Anti-Japanese War: My equipment is infinitely refreshed

"How many?" Cun Yunsheng looked at Meng Fanle's astonished expression and could not help but slowly shook his head. In his opinion, these two or three hundred thousand people were really nothing. After all, he had a deep understanding of the cruel and large-scale wars on the European battlefield.

"What are two or three hundred thousand people? They are not even enough to cover the consumption of a battle." There was a sense of helplessness and heaviness in Cun Yunsheng's words, which was the feeling after witnessing the huge consumption of war.

"Isn't this enough?" Meng Fanle couldn't help but respond with a wry smile.

He thought to himself, all the troops they have now combined are far less than this number, where can they get such a large number of people?

In his eyes, this was an outrageous request, something that was simply unimaginable.

"It's a lot for us, but it's nothing for the European battlefield. Any battle will consume 200,000 or 300,000 people." Cun Yunsheng's tone became heavier. He knew very well how tragic the European battlefield was. After each major battle, the number of casualties was simply shocking. The consumption of 200,000 or 300,000 people was just commonplace there.

At this moment, the phone rang suddenly, breaking the slightly dull atmosphere in the room.

Cun Yunsheng subconsciously glanced at the phone, thought about it, and reached out to pick up the phone. Then, Stilwell's somewhat anxious voice came from the other end of the phone.

"How is the establishment of the European Expeditionary Force going? When will it be in place?" Stilwell's voice came clearly, his tone full of concern and urgency about the matter. After all, the situation in Europe had become so tense that it could not be delayed any more, and every minute and every second was crucial.

Hearing this, Cun Yunsheng couldn't help but smile bitterly, with a helpless look on his face. He slowly said to Stilwell on the other end of the phone: "General Stilwell, I'm afraid this mission cannot be completed."

He knew that there were many insurmountable difficulties in gathering the personnel needed to form a European expeditionary force, and he was really powerless.

"Why? Cun, do you know? The situation in Europe is very tense now." When Stilwell heard this, he immediately became anxious and his voice unconsciously rose a few degrees.

In his opinion, the war situation in Europe had reached an extremely critical moment, and the formation and deployment of this expeditionary force played a vital role in easing the situation, so he really found it difficult to accept the news that this mission could not be completed.

"What exactly happened to General Stilwell?" Cun Yunsheng held the telephone receiver tightly, his brows slightly frowned, his eyes full of curiosity and confusion.

He wondered to himself, could it be that, as he had guessed before, something went wrong in Gibraltar?

Or is the situation even worse, and the British Isles have been occupied by the German army?
But I have been paying close attention to relevant news during this period of time. How come I haven’t heard of such a big event happening?
"Gibraltar has fallen." Stilwell's voice came from the other end of the phone. His tone was so heavy as if he was carrying a heavy burden, and every word revealed a deep sadness and anxiety.

Hearing this, Cun Yunsheng felt as if he was punched in the back and couldn't help but gasp.

Oh my God, Gibraltar was actually lost. This news was really beyond his expectations!

His eyes widened, his face full of disbelief.

Whose handwriting is this?
Cun Yunsheng was calculating quickly in his mind. He quickly clarified in his mind that he had not participated in any action to plan this matter, and it had absolutely nothing to do with him.

Could it be that the German army did it themselves?
But when I think about it carefully, I feel something is not right.

The German army is already facing a tight war on the European continent. Do they still have the energy to open up new battlefields and attack important strategic locations like Gibraltar?

Logically speaking, this seems unlikely.

If it wasn't the Germans, then who could it be?

A name suddenly flashed through Cun Yunsheng's mind - Nanyun Chuichi.

He couldn't help but narrow his eyes slightly and pondered secretly.

It's not completely impossible. After all, the attack on Pearl Harbor was done by the aircraft carrier fleet led by this guy.

Nanyun Chuichi was really good at sneak attacks. Maybe the loss of Gibraltar was also related to his sneak attack skills.

But why did he suddenly set his sights on Gibraltar? What kind of complicated planning and layout was behind this?
The more Cun Yunsheng thought about it, the more he felt that the matter was shrouded in mystery, and his heart was filled with worry and confusion.

But Cun Yunsheng just couldn’t understand why Gibraltar was lost. According to common sense, shouldn’t the British army be extremely anxious?

What does this have to do with him? Why did they have to form a European expeditionary force? No matter how he looked at it, this matter had nothing to do with him. He was really confused.

However, Stilwell's next words made Cun Yunsheng suddenly understand why they were in such a hurry to form an expeditionary force.

It turns out that the main reason lies with the US military itself.

The number of existing US troops is too small, and most of the newly formed troops are rookies with no combat experience at all. If these troops are sent directly to the battlefield, they will be no different from cannon fodder.

Although they have advanced weapons and equipment in their hands, it is not enough to have good weapons alone to fight a war. Without actual combat training and strong combat qualities, their combat effectiveness will be extremely low.

Not to mention confronting the German elite troops, even if they encountered the German second-line troops, they might not be able to win.

It is precisely because of this situation that the US military, after comprehensively considering various factors, came up with a solution, which is to decide to recruit a group of vassal troops.

To put it bluntly, these so-called vassal troops were there to serve as cannon fodder. The idea was to let them take the lead and block the fierce offensive of the German army.

As for Stilwell, after receiving the relevant orders from his superiors, he began to think about it in his mind.

He thought that in order to gain more points and performance with the Army Department, he had to plan this matter carefully.

After much deliberation, he finally decided to form an expeditionary force. The backbone of this expeditionary force was planned to be the Nanyang Task Force under Cun Yunsheng. After understanding all the causes and consequences, Cun Yunsheng felt as if a big stone was blocking his heart and was very uncomfortable.

He knew in his heart that the Nanyang Task Force under his command were all brothers who had been through life and death with him and gone through hardships together. To be sent to the European battlefield as the backbone of an expeditionary force to face the powerful firepower and elite troops of the German army, wasn't this obviously sending his brothers to their deaths?
How could he accept this?

His brows were tightly furrowed, and his face was full of helplessness and pain.

From the phone call, Cun Yunsheng clearly knew that this task could not be refused.

Unless he wants to fall out with Stilwell.

But if that happens, I'm afraid I'll be easily replaced.

After all, my strength is still very weak now.

"General Stilwell, is the mission urgent?" Cun Yunsheng held the telephone receiver tightly and asked again without giving up.

He still had a glimmer of hope in his heart, hoping to get a slightly more moderate response from Stilwell. After all, it was too difficult to complete such a arduous task as forming an expeditionary force in just one month.

"Yes, it must be completed within one month at most." Stilwell's tone was firm and there was no room for maneuver. He said it mercilessly.

He had no choice. The pressure from his superiors was enormous, and the situation on the European battlefield was even more urgent. Every day of delay would likely lead to the situation getting worse, so he could only pass on the pressure to Cun Yunsheng intact.

Hearing this, Cun Yunsheng took a deep breath, as if he wanted to absorb all the helplessness and pressure in his heart. Then, he slowly explained: "General Stilwell, I'm afraid it won't be completed in a month. If you just need some cannon fodder, that's easy. I can easily gather 200,000 or 300,000 people, but I can't guarantee their combat effectiveness."

Cun Yunsheng knew very well that if he just wanted to gather numbers, he could gather some untrained or undertrained people from all over the place, and he could gather 200,000 or 300,000 people. But what use would such a team be on the battlefield? They would just be cannon fodder and die in vain.

"Damn it, what do I need these cannon fodder for? I need an elite force." Stilwell roared in frustration when he heard Cun Yunsheng's words.

He fully believed that Cun Yunsheng could understand his needs and could put together a decent and combat-capable army in a short period of time, but he did not expect Cun Yunsheng to say such a thing. How could he not be annoyed?

In his view, those rabble with no fighting power could not solve the urgent problems on the European battlefield at all. What he needed was an elite division that could truly confront the German army and play a role on the battlefield.

Hearing this, Cun Yunsheng finally understood that high-level cannon fodder was needed, as those ordinary natives were not in Stilwell's eyes.

To be honest, he himself looked down on those rabble. Sending these people to the battlefield was to fill the line, but the key point was that normal filling the line could at least consume some of the enemy's troops, while these rabble with no organization, discipline, and combat quality could be easily defeated by a division, and would not play any substantial role at all.

"General Stilwell, if that's the case, then it's impossible. We only have tens of thousands of well-trained soldiers now, which is a long way from what you require." Cun Yunsheng shook his head helplessly and said.

He was well aware of the current military situation at his disposal. It was simply a fantasy and impossible to expand just tens of thousands of formally trained soldiers into an elite force that could meet Stilwell's requirements in just one month.

"Damn it, Cun, I'm not discussing this with you. I'm demanding that you complete it." Stilwell on the other end of the phone was immediately furious, and his voice unconsciously rose several decibels. His tone was full of unquestionable toughness, as if as long as he gave the order, things must be accomplished according to his wishes.

Hearing this, Cun Yunsheng seemed quite calm. He said to Stilwell on the other end of the phone slowly, "General Stilwell, we need to make it clear that you require well-trained soldiers, which is very difficult to accomplish. Unless Shancheng can support us with some troops, it will definitely not be completed in a month."

Cun Yunsheng knew very well that forming an elite force that met Stilwell's requirements was not something that could be done casually. It required a sufficient number of soldiers who had undergone rigorous training and had practical combat experience. The current strength he had was far from enough.

The only way to hope that the mountain city can lend a helping hand and send some troops is to have a chance of completing the mission. Otherwise, it is simply an impossible task to complete within the time limit of one month.

Hearing this, Stilwell fell silent. He had actually considered this issue before. If some troops could be sent from Shancheng, it would be of great help in completing the formation of the expeditionary force.

But the key point is that his relationship with Shancheng has not been very good during this period. There are many conflicts and differences between the two sides, and communication and cooperation between them have become somewhat difficult.

In this situation, if you seek help from the other party at this time, they may not agree, and you may even be turned away.

This was exactly the reason why he was so angry just now. He was anxious to complete the task, but he also knew clearly that there were insurmountable obstacles in this regard, so his emotions got out of control all of a sudden.

"And even if the organization is completed, how are we going to deal with weapons and equipment, logistical supplies, transport ships, etc.? And how about choosing a landing site? If I remember correctly, the Suez Canal is now in the hands of the German army. How are we going to reach Europe?" Cun Yunsheng's words were like a string of cannonballs, throwing out these soul-searching questions one after another.

He knew very well that forming an expeditionary force was not as simple as gathering enough people; the real challenge lay in a series of subsequent supporting issues.

Without sufficient weapons and equipment, what can the soldiers use to fight?

If the logistical supply cannot keep up, won’t we be hungry and out of ammunition on the battlefield?

If there are not enough transport ships, how can we transport the troops and supplies?

Moreover, the choice of the landing site is even more crucial. After all, the Suez Canal is controlled by the German army, which cuts off an important waterway to Europe. How can we reach Europe smoothly?
These problems are like mountains, weighing heavily on Cun Yunsheng's heart.

"The landing site is chosen in Egypt." Stilwell said in a light tone on the other end of the phone, as if these problems were not difficult to solve in his opinion.

Upon hearing this, Cun Yunsheng was stunned for a moment.

He couldn't help but wonder in his heart, this was not an expedition to Europe at all, it was clearly asking them to attack the North African Legion.

Although he also knew that the main force of the North African Legion was busy in the Middle East, there were still many troops stationed there.

If we rashly land and attack in Egypt, it will not be an easy task at all. We may end up in a fierce battle, and we will face the elite German troops in North Africa. (End of this chapter)