Chapter Forty-Five: A Plot Against the New First Division?

"Commander, Commander! Old Li here has... no, no, Old Li has an important matter to report!"

Li Yunlong, the most handsome young fellow for ten miles around, pushed open the grand gate and strode in hurriedly.

Liu Jianguo cast a glance and spotted a familiar face right behind him.

Isn't this Zhou Weiguo from *Snow Leopard*?

Why is he here?

After reporting the details of this operation, Li Yunlong grinned and pulled Zhou Weiguo right in front of Liu Jianguo.

"Commander, this is Zhou Weiguo, acting commander of the 1st Provisional Regiment of the 87th Division."

"He has something urgent to report to you, Commander!"

Hearing this, Zhou Weiguo stepped forward, clicked his heels, and snapped a crisp salute.

"Subordinate Zhou Weiguo greets Division Commander Liu!"

Returning the salute, Liu Jianguo smiled and waved his hand.

"Commander Zhou, no need to be so formal. Relax, think of this place as your own home."

"That's right, absolutely!" Familiar with the place, Li Yunlong swaggered over to Liu Jianguo's liquor cabinet, fished out a bottle of Fenjiu, and took a long, gurgling gulp straight from the bottle.

Such a spectacle was an absolute eye-opener for Zhou Weiguo.

He had never witnessed superiors and subordinates with such an unfettered relationship.

However, business came first, and Zhou Weiguo hurriedly spoke up.

"Division Commander Liu, I have discovered that the little Japanese devils are very likely plotting a conspiracy against the New 1st Division."

"Their targets are the regimental colors of the Sakata Regiment and the headquarters of the New 1st Division!"

A conspiracy against the New 1st Division?

Hearing this, the expression on Liu Jianguo's face instantly turned solemn.

"Commander Zhou, please, I'm all ears."

Zhou Weiguo felt a sudden weight lift from his chest.

Although this Division Commander Liu was young, he did not possess the arrogance of many high-ranking officials who were too proud to listen to others.

"It all started the very day your esteemed forces captured the regimental colors of the Sakata Regiment."

"The little devils specifically singled out soldiers like us who had clearly undergone martial arts training, gathering us together over the past few days."

"What's more, they've been feeding us three hearty meals a day with fine drinks, and haven't made us do a lick of work."

"It's all rather baffling."

"Just moments ago, in the Japanese communication room inside the POW camp, I checked their telegraph logs."

"I found that they have been doing this entirely by design."

Then, Zhou Weiguo emphasized further.

"Division Commander Liu, during my studies in Germany, I majored in a combat subject called special operations."

"It is a form of warfare carried out by a small number of elite soldiers using special methods and means."

"I suspect the little Japanese devils are likely using us to train troops, forging qualified soldiers capable of special operations."

"And their goal is precisely what I mentioned earlier: the regimental colors of the Sakata Regiment and the headquarters of the New 1st Division!"

Liu Jianguo nodded.

Everything Zhou Weiguo said made complete sense.

If nothing else, under the command of Kazuki Terauchi was one of Li Yunlong's old acquaintances, Yamamoto Ichiki.

Using special operations tactics to recapture the regimental colors of the Sakata Regiment was entirely within the realm of possibility.

However, as for the specific methods the Japanese might employ, Liu Jianguo was somewhat in the dark.

After all, his understanding of special operations was limited to the internet of later generations.

Actual combat was something only professionals like Zhou Weiguo truly understood.

Asking questions without feeling ashamed of learning from one's subordinates had always been a good habit of Liu Jianguo's.

"Commander Zhou, based on this, how do you think the little devils will act?"

Seeing that the other party believed his words so readily, ripples of emotion stirred within Zhou Weiguo's heart.

This Division Commander Liu was indeed an extraordinary figure; his ability to accept new concepts was truly formidable.

Without further ado, Zhou Weiguo immediately laid out his deductions.

"If I were the commander of this special operations team, I would definitely have Kazuki Terauchi use a sufficient force to launch fierce, simultaneous attacks from the east, west, and north directions of Changye."

"That way, the New 1st Division would inevitably have to throw its full strength into meeting the assault of the main Japanese force."

"Consequently, the garrison strength inside Changye City would be drastically reduced."

"Next, the Japanese would only need to create chaos within Changye City to further scatter the remaining defenders."

"Finally, I would simply gather the soldiers who had previously infiltrated, attack the headquarters of the New 1st Division first, and then strike at the location of the Sakata Regiment's colors—and the mission would essentially be accomplished."

Standing to the side, sentry Wei Dayong asked with a puzzled expression.

"I don't quite understand. Why attack the headquarters first?"

Li Yunlong leaped up and slapped Wei Dayong right on his bald head.

"You flowery monk, you ought to read more books in your spare time."

"Kazuki Terauchi's primary objective is the regimental colors of the Sakata Regiment!"

"That concerns the very pride and face of their Japanese Emperor!"

"That's right," Zhou Weiguo nodded. "To Kazuki Terauchi, the regimental colors of the Sakata Regiment are far more important than your esteemed force's command system."

"Therefore, logically speaking, the Japanese will first attack the headquarters of the New 1st Division to draw away enough defending forces within the city to assist the unit tasked with seizing the flag."

Having finished sharing his deductions, Zhou Weiguo stopped talking, leaving Liu Jianguo ample time to ponder.

The more Li Yunlong looked at Zhou Weiguo, the more satisfied he became.

A top-tier student straight out of a proper military academy, who had even studied abroad at a prestigious German institution.

He possessed exceptional martial arts skills, fought without hesitation, and was fluent in Japanese.

On top of all that, he understood special operations.

This fellow was fated to be with old Li here; he simply belonged in the New 1st Regiment!

As these thoughts swirled in his mind, the corners of Li Yunlong's mouth curled upward.

"Old Zhou, Old Zhou, come over here. Old Li wants to discuss something with you."

Zhou Weiguo glanced at Liu Jianguo, who was still deep in thought, and then stepped closer to Li Yunlong.

"Commander Li, what is it you want?"

Li Yunlong grinned broadly. "Old Zhou, you're being way too polite."

"We're all fighting under Generalissimo Chiang anyway; there's no need to call me Commander Li. Just call me Old Li."

"There's something I'd like to ask: what are your plans for the future?"

What plans?

Zhou Weiguo let out a soft sigh.

"Old Li, the 1st Provisional Regiment was wiped out. I plan to head back and wait to see how the Ministry of Military Affairs arranges things."

"Pfft!" Li Yunlong patted Zhou Weiguo's shoulder. "Old Zhou, we're all fighting the Japanese anyway, you might as well just stay here."

"Our New 1st Regiment happens to be lacking a deputy regimental commander."

"I reckon you're a perfect fit!"

Busy handling official duties inside the regiment headquarters, Xing Zhiguo suddenly sneezed out of nowhere.

Fearing that Zhou Weiguo might have reservations, Li Yunlong lifted his chin and continued to persuade him.

"If you ask me, what's the difference between us anyway?"

"Senior or junior, we can just talk things over. Hell, you can be the commander and I'll be your deputy if you want!"

Of course, Zhou Weiguo didn't take Li Yunlong's words literally.

However, he was indeed somewhat tempted to stay with the New 1st Division.

Along the journey back, Zhou Weiguo had witnessed the muscle of the New 1st Division firsthand.

Good grief!

He had originally thought the small detachment that came to the POW camp was just a picked elite unit cobbled together by the New 1st Regiment.

Little did he know that was the standard equipment for ordinary soldiers in the New 1st Division!

For close combat, MP40 submachine guns and German-made M24 potato-masher grenades!

For longer ranges, they had things called M1 Garand semi-automatic rifles, RPG rocket launchers, M2 60mm mortars, grenade dischargers, M2 Browning heavy machine guns, and so on.