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

"To be honest, I have no respect for the combat effectiveness of your newly formed 28th Division. They have almost no combat experience, and their training level is mainly political training, which is practically non-existent. As for weaponry, although they are equipped with Type 24 rifles, they don't have any heavy weapons." Huang Zurong spoke ruthlessly about the newly formed 28th Division.

Cheng Zhixin showed no expression in response, clearly indicating that he agreed with the other party's statement.

If they weren't so bad, they wouldn't have collapsed so easily after hearing that the Japanese army had occupied Lashio, without even having the thought of fighting back.

"Then you still want to recruit them?" Cheng Zhixin looked at the other party with even more confusion.

Is it that bad?

You want to recruit them?

Is he out of his mind?

Moreover, he took the opportunity during his meal to observe the morale of the militia soldiers, which was much better than that of many Central Army soldiers. He felt that only a few elite units could compare.

After all, they have meat at every meal, so their mental state is bound to be pretty good.

"Terrible as it may be, isn't it suitable to be cannon fodder?" Huang Zurong said with a half-smile.

cannon fodder?

Whoa, whoa, whoa!

Cheng Zhixin coughed suddenly. So that's what the other party was planning?

Before he could say anything, Huang Zurong continued.

"Alright, just kidding."

"We recruited you only because we felt that retreating like this would only lead to your deaths. We thought it was better for us to stick together and support each other. And are you really willing to retreat in such a disgraceful manner? A hundred thousand expeditionary troops being chased and beaten by tens of thousands of Japanese troops, isn't that shameful?"

"Furthermore, as far as I know, there are two divisions stationed in Lashio, totaling about 16,000 to 17,000 people? I'm afraid it's impossible to withdraw all of them?"

"At most, we can withdraw half, right?" Cheng Zhixin thought for a moment and gave an answer.

In fact, if they hadn't met Huang Zurong and his group, they probably wouldn't have been able to make it back to China with the little supplies they had.

Not only that, they also had to face pursuit by the Japanese army and occasional raids by the Burmese.

In this situation, the idea of ​​safely evacuating back to the country is practically a pipe dream.

"What about the other two hundred divisions?" Huang Zurong asked again.

"Now that Lashio has been occupied by the Japanese army, the route for the front-line troops to retreat has been cut off, and Mandalay on the western front has also fallen. The 200th Division will probably only be able to cross this primeval forest in the middle. With the shortage of supplies and medicine, it is likely that thousands more people will be sacrificed."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Zhixin fell completely silent. However, he was more curious about why the other party was saying so much.

Suddenly, as if he had thought of something.

"Wait a minute? You don't mean you're planning to attack the 200th Division, do you?"

Those are truly elite troops! How dare the other side set their sights on them?

Has this person been kicked in the head by a donkey?

"Huh? Was my intention that obvious?" Huang Zurong was taken aback. He had wanted to lay the groundwork, but the other party had guessed it directly, which made him a little embarrassed.

"Sir, isn't it obvious? Otherwise, why would you tell me so much? Besides, although I'm from the Central Army, I have no connection with the 200th Division." Cheng Zhixin was speechless. Was this person overestimating him?

"They are elite troops, the true elite, while we are just ragtag troops within the elite."

When talking about the 200th Division, Cheng Zhixin's words were full of envy.

"Sir, I advise you to give up. The 200th Division is not so easy to incorporate. If you really want to expand your strength, the newly formed 29th Division is a good option. They are newly formed units, and their combat effectiveness and treatment are very low, making them particularly suitable for recruitment." Cheng Zhixin felt that he should repay the kindness of this meal, so he advised the other party to choose an easier option.

"Only children make choices; adults want it all," Huang Zurong replied calmly, looking at the other person.

Upon hearing this, Cheng Zhixin paused for a moment, then gave a thumbs up, admiring the other party's boldness.

"If you really don't want to, you can retreat after dinner. But I still have to remind you that the bridges leading back have been destroyed by the Burmese, and there will be Burmese ambushes in the jungle. With so few people and a shortage of supplies, do you really think you can get back safely?" Huang Zurong said meaningfully.

These words left Cheng Zhixin completely speechless. However, upon closer reflection, they made some sense, especially since the bridge for retreat had been destroyed. This meant they would have to take a detour, and with jungles and foothills all around, the detour would be very long. The hope of safely retreating was indeed quite slim.

"Stay here and gather more defeated soldiers to hold off the Japanese pursuers. Otherwise, even more people will die. You don't want to see your compatriots become wandering ghosts, never able to go home for the rest of their lives, do you?" Huang Zurong said, then looked at the other man.

After a long silence, Cheng Zhixin's expression became somewhat moved, especially the phrase "wandering ghosts," which made him finally make up his mind. Then, in a hoarse voice, he spoke.

"I'm willing to stay."

Upon hearing this, Huang Zurong smiled and took out a map, pointing to a location and giving instructions.

"Congratulations on making the right choice. We've finished eating, so I'll give you a task: start from here and go over there to gather the defeated soldiers."

"Get lost?" Cheng Zhixin stared at the mark on the map, momentarily stunned.

"Yes, according to intelligence, some personnel of the newly formed 28th Division are retreating here. You take some men and gather them up. If it's too late, these people will probably become food for wild animals." Huang Zurong nodded. One of the purposes of incorporating them was naturally to gather more defeated soldiers.

According to the data, some members of the newly formed 28th Division were evacuated back to China from Kunlong, but some got lost and wandered into the jungles of northern Myanmar. In the end, only a very small number of them managed to return to China. Huang Zurong naturally could not stand by and watch these people die.

Cheng Zhixin is the best choice. With him in charge, it would be exceptionally easy to gather these defeated soldiers.

Only then did Cheng Zhixin realize that the other party had gone to great lengths to keep him here with this intention?

They really want them all!

However, he didn't say anything, just nodded to indicate that it was no problem. Then Huang Zurong gave him a batch of supplies enough to last for three days, which he took with him on his journey.

After the other party left, Huang Zhiwen asked with a worried expression.

"Commander, are they going to run away with the goods?"

"Run? Where can you run to? Stay with us obediently and you'll still have a chance to live." Huang Zurong sneered, not caring at all. Unless the other party was mentally ill, he would never run away.

In a foreign land, if you don't stick together and support each other, aren't you just asking for trouble?

After dealing with the fleeing soldiers here, Huang Zurong looked towards the distant jungle, estimating the time. He figured the 200th Division would probably arrive soon, but he didn't know if they could make it in time.

Huang Zurong was naturally very envious of this elite force. As he said before, only children make choices; adults want it all.

Of course, it would be difficult to incorporate them all.

But those wounded soldiers are still a possibility.

In addition, Dai Anlan should be injured and unconscious at this time. If I can revive him, I might get some surprises.