12dz Chapter 174 Zhang Chi Becomes a Hot Toy
Chapter 174 Zhang Chi Becomes a Hot Toy
Although the unit changed its name, Zhang Chi and the Bai Party seemed to have a tacit understanding and never publicly mentioned the issue of whether the 212th Division should retain its name.
This silence actually benefits both parties:
The White Party could continue to pretend that the relaxed troops were still under their command, and work together with the 212th Division to openly do business with the rear post in Chuncheng to fill their own pockets;
Zhang Chi, on the other hand, openly recruited soldiers, sold goods, and recruited immigrants in the country of Qian under the name of the 212th Division.
What is even more interesting is that as Zhang Chi gradually became the de facto "King of Pegu", his power not only attracted many of the White Party's Huangpu direct descendants and the Ministry of Finance controlled by the king's uncle to actively cooperate with him, but even various local warlords and factions came to show their goodwill.
After all, Zhang Chi openly slapped the John people in the face and actually occupied a territory equivalent to more than half of the province in the country. The White Eagle people actually condoned this. It is incredible no matter how you think about it.
Not long after, a rumor spread that Zhang Chi's network of connections had reached the Pentagon and Capitol Hill in DC.
This news was like a gust of wind, blowing through the top levels of power in the Qian Kingdom.
Those powerful people who long for White Eagle's assistance but have no way to get it are now placing their hopes on Zhang Chi, a rising star known as "General Stevenson's agent."
"Generals Long and Lu from Yunnan Province, Deputy Director Zheng of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, Commander Zheng of the New 1st Army, and the new Commander Wei of the Expeditionary Force—so many people want to see me?" Zhang Chi flipped through a stack of visiting cards, a hint of sarcasm playing on his lips. "What's going on? Am I so popular?"
Secretary Zhang Guangsong, standing nearby, bowed slightly and spoke flatteringly, "You now control over over 90,000 square kilometers of land, which already accounts for 15% of the entire Bago region. Furthermore, everyone knows that the entire Bago region will undoubtedly be yours in the future. They're simply coming to pay their respects in advance and establish good relations."
"He just wants to say a few flattering words, build relationships, and then take the opportunity to get some free stuff, such as ammunition and fuel." Xiao Qi, who was always quick-witted, directly revealed the secret.
"That's not bad." Zhang Chi smiled brightly and leaned back in his chair. "As long as they pay us real money, selling them our shells and fuel will also contribute to the fight against the Japanese. After all, arms don't discriminate between buyers, as long as we blow the Japanese's heads off."
He waved his hand and signaled Zhang Guangsong: "Go and arrange for someone to receive the liaison they sent."
With a group of messengers and liaisons, it is naturally impossible for Zhang Chi to spend time to meet them in person with his current status. At most, he can have a meal with them and get to know them. The actual details of the communication are handled by Zhang Guangsong's subordinates.
Zhang Guangsong stepped back and the office fell into a brief silence.
Xiao Qi couldn't sit still any longer and asked, "What about the adjutant sent by Commander Wei? Did he just go for a dinner and be done with it?"
"What? Do you admire Commander Wei very much?" Zhang Chi raised his eyebrows.
"He's a great hero who defended Zhongtiao Mountain for years. If he hadn't been replaced, the Japanese wouldn't have been able to break through the Zhongtiao Mountain defense line." Xiao Qi looked at his commander and added, "Of course, in my heart, Brother Zhang, you're also a great hero who kept the area safe and beat the Japanese."
"Okay, we're both heroes, so I won't ask you which one is bigger."
After joking, Zhang Chi's expression tightened slightly, and a serious look appeared between his brows: "I must meet Commander Wei's adjutant."
His fingers tapped lightly on the table, his thoughts racing. "It's not just about the seven thousand orphans. I also want to have a good chat with him about the upcoming joint combat plan."
Xiao Qi raised his eyebrows and said with a hint of sarcasm: "How can you care about those devils of Ba Mo?"
"The Japanese in Bhamo?" Zhang Chi shook his head, his tone calm. "Due to the terrain, the Japanese can only deploy one reinforced battalion there, about a thousand men. Once the rainy season is over, we can take them down in a few days. What really gives me a headache are Mandalay and Songshan."
Historically, the New 1st Army had easily opened up a passage to the New Pingyang from the Wild Man Mountain, so Zhang Chi was not worried about his western flank.
What he was worried about was the Gaoligong Mountains on the border of Yunnan Province on the east side of the front line, and Mandalay, a node that the army had to pass through before moving south.
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Zhang Chi knew that his sudden rise had broken the trajectory of history, especially his feat of capturing Myitkyina nearly a year ahead of schedule, which forced the Japanese to shift their strategic focus towards Pegu.
与历史上1944年师老兵疲、战力日渐衰退的南方军相比，现在的鬼子不仅增派了近卫第2师团和两个下辖5个大队复原兵的独立旅团为援兵，原本已经驻扎的18、33、55等几个主力师团也显得更加精锐。
In other words, the current enemy is more threatening than ever before, both in numbers and in combat effectiveness.
The reason behind this is clear: the Japanese field divisions, as the main garrison force in the occupied areas, usually see their combat effectiveness decline significantly as the garrison time increases. This law of "elite degeneration" has long been commonplace among the Japanese.
In the early stages of the war, the Japanese, who were somewhat stubborn, used their most elite field divisions for garrison tasks in the occupied areas according to the strategy of conquering a place and stationing troops there.
After the field divisions captured an area, they were often stationed in dispersed units such as squadrons or even teams, and neglected training for a long time.
These devils usually spend their time plundering food, looking for "country chicken" or other fancy things, or going to the countryside to carry out sweeping operations.
Therefore, these divisions, which originally possessed strong combat capabilities, will gradually decline to the level of security forces as their garrison time increases.
Generally speaking, after one to two years of continuous stationing, the combat effectiveness of these divisions will be severely degraded, even becoming comparable to that of a security brigade. (New Century White Eagle's personal experience, "On the Harm of Security Warfare to the Combat Effectiveness of Field Troops")
The Japanese headquarters did not completely ignore this issue.
In Qian Country, the Japanese deliberately formed a number of independent brigades and independent regiments to go to the countryside to maintain public order, and concentrated the field divisions near the transportation lines for mobile operations to preserve their combat effectiveness.
However, on the Nanyang battlefield, due to the severe shortage of manpower and maritime transportation capabilities, the Japanese could only rely on the puppet army to maintain partial public security, and at the same time had to disperse the field divisions to fill the security gaps.
This shortage of resources has exacerbated their plight.
But now, Zhang Chi launched an attack ahead of time, completely disrupting the Japanese's rhythm. His proactive attack forced the Japanese stationed in Pegu to quickly regroup and prepare to participate in the battle.
This actually allowed the field divisions that had begun to "degenerate" due to garrisoning to return to the battlefield without their combat effectiveness declining significantly.
The combat experience, coordination ability and morale of these troops are still at a high level, which invisibly makes the situation on the next battlefield more dangerous.
Zhang Chi seemed to be talking to himself, or perhaps to Xiao Qi in the room, "Flamethrowers and earthworks. Besides air bombing and heavy artillery, these two seem to be the only reliable tools for dealing with the mountain fortifications of Songshan Fortress."
"Why not try adding bulldozers and flamethrowers to the tanks and then provide them to Commander Wei's expeditionary force?" A good idea suddenly popped up in Zhang Chi's mind.
"No, it's not enough. This can only break through the defenses at the foot and the mountainside. Song Mountain is more than 2000 meters above sea level. Tanks can't threaten the Japanese fortifications on the top of the mountain at all." After thinking about it, Zhang Chi felt that it was not enough.