The expeditionary force began to dominate Southeast Asia by recruiting defeated soldiers

Chapter 598: Is there still afterglow in the sunset?

Soon, the other civil servants in the cabinet left.

Determined to go all the way until dark even if other cabinet members did not support him, Prime Minister Qiu walked around the table, came in front of Menzies, leaned forward and lowered his voice.

Next, every word he said seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth:

"Stuart, mobilize all your moles and shadows. I want you to immediately and secretly deliver weapons to the Malay Peninsula, especially to the Star-Moon Sect areas near the Siamese border. Rifles, machine guns, explosives, mortars... the more the better."

Sir Menzies' eyes did not show any fluctuations, and he said lightly:

"Those Xingyue members...have received virtually no training, are disorganized, and have low combat effectiveness. Furthermore, Nanyang's local military and police presence is strong, making infiltration and transportation extremely risky."

"Risk? Without risk, how can there be any reward?" Prime Minister Qiu roared. "I don't care about their fighting ability. I just want chaos. I want the Malay Peninsula to be ablaze with smoke. I want Zhang Chi's backyard to be on fire."

"I want him to spend all his energy and resources that were originally used for expansion on suppressing these damn rebellions and make him exhausted. Do you understand?"

He was panting, leaning on his cane, moving his fat body, and seemed to have anticipated something in his heart:

“The British Empire may end in shame, but it cannot end in such a cowardly and silent way, humiliated by a Chinese monkey!

A sunset should also have its afterglow, it should shock the world and make those who come after it feel awe when they recall it!

Menzies and Cunningham looked at each other subconsciously, and the meaning was clear.

This old man has been driven crazy by Zhang Chi!

"That's not enough, Cunningham!"

"Yes, Prime Minister!" The admiral had to straighten his chest immediately.

"Immediately mobilize warships from the Home Fleet and the Mediterranean Fleet. No capital ships are needed, as they would be too conspicuous. Secretly mobilize a squadron of elite cruisers and destroyers.

They claimed to be going to the Sindhu Ocean for a routine 'friendly visit' and 'anti-submarine patrol'.

At this moment, Cunningham even felt that there was a bit of resentment and grievance in the Prime Minister's eyes, similar to that of a woman.

"I want this fleet to appear like a ghost near Singapore, so that the ports, merchant ships, and even the navy of Southeast Asia will constantly feel the coldness of the Royal Navy's guns. I want to create enormous pressure, I want to make Zhang Chi sleepless and uneasy, and make him understand that if the Empire so desires, it can cut off his maritime lifeline at any time."

He paused and continued:

"Remember, let the fleet commander 'act flexibly.' If... I mean if, 'unknown armed elements' attempt to attack our 'friendly visit' fleet, or if 'pirates' dare to plunder merchant ships flying the Union Jack... then the fleet has the right to 'retaliate in self-defense.'

Do you understand? It's 'self-defense'!"

"But..." Cunningham moved his lower lip, "As for air defense, without aircraft carriers..."

Prime Minister Qiu tapped the ground with his cane in annoyance. Since when did his great motherland have to consider air defense whenever it sent fleets to overseas colonies?

"I will dispatch a fighter wing to Sindhu. 200 Spitfires and Tempests, is that enough?"

Without waiting for Cunningham to bargain further, Prime Minister Qiu waved his hand and said, "Okay, this is an order, do it."

Cunningham and Menzies had no choice but to stand up together and said solemnly: "Yes, Prime Minister!"

-----

Meanwhile, in the heart of Sumatra, deep in the tropical rainforest.

A small unit of the Nanyang Defense Force trudged through this primitive jungle.

They were wearing short-sleeved khaki tropical military uniforms, leggings, and thick military boots, but sweat had already soaked the uniforms and they stuck tightly to their bodies.

Everyone's face was covered in thick mosquito repellent and camouflage paint, but even so, the buzzing mosquitoes still swarmed around them like a dark cloud.

"Damn it... Fuck his ancestors..." In the middle of the team, Deputy Company Commander Zhao Dayong was panting heavily, wiping the mixture of sweat and oil paint that covered his eyes with his sleeves, and cursing under his breath.

He was leaning on a makeshift wooden stick and stepping on the soft humus layer, one foot deep and one foot shallow, sinking half a foot with every step.

"Those office-bound staff should be stuffed into this hellhole for a month. They only know how to draw a line on a map with a ruler. Do they have any idea how long it takes to climb 'five kilometers in a straight line'? It's all just this kind of insidious forest!"

Behind him, a young soldier, also sweating profusely, with the rank of corporal, brandished a heavy machete, chopping away at the tough vines and bushes that blocked his way. Upon hearing this, he also complained:

"Deputy Lieutenant Zhao, are there really Japanese soldiers in this godforsaken place? Could it be that the intelligence is wrong? We've been hiding in the ravine for several days, and there are only mosquitoes and leeches, not a single Japanese soldier.

All the credit for this battle went to the 1st Division and the conspicuous group of parachutes. I heard that domestic theater troupes are rehearsing "Heavenly Soldiers," which features them.

Another veteran chuckled, a bit sourly:

"That's right. They're so impressive. They jump out of a plane and take down the airport. And us? We're like wild beasts, hiding in the woods and feeding mosquitoes."

Zhao Dayong turned around and glared at him angrily: "Stop the fucking nonsense! The conspicuous ones have their own job, and we have ours! The Japs are not fools. If they can't defeat them head-on, won't they just hide in these deep mountains and old forests? Cheer up, don't let this happen!"

They belonged to the 7th Infantry Division, 20th Infantry Regiment.

This division was a Class A division in the second wave of reorganization, and the original plan was to convert it into a motorized one.

However, due to the urgency of the war, he was directly incorporated into the battle group that landed on Sumatra Island.

Originally they were the reserve force, and they would be sent up once the Japanese defense line was compromised and the first wave of landing troops found it difficult to open a gap.

As a result, after the commander of the Japanese 25th Army was beheaded, it collapsed at the first blow and sheep were left grazing all over the mountains and plains.

The 7th Infantry Division, which was expected to participate in the frontal attack, was converted into a mountain search unit on the spot. It dispersed into battalion units and began the arduous task of going deep into the barren land and hunting down the remnants of the Japanese army.

The old squad leader who was walking at the front of the team suddenly stopped, raised his hand and made a gesture to silence.

The entire team froze in an instant, leaving only heavy breathing and the cries of unknown birds and beasts deep in the jungle.

He was an old hunter from Bago, with dark skin and sharp eyes, looking more like a beast than a human.

Although he speaks Mandarin with a thick accent, in this environment, his words are the golden rule.

He squatted down and carefully examined the broken ferns beside the muddy path under his feet, and then twisted his fingers with a small, almost imperceptible trace of darker moss on the trunk of a nearby tree.

He leaned in to smell it, his brow furrowed.

"People have been here, quite a few." The old squad leader lowered his voice very low. "Look at these footprints... They're the prints of the Japanese's big-toed shoes. The rain hasn't completely washed them away. They went towards the stream."

He pointed in the direction of the faint sound of water ahead.

Zhao Dayong immediately perked up, his previous fatigue and complaints swept away, and a wolf-like light flashed in his eyes:

"Damn it, I finally smelled something fishy. Squad Leader Wang, you lead the way. Everyone else, check your weapons, load your guns, and release the grenades. Be gentle."