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

On the sixth day, the sun rose from the eastern sky as usual.

In the open space inside the airport, the wreckage of several broken planes were placed alone.

The sunlight slanted onto the bumpy runway that was pitted by the Japanese aerial bombs and artillery shells. A group of John soldiers were filling the deep holes with sand bit by bit. Their movements were mechanical and their expressions were numb.

Not far away, accompanied by the roar of the engine, Zhang Chi's Sherman Organ Tank slowly emerged from the jungle. At this moment, its tail was dragging a tow rope made of twisted steel wire, and the other end of the rope was connected to a Type 95 light tank that looked intact.

The soldiers at the airport witnessed this scene, put down their work, and turned to look in the direction the tanks were coming from.

"Company commander, this is really a bit like a grandfather raising his grandson, don't you think?" A soldier who was moving sandbags wiped his sweat, with a hint of amusement in his eyes, and turned to Hao Yi beside him and said.

Hao Yi glanced at the Type 95 tank, a smile appeared on his face, and replied: "That's right! The Japanese little tank looks like the grandson of our battalion commander's car. It's such a small and exquisite thing, it's really a joke." He said happily, with a bit of pride and teasing in his tone.

"Let me tell you, I captured this little thing," Hao Yi said proudly, continuing to recount his glorious exploits. "At the time, I saw two Japanese tank soldiers trying to start their tanks by shaking the handle. Without a word, I lowered my submachine gun and started firing at them. I shot those two guys like sieves, but this little tank remained intact."

As he spoke, he made a gesture of holding down his submachine gun and shooting from his hip, and the soldiers around him burst into laughter.

Hao Yi spoke with gusto, his face brimming with the pride and satisfaction of victory. Once upon a time, on the battlefields of Hubei Province, Hao Yi's entire platoon couldn't defeat a single Japanese tank that had run out of ammunition. But now, it felt as if this proud Japanese tank was being stomped beneath his feet.

During the Battle of Pegu, the Japanese 1st Tank Regiment repeatedly set up ambushes in the dense rainforest, using flanking and rear-end attacks to destroy numerous M3 light tanks from the 7th Armored Brigade. These M3 light tanks were significantly superior to the Type 95, but the Japanese tank crews, leveraging their tactical advantages, repeatedly succeeded. Consequently, their complacency and lack of vigilance led to a decline in their vigilance. (Yes, the 7th Armored Brigade was transferred to Southeast Asia from the 7th Armored Division, which had been mishandled by Rommel in North Africa. Its emblem was the iconic desert jerboa.)

This time, the careless Japanese tank soldiers were attacked at night in the rainforest, and the last tank reinforced by Major Changpu Xin became Zhang Chi's trophy.

Over there, Zhang Chi was organizing everyone to dig a hole. He planned to bury the captured Type 95 gun in the ground and use it as a fixed artillery position. After all, it was the firepower of a 37mm direct-fire gun and could not be wasted.

At this time, Qi Quan came quickly from a distance with a small notebook, ready to report the statistical results of last night's battle to Zhang Chi.

Among the two company commanders under Zhang Chi, the first company commander Hao Yi wants to make more progress, but he is a second lieutenant who was promoted from a soldier. He has little education and can only lead the charge.

On the contrary, the second company commander Qi Quan had attended the 16th Chuncheng Officer Crash Course and was considered both brave and resourceful. He could not only lead the second company in combat, but also help Zhang Chi with battle statistics, combat planning and logistics arrangements, almost assuming the responsibilities of a staff officer.

It's just that Qi Quan seems to be more impartial towards him than Xiao Dongbei and Hao Yi, so Zhang Chi still trusts the latter two more.

"I don't know who will support and who will oppose these officers under my command when they find out that I am not going to take them back to China."

Zhang Chi shook his head, throwing away the chaotic thoughts in his mind.

"Report to the battalion commander, last night's battle results and casualty statistics are all here." Qi Quan handed the notebook to Zhang Chi. After staying up all night, there was a bit of fatigue in his eyes.

Zhang Chi took the notebook and quickly glanced through it. The numbers on the notebook were clear, and the results and casualties were clear at a glance.

In a night battle, the newly born independent battalion suffered more than 30 casualties.

Compared to the independent battalion, Bai Minghui's 300-strong team was in even worse shape. Lacking food and clothing, they were short on equipment, and armed only with cold weapons. They had been nearly wiped out in this fierce battle. Now, fewer than 150 men were still able to stand, representing a casualty rate exceeding 50%.

However, the results of the battle were also gratifying. The Japanese battalion commander and squadron commander were both killed. A total of 223 Japanese corpses were counted, and a large number of Japanese weapons were seized.

Zhang Chi didn't think much of the pile of Type 38 rifles, Type 99 light machine guns and Type 99 light machine guns. Instead, he was more interested in the four Japanese Type 97 90mm light mortars.

The gun weighs 159 kg and is 1.2 meters long. Each 90 mm mortar shell weighs more than 5 kg and has a range of 3800 meters.

This gun is perfect for infantrymen traversing the rainforest. Its lightweight, detachable structure allows infantrymen to move long distances while still being manpower-carrying, and can provide fire support at critical moments. It is exactly the weapon Zhang Chi needs for rainforest combat.

The unconscious Lieutenant Colonel You and other wounded soldiers were also sent to the field hospital.

This former director of the supplementary training department, whose rank is higher than Zhang Chi's, is likely to try to seize power after waking up. Thinking of this, Zhang Chi couldn't help but feel a little worried.

After all, Zhang Chi had already made up his mind to rely on the supplies provided by the system to fight guerrilla warfare in the mountainous areas north of the Kingdom of Pegu, and he had no intention of returning home for the time being. The order from the Allied Theater Command was also ambiguous: "Gather the remaining troops, persist in the battle, and wait for an opportunity to return home." This vague instruction gave him ample room for maneuver.

Zhang Chi can use this order to continue collecting remnants in this foreign land, while continuing to fight the Japanese, and at the same time use the experience points gained to climb the War Thunder technology tree and exchange for more advanced and powerful vehicles.

Once he has exchanged enough M46 tanks and F86 fighter jets, there is no place in the world that he cannot go.

As for returning to China right away? Zhang Chi threw up his hands and said, "There won't be a good opportunity."

Zhang Chi sneered inwardly at this thought. If he truly returned home with his team, and used his valuable equipment like tanks and planes, it would immediately arouse the suspicion of the White Party's top brass. By then, not only would he not be promoted, but he might even be in danger of losing his life. If he didn't take it, wouldn't his system be wasted?

Therefore, his decision was clear: he would not return to Qian Kingdom until he was strong enough. If Lieutenant Colonel You insisted on seizing command and leading the troops back to the country once he regained consciousness, Zhang Chi was prepared to use some "dirty" means to silence him forever.

Zhang Chi turned his head and looked at Bai Minghui who had just arrived not far away.

The lieutenant's team now has less than 150 mobile soldiers left, and Zhang Chi is ready to swallow them all up and incorporate them all into his own independent battalion.

"Go tell the people you brought with you that I plan to reorganize the 100-plus of you into my independent battalion," Zhang Chi said to Bai Minghui with a stern face. His tone left no room for questioning, his eyes firm and cold. "Do you have any objections?"

In the White Party's army, hierarchy reigned supreme, and whoever had the bigger fist was right. Zhang Chi knew that facing these veteran soldiers, only a firm attitude could earn their respect. Any hesitation or weakness would make him appear easy to fool.

Bai Minghui's heart tightened at Zhang Chi's unyielding attitude. He had heard all about the independent battalion commander's courage and ruthlessness—how he dared to point a pistol at Colonel John's head at a critical moment.

At this moment, Bai Minghui didn't dare to refute at all and nodded repeatedly, fearing that if he said "no", Zhang Chi would immediately pull out a gun and shoot him.

"Alright, you're a real hero." Zhang Chi's tone softened slightly, and he added with a hint of appreciation, "A lieutenant in charge of logistics dares to lead his men to fight the Japanese. Go ahead. After the reorganization is complete, I'll make you a company commander."

Zhang Chi adopted the condescending demeanor common among White Party leaders and waved his hand, his voice unassailable. Bai Minghui seemed quite comfortable with this tough approach, immediately standing at attention and saluting, then quickly turning and running out in a measured pace.

He was the son of a wealthy family in Northeast China, raised in a comfortable environment. Dissatisfied with his father's position as a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Culture of the puppet Anju State, and unwilling to accept his father's arrangement to join the puppet government's puppet security forces, he resolutely journeyed south to join the army. (The well-known Takagi Masao Kaka was serving in the puppet security forces in Xinjing at this time; I wonder if he ever had a bitter drink in the cold wind of Northeast China.)

With his literacy and some mechanical knowledge, Bai Minghui was assigned to the logistics and maintenance department of the newly formed 200th Mechanized Division. Although he worked in logistics, his goal was always clear: to defeat the Japanese.

This time when going abroad to fight, Bai Minghui had only one goal - to kill the Japanese.

Now, he met Zhang Chi, saw the new tanks equipped by Zhang Chi, and witnessed with his own eyes how he completely defeated the Japanese in night battles. Bai Minghui has made up his mind to follow Zhang Chi.