Liang Jian: Commander, save some for me

After killing Yamamoto Ichiki, Li Jin looked at the other Japanese soldiers and found that the battle was going much more smoothly than he had imagined. The other Japanese soldiers in Yamamoto's special attack team were no match for the special operations regiment.

In less than ten minutes, the Japanese special attack team led by Yamamoto was completely wiped out. The battlefield was littered with corpses, filled with smoke, and the air reeked of blood.

"Commander, the Japanese secret unit is really something. From the attack to preparing for the counterattack, they were very fast!" Liu Changshun ran over, his body covered in blood, all of it from the Japanese.

“Yes, if it were any other Japanese unit, they wouldn’t have reacted so quickly.” Li Jin nodded. Fortunately, they were in the dark while the enemy was in the light, and they had fallen into his carefully prepared encirclement.

Otherwise, if they were to confront each other head-on, they wouldn't fare well.

"But why are there more than three thousand Japanese soldiers? Weren't they said there were only about two thousand? The extra thousand seem mismatched in strength," Liu Changshun asked, puzzled.

He felt that the extra thousand Japanese soldiers were much weaker than the Japanese secret forces and did not seem like the Japanese secret forces.

“The extra troops are naturally the Japanese from the 6th Division. They came to provide support, which is good. The number of people in the Japanese command post has also been reduced, and Lü Changgong’s attack will be much smoother,” Li Jin replied.

He was initially worried that Lü Changgong's attack might be thwarted, but seeing the extra Japanese soldiers, he knew that the Japanese command post could not stop Lü Changgong and his men's attack!

"Commander, what should we do now?!" Liu Changshun asked.

"We'll go meet up with Lü Changgong first. You have a few men stay behind and wait for Lao Xu and his men to arrive. The Japanese have probably already mobilized their troops to encircle and annihilate us; their numbers won't be less than 40,000."
Our mission is to hold off these Japanese soldiers and inflict heavy losses on them. Therefore, our next objective is to retreat northward.

"At the same time, we'll ambush a brigade of Japanese reinforcements." Li Jin said slowly.

If he wasn't mistaken, the Japanese were probably guessing that he would break out to the west, so they would most likely move their troops from the north to the west.

However, if the Japanese command post is attacked, the Japanese troops transferred to the west will go to support the command post. They can take this opportunity to see if they can take down this brigade.

In fact, they could have easily retreated to the south with Xu Qingfeng and his men, because the Japanese had not yet completely encircled them, and breaking out would have been a breeze.

However, in order to tie down the Japanese troops, they naturally would not break out from the south.

"Understood." Liu Changshun nodded, then asked several soldiers to stay and wait.

.........

Huangyun Mountain, the headquarters of the 6th Division.

Tani Hisao stared at the map, looking at it over and over, when suddenly a possibility occurred to him. This possibility made him break out in a cold sweat, and his expression became serious.

"Division Commander, what's wrong?! Are you feeling unwell?!" The Japanese regimental commander standing nearby asked when he saw Tani Hisao sweating profusely, thinking that Tani Hisao was sick.

"No, something's not right!" Hisao Tani said, his voice trembling.

"What's wrong?! Division Commander, what are you talking about?!" The Japanese regimental commander was completely bewildered and didn't understand what Tani Hisao was saying at all.

"Based on our previous assumptions, the enemy already knows we have a secret unit, right?" Tani Hisao asked.

"Yes, that's why the enemy abandoned their attack on the command post and instead attacked the 33rd Brigade." The Japanese regimental commander didn't understand the meaning behind Tani Hisao's question, but he still responded.

"But thinking about it carefully, is the enemy's target really just the 33rd Brigade?! To them, let alone ordinary troops, even Class A troops are no match for them."
"Then who is the biggest threat?! Who is the real target of the attack on the 33rd Brigade?!" Tani Hisao asked rhetorically.

"Division Commander, you mean the enemy is actually targeting Yamamoto's special attack team?!" The Japanese regimental commander immediately understood what Tani Hisao meant.

The enemy attacked the 33rd Brigade to mislead them, making them believe that the enemy had changed its target, thus prompting them to send the Yamamoto Special Attack Unit to provide support. In this way, the enemy could ambush the Yamamoto Special Attack Unit en route.

Given Mu Jin's strength, once Yamamoto's special forces enter the ambush area, Yamamoto Ichiki will likely face certain death.

"Division Commander, but where would the enemy get so many men? Aren't they all attacking the 33rd Brigade?!" the Japanese regimental commander asked, puzzled. Based on the information they already knew, the enemy attacking the 33rd Brigade consisted of the New 1st Regiment and the Independent Regiment, so the remaining force must be that Northeast Army unit.

It's impossible that the New First Regiment and the Independent Regiment suddenly developed several thousand more men, allowing Mu Jin to spare troops to deal with Yamamoto's special attack team. So he thought, maybe the division commander was overthinking it.

"That was definitely not all of Mu Jin's forces. Perhaps, in addition to the New First Regiment and the Independent Regiment, another regiment should have supplemented the forces attacking the 33rd Brigade."
"And this regiment is very likely the 358th Regiment of the Jin-Sui Army!" Tani Hisao said slowly.

If his guess is correct, then Mu Jin is already prepared to ambush Yamamoto's special forces.

"Send a telegram to Yamamoto Ichiki immediately, telling him to stop sending reinforcements! Or, send an advance team to scout out any potential ambush sites!" Tani Hisao hurriedly said.

He worried that if it got too late, Yamamoto's special attack force would be completely wiped out.

The only force capable of holding off Mu Jin now is the Yamamoto Special Attack Corps. If the Yamamoto Special Attack Corps is annihilated by the enemy, it will definitely not be a good thing for them.

"Division Commander, this is just speculation. The 33rd Brigade is in dire straits. If we arrive too late, the 33rd Brigade may be completely wiped out," said the Japanese regimental commander.

If Yamamoto Ichiki sends out an advance force, it will waste a lot of time, which will be dangerous for the 33rd Brigade.

"Baka! The most important thing now is to protect the Yamamoto Special Attack Corps. If they are all wiped out, we will have to mobilize more troops to encircle and annihilate Mujin, and even more people will die, understand?" Tani Hisao cursed, but he still had a great sense of the big picture.

Although Yamamoto Ichiki had betrayed the 33rd Brigade, the situation was dire. Even if the 33rd Brigade was wiped out, the Yamamoto Special Attack Team could not be allowed to get into trouble, as that would affect the overall situation.

"Yes, sir! I'll send a telegram right away!" The Japanese regimental commander realized the seriousness of the situation after hearing this and was about to turn and leave.

"Wait, add one more thing: tell Yamamoto Ichiki to reply 'received' immediately after receiving the telegram," Tani Hisao called out, stopping the other party as he gave the order.

The reason for demanding an immediate reply from Yamamoto Ichiki was to find out if anything had happened to him. If there was no reply, then it was highly likely that something had happened.

"Yes, sir." Only then did the Japanese regimental commander turn and leave.

"This Mu Jin is truly terrifying! He's schemed so deeply! We absolutely cannot let someone like him live." Gu Shoufu's face was full of fear, and even carried a hint of murderous intent.

Commander Mu Jin was practically leading them step by step into a trap, and they couldn't even realize something was wrong right away—it was terrifying.

If Yamamoto's special attack force is gone, their chances of annihilating Kijin will be greatly reduced. Or rather, even if they manage to surround him, there is a high probability that he will break through.

However, ignoring them would also result in significant losses for them, so they had no choice but to take action against Mu Jin. A few minutes later...

The Japanese regimental commander returned with a look of terror on his face.

"Division Commander, there has been no response from Yamamoto's Special Attack Unit. I wonder if something has happened to them," the Japanese regimental commander reported.

After sending the telegram, he waited for a few minutes but did not receive any news. If Yamamoto Ichiki had received the telegram, he would not have delayed, because the 33rd Brigade had been in trouble because of Yamamoto Ichiki. Under such circumstances, Yamamoto Ichiki would never dare to delay.

"Damn it, the Yamamoto Special Attack Team has probably already engaged the enemy." Tani Hisao's body trembled slightly. It seemed he was still a step too late.

"Division Commander, it might not be that bad. Maybe we were really delayed, which is why we couldn't reply immediately. How about we wait another two minutes?" the Japanese regimental commander comforted him.

"Then let's wait a little longer." Tani Hisao took a deep breath and tried his best to calm himself down.

However, after a few minutes, there was still no news, which made Tani Hisao basically certain that Yamamoto's special attack team had been ambushed by the enemy.

With such a formidable enemy as Mu Jin and such a meticulously prepared trap, how could the Yamamoto Special Attack Team possibly have a chance to escape?!

"Division Commander, what should we do now?!" the Japanese regimental commander asked, as he was truly at a loss for what to do.

"There's nothing we can do." Tani Hisao shook his head. What could he do? Even if he wanted to help, he was too far away to do so.

"So, the Yamamoto Special Attack Corps... could they really have been completely wiped out by the enemy?!" the Japanese regimental commander said, swallowing hard.

"Their chances of breaking through are slim; they're most likely wiped out. Alas... what a pity, the troops meticulously trained by Commander Shinotsuka."

"They were gone before they could even shine on the battlefield." Tani Hisao sighed. He felt that the fighting power of Yamamoto's special attack force was comparable to that of the Northeast Army.

Under normal circumstances, the Yamamoto Special Attack Corps would most likely not have fallen into the enemy's ambush. However, they were led by the nose by the enemy from the very beginning, something Yamamoto Ichiki probably didn't expect.

They thought the enemy was attacking the 33rd Brigade, but who would have thought that they had overlooked the 358th Regiment?

They were all focused on the New First Regiment and the Independent Regiment, but they forgot to keep an eye on the 358th Regiment, or rather, they didn't take the 358th Regiment seriously at all.

However, it was precisely the appearance of the 358th Regiment that led them to mistakenly believe that the attack on the 33rd Brigade was the entire enemy force.

This would allow the enemy to take advantage of the situation. Of course, this is just speculation. Perhaps the enemy was already prepared and would not have let them discover the whereabouts of the 358th Regiment.

"Division Commander, judging from the current situation, we seem to be in a very passive position now," said the Japanese regimental commander.

The current situation is very unfavorable for them; their plan to encircle and annihilate Mu Jin may have to fall through.

"No, we still have a chance. If Mu Jin is currently fighting against Yamamoto's special forces, it means they are quite far from their main force."

"As long as the southern troops successfully encircle and build a good defensive line, and hold out for a period of time, we will still have a chance to annihilate Mu Jin!" Tani Hisao said slowly.

Because Mu Jin's troops were separated from the main force, it would take the enemy more time to break through, meaning they still had a chance to surround Mu Jin.

"Should we send a telegram to Commander Banheng to inform him of this matter?!" the Japanese regimental commander asked.

"Of course we need to notify them. The Yamamoto Special Attack Corps is basically wiped out. I just don't know if Commander Shinotsuka can accept it," Tani Hisao said.

"Yes, sir!" The Japanese regimental commander then left.

Meanwhile, Hisao Tani began to think about what to do next. The situation on the battlefield was truly ever-changing, and one careless move could lead to an unexpected accident.

.........

On the other side, Lü Changgong also received Li Jin's telegram. Upon receiving the telegram, he immediately issued an order for his troops to begin moving towards the Japanese command post.

Because the attack was to be carried out during the day, they were several miles away from the Japanese command post in order to avoid being discovered by the Japanese. They needed to get there now so that they could attack the Japanese as soon as they were discovered.

Fortunately, the people in the fake Japanese command post were transferred away; otherwise, it would have been quite difficult for them to quickly break into the Japanese command post.

At the same time, Lü Changgong also ordered the artillery to build rear artillery positions on the spot and aim them at the Japanese positions.

Be ready to bombard at any time.

.........

At this time, in Taiyuan.

Seishiro Itagata had already prepared a sand table map in the command post. He paced back and forth, feeling inexplicably agitated. Things were developing beyond his control.

Every step they took was in accordance with the enemy's plan, which was the most troublesome part, because they simply couldn't react in time.

From the very beginning, they had already fallen into the enemy's trap, which is why they are now in such a passive position.

"Division Commander, Division Commander Tani Hisao has sent a telegram. The situation is extremely serious!" A Japanese brigade commander rushed in, his forehead covered in cold sweat. This was clearly not from running, but from fear.

"Baka! How serious could things be? Has the 33rd Brigade been completely wiped out?!" Itagaki Seishiro said irritably.

He was already annoyed, and hearing the words "this matter is very serious" only made him more irritable.

"It's even more serious than the annihilation of the 33rd Brigade. You should take a look at the telegram yourself before you speak. However, you should be prepared!" The Japanese brigade commander handed the telegram to Itagaki Seishiro while reminding him to be ready.

The contents of the telegram were truly frightening and somewhat unacceptable.

"Let me see what's going on." Itagaki Seishiro took the telegram with a hint of annoyance and began to examine it. However, his eyes gradually widened, as if he had seen something terrifying! (End of Chapter)