Chapter 3, The Chinese Bamboo Pole

Seeing Xu Tuan's bewildered expression, Song Yuhang irritably waved his hand

Upon exiting the club, Scott gritted his teeth and swore! ... I will definitely not let you, this bastard, off the hook ...! ... Song Yuhang!

Fearing that prolonged night would bring more dreams and mischief from the British, Song Yuhang arranged for a garrison company to immediately take over the military supply depot. He then called Xu Tuan, who wore an expression of admiration, to his side and whispered: "Quickly support me, prepare a vehicle to the field hospital of the 200th Division, and inform the military doctors there to be ready. I am in excruciating pain! I have lost so much blood; this is a loss! Is that female doctor still around? The one who is not very old but quite good-looking! What is her name?"

Looking at the smiling Indians and Burmese, Song Yuhang curled his lips and, after dismissing them as a bunch of clueless fools, approached the quartermaster who wore a troubled expression and muttered to himself: "A fortune teller once said that I lack metal in my five elements; it seems this saying has truly been validated, as no amount of money can be retained."

As Song Yuhang contemplated the idea of attacking the tank, he glanced at the arrogant British major and thought to himself, how can you flee without firing a single shot, and yet do so with such audacity? Truly, there has never been anyone like this before, nor will there be anyone like this in the future

Upon arriving at the field hospital, Song Yuhang instructed Xu Tuan to contact several regimental commanders and the direct battalion commander of the 200th Division, stating: "After completing the classification and inventory of supplies early tomorrow morning, have the military police company distribute the supplies to the troops of the 200th Division!"

Xu Tuan knew at last that Song Yuhang had been holding on all along, truly a case of valuing money over life! Blood was almost flowing everywhere, and at this point, he was still thinking about the female doctor from the 200th Division

Just as Song Yuhang was about to leave, a roaring engine sound came from the intersection. From the sound, Song Yuhang knew it was a tank. The heavy equipment of the 200th Division was still in the country; where did the tank come from

When Scott learned that several hundred kilograms of opium and some supplies from the club's inventory had been completely confiscated, he was so furious that he didn't even say goodbye. At 2 a.m., he led the command staff to evacuate overnight. The remaining Indian troops gathered in a chaotic manner for the entire morning and were only ready by noon. The confusion among the British forces presented Song Yuhang with another opportunity. Yesterday, during the raid on the British Officers' Club, the thirty boxes of arms had not been discovered, amounting to a total of 50,000 pounds! Especially those Mauser sniper rifles that Song Yuhang had kept in mind.

IOU

Oh my! Xu Tuan, drenched in cold sweat, truly cannot bear to think any further

The arrogant British major flicked his golden hair, completely disregarding the Chinese colonel before him, who was barely as tall as his nose. He glanced at the fuel truck parked by the roadside and the chaotic Indian and Burmese soldiers, and in a haughty tone, he loudly commanded Song Yuhang: "Yellow monkey, fill up the tank immediately and clean the tracks; we are about to depart!"

Xu Tuan understood very well the implication of Song Yuhang's so-called "cleaning up." Rubbing his thigh, which had gone numb from being slapped, he said with frustration: "Chief of Staff, why don't you slap your own thigh? My leg is already numb!"

"It's just refueling, only... it's refueling, do you understand?" Edward flipped through the issued Chinese communication manual, feeling frustrated for a long time, and glanced at the surrounding Chinese soldiers who were watching him closely. In a moment of desperation, Edward shouted loudly in English: "NO, NO!"

"Are you going to give us all the clothes as well? That's very generous!" Song Yuhang waved his hand, and a group of Chinese soldiers rushed forward

In order to match the momentum of the last sentence, Song Yuhang suddenly stood up and forcefully smashed the coffee cup onto the ground! The soft Persian wool handwoven carpet thwarted Song Yuhang's attempt; he did not hear the crisp sound of the coffee cup shattering. Instead, the coffee cup bounced on the antique carpet from the fourteenth century and rolled away unharmed.

Throughout the journey, Xu Tuan remained silent, and the changes in Song Yuhang were truly remarkable! The transformation was so drastic that it was as if he had become a different person. A young master, as slick and greedy as soap in boiling water, who just the day before had been scheming to sell off the stockpiled arms of the 200th Division, suddenly turned into a patriotic youth who disregarded personal honor and disgrace. If one were to say he loved money, would the Song family still be in need of it? The items he had risked so much to acquire were quickly divided among others. When did this young master of the Song family’s patriotic sentiments rise to a level worthy of admiration? Xu Tuan found himself increasingly unable to see through Song Yuhang; could it be that everything before was merely an illusion? Was his deliberate arms trafficking a trap set to draw the British into the fray?

Oh! Song Yuhang frowned in displeasure upon seeing Scott's greedy demeanor. He thought to himself, only the British could so brazenly occupy others' possessions with such a sense of righteousness. A group of hypocritical colonizers and vampires, always wearing a facade of virtue. He knew he had to teach this Englishman a lesson.

The language barrier made Song Yuhang realize a rare opportunity. He suddenly grasped Edward's hands tightly and exclaimed in a tone of gratitude: "The Allies truly understand us! They know we need heavy towing vehicles. Thank you so much, Major Edward!"

Xu Tuan, standing at the intersection, anxiously watched the cars of the British leave. He knew that those two vehicles had little gasoline left. Glancing at Song Yuhang beside him, whose face bore a cunning expression, Xu Tuan realized that this fellow was doing it on purpose

March 10, 1942

Under the pretext of providing armed assistance to allied forces, Song Yuhang deployed his entire battalion to Luka. Although the British Army's 1st Division in Burma was left with only one battalion, the indolent Indians and Burmese naturally did not carry much equipment, so most of the supplies were transported by truck convoy

Edward and his British subordinates' brazen smiles and cruel, malicious jokes almost made Song Yuhang entertain the thought of beating them up. Clearly, the British did not believe that anyone from the Chinese army present would understand English, and even if they did, what could they do about it?

However, the two identical copies of the "IOU" signed by Song Yuhang later sparked quite a controversy regarding the question of who borrowed from whom

As Xu Tuan, who was currently stamping, let out a soft snort, he inwardly muttered: "You brat, it's not that you lack gold in the five elements! It's clearly that you lack virtue in the five elements. Which army in the world allows soldiers to sell their weapons and come back asking for money?"

You...! ... You, you. ! Scott, after half a day, still couldn't come up with a reasonable explanation. With immense heartache, he glanced at the carpet that Song Yuhang had splashed coffee on. That valuable antique carpet could buy a small manor in England. After contemplating for a while, Scott finally stomped his foot in frustration and waved his hand, leading several officers out of the club

The old medical officer also discerned Song Yuhang's thoughts, and while bandaging, he said: "Those young ladies have all been sent back to the military headquarters by the commander. Their surgical skills and theoretical knowledge are very comprehensive, but they lack a bit of practical clinical experience. Such talents are not something we can afford to lose!"

After friendly consultation, we are borrowing five vehicles and one command vehicle from the Allied Seventh Armored Brigade

When Song Yuhang discovered that the one to bandage him was actually an old man, he began to divert the conversation, looking around for quite some time, and finally, with a face full of disappointment, he very reluctantly allowed the old physician to bandage him

Although Song Yuhang felt somewhat disappointed, he preferred that the female medical officers remain in the rear, as at least there would be no danger in front of him

Half an hour later, the money was spent? Song Yuhang looked at the trucks filled with equipment and ammunition, as well as the seemingly foolish yet financially uncompromising Indian workers. Song Yuhang recalled a trick from a later time: the white slip!

Indeed, all the officers and soldiers of this tank unit, which was delayed in its departure due to maintenance, are Caucasian. The British are not as easily deceived as the Indians and Burmese, so white tickets and fake seals are naturally of no use.

Expeditionary Force Military Police Headquarters

With a sly smile at the corner of his mouth, Song Yuhang thought to himself, haven't you British people already embezzled enough aid supplies meant for China? Taking others' possessions and shamelessly negotiating with them? Perhaps only the British would dare to do such a thing in the entire world

Under persistent questioning, Song Yuhang learned that this Mr. Edward was actually the Deputy Commander of the Royal Heavy Tank Regiment of the British Army's 7th Armoured Brigade. No wonder Edward was so arrogant, as he was also a member of the royal family.

Do you really intend to monopolize it? You cannot possibly consume that much, Colonel; that amounts to over 800 tons of weapons, ammunition, and military supplies. In a fit of rage and humiliation, Scott finally revealed his hand, seemingly making a final concession

Scott first stared at Song Yuhang with an expression of utter astonishment. After confirming that this deranged Chinese man was not trying to intimidate him, he glanced around and, with a fierce expression, said: "Colonel Song! I must remind you that you are also involved in the smuggling activities. According to your Chinese military law, you could face execution!"

Song Yuhang looked at Xu Tuan with the gaze one would use for a fool for a few seconds and said: "I am not stupid; slapping my own thigh would only hurt myself"

After a short while, five vehicles carrying captains of a hundred, along with a command vehicle, appeared in the sight of the crowd. Song Yuhang's eyes began to shine with brilliance; he knew that these should belong to the direct troops of the British Army's 1st Division stationed in Myanmar

Xu Tuan was left bewildered by Song Yuhang's question. The 200th Division Field Hospital has over twenty female medical officers, among whom seven or eight are newly arrived students from the Guihe Library of the Kingdom of Books. Most importantly, in Xu Tuan's eyes, each of these girls is more beautiful than a celestial being

Five minutes later, the major, dressed in British-style white boxer shorts, along with his group of soldiers, holding Song Yuhang's IOU, continued their journey in two trucks generously sponsored by Song Yuhang. The reason for Song Yuhang withholding their uniforms was that the logistics department of the 200th Division did not have coveralls. Although the British ones were somewhat large, they could still be modified to be manageable.

What? Edward, who could roughly understand Mandarin, thought he had not expressed himself clearly, or that the Chinese officer in front of him had not understood, after all, there are indeed too many dialects in China

Song Yuhang chuckled and approached Scott, regardless of whether Scott was willing or not. He placed a hand on Scott's shoulder and spoke in fluent, perfectly pronounced London English: "If I were to disclose to the Chongqing authorities that you, a Major General, are embezzling and illegally transferring Allied supplies meant for China, just imagine the sensational news it would create. A British Army Major General openly selling off military supplies during the most difficult times of China's resistance against Japan—how scandalous would that be! Would your Prime Minister Churchill let someone who tarnishes Britain's reputation among the Allies go unpunished?"

Song Yuhang, seeing Xu Tuan's astonished expression, said solemnly: "What do you mean by 'yours' and 'mine'? This battle not only concerns whether our expeditionary force can establish a foothold in Myanmar, but it is also the first major battle for Chinese soldiers after stepping onto foreign soil. The morale and spirit of the troops must be bolstered, not diminished. With this batch of weapons and supplies, we can provide stronger support to the 200th Division. It doesn't matter if I am misunderstood personally; in today's international relations, strength is what matters, and the military is no exception. We must show the British how the Chinese army fights. This is not the Opium War era anymore"

In the early stages of cooperation, the officers of the Allied forces would only take the initiative to salute when they encountered General Hua, primarily because General Hua did not hold a command role within the Allied forces and was part of the collaborative military. It is no wonder that the British were looking down their noses at them.

Xu Tuan knew that Song Yuhang had long regarded this batch of supplies as his own, but the fact that Song Yuhang intended to distribute these weapons and supplies to the 200th Division's troops greatly surprised him. He blurted out, "Are you really going to give these things to the 200th Division? They won't pay for them!"

Thinking of this, Song Yuhang calmly extended his index finger and gently waved it, saying: "You are mistaken, Your Excellency the General. I am someone who is naturally endowed with lofty ideals, hence my appetite is substantial! It is eight thousand tons, eighty thousand tons! Today, I shall consume it all!"

Seeing that the Chinese soldiers did not respond, the British major patted the tank, pointed to the fuel truck, and said in broken Chinese: "Add ... ... fuel!"

A soldier skilled in stone carving was summoned to the gendarmerie headquarters. He received the order to carve a seal for the British Army's 1st Division headquarters in Burma within half an hour.

Scott's threat made Song Yuhang feel a glimmer of opportunity; this usually arrogant Englishman was shaken and frightened

Reluctant to part with the child, one cannot catch the wolf. Moreover, Song Yuhang, who originally had no trust in the Myanmar currency and the Indian rupee, took out all his savings along with the troops' food expenses!

Thus, Song Yuhang immediately intensified his offensive, saying: "You are quite right! However, please do not overlook my status. In China, the law is meant for those without power. At most, I can continue to prosper elsewhere, while you, my General, can trust that the laws of the British Empire are far more notarized than our Chinese laws, haha! Hahaha!"

The sudden smile that blossomed on Song Yuhang's face sent chills down Scott's spine, especially the white shirt collar stained with blood, making Song Yuhang resemble a messenger from hell. He stood before this British general, known for his neatly trimmed close-cropped beard and his fame in battle, who had even entered the national parliament after the war.

During the Republic of China period, the opening sequences were arranged from right to left. In consideration of everyone's reading habits, no changes will be made

Just as he got into the car, Song Yuhang suddenly slapped Xu Tuan's thigh as if he had come back to life, exclaiming in anguish: "Damn it, Scott, he still owes me the money for thirty crates of arms! Leave two platoons behind to help them clean out the underground warehouse of the club"

It is truly outrageous, utterly disgraceful! Xu Tuanan, while looking down on Song Yuhang, was stamping the documents for the Indians and Burmese who would demand money from the British upon their return.

When Xu Tuan learned of the task he was to undertake, his mouth dropped open wide enough to fit a goose egg. Despite his astonishment, Song Yuhang's orders were thoroughly executed. Consequently, at various intersections, the Chinese gendarmerie, with broad smiles, were purchasing the weaponry and equipment of the British 1st Division with large amounts of cash. Who wouldn't want to walk away without resistance and still make money? Such a fortunate opportunity was indeed too good for the naturally lazy Indians and Burmese.