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

"Killing the Japanese devils is good! Killing the Japanese devils is good!" Upon hearing Huang Zurong's words about killing the Japanese devils, Cun Dajin slammed his hand on the table and said in a low voice.

"Although I am old, I still pay attention to the changes in the situation. The Japanese army's large-scale southward advance was bound to attack Burma and cut off the Burma Road. Therefore, western Yunnan was in imminent danger. Tengchong, as an important town on the southwestern border, is connected to Guizhou and Guangxi in the east and Burma in the west. It is the gateway to protect the Burma Road and the key to keeping the enemy out of the country."

Although Cun Dajin lived in the ancient town, he was concerned about his country and his people. He kept abreast of the changing times through his clansmen and businesses that traveled between China and Myanmar.

After all, the British army did the same thing back then, so it's not surprising that he could guess the Japanese army's intentions.

"Your Excellency is wise." Huang Zurong couldn't help but flatter him. He hadn't expected that an old man in his eighties could say such a thing, which really surprised him.

"The reason I have come here is to recruit soldiers and expand the strength of the army near Tengchong. When necessary, we will send troops into Burma to keep the Japanese army out of the country and prevent the people of southwestern Yunnan from suffering from the ravages of war."

Then, Huang Zurong continued to boast that Cun Dajin had led men to keep the British army out of the country back then, and he hoped that he could follow in his footsteps.

It has to be said that this flattery hit the nail on the head. Cun Dajin's proudest achievement was keeping the British out of the country and preventing the war from reaching his doorstep.

Upon hearing this, Cun Dajin remained silent for a while, his gaze towards Huang Zurong softening further. After thinking for a moment, he continued.

"Recruiting soldiers is not a problem. Although Tengchong is located on the frontier, it is also a place of scholarly families and loyalty. The ancestors of the Cun family have been guarding the border with the army since the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty. They have always adhered to the family motto of 'loyalty, trustworthiness, propriety, and righteousness'. I will have someone cooperate with you to recruit soldiers, but I cannot guarantee how many we can recruit."

Upon hearing this, Huang Zurong breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that as long as the Cun family didn't hinder his recruitment, the rest of the problems would be solved.

"The old man is very wise and righteous," Huang Zurong said, standing up and bowing.

The local gentry wielded immense influence, especially the Cun family, which enjoyed great prestige in Tengchong. Their clansmen were scattered throughout the city and countryside, and many traveled between China and Myanmar. If the other side disagreed, they would find it extremely difficult to move an inch.

Of course, it's not that we can't recruit a single soldier, but that would be extremely costly, which is simply not worthwhile.

That's why Huang Zurong visited Cun Dajin immediately. A person who could starve himself to death for seven days after the Japanese army entered Tengchong must have a strong sense of patriotism. As long as he appealed to Cun's emotions and reasoned with him, Cun would not make things difficult for him.

As it turned out, his gamble paid off. Not only was he not harassed, but he was also very cooperative, which allowed him to gain a foothold in Tengchong.

"I'm getting old, and this land will ultimately depend on you young people." Cun Dajin shook his head.

The two then had a brief reminiscing session before mainly discussing the current battle situation. After all, judging from the battlefield situation, the Japanese army was indeed overwhelming the enemy in every aspect, which was why many people were pessimistic and believed that there was no chance of victory if the fighting continued.

That is why a great many people will surrender that year.

Huang Zurong, however, offered a different perspective. He believed that with the entry of the US military into the war, the days of the Japanese army's arrogance would be numbered. Therefore, as long as they gritted their teeth and persevered for a few more years, the War of Resistance against Japan would inevitably achieve a complete victory.

Moreover, as the main and elite forces of the Japanese army were continuously transferred to the Pacific War, the pressure of the war of resistance in China would be greatly reduced.

In short, the key is to persevere. As long as we persevere to the end, victory will surely be ours.

After leaving the Cun family, Huang Zurong returned to the military camp.

The once barren open space is now filled with tents, and smoke rises from the campsites.

"Starting tomorrow, put up recruitment signs, with the same conditions." Back in his tent, Huang Zurong found Chen Shunwen again and relayed the order.

"Yes." Chen Shunwen nodded, then brought up another matter.

"There's one more thing: about a hundred more mechanics will be joining us."

Upon hearing this, Huang Zurong immediately smiled. This was good news, after all, the cultural background of these Nanyang Overseas Chinese mechanics was much higher than that of the soldiers he had recruited.

Moreover, the literacy classes had been suspended for a period of time. It wasn't that he didn't want to continue, but there were simply too few people who could read. Now that more than a hundred people have joined, the classes can resume.

"What are most of them doing?" Huang Zurong quickly asked.

"Most of them are drivers. With transportation disrupted and prices rising, many people can't maintain a decent life on their meager salaries. When they heard that we were going to send them back, and that we would provide them with food, lodging, and money, they thought of coming here," Chen Shunwen explained.

To be honest, he looked down on these kinds of people, but Huang Zurong insisted that as long as any member of the Nanyang Overseas Chinese Mechanics was willing to come, no matter who they were, they had to be accepted.

So even if he had any complaints, he could only suppress them.

"These are not important." Huang Zurong waved his hand, indicating that these were minor issues. He couldn't expect everyone to have exceptionally high moral standards, could he?

"It's not a big deal that there are mostly drivers. I'm planning to teach everyone how to ride a bicycle, so I'll have them teach everyone how to ride."

Since we are preparing to head south into Myanmar to fight our way home, there are many issues that need to be considered.

As the old saying goes, "An army marches on its stomach."

Military campaigns cannot be fought without logistical support, so how should we solve the logistical problems?

Relying on trucks for transportation is indeed a good idea, but he doesn't have enough funds to buy trucks right now.

Even if he manages to get it, there will be maintenance, refueling, and other expenses, which will be a huge expense. His meager savings won't last long.

So how to solve this problem? He considered the Yunnan horse from Yunnan Province. These animals have great endurance and are very popular with the locals, but they need to eat, drink, relieve themselves, and sleep, so Huang Zurong eliminated them.

In the end, he chose a bicycle. This thing didn't need refueling or maintenance, nor did it need food or water, and he didn't have to worry about getting sick. It was simply a miracle. Especially since not long after, the Japanese Silver Wheel Division in Burma was incredibly powerful, defeating the British army with just two wheels.

"Bicycles? That's quite an expense." Chen Shunwen naturally knew about bicycles, but they weren't cheap. The whole group had about a thousand people, so even if each person had one bicycle, that would still be a hundred bicycles, which was quite an expense.

"It's nothing, just a little money." Huang Zurong waved his hand, not flustered at all, indicating that none of this mattered, because he had found a new way to make money.