Liang Jian: Commander, save some for me

Taiyuan, Japanese military camp.

In his office, Seishiro Itahira looked at the telegram in his hand, which was from the 16th Division. Although they had begun their operation as planned, progress was not going smoothly.

Especially with the railways and highways destroyed, their marching speed was greatly slowed down, and when they arrived at some enemy bases, they found that the enemy had already withdrawn.

Not to mention the enemy, even the Chinese people have disappeared. The villages are empty, and you can't even see a dog.

"The Eighth Route Army's operation this time was premeditated." Itagaki Seishiro sighed, feeling that targeting the enemy might not be so easy.

He now only hopes that some good news will come from the Sixth Division. Even if they don't annihilate that Northeast Army, they should at least eliminate more than half of them to curb the enemy's development, so that their subsequent operations can proceed smoothly.

"Division Commander, according to the reports from the various divisions, their operations are not going smoothly. In addition, the repair of the damaged roads is also taking up a lot of time," said the Japanese brigade commander standing in front.

Their operation would have proceeded smoothly had the railways and highways not been destroyed, but the enemy launched a large-scale attack before they could begin.

This really caught them off guard, and it will be very difficult to wipe out those enemy bases one by one.

Not to mention there was also a Northeast Army that was stronger than them.

"Let's take it one step at a time. The enemy's actions are unlikely to last only once," said Seishiro Itaga, who had no better options at the moment.

"If only that Northeast Army hadn't existed, we could have dealt with the Eighth Route Army with peace of mind, without needing to be so cautious," the Japanese brigade commander sighed as he finished speaking.

"The problem now is with the intelligence personnel. Why didn't they discover the abnormality on the Eighth Route Army's side sooner, which led to us being so passive!" Seishiro Itagaki's face showed a hint of anger.

If intelligence personnel can detect enemy movements earlier, they can make advance preparations and effectively counter any large-scale enemy attacks, instead of being immediately put in a passive position.

"Division Commander, I don't think we can blame the intelligence personnel entirely. After all, their operations weren't always easy to carry out."

You see, the Eighth Route Army was deeply loved by the local people, who were even willing to provide them with financial assistance. This made it extremely difficult for intelligence agents to gather information. The Japanese brigade commander began to explain the difficulties on behalf of the intelligence agents.

Their intelligence agents would be quickly identified as soon as they entered the enemy's base, unless the agents were actually working for the enemy, in which case they might not be able to detect anything.

It can be said that obtaining intelligence from the Eighth Route Army was far more difficult than obtaining intelligence from the Jin-Sui Army.

"Damn it! Even if intelligence is hard to obtain, the enemy's operation this time was clearly premeditated and they made follow-up preparations. Otherwise, those bases wouldn't be completely devoid of villagers," Itagaki Seishiro cursed.

In his opinion, intelligence personnel are too useless. If there are difficulties, they should find ways to solve them. Otherwise, what's the point of being an intelligence officer?

"The division commander is right, the intelligence personnel do have some problems." Seeing that Itagaki Seishiro was angry, the Japanese brigade commander did not dare to speak up for the intelligence personnel, for fear that he would also be scolded later.

"Sigh... Never mind, there's no use saying so much now! After this operation is over, we must make sure the intelligence personnel work harder and are fully aware of the enemy's movements!" Itagaki Seishiro sighed, knowing that now was not the time to assign blame.

Dong dong dong......

Just then, there was a knock on the office door.

"Come in." Seishiro Itagashi looked towards the doorway.

Soon, a Japanese telegraph operator pushed open the door and walked in.

"Division Commander, a telegram has arrived from Qinghe County." The Japanese telegraph operator respectfully handed the telegram to Itagaki Seishiro.

"I hope they have good news from their side." Seishiro Itagaki took the telegram and began to read it, but after he finished reading it, he couldn't help but frown.

"Division Commander, what happened?! Could it be that the Northeast Army is over there and has wiped out our men?!" the Japanese brigade commander asked tentatively.

He swallowed hard, feeling a surge of tension. If that Northeast Army was really there, then their previous plans would be completely ruined.

“It’s still uncertain…” Itagaki Seishiro then roughly recounted the contents of the telegram, including the commander’s speculation.

"So, they haven't found the Northeast Army yet, but they've already killed over a hundred Imperial soldiers and dozens of puppet troops?!" The Japanese brigade commander paused for a moment, then said.

"Well, let's keep watching. They suffered a loss as soon as they entered the mountains. This new First Regiment is indeed not easy to deal with," Itagaki Seishiro nodded and said.

"The fighting strength of the new 1st Regiment is probably not much worse than that of the soldiers in a Class B division," the Japanese brigade commander said with a serious expression.

He had always thought that if it weren't for Mu Jin's help, the New First Regiment would have been unable to kill so many of their soldiers. Now it seems that the New First Regiment's combat strength is indeed not weak!
“That’s possible,” said Seishiro Itahira. That’s what he thought, which is why the New First Regiment was able to take down so many pillboxes and checkpoints in such a short time.

"Division Commander, should we send a regiment from a Class A division to help?" the Japanese brigade commander asked hurriedly.

If the strength of the New First Regiment is really comparable to that of a Class B division, then the regiment that went into the mountains to find the New First Regiment might run into trouble, without even needing the Northeast Army to take action.

"Don't rush, I'm just saying they might be that strong, but there might still be a significant gap between them!" Itagaki Seishiro said. To be honest, he didn't want to make any promises. He was surprised that the Eighth Route Army had troops that could be compared to the Imperial Army, even if they were only comparable to a Class B division.

"Yes, sir!" The Japanese brigade commander nodded.

…………

Jin-Sui Army Headquarters.

Commander Yan stared at the telegram in his hand, his expression turning unusually grave. Before him stood a major general. "Is this telegram authentic?!" Commander Yan slowly raised his head, looking at the man, for the telegram contained information about a large-scale attack launched by the Eighth Route Army on railways and highways.

He already knew this, but he didn't expect it to be on such a large scale, involving hundreds of thousands of people.

To be honest, he was somewhat skeptical of this intelligence. How could the Eighth Route Army, given its limited resources, have developed so rapidly?

"Commander, I've repeatedly questioned the intelligence personnel. If the Eighth Route Army didn't have that many people, it would be impossible for them to have destroyed so many railways and highways!" the major general hurriedly replied. Not only did Commander Yan not believe it, but he also didn't want to believe it.

With such poor conditions over there, how did it develop so quickly?! In just a few short years, there are already so many people there; it's even more terrifying than before.

"But how could that be!" Commander Yan frowned, still somewhat unwilling to believe it. He had obtained a considerable amount of supplies from that person, which allowed the Jin-Sui Army to reach a current strength of approximately 300,000.

But it's rather unbelievable that the Eighth Route Army also had so many people.

Although he didn't use all the supplies he obtained to develop his troops, it was still far superior to what the Eighth Route Army had.

"Commander, their rise over there is already very difficult to stop. They will pose a significant threat in the future," the major general said with a serious expression.

In just a few years, it has grown to hundreds of thousands of people. If it continues for a few more years, what will happen?!

"Let's report this matter. If anyone's going to have a headache, it'll be that person's problem," Commander Yan sighed, somewhat helplessly. If things continued like this, it would be hard to say whether his territory would still be his in the future.

"But they're fighting the Japanese right now. If we report this now, won't there be some problems?! What if that guy sees that the Eighth Route Army has so many people and then tries to cause trouble?!" the major general said hesitantly.

The person who created friction previously thought that the Eighth Route Army might be growing rapidly. Now that person knows that the Eighth Route Army has grown to such a large number of people, they probably won't be able to sleep soundly.

"Don't worry, the large-scale operations launched by the Eighth Route Army are for the good of the country. If anyone tries to cause trouble at this critical juncture, they will easily be cursed by the people and may even lose their trust."
"It's a very serious matter if someone isn't recognized by the people; that person wouldn't dare do that." Commander Yan began to analyze.

That guy was incredibly shrewd in politics. If he was second to none in the National Revolutionary Army, no one would dare to claim first place. So, he knew very well what he could and couldn't do.

“That’s true, but we should wait until the Eighth Route Army’s operations are over before reporting, to avoid any real problems,” the major general said.

Commander Yan fell silent, then shook his head and said, "If I don't say anything now, I'll be the one suspected later. People will think I've established some kind of relationship with them. Given their personality, they'll definitely think that way, and then I'll be the one in trouble."

“That’s true. Commander, I’ll send the telegram right now.” Upon hearing this, the major general stopped trying to dissuade him and then turned and left the office.

"Hundreds of thousands of people, tsk, how did you manage to do that?! Did you really only focus on increasing numbers and neglect the training of soldiers' combat effectiveness?!" Commander Yan got up and went to the window, still somewhat unwilling to believe it.

"Forget it, I don't care anymore." Commander Yan shook his head; he was too lazy to think about it anymore.

A dozen minutes later, the major general came to the office again.

"Commander, the telegram has been sent and a reply has been received, questioning again whether it's true. I gave a general reply, without saying yes, but then there was no further news. I wonder if they're angry." The major general recounted what had happened.

"No need to guess, he's definitely angry, he might even be cursing. That guy has always wanted to curb the development of the Eighth Route Army, but he found it was useless. The Eighth Route Army is still developing very quickly, so naturally he can't accept it," Commander Yan responded, as he knew that guy quite well.

"So what will that person do next?! Pretend they didn't see it?!" The major general was somewhat puzzled. Things were developing so fast over there; that person probably wouldn't be able to sleep.

"What else can we do? Let's just wait and see, and then figure out a way to stop it later. But actually, he doesn't need to do anything."
"The Eighth Route Army has now revealed its strength. Unless the Japanese are stupid, they will definitely send more troops to target the Eighth Route Army. At that time, the Eighth Route Army will probably be severely damaged." Commander Yan began to analyze.

The Japanese would never allow a single unit to harass them continuously, especially one with such a large number of troops. If they didn't deal with it properly, things would get complicated later.

"Commander, since that's the case, should we recall the 358th Regiment? Aren't they still cooperating with Mu Jin? There hasn't been a fight yet, so if we withdraw them, we won't suffer any losses!" the major general said.

Since the commander doesn't want to be suspected by that person, wouldn't transferring the 358th Regiment back further reduce the possibility of being suspected?

“There’s no need to withdraw. Besides, we need to continue sending people to cooperate with the Eighth Route Army’s operations,” Commander Yan said slowly.

"Commander, why is this?!" the major general asked, puzzled.

"Naturally, it's to save face for that guy. With such a big commotion over there, he wouldn't dare to target us now, but we can help him save face. At least we participated in this battle," Commander Yan explained.

Such a large-scale operation is bound to attract national attention; it would be unreasonable for them not to participate.

The key is that participation will bring them many benefits.

"I see. Commander, you have such a far-sighted vision. I didn't think of that at all." The major general suddenly realized, and at the same time admired Commander Yan greatly. He couldn't have thought of so many things. No wonder Commander Yan was able to become a commander; he must have some real skills.

“You still have a lot to learn. Mu Jin’s battle plan is also very clear and highly feasible. The key is that secret unit that the Japanese have set up. I’m still quite wary of it!” Commander Yan said. Division Commander Zhang had already sent a telegram to him, telling him about Mu Jin’s plan and mentioning that the Japanese have a unit whose combat power might not be inferior to Mu Jin’s.

You have to understand, those are Japanese troops. They won't show them any mercy like Mu Jin did. Once the Japanese are free to deal with them, it will be very difficult for them to cope with a Japanese force whose fighting strength is no less than Mu Jin's.

Therefore, if this secret force hadn't been wiped out, he probably wouldn't even be able to sleep peacefully.

“Indeed, the Japanese won’t show us any mercy. Although Mu Jin doesn’t have much affection for us, at least he won’t harm us. In fact, our cooperation has brought us quite a few benefits.” The major general also agreed with what Commander Yan said.

Only if Mu Jin eliminates that secret Japanese unit can they sleep peacefully; otherwise, they'll face serious trouble. (End of Chapter)