao, I have no intention of shirking responsibility. It's just that mechanized troops cannot march without roads. Once the battle begins, after capturing Bhamo in Pegu, we will advance eastward along the old Burma Road, passing through Wanding and Mangshi (both counties are on the Burma Road), and then attack the Japanese in Longling directly from behind."

(The Burma Road goes east along Longling, Baoshan, Xiaguan and all the way to Chuncheng)

As he spoke, he pointed his finger at the sand table to outline an eastward route, and said firmly: "Once the logistics are cut off, the Japanese troops stationed in the fortified fortifications in Tengchong and Songshan will be like ducks in the pot, at the mercy of others."

After a pause, he continued, "In addition to this, our army can also provide some military support and arrange air cover. I will dispatch an air force ground liaison team to your headquarters to coordinate air strikes and provide support for your operations."

When this was said, the C-47 gunboat version of the Zhangchi plan, equipped with 40mm Bofors and 12.7mm machine guns, was being intensively modified.

After listening to this, Zhao Zizhuo had a complicated expression, with shock and admiration in his eyes.

He was silent for a moment, then suddenly stood up straight and saluted Zhang Chi with a standard military salute again, his tone solemn:

"Commander Zhang's dedication to the country and the nation is truly admirable! With your army's full cooperation, we will be able to quickly remove these obstacles and win a decisive victory in the battle to recapture western Yunnan!"

Zhang Chi nodded slightly, his eyes filled with contemplation. Although the wheel of history was difficult to change, this time, he would do his best to minimize unnecessary sacrifices.

Thinking of this, Zhang Chi waved his hand slightly, his tone calm but with a hint of heaviness: "Adjutant Zhao, please convey a few words to Commander Wei for me."

"First, we must ensure the secrecy of this plan." Zhang Chi paused, his gaze sweeping across the sand table. "You can continue with the original plan of feigning a primary attack on Tengchong to draw the Japanese from Longling and Songshan. However, the plan to join forces with us to encircle Longling must be kept strictly confidential. If the Japanese strengthen Longling's defenses prematurely, unnecessary casualties will inevitably increase significantly."

"Second, the attack must be steady and cautious. When facing the enemy's mountain fortifications, earthwork excavation can significantly reduce casualties. I will allocate 12 armored bulldozers, as well as some Eagle Aid flamethrowers and bazookas, to you from Spring City to enhance your offensive capabilities."

"Of course, this is just a friendly reminder from our allies, not an order." Zhang Chi's tone gradually became firmer, his eyes gleaming. "But I believe that as long as Commander Wei maintains his composure and cooperates with our aerial bombardment and ground attacks, this campaign in western Yunnan has every chance of achieving great results with relatively few casualties."

However, he knew in his heart that Wei Junru, a veteran of the battlefield, might not care about what he said as a friendly soldier overseas.

In addition, even if Wei Junru can remain calm and steady, the superiors, in order to fulfill the so-called "dinner at the table" promise to Baiying, may ignore the actual situation on the front line at the critical moment and force the troops to attack fiercely in order to achieve results as soon as possible.

After all, in that person's cognition, airplanes are not weapons used for air control and bombing, but "efficient means of transportation" used to airdrop warrants.

Even the sieve-like intelligence protection within the White Party is not optimistic about whether it can truly prevent leaks.

Zhang Chi knew that these words were nothing more than his best efforts, leaving the rest to fate. But as a time traveler, he still hoped that through his own efforts, he could bring about some change in this war-torn land.

"Okay, I'll definitely convey these words." Zhao Zizhuo agreed readily, with a somewhat relaxed tone. However, he didn't take Zhang Chi's suggestion too seriously.

The original goal of meeting Zhang Chi this time was just to obtain air support and the promise of aid of fuel and ammunition, but unexpectedly, he got Zhang Chi's guarantee that he would send ground troops to attack Longling.

Zhao Zizhuo was in a very happy mood at the moment, and even felt a sense of satisfaction for having completed the task beyond expectations.

As for Zhang Chi's last two reminders, Zhao Zizhuo disagreed and even felt that the other party was making a big deal out of nothing.

After all, the entire army believed at this time that the 20 expeditionary forces had enough confidence to fight the Japanese after they were equipped with some of their weapons and each division was reinforced with 12 75mm mountain guns or 105mm howitzers.

At this time, the expeditionary force was also full of confidence in its own combat effectiveness and morale was high.

"Just because you annihilated half of the 56th Division and a brigade, you really think you are a tactician who can guide General Wei. Aren't you too conceited?" Zhao Zizhuo secretly complained.

Although he admired Zhang Chi's behavior for the country and the people, he couldn't help but have some prejudice against Zhang Chi. He thought that the other party was a little arrogant for reaching a high position at such a young age.

Finally, after arranging the reception of 7000 orphan soldiers, Zhao Zizhuo boarded the return plane with Zhang Chi's promise.