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

Tan Zhijie decided to express his gratitude to the commander of the independent regiment in person and see if he could do anything for his savior.

He gripped the thick wooden crutch tightly, struggled to get up from the ground, and limped out of the tent with difficulty.

What greeted him was the bustle and sense of order that was unique to the military camp he was familiar with.

Glancing around, he saw a soldier wearing a colorful poncho.

He knew they were soldiers from the Independent Regiment. They all wore colorful green ponchos, which made them very different from the soldiers of the Fifth Expeditionary Force, who only wore green uniforms. (Zhang Chi had given all the soldiers jungle camouflage ponchos.)

So Tan Zhijie reached out and pulled the soldier over, and asked anxiously:

"I'm Lieutenant Colonel Tan Zhijie, the staff officer of the newly formed 219th Division. Where is your regimental commander? I want to see him."

The soldier looked up at the man in front of him who was wearing a tattered military uniform but had a lieutenant colonel collar badge on his collar. He was stunned for a moment and then pointed him in the direction of the regimental headquarters tent.

Tan Zhijie did not thank him, but instead said in a slightly scolding tone:

"Be more vigilant next time. How could you casually tell a stranger your commander's location? What if I'm a Japanese soldier in disguise?"

The soldier was stunned and stood there, feeling aggrieved and confused.

"He was the one who asked me, and I answered out of kindness, but I got scolded instead..." The soldier cursed inwardly, "He's just a dog biting Lü Dongbin, he doesn't know how kind a person is, huh."

As he walked, Tan Zhijie's attention was attracted by the long strip of land in front of him.

Countless soldiers in military uniforms were working with local villagers, with shovels and hoes flying, obviously they were building something intensively.

"Airport?"

He muttered to himself, full of surprise.

He thought that this independent regiment was also looking for an opportunity to return home, but he didn't expect that they showed their intention to stay in this remote rainforest for a long time.

A roar came from the river not far away. Tan Zhijie looked in the direction of the sound and saw four amphibious tanks he had never seen before lined up in a row and floating in the water.

The main gun in the turret was constantly spewing flames, and several shells streaked across the river, smashing the wooden targets in the rainforest on the opposite bank into pieces.

He stared at the amphibious tanks in amazement. Even the arrogant John people didn't have such equipment?

"This mere independent regiment actually has four amphibious vehicles. Could it be that the regimental commander is the illegitimate son of the Allied commander?"

He shook his head, threw the outrageous idea out of his head, and continued on his way.

Then his eyes were drawn to the large medical tent covered with camouflage netting.

In the tent, the medical officer Hao who had cured his injured leg was busy treating the wounds of other wounded soldiers.

Tan Zhijie recognized the identities of the wounded soldiers from their uniforms. They were all his compatriots from the Fifth Army who had once struggled for survival in the Savage Mountains like him.

He suddenly felt a sharp pain in his heart, thinking of his comrades who would never be able to leave the rainforest, and whose bodies might have been sucked dry of blood by leeches.

The nightmarish scenes made his steps slow down a little, and a sense of self-blame surged in his heart.

"If I had persuaded the Master earlier not to risk entering Savage Mountain, perhaps... perhaps they wouldn't have died so miserably."

Tan Zhijie's thoughts were in a mess, but he soon forced himself to suppress them - after all, the living must keep moving forward.

However, as he walked past the medical tent, the scene in front of him stunned him again.

The artillery of the independent regiment was practicing with four heavy howitzers in the open field.

In just a few minutes, he was shocked several times, just like Granny Liu when she entered the Grand View Garden.

He stared in amazement at how this regimental-level unit possessed such heavy firepower.

The newly formed 219th Division where he was located had only ten 75mm mountain guns.

This scene made him wonder: "Where on earth is this independent group?"

Further ahead, he saw several John's trucks practicing S-turns on the training ground.

Not far away, a team of infantry were conducting infantry-tank coordination training with a new type of heavy tank.

He took a closer look and was also surprised by the equipment of these infantrymen.

Most of the soldiers were armed with submachine guns and light machine guns, wore steel helmets, and carried grenades. Their equipment was so elite that it was even comparable to that of the military's officer suicide squads.

They were strong and had rosy complexions, and one could tell at a glance that the food was good. Moreover, the whole team seemed full of energy and spirit, as if they were not affected at all by the overall defeat of the expeditionary force.

"What kind of army is this?" His doubts grew stronger and stronger, and his eyes unconsciously turned to the command tent in the distance.

----

After the guards verified his identity, Tan Zhijie was finally allowed to enter the command tent.

Pushing open the tent curtain, he stepped in with curiosity.

The scene in front of him startled him. The commander of the independent regiment sitting behind the table was actually his familiar junior from the Whampoa Military Academy - Zhang Chi.

Although time has passed, the rich boy who was a little arrogant and incompetent back then is now wearing a colonel's uniform, but Tan Zhijie recognized him at a glance.

"Achi?"

"Senior Tan?" Zhang Chi, the time traveler, recalled his previous life's memories and recognized the person in front of him.

Upon hearing this, Tan Zhijie couldn't help but smile bitterly. "Ah, what senior? I'm Lieutenant Colonel Tan Zhijie, Staff Officer of the newly formed 219th Division, and I send my regards to Colonel Zhang Chi."

He stood on one leg with his crutch tucked under his armpit. His movements were not fast, but his salute posture was still standard and solemn.

This salute was not only a tribute to Zhang Chi's military rank, but also a tribute to Zhang Chi's gratitude for saving his life and rescuing so many soldiers of the Fifth Army from desperate situations.

"Staff officer? Senior Tan, are you the staff officer of the 219th Division?" Zhang Chi's eyes lit up instantly.

Tan Zhijie nodded, wondering what was so surprising about this?

After graduating from the military academy, they went their separate ways and lost contact. Although he had already been a staff officer at the division headquarters, which was considered a relatively fast promotion, it shouldn't have excited Zhang Chi, the colonel-ranked commander of the independent regiment, so much, right?

"Great!" Zhang Chi slammed the table and walked over. "This person really misses his mother's family. The child's uncle is here."

He said this not because he wanted to join the group of mountain eagles, but because the mountains of paperwork could finally be handed over to professionals.

Zhang Chi unceremoniously pushed Tan Zhijie to sit behind his luxurious mahogany desk, his eyes shining like a drowning man who had just seen a life-saving straw.

"Senior Tan, it doesn't matter if your leg is injured. Please help me with these documents. I'm tired of this paperwork."

Before Tan Zhijie could react, a thick stack of documents and reports was placed in front of him.

Without EXCEL and WORD, Zhang Chi, a poor student, couldn't even write traditional Chinese characters well with a fountain pen. Now he can finally be free.

Zhang Chi was smiling as he opened a cigar box and enthusiastically handed over a cigar.

"This is a top-quality Cuban cigar, rolled by a South American girl on her thigh." He used Sir Spencer's collection as a favor without any hesitation.

Then, Zhang Chi grabbed another bottle of wine and poured a glass without hesitation and handed it over.

"I'll treat you to a drink of the finest sherry from Sir John's private collection. Tell me what you want. As long as you help me with these documents, even if you want a Japanese girl, I'll get her for you!"

Zhang Chi's "Boss, you smoke, Boss, you drink" style made Tan Zhijie flattered.

"this..."

The questions he wanted to ask about equipment, regiment number, and even how to return home were all stuck in his throat. He had no choice but to take the cigar and documents obediently for the time being and lower his head to start working.

"This kid... has changed, but not completely." Tan Zhijie thought helplessly. On the surface, Zhang Chi still seemed to be the familiar rich kid, but since he could lead such a large independent regiment, there must be more hidden behind it.