The transport plane landed at Ruili Airport, and after the piercing roar disappeared, Ouyang Jian and Bai Chongxi got off the plane. Several black cars and several military trucks were already waiting at the airport, and the security forces were on high alert. Li Zhipeng, commander of the 36th Division of the unit directly under the headquarters, led the generals below the division level to greet him at the airport. "Report to Commander Bai, Deputy Commander Ouyang, and Lieutenant General Li Zhipeng of the 36th Division to lead the troops to Ruili, and ask the commander for instructions." The 36th Division directly under the Command is the General Reserve of the Headquarters and is also the Guard Unit.

"How is the handover between your department and the special forces of the Eighth Route Army?" Bai Chongxi asked. "Report to Commander Bai, the 106th Brigade of our department has completed the handover with the special forces of the Eighth Route Army, and the transportation line from Lashio in Myanmar to Ruili in China will be taken over by the 106th Brigade of our department." According to the order of the Ministry of Defense, in accordance with the regulations of the British army, after the Chinese Expeditionary Force entered Burma, it required all the special forces of the Eighth Route Army to withdraw, and this section of the road must be handed over to the supervision of the Expeditionary Force.

Afterwards, the generals rode in a car and under the cover of the guard troops, and marched towards the ancient Ruili City. At present, Du Yuming's 5th Army, under his command, is the main force of the 200th Division Dai Anlan, the 22nd Division Liao Yaoxiang, and the 96th Division Yu Shao. In addition, the battle sequence of the 5th Army also included a military guerrilla brigade, an artillery regiment, an automobile regiment, an engineer regiment, a cavalry regiment, and a chariot regiment. After the Battle of Guinan, the 5th Army's subordinate combat units were reorganized on a large scale.

An independent artillery regiment was formed, and the 1st and 2nd tank regiments were merged into one regiment due to the serious losses of the tank regiment in the Guinan Campaign. At present, the tank regiment has 25 tanks, 39 armored fighting vehicles, and the strength of the 5th Army is 37,000 people. The initial division of the 6th Army of the Expeditionary Force, under the jurisdiction of the 49th Division Peng Bisheng, the 93rd Division Lu Guoquan, and the 55th Division Chen Mianwu, with a strength of 27,000 people. Among them, the 93rd Division and the 55th Division, including the 36th Division directly under the headquarters, are Bai Chongxi's descendants.

The 66th Army of the Expeditionary Force is under the jurisdiction of Sun Liren of the 38th Division, Liu Bolong of the 28th Division, and Ma Weiji of the 29th Division, with a strength of 31,000 people. In addition, in addition to the 36th Division, the troops directly under the expeditionary force also include artillery battalions, battle defense artillery battalions, heavy artillery battalions, independent engineer battalions, and field hospitals directly under the expeditionary force, with a strength of 11,000 troops. The total strength of the expeditionary force was 106,000 people. At present, except for the 5th Army entering Burma, other units are still on the way.

When Ouyang Jian and Bai Chongxi arrived at the temporary headquarters in the city, Bai Chongxi began to exercise the power of the commander, understand the situation of each department and control the troops. Ouyang Jian didn't have anything to do for the time being, so he drove to a small town on the east side of Ruili, where the Special Forces Headquarters and Special Regiment of the Eighth Route Army are currently located. The two sedans stopped in front of the special forces headquarters of the Eighth Route Army, and the two guards in front of them got out of the car first and reported to Mu Shixiong, who was standing in front of the door to greet him.

After the car in the back stopped, the guard Xiao Yang Mali got out of the car and opened the door. Ouyang Jian got out of the car and saw Mu Shixiong, commander of the special forces of the Eighth Route Army, Xiao Hua, political commissar, and Deng Guangming, chief of staff, waiting with joyful faces, and the three of them stepped forward and raised their hands to salute. Ouyang Jian raised his hand and saluted in return and asked about the situation of the troops. Political Commissar Xiao Hua said: "Chief of General Staff, at present, all the special regiments have been withdrawn from Myanmar to the country, and the delivery with the 36th Division of the Expeditionary Force has also been completed. At present, the 2nd and 3rd regiments are concentrating on Ruili along the domestic section of the Yunnan-Burma Highway. ”

Chief of Staff Deng Guangming asked: "Chief of General Staff, why did you let the special regiment withdraw from Burma, I and political commissar Xiao Hua rushed to Ruili last night, and the commander didn't know what was going on. Ouyang Jian glanced at Mu Shixiong, knowing that he was very depressed and said: "Brother Mu, I am a guest, you are the host, the guests came and didn't drink a sip of water, you actually asked the teacher to ask for guilt." "Chief of the General Staff, I know your habits, and the food and drinks have been prepared."

"In that case, I won't go back tonight, and I'll be busy with your tooth sacrifice." After Ouyang Jian finished speaking, he walked straight inside, and sure enough, the food had been placed on the table, and the aroma of wine filled the air. After the guests and hosts sat down, Ouyang Jian did not let the anti-guests take the lead, and Zhang Luo drank wine and ate food. After a few glasses of wine, Mu Shixiong said: "Chief of General Staff, the task you asked for has also been completed, and I asked the operational staff officers to go all out to carefully draw a topographic map of a hundred miles east of Lashio, and the special operations brigade will be familiar with the terrain in batches for three months. ”

"Very good, I'm satisfied!" "Chief of the General Staff, it seems that there is no part for us to form an expeditionary force to fight in Burma!" Mu Shixiong sighed depressedly. "I knew you were making a fuss, and it was absolutely unintentional to let you serve as the escort of the Yunnan-Burma highway transportation line in the first place. According to the decision of the British side, you cannot fight in Burma, but I put a strong army here, is it to seek fame? ”

"Chief of the General Staff, with a combat mission?" Mu Shixiong's eyes lit up when he heard this! "Is it so difficult that we have to enter Burma to fight?" Chief of Staff Deng Guangming was blunt. Ouyang Jian said: "According to the order of the Eighth Route Army Headquarters, you continue to stay in the border area and be on standby, how long will your department be able to complete the concentration?" Chief of Staff Deng Guangming replied: "Today is December 24, and according to the marching speed of the 2nd and 3rd Regiments, it is estimated that the 2nd and 3rd Regiments will all reach Ruili in mid-January." ”

"Bring me the map of Myanmar!" Chief of Staff Deng Guangming brought the map. Ouyang Jian pointed to the map and said: "The Japanese army is invincible in the Malay Peninsula, but the Japanese army only has one division in Thailand, so the British side is optimistic about the situation in Burma. At present, the 5th Army of the Expeditionary Force has entered Burma, and its vanguard has reached Lashio. However, the British command ordered the 5th Army to stand by at Lashio. It seems that the British are highly concerned about their own interests and are undecided. ”

"The British don't shed tears when they don't see the coffin, and it seems that the war situation can only wake up. Although we have independent military command, it is limited to the campaign level, and the defense of Burma is at the disposal of the British command. Joint operations are not easy to fight in themselves, and we must prepare for both. You see that Lashio is the lifeblood of the expeditionary force, and this strategic point can be attacked, retreated, and defended, and your task is to ensure the safety of Lashio. ”

"As for the obstruction and unreasonable demands of the British side, I will not say anything about it, it is not something that can be made clear in a few words. Regardless of the British, we must take precautions and take the initiative firmly in our own hands. After the concentration of troops, give you a month to prepare, and at least three months' rations must be prepared. Jungle warfare should take into account its characteristics, and the logistical aspect should be given priority consideration to avoid non-combat attrition. ”

Ouyang Jian stood up and continued: "In addition, going abroad to fight is different from at home, according to reliable information, the Burmese formed the Self-Coalition Army under the capture of the Japanese. The slogan was to overthrow the British rule and give freedom to the Burmese. In a word, at the instigation of the Japanese, the Burmese will treat us as enemies. Therefore, our three disciplines and eight points of attention are not suitable for practice in Myanmar, so do not have mercy. "Chief of the General Staff, when are we going to enter Burma?" Mu Shixiong asked.

"At the beginning of February, your troops secretly entered Burma and waited in concealment on the east side of Lashio. It is necessary to send reconnaissance units to pay close attention to movements in the direction of the Salween River, and if Japanese troops are discovered, they should immediately report to us, and they should not act without authorization. "Chief of the General Staff, the line of the Salween River is so difficult for the British army to defend that the British army will give up?" "The British army did not give up, but could not hold it at all. At present, there are only more than 10,000 British troops in Burma, including more than 10,000 Indian troops. It is estimated that British reinforcements will arrive one after another, and the strength will increase to 50,000. ”

Xiao Hua exclaimed: "Is the British brain in the water, the Japanese army has been assembled in Thailand, and the Burmese Allied forces are also clamoring for the liberation of Burma, so it is difficult for them not to worry about the safety of Burma at all." "The British are also aware of the danger and are currently requisitioning troops to Burma, but it is too late!" "Chief of the General Staff, the expeditionary force has already deployed troops on the China-Myanmar border, why did the British prevent the expeditionary force from entering Burma under such a crisis?"

"As I said just now, there are political factors involved here, and it is not clear in a sentence or two, your task is to prepare carefully, and if there is a passive situation in the war situation in Myanmar, you will play a vital role." "Please rest assured, Chief of the General Staff, we are always ready!" The three officers replied in unison. That night, Ouyang Jian studied with Mu Shixiong and others until late at night. No matter how big or small, the focus is on logistical supply. Early the next morning, Ouyang Jian turned around Ruili.

Mu Shixiong and the other three watched Ouyang Jian's car disappear into the distance. Political Commissar Xiao Hua said: "Commander Mu, it seems that there have been many battles in Burma, and the chief of the general staff is under a lot of pressure!" "Since the Chief of the General Staff has thought of it, there must be a way to deal with it, so let's not worry about it. Officers above the battalion level of the special regiment were ordered to hold a meeting. ”