Chapter 46: Stick-up!

Under Li Yunlong's deliberate guidance, Zhou Weiguo even caught sight of numerous American 105mm howitzers and German-made 150mm infantry guns.

These were advanced heavy artillery pieces that even the German-equipped division he belonged to did not possess.

Furthermore, the soldiers of the First New Division were far from being mere placeholders.

The tactical proficiency and combat capabilities they routinely displayed also left Zhou Weiguo deeply astonished.

Most of the soldiers surprisingly looked comparable to the military personnel he had seen in Germany.

Some of them even far surpassed elite German soldiers!

This was simply too exaggerated!

Coupled with the harmonious interactions he witnessed between the upper and lower ranks of the First New Division, how could Zhou Weiguo not have some thoughts of his own?

Just as Li Yunlong had said before, since they were both under Chiang Kai-shek's command, fighting the Japanese devils could be done anywhere.

Who wouldn't want to join a troop like the First New Division?

Seeing the expression on Zhou Weiguo's face, Li Yunlong felt a surge of joy inside.

It's a success!

"Old Zhou!" Li Yunlong patted Zhou Weiguo's shoulder with a grin and said, "I, old Li, happen to want to set up a special operations battalion!"

"How about this? You take charge of this special operations battalion, and you can pick the personnel, weapons, and equipment from the entire regiment however you like!"

Sitting in his chair, Liu Jianguo smiled and chimed in.

"With just a tiny First New Regiment, you want to set up a special operations battalion? If that's the case, wouldn't I, as the divisional commander, need to be assigned a special operations brigade to save face?"

"Hehehe!" Li Yunlong scratched his head. "Given your reputation, Divisional Commander, let alone a special operations brigade, even being assigned a special operations division would be more than enough!"

"Hahaha!" Liu Jianguo burst into hearty laughter and heavily slapped the table. "Regiment Commander Zhou, I happen to be lacking a commander for the Fourth New Regiment right now. Are you interested?"

Before Zhou Weiguo could react, Li Yunlong grew anxious first.

"Divisional Commander, Divisional Commander, are you trying to rob my First New Regiment?" Isn't this bullying an honest man?

Upon hearing the word "robbery," Liu Jianguo's muscle memory was instantly triggered.

"Robbery?"

The corners of Liu Jianguo's mouth curved upward slightly, carrying a hint of mockery.

"It seems I need to have a good chat with you, esteemed Regiment Commander Li, and review the military regulations of our First New Division."

"If I remember correctly, acting without authorization from division headquarters means you, esteemed Regiment Commander Li, will have to take the blame in logistics for a full month."

"What?" An expression of astonishment instantly appeared on Li Yunlong's face.

"Divisional Commander, didn't you say you approved my, old Li's, operation?"

"I approved it?" Liu Jianguo smiled and shook his head. "Where is the written order?"

"Li Yunlong, don't think that just because our personal relationship is so close, you can act without evidence. Don't blame military law for being merciless then."

Huh?

No, Divisional Commander, you thick-browed and big-eyed fellow, why do your words count for nothing?

Li Yunlong immediately cried out in grievance.

"Old Zhou, did you see that? The Divisional Commander is slandering me!"

"Divisional Commander, he is slandering me!"

Seeing Liu Jianguo spread his hands in a gesture that clearly said, "Go ahead with your performance," Li Yunlong sighed and reluctantly yielded.

"Alright, alright, higher rank crushes you to death!"

Just like that, Zhou Weiguo officially joined the ranks of the First New Division.

Now that they were their own people, certain topics could be openly discussed by both sides.

Zhou Weiguo took the initiative to speak: "Divisional Commander, since we've figured out the little devils' conspiracy, shouldn't we strengthen the garrison forces around division headquarters and the exhibition hall?"

"No!" Liu Jianguo waved his hand and then revealed a startling piece of news to Zhou Weiguo.

"That regimental flag of the Sakata Regiment is fake!"

Fake?

Zhou Weiguo was stunned!

Beside him, Li Yunlong smiled and said, "Old Zhou, although we don't know what tricks the little devils are going to play,"

"ever since we got our hands on the Sakata Regiment's flag, we knew the little devils would find a way to recapture or destroy it."

"Therefore, before we even entered the city, the Divisional Commander sent people to deliver a fake flag to our First New Regiment."

"As for the real flag, it has already been quietly sent back and hidden away."

Hearing this, Zhou Weiguo experienced a sudden flash of insight.

"So the Divisional Commander has been using a fake flag to go fishing all along!"

Seeing Zhou Weiguo instantly grasp his intention, Liu Jianguo nodded in gratification.

Talking to a smart person was truly effortless.

"However, regardless of anything else, the intelligence you brought, Weiguo, is still extremely important."

"If we were fighting in the field, I wouldn't give a damn what those little devils were; I'd just rain hundreds of artillery shells down on them!"

"Even if the little devils didn't all die, there wouldn't be many left."

"But fighting inside the city of Changye is completely different. Our artillery advantage simply cannot be brought into play."

"Meanwhile, the little devils tasked with special operations can maximize their combat capabilities."

"Even if we made sufficient preparations beforehand, if we let our guard down for even a moment, we would still easily suffer a bitter loss!"

"Here is what we'll do!" Liu Jianguo made a decisive choice.

"Weiguo, the personnel for the Fourth New Regiment are not yet in place. You will temporarily form a special operations team responsible for dealing with the little devils' incoming commando unit."

"From the entire First New Division, you may freely select personnel below the platoon level!"

"The entire defensive deployment within Changye City, including the division headquarters, will be handled by you."

"And my only goal is to choke every single one of those son-of-a-bitch little devils to death in a cesspit!"

"Can you complete the mission?"

Zhou Weiguo solemnly executed a military salute.

"Guarantee the completion of the mission!"

After seeing the two men off, Liu Jianguo calmed his mind, thought deeply, and checked for any overlooked details.

Yasuji Okamura's current supplies were simply insufficient to launch a full-scale battle.

Therefore, as long as they withstood this offensive by the little devils and wiped out the incoming Yoshio Yamamoto, then for a short period of time, the three cities of Changye would no longer face any threat from the Japanese devils.

"However, just wiping out Yamamoto's special operations team yields far too little reward!"

Liu Jianguo shook his head and cast his gaze upon the operational map.

"We must take advantage of the vulnerability of the Japanese North China Area Army to seize the initiative in the war."

"Hurt Yasuji Okamura until he hurts, make Yasuji Okamura cry!"

"Make him stay obediently in Taiyuan, too terrified to stretch out his dog claws!"

"Only then will the First New Division have enough maneuvering space to support other regions."

After pondering carefully for a moment, Liu Jianguo immediately penned a letter.

随后，他对门外的魏大勇喊道。

"Monk, take this letter and deliver it to Meng Fanliao!"

......

Inside Taiyuan City, at the headquarters of the Japanese North China Area Army.

The captain of the Yamamoto Special Operations Team, Yoshio Yamamoto, stood at a high vantage point, looking down condescendingly.

Below, nearly a hundred members of the Yamamoto Special Operations Team stood neatly in a single column.

An aura of grim determination emanated from each and every one of them.

After scanning the formation back and forth, Yoshio Yamamoto still furrowed his brow slightly.

There was no help for it, after all, these were hastily selected members of the special operations team.

Without undergoing a certain period of training, it was utterly impossible to fully meet Yoshio Yamamoto's requirements.

Suddenly, a Japanese signal soldier hurried over.