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

Myitkyina is located in the newly renamed Nanyang National Defense University, which was reorganized from the former Army Senior Officers School.

The huge tiered classroom was packed with not only military academy cadets, but also top engineers, physicists, chemists drawn from all over Southeast Asia, and even several "exchange scholars" who came all the way from Gaul.

Everyone's eyes were focused on the high-spirited figure on the podium - the well-deserved future founding father of Nanyang, Zhang Chi.

"...So, everyone." Zhang Chi's voice came through the microphone, clear and steady, with a penetrating power that transcended time and space. "The foundations of future wars, and even the survival and prosperity of nations, have fundamentally shifted. It no longer depends solely on the number of steel torrents or the courage of soldiers. It relies more on this..."

As he spoke, he tapped his temple: "And whether we can grasp the key to prying the fundamental power of the universe."

On the huge blackboard behind him, there was a very simplified diagram of the atomic structure and a schematic diagram of a fission reaction drawn in chalk.

"If we were to draw up a list of military research priorities that are crucial to our nation's destiny," Zhang Chi's gaze swept across the room. These were the backbone of Nanyang's future national defense. "Then, first and foremost, would definitely be controlled nuclear fission."

He paused, giving everyone enough time to digest this heavy word.

"After that, there were long-range missiles, liquid-fuel rockets, jet aircraft, transistor computers, phased array radars, large ocean-going submarines, aircraft carriers, guided weapons... these dazzling 'techniques'."

Zhang Chi's words carry a sense of commanding insight, as if affirming the future: "One could say that the former is 'Tao,' the fundamental way to reach the essence of the world and grasp ultimate power; the latter is 'Shu,' the means to wield power and defeat the enemy."

The audience in the audience listened to his lecture intently and took notes from time to time.

After this period of development, everyone believed that the young man on the stage could really see through the future. As long as they followed closely behind him and followed his pace, they would be right.

This can be said to be a kind of blind obedience, or it can be said to be the huge prestige and popularity brought by Zhang Chi's long-term continuous victories.

"For a nation to prosper, it must cultivate both Dao and Shu. But Dao must be prioritized." Zhang Chi's voice suddenly rose, carrying an unquestionable resolve. "Because only by mastering Dao can we truly be invincible, truly qualified to engage in equal dialogue with the established powers, or even surpass them. Otherwise, no matter how sophisticated the Shu, in the face of the absolute Dao, is like a sand castle to a tsunami."

There was silence in the audience.

Professor Jean-Pierre, a physicist from Gaul, had a complex light in his eyes.

As a core member secretly dispatched by General Dai to participate in the "Nanyang-Gallic Cooperation", he knew better than many local Nanyang scholars present what the "Tao" mentioned by Zhang Chi meant - it was a Pandora's box of destruction and rebirth that was enough to reshape the world pattern.

The young Nanyang leader's sharp vision and far-reaching plans made him feel deeply shocked and a little uneasy.

-----

A few months earlier, General Dai had just returned to the Nazi-occupied capital of Chundu after the start of Operation Overlord.

In the temporary office of Free Gaul, General Dai's tall figure slumped in a leather chair, holding in his hand the telegram that he had read countless times and whose edges were frayed.

It was a secret telegram from Zhang Chi, the core content of which was the intelligence about the "White Eagle Super Bomb" and the subsequent confirmation of the "South-Gao Cooperation".

Next to the telegram was a summary of a report urgently written by his trusted physicist, Professor Pierre, and others, and sealed with the highest level of secrecy.

It is filled with frightening words such as "chain reaction", "critical mass", "U-235", "tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of tons of TNT equivalent", as well as a series of theoretical deduction formulas that have been preliminarily verified and have rigorous logic.

The sweat that was shed has long since dried up, but the chill that penetrated deep into the bone marrow is still there.

"General," his adjutant whispered, "It's almost time for the meeting on the post-war reconstruction plan..."

General Dai suddenly raised his head, his eyes were bloodshot, revealing deep fatigue and a clarity that was almost desperate.

"Rebuild?" He shook the telegram in his hand. "Rebuild a spineless Gaul under the shadow of the White Eagle nuclear weapon?"

The adjutant was silent.

General Dai stood up, walked to the window, and suddenly pulled open the heavy curtains.

The harsh sunlight poured in, illuminating the room and the worry on his face.

"We drove out the Nazi wolf, only to face the even more powerful and hidden tiger, the White Eagle." He gazed out the window at the tricolor flag, a symbol of the Gallic spirit, his tone filled with bitterness and resentment. "Their soldiers are still on our land, their will still trying to control our future. And now... they may even hold the power to destroy the world."

The solid intelligence sent by Zhang Chi indicated that White Eagle might be able to produce a usable atomic bomb by mid-45, which immediately stunned General Dai.

Of course, this does not mean that Director Jin of the Nanyang Central Intelligence Agency (NIA) is so powerful that he can even plant a mole in the White Eagle's top-secret Manhattan Project.

White Eagle’s confidentiality work is still quite solid, but it can’t withstand the fact that Zhang Chi is a time traveler.

He used the process of later decryption and simply reversed the cause and effect, instructing Director Jin to fabricate this intelligence that looked extremely realistic.

General Dai turned around abruptly, put down the intelligence in his hand, and looked at me with a sharp gaze:

"Napoleon's glory is a thing of the past, but the Gallic spirit of independence must never be extinguished. If the White Eagle is allowed to dominate, what will be the future of Gaul? Will it become a meek pawn on their global chessboard?

I said, no, never!"

However, although I could maintain my resolve and not give in, a deeper sense of powerlessness soon came over me.

General Dai was not a naive man. As most of the country was liberated, he had already noticed the undercurrents in the country.

Those politicians hiding in the dark corners of the Fog City, Algiers and even the Spring City, what they fear is not the Nazis or the hegemony of the White Eagles, but General Dai himself.

They were afraid that he would use his prestige as a war hero to establish a powerful republic ruled by a great leader, depriving them of the space to fight for power and please all parties.

The stigma of "Bonapartist" is nothing but a despicable excuse they use to suppress dissidents and safeguard their own factional interests.

Thinking of the constraints and oppression he might face after the war, and thinking of the possibility that Gaul's precious scientific research strength and resources might be wasted in internal friction, General Dai's heart sank to the bottom.

Is it true that Gaul can only watch White Eagle master the ultimate weapon and then become a complete vassal?

What would become of his dear Gaul then?

At that moment, his eyes once again fell on the telegram from Southeast Asia. Zhang Chi... this rapidly rising, mysterious young man from the East, he provided not only intelligence but also opened a narrow crack for Gaul in this hopeless darkness, but one that could lead to light.