Liang Jian: Commander, save some for me

"Don't worry, I'll take care of them," Li Jin replied. He had originally planned to take care of Yamamoto's special forces; otherwise, he wouldn't be able to sleep.

Everyone nodded in agreement. At present, only Li Jin could deal with that secret force.

If that secret force didn't have that many people, say only a hundred or eighty, Li Yunlong would be confident in dealing with it. But two thousand enemies stronger than the soldiers of a Japanese Class A division were something he simply didn't have the ability to handle.

Even if the entire New First Regiment is wiped out, it probably won't be enough; only Li Jin can handle it.

"We'll begin our operation the day after tomorrow, focusing on the Japanese brigade to the east. As per the previous plan, I'll deploy 3,000 soldiers to assist you in the attack. The rest of you will keep an eye on the Japanese command post."

"Of course, before that, I'll take care of this secret Japanese unit first," Li Jin continued.

Their plan was to attack the Japanese forces from one direction first, making them think that they had discovered the trap, so that they could turn the tables and use the trap against them. As a result, the Japanese forces could no longer sit still.

They would never stand by and watch a brigade of soldiers be annihilated, and the only force capable of quickly providing support was Yamamoto's special attack unit; the command headquarters would most likely not take the initiative.

Of course, it is not impossible that the Japanese division commander will personally lead the team there, but no matter what the outcome, it is all within Li Jin's plan.

If the Japanese division commander didn't lead the team, it would be easier for him to deal with Yamamoto's special attack team; if he did lead the team, it wouldn't be much more difficult.

"A brigade of a Class A division probably has more than 11,000 men. Are you sure our three regiments, plus the 3,000 men you sent, can take care of this brigade?!" Commander Zhang couldn't help but have some doubts.

To be honest, he felt that if it were a brigade of a Class B division, it would be no problem at all. The 358th Regiment plus the New 1st Independent Regiment already had more than 14,000 men. Add Mu Jin's 3,000 men, and it wouldn't be a problem to form a brigade.

But now, they are facing a brigade of a Class A division. The difference in numbers between the two sides is not that great. Even with the help of the three thousand men from the Mu Jin faction, it probably won't be that simple.

“Commander Zhang, it seems you still have a misunderstanding about Mu Jin’s strength. With their fighting power and ours, taking down this brigade is not a big problem at all. It will just take a little time at most,” Li Yunlong said slowly.

He didn't think that Li Jin's help couldn't solve the problem of a brigade. So what if it was a brigade from a Class A division? As long as the enemy didn't have reinforcements, they wouldn't be able to escape. No matter how powerful they were, he could definitely take them down in a day.

It would take the Japanese secret forces a day to arrive, and Li Jin had already prepared to ambush them along the way. It was estimated that before they could take down the brigade, Li Jin would have already destroyed the Japanese command post.

“Commander Li trusts me more. Division Commander Zhang, we’ve cooperated several times. Can’t you see the fighting strength of my men?” Li Jin said with a smile.

"In short, I don't need you to eliminate this brigade in a short time. I just need you to trap this division and prevent them from breaking out." Li Jin added that after all, it was a Class A division, and they were quite prepared, so it would be a bit difficult to eliminate them easily.

Therefore, Li Jin thought that it would be enough to have Li Yunlong and his men trap the brigade and prevent it from escaping. Once he had dealt with Yamamoto's special attack team and the Japanese command post, he could turn his guns on the Japanese brigade and eliminate it.

"No problem. Even if we can't wipe them out, we're confident we can trap them," Li Yunlong immediately assured him.

Everyone nodded in agreement. Although they had never fought against a Class A division before, with the people sent by Li Jin there, they could at least hold them off, even if they couldn't eliminate them.

.........

In the temporary command post of the 6th Division, the Japanese division commander, Hisao Tani, was holding a meeting.

"Yamamoto-kun, your plan seems to be full of loopholes. Are you sure that Mu Jin will fall for it so easily?!" Tani Hisao said, looking at Yamamoto Ichiki.

Troops were deployed to attack from three directions, but none were deployed to the south. Anyone with a brain could see through this trap.

"Commander Tani Hisao, please believe me, Mu Jin will definitely fall for it. He might think it's a trap, but don't forget, the troops he leads are capable of easily annihilating a regiment of a Class A division."
Moreover, this was achieved even after he had divided his troops to support the Jin-Sui Army. Therefore, when he concentrated his soldiers,
Seeing that the command post was only protected by a few thousand people, they would definitely think of repeating the same trick, since it would take at least a day for other troops to come to the rescue!

Compared to his previous attack on the 16th Division headquarters, our headquarters was only slightly larger than a regiment, consisting of an additional battalion.
"Mu Jin probably thinks that we believe, with our defenses in place, our 5,000-plus soldiers can hold them off for a day or two until other units come to reinforce us." Yamamoto Ichiki went on and on.

“What you said seems to make some sense. He doesn’t think we can hold him off for a day, so he will most likely choose to attack us.” Upon hearing this, Tani Hisao nodded and admitted that what Yamamoto Ichiki said was indeed correct.

"Yes, Mu Jin's troops have never suffered a loss, especially after he fought against a Class A division. Even if we are on guard, he is determined to take down the command post."
"And we withdrew before the other troops surrounded us, which is why I deliberately arranged it this way," Yamamoto Ichiki continued.

In order to trick Mu Jin, he also studied a lot of battle reports related to Mu Jin.

“However, there’s also a problem: whether Mu Jin and the others will actually come, or whether they’ll stay in Qinghe County,” Gu Shoufu said, changing the subject.

The plan sounds good, but if the enemy isn't here, even the best plan is useless. So, the most crucial thing is to determine Mu Jin's location.

“What you said is indeed correct, but I’m sure they will never be with the New First Regiment. Just wait and see!” Yamamoto Ichiki said slowly. He did not believe that Mu Jin would really give up on taking action against the Sixth Division.

A person who would give up the opportunity to capture the equipment of an entire division in order to eliminate the commander of the 16th Division must regard those who participated in the massacre as irreconcilable enemies. Therefore, Mu Jin would definitely be keeping an eye on the 6th Division.

"Yamamoto-kun, it's best not to speak too definitively, otherwise, if the plan fails, you'll be embarrassed," Tani Hisao reminded him.

Yamamoto Ichiki was perhaps a little too confident, but that was none of his business. In any case, for the time being, his safety here was actually quite secure.

"Don't worry, Division Commander, I will stand by my word! This Northeast Army will definitely be dealt with by us," Yamamoto Ichiki replied directly.

.........

Two days later, in Qinghe County.

The Japanese regimental commander gathered all his soldiers, plus the puppet troops, totaling more than 5,000 men, and marched in a mighty force toward the New First Regiment's garrison.

As for Qinghe County, the Japanese regimental commander only left a company of soldiers to guard it.

Seeing so many Japanese soldiers mobilized, the people in the city couldn't help but worry about the New First Regiment. After all, the Japanese had come out in full force, determined to annihilate the New First Regiment.

Inside the military truck, the Japanese brigade commander sat in the back, with the Japanese regimental commander sitting next to him.

"Brigade Commander, we have made all the necessary preparations. As long as that Northeast Army unit is not here, we will definitely be able to annihilate the New 1st Regiment," the Japanese regimental commander said confidently.

He wasn't afraid of the New First Regiment. Even if the New First Regiment's firepower wasn't much worse than theirs, the difference in combat effectiveness between soldiers was huge.

"Yes, this operation will implement the 'Three Alls' policy: burn all, kill all, loot all! In short, we must eliminate all the villagers who helped the New First Regiment!" the Japanese brigade commander said slowly.

If it weren't for the help of those villagers, the enemy wouldn't have been able to develop so quickly, nor would they have felt such a great threat.

"Yes, sir! I'll pass on the order right away." The Japanese regimental commander nodded, then called over a messenger to relay the order.

"We must not be careless in this operation, especially at night. The patrols should cover at least two miles around the camp to prevent enemy attacks!" the Japanese brigade commander continued.

He knew that the New First Regiment was good at night fighting and liked to launch surprise attacks, so their camp had to be safe. Even if the Northeast Army was really there and came to attack, they would still have a chance to resist, instead of being wiped out by the enemy in a crushing manner.

According to his research, although that Northeast Army was very strong, it could still hold out for a while if they were prepared.

Even if they can't stop them, they can at least kill some enemies. As long as they can inflict casualties on the enemy, it's worth it even if their entire brigade is wiped out.

"Understood!" The Japanese regimental commander nodded.

When the Japanese troops were deployed, the reconnaissance personnel responsible for keeping watch in Qinghe County immediately used walkie-talkies to contact others and inform them that the Japanese troops had been deployed.

When Cheng the Blind Man at the regimental headquarters received the news, he ordered the troops to be ready to evacuate at any time. Of course, they would not simply disappear without a trace, lest the Japanese not be able to find them and retreat. Therefore, they had to let the Japanese know roughly the direction of their retreat.

Blind Cheng also sent scouts to keep an eye on the Japanese soldiers' movements.

Around 2 p.m., the Japanese troops began to enter the mountains. Because they were worried about being ambushed by the enemy on the way, they specially dispatched an advance force.

This advance force isn't just about moving forward; it's about scouting out places where the enemy might be lying in ambush. Only in this way can it be truly safe.

Less than an hour after entering the mountains, the advance team found a village. They cautiously entered the village but found no one. The entire village seemed to be deserted.

"Lieutenant, we've already searched the village. We didn't find anyone, but judging from the battlefield, there are still signs that someone lived there. It's not an abandoned village."
"I suspect the villagers have already been evacuated, but I don't know where they've gone." A Japanese sergeant reported this to the Japanese lieutenant.

"Have you found any supplies or anything?!" the Japanese lieutenant asked. Their operation included looting supplies as well.

"No, there isn't any." The Japanese sergeant shook his head. Forget about food, there wasn't even any clothing or blankets to be found. In each house, all that was left were chairs and tables.

"Have the soldiers move firewood and pile it outside the house. I'll give you orders to light it later. I'm going to report to the brigade commander now." After giving the order, the Japanese lieutenant turned and left.

Meanwhile, the Japanese soldiers in the village began carrying firewood and piling it up on the houses, as if they were ready to set it on fire at any moment.

At this time, about two or three miles from the village, the Japanese brigade commander and his men stopped here.

"Brigade Commander, I think the enemy might not be here, but there might still be people in the village. We can gather those villagers together and kill them in a bit, so they'll know how terrible the consequences are for helping the Empire's enemies!" the Japanese regimental commander said from the side.

"Hmm." The Japanese brigade commander nodded. He did not refute it. On the contrary, he felt that it was the right thing to do. Besides, they were implementing the Three Alls Policy. Only in this way could they deter the enemy and the villagers.

Their actions will not be hindered in the future.

"However... I'm a little worried. Is the enemy watching us? If we attack the villagers, will it provoke that Northeast Army and cause them to attack us directly?!" The Japanese regimental commander hesitated for a moment before speaking again.

To be honest, he felt that the killing might not be something to rush into; at least he needed to confirm whether the Northeast Army was actually making a move here.

"What do you know? I did it on purpose. If that Northeast Army is here, they will most likely attack us. But if they're not here, it means they're not here!" the Japanese brigade commander said slowly.

That Northeast Army unit was very strong, and since they were now far from the county town, if they wanted to make a move, that Northeast Army unit wouldn't have to worry about escaping at all.

"The brigade commander is brilliant!" The Japanese regimental commander's eyes lit up after hearing this, and he quickly said.

"Actually, that's not necessarily true. They might be waiting for us to go deeper into the mountains, worried that we might have a chance to escape."

"But this means the enemy isn't many, and they're not confident they can capture us all directly, so they need us to pursue them deeper." The Japanese brigade commander added.

"The brigade commander means that the Northeast Army might be here, but not all of them are here, only a small portion." The Japanese regimental commander immediately understood.

That Northeast Army might be entirely intact, or it might only be a small number. So, the next step is to verify which of these two possibilities is true.

But no matter which possibility it is, they probably can't escape. However, what the Japanese brigade commander hoped for most was that the Northeast Army hadn't assigned anyone to this area.

To be honest, if he could stay alive, the Japanese brigade commander would prefer to stay alive; who wouldn't want to live a little longer?

"Yes." The Japanese brigade commander nodded in response. (End of Chapter)