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

On the same day that the Fuso generals were living a life of drunkenness and debauchery.

The headquarters of the 5th Expeditionary Force, which had just retreated from the Wild Man Mountains with difficulty, the remnants of the New 22nd Division and the New 38th Division that arrived earlier successfully met at the Ramgarh training base in Sindhu.

The army, which was supposed to consist of more than 30,000 people, only had less than 10,000 people surviving and arriving in Ramgarh.

Army Commander Chen Guangting, 38th Division Commander Kong Zhongneng, 22nd Division Commander Bai Jianchu and other generals were standing together at this moment looking at the remaining soldiers who were as thin as bamboo poles. They were overwhelmed with mixed feelings.

After the baptism of bloody battles and retreats, this army has gone from being glorious in the past to being dilapidated and powerless today.

Every survivor's face was filled with exhaustion and silence, and even the air was filled with a tragic atmosphere.

At this moment, a battle report from the Allied theater headquarters broke the brief silence among the generals.

In a conference room, Army Commander Chen Guangting casually handed the report to the two division commanders and sneered, "Has Stevenson, the White Eagle, learned the tricks of those White Party scum to falsify battle results?"

After trekking through the Savage Mountains for over a month, Chen Guangting, who had lost over 30 pounds, was now suffering from stomach ulcers and tuberculosis. He said with disdain in his weakness:

"What do you mean by 'under Stevenson's 'wise command', a guerrilla force composed of the remnants of the expeditionary force destroyed the Fuso Army's airfield, annihilated a Fuso battalion, destroyed dozens of aircraft, and captured countless Japanese pilots and soldiers? This sounds like a fairy tale."

Chen Guangting obviously did not believe the contents of the report at all.

Bai Jianchu put down his report and pushed his glasses, his eyes filled with suspicion. "At the end of June and throughout July, our entire expeditionary force was in a difficult retreat. Where did they get the troops, weapons, and ammunition to organize such a large-scale attack? Stevenson is really good at making things up!"

Kong Zhongneng also shook his head, pondered for a moment and said: "Even if my new 38th Division wants to take down a Japanese battalion with strong fortifications, it will have to mobilize at least two infantry regiments, and also coordinate with artillery and tanks."

Kong Zhongneng felt that this report was so outrageous that it seemed like a heavenly book.

"Where did Stevenson conjure up a tank battalion and deploy it to the northern mountains? Or are the Japanese so stupid that they didn't even build fortifications in a strategic location like an airport?"

The three of them looked at each other, recalled their experiences fighting the Japanese during the Anti-Japanese War, and shook their heads.

Over the years, they have become accustomed to bloody battles with the Fuso army and are well aware of the devil's tenacity and cunning.

"We often mock the Japs for their dull combat and inflexible thinking, which is true." Kong Zhongneng, the top student number one who had studied abroad at the Virginia Military Academy in the White Eagle Country, spoke first. He frowned slightly, and there was a hint of helplessness in his tone.

"But we have to admit that the Japanese are really good at fortifications. They are so watertight that if we want to take them down, we'll need a 3 to 5 times advantage in numbers, and we'll have to suffer a lot of casualties."

"Right." Bai Jianchu, the second-best student who had studied abroad at the Saint-Cyr Military Academy in Gaul, pushed up his worn glasses, which were held together with tape, and took over the conversation. "That's right, we've suffered a lot of losses like this. Once the Japanese army has dug trenches and built fortifications, it will be difficult for us to drive them out."

Chen Guangting, the third top student of the first batch of Huangpu Military Academy, sneered and pounded his fist on the report on the table, making a crisp sound.

"But do you believe what's written here? This independent regiment only lost a few dozen people in the attack?" He looked up at the two of them, his tone full of sarcasm. "Do you believe this nonsense?"

The deputy commander frowned and thought for a moment, his tone tinged with doubt. "Furthermore, the report mentioned that the commander of this independent regiment is a man named 'Zhang Chi'. Do we have such a capable general in our Fifth Army?"

Bai Jianchu pondered for a moment and spoke slowly, "Hmm... there really is such a person. I remember that in the 66th Supplementary Regiment under my new 38th Division, there was a major staff officer named Zhang Chi."

"Oh?" Kong Zhongneng raised an eyebrow and looked at him with interest. "Brother Jianchu, you have such a good memory? You can even remember the name of a junior staff officer from the ragtag group. Does he have some special ability?"

Bai Jianchu shook his head, his tone filled with resignation. "What kind of skills does he have? He's a junior from the Fifth Branch of the Whampoa Military Academy. Funny enough, he's a deserter. The commander of the 66th Supplementary Regiment complained to me, saying that Zhang Chi abandoned his troops and ran away alone. He told me to give him a slap on the head, and that's why I remembered his name."

Upon hearing this, Chen Guangting's face suddenly turned pale and he slammed the table and stood up. "Ridiculous! A deserter actually led a group of defeated soldiers to capture the heavily guarded Japanese airport? Stevenson used such words to deceive us? Does he look down on us?"

He grew angrier as he spoke, his voice rising a few notches. "If the Japs are so easy to defeat, then what are we generals for? I think we should just disband the Fifth Army and hand over the soldiers to Stevenson and Zhang Chi."

Chen Guangting could no longer sit still. He stood up suddenly and strode towards the telecommunications room: "No, I have to contact Stevenson immediately to see what he wants to do!"

Bai Jianchu and Kong Zhongneng looked at each other with serious expressions.

Obviously, Stevenson's report was too unreasonable, and this incident also made them full of doubts.

"I heard..." Kong Zhongneng pondered for a moment and lowered his voice, "Stevenson intends to request the country to disband our Fifth Army."

Bai Jianchu's brows knitted together instantly. He stared at Kong Zhongneng, looking surprised and helpless.

"If we lose a battle, we have to find someone to take responsibility. Alas..." He sighed deeply.

The entire territory of the Pegu Kingdom was lost and the Burma Road was controlled by the Japanese. Someone must take responsibility for these things.

As a defeated general, he had already prepared to be dismissed.

Kong Zhongneng continued to reveal: "Stevenson plans to combine our new 22nd Division and the new 38th Division into the Qian Kingdom's Poison Army, with himself as the commander-in-chief, directly governing us."

"What?!" Bai Jianchu's face changed instantly. "Will the higher-ups agree? This is a major matter involving military power."

Bai Jianchu didn't think that his superiors would let go. After all, he knew very well how much their superiors valued military power.

Kong Zhongneng smiled helplessly, a hint of fatigue in his eyes. "Isn't this exactly why Stevenson was so anxious to submit this report on his victory? In these silent months of June and July, only the independent guerrilla regiment commanded by him, Stephenson, achieved the so-called 'tremendous victory'."

"Isn't this a contrast between our incompetence and his wisdom?"

Bai Jianchu was speechless for a moment, and after a moment of silence, a bitter expression appeared on his face.

He thought of his brothers who had died in a foreign land, and his heart was filled with guilt and self-blame. Countless comrades were buried in a foreign land, and what could they, the living ones, do?