On the eve of the fall of Liaodong, he led his troops in a remonstrance against the young marshal.

Chang Yuchun's telegram was very long, unlike what one would expect from a military report.

The preceding thousands of words detailed every aspect of the Battle of Fengcheng.

Zhang Xueming quickly read through the content, a faint smile playing on his lips.

His smile slowly faded only when his gaze fell upon the last few lines of the telegram.

The telegram contained two questions.

The first question concerns the life and death of an individual; the second question concerns the fate of a nation.

Zhang Xueming tackled the first problem first, because it was simple.

Chen Cheng.

The name made Zhang Xueming frown slightly.

To be honest, he hadn't taken this special envoy from the south seriously at all.

What kind of trouble can a chief of staff who only talks about military strategy on paper cause in his Northeast Army?

He sent Chen Cheng to the suicide squad because he didn't intend for him to come back alive.

That level of charge is extremely dangerous, with a nine-out-of-ten chance of death. What does the death of one special envoy matter?

Anyway, he'll turn against the South sooner or later, and whether Chen Cheng kills him or buries him is just a matter of a moment's thought.

But fate played a cruel joke on him.

Chen Cheng did not die. Not only did he not die, he also personally killed two Japanese soldiers.

Zhang Xueming picked up the telegram again and carefully read through Chang Yuchun's report on Chen Cheng.

This chief of staff in the south has truly mediocre command abilities; given a company of soldiers, he can command them with the same efficiency as a platoon.

But this man had a fierce streak. When the suicide squad charged, he was at the forefront, and he didn't shrink back when the Japanese bayonets came at him.

The first Japanese soldier had his head smashed by the butt of his rifle, and the second Japanese soldier had his stomach pierced by his bayonet.

Chang Yuchun said in the telegram that when Chen Cheng crawled out of the pile of dead bodies, he was covered in blood.

Zhang Xueming put down the telegram, remained silent for a few seconds, and then chuckled.

The laugh carried a hint of surprise, but also a touch of helplessness.

There is no doubt that he dislikes Chen Cheng.

Chen Cheng's command skills were a joke in his eyes.

Throughout his military career, he never won a foreign war, nor did he excel in a civil war.

In foreign wars, the Battle of Shanghai ended in a disastrous defeat.

In the civil war, the Northeast had such a great advantage, with favorable timing, location, and popular support, but it was defeated in a half-baked manner. Hundreds of thousands of American-equipped troops were wiped out by the Northeast Field Army.

With such a level of command, calling him a private first class would be an understatement.

But Chen Cheng had already killed two Japanese soldiers, so it wouldn't be right for Zhang Xueming to kill him as well.

It's not that they can't be killed, it's that they're difficult to kill.

The entire Northeast Army was watching. Chen Cheng joined the suicide squad, charged ahead, killed two Japanese soldiers, and crawled out alive from a pile of corpses.

If you kill someone like that, what will your soldiers think?

Do we still care about morale? Do we still care about morality?

Zhang Xueming pondered for a moment, then said:

"Return the call to Chang Yuchun."

"Chen Cheng fought bravely and was promoted to captain of the suicide squad of the Death Squad, continuing the fight."

The communications officer quickly jotted down notes on paper.

Zhang Xueming paused for a moment, then added:

"Tell him that the size of the suicide squad can be increased to three hundred men, and he can't command any more than that."

"His skill level is at most that of a machine gun company commander."

This was a harsh statement, but Zhang Xueming was serious.

He knew Chen Cheng's limits all too well; this man could only lead one suicide squad. If he were given any more men, he would start making stupid mistakes.

A suicide squad of three hundred men doesn't need any complicated tactics or formations. All they need to do is run at the front when charging and stay at the back when retreating.

Chen Cheng could do this kind of work, and he did it quite well.

As for higher-level command, let him hone his skills in the suicide squad, provided he survives.

If he can truly fight his way out of the suicide squad, then Zhang Xueming will not hesitate to offer him a high position.

The communications officer read the telegram aloud again, and after confirming that it was correct, he turned and quickly left.

Zhang Xueming watched his figure disappear into the night, then lowered his head, his gaze falling on the last paragraph of the telegram.

The first problem is solved, cleanly and neatly.

But the second question is not so simple.

"Commander-in-Chief, after the Battle of Fengcheng, our army has controlled all the key locations along the Yalu River."

"The Japanese forces in Goguryeo have been basically annihilated by us. Currently, the elite Japanese troops in Goguryeo have been lost, and the defenses are weak."

"Your subordinate dares to ask, may our army seize this opportunity to cross the Yalu River and take control of Goguryeo?"

Zhang Xueming placed the telegram on the table and closed his eyes.

Goguryeo.

This is a huge problem, so big that even he himself cannot make a decision on his own.

This is a problem that looks easy to solve on a map, but in reality it's incredibly complex.

Chang Yuchun was right; the Japanese had almost completely wiped out their elite troops in Goguryeo.

The 19th and 20th Divisions, totaling nearly 80,000 men, were wiped out at Luofengpo.

These 80,000 men were the Japanese Army's Class A division, their two sharpest fangs on the Goguryeo Peninsula.

Now that those two fangs have been pulled out, the Japanese devils on the Goguryeo Peninsula are like a tiger whose teeth have been knocked out.

Chang Yuchun had 500 tanks and absolute air superiority over his air force.

If he really wanted to cross the Yalu River, the remaining Japanese garrison in Goguryeo wouldn't be able to stop him at all.

Sinuiju, Pyongyang, Seoul—Zhang Xueming could see this route even with his eyes closed.

However, the troubles of conquering Goguryeo were not military.

Zhang Xueming stopped in his tracks.

The Yalu River is a winding blue line on the map. On this side of the river is Northeast China, and on the other side is Goguryeo, a foreign land that was colonized by the Japanese for more than 30 years.

If he crossed the Yalu River, the Northeast Army would become an occupying force.

How would the Goguryeo people view them? Would they cheer as liberators, or hate them as new invaders?

The Japanese had been operating in Goguryeo for thirty years. Although their methods were cruel, they had also established a complete system of colonial rule.

Now he wants to drive the Japanese away, and then what?

Should we let the Goguryeo people govern themselves? Or should we turn Goguryeo into territory of the Northeast Army?

What's even more troublesome is the international reaction.

What would the White Bear People think? What would the Lion Camel Ridge People think? What would the West think?

Would these powers stand idly by and watch the Northeast Army annex Goguryeo?

When the Japanese invaded Northeast China, they pretended to be deaf and dumb because Northeast China had no direct interest in them.

But Goguryeo was different. Goguryeo's geographical location was too sensitive. It was situated between the East Asian mainland and Biqu Island, making it a strategic stronghold in Northeast Asia.

Whoever controls Goguryeo holds the throat of the Kingdom of Bhikshu in their hands.

The great powers could tolerate the Northeast Army fighting the Japanese on their own soil, but could they tolerate the Northeast Army extending its sphere of influence to the Goguryeo Peninsula?

The more Zhang Xueming thought about it, the more troublesome the problem seemed.

He wasn't afraid of fighting; he was afraid that after winning the war, he would fall into an even bigger quagmire from which he couldn't get out.

He needs to talk to someone.

"Someone, prepare a meeting room."

Wolf Warrior immediately made the arrangements.

Wang Yizhe and Zhang Xueliang looked at Zhang Xueming with puzzlement, wondering what he was up to now.

Without batting an eye, Zhang Xueming ordered the mass grave to be filled in and a monument to be erected at the site.

Zhang Xueliang, Tang Yulin, and others followed him to the conference room to discuss the issue of Goguryeo.