"Chief of Staff, is all the information in the war report true?" Looking at the battle report in his hand, Tada Jun could hardly believe his eyes. In his eyes, the imperial army of the Great Empire has always been invincible on Chinese soil, when did it fall to such an end, in a month, the loss of so many excellent imperial soldiers.

"Hi, Your Excellency, all is true. Most of the losses were caused by the Eighth Route Army's Reading Division. Among them, 18,632 people of the Fifth Division were wiped out by the Reading Division, 3,564 people of a garrison wing eliminated by the Reading Division in Taiyuan City, and finally the 109th Division lost a total of 2,432 people in the process of encircling and suppressing the base area of the Reading Division. The total number of Imperial soldiers killed in the three places was 24,628. The chief of staff replied with his head bowed.

"Baga, no, it's a loss of more than 30,000 people, and more than 5,000 people, what's going on?" Looking at the data in his hand, the commander, Lieutenant General Tada, silently calculated and asked with a frown.

"Hi Your Excellency, Commander, the remaining 5,000 people of the Imperial Army. It's been a month for the imperial warriors who have shattered the jade on the other Eighth Route Army. In addition, according to the statistics of various places, in the past month, a total of 346 of our strongholds have been broken by the Eighth Route Army, 6 county towns have been lost, and a large number of heavy goods and materials have been looted. Rail and road transport has been interrupted 12 times, and so far, six more rail and road routes have been disrupted. According to preliminary statistics, the total loss of various materials exceeded 150 tons. At the same time, the puppet army units that were reorganized and eliminated by the Eighth Route Army totaled more than 15,000 people. It can be said that almost all the rural areas in North China have become the world of the Eighth Route Army. The chief of staff replied in a whisper. I didn't dare to look at the commander Lieutenant General Tada, whose face was getting more and more ugly in front of him.

"Eight Grid Tooth Road, how can this be, how can this be? When did the Imperial Army of this empire fall into such a fate, in front of the Eighth Route Army, it could only be passively beaten and defended, and there was no room for fighting back," Lieutenant General Tada Jun couldn't help but roar loudly.

"Chief of Staff, in one month, we have lost more than 30,000 outstanding Imperial Army warriors. Now how many imperial troops are left in the entire North China Zhutun Army to continue fighting" As time passed little by little, the commander Tada Jun, who was full of anger, also slowly calmed down his mood and asked the chief of staff who was speechless in front of him.

"Hi, Your Excellency, Commander. At this time, there were still 7 divisions and regiments left in the entire North China Zhutun Army, and the two reading brigades totaled more than 170,000 infantry. These troops are distributed in the Pingjin region, Taiyuan. Zhuozhou, Cangzhou, Zhengzhou, Baoding, Shijiazhuang and other regions. Originally, the entire North China Zhutun Army had at least one division of mobile strength all year round. However, since the Fifth Division was completely annihilated by the Eighth Route Army's Reading Division, the entire North China Zhutun Army had almost no mobile strength. The remaining troops are only enough to defend each area, and they are not capable of launching a counteroffensive against the various units of the Eighth Route Army," the chief of staff replied while thinking about Lieutenant General Tada's face.

"Eight Grid Tooth Road, the dignified Imperial Army, how could it become like this. Baga! Chief of Staff, didn't the base camp reinforce us from the country with a brigade of elite imperial troops, why are there not enough troops for a counteroffensive. Moreover, an elite division transferred to us by the Kwantung Army is also about to arrive, so how can we have the current situation of shortage of troops? After listening to the chief of staff's answer, General Tada Jun still asked rhetorically in disbelief.

"Your Excellency Commander, due to the frequent sorties of various units of the Eighth Route Army in the past month. All transportation lines in the whole of North China were almost completely paralyzed. In order to ensure the transportation of materials from all parts of North China, a reading brigade transferred from the base camp had to be strengthened to various strongholds along the communication line to guard against the sneak attack of the Eighth Route Army, so as to protect our fragile communication lines. The Chief of Staff, Major General Naosaburo Okabe, hastened to reply.

"Baga, why is it the Eighth Route Army again. Eighth Route Army, I, Tada Jun, are inseparable from you. Chief of Staff, where have the reinforcements of a division of the Kwantung Army arrived now, and when will they be able to reach Taiyuan. I want revenge, I want to take revenge on the readers of the Eighth Route Army. Lieutenant General Tada clenched his fists tightly and said fiercely.

"Your Excellency Commander, now that the imperial army of a division of the Kwantung Army has entered the Hebei region, it will be possible to enter the important town of Taiyuan in one more week." The chief of staff replied cautiously.

"Yo Xi, I believe that we have an elite Kwantung Army with a division, and the Reading Division of the Eighth Route Army, which is huddled in the Jindong region, must not be our opponent. Now, Chief of Staff, a month has passed. I believe that during this month, we have taken a certain break. However, the Reading Division of the Eighth Route Army also made use of a large number of weapons and equipment captured in Taiyuan to carry out a certain amount of rest and expansion. Does our intelligence section have any information on this, and has there been any movement in the past month as a reader of the Eighth Route Army? "I heard that it only took less than a week for a division of the Kwantung Army to enter Taiyuan City. Lieutenant General Tada, the commander with a tense face, finally showed a smile on his face.

"Yes, Your Excellency Commander, it is said that the Kwantung Army of this empire is invincible in the world, and no one can defeat it. I believe that as long as the Kwantung Army with a division is stationed in Taiyuan, the elimination of the Reading Division will be within reach. Seeing the smile on Tada's face, the chief of staff, Major General Naosaburo Okabe, hurriedly replied.

"Yo Xi, Chief of Staff, immediately report to me everything related to this Eighth Route Army Reading Division in the past month. As the saying goes, knowing oneself and knowing one's opponent, invincible in a hundred battles, the more detailed the report to me, the better" After listening to the chief of staff's sycophancy, Tada Jun smiled comfortably and continued to ask.

"Your Excellency, Commander, according to the intelligence of the Intelligence Division. After two consecutive battles a month ago, the Eighth Route Army's Reading Division suffered a great loss of vitality and had already retreated to its base area for rest. However, due to the fact that the reading division seized a large amount of material and equipment in Taiyuan. After returning to his base area, in less than half a month, tens of thousands of troops were raised. At the same time, according to the internal intelligence personnel of the Eighth Route Army, Guan Xiangying, the political commissar of the Reading Division. Because of the recurrence of the old disease, he has returned to Yan'an for recuperation. The current political commissar of the Eighth Route Army's Reading Division is Luo Ronghuan, the former director of the Political Department of the 115th Division. His political and military literacy will definitely not be under Guan Xiangying. The chief of staff found an intelligence report in his hand.

"Bage Yalu really didn't expect that in just one month, this reading teacher would recover so quickly. What's more, it's really a headache for our opponent to have another Luo Ronghuan now, Chief of Staff, according to the intelligence of the Special High-tech Division, how much military strength does this Eighth Route Army Reading Division have now? ”

Seeing the emotions of the commander in front of him, he was once again lifted up by the information in his mouth. The chief of staff did not know what would happen to the commander in front of him if he continued to report. However, seeing Lieutenant General Tada's murderous gaze, the chief of staff still replied in a low voice:

"Report to Your Excellency the Commander, according to the intelligence of the Special Section. Now the strength of the regular army of the Reading Division is no less than 20 regiments. At the same time, there are no less than 100,000 armed militiamen in the entire base area of the Reading Division, which can be transformed into the regular army of the Reading Division at any time. Therefore, at present, the entire reading division can mobilize at least 140,000 military forces. ”

"Baga, I really didn't expect the Eighth Route Army to develop so fast. Unexpectedly, under the noses of the Imperial Army of the Great Empire, such a huge force has developed. It seems that it is time for the base camp to change its combat policy, if it cannot quickly sweep away the threat from the rear of the entire North China, then even if the Great Empire occupies the whole of China, it will never be peaceful in the end. To the surprise of the chief of staff, after listening to the report of the chief of staff, Tada Jun did not feel any anger, but sighed and said to himself.

"However, Your Excellency Commander, the special high-tech department has also sent an important piece of information, which may be very beneficial to our Imperial Army." Seeing Tada, who was lost in thought, the chief of staff continued.

"Nani, the chief of staff who is beneficial to the Great Empire, let's listen to it, you know, recently, in my ears, but all I have heard is the news of the defeat of the Great Empire, I hope you won't let me be disappointed again." Tada Jun raised his head and asked expectantly.

"Hi, Your Excellency, Commander. According to the information of the special high-tech department, a week ago, the troops of the two armies of the Kuomintang Central Army suddenly moved north and entered the so-called base area of the Eighth Route Army. The Reading Division of the Eighth Route Army immediately mobilized the common people in the entire base area to clear the wilderness. According to my guess, it must be the Kuomintang Central Committee's political axe, which saw the development of the Eighth Route Army led by [***], and was frightened, so that it wanted to drive the Eighth Route Army's reading division out of its base area, thereby weakening the military strength of the Eighth Route Army. The chief of staff said.

"Nani, the Kuomintang Central Army attacked the base of the Eighth Route Army's Reading Division. Yo Xi, Chief of Staff, that's great news. You have just come to China not long ago, you don't know. China is a country that likes to fight infighting, and before our empire entered China, the whole of China was engaged in internal struggle for almost decades. Now it has started again, and if that is the case, it will be very good news for our Great Empire. At the same time, it is also the best time for us to eliminate this Eighth Route Army Reading Division. After listening to the chief of staff's answer, a trace of surprise flashed on Commander Tadajun's face, and he said excitedly.

"Your Excellency Commander, do you mean to let the two lions fight almost over, and we will say that this empire will come out again to make a profit and eliminate this reading master in one fell swoop?" The chief of staff also heard some meaning from Tada's words, and quickly replied.

"Yo Xi, Chief of Staff, this is called a snipe and a clam fight, and the fisherman wins. This time, let's say that the imperial army of this empire will be a fisherman. Let the Kuomintang and the Communist Party fight a good fight, and then we will destroy all the reactionary forces entrenched in North China in one fell swoop and restore peace and tranquility in North China. Lieutenant General Tada nodded and said.

"Yo Xi, Your Excellency the Commander is wise. If this is really possible, then there will be no resistance in the entire North China region. The Great Empire could also draw more troops from North China to deal with the central forces of the Kuomintang and occupy all of China in the shortest possible time. ”

And just as the two of them were dreaming, there was an urgent knock on the door of Lieutenant General Tada's office. There was a knock on the door, and the door to the office was pushed open.

"Report to Your Excellency the Commander, Chief of Staff, important information that the Special High Branch has just sent." Soon, I saw a staff officer with the rank of major sor, holding a folder, standing in front of the two of them, and reported loudly.

"Yo Xi, Your Excellency Commander, if nothing else, it must be the Kuomintang army in Jindong and the Eighth Route Army Reading Division fighting" Hearing the staff officer's report, the chief of staff impatiently snatched the telegram in Shaozuo's hand and began to read it with anticipation.

However, just after the chief of staff read the contents of the telegram, there was no due agitation. Instead, he opened his mouth and looked at the contents of the telegram in front of him in disbelief, over and over again.

"Baga, Chief of Staff, what's wrong? Why don't you speak? Seeing the chief of staff with a demented face, Lieutenant General Tada, the commander who was sitting in his seat, patted the table unhappily and asked.

Seeing the unhappy face of the commander, Lieutenant General Tada, the chief of staff quickly came back to his senses and replied in a shocked voice, "Hi, Your Excellency Commander, please forgive your Excellency for your dereliction of duty."

"Yo Xi, Chief of Staff, I hope this will not happen again at work in the future?" The commander, Lieutenant General Tada, said with a smile.

"Hey, I'll definitely be aware of it later"

"Yo Xi, as an excellent officer of the empire, you must be like this, dare to bear your own mistakes. Chief of Staff, what is the content of the telegram, is there no infighting between the Eighth Route Army and the Central Army of the Kuomintang? ”

Hearing the commander's question, the chief of staff was shocked for a while, and quickly replied, "Hi, Your Excellency the commander is wise. There was indeed no infighting between the Kuomintang Central Army and the Reading Division. Moreover, when the Central Army of the two armies left, they also left a large amount of equipment and more than 10,000 soldiers to hand over to the Reading Division. As for the specific situation, due to the strict blockade of this news by the two armies, our intelligence officers of the special high-tech department did not detect it. ”

"Nani, the Kuomintang sent weapons to the Eighth Route Army, and also sent more than 10,000 troops? Eight grid tooth road, impossible, absolutely impossible? The Kuomintang and the Communist Party have been fighting each other for more than ten years, how can this happen, absolutely impossible? In his understanding of China, Lieutenant General Tada couldn't help but exclaim.

"Your Excellency Commander, these are all things that the special high-tech newspaper said, there should be no problems, I think it must be some agreement between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party. Otherwise, the Kuomintang army will definitely not withdraw from the base areas it occupies," the chief of staff also nodded with deep satisfaction.

"Eight Tooth Road? The cunning Chinese, the chief of staff, for whatever reason, our desire to eliminate the reading division by virtue of the struggle between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party is no longer possible. However, according to the opinion of the base camp, we must eliminate this Eighth Route Army Reading Division before the end of the year, which has caused great damage to the Great Imperial Empire. Otherwise, we will all go to court-martial. After a lot of scolding, Commander Tada Jun asked the chief of staff in front of him, who was also clueless.

"Hi, Your Excellency, Commander. In my opinion, in order to eliminate the Eighth Route Army, which has a military strength of more than 100,000 people, we must have sufficient military strength. However, in the entire North China region, there was only one division and regiment of the Chinese Army reinforced by the Eastern Army, and there was no absolute superiority in strength at all. More importantly, the current Reading Division of the Eighth Route Army already has the military ability to wipe out a division and regiment of the Imperial Army. So, Your Excellency, we have to think carefully. The chief of staff hastened to persuade.

"Baga, Chief of Staff, can we only see ourselves entering the Imperial Military Tribunal and being interrogated?" Tada slapped the table in front of him and scolded loudly.

"Your Excellency, the immediate task now is not to eliminate this reader, but to stop the reader from continuing in this way. If this reading division continues to develop at the present rate, I think that in the near future, our North China garrison will be even more unable to destroy it, so please consider it carefully. "I saw Lieutenant General Tada Jun with an angry face on his face. The Chief of Staff did not let up in any way, but continued to suggest.

"Baga, what can be done, now we don't even have enough troops to protect the main county towns and transportation arteries, how can we stop the continued development of the Reading Division. Chief of Staff, do you have any good ideas? Tada Jun said with an unhappy face.

Seeing the commander Lieutenant General Tada Jun staring at him tightly, the chief of staff knew. If I couldn't come up with a good way today, I wouldn't have walked out of this office so easily today.

"Your Excellency, it will not work to use the tactics of the imperial army in the past to send small troops to constantly harass the base area of the Reading Division. This method of warfare has been tested by General Bin Sanyuan, but the Reading Division has a strong cavalry unit that can strike at our small forces very well. The chief of staff glanced at General Tada, who was thinking about the opposite side, and continued.

"At the same time, using our air power to continuously bomb the base of the Reading Force, although it can have a certain effect. However, the scope of the Reader's base is too large, and our aircraft are indeed very limited. More importantly, the reader has a large number of anti-aircraft weapons and skilled defense tactics. The Shijiazhuang Flying Brigade, the loss of two squadrons of aircraft in Taiyuan is a good lesson"

(To be continued)