Comrade, your ingredients are too complicated.

At dawn, the leaden light seeped through the morning mist, illuminating the devastated battlefield in a hazy, pale light.

Three flamethrower tanks, each weighing 100 tons, advanced slowly in a wedge formation, crushing through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, coordinated with the infantry. Their tracks made a crisp, glassy sound as they crushed the icy pools of blood.

Not far away, a squad of flamethrower soldiers moved constantly through the ruins.

The heavy fuel tanks did not affect the mobility of these tough guys in the slightest. They moved around the battlefield with exceptional agility, as if they were a combination of Firebat and Reaper from StarCraft.

"Three o'clock!"

Upon spotting the enemy, the squad leader immediately raised his hand and pointed to a crater emitting blue smoke in the northeast.

Almost simultaneously, three flamethrower tanks responded swiftly. Their steel siren swerved rapidly, forming a perfect angle of attack with the infantry's positions.

"Kachi!"

A dozen or so orange-blue fire dragons roared out, and the morning mist instantly vaporized in the high temperature.

Soon, inhuman screams echoed from the crater. Several Japanese soldiers, their bodies ablaze, rolled and thrashed at the bottom of the crater, but the napalm stuck to their bodies like asphalt, and no matter how much they rolled, they couldn't extinguish the flames.

The battalion commander in the very center of the formation couldn't help but frown as he smelled the stench permeating the air.

The pungent smell of burning fabric, leather, and human fat is something even seasoned veterans find hard to get used to.

Just as the troops were preparing to continue their advance, the regimental commander suddenly spotted a strange sight through his binoculars.

Not far ahead, dozens of Japanese soldiers' corpses were piled up almost like a small hill. The corpses were piled up so neatly that it was clearly not the result of a battle, but rather as if they were fighting to the death to protect something.

"Wait! Everyone, halt! Put all the flamethrowers away!"

"Second Battalion Commander, you take a platoon and follow me. Make sure the soldiers carry more submachine guns and light machine guns. Damn it, why doesn't our Eighth Route Army have a trench gun? I must report this need to the military region and headquarters."

"Comrades of the 5th Armored Company! Bring your tanks over here and provide cover for our infantry!"

Before long, the regimental commander and his soldiers arrived at their destination and saw up close the eerie little hill made up of Japanese corpses.

With the help of the increasingly intense sunlight, they could clearly see that the bodies were covered with honeycomb-like bullet holes, indicating that they had been killed by multiple people firing at the same time.

After arranging the surrounding security, the soldiers surrounded the mountain of corpses from several directions and began to pry open the bodies one by one with their rifles.

Not long after, the comrades found a nearly intact major general's flag and a Japanese officer who looked like a field officer at the very bottom of the pile of corpses.

"Commander! Look, it's Major General Matsui Setsu's flag!"

"We've captured the Japanese general's flag!"

With an excited shout from the battalion commander, the entire platoon of soldiers rushed over. Even the T-3485 tank crew of the 5th Armored Company opened their hatches and climbed up to watch.

In the center of the crowd, a regimental commander slowly squatted down, his calloused hands trembling slightly as he touched the flagpole.

He carefully brushed away the dirt and debris from the flag, and like handling fragile porcelain, slowly rolled up the hard-won major general's flag.

"Slow down, Commander! Slow down! This is spoils of war destined for headquarters, or even the border region. Don't damage it!"

The second battalion commander whispered instructions as he handed over a brand-new white cloth. They wrapped the flag in layers upon layers, and finally wrapped it with a military overcoat.

Minutes later, the news spread like wildfire across the battlefield.

The soldiers cheered and raised their guns into the sky; some were so excited that they tripped and fell.

"Quick, take pictures! Take pictures of Matsui Setsu and the lieutenant colonel's body that was just dug up! I'll personally find a plane and send all the materials to Xinhua News Agency headquarters later!"

"Oh right, let's bring our flag over too, and put it on the Japanese truck so we can take a picture together."

"In two days, the border region will send a telegram to the whole country to launch a general mobilization for the decisive battle. These are all excellent propaganda materials."

In the blink of an eye, a flag bearer arrived from behind.

The smoke from the gunpowder had not yet dissipated from his uniform, and there wasn't a single clean piece of cloth to be found on his body. Yet the red flag in his hand shone brightly in the morning breeze, like a blazing flame.

After climbing onto the Japanese truck, the flag bearer took a deep breath and then slammed the flagpole into the thin roof of the Type 94 truck.

At that very moment, the rising sun pierced through the clouds, its golden rays spilling onto the flag, making the red banner gleam brilliantly. As the flag unfurled, it seemed as if a thousand horses were galloping through the fabric.

Beneath the truck, soldiers of the 54th Division saluted the red flag in unison.

A war correspondent raised his camera and captured the entire scene.

In the footage, the flag bearers stand tall and straight like sculptures, and the red flag flutters in the wind amidst the smoke of battle, creating a powerful echo with the still-burning flames of war in the distance.

At this moment, the rising sun, the smoke of battle, and the red flag together form an eternal epic.

It not only proclaimed the victory of the battle, but also symbolized the indestructible belief of the People's Army.

······
Five minutes later, the war correspondent's camera was already filled with two rolls of precious film.

Just as he was about to turn around and return to the division headquarters to report, the regimental commander suddenly stopped him and gave him a slightly unexpected but reasonable order.

"Xiao Liu, don't rush off yet, there's one more photo I need you to take."

"Flag bearer, go and bring the blue sky, white sun, and red earth flag. Two days from now, it's a solemn and respectful day, and I don't want some scoundrels to spoil the comrades' mood."

"Cheer up and show your true skills. You're always talking about composition, lighting, and dynamic elements, right? Now's your chance to demonstrate your professionalism!"

Upon hearing this, war correspondent Xiao Liu was taken aback at first, then suddenly slapped his forehead, revealing an expression of sudden realization.

Although their 54th Division was a newly established unit of the Suiyuan Military Region, its blood still flowed from the 115th Division. In such a formal occasion as a nationwide mobilization, if the propaganda materials didn't feature the Kuomintang (KMT) flag, wouldn't that be giving their opponents ammunition? Given Baldy's petty nature and Guopu's gang of reporters who distort the truth, who knows what kind of mess they'd make of in the media battle.

"Okay! I promise to complete the mission!"

After carefully considering the pros and cons, Xiao Liu decisively used his skills and started shooting.

He positioned the red flag in the upper left corner of the image, while placing the other flag in the lower right corner. He then adjusted the lighting to make the red flag bright and eye-catching, while the other flag was placed in shadow.

As the wind blew and the flag of the Republic of China (Blue Sky, White Sun, and Red Earth) wrapped around the flagpole, he immediately pressed the shutter.

Physical existence is present, but visual perception takes a backseat—perfect!

······
On the morning of December 30, 1942, in Wanquan County, Chahar, the headquarters of the advance troops of the Suiyuan Military Region.

Seeing the undisguised joy on the face of the 54th Division's deputy commander, Yang and Xiao exchanged a glance. Then the latter took half a step forward and asked in a slightly incredulous tone:

"Let me confirm it again."

"You just said that the 15th Independent Mixed Brigade didn't intend to break out to the south last night at all, but instead launched an attack on your and the 2nd Armored Division's positions?"

The deputy commander of the 54th Division, meeting the gazes of his two superiors, stood ramrod straight. His eyes gleamed with unwavering resolve, and his voice boomed as he reported again, enunciating each word clearly:

"Reporting to the commander, you are absolutely right!"

"In fact, the division commander reported to you and Commander Yang via radio as soon as the battle started yesterday. However, due to the battlefield and mountainous terrain, signal transmission was severely hampered."

"What's worse is that the Japanese special forces cut off our three field telephone lines with headquarters under cover of night, which caused the backup communication channels to be completely cut off."

Upon hearing this, Yang and Xiao nodded in perfect unison. Clearly, compared to the battle at the front lines, the two commanders were completely unconcerned about the telephone lines that had been cut by the enemy.

It's just a communication network of about 30 kilometers.

For the Eighth Route Army, which was now fully equipped and whose industrial capabilities were vastly different from before, they didn't even bother to repair this few telephone lines; they could simply lay three new ones.

"Okay, I understand. So how did the operation at dawn go? Has the battlefield been cleaned up?"

Deputy Commander of the 54th Division: "When I set off, the battle had just ended, and we won a great victory. The regimental commander of the 1st Regiment and the tank company of the 2nd Armored Division have already begun to advance towards the battlefield. I expect a detailed report will arrive soon."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the communications officer from headquarters rushed in. After saluting, he held up the telegram he had just received and reported to the three men who were talking:
"Early this morning, our unit and friendly positions were attacked by the Japanese 15th Independent Mixed Brigade. The enemy did not conduct artillery preparation and launched the attack with only lightly armed infantry."

"After two hours of fierce fighting, our troops, relying on the favorable terrain and giving full play to their firepower advantage, annihilated the invading enemy."

"To prevent a Japanese ambush, our troops will begin clearing the battlefield after dawn. The number of enemy casualties is currently being verified, but it has been confirmed that Major General Matsui Setsu, commander of the enemy's 15th Independent Mixed Brigade, and several officers were killed, and one of his brigade's major general flags was captured."

"Lin Shiying, commander of the 54th Division of the Suiyuan Military Region."

The moment the battle report from the front arrived, Yang and Xiao's expressions changed drastically.

The former pulled his hat brim down a little and coughed lightly, pressing his fist to his lips. The latter turned his face away, staring at a certain spot in the corner, his shoulders trembling almost imperceptibly.

Considering there were still many subordinates in the command center, Commander Yang finally took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling noticeably, and said in a deliberately steady tone:

“We have received rigorous professional training, and no matter how funny it is, we will not laugh.”

"However, this result was indeed somewhat unexpected."

"Hahahahahahaha." Just as the two commanders were trying to maintain their serious expressions, a hearty laugh suddenly came from the door of the conference room.

The visitor was Cheng ZH, the chief of staff of the advance force of the Suiyuan Military Region.

Seeing that everyone's eyes were on him, he waved his hand somewhat embarrassedly, then took out several telegrams from his pocket and said:
“I’m different from you guys. I’ve never been trained. I just can’t help but laugh when I see good news.”

"Alright, let's get back to the main topic. Come and take a look. Last night, troops at all levels launched attacks in multiple locations throughout Chahar. Now, only Duolun remains before the entire province can be liberated."

Although Chahar is vast, its strategic value is far less than that of the heartland of Hebei Province. The Japanese North China Area Army only deployed second- and third-line troops such as the Independent Mixed Brigade 15th Regiment there.

The Eighth Route Army is now advancing with unstoppable momentum, having captured three strategic strongholds—Zhangjiakou, Wanquan, and Zhangbei—and recovered all 16 counties in Chahar, with only Duolun remaining in enemy hands.

Such a swift offensive would leave even Guderian's armored formation scratching its head in frustration.

With the troops achieving such a victory, how could Cheng Zi H not be happy?

"Good, good! Quickly show me the telegram, I want to admire the great achievements of our comrades!"

Commander Yang took the telegram, carefully reviewed it, and then nodded to Commander Xiao.

The successful recapture of the entire Chahar region on the eve of the nationwide telegram transmission from the border region was not only a great achievement, but it also gave the declaration of the War Fox a greater sense of confidence and injected strong anti-Japanese confidence into the military and civilians across the country, greatly boosting their morale in the fight against Japan.

To achieve this triple goal, the advance troops of the Suiyuan Military Region had to capture Duolun within a day.

Having reached this point, the two commanders immediately gave the order:

"Pass on my order: all BT-7 light tanks of the 2nd Armored Division, including the batch that just arrived this morning, shall immediately support the 3rd Regiment of the 55th Division in the direction of Dolon."

"I want to see the red flag planted on the city wall of the county town in 12 hours!"

Duolun County was a vital passage connecting Rehe and Chahar. In addition to a cavalry regiment of the North China Area Army, there was also a cavalry brigade of the puppet Manchukuo regime and an infantry regiment of the Kwantung Army.

The grassland terrain here is perfect for the BT-7's mobile operations; it's practically a tailor-made battlefield for their debut.

Considering the possibility that the Japanese might retreat back to Rehe along the highway, Commander Yang, adhering to the principle of eliminating any potential threat, added menacingly:
"Tell Yan Changzhi that I will transfer a certain number of near-ground support aircraft from Shanxi Province to help them encircle and intercept the Japanese troops in the Duolun direction."

"I have only one requirement: that no enemy be allowed to escape Chahar!" (End of Chapter)