Chapter 80: The War Chariot Camp's Military Supply Depot

  Wang Jiagui could drive, so he also followed Pan Guangzu to get ammunition and vehicles.

  "Director Zhang, where are you taking us to get ammunition and trucks? The British army is running out of bullets and food themselves, how can they possibly give us any?" Wang Jiagui asked on the way.

  "We're not going to the First Division's logistics station, but to the armored regiment's logistics station. At worst, we can get a few trucks, otherwise how are hundreds of people without any combat power going to follow us? When I was a logistics officer, I knew that all mechanized troops would leave some behind, the First Division didn't have any, they don't necessarily lack them, especially food." Pan Guangzu puffed out his chest, walking quickly with a penguin-like gait, sweating profusely and speaking cheerfully.

  "You said it wasn't going to work? Then let's go grab it!" Wang Jiagui's words made everyone burst out laughing.

  "Not robbery, but theft!" Pan Guangzu's answer made others even more cheerful, as if everyone was eager to steal the British ammunition.

  Wang Jiagui asked again: "It's daytime, isn't it a good time for thieves?"

  "Who says we're taking action now? Do you know what a thief's first move is?" asked Pan Guangzu.

  "We're not thieves, how would we know what a thief's first move is?" Wang Jia Gui replied with a chuckle.

  "In the past, there was a thief named Zheng Dafu in our town. He spent his days idling about and not working honestly, but he was the most favored person in our town. The wealthy families in the town, especially those with great wealth, did not dare to offend him and treated him like a living god. He never committed theft in our town, which is what they call 'a rabbit not eating grass near its nest'. However, the wealthy families in nearby villages were miserable; almost every few months, he would steal from them once, always successfully, without ever failing. One time I asked him how he knew where people stored their valuables, and he quietly told me... guess what he said?" Pan Guangzu was speaking as if telling a story, piquing the curiosity of the dozen or so people following him.

  "Commander, just say it outright, what secret did that little thief Zheng Dafu tell you?" A soldier asked impatiently.

  "Haha……He told me that being a thief only involves picking pockets on crowded days or in gatherings, which is a lowly role. A real big thief wouldn't do it that way. They would first scout out the route, what's called scouting out the route? It means to first figure out where the treasure is hidden, observe the surrounding terrain, and understand the owner's anti-theft measures. Once you've figured all these things out, you're basically 70-80% successful."

  Pan Guangzu explained in detail: "What we need to do now is like what Zheng Dafu said, first go scout out the route, figure out where the ammunition is stored, how many guards there are, how to take action, and how to retreat. Then we'll come up with a plan, and when it's late at night and people are quiet, that's when we'll make our move."

  Wang Jiagui asked somewhat puzzled: "But the truck needs to be started in order to move, and the noise will definitely alert the British soldiers around us. How can we leave then?"

  "Hehe... We don't need to steal the trucks, as long as we ask, the British Army's armored regiment will definitely give us a few." Pan Guangzu said with confidence.

  "Section Chief, you said that yourself. If we come back with egg on our faces later, let's see how the Battalion Commander will deal with us!" a soldier said.

  "You think, the British army is surrounded here, what's more important, lives or trucks? The current British army, who would still care about those few trucks that can't be eaten as food? Moreover, their fuel, I'm afraid it's only enough for the tanks, let alone leaving some to refuel the trucks. They're giving us the trucks, and they're happy to give us this favor, after all, it's better than leaving them for the Japanese devils." Everyone felt that Pan Guangzu made a lot of sense.

  The King's family member asked again: "A truck without fuel is of no use to us, isn't it just a pile of scrap metal?"

  "So now we're going to scout out the route, under the pretext of looking for trucks. We need to figure out where the British armored regiment's fuel, ammunition and food warehouses are located. When the time comes, just listen to me, and we'll be able to get the trucks moving with a combination of deception and thievery!" Pan Guangzu was after all an army supply officer by training, and when it came to military supplies, no one knew more than he did.

  The military supply depot of the British armored regiment was set up in a small village with more than 100 households south of Ren'an City, and the houses in the village were hidden by dozens of tall banyan trees.

  Pan Guangzu and his group of over a dozen people asked several individuals before finding this place.

  "It seems that the person in charge of the military supply warehouse is very experienced and should be a British man who is quite familiar with Burmese customs and geography, choosing to place the military supply warehouse here. It looks simple but it's actually well hidden and not easily seen by Japanese planes." Pan Guangzu said, looking at the village in front of him covered by banyan trees.

  At this time, the sun was setting in the west, and it was dinner time, but there was no smoke from cooking in the village, nor could anyone be seen.

  "Director, this is a deserted village, what warehouse are you talking about?" Wang Jiagui looked around and thought that this place was not suitable as a military warehouse at all.

  "You'll know what's going on in a minute." Pan Guangzu took the lead, striding towards the village with his penguin-like gait.

  "Halt!" An English soldier, holding a carbine, jumped out from behind an oak tree and shouted in English.

  Wang Jia Gui and his men were all armed, and when they saw that there was only one British soldier, they also aimed their guns at him.

  Pan Guangzu pressed down with both hands and said: "We are all our own people, put down your guns."

  Wang Jiagui nodded along with others, everyone put down their guns. The British soldier asked again in English: "What are you doing?"

  Pan Guangzu walked up with a smile: "We are Chinese soldiers, we have come to rescue your Shina army."

  The British soldiers looked the royal guard up and down, dressed in US military gear, then yelled something over their shoulders. Shortly after, an officer and a Chinese man emerged from the village.

  The officer listened to what the British soldier said and then asked the Chinese who followed him: "Which part are you from?"

  "We are the Fifth Army's Special Duty Company of the Chinese Expeditionary Force." Pan Guangzu replied.

  "What brings you here?"

  "We have come under the orders of General Skott to take delivery of the trucks for escorting international journalists and missionaries." Pan Guangzu had already thought out how to deal with these British devils on his way here.

  The officer burst out laughing after listening to the translation and said a few words that sounded like curses before telling the translator.

  "The major said we have too many trucks, and are worried about not having a place to dispose of them. You can have as many as you want, but I'm afraid you won't be able to drive them away." The translator told this to Pan Guangzu.

  Pan Guangzu turned around and winked at the dozen or so people behind him, implying: See, I told you so?

  "We only need a very small amount of fuel, enough to get out of the encirclement, and I estimate that one gallon per vehicle is sufficient," said Pan Guangzu.

  The officer blinked twice, seemingly considering whether to give it or not.

  Pan Guangzu stepped forward and told the interpreter, "Tell him that we just rescued his compatriots from the Japanese devils' encirclement in the church at noon, and the trucks we drove away were also for rescuing his compatriots."

  The interpreter told the officer what Pan Guangzu said. The officer seemed to be surprised and suddenly showed a smile on his face, saying a few friendly words.

  "Major thanks for what you've done for us, follow him and go with him," the translator said with a smile to Pan Guangzu.