48: Chapter 48 The Pacification of Wa State in the North and the Flames of War in the South

When Zhao Yan and the few thousand remaining soldiers under his command—who had long since lost their fighting spirit—faced the steel defense line personally commanded by Old K at the front, and the oppressive, iron-wall encirclement of T-03's Third, Fourth, and Fifth Battalions at the rear, any organized resistance became a joke.

At the very end, perhaps remembering some shred of dignity as a soldier, or perhaps simply unwilling to die so miserably, Zhao Yan drew his sidearm, pulled the trigger toward the sky, and let out a hoarse, discordant shout: "Brothers of Wa State! One last stand! Kill!"

This shout, like a pebble thrown into calm water, barely stirred a ripple.

Only a few of the most loyal officers and soldiers followed with beast-like howls, raising their guns and stumbling toward the coalition positions in a suicidal charge.

Most of the others simply stood there numbly or knelt on the ground, throwing away the guns in their hands that were already no better than scrap metal.

With hollow eyes, they gazed in the direction of Pangkham—that was where their homes were, but now, their homes were gone, and the road was cut off.

"Free fire." Old K's command was short and cold.

The next moment, all firearms on the coalition positions opened fire simultaneously.

The heavy machine gun belts were like the fiery whips of the Grim Reaper, sweeping across the charging crowd; precision sniper shots took down officer after officer and those soldiers who tried to resist; mortar shells and rifle grenades exploded within the crowd, kicking up sprays of blood.

The soldiers of Wa State fell in swathes like mown wheat.

Their charge, in the face of absolute firepower superiority and tight defensive positions, didn't even amount to a ripple, and in the blink of an eye, they were completely swallowed by the storm of metal.

T-03's troops also pressed in from the rear, forming a perfect pincer attack with Old K's main force.

Attacked from both front and back, their already broken morale completely disintegrated.

The wave of surrender spread like an avalanche.

The soldiers held their hands high, kneeling in pools of blood, crying out with their last bit of strength: "Stop shooting! We surrender! We surrender!"

The battle—if it could even be called a battle—was basically over in less than an hour.

Division Commander Zhao Yan was struck in the chest by a stray bullet from an unknown source amidst the chaotic army and died on the spot.

The main force of the 17th Division of Wa State, which had once dominated Northern Myanmar and was touted as elite, along with several other reinforcement units—totaling over ten thousand people—were completely wiped out at the end of this long "Road of Death," beneath the walls of Pangkham, becoming a bloody footnote on the pages of history.

A few routed soldiers took advantage of the chaos to slip into the nearby woods, but what awaited them was the coalition's subsequent, multi-day, rigorous cleanup operation, as well as the harsh survival challenges of the Northern Myanmar forests themselves.

At the same time, the gunfire inside Pangkham had long since thinned out.

Under the crushing weight of the coalition's absolute superiority in force and efficient urban warfare clearance, the core resistance of the city's defenders was shattered within a day after the city fell.

The "Grim Reaper" military flag was raised over the General Headquarters building, declaring that this heart of power in Wa State had a new master.

After clearing the remaining enemies at the headquarters, Old K immediately reported to Zhang Cheng via the system: "Master, Pangkham is completely under control. The main targets, Bao Youxiang, Bao Junfeng, and Xiao Mingliang, fled south through secret underground tunnels before the city fell. It is speculated that they went to the territory of their Southern Military Region (171st Military Region). Resistance in the city has basically subsided, and we are currently clearing out the remaining enemies and restoring order."

When he received the message, Zhang Cheng was standing in front of the large map in the command center of Kokang (Dawn Base).

Hearing that Bao Youxiang had fled south, he showed no surprise or annoyance on his face; instead, the corners of his mouth curled upward.

"He ran? Good, let him run." He said softly, his finger tracing across the Salween River on the map and landing on the region of South Wa, "A stray dog running back is more useful than a corpse. He will help us muddy the waters in the south and let those who still can't see the situation clearly jump out on their own."

He turned and ordered the communications officer standing to the side: "Reply to Old K: First, consolidate the defenses of Pangkham and all key locations in North Wa, quickly restore people's livelihoods, and screen and reorganize the original Wa State administrative and police personnel who are willing to cooperate. Deal with die-hard elements and those guilty of heinous crimes according to the law. Second, with Pangkham as the center, radiate political influence toward the former northern administrative regions of Wa State (Nandeng Special Zone, Mengmao County, Mengneng County, Mengbo County, etc.), to secure them through proclamations and minimize resistance to military takeover. Third, regarding Bao Youxiang's flight south, do not make a special announcement, but do not hide it either. Focus the propaganda on the fact that our army has taken control of the Wa State capital and ended his rule."

"In addition," Zhang Cheng looked toward another direction on the map, "tell T-03 that if the Mengmao garrison is willing to surrender, he can accept their conditional surrender, confiscate their heavy weapons, and arrange for the officers and soldiers to be resettled after screening. The situation in North Wa is settled; his mission is now to assist with local public security and clear out stragglers."

The orders were transmitted quickly.

As the news of the change of ownership of Pangkham and the destruction of the main force spread like wildfire, the will to resist in the various special zones, counties, and towns of northern Wa State, now lacking a command center and their main backing, melted away as quickly as snow under the sun.

Some local officials and garrison commanders, even before the coalition's vanguard arrived, proactively sent messengers to express their willingness to accept the leadership and reorganization of the "Dawn" government; others opened their city gates and barracks after a symbolic "contact"; only a very few die-hard elements or guys with blood debts on their hands tried to coerce some troops to run south or hide in the deep mountains to wage guerrilla warfare, but they were quickly extinguished or dispersed by the coalition's efficient mobile units.

In just half a month, the vast northern territory previously controlled by the United Wa State Army—including the political center of Pangkham, the relatively economically active Nandeng Special Zone, as well as Mengmao, Mengneng, Mengbo, and other counties—was basically secured through proclamations and incorporated into the territory of "Dawn."

Zhang Cheng's sphere of influence expanded several times over, with a qualitative leap in population, resources, and strategic depth.

As soon as the news came out, the whole of Myanmar and even the surrounding areas were shaken!

The top brass of the military government in Naypyidaw, in addition to their shock, were in a chaotic uproar, filled with worry.

Zhang Cheng had risen too fast and his power had expanded too fiercely, becoming a behemoth they could not ignore and were even finding hard to contain.

Should they continue to appease him, or strike while he hadn't yet found his footing? Internal opinions were severely divided.

Other ethnic armed organizations like the Kachin Independence Army and the South Shan State Army were filled with shock and a strong sense of crisis, fearing for themselves after seeing the fate of others.

Wa State, such a tough player, had actually collapsed in just a month or so; who would be Zhang Cheng's next target?

Calls for uniting for self-preservation began to circulate through some secret channels.

Meanwhile, in the south, Bao Youxiang, having fled to Wan Hong, the capital of the southern jurisdiction of Wa State, had barely calmed his nerves when he held an emergency meeting with core figures like Southern Military Region Commander Wei Xuegang and Political Commissar Bao Youyi (his cousin).

The atmosphere in the conference room was so heavy one could wring water out of it.

Bao Youxiang seemed to have aged twenty years overnight; his eye sockets were deeply sunken, but his eyes burned with deep-seated hatred and the fire of unwillingness.

"North Wa... my clan's decades of foundation, destroyed in a single day! Zhang Cheng, you little thief, I, Bao Youxiang, will never share the same sky as you!" He pounded the table, his voice hoarse.

Wei Xuegang remained relatively composed, but his brows were knit into a knot: "Commander-in-Chief, Zhang Cheng's momentum is too strong, and the combat effectiveness of his troops far exceeds our estimates. Currently, although we still have over twenty thousand troops in the south, our equipment and morale are not comparable to the main force of North Wa. Clashing head-on with his vanguard is definitely not a smart move."

"Then what do you suggest we do? Do you want to just hand over so much territory in the north and so many of our clansmen to that wet-behind-the-ears kid for nothing?!" Bao Youxiang's son, Bao Junfeng, roared with reddened eyes.

Xiao Mingliang adjusted his newly fitted glasses, the look behind the lenses flashing with calculating light: "Young Commander, please calm down. Commander Wei speaks the truth; we cannot fight head-on. I believe there are three most urgent priorities now: First, immediately consolidate the southern defense line, especially along the Salween River, build solid fortifications, and strictly prevent Zhang Cheng from crossing the river to the south. Second, urgently send capable personnel with heavy gifts to Naypyidaw in secret to meet with powerful figures like General Min Aung Hlaing. Explain clearly that after Zhang Cheng swallowed Wa State, his ambitions must be significant, and his next step is likely to threaten the core area of the Burmese people and even national unity! Request the military government to give us full support—not just weapons and ammunition, but preferably deploying air force or ground troops to provide containment, or even direct intervention!"

He paused, his voice lowering even further: "Third, contact all forces that are afraid of Zhang Cheng. The Kachin Independence Army, the South Shan State Army, and even those powerful channels on the Thai-Lao border... What Zhang Cheng wants is to unify Northern Myanmar and purge all old forces; he is the common enemy of all of us! We must build an anti-'Dawn' alliance, otherwise we will be knocked out by him one by one sooner or later!"

Listening, the anger in Bao Youxiang's eyes was gradually replaced by a sinister ruthlessness.

He slowly sat up straight and nodded: "Do as Mingliang says! The grudge of North Wa must be avenged! The land of South Wa must not be lost! Zhang Cheng... let's play slowly! Let's see who gets the last laugh!"

A new, loose alliance, centered on the remnants of the southern Wa State forces and seeking to unite all anti-Zhang Cheng forces, began to take shape arduously in the undercurrents.

Meanwhile, in Pangkham, which had just been renamed the capital of the "North Wa Special Administrative Region," in Zhang Cheng's headquarters, he was listening to Li Lanzhi's preliminary report on the takeover work, as well as the dynamic assessment of the southern enemy forces submitted by Old K.

"The south is actively deploying defenses; Wei Xuegang rejected our letter of persuasion to surrender, and his attitude is very tough. Bao Youxiang is actively lobbying everywhere." Old K said concisely.

Zhang Cheng looked at the situation of the north-south standoff on the map, separated by the Salween River, and tapped his fingers lightly on the table.

"No rush," he said slowly, "we've fought several battles in a row, the soldiers are tired, and the newly occupied areas are in ruins and need everything. We need time to digest. Tell the troops to shift into full rest and training, especially the newly incorporated Wa State surrendered soldiers and Allied forces; we must strengthen integration and training. As for civil administration," he looked at Li Lanzhi, "Lan Zhi, your burden is the heaviest. Restore production, stabilize the public's hearts, and build effective governance so that the people of North Wa can feel the benefits of the new regime as soon as possible. This is the key to whether we can gain a firm foothold."

"I understand, Master," Li Lanzhi replied solemnly, her eyes showing fatigue but, more importantly, the determination to shoulder the heavy responsibility.