Chapter 247: Want all the thousands of Nanyang Overseas Chinese mechanics?
Stilwell was still very tempted by the suggestion made by his adjutant.

Whether Yangon and Bangkok are legal, strictly speaking, depends on him.

If he disagrees, the other side's so-called regime is a joke.

Therefore, if he really asked the other party to provide food, he probably would not refuse.

This is what Stilwell himself thought.

"Well, your suggestion is good." After weighing the pros and cons for a long time, Stilwell thought it was time for them to make their contribution, and he couldn't help but praise his adjutant.

"Then give it a try."

Since there was no better solution at the moment, Stilwell had to agree to this suggestion.

It was because of the problem with the Suez Canal, otherwise he wouldn't have to do this.

During this period, the Allies were gathering a large amount of supplies and warships in preparation for retaking the Suez Canal.

Since the opening of this canal, shipping around the world has become more prosperous.

Compared with the previous Cape of Good Hope and the Drake Passage in South America, the Suez Canal is really very safe.

After all, the first two are called the Corner of Death and the Crew’s Grave.

The route is long and dangerous.

But, will the danger go away?

The Suez Canal has only been opened for a few years. Before that, didn’t the shipping routes all take these two routes?
Now it is nothing more than adding some costs and risks.

But is it important to the US military?

Do not!
Not important at all!
Because they had no intention of continuing to transport supplies to Imphal.

The previous batch of weapons was purely because Stilwell had previously applied for the allocation of a batch of weapons and equipment.

Originally, he was ambitious and wanted to make great achievements and make a career on the battlefield in Southeast Asia.

As a result, as soon as the weapons arrived, he was ordered to sell them to Siam.

The reason is very simple, that is, the final destination of these weapons is Persia.

Used to strengthen Persia's strength and resist the Soviet invasion.

But it would take some time to get the weapons and equipment that Stilwell needed.

As for the transportation from Australia, the entire route was a Japanese defense zone.

Although Chuichi Nagumo led a fleet to the Mediterranean, the naval strength of the defense zone was greatly weakened.

But it was only weakened. If the Japanese army really knew that they were smuggling weapons and equipment, they would definitely come to chase and intercept them.

Only after they captured Guadalcanal could the US Pacific Fleet dispatch a fleet to escort the transport ships.

In other words, during this period, Stilwell's so-called counterattacks and so on became a joke.

Even the supply of materials was greatly weakened.

As a last resort, they began to set their sights on Yangon and Bangkok.

"General Stilwell..." Stilwell was worrying about supplies when Admiral Wavell's phone rang again.

"Why did the expeditionary force stop attacking? Shouldn't they have launched an attack on the Japanese army as planned? The information I got was that they actually stopped to farm."

"Do they want to occupy our territory?" As soon as the call was connected, he heard Admiral Wavell's machine gun-like words, which made him feel dizzy.

"Admiral Wavell, now that the Suez Canal has been lost, the Allied supplies can't be transported. The supplies accumulated in Imphal can no longer support their expedition, so they can only stop to rest and farm to solve part of the food problem." Stilwell said helplessly.

Admiral Wavell was stunned when he heard this. Imphal, which had always had abundant supplies, was actually running short of supplies?

How many expeditionary forces are there?
result!

He asked casually, and the data he got scared him.

More than 300,000 expeditionary forces?
so much?
No wonder the supplies in Imphal could not meet the needs of so many troops.

It was indeed beyond his expectations.

After asking in detail, I found out that there were 200,000 indigenous people among them.

And they were Burmese natives, which made Admiral Wavell look a little ugly.

"General Stilwell, I must remind you that Burma is a colony of the British Empire. Some of your current actions have undermined the interests of the British Empire. The regime in Rangoon is illegal." Admiral Wavell took a deep breath and said.

Before this, Admiral Wavell did not feel any pain even if Burma was completely lost.

Because he knew that as long as he could defeat the Japanese army, he would be able to retake this place sooner or later.

The results of it?
Now tell him that the Burmese have created an independent regime on their own.

This would be tantamount to damaging the interests of the British Empire, which was simply unacceptable to Admiral Wavell.

But considering the relationship between the two parties, he couldn't turn against them immediately.

"Admiral Wavell, we need to make clear one fact. The most important thing right now is to deal with the Japanese troops in India, not the regime issue in Rangoon." Stilwell was not a fool, and naturally knew what Admiral Wavell meant.

As Cun Yunsheng proposed earlier, this is the best time to dismember the British Empire's colonial system.

Otherwise, after the war, the British Empire could still become the world's number one power relying on its huge colonial system.

So what is the meaning of all this effort by America?
Therefore, Stilwell had to support the new regime in Rangoon and support the Burmese people's own choice.

More importantly, this old guy is still completely confused. Doesn’t he know that the most important thing right now is to deal with the Japanese troops in India?

You should know that the Japanese army in India has drawn 200,000 elite troops from its homeland.

Once they arrive in India, can the British army defeat the Japanese army with its small number of troops?
result!

This guy just keeps his eyes on these three melons and two dates.

"General Stilwell, we will definitely win this war, there is no doubt about it. We will never allow the territory of the British Empire to be damaged in any way." Admiral Wavell took a deep breath and said in a cold tone.

"I will consider what you said, but right now I need the help of the British Empire. The expeditionary force led by Du Yuming needs a large amount of weapons, equipment and supplies. I wonder if Admiral Wavell can solve them. Otherwise, it may take some time for them to move forward." Stilwell's words directly shut up Admiral Wavell.

Now not only Stilwell is lacking, but he is also lacking.

The purpose of the call was to hope that Stilwell could allocate some supplies.

result!

Instead, people turned to him for help.

Considering the previous conflict between the two parties, Admiral Wavell directly replied that he needed to think about it and then hung up the phone.

"General Stilwell, I'm afraid it will be impossible for the expeditionary forces to continue advancing without supplies," the adjutant said with some concern.

"Then let them continue to farm. If it drags on, it will be the British army that will be anxious. What does it have to do with me?" Stilwell sneered.

Now he just wants to pray that the Suez Canal can be recaptured, otherwise, his Imphal base may not be able to hold out for long.

"General Stilwell, Shancheng has sent another telegram, hoping to deliver the weapons and equipment promised before." At this time, the communications staff came in and said respectfully.

Previously, in exchange for Shancheng's dispatch of the expeditionary force, Stilwell personally sent a telegram to Shancheng, expressing his willingness to provide equipment for five divisions.

In view of the backup equipment of these five divisions, Yamashiro agreed to send out an expeditionary force of 100,000 to enter India and destroy the Japanese army.

Now that someone has sent a telegram, it is naturally to urge Stilwell to fulfill his promise.

Hearing this, Stilwell frowned slightly. Originally, he could have exchanged the equipment for these five divisions, but now he certainly couldn't do so.

Thinking of this, Stilwell spoke up. "Tell them that the equipment is on the way and it will take some time."

"Yes."

.........

"Captain..." Meng Fanle was interrupted by Cun Yunsheng before he could finish his words.

"Just call me the commander. It sounds better."

Seeing this, Meng Fanle did not refute, but said with a smile.

"Commander, the Military Control Commission in Kunming just sent a telegram asking when the next batch of equipment will arrive."

"Let them wait. The production capacity is insufficient recently. Let's wait until the output increases." Cun Yunsheng shook his head. The task force is currently expanding and weapons are needed everywhere, so the quantity sold has also decreased.

"What they mean is that the price of arms on the black market has increased again recently."

"If we ship in large quantities at this time, we will definitely make a lot of money." Meng Fanle explained.

“???” Cun Yunsheng looked at him with some confusion.

"It is said that the reason is that Stilwell did not deliver on his promise to equip the five divisions in Shancheng. As a result, the troops were reorganized but the equipment was not yet in place, so there was a lot of commotion in Shancheng."

"The black market prices also increased accordingly." Meng Fanle hurriedly explained.

"These guys have a really keen sense of smell." Cun Yunsheng immediately understood what these people were thinking. They were simply taking advantage of this opportunity to raise prices and make money.

The key point is that he really can't draw more equipment now.

Ever since he knew that his plan had been discovered by the Allies, he deliberately began to expand his troops.

Therefore, the amount of equipment sold abroad has also been greatly reduced.

"So what do you mean?" Meng Fanle asked again.

"Let's stop for a while. At least for a long time in the future, Shancheng will not be able to obtain American equipment." Cun Yunsheng knew that the Suez Canal would not be unblocked for a while.

Even if the road is unblocked, he has a way to keep it blocked for another year or two.

"Yes."

Just then, a staff officer came in and spoke quickly.

"Sir, the Malaysians are here."

“????” Cun Yunsheng looked at the other party in confusion. What Malaysia?
It was not until the other party explained in detail that I realized he was a Nanyang Overseas Chinese Mechanic from Malaysia.

When it comes to the Nanyang Overseas Chinese Engineers, things get complicated.

The full name is "Nanyang Overseas Chinese Mechanics Returning Home Service Corps".

It is a general term for more than 3,000 overseas Chinese truck drivers and repair technicians who returned from various parts of Southeast Asia to participate in the War of Resistance against Japan.

If the overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia are ranked according to their patriotism, then those in Malaysia are definitely number one.

This is beyond doubt.

The successful construction of the Burma Road was inseparable from the support of the Nanyang Overseas Chinese Mechanics.

I just didn't expect that they would find me.

This really surprised Cun Yunsheng, but at the same time he felt a little proud.

"Sir, would you like to see me?" asked the staff officer.

"Meet him, why not? You have to show enough respect, okay?" Cun Yunsheng reminded.

"Yes." The staff officer turned around immediately.

Meng Fan asked in confusion.

"Commander, what does it mean that someone from Malaysia is coming at this time?"

Hearing this, Cun Yunsheng thought for a moment, glanced at the calendar, and suddenly understood the other party's intention.

A few months ago, the mechanics brought back a total of 45 tons of military supplies for the War of Resistance, and for this, the mechanics paid the price of thousands of lives.

It is now July, and the First Brigade of Mechanics is not far from being disbanded, which means that these mechanics now need to find their own way out.

In other words, if they cannot find a way out, they will probably end up on the streets, and then they will truly be refugees.

Especially when the Pacific War broke out, overseas funding was cut off.

They probably found themselves in order to survive.

I just don’t know if it will be that person.

"Sir, I am Hou Xifan, the temporary leader of the First Brigade of Nanyang Overseas Chinese Mechanics. I hope you can save the Nanyang Overseas Chinese Mechanics." As soon as they met, Hou Xifan burst into tears.

During this period, their lives were truly miserable.

Some old and weak mechanics can only live in the cellar.

If there were no medicine, I would probably die in the cellar.

Hearing this, Cun Yunsheng felt the same way. These overseas Chinese who settled in foreign countries could have stayed away from the war, but they resolutely sacrificed their lives for their motherland.

The results they got were totally disproportionate to what they put in.

At least in Cun Yunsheng's eyes, those bastards in Shancheng really owed them.

Isn’t it because of these Nanyang Overseas Chinese Mechanics that the Burma Road was able to transport so much military supplies smoothly?

The results of it?
Some people starved to death in the cellar.

Whose fault is this?

"Drink some water first, and tell me what's the problem slowly. If it can be solved, I will definitely solve it for you." Cun Yunsheng took the cup of water handed to him by Meng Fanle, and said soothingly.

After drinking a glass of water, Hou Xifan's mood instantly stabilized a lot, and then he began to talk about the difficulties of the Nanyang Overseas Chinese Mechanics.

As Hou Xifan continued to talk, Meng Fanle next to him seemed very calm.

To him, this is normal.

An officer like Cun Yunsheng, who would stew pork with vermicelli as soon as he met someone, is truly a kind-hearted person.

According to what Meng Fanle said, a group of grass-eating creatures were able to eat meat for the first time in their history.

"In other words, you need to find your own way out now?" Cun Yunsheng said again.

"Yes, we hope you can help us find a job. We can engage in military transportation work." Hou Xifan knew that Cun Yunsheng's Sichuan Army Corps was directly under the Allied Command, so there would be no problem if he came forward.

Moreover, he had inquired carefully and found out that Cun Yunsheng had a very good reputation and had never abused his subordinates or drank their blood.

"No problem. My task force needs a large number of drivers and mechanics. You can have all your people come to me. The salary will be paid according to the standards for Allied drivers." Cun Yunsheng waved his hand and directly brought all the Nanyang Overseas Chinese mechanics under his command.

You know, he has long been coveting these Nanyang Overseas Chinese mechanics, but before, it was because they were weak, and even if you tried to win them over, they might not pay attention to you.

But now that people are offering it to your door, it’s different.

"Ah? You want them all?" Hou Xifan was stunned. There were more than two thousand people.

Want them all?
Do they have that many trucks?
"Yes, I want them all. As for your concern about trucks? Don't worry, I have plenty of trucks here. Not only that, I also have airplanes, tanks, and warships, all of which require people." Cun Yunsheng said with a smile.

　Thank you all for your tolerance! And for voting and so on! Woohoo! I'm crying my eyes out!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)