Liang Jian: Commander, save some for me

If they disperse their forces to encircle and annihilate them, it would be easy for the New First Regiment to seize the opportunity and defeat them one by one. This is why he disagreed with the plan to divide the forces for encirclement and annihilation.

"What if the New First Regiment keeps avoiding us and doesn't fight us?! In that case, should we really just retreat?!" The Japanese regimental commander's tone still carried a hint of reluctance.

They thought that since the Northeast Army wasn't here, they would have a chance to annihilate the New First Regiment, but now it seems that's basically impossible.

After all, the new regiment would never confront them head-on; that would be tantamount to suicide.

"There's nothing we can do." The Japanese brigade commander shook his head. Although they hadn't been able to inflict heavy casualties on the New First Regiment during their raid into the mountains, they had confirmed that the Northeast Army wasn't in the area, so they had considered their mission accomplished.

"Enough talk. Remember to tell the patrols not to let their guard down, lest the enemy take advantage of any weakness." The Japanese brigade commander didn't want to continue on this topic.

"Yes, sir!" The Japanese regimental commander nodded helplessly. This operation was still somewhat frustrating. If only they could force the New First Regiment to confront them head-on.

.........

On a mountain in Huangyun Mountain, the headquarters of the 6th Division was set up halfway up the mountain. They dug trenches and reinforced the defensive works halfway up the mountain in order to prevent heavy casualties from enemy artillery fire.

In the temporary command post, Yamamoto Ichiki stood in front of the sand table, while Tani Hisao sat in a chair, also observing.

"Yamamoto-kun, we've set up several fake command posts. Do you think the enemy won't notice?!" Tani Hisao said, feeling that if the enemy didn't notice, their plan would be ruined.

After all, those fake command posts weren't heavily guarded, and if the enemy attacked them, they definitely wouldn't be able to hold them off. At that point, the enemy might choose to retreat once they realized they had no chance.

"Don't worry, Division Commander. Mu Jin isn't that stupid, and his men won't be fooled so easily. So, they'll definitely find their way here." Yamamoto Ichiki was quite confident about this.

With Mu Jin's abilities, the soldiers he trains will certainly not be too stupid and will be able to see through the fake command post.

"Yes, that would be best." Tani Hisao nodded. To be honest, if he could annihilate this Northeast Army this time, he would have made a great contribution.

After all, the losses inflicted on their empire by this Northeast Army were enormous; they had never lost so many soldiers even in other war zones.

However, they suffered heavy losses here. It can be said that if they do not annihilate this Northeast Army, they will be in big trouble later.

"All the necessary preparations have been made, and we're just waiting for that Northeast Army to arrive." Yamamoto Ichiki smiled.

They had already learned that Mu Jin was not in Qinghe County, so the other side was most likely still keeping an eye on the Sixth Division's command post.

Especially since the Eighth Route Army had launched a large-scale operation, Mu Jin estimated that they would be overwhelmed with these matters, which would make Mu Jin even more complacent.

When he sees the location of the command post, although it seems difficult to capture, other troops would need a long time to arrive, so there is a high probability that he will choose to attack.

"Those fake command posts probably won't escape Mu Jin's attack either. Are you using them as expendable pawns?!" Tani Hisao suddenly said.

If Mu Jin were to attack their command post, he would most likely also attack the other fake command posts at the same time.

"Division Commander, as long as we can eliminate Mu Jin, it's worth paying a price. Don't forget, this is what the Commander said. I'm just following orders," Yamamoto Ichiki said slowly.

As long as we wait for Mu Jin to be annihilated, it would be worth sacrificing even a brigade, let alone some soldiers.

Moreover, he did indeed intend to do so. The brigade in Qinghe County was a case in point; if Mu Jinzhen were there, the troops in Qinghe County would definitely be annihilated.

Of course, now that it's confirmed that Mu Jin isn't there, their operation shouldn't have any major problems.

It only requires the sacrifice of a small number of soldiers, which is nothing at all.

"Hmph! Using my soldiers as bait? I wouldn't have agreed if Commander Shinotsuka hadn't spoken up." Tani Hisao snorted coldly. His soldiers were all battle-hardened veterans, and he still felt uncomfortable about being used as pawns.

If it weren't for the fact that Mu Jin's threat was too great, and that failing to annihilate him would affect the empire's plans in this area, he would never have agreed!
"Division Commander, you've worked hard, but it's all for the Empire. If I ever have the chance to be bait and bring glory to the Empire, I will never hesitate," Yamamoto Ichiki said slowly.

He was a war fanatic and a soldier willing to give everything for the empire; he had long since disregarded life!
"I hope you can keep your word and not just talk the talk," Tani Hisao replied. He had heard plenty of nice words, but how many people could actually do them?

"Just wait and see. As long as we can annihilate Mu Jin, even if it means the complete destruction of Yamamoto's special forces, I won't blink an eye!" Yamamoto Ichiki's firm reply caused Tani Hisao to fall into deep thought for a moment.

He sized up Yamamoto Ichiki and saw that the other man's eyes were firm, so he didn't seem to be lying.

"It's good that the Empire has a soldier like you," Tani Hisao said after a while.

"It's all for the great cause of the empire!" Yamamoto Ichiki said. This time, he wanted to make a name for the Yamamoto Special Forces and let the enemy know that the troops he led were the strongest.

.........

At 6:30 p.m. that evening, Li Yunlong prepared to lead the new regiment to set off, while the vanguard of Li Jin's faction had already gone ahead.

In this operation, they split into four groups, with one group consisting of two battalions from the New First Regiment and the Special Operations Regiment.
One battalion from the Independent Regiment and one special operations regiment,
The 358th Regiment and a battalion from the Special Operations Regiment set off from several directions and finally met at the designated location.

Four battalions of the special operations regiment, totaling nearly three thousand men, went to help. Even if they couldn't defeat the Japanese brigade, trapping the Japanese wouldn't be a problem.

The remaining men were also led by Li Jin to the Japanese command post.

"Everyone must be as careful as possible during this operation, lest the Japanese discover our presence!" Li Jin reminded the group before they set off.

He didn't want the Japanese to discover his intentions, otherwise the mission against the Japanese brigade might fail.

"Don't worry, our operations will be carried out strictly according to plan and will not be exposed," Li Yunlong said. "Old Li is right, you don't need to worry about us here, just focus on taking care of that secret Japanese unit," Kong Jie added.

With the support of the special operations regiment, their three regiments were more than capable of dealing with a Japanese brigade. Even if they couldn't wipe them out, they could at least trap the Japanese and prevent them from escaping.

"I will definitely take care of them, so you can proceed with peace of mind." Li Jin assured him that all the necessary groundwork had been laid and now they were just waiting to take action.

If he couldn't deal with Yamamoto's special forces, he wouldn't have the face to see Li Yunlong and the others, especially his superiors.

You have to understand, the commander mobilized the entire 386th Brigade to support his operation, all to ensure the smooth execution of his plan. He did so much, but the mission failed. He was truly ashamed to face anyone!
"Don't put too much pressure on yourself, kid. If you can't take care of them, you can at least cripple them!" Li Yunlong instructed. He estimated that the Japanese secret unit was quite strong and not easy to deal with.

He didn't dare to make any guarantees for Li Jin. What if Li Jin really failed to annihilate the Japanese secret force? Wouldn't that be embarrassing?

"Okay, I've got it." Li Jin nodded and looked at Chu Yunfei again.

"Brother Mu, I don't need to give you any more instructions. Brother Yunlong has already said everything. I can only wish you a successful start," Chu Yunfei said with a smile.

"Brother Yunfei, you too, I won't say any more, you should set off now." Li Jin waved his hand.

Then Li Yunlong and his men split into several groups and set off.

Xu Qingfeng led the soldiers of the Second Battalion to follow Li Yunlong. After all, for this attack on the Japanese brigade, the Special Operations Regiment needed to send a capable commander to oversee the operation, and Xu Qingfeng was clearly the right choice!
"Xu Qingfeng, do you think we can wipe out an entire Japanese brigade in this operation?!" Zhao Gang asked as they walked.

In truth, he was still somewhat uncertain. That was a brigade of a Class A division. Not only was its combat strength formidable, but its firepower was also undoubtedly formidable. It also possessed armored vehicles, tanks, and even large-caliber howitzers—weapons of mass destruction that were not easy to deal with.

"Solving them isn't a problem, it'll just be a bit troublesome. The Japanese tanks and armor are really no different from paper to us, we have armor-piercing shells."

"As for the Japanese howitzers, they'll have to have a chance to use them!" Xu Qingfeng said slowly.

They had armor-piercing rounds. The Japanese tanks and armored vehicles couldn't withstand them; a single shot could penetrate them, making them practically as good as paper.

The Japanese large-caliber howitzers were unlikely to be used, because the Japanese artillery was dealt with immediately at the start of the war.

Therefore, the Japanese would lack most of their firepower, making it much easier for them to take down the Japanese brigade.

"If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have almost forgotten. Armor-piercing rounds are indeed a good thing." Zhao Gang felt much more relaxed after hearing this.

"Old Zhao, don't be so nervous. It's just a brigade from a Class A division. Taking care of them is as easy as drinking water for us. At most, it'll just be a minor chore," Li Yunlong said. He could tell from Zhao Gang's earlier words that Zhao Gang was actually a little nervous.

"Commander, we can't be too careless. After all, they are still Japanese soldiers from a Class A division. We need to be careful. And once we get there, we need to make preparations in advance," Xu Qingfeng said. He may look down on the Japanese, but he wouldn't be careless.

It would be terrible if things went wrong.

"The main thing is to be careful and not let the Japanese get away. We can handle the rest. Besides, we still have you guys," Li Yunlong said with a smile.

Without the support of the special operations regiment, it would be tantamount to suicide for these three regiments to deal with a brigade of more than 10,000 Japanese soldiers, especially a brigade of a Class A division.

But with the special operations regiment there, things are different. They can deal with the Japanese, and might even be able to easily eliminate them without waiting for Li Jin to come and support them.

"Commander, don't say that. We complement each other. Without you all working together, it wouldn't be easy for us to deal with the Japanese brigade with our small force," Xu Qingfeng replied.

“I understand what you mean. You can actually take down an entire Japanese brigade, but the casualties will be huge, right?” Li Yunlong quickly said.

"Pretty much. If we really have to deal with this brigade with our small force, without a direct confrontation, and if enemy reinforcements can't arrive within a few days, we're still confident we can take down the Japanese brigade," Xu Qingfeng said after thinking for a moment.

If it were only these two or three thousand people, this would minimize casualties, but they don't have that much time.

Moreover, although the Japanese reinforcements from other places were slow to arrive, they could still get back within two days, which was something they couldn't do in such a short time.

“Old Zhao, listen to this. Is this even human language? Two or three thousand men, under favorable conditions, are confident they can wipe out an entire Japanese brigade in a few days! Now we have over ten thousand men, so it’s even simpler! So there’s nothing to worry about,” Li Yunlong said to Zhao Gang.

Zhao Gang opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know what to say. It seemed that he still underestimated the strength of the special operations regiment.

Xu Qingfeng dared to say that, so he must have been confident that he could do it. However, it was still a bit frightening that two or three thousand men could take down a brigade of a Japanese Class A division in a few days.

.........

On the other side, Commander Zhang was protected by twenty special operations soldiers, as Li Jin had promised, and naturally he would not go back on his word.

Commander Zhang would glance back every now and then, feeling a deep sense of security that his former bodyguards could never provide.

"I wonder if I can recruit these people to my side. If I can, then our safety will be guaranteed in the future." Commander Zhang thought to himself. He felt that these twenty soldiers were equivalent to a company or even a battalion of his own.

"Yunfei, do you think these soldiers will agree if I try to win them over?!" Commander Zhang whispered in Chu Yunfei's ear.

"Commander, how do you intend to win them over?! By giving them money?!" Chu Yunfei was both amused and exasperated upon hearing this.

"You think it won't work?!" Commander Zhang asked doubtfully. He didn't believe that these twenty people were uninterested in money.

"Of course not, I've already tried. Offering an official position is useless, offering money is useless too," Chu Yunfei said helplessly. (End of Chapter)