Liang Jian: Commander, save some for me

"Then it's settled. The 358th Regiment will be transferred to operate with me," Li Jin added, just in case Commander Yan regretted it later.

"Okay!" Commander Yan nodded helplessly. In Mu Jin's eyes, did he seem like the kind of person who liked to go back on his word?

"As for the timeframe, it will probably be around ten days to half a month. I will inform the 358th Regiment of the specifics. If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving now." Li Jin said, turning and leaving.

"Commander, I'll see him off too." Seeing this, Chu Yunfei said to Commander Yan and then left the office.

After the two left, Commander Yan looked at Division Commander Zhang and said, "There's still a lot of time before the battle. In a couple of days, you can go directly to Fucheng to meet up with Chu Yunfei."

To prevent Mu Jin from leaving with the 358th Regiment before Xiao Zhang could arrive.

"Understood!" Commander Zhang replied.

"When you're fighting alongside Mu Jin, be careful to make sure the main Japanese force is really drawn in, or we'll get tricked," Commander Yan instructed again. No matter what, it's always better to be cautious.

"Commander, rest assured, I will keep an eye on it and send people to repeatedly verify the information to ensure its authenticity. There will be absolutely no mistakes," Division Commander Zhang quickly assured him.

"That's good! Speaking of which, which two armies do you think we should send to participate in the war?!" Commander Yan asked.

"I think the 57th and 68th Armies are good. They've fought against the Japanese divisions before, so their troops are basically experienced in combat."

"If we send these two troops, we'll definitely be able to kill more Japanese soldiers." Commander Zhang thought for a moment and then said.

In his view, this operation definitely requires two armies with combat experience to participate in, only in this way can the weakly defended areas of the Japanese be captured.

“These two corps are now considered some of the more capable units in our army. What if something unexpected happens if we send them out?” Commander Yan frowned. Clearly, he did not want to send these two corps to participate in the war.

On the contrary, they would rather keep these two powerful units by their side, as they are a trump card for the future. After all, it is rare to find a unit with all its members having combat experience; most units consist of a group of veterans leading new recruits.

"Commander, your considerations are not without merit, but don't forget, other units are no match for these two corps. If we send them out, not only will we fail to break through the enemy's weak points, but we may also suffer heavy losses."
"Then Mu Jin will laugh at us and think we're really useless, and that would be a huge loss of face for us," Commander Zhang advised.

He felt that it was necessary to send his stronger troops to participate in the battle, only in this way could he put more pressure on the Japanese.

"Alright then, the 57th and 68th Armies. Give them a call and ask them to come to headquarters!" Commander Yan thought for a moment and agreed.

He had just told Mu Jin that he would hand over the weak points of the Japanese army, but later he couldn't break through them at all. That would be a huge embarrassment!
.........

"Brother Mu, I didn't expect the cooperation to go so smoothly." Chu Yunfei said as he walked.

"It's all thanks to Brother Yunfei for speaking up for me, otherwise it wouldn't have been so easy," Li Jin said with a smile.

Chu Yunfei had just said a lot of nice things for them. Although those words didn't really have any effect, it was enough that they meant well. Unlike some people who say they'll help but then don't dare to say a word when it really matters, and just pretend to be deaf and dumb.

"Brother Mu, you jest. I didn't play much of a role. In the end, you were the one who persuaded the Commander. I hope you can understand the Commander."

"After all, he is the commander of the war zone, and he has a lot to consider. If he easily mobilizes a large number of troops for combat, the consequences would be very serious if there are heavy casualties!" Chu Yunfei said, worried that Mu Jin's goodwill towards the Jin-Sui Army would continue to decline as a result.

If they really become rivals in the future, Mu Jin probably won't hold back.

"Brother Yunfei, no need to say more, I understand." Li Jin didn't really take this matter to heart. In any case, he hadn't intended for Commander Yan to agree directly in the first place, so it would have taken some effort to persuade him.

If it were any other commander, they probably wouldn't even get a meeting.

"Brother Mu, the commander said that we will only send out troops after we are sure that the Japanese firepower has been drawn away. Will that affect your plans?!" Chu Yunfei changed the subject.

“No, actually I thought that even if I asked Commander Yan to send someone to keep an eye on things, he wouldn’t agree. But I didn’t expect him to agree. So, it’s not a problem for him to join the war a little later,” Li Jin replied.

Before he came, he had already prepared for the worst. If Commander Yan still refused to cooperate, he would just need to ask the other party to transfer the 358th Regiment to him.

"No wonder, what if Commander Yan had chosen to join the war directly instead of waiting?! What would your plan be then?!" Chu Yunfei was still a little curious about this.

"You want to know?!" Li Jin asked with a smirk upon hearing this.

"I have a feeling you don't have anything nice to say, so I suddenly don't want to know anymore." Chu Yunfei could roughly guess from the other party's expression that Mu Jin wouldn't say anything nice, so it was better not to listen.

"Brother Yunfei, since you've already asked, how could I possibly hide it from you? Actually, I hadn't even considered this point, because, based on my understanding of Commander Yan..."

"He certainly won't agree to join the war outright. Even if he does, he'll definitely wait for news and make sure that joining the war won't harm him before taking action," Li Jin said slowly.

Although I haven't had much contact with Commander Yan, he is indeed a cautious person. Even though we have cooperated several times, he won't trust me so easily.

"Well... okay, you're right." Chu Yunfei opened his mouth, paused for a moment, and then admitted that Li Jin was right.

"If Commander Yan joins the battle earlier, he will be the one who suffers, because if he joins the battle early, the Japanese will definitely divert some of their troops to deal with him, which is equivalent to relieving the pressure on the Eighth Route Army and putting his own troops in danger."

"The battle won't go as smoothly as it did later. With Commander Yan's intelligence, he wouldn't do something like that." Li Jin's analysis was so logical that Chu Yunfei nodded in agreement.

"You know what, I really hope Commander Yan can get the Jin-Sui Army into the war sooner. That way, I'll have more confidence in dealing with the Japanese command post," Li Jin said with emotion.

The Japanese plan likely did not include the Jin-Sui Army in its attack range, so once the Jin-Sui Army joined the battle, it would inevitably disrupt some of the Japanese deployments, making their large-scale operation much smoother.

After all, the Japanese couldn't really ignore the Jin-Sui Army!
“From my perspective, I still hope the commander can help as soon as possible, but from the commander’s perspective, the most important thing is that the troops can obtain greater benefits with minimal casualties,” Chu Yunfei said.

"Ultimately, it's a matter of stance." Li Jin shook his head helplessly. People with different views cannot work together.

"Yes, Brother Mu, to be honest, why don't you come to our Jin-Sui Army? The commander has promised you a high-ranking position and generous salary. How about joining us?!" Chu Yunfei changed the subject and started to think about Li Jin again.

If Mu Jin could join the Jin-Sui Army, then the Jin-Sui Army would be incredibly powerful, and there would be nothing to fear from the Japanese devils!

"Brother Yunfei, do you really think I'd join?! You might as well join us! Forget being a regimental commander, come work for me, I'll make you a deputy regimental commander, and later, when I have more men under my command, I'll make you a deputy brigade commander, how about that?!" Li Jin was both amused and exasperated, then joined in the joke. "Then forget it." Chu Yunfei refused. After all, he was doing just fine here, there was no need for him to leave and join Mu Jin's unit, which lacked any backup forces.

"See, you're not going to join me, so stop with these attempts to win me over," Li Jin said with a smile.

"Mm." Chu Yunfei nodded.

The two men exited the headquarters gate, where their car was already waiting.

Li Jin opened the back door and got in with Chu Yunfei, while the other soldiers also got into another military truck.

"Commander, how's the cooperation going?!" Fang Ligong came over and stood by the car window, asking impatiently!
He wasn't qualified to listen to this kind of conversation, so he could only ask Chu Yunfei. In fact, if Li Jin hadn't insisted that Chu Yunfei come along, even Chu Yunfei wouldn't have been qualified to attend this meeting.

"The commander has agreed to cooperate." Chu Yunfei didn't hide anything and told them the truth!

"A real collaboration?! What are the specifics?!" Fang Ligong asked in shock.

"I'll tell everyone when we get back," Chu Yunfei said, adding that it wasn't the right time for him to speak now.

"Alright then." Fang Ligong had no choice but to nod helplessly and turn to get into another military vehicle.

.........

Taiyuan, train station.

The Japanese have sealed off the train station and are not allowing anyone to enter today, leaving those who want to catch the train stranded outside.

Although they were very angry about the Japanese soldiers' behavior, they dared not say much, because if they angered the Japanese soldiers, they would most likely be asked to eat a peanut.

At this moment, Seishiro Itagata had already arrived at the train station platform.

"I really didn't expect the commander to come so suddenly." Yamamoto Ichiki, who was standing to the side, also sighed. He thought that the commander would not come to command this operation, but he did come, and so suddenly.

It wasn't until an hour before he was about to arrive at the station that I sent them a telegram to let them know he was almost there.

"Yes, but it's better for the commander to be so cautious. His sudden visit meant that even we didn't know his whereabouts, let alone the enemy, which greatly ensured his safety." Itagaki Seishiro nodded in agreement.

Actually, let alone Yamamoto Ichiki, he didn't expect the commander to come in person.

"Division Commander, you'd better be mentally prepared. If the Commander hits you, don't make a sound," Yamamoto Ichiki warned.

Seishiro Itagaki suffered heavy losses at the hands of that Northeast Army several times, and it would be impossible for the commander not to be angry.

"Hmm." Upon hearing this, Itagaki Seishiro simply nodded in response.

He was indeed somewhat uneasy, thinking that because of his actions, so many soldiers had died, and the commander would most likely still take action against him if he saw him. But there was nothing he could do; the Northeast Army was simply too strong.

After waiting on the platform for more than ten minutes, the loud whistle of a train finally came from afar, and a train was approaching the station.

Soon, the train stopped at the platform, and immediately, many Japanese soldiers got off from each carriage and rushed to the middle of the train.

"The commander should be in that carriage. Let's go over there." As he spoke, Seishiro Itagaki walked towards the carriage surrounded by soldiers.

They waited at the carriage door, and two minutes later, a Japanese colonel came out.

"Commander Itagaki, Captain Yamamoto, the Commander-in-Chief wants you two to enter the carriage," the Japanese colonel said expressionlessly.

"Hey!" Seishiro Itaga and Ichiki Yamamoto quickly stepped into the carriage.

At this moment, the Japanese commander was sitting at a table, holding an exquisite teapot that looked quite old and was pouring tea.

"Commander!" Itagaki Seishiro and Yamamoto Ichiki approached and immediately saluted the Japanese commander.

"Yes, sit down." The Japanese commander gestured for the two to sit down.

"Hi!" Upon hearing this, the two of them sat down nervously, sitting very upright.

"Try the fine tea I got for you," the Japanese commander said, glancing at the two cups of tea in front of them, gesturing for them to drink.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Commander." After saying this, Itagaki Seishiro picked up his teacup. The steam from the freshly brewed tea hit him, but Itagaki Seishiro didn't dare to blow on it and took a sip through gritted teeth.

"I'm not here to personally command this time, after all, I know less about this Northeast Army than you do," the Japanese commander said slowly as he watched Itagaki Seishiro drink tea.

He made it clear to Seishiro Itagata that Seishiro Itagata should still be in charge of this operation. Only Seishiro Itagata knew the Northeast Army well. If someone else were to take command, something unexpected might happen. They had already lost too many soldiers and could not afford to lose any more.

"So, what brings the commander here this time?!" Seishiro Itagaki asked, having assumed the commander would come to give orders in person, but it turned out not to be the case.

"The commander isn't coming here to interrogate me, is he?!" Thinking of this, Itagaki Seishiro made the worst-case scenario plan. As long as he wasn't killed outright, he could accept any punishment.

"Itagaki-kun, there's no need to be so tense. I'm not here to interrogate you." The Japanese commander noticed Itagaki Seishiro's nervousness and tried to ease the tension.

"Commander, I am guilty! It was my poor command that led to such heavy casualties in the troops, and even caused the death of Nakajima-kun! Please punish me, Commander." Itagaki Seishiro stood up, bowed deeply, and apologized respectfully.

"I already said I wasn't here to interrogate you, so you think I'm going back on my word?!" The Japanese commander's face darkened upon seeing this; this Seishiro Itagata wasn't giving him any face.

"Your subordinate wouldn't dare!" Itagaki Seishiro replied in a trembling voice. Cold sweat poured down his back, and large beads of sweat dripped from his forehead onto the ground. It was clear that Itagaki Seishiro was very nervous, and the atmosphere was somewhat tense.

(End of this chapter)