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

The devil is coming!

On December 17, accompanied by the refreshing morning breeze of Pegu in the cool season, the 146th Infantry Regiment finally entered the edge of Zhangchi's core control area.

After several days of arduous marching, they dragged their tired feet and gradually approached this mysterious territory.

However, what awaited them was not the fragile enemy and the village they had imagined.

After sending troops to block the three-way advancing Japanese troops, Zhang Chi did not waste the precious few days he had gained.

He had already sent out his militia and new recruits to help the villagers in the controlled area harvest the last rice in the rice fields and the corn and potatoes in the mountain terraces.

"Fortify the city and clear the fields, evacuate the villagers!"

As Zhang Chi's order was passed down, the villages in this land had already been deserted.

What Colonel Sato Mikichiro faced were empty villages and deserted rice fields.

Sato Mikichiro, who had already consumed five days' worth of military rations, had to order a reduction in daily supplies.

-----

At this moment, Zhang Chi's division headquarters had already arrived. He was gathered in the headquarters tent with a group of division staff and senior officers to discuss the next battle.

6个月前刚穿越的时候，张弛的手下只有小东北、郝猗等五十几个补充 66 团的溃兵，而现在他已经指挥着新编 212 师麾下1万5千人的正规军与2万多人的新兵队和游击队等二线部队。

He knew that once the battle against the three-way siege was over, he would completely step onto the chaotic world stage.

However, Zhang Chi himself felt a little sentimental.

Even though he equipped his subordinates with a large number of radios and walkie-talkies through the system and the eagle aid dropped by Stevenson, he could no longer command such a large force as easily as he did in the past when commanding small units such as regiments and battalions.

Inside the division headquarters tent, Chief of Staff Tan Zhijie was the first to break the silence:

"The insider information you gave me earlier is consistent with the information we received from the division commander. The total number of Japanese troops is only 2, and they don't carry any heavy artillery at the 105mm level. We can breathe a sigh of relief."

Although the traitor Kobayashi Shinichi has been continuously leaking intelligence, the generals of the 212th Division did not listen to it blindly and really relied solely on "top secret" intelligence to fight.

As the enemy and our forces continued to come into contact, everyone was constantly updating intelligence and the devil's numbers on the map, and making judgments based on the actual battle situation, updating deployments and responses.

After fighting with several groups of Japanese troops for several days, people who were previously very nervous and afraid that the Japanese troops would come out in full force finally relaxed after discovering that the three-way siege by the Japanese troops was no match for them.

A young staff officer pointed at the densely packed blue flags on Kumen Ridge on the map and said with a hint of sarcasm:

"The Japanese 33rd Division, their main force, actually chose to cross Kumen Ridge. How could their field artillery and tanks possibly unleash their firepower in such an environment? I don't understand what this Japanese commander was thinking."

Inside the tent, the atmosphere gradually became lively.

Several staff officers discussed the Japanese commander's choice while looking at the map.

Zhang Chi, who had read many war history documents recording the devil's bizarre behavior, smiled when he heard this:

"The Japanese high-ranking officers are incredibly crazy. If their junior officers weren't sufficiently well-educated, they would have been defeated by their high-ranking officers' frequent and whimsical tactics!"

Chief of Staff Tan Zhijie stared at the large-scale map of the division headquarters for a while, then spoke again to put an end to the crowd's complaints:

(Regarding large-scale maps, there's a saying that detailed maps shouldn't be shown to senior military officers to prevent them from giving orders beyond their level and engaging in micromanagement. I don't know if this is true or not.)

"The 146th Regiment is currently 80 kilometers away from the Xinwangping Village base. They're separated from the two regiments of the 33rd Division by the Kumenling Mountains, and they're also nearly 100 kilometers away from the regiment of the 15th Division. I think the time is ripe to take them out."

The officers in the tent followed the direction where Tan Zhijie pointed with his pointer, thought for a moment, and nodded.

Another staff officer added:

"According to reports from snipers who previously participated in blocking the enemy, the 146th Regiment is only equipped with Type 92 infantry guns, Type 94 mountain guns, and Type 97 mortars. Their firepower is very weak compared to our regiment."

"At the same time, they determined through the identification booklets issued that the Japanese tanks were all our old acquaintances - the Type 97 modified. These broken pieces of iron posed no threat to our Matildas and the newly equipped M4A3 (105) medium tanks."

Hearing this, everyone in the tent except Zhang Chi had mixed feelings.

Once upon a time, the firepower of a Japanese regiment was comparable to or even exceeded that of an adjustment division.

Relying on their equipment advantage, these arrogant devils rushed around rampantly, and the soldiers of Qian Country had to make many sacrifices to barely stop the devil's iron hoofs.

Thinking back to the countless heroic soldiers who sacrificed their lives under the Japanese artillery fire, the officers who had served for many years couldn't help but feel heavy in their hearts.

And now, the firepower of any regiment of the 212th Division far exceeds that of an elite regiment of the Japanese. How can this not make everyone sigh?

Now I am the one who has the equipment advantage!

Such a reversal of Tiangang!

Only Zhang Chi, who took "firepower first" as the idea of ​​building the army and was preparing to align his troops with the White Eagle Armored Division and the Mechanized Infantry Division, curled his lips and said, "This is just the beginning."

Even the 'five aces' who will get Eagle aid in the future will have firepower greater than that of the Japs, not to mention the three crazy guys among the current powers, Hans, White Eagle and Mao Xiong, whose weapons are getting bigger and bigger and more and more.

"Go ahead, Commander."

At this time, the words of the 3rd Regiment Commander Bai Minghui interrupted Zhang Chi's thoughts.

This former rich young man from Northeast China, who knew very well what the Japanese water supply and drainage troops had done in Northeast China, was filled with hatred, his eyes blazing with fire, and he waved his fists excitedly, wanting to avenge the blood debt for the countless Northeastern people who had died unjustly.

Zhang Chi folded his arms across his chest and fell into deep thought.

现在鬼子并不知道他已经在之前的三个月中，通过空运拉来了滞留春城的近3000名有驾驶和维修经验的南洋机工队队员，并组建了装备有12辆M4A3（105）中型坦克和24辆M8自行火炮的坦克营。

At the same time, by crossing the ancient Tea-Horse Road in Gaoligong Mountain and air transport, he also brought in more than 10,000 veterans from the Sichuan, Hunan, Guangxi and other miscellaneous armies from the shelters.

At present, except for the 1st Regiment responsible for blocking the enemy, the main forces of more than 10,000 people including the 2nd Regiment, the 3rd Regiment, the Artillery Regiment, the Tank Battalion, the Amphibious Mechanized Company, and the Boat Unit have moved to the vicinity of the 146th Regiment and can launch an attack at any time.

The time is ripe and Zhang Chi no longer hesitates.

"Okay, I command!"

When everyone heard this, they immediately stood at attention and looked at the division commander Zhang Chi.

"The 2nd Regiment, the Artillery Regiment, and the Tank Battalion launched an attack along the highway towards the main force of the 146th Regiment. These forces were under the unified command of Qi Quan."

Qi Quan of the 2nd Regiment is both civil and military. As the front-line commander of the main attack, Zhang Chi is relieved.

"The amphibious mechanized company and boat troops will circle south along the Mailikai River, prioritizing the elimination of the enemy's logistics forces and blocking their escape route to the south. These forces will be under the unified command of Zhang Guangjun."

As Zhang Chi's nephew, Zhang Guangjun naturally shares the same interests with him. For the sake of the future, Zhang Chi plans to let him make more military achievements to pave the way for his subsequent promotion.

After saying this, Zhang Chi looked at Bai Minghui who was eager to try and said:

"The 3rd Regiment is the general reserve, do not move!"