At the end of May, Ouyang Jian, Bai Chongxi, and Stilwell packed up and returned to China. The three of them walked out of the gate of the headquarters, and Du Yuming, the new commander of the expeditionary force, led the expeditionary force to see off the generals and officers above the brigade level. "All attention, salute the sir!" At this moment, the most nostalgic thing for the generals of the expeditionary force is Ouyang Jian, whose prestige is irreplaceable. When Ouyang Jian shook hands with the generals who saw him off one by one, the eyes of many generals were full of tears. This is by no means contrived, but a genuine expression.

Before getting into the car, Ouyang Jian called Dai Anlan and Sun Liren in front of him, his eyes showing concern and expectation. "General Ouyang, we are reluctant to let you go!" "General Ouyang, you have now become our military soul!" Dai Anlan and Sun Liren seem to be inseparable.

"As the saying goes, there is no banquet in the world, Captain Dai! You are a fierce general, the battle is dangerous, you must pay attention to safety in the future! "Thank you General Ouyang for your care!" "Commander Sun, you are very talented in military affairs, you must believe in your ability and don't let me down." "Please rest assured General Ouyang, the humble post will never let you down." "Remember, the 5th Army and the New 1st Army are the soul of the Chinese Expeditionary Force. Although the American-style equipment has been replaced, we should not be superstitious about the Americans and should continue to maintain their combat characteristics. I believe that the flag of the expeditionary force will be planted all over the South Seas, and I look forward to your good news. Ouyang Jian stretched out his arm and hugged the two of them, and they got back into the car. Dai Anlan and Sun Liren didn't know what to express in words, so they had to raise their hands and salute the army.

No one could know the true meaning of Ouyang Jian's special concern, but this move made all the generals think that Dai Anlan and Sun Liren were deeply valued by Ouyang Jian. The motor of the military jeep started slowly with a roar, and all the generals raised their hands again to salute, and watched the two military jeeps hit the road under the escort of the guard troops.

As a result of the Japanese retaliatory high-intensity air raids, Mandalay Airport was bombed and the railway line from Mandalay to Lashio was also interrupted. A few days ago, a consignment of American-style equipment was delivered to Mandalay from India, including a small number of American-made military jeeps. Ouyang Jian and Bai Chongxi discussed and decided to take a jeep back to China and browse along the way. Stilwell also decided to go together, and in order to avoid the railway line, they returned to China by the following routes: Mandalay via Mogok, Monmi to Nankan, and then via Nankan to Ruili.

Bai Chongxi rode in a car by himself, and Ouyang Jian and Stilwell rode in a car. A company of guards was escorted by four trucks. The jeep was bumpy on the mountain road, and seeing that Stilwell was silent and a little depressed, Ouyang Jian broke the silence and said: "General Stilwell, there is no need to be depressed, return to the Chinese battlefield, the stage of the battlefield is bigger, and you can play your role better!" Stilwell smiled bitterly and said, "General Ouyang, there are some things that must be faced. What I am depressed about now is that the US government has given too little military aid to China. ”

Stilwell continued: "If we increase military aid, we can launch a counterattack in advance, and how much military aid is also political?" "General Stilwell, I understand your feelings, the center of gravity of the US government is in Europe, and we only ask the US to increase its assistance in the air force. If we can gain air supremacy on the Chinese battlefield, I am confident that I will launch a counteroffensive in advance. "I'll do my best. Let Chennault's 14th Air Brigade be stationed at the Xiaoshan base in Jiangxi as soon as possible. ”

Stilwell continued: "Since the Japanese Navy attacked Pearl Harbor and inflicted heavy damage on the U.S. Pacific Fleet, forcing the entire United States to enter the war. The current situation is very bad, the Philippines has been captured, the Japanese Navy's 1st Fleet entered the Indian Ocean, sank the British Athletic aircraft carrier, the British Far East Fleet lost its ability to resist, and the Japanese Navy quickly took control of the waters of the Eastern Indian Ocean. Japanese forces in the South Pacific are attacking the Solomon Islands with the intention of cutting off the United States and Australia. ”

"General Stilwell, not long ago the Battle of the Coral Sea was the highlight, the United States and Japan faced off with an aircraft carrier for the first time, and each lost one aircraft carrier battleship to a tie. This battle slowed down the speed of the Japanese attack, showing that the US Navy could completely compete with the Japanese Navy! ”

Stilwell seemed to be in a better mood. "After the Burma battlefield contained the Japanese offensive, the next step in the Chinese battlefield is particularly important. The US Congress has spoken highly of the combat capability of the Chinese armed forces and has decided to provide additional military aid to China. In particular, in accordance with your government's proposal to obtain air supremacy in the Chinese battlefield, the US Military Department has issued a detailed plan to increase China's air strike force on the battlefield, but the amount of military aid is far from my expectations. "Thank you for judging the situation, and thank you General Stilwell for your help." Ouyang Jian knew in his heart that the US government's Pacific strategy was to let the Chinese army hold back the Japanese army, and there was no intention to fully equip the Chinese army.

In other words, the United States does not intend to provide large-scale army equipment and increase military assistance in air strikes, with the intention of gradually gaining air supremacy in the Chinese battlefield and strengthening the Chinese military's local counterattack capability. In fact, Ouyang Jian wants such a result, and he has made a preliminary estimate that the US military aid budget for China can reach $3 billion, which is four times more than that of later generations, and half of the military aid will be used in the air force.

Stilwell continued: "General Ouyang, next year Chennault's 14th Air Force will be expanded, and it is planned to form four bombing groups equipped with 160 bombers. 8 fighter groups with 400 fighters were formed. In order to effectively cover the bomber group operations, your flight regiment should provide air cover, and the United States plans to provide 500 fighters to equip your flight regiment, please ask General Ouyang to help! "There's no problem with me!" Ouyang Jian was secretly happy when he heard this.

The convoy arrived in Mogok and rested for the night, and continued on the road the next morning. The convoy had been traveling for less than an hour when suddenly a dense burst of gunfire came from the side. The guards quickly got out of the car and formed a cordon. Ouyang Jian, Bai Chongxi, and Stilwell got out of the car, and the sudden attack made their subordinates panic. "Who is the attacker?" Ouyang Jian asked calmly. The commander of the guard company said in panic: "The situation is unknown, judging by the gunfire of the other party, it does not look like a regular army." ”

"Bring me my gun!" Guard Xiao Yang handed over the sniper rifle. "General Ouyang, you have to personally command the battle, this is too dangerous!" Bai Chongxi stopped. "Listen! The other side's machine guns fired irregularly, almost blindly, and I guess it was a Burmese guerrilla. Guard Company Commander! "Here!" "Now you are at my command!" After Ouyang Jian finished speaking, he took the sniper rifle and rushed forward, and Bai Chongxi hesitated and followed. Stilwell tried to stop it, but didn't squeak and waited in place.

In the woods in front of the left side of the road, two light machine guns blocked the road, and the impact point of the bullet was irregular. Ouyang Jian held up the binoculars and looked at it: "Brother Bai, it's the Japanese army's crooked machine gun, and the movement of the rifle is also a three-eight big cover." "That's right, judging by the firepower, there were about 100 attackers, and they must be Burmese guerrillas!" Bai Chongxi held a telescope to analyze. "Guard Company Commander!" "Here!" "You lead 2 platoons, detour from the side, and keep in touch at all times!"

Ouyang Jian skillfully inspected the sniper rifle, and then loaded it. "Brother Ouyang, I have heard that you are a marksman for a long time, and I have never had a chance to witness it, and today I am honored to feast my eyes." "It's been a long time since I've touched a gun, I hope I don't disappoint Brother Bai." "Report to the general, detour troops to the sortie position." A communications soldier with a headset makes a report. "Order the commander of the guard company, after the enemy's machine gun is silent, immediately attack!" This kind of battlefield communication and liaison equipment is the latest battlefield walkie-talkie developed by the US military, and some of it has been partially equipped with the expeditionary force.

Ouyang Jian's spear was swift, accompanied by accurate shooting, and the machine guns in the woods on the side were silent. Then a dense rain of bullets rang out, and the roundabout troops attacked. The guards were armed with American carbines, so the strike was fierce. After the first batch of American-style equipment was transported from India to Mandalay, the Expeditionary Force Guard Division was the first to replace American-style equipment. According to the agreement between China and the United States, the expeditionary force will be expanded by the end of the year, and all American-style equipment will be in place.

A rabble collapsed under the heavy blow, and an hour later the commander of the guard company returned with two platoons of soldiers. According to the report of the commander of the guard company: more than 60 people were killed, and the rest fled. Unexpectedly, not a single prisoner was caught, Ouyang Jian judged that the guard company commander was in charge of himself, and all the prisoners were shot. The attack had serious consequences, and when Jiang heard the news, he was furious and ordered Du Yuming to launch a large-scale purge.

It was later revealed that hundreds of thousands of people had been killed in the entire northern Myanmar region during the six-month large-scale purge, the vast majority of whom were innocent. The purge caused a mass exodus of the Burmese in northern Burma to the south, to the point that the situation was empty. However, in times of war, no one cares about these things. After a false alarm, the convoy continued on the road, and that evening they arrived in Nankan, where they decided to rest for the night. In the dead of night, Ouyang Jian and Bai Chongxi could not sleep.

The night sky was starry, and the two drank each other's hearts. "Brother Ouyang, open the skylight and speak brightly, use the Japanese army to drive away the British, your purpose is the land under your feet." Bai Chongxi said slyly. "The war has given us a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to restore China's territory. The area of Nankan and the western slope of the river is equivalent to the area of Anhui Province, and the government has always insisted that this land is ours. The military occupation is a fait accompli, and the next step is to negotiate with the British, with Myanmar being the biggest bargaining chip. ”

"But not only that, the next step is to use Burma to solve the Tibet problem in one fell swoop, force the British to abandon the McMahon Line, and solve the southern Tibet problem once and for all." "Brother Ouyang, I didn't expect your strategic vision to be so far-sighted. Now I have completely realized that the political significance of sending troops to Burma is greater than the military significance. No wonder the British are making things difficult in every way, it turns out that the roots are here. "The problem is that the British can't stop us from recovering the territory, and it's easy for the British to escape, but it's not so easy to come back."

"Now the timing is just right, and the initiative of the expeditionary force is in our hands. The Americans will not interfere in the issue of recovering territory. When I return to Chongqing, I will discuss this issue with the president in person. "Brother Ouyang, it makes sense. Now it's the British by the nose. The territorial issues in northern Burma, including the Tibetan question, were nothing more than a matter of face for the British. At present, the British care about profit rather than face, and in order to gain the initiative at the negotiating table, I think it is necessary to send troops into southern Tibet. ”

"I'm thinking about that too, but it's not time now. The night before I left Mandalay, I had a long conversation with Du Yuming and asked him to station a division in Mengguan in the future. As soon as the time is ripe, they will immediately go to southern Tibet to carry out military occupation. Only with a fait accompli can we be more confident. However, it would be better if a satisfactory outcome was achieved at the negotiating table. "It's a good idea to give a foreign king's order." Bai Chongxi's face flushed with excitement.

The next day, the group arrived in Ruili and then flew directly to Chongqing by transport plane.