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

"Commander, I see you are asking the soldiers to build a boat. Are we going to abandon the airport and escape?" Bai Minghui suddenly asked, with a bit of urgency and confusion in his tone.

He wanted nothing more than to fight the Japanese with all his might, not to retreat, to retreat endlessly. He had followed the 200th Division from Toungoo to Lashio, and from Lashio to Bhamo, but he no longer wanted to retreat.

"We have the supplies left by John's men and a solid defense line. Why don't we fight the devils to the death here?"

After hearing Bai Minghui's questioning, Zhang Chi stopped and his face became serious.

"Escape?" he repeated the word, his voice firm.

When Zhang Chi first heard this question, he felt a little angry because he felt his decision was being questioned.

But when he, a former college student, put himself in the shoes of Bai Minghui who was living in this era, he could probably understand why Bai Minghui thought this way.

He suppressed his anger and patiently explained to Bai Minghui: "This is not called running away. After the enemy advances and we retreat, there are still twelve words: if the enemy stays, we harass; if the enemy is tired, we attack; if the enemy retreats, we pursue."

"The temporary retreat is to better kill the enemy in the future. It is satisfying to be brave for a while, but only by staying alive can we continue to fight with the sacrifices of our brothers. What? Don't you want to avenge your Commander Dai and kill more devils?" Zhang Chi's voice was like a knife, cutting through the doubts in Bai Minghui's heart.

Bai Minghui was stunned, as if he had not fully understood Zhang Chi's intention.

Zhang Chi looked around and noticed that the other soldiers in the tower were also staring at him, their eyes filled with confusion and uneasiness. This wasn't just Bai Minghui's doubt; many soldiers in the independent battalion probably shared the same thought.

It seemed that this issue needed to be explained clearly to everyone, otherwise the team's morale and unity would inevitably be affected. After all, real-world soldiers were not like the obedient NPCs in the game. Every living person had their own ideas. If Zhang Chi wanted to command them with ease, he had to try to instill his own ideas into the soldiers' minds, just like the famous generals in history.

"Captain Bai," Zhang Chi turned to Bai Minghui and said, "Go inform the entire battalion. Everyone except the sentries should gather at the tower. I have something important to announce."

Zhang Chi decided to teach a lesson to these expeditionary soldiers who only had two simple concepts in their minds: fight and escape.

Bai Minghui hesitated for a moment, then stood at attention and saluted, then quickly walked downstairs to convey the order.

Zhang Chi stood at the tower window, gazing at the busy soldiers in the distance, his mind silently pondering. These expeditionary soldiers before him had endured countless harrowing retreats, both at home and in this foreign land of Pegu. Each retreat meant a difficult evacuation, an endless flight, and the death of their comrades one after another. Now, these soldiers, having endured countless hardships, were already on the brink of mental collapse; they could no longer bear the word "retreat" easily.

In the eyes of these soldiers, retreat wasn't simply a strategic shift, but rather a symbol of humiliation and defeat. Each retreat felt like a ruthless crushing of their convictions and a shattering of their fighting spirit. They longed to confront the enemy head-on, to avenge their comrades, and to wash away the pain within them through victory.

Zhang Chi sighed. Building a strong army is a long and arduous task.

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Soon after, nearly three hundred soldiers gathered in the open space in front of the tower.

Zhang Chi found a few wooden boxes and built a temporary podium. He stood on the stage holding a handmade loudspeaker made of rolled iron sheets.

There was a tense sense of anticipation in the air, and the soldiers' eyes were fixed on him, waiting for his next speech.

"The Japanese will send two squadrons to attack our airport in three days." Zhang Chi spoke, his voice echoing in the open space. The originally bustling crowd gradually quieted down, and everyone pricked up their ears.

"With our equipment and firepower, repelling these four hundred devils won't be difficult." He paused and looked around. It was his first time speaking in front of so many people, and he felt a little nervous, but he tried to keep his eyes firm. "But the price we'll pay won't be small. Victory will inevitably come at the cost of some sacrifices."

"But the question is, what happens after we win?" Zhang Chi changed the subject. "The Japanese will send another battalion. If one battalion can't defeat us, they'll send two more battalions, until they wipe out all 300 of us at this airport."

The expressions of the soldiers in the audience gradually became serious, and every word Zhang Chi said struck their hearts.

"I'm building ships, but not for escape!" Zhang Chi's voice suddenly rose. At this moment, he felt that MacArthur, smoking a corn pipe, was with him. He looked directly at the soldiers in the audience, "Defending the airport and fighting the Japanese to the death is simple. But what will the result be? Do you think that if you fight like this, you will win in the end? If everyone sacrifices, will you usher in final victory?"

He paused, replaying fragments of Hans' speeches in his mind. His tone was filled with unquestionable authority. He waved his right arm and shouted, "I say, no! No! From ancient times to the present, no war has ever been won through bloodshed and sacrifice! If you want to win, you must make the enemy bleed more and sacrifice more lives! I will take you north by boat into the mountains to fight guerrilla warfare and kill more devils!"

The soldiers in the audience were silent, but everyone's heart was surging with emotion.

Zhang Chi continued, "To grow and develop in the mountainous area, we must kill and wound the devils while preserving ourselves. Following the principle of 'when the enemy advances, we retreat; when the enemy camps, we harass; when the enemy tires, we attack; when the enemy retreats, we pursue', we will gradually erode the enemy! I guarantee you that each of you will be able to kill at least five devils before you die. Five!"

"Five!" Zhang Chi spread out his five fingers and emphasized to the people below the stage.

Zhang Chi yelled at the top of his lungs, every word blasting through the soldiers' ears. "Now, I'm giving you a choice. Do you want to stay at the airport and fight the devils, killing at most two or three before you die? Or do you want to come north with me? One day, we'll reach Fuso Island together, bring the flames of war to their land, and wash our tracks with their blood?"

These words were like a bombshell, dropped into the heart of every soldier.

Zhang Chi's words held a captivating power, embodying the soldiers' deepest desires and fighting spirit. Yet, they struggled internally: here and now, with ample supplies and superior weapons, the thought of retreat resurfaced, but it was accompanied by an endless sense of shame. After all, they had been on the run for too long, experiencing countless failures. Their weariness with retreat far outweighed their desire to survive.

People are truly amazing, aren't they? Just a few days ago, they were just a group of terrified, defeated soldiers. Zhang Chi's appearance and their successive victories gave them the courage to fight. But once they gained their courage, they only wanted to stay where they were and fight the Japanese to the death.

"Their land! Their blood!" At this moment, Hao Yi suddenly raised his fist and shouted loudly. This shout broke the silence in the air, and the soldiers were ignited one after another.

"Their land! Their blood!" Several soldiers from the first company also raised their right fists and shouted, their voices becoming louder and louder.

"Their land! Their blood!" Almost instantly, everyone in the entire open space, from soldiers to officers, raised their right fists and shouted in unison. The voices gradually gathered into a powerful torrent, echoing throughout the entire airport, as if to completely wash away all the depression, fear and anxiety.

Zhang Chi stood on the stage, looking at the fighting spirit and passion burning in the eyes of more than 300 people with satisfaction.

He jumped off the podium with a barely perceptible smile on his face. At that moment, the flame of victory had already ignited in the hearts of these soldiers, and he was the one who ignited it all.