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

Fengtian.

It was evening.

Most of the shops on both sides of Zhengyang Street were closed, but there were actually more people on the street than during the day.

The execution by slow slicing under the South Gate was not yet over, and Tang Yulin's knife had not yet finished cutting through the three thousand six hundred pieces. The crowd of onlookers stretched from the city gate all the way to the foot of the bell tower, a dense mass of heads that could not be seen in the twilight.

He did not go towards the south gate.

Tang Yulin didn't need to personally oversee Zang Shiyi's fate; the hatred in Tang Yulin's heart would never allow Zang Shiyi to have an easy time.

He mounted the warhorse that Zhanlang had led over, wrapped the reins around his wrist, and gently squeezed the horse's belly with his legs. The black horse snorted and galloped towards the Northeast Army camp east of Fengtian City.

"Notify the generals to proceed to the barracks for a meeting!"

"yes!"

Wolf Warrior followed closely behind with a squad of assassins, their horseshoes clattering on the cobblestone street, sending up a trail of sparks.

Half an hour later.

The large conference room in the military camp was full of people.

Zhang Zuoxiang sat at the head of the table on the left. He had changed into a clean military uniform and his hair was neatly combed again, but the bloodshot eyes had not yet completely disappeared.

Zhang Xueliang sat opposite him, holding a cup of cold tea in his hand. He hadn't drunk the tea, and the lid was spinning around on the rim of the cup.

Tang Yulin was not there; he was still busy at the south gate.

Zhu Wudi and Li Changkong sat side by side on the right side of the long table. Both of their military uniforms were covered in dust from the airport. They had been guarding the airport for a full day and night.

Wang Yizhe sat in the middle of the long table, his military uniform still covered in dust and mud from his journey.

He turned back halfway after receiving Zhang Xueming's telegram, and this back and forth left him seething with anger.

He Guozhu and Liu Duoquan were sitting to his left.

In addition, there were some generals sitting in the corner of the conference room.

When Zhang Xueming walked into the conference room, everyone stood up.

He raised his hand and pressed it down, gesturing for everyone to sit down.

Instead of sitting in the empty armchair at the end of the long table, he walked directly to the wall and pulled back the curtain that covered the entire wall.

Behind the curtain was a huge military map of the three northeastern provinces, marked with the troop deployments, fortifications, transportation routes, and strategic points of both sides.

He turned around, facing the room full of generals, and got straight to the point.

"Just received the news."

"The Japanese 2nd Division, with 13,000 men, has already marched north from Lushun and arrived in Haicheng."

He tapped the location of Lushun on the map, then slid his finger north along the railway line, paused for a moment at Gaizhou, and then tapped heavily twice at the location of Haicheng.

Gaizhou was a supply depot, and Haicheng was a rendezvous point.

These two place names caused everyone present to frown.

Haicheng is less than 150 kilometers from Fengtian. If you take the train, you can reach the city of Fengtian in four hours.

Moreover, the 2nd Division was one of the most elite divisions in the Kwantung Army, a Class A division with a full strength of 25,000 men.

Although some were lost in the previous battle, there are still at least 15,000 people left.

It was also equipped with an artillery regiment, a cavalry regiment, and an air force, giving it a firepower configuration far superior to that of a typical Japanese division.

Before everyone could process the news, Zhang Xueming moved his finger to the east side of the map and forcefully pointed at Baoshan Town, south of Fengcheng.

"The 19th and 20th Divisions have secretly entered Baoshan Town, with a total force of nearly 60,000."

"They have a plan they agreed upon with the 2nd Division. Tonight, they will launch a general offensive, advancing from both the east and the west."

"The 2nd Division marched north from Haicheng along the railway line and headed straight for Fengtian, while the 19th and 20th Divisions advanced westward from Fengcheng, leaving Fengcheng and us unable to defend each other."

The meeting room was silent for about three seconds.

Suddenly, Wang Yizhe stood up.

His face turned purplish-red, his eyes were bloodshot, his fists were clenched tightly, and the veins on the back of his hands bulged.

He had just rushed back, arriving in Fengtian half a day earlier than scheduled, because he had heard that something had happened in Fengtian.

He was seething with anger the whole way.

Zang Shiyi was so enraged by the betrayal of those traitors that he almost broke his horsewhip halfway there. Now, hearing that the Japanese were going to encircle him from three directions, his anger flared up even more.

He slammed his military cap on the table, the brim hitting the surface with a sharp crack.

"Damn it! They all think we Northeastern Army are pushovers!"

Wang Yizhe's voice boomed like thunder, "First they staged a mutiny in our own home, and now they've brought three divisions to our doorstep!"

"Commander! Fight the Japanese to the death! I, Wang Yizhe, have no other demands. All seven thousand brothers in my unit, every single one of them, must be deployed to the front lines! Lead the charge!"

"I swear I will not rest until I have killed all the Japanese devils!"

Before he could even sit down after speaking, He Guozhu stood up as well.

He Guozhu was a well-known steady man in Fengtian City, usually speaking in a calm and unhurried manner, but at this moment his voice was filled with passion:

"Commander, although my unit only has three thousand men, they are all sons of Fengtian."

"We're guarding our own doorstep; if we back down, we'll be too ashamed to face our ancestors. He Guozhu volunteers!"

Liu Duoquan was even more direct. He slammed his pistol on the table, said nothing, and just stood there, staring at Zhang Xueming with his bloodshot eyes, waiting for him to nod.

The atmosphere in the conference room was like a powder keg that had been ignited.

Standing in front of the map, Zhang Xueming's gaze swept across each face, no longer seeing the scheming, distrustful looks he had seen before.

Zang Shiyi's head hung at the city gate, and Rong Zhen's head would soon follow.

After those fence-sitters and undercover agents were purged, the remaining people, despite their different qualifications, factions, and personalities, shared the same beliefs at this moment.

With one heart and one mind.

This word used to be just an empty phrase in the Northeast Army, but now it seemed incredibly earnest.

"Since everyone agrees, let's have a real fight with the Japanese devils."

Zhang Xueming's gaze was firm and his voice resounding as he began to give orders.

"Li Changkong".

"arrive!"

Li Changkong stood up in response.

"Take off reconnaissance planes immediately, in two groups."

"Fly all the way to Fengcheng-Baoshan Town, fly all the way to Haicheng-Gaizhou."

"It's impossible for the Japanese army to move completely concealed. Find any sign that can confirm their location, such as supply vehicles, artillery positions, cooking smoke, or wheel tracks, and report it immediately."

"I need to know the exact location of the 2nd Division in Haicheng, and also the assembly progress of the 19th and 20th Divisions in Baoshan Town."

Li Changkong snapped to attention and saluted:

"The reconnaissance plane is already on standby at the airport and can take off at any time, transmitting intelligence back within an hour."

"very good!"

"Zhu Wudi".

Zhang Xueming turned to the second one: "The entire Air Force has entered a state of first-level combat readiness."

"Bombers are loaded with bombs, fighters are full of fuel and ammunition, and pilots are waiting in the cockpit."

"Once the reconnaissance aircraft transmits its coordinates, it can take off immediately without waiting for my orders."

"Focus bombing on two targets: first, the railway lines and supply depots in the Haicheng direction, to cut off the 2nd Division's rail transport lines."

"Secondly, the supply depot and artillery positions in the direction of Baoshan Town."

"Saturation bombardment, until all ammunition is used up, don't try to save me shells."

Zhu Wudi stood up and saluted:

"Don't worry, Commander. We've been holding back for so long. We'll make sure the Japanese have plenty of bombs."

After he finished speaking, he turned and left, his military boots clattering on the floor, disappearing into the conference room door in the blink of an eye.

Zhang Xueming's gaze fell on Wang Yizhe, He Guozhu, and Liu Duoquan.

"Wang Yizhe, He Guozhu, and Liu Duoquan, the three of you will join forces to form the main force of the central army and accompany me on the southern expedition."

Wang Yizhe's expression changed.

He took a step forward and protested:

"Commander, the central command? I won't take it! I want to be the vanguard!"

"My seven thousand brothers are back to kill the Japanese devils, not to follow behind the main force and eat dust!"

He Guozhu also stood up:

"Commander, let me take the vanguard! My troops are all from Fengtian, they know the terrain like the back of their hand, I could find Haicheng with my eyes closed!"

Liu Duoquan followed suit, slamming her hand on the table, not to be outdone:

"Neither of you are allowed to take this from me! I'm the most senior, and although I never had a chance to fight the Japanese before, I'm definitely getting the credit today!"

The three argued heatedly, their voices rising louder than the last, making the meeting room feel like a pot of boiling porridge.

Zhang Xueming raised his hand and pressed it down, and the whole room instantly fell silent.

"I already have someone in mind for the vanguard position."

Wang Yizhe was stunned, as were He Guozhu and Liu Duoquan.

The three people looked at each other, then spoke almost simultaneously:

"Who?"

In their view, Chang Yuchun was far away in Fengcheng, and the vanguard was always filled by the most capable fighters. Who else could win the commander's favor besides Chang Yuchun?

Zhang Xueming didn't answer their questions, but instead gestured with his chin towards the corner.

Everyone's eyes followed his gaze and turned to look at him.

Then, I saw a young man who was so young he couldn't be younger.