Premier Wu Youping only needed to know that a battle had broken out in the Myitkyina area, but he didn't need to intervene directly. The Military Commission was completely different; they should be responsible for this matter. Through telegram exchanges, the Military Commission basically understood the situation before reporting to He Rui.

"...The British exercise control in Upper Burma (northern Burma) mainly by bribing local leaders. Burmese patriots launched an attack on one of them in the Myitkyina area. It happened that a British unit was invited by the leader to come and hold the ground; it was not a battle that broke out intentionally."

After listening to the introduction, He Rui calculated in his mind, "What happened next?"

"Now the battle is over, and the Burmese National Revolutionary Army has occupied the Myitkyina railway station. Presumably, the British troops in Burma will mobilize soon." Chief of General Staff Cheng Ruofan gave a clear answer.

"How is the preparation of the Southwest Bureau? Give me the latest materials." He Rui issued an order.

Soon, several large stacks of materials were placed in front of He Rui. The biggest difference from people of this era was that He Rui could see a large number of maps from all over the world when he was very young. After all, if one wanted to travel around the world, one always had to make some preparations.

He Rui didn't intentionally memorize so many maps at that time, but he did have an impression. Having traveled to many places, he could naturally combine the data in the report with the map. The data in the report showed that the progress of the Burma Road was quite good. Hiring local labor was an economic blood transfusion for the local area. Coupled with land reform, the social order along this transportation line from Hunan to Yunnan and Guizhou was restored very well. This also promoted the progress of road construction in turn.

The Railway Corps building the Burma Road invested 500 engineers and 5,000 skilled workers, and hired 400,000 laborers. Up to now, half of the construction of the Burma Road has been completed, and the design of the other half has also been completed and construction is underway.

After reading the road construction report, He Rui picked up the construction report of 'military depots.' Military depots are services such as storage and rest distributed on the logistics transportation line. Their function can be roughly seen as many rest stops on the highway. The difference lies in that the services provided by military depots are more targeted and more efficient.

In the report of the Southwest Bureau, since the military depot itself also provided logistical services for the road construction army, the completion rate of one military depot every 30 *li* actually reached 100%.

Seeing this, He Rui called his secretary and asked him to send a telegram to the Southwest Bureau, requesting confirmation of the completion rate of military depots.

He Rui also checked the progress of bridge construction. Some bridges had been built, and some were under construction. Whether completed or not, these bridges and roads were prepared according to the standard of automobile transportation.

Spending a few hours reading the materials, He Rui received a reply from the Southwest Bureau. Southwest Bureau Committee Member Zhong Yifu confirmed to He Rui that all military depots were 100% completed and put into use. He Rui immediately requested the Military Commission to meet again. Soon, the members of the Military Commission, led by Vice Chairman Xu Chengfeng in charge of military orders, Chief of General Staff Cheng Ruofan, and Minister of General Logistics Hu Xiushan, arrived at the conference room again.

After explaining his assessment of the materials, He Rui said, "There is no time like the present. Since the fighting has started, let's act."

The comrades knew that He Rui never fought a battle without preparation. For the war between the Northeast Government and the Japanese Government, He Rui prepared extremely fully. The war preparations in Burma indeed had a fairly high degree of completion, but there was a big gap compared with the Sino-Japanese War. Moreover, what they were dealing with now was not Japan, but the world hegemon Britain.

As the Vice Chairman in charge of military orders, Xu Chengfeng bore a heavy responsibility and had to put forward a different view, "Chairman, why not follow the plan?"

He Rui shook his head. "The British can't wait. Waiting any longer will only give the British full preparation. Since the battle started in Myitkyina, we must hold Myitkyina."

Cheng Ruofan supported He Rui's view and put forward his own view, "The terminus of the British railway in Burma is Myitkyina. If Britain sets up defenses here, we have to bypass those small roads, adding a lot of combat difficulty. I support the Chairman's view."

As long as Hu Xiushan completed the work of the General Logistics Department, he would look at the map. The terrain of the entire Burma emerged in Hu Xiushan's mind at this time. As Cheng Ruofan said, Myitkyina was not far from the Sino-Burmese border and was the terminus of the railway built by the British.

Burma's first railway, from Yangon to Pyay built by the British, was completed and put into operation in 1877. Twelve years later, in 1889, Britain extended the railway from Yangon to Mandalay. By 1914, Britain extended the railway from Mandalay to Myitkyina and Lashio. Myitkyina and Lashio were less than 200 kilometers from the Sino-Burmese border. These 200 kilometers of high mountains and dense forests were called the Savage Mountain [Jianghu/Kachin Hills], which was very difficult to pass.

In the past year, China did its best to contact local tribes in the Savage Mountain, organize local revolutionaries to establish local governments, and complete the construction of transportation lines. The Savage Mountain was not completely impassable. As early as before the Tang and Song Dynasties, the ancient southern land "Silk Road," namely the "Shu-Shendu Road," entered Bhamo and other places from today's Tengchong, Lianghe, and Longchuan areas, and then led to India from Kachin State in northern Burma.

Based on such a detailed understanding, Hu Xiushan made his own judgment. He heard Xu Chengfeng ask, "...I'm done. Minister Hu, please express your opinion."

The armies of various countries had army leaders like the Three Chiefs, and the Republic National Defense Force actually had 'Four Chiefs.' The Chairman of the Military Commission was the commander-in-chief and was not counted among the Four Chiefs.

Ranking first among the Four Chiefs of the Republic National Defense Force was the Vice Chairman in charge of military administration, also the Director of the General Political Department. This position was originally held by Zhong Yifu. Now this guy was a committee member of the Southwest Bureau, and the specific affairs of this position were responsible by comrades of relevant political work departments. The reason why this position ranked first among the Four Chiefs was that this position was the person in charge of the Civilization Party in the National Defense Force. With the Party commanding the gun, it was naturally number one in military administration.

The next three could be called the 'Three Chiefs.' Vice Chairman Xu Chengfeng in charge of military orders, Chief of General Staff Cheng Ruofan, and Minister of General Logistics Hu Xiushan. The abilities of these three determined the strength level of the National Defense Force. If Hu Xiushan thought He Rui's view was unreasonable, then He Rui could only rely on his personal authority and prestige to give orders to the military system. These orders would be executed, but once failed, the price He Rui had to pay was actually very large.

Hu Xiushan didn't answer immediately but continued to think for a moment, sorted out his own questions, and then said, "From the perspective of land warfare, I agree with the Chairman's view. Current logistical transportation can maintain a combat scale of at least 2,000 people. Once the railway is seized, our army can hold out for two months in mountain warfare. After two months, the General Logistics Department confirms that aid will definitely arrive."

As the Chief of Military Orders, Xu Chengfeng did not simply execute He Rui's orders. Although both Cheng Ruofan and Hu Xiushan supported He Rui's view, Xu Chengfeng still did not simply follow the crowd. "Chairman, I want to ask about the follow-up of the war."

He Rui had already made a judgment and answered decisively, "War is the continuation of politics. Britain's policy is to maintain its rule in the colonies, which can be seen from Britain's emphasis on the domino effect. If we push down the first domino, Britain will do its best to avoid a chain reaction. Britain's current economic policy has only two words: debt repayment! Expanding the war puts too much pressure on them, so Comrade Xu Chengfeng, I ask you to deduce what troops Britain can mobilize?"

Xu Chengfeng answered immediately without thinking, "What Britain can mobilize at this stage is the Indian colonial army. Within a few months, what they can mobilize in order is the Malayan colonial army, and the Australian and New Zealand corps. Canada is farther from Burma than Britain. Before the Canadian corps arrives, the mobile forces in the British Army should also arrive first. In addition to colonial troops, the army composed of white people is between 300,000 and 500,000."

He Rui nodded. "I originally didn't want to launch an attack so early, but judging from the present, the resistance of the Burmese people is fiercer than we imagined. This should also be unexpected for Britain, so our action now is also catching them off guard. After all, even we ourselves are surprised by things; how could the British think of it?"

Xu Chengfeng did not continue to refute. Since the last engagement between China and Britain was in 1900, 25 years later today, Xu Chengfeng could not determine the level of the British Army. In paper deduction, the Republic National Defense Force won across the board. From a purely military point of view, Xu Chengfeng's uneasiness stemmed more from uncertainty than from whether logistical preparations were sufficient.

Just as Xu Chengfeng wanted to find a few key points that made him uneasy, he heard He Rui continue, "For this action, we can just use the spontaneous action of our personnel as a reason to explain to Britain. Because it is also true. As for what Britain thinks, let them be."

Xu Chengfeng couldn't find a reason to support it now, nor did he have a reason to strongly oppose it. Finally, Xu Chengfeng hardened his heart, "Since this is the case, let's do it."

He Rui could understand Xu Chengfeng's feelings; that was plunging into a war amidst chaos. He Rui could see the problem clearly only because He Rui used political economy to deduce backwards from the downstream of history and could understand Britain's difficulties at this time. Just as he wanted to explain to Xu Chengfeng, Hu Xiushan spoke up, "Chairman, the only thing I don't understand is, after Britain suffers such losses, will it really not fight to the end? If Britain admits defeat, wouldn't they be no different from the Manchu Qing court?"

Comparing the British government with the Manchu Qing government really amused He Rui. On the internet in the 21st century, people really compared the Queen of England to Cixi and the British government to the Great Qing. Judging from the successive British governments after 1925, they were walking the old path of the Manchu Qing.

But Hu Xiushan couldn't understand it now. He Rui explained, "Comrade Xiushan, do you think Britain has reached its peak now?"

"...Yes," Hu Xiushan replied.

"According to the law of power, once the peak of power is reached, no matter how hard one tries, it is a downward path. There is another description: no matter how incredible a bandit is, as long as he starts spending the robbed money on himself, he is no different from an ordinary thief. This is the status quo of Britain. The Manchu Qing government was once majestic and won the war against Dzungar. When everything in the Manchu Qing was to maintain its privileged interests, it reached a contemptible point. Britain's goal is no different from the Manchu Qing, so Britain's choice will not be different from the Manchu Qing."

Cheng Ruofan initially didn't want to participate in the discussion of Britain's choice. Seeing that Hu Xiushan still didn't quite understand at this time, he couldn't help interjecting, "Xiushan, what Britain wants is to rule India at the lowest cost. Once its ruling cost is too high, Britain will choose to stop losses. And we are not trying to overthrow British rule in India this time; Britain can understand this. Moreover, when a wall is about to fall, everyone pushes it. In order not to show its weakness, Britain can only knock out its teeth and swallow them with blood."

Hu Xiushan could understand Cheng Ruofan's view, but he was still somewhat hesitant. "Chairman, do you think we can control how the war ends?"

This question was quite serious. Even though Cheng Ruofan trusted He Rui extremely, he didn't make a sound at this time. But this didn't mean Cheng Ruofan's confidence in He Rui was shaken. In the war against Japan, He Rui's demonstrated ability to control the war made Cheng Ruofan fully believe in He Rui's ability. Whether it was the start of the surprise attack, the continued offensive to the Han River, or the subsequent slow retreat. Every step was guiding the war towards an orderly end.

Many people in the army privately thought that our side's luck in the Sino-Japanese War was too good, and the Great Kanto Earthquake forced Japan to sue for peace. Cheng Ruofan admitted that the Great Kanto Earthquake did play a role in promoting peace negotiations, but with the solidity of the Yalu River defense line, the Japanese army could not break through no matter what.

And Japan's national strength itself did not support Japan in fighting a long-term war. Japan could hold on for at most a year and a half before having to consider peace negotiations. Even without the Great Kanto Earthquake, peace negotiations were Japan's only choice.

The situation Britain faced was actually the same. As long as Britain was unable to defeat China, it had to negotiate peace to stop losses. Britain's military power was very strong. Cheng Ruofan believed that precisely because of this, Britain would definitely realize that with Britain's current strength, it did not possess the possibility of defeating the Chinese Expeditionary Force in the Burma region at all.

Cheng Ruofan had explained such a judgment to the comrades of the Military Commission at meetings before, but everyone seemed to be scared by Britain's reputation and didn't dare to believe it. The only two who truly believed this were probably only He Rui and Zhong Yifu.

After a brief silence, He Rui spoke, "We can guide Britain onto the track of peace negotiations. In my opinion, if Britain has only this one road left to take, it must negotiate peace."

Xu Chengfeng thought Hu Xiushan would raise objections, but unexpectedly, after hearing this, Hu Xiushan thought for a moment and answered readily, "In that case, I support the Chairman's decision."

Now, among the four most important people, three including He Rui supported fighting immediately. Xu Chengfeng couldn't find a clear reason to oppose it, so finally, Xu Chengfeng replied, "I also support the Chairman's decision."

Politics is a very serious matter. After Xu Chengfeng expressed his agreement, it was impossible for him to lie down and watch other comrades work. As the Vice Chairman of the Military Commission in charge of military orders, as soon as the meeting ended, Xu Chengfeng ordered the General Staff to immediately propose a plan based on the current situation. Without Xu Chengfeng's order, Cheng Ruofan had already started this work.

After all, the outbreak of the battle in Myitkyina was purely accidental, and it took time to propose a plan based on the current situation. Even if the General Staff had formulated a great many contingency plans, they had to be modified extensively at this time. However, Cheng Ruofan still sent a telegram to the comrades of the Southwest Bureau, informing the Southwest Bureau of the Military Commission's decision and asking them to act first according to the spirit of the decision.

Southwest Bureau Committee Member Zhong Yifu had been quite nervous since receiving the news of the battle. After receiving Cheng Ruofan's telegram, Zhong Yifu immediately convened a meeting of the Southwest Bureau. After the secretary of the meeting communicated the spirit of the Military Commission's meeting, the comrades of the Southwest Bureau became excited.

Zhong Yifu had unbuttoned his collar, feeling that the breath suppressed in his chest could finally be completely exhaled. Standing up, Zhong Yifu said loudly, "Comrades, our Southwest Bureau has been in contact with Burmese patriots and the masses on the other side of the Sino-Burmese border for nearly a year, and we can already confirm that Burma is actually a fertile soil for revolution."

Hearing this, many relatively radical comrades nodded slightly. Zhong Yifu continued, "As the saying goes, injustice provokes outcry. The Burmese people suffer oppression from British colonialists and local tribal headmen, and their impoverished lives have no hope. This makes the people not only have no affection for foreign colonialists and domestic oppressors but also full of hatred. In recent years, struggles large and small against oppression have broken out in Burma, including armed struggles. These struggles failed, but the Burmese people were not afraid because of failure; their desire for liberation became more urgent. Because after the oppressors inside and outside Burma won, their oppression of the Burmese people became even more intense. With such a foundation, our cooperation with Burmese progressive youths and revolutionary comrades is even more solid. Now, the Military Commission has made a decision. For us, let's get to work immediately!"

No one in the Southwest Bureau raised objections, and all accepted Zhong Yifu's decision. Zhong Yifu didn't wave his hand and shout 'advance' immediately. Instead, he asked someone to bring out the summary of the latest progress of various works and made arrangements based on the existing situation.

The next day, April 10, a regiment of mountain infantry left the border and advanced towards Myitkyina City, where the battle broke out, along the already opened traffic line with Burmese revolutionaries.

Myitkyina is located on the west bank of the Mali Hka River, a tributary of the upper reaches of the Irrawaddy River. It is located in the northern mountainous and hilly area, with an altitude of over 1,000 meters, and is the most important river port in northern Burma.

It is rich in teak and other timber, grows rice, sugarcane, etc., and is a center for silk reeling, wood and food processing, and a distribution center for agricultural products. To the east, it can reach Tengchong City in Yunnan Province, China; to the south, via Bhamo, it can reach Wanding in Yunnan Province, China; to the north, via Putao, it can reach Tibet, China. It is the terminus of the Yangon Central Railway running through the north and south.

In areas without railways, British colonial rule was completed by local leaders subordinate to British rule. Myitkyina City was where the British garrison was located. In the original plan of the Southwest Bureau, the operation to capture Myitkyina City should have been completed by two mountain infantry regiments after full preparation.

However, Myitkyina City was now plunged into a battle. The warring parties were a British colonial regiment of more than 2,000 people and a mixed force of about 400 Chinese and Burmese.

Although also a mixed force, the fighting will of the Burmese revolutionaries was much stronger than that of the colonial regiment. 400 people initially annihilated a 200-man mixed colonial force sweeping the countryside. The reason was as stated in the report: a local leader near Myitkyina used the power of the British to extort excessive taxes and levies from several villages, especially forcing able-bodied men to mine gems in the mountains.

In this era, working in tropical gem mines, the harsh natural environment alone was enough to kill people. How could the villagers be willing to go? The strong laborers ran away. Seeing the goal of arresting people failed, the local leader arrested the villagers' families and threatened the locals that he would let these women and children dig gems in the gem mines. If those young men who fled didn't want to watch their families die, they should come back obediently and exchange themselves for their families.

The young men came back after getting the news. Not only did they come back themselves, but they also brought back the troops of the Burmese National Revolutionary Army.

At this time, the battle had been going on for three days, and the battlefield was constantly moving. After annihilating the enemy, the revolutionary army troops adopted a bold plan, taking advantage of the opportunity when the colonial army left the city for reinforcement to launch a sneak attack on Myitkyina City. Initially, progress went smoothly, but they encountered stubborn resistance from the colonial army in front of the armory. Fortunately, the Chinese commander of the revolutionary army did not lose his head. Seeing that time had passed, he immediately led the troops to withdraw from Myitkyina City.

The decisive retreat allowed the revolutionary army to avoid the colonial army rushing back and not fall into the desperate situation of being attacked by the enemy from both front and back. Afterwards, the colonial army began to pursue. Under the command of the Chinese commander of the revolutionary army, the revolutionary army began to lead the colonial army in circles in the mountains.

Two days passed, and the colonial army was exhausted. The commander was a British captain. The captain sat on a small sedan chair carried by locals. Two Indian servants beside him were using fans to help the captain drive away mosquitoes, allowing the captain to make the next judgment comfortably.

At the same time, a regiment of more than 2,000 National Defense Force mountain troops was heading straight for Myitkyina through the opened forest path. No matter what the British captain decided, the battle would unfold on a scale of more than 4,000 people. Myitkyina was destined to welcome a brand-new day in the flames of war.