After returning from Tibet, Zhang Shusheng inspected several high-tech development zones in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shanghai, and other places, and then returned to Beijing to focus on the war in Burma.

Zhang Shusheng carefully looked through the documents from Southeast Asia, including the reorganization of troops, military intelligence, combat readiness logistics, and the upgrading of weapons and equipment.

The problems in Southeast Asia are more complex than those in the Far East and the Northeast.

The terrain in the Far East and Northeast is relatively flat, mostly in the broad plains, this kind of terrain in modern warfare, although very convenient for mechanized troops to deploy and attack, but also lack good tactical hiding conditions, any large-scale troop maneuver may be detected by aerial reconnaissance planes and pervasive military intelligence agents.

Actions are not easy to keep secret, and any attack can be well arranged countermeasures, which can be described as soldier against soldier king against king. Although the defending side is not in danger in most cases, if it is purely a ground infantry unit, the difficulty of attacking and defending is very great, and if it is an armored lightning attack, China has a heavy armored cluster in the northeast, coupled with a powerful air cluster, the northeast is actually relatively safe.

Southeast Asia is different, Southeast Asia and even the entire southwest are dominated by mountainous and hilly terrain, and the enemy's attacks can be varied, cunning and changeable.

"Chairman of the Committee, Jiang Baili, Chief of General Staff and Su Yuren are here." Mao Yun knocked on the door first, interrupting Zhang Shusheng's contemplation. "Let them in."

General Jiang Baili and General Su Yuren soon walked in, and the two also came for the war in Burma.

"Chairman." After saluting, the two sat down according to the chairman's instructions.

Zhang Shusheng picked up a newspaper on the table, and the big news photo on the front page was an American general who had just gotten off the plane, waving his arms.

"Mr. Clark said that he wants us to taste American-style war in the jungles of Southeast Asia, which is very big."

Yesterday, US three-star General Clark flew directly to Chittagong, the capital of India's East Pakistan, on the India-Myanmar border, on a front-line military transport plane. The U.S. Eighth Army was stationed here, commanded by U.S. Army General Van Vliet.

Clark was originally the commander of the U.S. 15th Army, and was trusted by the U.S. [***] side to serve as the supreme commander of the Allied Command in the Southeast Asian theater. After sending an entire army group to participate in the war in person, and it was also the first large-scale deployment of ground troops to participate in World War II, the U.S. military easily wrested the Allied supreme command in the Southeast Asian theater from the British.

With the new official taking office, and more than 200,000 US troops and the subsequent US troops and 400,000 British troops in India, and one million Indian troops as confidence, Clark boasted of Haikou after receiving the appointment from the US [***] side, and he would definitely strike a blow in Southeast Asia against the Southeast Asian provinces newly established by the Chinese.

"As we all know, the Chinese temporarily have armor superiority and air superiority, but in Southeast Asia, where there are continuous jungles, the terrain greatly restricts the deployment of large forces and the use of modern high-power weapons, and the British and Indian armies that have accepted the new weapons will be renewed.

There are many factors that determine the victory or defeat of a war, in addition to having a wise commander, a steady stream of logistics, advanced weapons and equipment, there are many other factors, and it is clear that the balance of victory is in our favor.

They will spend two to three months under the leadership of the US [***] team led by General Van Vliet of the Eighth Army to destroy the Chinese Southeast Asian Front, at least most of their effective forces, and destroy the Southeast Asian provinces they have just established.

We want to give them a taste of American-style war in the jungles of Southeast Asia, and under the leadership of me, Clark, we will liberate the people there and bring them the dawn of a free world......"

This was Clark's impassioned speech in an interview with Allied reporters in Chittagong.

In his speech, Clark praised the strength of the Allied forces and expressed disdain for the Chinese in a vain attempt to establish a Greater China region by going against the will of the people in parts of Southeast Asia by establishing Southeast Asian provinces.

He believes that defeating China, or the Southeast Asian Front of the Chinese, is only a matter of time.

"Yes, the mouth is quite big, and if the mouth is wide open, I am not afraid that the poisonous insects in the Southeast Asian jungle will get in, hehe." Jiang Baili shook his head, although he was not particularly optimistic about the situation in Southeast Asia, he by no means thought that Clark's view was reasonable, "Except for the southern part of Southeast Asia, the fundamental reason for the Americans' arrogance is based on the allied forces with a total of more than 1.5 million. I heard that their follow-up training plan for 500,000 Indian soldiers is also about to be completed, and when it is fully calculated, India can provide about 2 million soldiers in a short period of time, which is quite impressive in terms of numbers. ”

India is now the world's second largest population region after China, with a total population of more than 300 million, and it cannot get out under the rule of the British.

"Chief of Staff, I think the Allies are treating India as a population ATM, they can train as much as they want, and they are obedient, and the military pay is low cannon fodder, which the Allies need very much. The Germans are still training the Afrika Korps, the Americans are still training the American Korps, and the British have such a large population ATM, so they naturally have to make good use of it. Su Yuren echoed with a smile, India's problem is very simple, a real sick man in South Asia, "but the combat effectiveness of the Indian army is really very problematic." The thirst for reading power among India's middle- and lower-level officers and soldiers is far less than that of those high-level Indians. ”

Regarding India's positioning, Zhang Shusheng believes that the Allies have not done anything wrong, and now the situation is tense, and the strength of the Axis powers is much greater than in the original history, not to mention the Allies, and the army alone needs to train a larger number. After learning from China and Germany, the British also engaged in a policy of appeasement, and simply agreed to give the Indians reading power after the war. A small number jumped up and down, recruited those Indians who could not even eat into the army, took up arms and trained.

"Clark is a bit of a big talker, but he also sees the power of jungle warfare on weapons. Clark thought that he had South Asian jungle soldiers, American-style equipment and armament, and the regional experience of the British, and thought that he could compete with us, which was understandable.

After all, our national defense forces basically did not show much performance in jungle warfare, and the battles to occupy Laos and northern Vietnam were all won by more than few, and the army pushed all the way through. In the eyes of outsiders, we naturally rely on heavy troops to win without force.

And his existence is also a shot in the arm for the allies. You know, in Southeast Asia, the Allies have fought with Yue himself for four or five years, and they have not won a single victory, even if it just looks good.

This time, the scenery that General Clark said on the table, and privately estimated that there was a combination of grace and power, which pressed on himself. ”

Clark is a person, others don't know, Zhang Shusheng is clear, originally this guy was a well-known in the U.S. military in history, and he was repeatedly reused, although the Korean War was not highly involved, but he was the one who signed the agreement in the end.

"I was the first U.S. general to sign a negotiating document that didn't lead to victory."

Zhang Shusheng's ears were almost out of the cocoon when he heard this sentence, so he naturally remembered this guy.

Foreigners are not optimistic about China's jungle warfare capabilities, and the Allies also underestimate the danger of jungle warfare, even if they have fought with the Burmese army and the Yue Ben army many times, the allies only think that it is because the man himself is too fierce, and the ferocity of the devil in the jungle war is notoriously fierce.

As for the Burmese army, the assessment of the Allied forces is moderate, but it relies on the huge assistance of the Chinese, which is far inferior to the Allied forces. And the strength of the Yue army's jungle warfare far exceeded that of the Chinese, coupled with the fact that he believed that he had rich experience in jungle warfare, had profound lessons, and was well-prepared for the main Allied forces, Clark believed that he came to Southeast Asia to reap the credit.

"The Allied forces have lost face in the Far East, where millions of Allied troops have gathered, and as a result, they have been quickly divided by our Wehrmacht's armored clusters and captured millions of people, a defeat that even the Allied newspapers themselves consider 'another major defeat for the Allies'.

This time, they thought they had the upper hand, and a jungle warfare veteran said that he himself had joined in, thinking that he would be able to give an account to the people of the Central Powers if he had won the battle. They want us to cooperate and accomplish their feats. Su Yuren said in a mocking tone.

Zhang Shusheng nodded and said, "What is the overall situation in Southeast Asia at present?" ”

Jiang Baili: "Zheng Zhinan's Southeast Asian Front Army has been partially deployed in place, mainly composed of the original national defense army garrisons in various places, such as the Ninth Group Army commanded by Zhang Zhizhong, the Tenth Group Army commanded by Xue Yue, and the elite mountain group army of the southwest garrison area, and the 19th Group Army commanded by Lieutenant General Wang Jun is urgently entering Burma, and at present, about two divisions of troops have been stationed in Burma.

The original field jungle troops in Burma and other regions will be formed into multiple jungle field divisions. The current situation is that the 28th Jungle Field Army will be formed, which will be commanded by Lieutenant General Qiao Pusheng, former commander of the Taiwan Garrison Region and an expert in old jungle warfare.

The Southeast Asian Provincial Front under Luo Chengjun's command will be mainly responsible for defensive and logistical operations, and can be used as a strategic reserve when necessary.

That is to say, our total strength in Southeast Asia at present consists of the 9th Army, the 10th Army, the 19th Mountain Army, the 28th Jungle Field Army, and the Southeast Asian Provincial Front, which can serve as garrisons and logistics and general reserves.

The 9th and 28th Armies will be primarily responsible for fighting in Burma, while the 10th and 19th Armies will be responsible for fighting in Thailand and southern Vietnam.

If fully deployed, the total strength would be about 800,000. At present, it will take some time for all deployments to be in place, and the Allies may launch an offensive in advance. ”

Jiang Baili briefly gave a briefing on the deployment of the armed forces.

Zhang Shusheng looked at Su Yuren and motioned for him to continue.

"Chairman of the committee, at present, our troops in Southeast Asia have basically undergone a special equipment replacement." "For example, the 9th Army and the 10th Army have increased the distribution of sniper rifles and submachine guns. A large number of sniper rifles with scopes were distributed, and with the veterans of the two group armies honed over the past few years in Southeast Asia, many units have set up special temporary units -- sniper platoons, sniper companies, and even sniper battalions.

The main replacement of equipment was modelled on the 19th Army.

The basic idea is to make special equipment for jungle warfare.

A large number of infantry guns, rocket launchers, 107mm multiple barrel portable rocket launchers, new rapid-fire mortars, submachine guns, new broadsword mines, demining tanks and other new weapons will be equipped.

In terms of auxiliary combat equipment, such as infrared instruments, night vision infrared devices, military dogs, mountain communication equipment, jungle wireless listening equipment, etc., they have been increased or distributed in experimental places.

Although the use of armor and air power in jungle warfare is very limited, we still deploy a large number of mountain tanks, thicken the armor, and strengthen the ability to resist lightning and bombing. Air support is mainly based on fighting for air supremacy and completing air call support tasks. ”

Zhang Shusheng has basically seen these plans, and he is also very satisfied. However, he once specifically put forward his opinion on the issue of equipment for jungle warfare in Southeast Asia.

Increase the intensity of distribution, don't be reluctant to pay money, and it is too much to save the cost of weapons and equipment with the lives of soldiers.

Infantry artillery, rocket launchers, 45-year-old portable multiple rocket launchers, new rapid-fire mortars, more submachine guns, all he asked for. Since heavy artillery, heavy armored clusters, etc. are not available, then strengthen the intensity of individual fire.

As for the distribution of infrared instruments, military dogs, mountain communication equipment, and jungle listening equipment, it is asymmetrical warfare.

Just imagine, the key positions, equipped with infrared instruments, can also defend the positions more safely at night. Specially trained jungle dogs, on the other hand, can be very useful in tracking and spotting enemies. Not to mention anything else, even if it is a farm dog, strangers passing by can attract a burst of crazy dog barking, jungle position warfare and terrain such as cat's eye holes, a large number of military dogs and even well-trained hunting dogs, will play a huge role.

The role of jungle listening equipment is also very huge, and it is mainly deployed in some important places, which can be a good early warning.

He doesn't even have to think about it to know that even if the Americans are very generous and wealthy, they are definitely not as generous as themselves in these auxiliary combat equipment.

When the time comes, the Yankees must always be shown that they are touched by the Wehrmacht in the middle of the night and the positions in the middle of the night, while they themselves have been repeatedly frustrated when they want to touch the positions, and even the secret march may be discovered by the jungle listening equipment.

In short, it was Zhang Shusheng's decision to invest a certain amount of money in exchange for an alternative asymmetric strategic situation in the jungles of Southeast Asia.

Since he is a reborn person, he knows some valuable experience in jungle warfare, and the Americans, who have never fought jungle warfare even before, in the European theater of World War I, the advance speed of the US army at the end of the day is simply a direct rush in a truck.

The difference in battlefield awareness and operational thinking determines the style of equipment, and indirectly leads to the fact that the Allies will be a small step behind at the starting line.

He wants the allies to know that they don't think that high-tech warfare can only be fought in plains and ordinary mountainous terrain, even jungles and rainforests, but also that you can see the achievements of the Chinese in high-tech construction for more than 30 years, and that the Indians, British, and Yankees who are fighting can't even find their way home, let alone the delusion of liberating Southeast Asia in three months.

(To be continued)