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

Chapter 394: What's on the other side of the sea? It's the Old Port Xuanwei Division!

Inside the headquarters, staff officers were sending and receiving telegrams, updating the positions of various units on the map. As the red flag representing the 11th Mechanized Brigade drew closer to Lion City, Zhang Chi suddenly asked:

"Old Tan, where do you think is across the Strait of Malacca?"

Tan Zhijie, who was considering logistical supply issues, was stunned. He straightened up and tapped on the map with his hand: "Isn't it written here? The East Sindhu Islands Colony, Sumatra Island, Palembang..."

Zhang Chi showed disdain: "That's what those white guys call it."

"In my mind, it is the Old Port Xuanwei Office!"

Historically, due to the fertile land in Sumatra, a large number of Chinese settled here after going to Southeast Asia and engaged in rice planting and commercial trade.

That’s right, looking at the history of Chinese immigration to Southeast Asia, the Chinese must have been connected with two industries in the local area, namely rice planting and trade.

In the early years of the Ming Dynasty, Liang Daoming, a native of Nanhai, abandoned his home and fled to the local area (most likely because he committed a crime in his hometown). Later, he became a chief. Over the course of ten years, tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians crossed the sea from Guangdong and Fujian provinces to join King Liang Daoming, who dominated the area.

Overseas Chinese businessman Shi Jinqing is Liang Daoming's deputy.

In the third year of Yongle (1405), Liang Daoming simply accepted Zhu Di's imperial edict.

In the fifth year of Yongle (1407), Zheng He's fleet returned. Shi Jinqing not only assisted Zheng He's fleet in sailing, but also participated in the operation to pacify the local pirate Chen Zuyi. He was granted a title by Zhu Di and was appointed as the envoy of Jiugang.

At this point, the Chinese had their first official enclave in Southeast Asia.

Tan Zhijie nodded. "From a purely military perspective, Lion City and Old Port clamp down on the Strait of Malacca from the north and south, respectively. Their strategic position is extremely high..."

"No, no, no, what I mean is..." Zhang Chi pondered for a moment, "...Historically, Chinese people participated in the construction of that place. The ancient kingdom of Srivijaya had a large number of Chinese people under its rule. There are also many Chinese living in Old Port now. Since our Anmin Army claims to protect all Chinese in Southeast Asia, we naturally have a legal basis for claiming Old Port..."

Tan Zhijie was amused: "My great Commander Zhang, it's no use talking to you about this. You have to talk to White Eagle and John to see if they agree."

"If you ask me, you won't get what you want in a hurry. Just think about all the Datuks, Sultans, and Chiefs on the Malay Peninsula. Have you figured out how to deal with them? Let me make it clear first: we can't make the same mistake as the Japanese and use our elite field troops as law enforcement. That would cause our combat effectiveness to plummet!"

Zhang Chi slammed the table, thinking that even the powerful White Eagle soldiers of the 21st century were tortured into security forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. This was indeed a big problem.

But he still habitually said stubbornly: "Sultan? How many divisions does he have?"

The 20th century was a century of blood and fire. All fairness and justice ultimately come from the barrel of the gun. As the most powerful armed group in Southeast Asia, Zhang Chi naturally has the confidence to say this.

Tan Zhijie laughed even more happily when he heard this. After all, neither of them took these Datuks and Sultans too seriously. After all, the population ratio between Chinese and indigenous people in the Malay Peninsula was not unbalanced at all, and was close to 1:1. As long as appropriate policies to encourage fertility were implemented, the situation could be reversed in ten years.

"But I have to be anxious. Look, this is a letter that General Stevenson personally handed to me..." As he said that, Zhang Chi handed a few sheets of paper to Tan Zhijie.

Two years of excessive work had caused Tan Zhijie's eyesight to deteriorate significantly. He took out his glasses, put them on, and began to read carefully.

After a while, he said:

"Is Kangaroo Country jealous?"

The letter stated that with the rapid advance of the People's Army of An, the Kangaroo Country could no longer sit still and strongly demanded that the Borneo campaign plan be advanced in late 44 or early 45.

At this time, the Australian 7th and 9th Divisions were conducting amphibious combat training on the mainland, preparing for landing in Tarakan and Balikpapan.

Zhang Chi nodded. "Yeah, so we have to move faster. Otherwise, if the Kangaroo Country gets to Borneo first, we can't just open fire, right?"

Even in the Chittagong conflict, the slogan upheld by the People's Security Army was self-defense and counterattack. In Zhang Chi's view, the international reputation can be bad, but at least it cannot be stinking for miles.

Tan Zhijie asked curiously, "But isn't Kangaroo Country a Commonwealth country? They also swear allegiance to the king, right? Borneo is John's little brother, the Netherlands' territory. If Kangaroo Country wants to get involved, won't it make John's father angry?"

Zhang Chi chuckled softly, "At its core, it's a vassal state with colonial roots. Before this world war, it relied on the Commonwealth's reputation for protection, thinking it was the Little John of the Southern Hemisphere. But when the Japanese invaded, Kangaroo Country discovered that its father John couldn't protect it. The Japanese bombed Darwin Harbour, and the military and political leaders were so frightened that even Melbourne (New South Wales, the equivalent of San Francisco) started building bunkers."

"So they have changed their father now?" Tan Zhijie continued.

"That's right," Zhang Chi said. "Marshal MacArthur has established the Pacific Theater Command in Brisbane. The White Eagles have given them an air force, a fleet, and troop training. From a practical point of view, we and the Kangaroo Nation are both followers of the United States."

Tan Zhijie pondered, "So this is Uncle Sam's idea? The United States wants to restrict us and push the Kangaroo Country to compete with us?"

"It's hard to say." Zhang Chi waved his hand. "Don't be fooled by the fact that Kangaroo Country occupies a continent of its own, with a territory of 770 million square kilometers, but only a few places on the southeast coast are habitable. The inland is basically a desert. Agriculture, industry, and population all rely on a few coastal cities or imports. When the war came, they immediately realized that hiding in a corner of the southern hemisphere was not enough.

I guess they themselves want to take the initiative and control the surrounding resources. Right now, the Kangaroo Nation's army is in the rainforests of New Guinea, clearing out the remaining Japanese troops. Once they've dealt with these Japanese, they'll head north."

Historically, the west of New Guinea Island was the territory of the Netherlands, and the east was the territory of Hans. After World War I, it was taken over by the Kangaroo Republic, which was considered the first overseas enclave of the Kangaroo Republic besides Tasmania.

Now that the world war has broken out, anyone with a little ambition will certainly take this opportunity to seize territory. Zhang Chi is not at all surprised by the Kangaroo Country's ambition to move north. After all, the Netherlands is too weak and relies entirely on the protection of the United Kingdom.

Now Uncle Sam has set his sights on this place, but the main force is focused on Europe, so naturally he has taken a tacit attitude towards the actions of his younger brothers.

"I guess White Eagle will be happy to see whoever takes these big islands, whether it is us or the Kangaroo Country. General Stevenson probably sent this letter out of personal friendship..." Zhang Chi's fingers slowly slid across the map.

"Of course, our ostensible goal is to cut off the enemy's oil supply in Southeast Asia. Who can actually achieve this will depend on their own strength. Therefore, it is crucial to seize the Malay Peninsula and Singapore as soon as possible."