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

Chapter 169: The Industrial Miracle Created by Zhang Chi in Stevenson’s Eyes

Since Zhang Chi was declared an unwelcome person by the Kingdom of John, the John people naturally would no longer participate in the battle to liberate Pegu.

Stevenson could only command the troops stationed in Shendu, the expeditionary force, Zhang Chi's security army, and the White Eagle's special volunteer regiment and air force to complete this operation.

Stevenson actually enjoyed this situation.

Without John's constraints, he felt that many things might be easier to carry out.

At this moment, he stood in front of the huge map, gently tapped the Myitkyina area with his slender fingers, and the corners of his mouth rose slightly, revealing a meaningful smile.

He turned to look at his adjutant, his tone filled with a hint of surprise: "Dear Zhang built three airports in Myitkyina, one of which has two kilometer-level runways?"

The adjutant handed over the document and nodded in confirmation. "Yes, sir. This report mentions that his airfield in Myitkyina is not only well-planned but also very close to the main battlefields on the front."

Stevenson's eyes suddenly brightened when he heard this.

He quickly sketched out a battle plan in his mind:

In the following battle at Pegu, it took fighter planes taking off from Sindhu or Yunnan Province more than an hour to reach the battlefield, and it would take even longer if the bombers were fully loaded.

Fighter planes and bombers taking off from Myitkyina no longer need to spend a lot of time, and can reach the target area in just a dozen minutes or more than half an hour.

This will undoubtedly provide more immediate and accurate air support for the battlefield.

It also allows fighter jets to have more fuel to hover over the battlefield.

He pondered for a moment and asked, "Can the safety of the airport be guaranteed? And how will he solve the supply of ammunition, fuel, and spare parts?" Although his tone was a little doubtful, he could not hide his expectations for this layout.

Without sufficient ammunition, fuel, and replacement parts, powerful aircraft are nothing more than a pile of junk that can only be parked on the ground.

For example, on the dangerous Hump Route, in addition to transporting weapons to arm the new expeditionary force, the cargo that those C-47s carried at the risk of their lives was mainly the ammunition and fuel needed for the daily deployment of the "Flying Tigers".

The adjutant straightened up slightly and reported, "According to the report, Zhang Chi has promised to provide all the necessary aviation fuel, machine gun and cannon ammunition, various types of bombs, and even napalm."

"Oh?" Stevenson raised an eyebrow, his tone filled with suspicion and wonder. "Where did he get so much fuel and ammunition? The little supplies he sent over should have been used up in the previous battles."

Stevenson strictly followed the instructions of his superiors and provided Zhang Chi with all kinds of weapons, artillery and aircraft.

However, Stevenson strictly controlled the transportation quantity of consumables such as ammunition, bombs, and fuel. No matter how James described the intensity of the fighting in his report, the amount of ammunition transported each time was just enough to complete training and combat.

This is the secret of Bald Eagle's control over all his subordinates - weapons are supplied freely, but the assistance of ammunition must be controlled to the point where the subordinates cannot store too much on their own, but at the same time as not affecting the current combat.

In this way, once the younger brother turns against us, we can easily suffocate the opponent's military capabilities by immediately cutting off the supply of consumables.

Even if the other side can find other big brothers to supply weapons in the short term, the combat effectiveness of the other side's army will be greatly reduced during the replacement period because the new weapons are completely different from the White Eagle weapons.

"Then this situation is even more unusual." Stevenson's eyes flashed with deep thought. "Zhang Chi actually dared to guarantee complete self-sufficiency. This is either an exaggeration, or he has found a resource channel that we haven't discovered yet."

The atmosphere in the war room suddenly became tense.

Stevenson raised his hand and tapped it lightly on the table twice, as if weighing the pros and cons.

He whispered, "This issue needs to be investigated thoroughly. But before that—" He suddenly changed his tone, speaking a little more cheerfully, "We have to admit that dear Zhang has given us a little more initiative in this war."

The adjutant cleared his throat, unfolded the document, and read aloud, "Well, actually, the letter from Lieutenant Colonel James that came with General Zhang's report explains this."

"The Lieutenant Colonel mentioned that General Zhang has established a basic production line within the base, capable of producing sufficient explosives and various types of ammunition. In addition, they have developed several small oil wells in northern Bago and built simple oil refineries that can smelt fuel oil."

As soon as he finished speaking, the coffee cup in Stevenson's hand paused slightly. He raised his head, his eyes revealing a bit of disbelief:

"So fast? How long have those equipments been shipped over? Could it be that Zhang is a genius in industrial construction?" He whispered to himself, his tone mixed with surprise and a hint of sarcasm, as if he was questioning, and as if he was mocking his own underestimation.

Since all kinds of machinery, chemicals and experimental equipment purchased by Zhang Chi from White Eagle were first transported from the east coast to Sindhu by sea, they were dismantled bit by bit and then transported to the Xinwangping base by air after being disguised as White Eagle military aid (to prevent John's people from stopping them).

Stevenson, the general representing the White Eagle in South Asia, knew exactly what types of industrial equipment Zhang Chi had obtained.

He put down his coffee cup, circled the area near Kerban on the map with his finger, and muttered:

"Is industrialization really that simple? If that were the case, the great powers on Blue Planet would have been worthless long ago."

He paused, a hint of doubt in his eyes. "I know the entire process: the equipment was shipped from the East Coast to Sindhu by sea, then airlifted bit by bit disguised as military aid to the Xinwangping base. Logically, installation, commissioning, and production would take at least two to three years."

The adjutant did not respond when he heard this, as he knew it was just his superior's habitual speculation.

As a senior general recognized by Commander Luo and Chief of Staff George, Stevenson's control over the quantity of various materials and weapons and his calculation of every move in the battle often won the admiration of his colleagues and subordinates.

But this time, the situation seemed to be beyond his expectations.

Stevenson did not realize that Zhang Chi's confidence came from the existence of the system.

Although Zhang Chi claimed that the country was self-sufficient in resources, in fact, his "industrial miracle" was just the result of the system.

The promised ammunition and fuel were all exchanged directly by Zhang Chi through the system.

As for the factories he planned to build in his three-year plan, even though he gathered a large force including the Chinese in Southeast Asia, system synthesizers, domestic experts and unemployed workers, he had just barely figured out the iron and steel joint venture and the three acids and two alkalis.

More advanced nitrate preparation, seamless steel pipe drilling, piston engine manufacturing and other hard work are still climbing the technology tree bit by bit.

Zhang Chi's nascent industry is like a toddler. The only factories that can actually produce immediately are the penicillin pharmaceutical factory and semiconductor factory built through the system exchange production line.

The penicillin under the White Eagle brand produced by the former is continuously bringing Zhang Chi gold and Dao Le profits, while the latter has been able to mass-produce silicon transistors and is trying to develop the first large-scale air defense radar and civilian radio based on this.

But from Stevenson's perspective, this is a symbol of the full blossoming of industry in Zhang Chi's territory.

Stevenson finally withdrew his fantasy and smiled softly, as if he had found a satisfactory explanation for himself - Zhang Chi could always create miracles, and this time in industrial construction was no exception.

He waved his hand, his tone relaxed but unquestionable:

"Well, since he's promised to provide fuel and bombs, tell him that as soon as the rainy season ends, I'll have part of Claire's air force stationed at the Myitkyina airfield. We'll provide air support directly from there. If the fuel and bombs he provides are of good quality, let the congressmen worry about the bills."

The adjutant bowed slightly, carefully recording the instructions, while Stevenson had already sat back at his desk, looking relaxed.

He picked up the coffee cup, took a sip, and a meaningful smile appeared on the corner of his mouth again.

Since the first expeditionary defeat in 42, Zhang Chi has done a lot for him. This time, he can also help the other party within his ability.

The United States is not short of money. Just give the tens of millions of dollars worth of fuel and bombs to dear Zhang.