You are ordered to support the War of Resistance against Japan; China enters Level 1 combat readines

Adachi Nyūzō walked to the map and traced the line of the young boy with his finger.

"This railway is the Empire's lifeline in Shanxi Province! Once it's cut off, the First Army in Taiyuan will lose its most important supply route. At that point, even without the Eighth Route Army attacking, we ourselves will be caught in a dilemma due to supply problems!"

Several officers nodded, their expressions solemn.

The reason is obvious: once the Zhengtai Railway is cut off, they can only detour through the Inner Mongolia Desert or the Yellow River, and either way, the cost will be enormous!

It might work in the short term, but given the empire's current state, it can't hold out for long.

"Therefore," Anda's voice rose a few decibels, "Quancheng must be defended; the young boy line cannot be lost!"

A colonel with a mustache stood up, his face radiating confidence: "Division Commander, please rest assured! With the strength of our army, defending Quancheng is more than enough!"

"Yamamoto-kun is right!" Another lieutenant colonel stood up as well. "The Battle of Zhongtiao Mountain has proven that the Chinese army is utterly insignificant before our Imperial Japanese Army! In twenty days, 170,000 defenders were wiped out—that's the best proof!"

"Hahaha……"

A burst of arrogant laughter echoed in the conference room.

"That's right! What are the Eighth Route Army? They're just hiding in those mountain valleys in southeastern Shanxi, barely surviving by relying on the terrain!"

"If it weren't for those damn tanks, they would have been wiped out by now!"

"Speaking of tanks..." Colonel Yamamoto suddenly stopped smiling and looked at Adachi, "Division Commander, regarding the Eighth Route Army's tanks, shouldn't we...?"

He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was already very clear.

The atmosphere in the conference room froze for a moment.

The officers, who had just been so arrogant, all showed a hint of barely concealed fear on their faces.

That was a fear etched into my very bones.

"Baka!"

Anda Twenty-Three slammed his hand on the table, his face turning terrifyingly grim.

"Gentlemen, what's with those expressions? How can the warriors of the Empire be intimidated by a few tanks!"

The officers quickly sat up straight, but the fear did not dissipate so easily.

Just then, a young staff officer hesitated before speaking:

"Commander, I have a question..."

"explain!"

"If...if the Eighth Route Army from southeastern Shanxi really launches a surprise attack on Jinan, how should we respond?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire conference room fell into a deathly silence.

The image involuntarily surfaced in the minds of every officer—

In the pitch-black night, the roar of a steel behemoth suddenly resounded, the earth trembled, and the city walls collapsed...

Colonel Yamamoto's forehead was covered in cold sweat.

Anda Twenty-Three's face also turned extremely ugly.

He took a deep breath and spoke slowly.

"Gentlemen, I know what you're thinking."

His gaze swept over everyone present.

"The battle at He County was indeed a disgrace to our army. Thirty thousand Imperial warriors were wiped out, and my 37th Division suffered particularly heavy casualties. I know this better than you do!"

"but--"

Anda Twenty-Three emphasized his words.

"We will never make the same mistake twice!"

He walked to the map and pointed to the area between the Taihang Mountains and Jinan.

"From the Taihang Mountains all the way to Jinan, I've had two dedicated telephone lines laid! Thirty-seven covert observation posts have been set up along the way! Our scouts are on guard day and night at every mountain pass and every road!"

"Whether it's the Eighth Route Army's ground forces or their air force—as soon as they leave the Taihang Mountains, the news will be relayed back to the Quancheng Command immediately!"

Anda turned around, his gaze sharp as a knife.

"A sneak attack? Hmph! I'd like to see how they plan to launch a sneak attack!"

The officers looked visibly more relaxed.

Colonel Yamamoto nodded repeatedly: "The division commander is brilliant! With these observation points, the movements of the Eighth Route Army are completely under our control!"

The lieutenant colonel chimed in, "That's right! Forget about a sneak attack, it's questionable whether they can even get out of the Taihang Mountains!"

He walked to the map, pointed to the edge of the Taihang Mountains, and a smug smile appeared on his face.

"Gentlemen, don't forget, outside the Taihang Mountains, we dug a long and wide trench! A full five meters wide and three meters deep! Let alone tanks, even a person jumping in wouldn't have a easy time climbing out!"

"Even if the Eighth Route Army's tanks are incredibly powerful, can they fly?"

A burst of light laughter erupted in the conference room.

"Hahaha! You're right! Can tanks fly?"

"If you can't fly, then obediently fall into the trench!"

"Let's see how arrogant they are then!"

Colonel Yamamoto laughed along, and after laughing, he added:

"And even if their tanks manage to cross the trenches—Commander, your suicide squad is waiting for them!"

Adachi Twenty-Three's lips curled up slightly.

That was his proudest work during that period.

"good!"

He said slowly, "I personally selected one hundred of the bravest warriors of the Empire to form this suicide squad. They have only one mission—"

He paused, then said, slowly and deliberately:

"Grab the explosives, charge in, and blow up those tanks!"

"If we can't penetrate your armor, can't we at least not destroy your tracks?"

The Japanese officers' eyes lit up.

"Yosh, that's brilliant!"

"The division commander is brilliant!"

"If you blow off the tracks, those tanks are just a pile of scrap metal!"

"Without tanks, what will the Eighth Route Army fight with?"

Anda Twenty-Three nodded in satisfaction.

"Gentlemen, as long as we hold Jinan and lock down the Eighth Route Army in southeastern Shanxi, it won't be long before they starve and die of starvation. Then, those advanced weapons and tanks will be ours for the taking!"

"The division commander is brilliant!"

"Long live the Imperial Japanese Army!"

……

The atmosphere in the meeting room instantly brightened, and the gloom from before vanished.

The officers beamed with joy, as if victory was already within their grasp.

Adachi Nyūzō raised his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet.

"Oh, right, I have some good news to share with everyone."

He cleared his throat and his voice became loud and clear.

"Commander Okamura has ordered a victory banquet to be held for the entire army three days from now to commemorate the glorious victory in the Battle of Zhongtiao Mountain!"

"At that time, the event will be held simultaneously in all garrisons of the North China Area Army, including Beiping, Taiyuan, and Jinan!"

The officers were taken aback at first, then burst into thunderous cheers.

"Onboard!"

"Imperial Japanese Army, Banzai!"

"Commander Okamura, Banzai!"

Anda Twenty-Three smiled and waved his hand: "Pass this order down! Tell every soldier that in three days, there will be wine and meat; let them celebrate to their hearts' content!"

"Hey!"

Several staff officers immediately turned and ran out to relay the order.

The news spread very quickly.

From headquarters to each regiment, from each regiment to each company, from each company to every soldier—

"A celebration banquet in three days!"

"Nakatiao Mountain Victory Ceremony!"

"We have wine and meat!"

"And there are pretty girls!"

"Hahaha……"