Liang Jian: Commander, save some for me

“Mu Jin, you’re not being sincere by not telling us your specific plans,” Commander Zhang said.

"Commander Yan, as I just said, the plan cannot be revealed. Furthermore, your participation in the war is not under my command."

"Instead, while the Eighth Route Army draws the enemy's fire, you can attack their weak points. This way, you can inflict further damage on the enemy," Li Jin said helplessly.

They didn't fight alongside the Jin-Sui Army; it's just that if the Jin-Sui Army had participated, the Japanese would have suffered even greater losses.

"Mu Jin, if that's the case, I can't be sure whether you and the Eighth Route Army really attracted the Japanese firepower," Commander Yan said, worried that they might be deliberately lying to him.

In that case, the Jin-Sui Army would suffer heavy casualties, while the other side would reap the benefits. He didn't want to do such a thing.

“You can have the 358th Regiment follow me. If you don’t trust us, you can at least trust Chu Yunfei, right? Or, if you don’t even trust Chu Yunfei, how about having Commander Zhang follow as well?!” Li Jin changed the subject, looking at Commander Zhang as he spoke.

"This..." Commander Yan fell into deep thought upon hearing this. If it was just Chu Yunfei, he would hardly believe it, but if his trusted confidant was sent there, then it would certainly be credible.

He absolutely trusted Xiao Zhang. After all, Xiao Zhang had been by his side since before he became powerful, and they had been through many life-and-death situations together. Xiao Zhang was the person he trusted most.

“You can think about it. I’m not in a hurry. Commander Yan, I’ll wait for you outside for ten minutes. If you still don’t agree, then there’s no need to talk about cooperation anymore.” Li Jin glanced at his watch, then turned and left.

Only Commander Yan, Division Commander Zhang, and Chu Yunfei remained in the office.

"Commander, I think Mu Jin's words make some sense. Since we're worried about the cooperation being a trap, we can go and keep an eye on them. Once we're sure that the main force of the Japanese troops has really been attracted by them, then we can take action against the Japanese. What do you say?!" Chu Yunfei said hurriedly.

Although Commander Yan did not directly express his opinion to Mu Jin, he could sense that Commander Yan hesitated when he was asked to deliver the message, which meant that Commander Yan did not trust him very much.

“Commander, Yunfei is right. If we miss this opportunity, it will be very difficult to deal a heavy blow to the Japanese later. I am willing to go with them.” Division Commander Zhang also spoke up to persuade them. Although it would be quite dangerous to go, he was still willing to take the risk for the sake of the Jin-Sui Army.

"Don't say anything, let me think about it." Commander Yan frowned after saying this and began to consider the feasibility of the matter.

It sounds like a good idea, and it's less dangerous. The key is that if things don't go well, they can simply stay out of it and act only when there's something to gain.

.........

After leaving his office, Li Jin went to an open space not far away, where Lü Changgong was standing.

"Commander, how's the cooperation going?!" Lu Changgong stepped forward and stopped to ask.

"It should work out." Li Jin didn't dare to make a guarantee. Although he felt that the matter was a done deal, who knew if Commander Yan might suddenly change his mind and disagree?

These people like to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages. They will go for things that are beneficial to them without being taught by others, but they will stay far away from things that are harmful to them and will not easily allow themselves to suffer too much loss!

"That's a good thing," Lü Changgong said happily. They had gone to so much trouble just to get the Jin-Sui Army to cooperate.

"Hmm." Li Jin nodded, took out a pack of cigarettes and gave one to Lü Changgong, then lit one for himself.

"Heave-ho... If the Jin-Sui Army joins the battle, we might actually have a chance to take Taiyuan," Li Jin said, exhaling a puff of smoke.

As long as the Jin-Sui Army joins the battle, the Japanese will face many troops. At that time, if they annihilate one or two Class A divisions and cripple one or two other divisions, the remaining Japanese troops in Taiyuan will be unable to stop them.

The key issue is that the Japanese won't be able to transfer troops from other war zones in a short period of time.

"If we capture Taiyuan, will we be able to recover our lost territory?!" Lü Changgong asked.

"It's not that simple. Taiyuan isn't easy to capture either. And if the Japanese realize something's wrong, they'll choose to run away. To think you can just reclaim the lost territory like that is to be too naive." Li Jin shook his head and explained, though he did hope to reclaim the lost territory.

However, this is not something that can be done so easily.

"Moreover, to attack Taiyuan, we would at least have to cripple two of the Japanese Class A divisions, otherwise it would be unlikely."

Moreover, once the battle begins, if the Japanese find their casualties too high, they will choose to retreat; they are not fools.

If they knowingly continue fighting, potentially causing their plans here to collapse, then they are simply being foolish.
"So, attacking Taiyuan is just talk; the Japanese won't give us the chance," Li Jin added.

What he said was merely a possibility, after all, the situation on the battlefield is constantly changing and beyond his control. But what was certain was that they had a significant advantage, but they couldn't expand their gains too much.

"That's true. If the Japanese hadn't deployed those top-tier divisions, we might have had a chance to take Taiyuan," Lu Changgong remarked. The Japanese top-tier divisions posed a significant threat, especially three of them, which made things even more complicated.

Fortunately, the Japanese Osaka Division is unlikely to participate in the battle; otherwise, this operation would have been much more difficult, and they would not have had the upper hand.

“Indeed, without the newly transferred divisions, if the operation proceeds as expected, our special operations regiment, along with the new 1st Regiment and the independent regiment, would be confident of capturing Taiyuan.” Li Jin agreed with this statement.

"Commander, if you put it that way, it seems like we've angered the Japanese, which is why we can't attack Taiyuan now," Lü Changgong suddenly laughed.

They inflicted heavy losses on the Japanese, thoroughly enraging them, which forced the Japanese commander to transfer troops from other war zones to help.

"How could that be my problem? It's entirely because the Japanese were too stingy, which is why this situation has arisen." Li Jin naturally wouldn't admit it. He wasn't going to take the blame for something so serious.

"Haha, Commander, I was just saying. We'll fight in Taiyuan if we have the chance, and if not, so be it. There's no rush."
"Didn't you always say that the time for a counterattack hasn't come yet? Let's give the Japanese a little more time, and then we'll take it all back with interest later." Lü Changgong laughed, though he was just joking.

"You little brat." Li Jin shook his head helplessly.

"But to be honest, it would be a real shame if we didn't get the chance to fight Taiyuan this time, since we don't know if there will be another big battle like this in the future." Lü Changgong couldn't help but sigh!

He still hoped to attack Taiyuan this time, but the possibility was slim.

Moreover, after the battle, the Japanese will likely retaliate, and they will definitely send more troops, which will cause them considerable trouble. "Calm down, when the Japanese can't hold on any longer, it will be our time to counterattack. It will only take a few years, and the Japanese probably won't be able to hold on!" Li Jin said.

Anyway, they will definitely organize a counterattack and take back the territory occupied by the Japanese, then recovering the lost territory will not be a problem.

The two then chatted about other topics, and soon, almost ten minutes had passed since Li Jin left the office.

"It's almost time, I'll go in and check the situation." Li Jin threw his second cigarette butt on the ground and stomped it out casually before walking towards his office.

"Commander Yan, what's the deal? Cooperation or no cooperation?!" Li Jin asked directly as soon as he entered the room, not bothering with formalities.

"Cooperation is possible, but you have to guarantee one thing," Commander Yan said slowly, staring at Li Jin.

"Go ahead and say so." Li Jin breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that cooperation was possible. The participation of the Jin-Sui Army was crucial to whether the results of this major operation could be expanded.

"If the Jin-Sui Army is in danger, you must send people to support them immediately. If you cannot do so, then there is no need to cooperate anymore," Commander Yan slowly stated his conditions.

“No problem. Not to mention you, if other units are in danger, I will be there to provide support immediately.” Li Jin agreed immediately.

In his view, the main target of the Japanese attack was still the Eighth Route Army, and the Japanese probably wouldn't pay too much attention to the Jin-Sui Army.

"One more thing, I'm sending Xiao Zhang and the 358th Regiment to accompany you. You need to send no fewer than two hundred troops to protect Xiao Zhang closely. Chu Yunfei also needs them," Commander Yan continued.

Xiao Zhang was his confidant, while Chu Yunfei was just an afterthought.

"I'm afraid that won't work. Two hundred men are too many. Commander Yan, you know the fighting power of my two hundred soldiers. They could easily hold off half a Japanese regiment's attack."
Sending two hundred men to protect two people is like using a cannon to kill a mosquito. Upon hearing this, Li Jin decisively refused. Protection was fine, but two hundred men were too many.

You see, in this operation, he needs to coordinate the combat effectiveness of his troops. If he were to suddenly transfer two hundred men to protect people, his subsequent plans would easily run into problems. Therefore, he would never agree to it.

"How many men can you send?!" Commander Yan asked. What Mu Jin said was indeed correct. With the combat strength of Mu Jin's soldiers, two hundred men would be a very powerful force.

"A maximum of twenty people, no more than that, otherwise let's end this cooperation here," Li Jin said slowly.

Twenty men are more than enough to protect Commander Zhang and Chu Yunfei. Moreover, the 358th Regiment is with him. The only way for these two to get into trouble is if they encounter Yamamoto's special attack team.

"What?! Only twenty people? That's too few. There should be at least fifty." Commander Yan felt that the number was too small.

“Commander Yan, twenty men is a lot, and they will all be veterans. They are more than enough to protect them,” Li Jin said earnestly.

"Commander, I think twenty men are enough," Commander Zhang said hastily, not placing much importance on having many people protecting him.

It's not that he doesn't value it, but he feels that having twenty powerful warriors protecting him is more than enough.

"Alright, then twenty people it is. Don't shortchange anyone," Commander Yan said to Li Jin. Since Xiao Zhang had said so, then they wouldn't ask for more people.

"Commander Yan, rest assured, I always keep my word, except when it comes to the Japanese," Li Jin added.
"Well, the cooperation is settled then. If it turns out that the Japanese firepower has been drawn to you, then I will send troops to attack the Japanese weak points and kill as many Japanese soldiers as possible," Commander Yan said, knowing he would have people make preparations.

"I wonder how many men Commander Yan plans to send to the battle?!" Li Jin asked curiously, at least to confirm the number of troops from the Jin-Sui Army participating in the battle.

"I will deploy two armies, totaling over 30,000 troops, to participate. If the subsequent operations go smoothly, I will continue to send more people," Commander Yan said slowly. This was a decision he made after careful consideration.

Two armies with more than 30,000 men is already quite a lot.

"Only 30,000 people? That's alright." Li Jin smacked his lips. It was better than nothing. As for Commander Yan's promise to send more people later, he didn't believe a word of it.

When it becomes necessary to send more people, Commander Yan would probably recall the two armies he sent immediately; there's no way he would send any more reinforcements.

"Mu Jin, what do you mean by this? You think it's not enough? Do you really want us all to go to war?!" Commander Zhang couldn't help but say.

"It's not impossible," Li Jin smiled.

Commander Zhang: "..."

He was speechless for a moment, not knowing what to say. Mu Jin's skin was probably thicker than the corner of a city wall.

“Since we’ve already cooperated, you should tell us how we should fight, and mark out the approximate area.” Commander Yan took out a map, which roughly showed the operational area that the Eighth Route Army had mentioned.

But Mu Jin needs to draw what he said.

“Okay, then I’ll mark the locations.” Li Jin didn’t hesitate and took the pen to start drawing the locations on the map one by one.

“Actually, these places will be the weak points of the Japanese army. Just focus on attacking these places, and I guarantee you’ll make a fortune,” Li Jin said with a smile.

If the Japanese take the initiative to attack, the area that was originally defended will be left undefended, and the Jin-Sui Army can take the opportunity to make a move.

"Commander Yan, I hope you can really expand your gains by then. The main force has been drawn away. If you can't handle the remaining troops, don't blame me for mocking you when we meet again." Li Jin smiled as he spoke, and he wasn't joking.

"Hmph, you don't need to worry about that. You just need to lure the people away, and leave the rest to us." Commander Yan snorted coldly upon hearing this. Who did Mu Jin think he was?

If you can't even capture a position that's sparsely defended, then the officers who were sent to command the operation should all be executed to prevent future disasters.

"Okay, that's good!" Li Jin nodded.

(End of this chapter)