The War of Resistance: From Overseas Chinese Mechanics to King of Nanyang

"The brigade commander of the 6th Mixed Brigade in Baoshan is quite interesting." Huang Zurong did not refuse when he learned that the other party wanted to buy a batch of supplies. After all, it would be a fool not to make money, and what he needed most right now was money. He needed a huge amount of supplies every day.

"Commander, I think we can reach a long-term cooperation with them," Chen Shunwen said from the side. The training he had undergone during this period had made him grow a lot. At least he was no longer as naive as before, and he also knew that every town along the Burma Road had a black market, and the owners behind these black markets were basically local gentry and the army.

Previously, when supplies were not interrupted, these black markets surrounding the Burma Road could still generate considerable profits.

But now everyone is living a miserable life, not only because of the severe shortage of supplies, but also because of the high prices.

Therefore, Chen Shunwen had been thinking about how to cooperate with the forces behind these black markets all along the way.

Instead of dealing in the black market, wouldn't it be more profitable to cooperate directly with the other party?

Moreover, since we're all in the same boat, many things become easier to do.

After hearing Chen Shunwen's words, Huang Zurong couldn't help but look at him with new respect. He hadn't expected this guy to be so quick-witted. Indeed, no one should be underestimated.

"Hmm, this is a good idea. We can give it a try. If it goes smoothly, we'll be the biggest supplier of materials in the future." Huang Zurong patted the other person on the shoulder, indicating that he could go all out and that he would cover for him if there were any problems.

Currently, apart from military weapons, he can provide all other supplies, from rice, flour, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea to medicine, bandages, and so on—there is absolutely no problem with any of them.

Therefore, the right path for him is to become a global supplier of supplies.

However, this path is not easy. If he doesn't have some strength, he might really be swallowed whole, and even a lowly soldier or crab general would dare to mess with him.

Therefore, to avoid such a situation, he must have troops at his disposal, so that the enemy will have to weigh the cost before they have any bad intentions.

"Go and ask all the troops on the Burma Road. If they are willing to cooperate, we can provide them with a certain amount of supplies," Huang Zurong added.

"Yes," Chen Shunwen replied immediately.

After Baoshan, the next stop is Tengchong, where we are very close to the border.

However, at this time the British army was still stubborn and did not need reinforcements, so there were very few troops on the border. They requested that only a small number of troops be stationed there, so the border remained unchanged.

The closer Huang Zurong got to Tengchong, the heavier his steps became, because he had seen many graves along the Yunnan-Burma Road, where the remains of the Nanyang Overseas Chinese mechanics were buried.

This scene naturally weighed heavily on his mind.

What actually weighed heavily on his mind was the Burma Road beneath his feet. In order to build this road, an average of three people died per kilometer, and in some treacherous sections, eight people died per kilometer.

In other words, the road they took could be described as a burial ground.

This is why Huang Zurong has become increasingly silent.

"Commander, once we cross this mountain, we'll be in Tengchong." The messenger's words brought Huang Zurong back to his senses from his grief.

"Oh? We're almost at Tengchong?" Huang Zurong asked in surprise.

"Yes, we have to thank this highway, otherwise it wouldn't have been so fast," the messenger explained.

Upon hearing this, Huang Zurong nodded. He had some understanding of Tengchong and knew that there was a family of military generals in this ancient county.

The family, surnamed Cun, migrated here during the Ming Dynasty and have guarded the frontier for generations. In modern times, a man named Cun Dajin emerged who led his men in a fierce battle against the British army, ultimately defeating them. From then on, they became a force to be reckoned with in southwestern Yunnan, deterring the British from ever invading again.

In addition, this person had a son named Cun Xingqi, who came from the Yunnan Army, was a major general and commander of the 12th Division, and guarded the western front of Zhongtiao Mountain for four years. He was killed in the Battle of Zhongtiao Mountain not long ago.

Huang Zurong naturally admired such a family, so before coming here, he had already decided that he must build a good relationship with them.

If I can get their support, everything I do in Tengchong will go very smoothly.

"Pass on my order: the troops shall set up camp outside the city and the cooks shall begin stewing meat." Huang Zurong knew that a long march would be a great test for the soldiers, so he immediately started providing them with extra food upon arrival.

Sure enough, upon hearing that there would be stewed meat to eat, morale instantly soared, and all previous dissatisfaction vanished.

Huang Zurong had no appetite, but instead prepared plenty of gifts. In addition to rice, flour, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea, he also brought a box of canned goods. He removed the labels from all these items, so they were completely unrecognizable.

Huang Zurong originally thought that the visit would be difficult, but to his surprise, it went very smoothly. When he saw Cun Dajin, he was shocked. He was full of energy and spirit, and he was indeed a ruthless man who dared to fight against the British army back then.

So Huang Zurong started by showering the other party with compliments, especially boasting about his past achievements.

He knew that older people liked to hear these kinds of stories.

Although it is said that a hero does not boast about his past glories, it is only because he is embarrassed to do so.

If someone else were to boast like that, one would be overjoyed.

At least at this moment, Cun Dajin truly regarded Huang Zurong as his own nephew.

"The British are arrogant; they're bound to suffer a great loss this time," Cun Dajin shook his head and voiced his opinion.

Upon hearing this, Huang Zurong was startled; he hadn't expected the other party to be so accurate.

"Old man, how did you figure that out?" He was from a later era, so he naturally knew that the British army was going to be in trouble, but Cun Dajin was not. He must have something to say to be able to say such a thing.

"Hmph, I dealt with the British when I was young. They were bullies who preyed on the weak and feared the strong. In reality, they weren't very strong in combat. Back then, the brothers I led all had homemade guns and cannons, and we still beat them to a pulp." Cun Dajin started boasting, but Huang Zurong didn't refute him. Instead, he listened very attentively.

There's a kind of story that I hear from my mother about the past.

"It's a pity I'm old. Otherwise, I could still be on the battlefield now. How could I allow the Japanese devils to be so arrogant?" Cun Dajin said angrily, slamming his fist on the table at the end.

Clearly, the sacrifice of his son still saddened Cun Dajin, and Huang Zurong could clearly sense that the other man was somewhat disappointed.

"Grandpa, don't worry, I'm here to kill the Japanese devils." Huang Zurong revealed his thoughts, and then subtly indicated that the army was short-handed and hoped to recruit some soldiers.

The Yunnan Army was also a pretty good type of soldier, especially since the people here grew up running in the mountains, so their feet were quite hard-footed, making them true mountain soldiers.