In order to block and attract the vital forces that continue to consume the Japanese army, it is necessary to expand the battlefield and let the Japanese army put more troops into it, which may play an unexpected role in attracting the Japanese army's southward advance, so that it must transfer the Kwantung Army from the north to join the southern army, and indirectly achieve the final effect of cooperating with the domestic and South Asian theater operations.

At the beginning of the occupation of Burma, the Japanese army placed the air force in Vietnam, which they had previously occupied, and Zhao Zhi had the intention of expanding the battlefield into Vietnam, but unfortunately the number of Thunder's troops was too small to support the plan of action to expand the battlefield. The Nationalist Government in Chongqing was busy recovering the entire territory of Shanxi, where would there be extra troops sent into Vietnam to cooperate with the Thunder operation, so Zhao Zhi finally decided to put the battlefield in Burma, and take advantage of the rainy and mountainous climate and terrain of Burma to fight the Japanese army.

The terrain of Burma is not suitable for large-scale offensive and defensive warfare and positional warfare, and Zhao Zhihe's officers have already discussed the tactics to be used this time at the beginning of the war, which is still Thunder's forte=== Playing guerrilla warfare and assault warfare with the Japanese army. The Jewish army had an airborne unit that had participated in mountain training, and Zhao Zhi also had six companies of sweeping teams skilled in mountain warfare, and with his 2,000 fierce mercenaries, Zhao Zhi was confident that he would drag more Japanese troops into the quagmire of Burma.

When Zhao Zhi was busy facing the enemy of Longling and Songshan, the Japanese side learned the news of Thunder's dispatch of troops to Burma through the intelligence officers of the special high school who were lurking in the city of Kunming, although the Japanese side did not know the number and equipment of Thunder's troops participating in the battle this time, they deduced from the newspapers in Chongqing that the number of Thunder's participants in the battle would not be less than 50,000, otherwise Thunder would not have taken Tengchong City within three days of crossing the river, and once Thunder crossed the river and gained a foothold on the west bank of the Nujiang River, it was not good news for the Burmese army.

After consultations with the Japanese base camp, it was decided to transfer back troops from the Philippine battlefield where the war had become clear to support the Burma battlefield. More than 130,000 people, including the 6th, 18th, 22nd, 31st, 33rd, 55th, and 56th Divisions of the Japanese Army, were reorganized into a new Burmese Army and were rushing to the Burma battlefield from the Philippines.

The tactical intent of the Japanese base camp was very clear, and the Burmese army, which had been pieced together, was to completely annihilate the Thunder Division that had entered Burma. Coupled with the two newly built divisions that originally existed in Burma, the total strength of the Japanese army in Burma will exceed 150,000, and it is also equipped with at least two field heavy artillery brigades and two independent mixed brigades.

The first to discover that the Japanese troops participating in the Philippine battlefield were transferred in large numbers, and it was the American army in the Philippines that had no way out, and the madness of the Japanese army frightened the American army. The disadvantage of the naval war has led to the demoralization of the American troops stationed in the Philippines, and if they had not been supported by airdrops, these guys would have surrendered to the Japanese in the early morning.

The Japanese army suddenly withdrew a large number of troops, which gave hope to the American army, which was already in a desperate situation, counting the Philippine army still under their control, the United States and the Philippines still have more than 70,000 people, and they can hold out for two months under the condition of continuous airdrop support, and after two months, if there is no good news from the navy, they will decide to surrender to the Japanese army. However, the news of the Japanese army's transfer of troops was still spread by the Philippine US military, and the Pentagon analyzed it and felt that the most likely place for these evacuated Japanese troops was Burma, because the Thunder troops had already started on the west bank of the Nu River.

If it weren't for the fact that they had attracted the attention of the Japanese army in Burma, those American troops in the Philippines would have become prisoners of the Japanese army. Compared with the eagerness of the United States, Zhao Zhi, who was temporarily stationed in Tengchong, did not seem to have much reaction to the increase in Japanese troops, and the total number of Japanese divisions exceeded 150,000, and he had less than 50,000 people.

"They come to theirs, we fight ours" For the worries and impatience of his officers, Zhao Zhi just smiled indifferently, at the beginning of formulating the battle plan, Zhao Zhi did not plan to fight any offensive and defensive battles with the Japanese army, running and ambush warfare is the ability of Thunder, and Burma is a mountainous and woodland terrain, which is the most suitable for Thunder's tactical play. The number of Japanese troops is obviously several times more than that of Thunder, and playing offensive and defensive battles with such a behemoth is purely to send them to death, Zhao Zhi doesn't care about the casualties of the Jewish army, but he will not be stupid enough to use his own soldiers to send them to death.

150,000 troops were transferred from the Philippines into Burma, which could not be put in place with a blow of the mouth, Zhao Zhi needed time to deal with the Japanese troops in Longling and Songshan, and the Japanese army also needed time to delay the speed of Thunder entering Burma. The intelligence agents who had already been hidden in various parts of Burma sent back information that the Japanese troops stationed in Myitkyina, Mandalay, and the Shan Plateau began to assemble on the Sino-Burmese border, although their troops numbered less than two wings, but if they were used to block the Thunder's advance, it was really suitable, as long as the Thunder was delayed for a week, the troops drawn from the Philippines could land in Yangon.

"I'm afraid that they won't come, the more they come, the better" Throwing the information aside, Zhao Zhi summoned his staff officers to sit around the map. "Our purpose is to ensure the smooth flow of the Yunnan-Burma road, but the Japanese army has drawn a large number of troops from the Philippine battlefield and is rushing to support Burma, plus the two divisions that were originally in Burma, the number of Japanese troops in Burma will exceed 150,000 in half a month, and they will continue to come and fight us along the Yunnan-Burma road, so I decided that after taking Longling and Songshan, the troops will stop advancing, and we will wait for the Japanese army to come over on the front line of Lashio and Nankan."

As soon as Zhao Zhi said this, the staff officers who were summoned by him were all dumbfounded, especially Xiao Ziyun looked at Zhao Zhi blankly, and he couldn't say a word with his mouth open. Lashio and Nankan are both important towns in the north of Myanmar, especially Lashio is the key point of the Yunnan-Burma Highway, only 230 kilometers away from Mandalay, Nankan is across the river from Ruili, it is also an important town and gateway in northern Myanmar, Zhao Zhi decided to garrison troops here to meet the Japanese army, this is simply too nonsense, 150,000 Japanese troops can also trample on the Thunder Army less than 50,000 with their feet.

"Don't worry, I'm not done yet," Zhao Zhi said with a smile on his face, looking at the reaction of the staff officers, "Our Jewish army has lived in Burma for more than a year, and many of them can adapt to the climate and terrain of Burma, especially the situation in Yunnan-Burma. Therefore, when we take Lashio and Nankan, the airborne troops and sweepers will be airdropped into Burma, and their mission is to unite those Burmese Tusi leaders to constantly harass the Japanese army, sneak attack their logistics, and force them to divide their forces."

"150,000 Japanese troops sounds like a lot, but they were drawn from the Philippine battlefield, and it is impossible to enter Burma at the same time, plus their division of troops and cantonment troops stationed in Burma at key points, the troops that can really stand up to our front should not exceed 100,000. Lashio is a mountainous place, and in such a terrain, the Japanese army cannot pose a threat to us without more than twice as many troops as ours, so we wait for the Japanese army to send us to fight us."

No one refuted Zhao Zhi's plan, because they all decided to be incredible, even if Thunder can fight again, and they are invincible in Shanxi, but this time it is 150,000 Japanese troops, and the comparison of the strength of the two sides is one to three, so that everyone is not optimistic about Zhao Zhi's battle plan, including Xiao Ziyun. "In addition to the oil fields and mines we need, Burma also needs more population, as long as the adult Burmese are issued with weapons, they are very good mountain warfare soldiers, as long as those Tusi and Touren are on our side, we have an additional guerrilla army with more than tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands, and the Japanese army has to draw out most of its energy just to deal with them, how much combat power will you have left for the Japanese army to call us?"

"Then if the Japanese army is also fighting the Burmese idea, won't we have to face hundreds of thousands of Burmese guerrillas like them?" Xiao Ziyun is not the only one who also has doubts. Thunder can buy Nair Burmese Tusi and the headman, I believe that the Japanese army will also have so much, maybe they give far more than Thunder gives, the Burmese are not loyal ministers, naturally they will follow the high bidder to do things, if that's the case, Thunder will be miserable.

"That's why I have to stop the troops in Lashio and Nankan, we are going to fight with the Japanese forward troops in Lashio, and bring out our thunderous majesty, only then will the Burmese who want to join the Japanese army change their minds. As far as the Burmese are concerned, we are the same as the Japanese army, we are all aggressors, but if our combat strength far exceeds that of the Japanese army, the Burmese will only obey us, otherwise once the Japanese army is defeated by us, their fate will not be better" Zhao Zhi smiled and lit a cigar between his fingers, and looked around at the staff officers sitting together.

Fighting hard with 150,000 Japanese troops, Zhao Zhi did not have the courage, but if he only faced the forward troops of the Japanese army, Zhao Zhi was still sure. After dealing with the two Japanese wings that were rushing to Lashio, Zhao Zhi would distribute weapons to the conscripted Burmese on a large scale, and arrange for them to go to various parts of Burma to hide, and once the time was ripe, Zhao Zhi would also stage a spark plan in Burma, but this fire was far more fierce than those in Hebei.