Chapter 4, The First Encounter with Diane

Song Yuhang understood that allocating the already scarce battle vehicles for his own use must have been a difficult decision for Commander Du as well

Xu Tuanan could not directly address Song Yuhang's foolish question, but merely responded ambiguously: "That was specifically arranged by Deputy Commander Du for you to use at your discretion, Chief of Staff!"

In contrast, Song Yuhang's means to achieve his goals were somewhat unscrupulous; however, Diane Lan does not deny that these methods were indeed effective. Not only did they allow him to vent his frustrations, but they also compelled the British to regurgitate what they had already consumed. Therefore, one should not underestimate Song Yuhang.

Xu Tuan's words, combined with that classic expression of "You know, yet you still ask me," made Song Yuhang suddenly realize that all this time it was actually the Deputy Commander of the Expeditionary Force, Du Yuming, who had provided him with a means to escape.

Upon thinking of this, Song Yuhang became confident again. Seeing Dai Anlan, he naturally could not be careless. After Song Yuhang, dressed in summer attire with long sleeves and long pants, completed his outfit with the discipline buttons fastened tightly, Dai Anlan's aide was momentarily taken aback, then cast a glance of appreciation.

Wu Jiuming, like a treasure, opened the folding bed in the command post and took out a cowhide paper envelope from the box under the bed. He said proudly, "This was awarded by the commander during the expedition; I have never been willing to drink it!"

Sir! The burly man stood up straight and saluted sharply.

At this moment, within the Central Bank Gendarmerie Command located in the New District of Tonggu, all the gendarmes have taken off their shirts and are wearing shorts, each with a damp towel draped over their heads. Although everyone is drenched in sweat, their faces are filled with joyful smiles

Zhou Zhi looked at Wu Jiuming's greedy appearance and said discontentedly: "You little brat, since the team set off, I have been hanging around your group for more than half a month. You, kid, don’t provide cigarettes or alcohol, and often take advantage of me. After all this time, you’ve hidden good things to flatter the commander. Be careful, or you might get kicked in the rear!"

After counting the arms under the blazing sun, Song Yuhang, who returned to the gendarmerie headquarters located in the new district of Tonggu City, unexpectedly discovered a treasure! Three American-made M3A1 light tanks? How could the gendarmerie possibly have tanks?

Dai Anlan put down his bowl without looking back, and with a serious expression said: "It is said that Wu Jiuming, the commander of the 600th Regiment among my Five Tiger Generals, is stingy, able to divide a single coin into eight parts. What’s wrong? Can’t you even eat a meal in your regiment's headquarters in peace?"

Suddenly, Diane had the thought of wanting to meet this reckless young man. She recalled how, two days ago, she had rushed to Scott's headquarters early in the morning, eager to hand over her duties. However, Scott had surprisingly refused her under the pretext of morning tea, only appearing neatly dressed by noon. At that time, Diane had to suppress her anger.

"Is the teacher here?" A loud voice interrupted Diane's train of thought. In an instant, a tall and robust black man stepped through the door.

In March, Myanmar can be described as having a blazing sun, with temperatures soaring to 44 degrees Celsius, causing waves of heat to rise from the ground, enveloping everything in the distance in a haze.

For Dai Anlan, Song Yuhang is actually a dispensable person. Regarding his previous actions, as long as they are not excessively outrageous, Dai has always turned a blind eye and refrained from pursuing the matter. In his view, if the old man far away in Chongqing does not pursue Song Yuhang, everyone will be quite happy. If he does pursue it and transfers Song Yuhang away, it will also relieve him of a burden. Otherwise, if he were to engage in a real confrontation with the Japanese, how could he possibly keep this young prince in such a precarious position? If something were to go wrong, and Madam Jiang were to become furious, not only would his own future be at stake, but the entire 200th Division could also be implicated. In his view, if the old man far away in Chongqing does not pursue Song Yuhang, everyone will be quite happy. If he does pursue it and transfers Song Yuhang away, it will also relieve him of a burden. Otherwise, if he were to engage in a real confrontation with the Japanese, how could he possibly keep this young prince in such a precarious position? If something were to go wrong, and Madam Jiang were to become furious, not only would his own future be at stake, but the entire 200th Division could also be implicated.

At noon, Song Yuhang was informed by Xu Tuan that the 30 boxes of arms had been found in the possession of a Myanmar armed group organized by the British, and a minor unpleasantness had occurred in the process of demanding this batch of arms

Wu Jiuming heard that the instructor was treating guests and was overjoyed, preparing to put away the wine. In his view, there was no need to assist with the instructor's treat! Before he had finished wrapping the wine, he heard Dai Anlan, who had already reached the door, say: "Don't put it away; I know you have two bottles. Bring your wine tonight; I will host at Fengyuxuan."

Wu Jiuming hurriedly chased to the door and shouted: "Master, if you treat me to a meal, isn't it a disturbance to bring wine and ruin your reputation? Master, please don't go! Master!"

"Good! Long live the Chief of Staff!" Amidst the soldiers' cheers, Song Yuhang, feeling dizzy from the sun, hurried back to the shade.

Dai Anlan's adjutant quickly located Song Yuhang, a prominent figure in Tonggu City. After sizing him up, he stood at attention and saluted, saying: "The commander has ordered me to come and escort Chief of Staff Song. You are invited to a banquet tonight at the Fengyuxuan, which is run by the overseas Chinese."

In just over ten days, this place will be surrounded by the Japanese army like an impregnable fortress. What can I do to help Dai Anlan? Is history something that can be easily changed? Yet, when I think of the hundreds of tons of weapons and ammunition that were once swallowed by the British army and have now been reclaimed, isn't this a variable? Perhaps Dai Anlan could also survive

Wu Jiuming wiped the dust and sweat from his face, grinning as he said: "Master, which scoundrel is behind this mess! If they don't get to eat, how could I not provide for you? Look, I even saved a bottle of fifty-year-old Moutai for you!"

A middle-aged man resembling an officer shouted loudly while holding a metal trumpet: "Everyone, let's put in more effort! The chief of staff has announced that we will distribute heat allowance at noon. If any of you feel hot or tired, you can take a break under the eaves, where there will be cool tea and fruit available. However, brothers, the fortifications you are working on must be constructed properly, and the standards must exceed those of the 200th Division by at least double! This is for our own use!"

Dai Anlan invited me? Song Yuhang, filled with immense excitement amidst his surprise, clearly understood that the star of China's first mechanized unit was about to fall in Myanmar. Should he remind him? In the future, during the defense of Gu, the 200th Division would face not just a single division as planned, but two fully equipped divisions and an elite search brigade.

Unlike Song Yuhang, who was hurrying to inspect the arms, Dai Anlan, busy inspecting the defensive works, only learned of Song Yuhang's extreme actions during lunch. When he found out that Song Yuhang had stripped the British man, who valued his dignity above all, down to his underwear, this stern man could not contain himself and spat out a mouthful of food.

Wu Jiuming felt a bit embarrassed after being spoken to by Zhou Zhizai. He rubbed his hands and said, "That wine was originally prepared to celebrate our victory after defeating the enemy. Today, we received so many weapons and supplies from Chief of Staff Song of the Military Police Corps. We shouldn't be too stingy, should we? So, tonight we will host a banquet for Song Yuhang and also invite the division commander!"

Sitting in the steamer-like vehicle, Song Yuhang's back was instantly soaked with sweat! After distributing a round of cigarettes to the driver and the officer, the driver and the officer noticed that Song Yuhang did not display an overbearing demeanor, and gradually, the atmosphere in the vehicle became more lively. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Song Yuhang learned that at this moment, Dai Anlan was inspecting the defense at the 131 high ground on the outskirts of the city.

Having gained a significant advantage, Diane naturally would not seek faults with Song Yuhang. Compared to the farce of last night, the stripping of dozens of British soldiers has become a trivial matter.

Dai Anlan, who was studying the defense with his advisors, did not notice the arrival of Song Yuhang. Instead, he furrowed his brows, lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and pointed at the map with his cigarette-holding hand, saying: "Overall, the terrain of Songgu is quite good. The Yangwa Railway runs through the city, with the old city to the west and the new city to the east. The old city walls are 20 meters high and 13 meters thick, constructed entirely of thick blue stone bricks, making it a solid defensive structure. The new city, on the other hand, has dense buildings and crisscrossing streets, which are advantageous for urban warfare. Additionally, the Xitang River to the east of the city serves as a protective barrier. However, the 131 high ground and the Keronggang Airport located over ten miles away pose a significant challenge."

Moutai?" Dai Anlan looked at Wu Jiuming in confusion.

Dai Anlan, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and exuding an air of a scholar, is the Chief of Staff of the 200th Division, Zhou Zhizai. Despite his refined demeanor, his words are guaranteed to astonish.

After hearing Captain Meng Xianzhong's words, Song Yuhang, also bare-chested and wearing shorts, with one hand holding a bowl of tea and the other vigorously fanning himself, ran out to add: "There are no British in the city now, so tonight we will suspend patrols, add more dishes, and serve alcohol. Everyone enjoy yourselves! However, there is one rule: no causing trouble after drinking!"

At the command post located 300 meters behind the ridge line of Heights 131, Song Yuhang met Dai Anlan. Standing approximately 170 centimeters tall, he had a bald head, a pair of fierce eyes that exuded authority, thick eyebrows, a yellow shirt with a missing button and a patch, wrinkled shorts, and was barefoot wearing a pair of nearly unrecognizable leather shoes. This was the true Dai Anlan

After circling a few times in the command post, Diane shouted, "Deputy Li, get my car ready. Go to the Military Police Command and bring Chief of Staff Song over. Just tell him that I will treat him to dinner"

The 200th Division is part of the Fifth Army sequence. Its predecessor was the Tank Battalion directly under the Military Affairs Commission of the National Government. In March 1937, this battalion was reorganized along with the 2nd Regiment of the Transportation Corps into an armored corps, commanded by Colonel Du Yuming, and was directly overseen by the Ministry of Military Affairs. In January 1938, this corps was expanded into the 200th Division, structured as a five-regiment system, with over 20,000 personnel. The original commander, Du Yuming, served as the first division commander, making it the first mechanized division in our country, also directly commanded by the Military Affairs Commission.

Song Yuhang immediately stood at attention and saluted, saying: "Chief of Staff of the Military Gendarmerie Corps, Song Yuhang, reporting for duty!"

"We are also going to Highland 131!" Song Yuhang's action startled the driver, who then turned his gaze to the adjutant. The phrase 'the guest follows the host' is merely a formality; for instance, today, this individual dared to execute Indian soldiers at the entrance of the British officers' club, extort a British major general, and strip the British armored troops. Where does he think he can go? Now, the entire 200th Division secretly refers to the military police patrol as 'strip the bottom!' This means that anyone who falls into their hands will end up completely stripped. Now, the entire 200th Division secretly refers to the military police patrol as 'strip the bottom!' This means that anyone who falls into their hands will end up completely stripped.

At this moment, the staff in the command post had already noticed the unique presence of Song Yuhang. When Dai Anlan, who had sensed something was off with his subordinates' expressions, turned around, he discovered a neatly dressed lieutenant colonel standing at the door

Thinking of the urgently needed weapons and supplies sent by Song Yuhang, Dianlan could no longer eat. Previously, he had looked down upon meeting this wealthy young man who came to seek personal gain, but now? For both emotional and rational reasons, he had to meet this young master of the Song family.