You are ordered to support the War of Resistance against Japan; China enters Level 1 combat readines

"Record!"

Gangcun shouted, and the communications officer immediately opened his notebook.

"A telegram to Taihara, Lieutenant General Shinotsuka Kazuo, Commander of the First Army!"

"Shinotsuka-kun: Recently, the enemy's propaganda machine has been making a great fuss, slandering the Imperial Army for being attacked by bandits in He County, and absurdly claiming that they captured the flag of my 36th Infantry Regiment."

"Such malicious rumors not only desecrate the sacred military flag bestowed by His Majesty the Emperor, but also severely damage the formidable military prestige of the North China Area Army and even the Imperial Army, and shake the morale of the people in the occupied territories. Their intentions are despicable!"

"Regardless of whether the bandits manage to obtain even a scrap of cloth, the honor of the Imperial Army must never be tarnished in the slightest!"

"The loss of He County and the annihilation of the Xiaopu Brigade have already brought shame upon North China. Now, the rampant rumors are a vicious ploy by the enemy to provoke us, but also a golden opportunity for our army to avenge our defeat and restore our prestige!"

"Your unit is hereby ordered: First, at all costs, immediately prepare and launch a large-scale offensive to recapture He County with overwhelming force in the shortest possible time! Suppress all resistance forces in the area!"

Okamura paused, a hint of cruelty and pleasure flashing in his eyes.

Tada Shun's "cage policy" was too mild and slow in his eyes, and it proved to be a failure.

What he wanted were more thorough, more brutal, and more effective methods to fundamentally strangle the very foundation upon which the Eighth Route Army depended for survival.

In the past few days, he has repeatedly studied the war reports from North China and the tactical characteristics of the Eighth Route Army. An even more ruthless plan has already taken shape in his mind.

"Secondly, this operation is far from an ordinary recapture of lost territory. It is to completely eradicate the banditry caused by the Eighth Route Army and to deter all Chinese people who dare to side with or sympathize with these bandits!"

"I order: During the offensive and mopping-up operations, the new operational guidelines shall be fully implemented—"

"Burn it all! Kill it all! Loot it all!"

"Any village in the bandit's territory that is confirmed or suspected of having ties with the bandits, or providing them with food, intelligence, or manpower, shall be immediately subjected to the 'Three Alls' policy without prior approval!"

"Burn down all houses, granaries, firewood, and timber! Leave not a single tile, not a single blade of grass!"

"All armed personnel who dare to resist shall be regarded as potential bandits or collaborators with bandits and shall be executed without exception! The elderly, the weak, women, and children who show any signs of disobedience or resistance shall also be treated leniently!"

"Confiscate or destroy all food, livestock, property, metal, and even any resources that could be used to aid the enemy or sustain our own survival!"

"I want to ensure that the Eighth Route Army can no longer find a single grain of food or recruit a single soldier in the rural areas of North China! I will completely cut off their supplies and manpower!"

"Finally, tell Shinotsuka-kun, and all the soldiers of the First Army: This operation concerns the honor of the Imperial Army and the stability of North China. Success is the only option; failure is not an option!"

"I will be in Beiping, awaiting your triumphant news, delivered with victory and the blood of the enemy!"

"Call us now!"

"Hey!" The communications officer saluted respectfully.

At the same time, he was also taken aback by the newly appointed commander.

The Three Alls Policy! What a vicious scheme!

But the communications officer on the other end... just felt so good!

. . .

at the same time.

Shanxi Province, headquarters of the Eighth Route Army.

The deputy chief of staff, chief of staff, and other key figures sat around a simple wooden table, each with one or more newspaper or telegram summaries collected from different channels, all with similar content.

The deputy commander held a self-rolled cigarette between his fingers, not taking a puff for a long time, letting the ash fall off on its own.

The other executives also looked very grim.

"Bang!" A hot-tempered CEO slammed his newspaper on the table. "Damn bald guy! Where were you all this time?"

"We've fought so many battles and wiped out so many Japanese and puppet troops, why don't they promote it so vigorously? Huh?"

"During the Hundred Regiments Offensive, besides making sarcastic remarks, what else did they do?"

"Now look what's happened, it's everywhere, like they're shouting it into the whole world through a megaphone! What are they up to?"

"Exactly! This isn't a celebration for us, it's clearly putting us on the hot seat!" another boss chimed in.

"They claim it's the 'first case in national history' and 'showcases our national power,' which sounds better than they actually do! I think they'd love for the Japanese to immediately mobilize a large force and flatten us, along with He County, before they'd be satisfied!"

"Using a wolf to devour a tiger, letting the snipe and the clam fight, so he can reap the benefits! This trick has been going on for quite some time!"

Another senior officer in charge of political work sighed: "Ever since that incident in southern Anhui at the beginning of the year, they've stopped even bothering with formalities. Military pay and ammunition supplies have long been cut off."

"Now that we're just starting to see some progress and have gotten some good stuff, they pull this stunt again... They can't stand to see us doing well!"

The bosses were filled with righteous indignation and started cursing!

There was a mole within the organization, which is not surprising; in fact, there was one on both sides.

But what angered the bosses was that the bald guy played a trick of using one wolf to devour another, creating a situation where the snipe and the clam fight each other!

To be honest, the past month has been a rare period of "comfort" for the Eighth Route Army, thanks to the weapons and supplies sent by Shen Wang.

After taking He County, the commanders were worried about a Japanese counterattack.

As a result, news came that Tada Shun had fallen seriously ill and had been recalled to headquarters.

Shinotsuka Kazuo didn't make any major moves either.

Taking advantage of the situation, the Eighth Route Army rapidly expanded, and the arsenal in He County was almost completed.

As a result, at this critical juncture, Shancheng actually released this news?

The vice president stubbed out his cigarette, which had long since been extinguished, into the earthenware bowl, and spoke in a deep voice:

"Alright, enough complaining. We all know what Baldy's thinking!"

"Swearing won't solve the problem now. The key is to think about what our next move should be."

At this point, one of the officers suggested, "How about we publicly deny capturing the regimental flag and just deny it?"

"I don't think that will work!"

One bigwig shook his head in denial: "If we didn't seize anything, it would be embarrassing, and we could just deny it. But the problem is..."

"The flag is indeed in our hands! If we don't even have the courage to admit it now, it will be a heavy blow to the morale of the troops and the confidence of the people in the base area!"

"Exactly!" the chief of staff nodded, adding, "To deny it would be a huge loss of political and morale points!"

"Besides, the Japanese won't give up just because we deny it!"

"With this commotion in the mountain city, the Japanese will definitely take drastic measures to save face."

"Denial now would only make us look guilty."

"So, should we just go along with them, publicly admit it, and then face the Japanese devils' crazy retaliation?" Another boss frowned.

The vice president tapped his fingers on the table: "Whether we admit it or not, the initiative is no longer entirely in our hands!"

"The propaganda machine in Chongqing has been activated, which to some extent means that it has already 'admitted' to us! What we need to consider now is how to deal with the inevitable consequences."

The conversation naturally turned to the newly appointed commander of the North China Army.

"Okamura Yasuji..."