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

"So, in other words, Shanxi Province right now... has almost no armored forces?"

"Lord Okamura, shall we...?"

The Japanese staff officer didn't finish speaking, but everyone understood.

Okamura smiled.

He turned around, looked at the staff officers, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

"No rush, let's see what they're up to first."

"Now relay my orders!"

Gangcun's voice suddenly rose: "First, closely monitor the movements of this Eighth Route Army unit and report back immediately."

"Second, all strongholds along the way should be strategically abandoned immediately. Do not engage them in direct combat. Wait until they have passed before returning to retake them."

"Third, all troops in North China should immediately enter a state of high alert, hold their respective defense zones, and refrain from launching any offensives."

"Abandon the defense?" A staff officer was stunned, his voice tinged with reluctance.

"Commander, those strongholds..."

"Those strongholds cannot be defended."

Gangcun interrupted him: "The Eighth Route Army has dozens of tanks, dozens of armored vehicles, and hundreds of artillery pieces. What do we have in our stronghold?"

"With just a few anti-tank guns and a few dozen landmines, can we hold out? Rather than letting our soldiers die in vain, we should let them live and come back after the Eighth Route Army has passed."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the people in the room.

"This isn't an escape, it's a strategic retreat! Preserving our strength and waiting for the right opportunity!"

"The Eighth Route Army's armored forces can't stay on the road forever; they'll eventually have to stop. And when they stop..."

The Japanese staff officer understood.

"Hey!"

"Your Excellency is wise, Commander!"

. . .

Mountain city, Huangshan Mansion.

It was late at night, but the study light was still on.

The principal sat at the table, with a top-secret intelligence report just sent from North China spread out in front of him; the ink on the paper was still wet.

He read it three times. He recognized every single word, but he couldn't understand it when they were put together.

"The main force of the Eighth Route Army left Shanxi Province and headed east. Strongholds along the way fled at the mere sight of them, and puppet troops surrendered en masse..."

east?

Why not march north to attack Beiping, or march south to seize territory from them? Why go east?

Even the principal couldn't understand it.

He stood up, walked to the huge map hanging on the wall, and traced his finger from Shanxi Province to Hebei Province, then from Hebei Province to Shandong Province, stopping at a gray area marked with densely packed small characters.

The Eighth Route Army's marching route was marked as a red line, starting from Zhicheng and heading east.

He had never heard of most of those places; they were not big cities, important towns, or strategic locations fought over by military strategists. They were just small places that you needed a magnifying glass to find on a map.

Why would the Eighth Route Army attack these small places?

What exactly is their goal?

"Principal." Boss Dai's voice came from behind.

"Should we send troops from the Lu-Su war zone to probe the area?"

The principal turned around and looked at Boss Dai as if he were a fool.

"Test? With what? With your few agents from the Military Intelligence Bureau, or with the divisions in the war zone?"

Boss Dai blushed slightly, lowered his head, and dared not say anything more.

The principal turned back and stared at the map for a long time.

He couldn't fathom the Eighth Route Army's intentions, but he knew one thing: this armored force wasn't coming for him.

If they're coming for him, they'll head south, towards the mountain city.

But since it wasn't aimed at him, he wasn't in a hurry.

We can wait patiently, wait for them to reveal their true intentions, wait for them to fight the Japanese, and wait for him to understand the situation before making a decision.

"Order." The principal's voice returned to its usual calm.

"Closely monitor the movements of this Eighth Route Army unit and report back immediately!"

He wanted to see what the Eighth Route Army was up to!

. . .

The next day.

As dawn broke, the brigade commander gave the order, and the armored brigade set off again.

The streets were noticeably quieter today, a stark contrast to yesterday.

Yesterday, we fought countless battles along the way, with strongholds and pillboxes appearing one after another, seemingly endless.

It's much quieter today, so quiet it's almost unsettling.

All the watchtowers along the way were empty, their gates wide open, and the people had all left.

In some places, they didn't even have time to take the pots and pans with them, and there was still unburnt firewood left on the stove.

Only occasionally would the scouts catch one or two stray Japanese spies or puppet troops hiding in the fields.

Without any obstacles, the troops' marching speed increased considerably.

The journey, which was originally planned to take a day, was completed by 3 p.m.

Before it got dark, the troops arrived safely at the foot of Yimeng Mountain.

"Reporting, Brigade Commander! We've spotted reinforcements from the Ludong Column ahead!"

"Oh?" The brigade commander's eyes lit up. "Let's go take a look."

Several jeeps drove past.

From afar, you can see a group of soldiers in worn-out uniforms standing by the roadside waiting.

The leader was a dark-skinned, tall man, who was the deputy commander of the Lu Dong Column (referred to as Deputy Commander Lu).

Seeing the brigade commander's car approaching, Deputy Commander Lu immediately strode forward, extending his hand and laughing heartily.

"Old Cen! We've been waiting for you! I thought you wouldn't arrive until tomorrow!"

"The telegram from headquarters said you had arrived in Willow Grove Town. I didn't believe it; I thought it would take at least two more days. You've arrived in just one day! That's faster than cavalry!"

"Deputy Commander Lu!" The brigade commander also jumped out of the car with a smile and shook his hand tightly.

"The journey was very smooth. All the Japanese soldiers had fled, and no one dared to stop us."

"Of course!" Deputy Commander Lu patted the brigade commander on the shoulder.

"Now, throughout North China, who doesn't know how formidable your troops in southeastern Shanxi are? The Japanese run faster than rabbits at the mere mention of your name!"

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Deputy Commander Lu couldn't help but glance at the main force behind them.

His eyes were full of curiosity and anticipation. He rubbed his hands together and said somewhat embarrassedly, "Old Cen, to be honest, we've heard a lot about your new weapons."

"What invincible tanks, what 107mm rocket launchers, and those rifles that can fire in bursts and in single shots."

"But we've only heard about it in telegrams, we've never seen it in person. Could you... show us?"

The soldiers of the Ludong Column next to them also craned their necks, their eyes filled with longing.

They fought guerrilla warfare in eastern Shandong for several years, but they lacked guns and ammunition and their equipment was pitifully poor.

Forget tanks and cannons, many people didn't even have a proper rifle; they could only fight the Japanese with broadswords and spears.

They had long yearned for those legendary new weapons.

"Haha, what's wrong with that?" The brigade commander laughed heartily.

"Come on, I'll show you around." The brigade commander said with a smile, turning around and leading Deputy Commander Lu and the others toward the camp behind.

However, before they even reached the location where the tanks were parked, a rich aroma of meat wafted over.

The aroma, a blend of braised pork, braised eggs, and rice, was so rich and intense that it instantly filled everyone's noses.

The soldiers of the Ludong Column stopped in their tracks, sniffing hard and swallowing hard.

"What...what is this smell? It smells so good?"