You were tasked with guarding the Sihang Warehouse, and you brought out a Tiger tank?

Lin Feng sat in the chair and listened for a long time, only to find that Commander Li had not mentioned his Thirty-Third Army Corps at all.

He couldn't help but raise his hand and ask, somewhat puzzled:

"Commander Li, what about me?"

What is the mission of our 33rd Army Corps?

Commander Li looked at Lin Feng, his eyes carrying a deeper meaning:

"Commander Lin, the most important task for your 33rd Army Corps right now is to intensify its training."

Get those new recruits into combat capability as soon as possible.

As the general reserve force of the theater, you are ready at any time to take over the defenses of the 22nd Army Group.

This statement led to a very interesting phenomenon in the conference room.

Logically speaking, when a major battle is imminent, having one of the best-equipped troops kept in reserve in the rear would certainly cause dissatisfaction among other generals who are fighting desperately on the front lines.

Just like how everyone was cursing Commander Tang just now.

But at this moment, the generals reacted extremely positively to the temporary absence of the 33rd Army Corps, and could even be said to have breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay! Okay!"

Sun Zhen was the first to clap his hands in agreement. He turned to look at Lin Feng and grinned.

"Brother Lin, you should focus on training your troops in the rear."

The tough nuts to crack ahead, we Sichuan Army will take care of them for you first.

As long as I know your 33rd Army Corps is backing us up, I, Old Sun, feel completely at ease.

"That's right."

Commander Pang nodded in agreement:

Good steel should be used where it is most needed.

"Commander Lin's armored units and heavy artillery are our theater's trump cards; we can't afford to engage in a war of attrition with the Japanese from the very beginning."

Why are there such drastically different treatments?

the reason is simple.

If you were to ask the generals present, in a life-or-death situation, would they be willing to entrust their backs to Tang's 20th Army Corps or Lin Feng's 33rd Army Corps?

Eleven out of ten people would choose Lin Feng.

Because at the final moment of the Battle of Shanghai, in the desperate situation of the Jiangyin Fortress.

It was Lin Feng who truly led his troops, fighting alone to cover the rear, refusing to retreat, and covering the retreat of friendly forces several times.

This is an ironclad fact, forged with the corpses of countless Japanese soldiers and the blood of Lin Feng's troops.

This past fact is a thousand times more real than any resounding guarantee or any extravagant boast.

Everyone firmly believes that although the 33rd Legion is not the first wave to push forward.

But when it comes to the most crucial and critical moment, Lin Feng will never let you down.

After assigning tasks to each department, the meeting was drawing to a close.

Commander Li placed his hands on the table, his gaze slowly sweeping over each of the generals present.

His eyes were slightly red, and his voice was deep and powerful:

"Brothers."

Most of us have been fighting civil wars for so many years on our own country's land, for our respective factions and territories.

Today you hit me, tomorrow I'll hit you; our hands are stained with the blood of our compatriots.

But today.

Now, as we fight together against foreign aggression, Heaven has finally given us soldiers an opportunity to wash away our shame and serve our country.

Commander Li suddenly sat up straight, and spoke each word with a firm and resounding tone:

"To die on the battlefield for the country and the nation."

Only a life lived to the fullest can be truly meaningful when one dies.

Only then can we truly honor our ancestors!

The voice just fell.

Commander Pang of the 3rd Army Corps of the Northwest Army, whose hair was already gray, suddenly stood up.

He straightened his slightly worn military uniform, his aged face filled with determination:

"Commander Li is right."

I, Pang, am over fifty years old this year, practically halfway to the grave.

If I can fall on the battlefield fighting the Japanese, as a soldier of Great Xia, my death will be worthwhile.

We will never bring shame upon our ancestors.

"It would be worth dying for!"

"Let's fight the Japanese devils!"

In the conference room, the crowd was filled with indignation. The generals stood up and roared, and a tragic and fierce atmosphere filled the air.

Sitting in the corner, Lin Feng watched this scene and couldn't help but feel a little sore.

He is a time traveler, possessing systems and weapons that transcend this era.

But he was also a Great Xia person with flesh and blood.

Seeing these warlords and generals who would usually argue until their faces turned red over a few broken guns or tens of thousands of dollars in military pay, now preparing to die without hesitation.

Suddenly, a piece of history that Lin Feng had read in his previous life surfaced in his mind.

At the end of the Tang Dynasty, the An Lushan Rebellion led to the Tibetan Empire cutting off the Hexi Corridor.

Isolated in the western region, the Anxi Protectorate, with its white-haired veterans, fought alone for half a century without reinforcements or supplies.

"A lone city stands ten thousand miles away, filled only with white-haired soldiers..."

Lin Feng silently recited this poem in his heart.

From the veterans who fought to the death on the frontier at the end of the Tang Dynasty to the generals before us who, knowing the enemy was stronger than us, still bravely faced death.

The reason why the Xia people have been able to survive five thousand years of trials and tribulations is that they have not fallen.

That's because, even in the most critical and darkest moments...

There will always be a group of loyal heroes who stand up, bravely step forward, and try to protect this country with their own flesh and blood.

After the meeting, the generals dispersed and rushed back to their troops overnight to deploy defenses.

Commander Li, however, kept Lin Feng behind and took him to a small room at the back of the headquarters.

On the table in the room was an extremely detailed sand table of the Sulu region.

"Commander Lin, I'm old, so I'll take advantage of you and call you Brother Lin. Please have a seat."

Commander Li personally poured Lin Feng a cup of tea, his expression becoming extremely solemn:

"I had my staff repeatedly rehearse and refine that top-secret plan we discussed before."

This top-secret plan is naturally a counterattack plan with an even greater appetite than the Battle of Taierzhuang in the original timeline, and it even aims to push back to the south bank of the Yellow River in one fell swoop.

Because of its great importance, the specific details of this plan are currently known only to Commander Li, Lin Feng, and a few trusted staff officers.

Commander Li pointed to the vast plain along the Jinpu Railway on the sand table:

"We have big appetites."

To complete this defensive counterattack plan, they wanted to wipe out tens of thousands of elite Japanese troops advancing south from the North China Area Army in one fell swoop.

I already have a clear idea of ​​the troop movements and firepower deployment on the ground.

but……"

Commander Li sighed, looking at Lin Feng with some worry:

I don't know much about the Air Force.

But I know that it would take a long time to surround and annihilate tens of thousands of Japanese soldiers in such a large area.

We would need at least several hundred fighter jets to completely block out our skies, right?

Otherwise, once the Japanese bombers arrive, a gap will be immediately blown in our encirclement.

Beside him, a senior staff officer involved in formulating the plan chimed in, adding:

"Yes, Commander Lin."

The core of this plan was to use extremely powerful firepower to quickly annihilate the Japanese troops in the encirclement in the shortest possible time.

We absolutely cannot delay, lest the Japanese launch a counter-offensive and encircle us.

A powerful firepower requires massive logistical support and ammunition.

Logistics requires transportation.

Can we protect our train stations, railway lines, and those trains transporting ammunition?

"If the Japanese planes bomb and cut off our supply lines, our heavy artillery at the front will be rendered useless."

The secret room fell silent, and Commander Li and his staff officer stared nervously at Lin Feng.

This plan is too crazy, and air force cover is an absolute prerequisite for its success.

Lin Feng put down his teacup, stood up, and walked to the sand table.

He looked at the red and blue flags representing the opposing sides on the sand table, and a very confident smile appeared on his lips.

"Commander Li, Chief of Staff."

Lin Feng raised his head, his eyes sharp as knives, his tone exuding an undeniable domineering aura:

"Just arrange your troops on the ground and fight freely."

"As for the Air Force, I, Lin Feng, have it all covered."

He placed his hands on the edge of the sand table and said, word by word:

"After the two previous large-scale air battles and air raids, I believe you have witnessed the power of my Independent Air Force."

Here, I want to reassure you all.

It's unlikely that not a single bomb will fall on our heads, but it's absolutely impossible for the Japanese planes to bomb us as indiscriminately as they did in Shanghai and Nanjing!

The two then discussed the specific battle plan for a long time before Commander Li finally let Lin Feng leave.

-----

2月20日，鬼子第2军以第10师团第33旅团构成的濑谷支队为先锋，开始正式进攻。

On March 10, the Sichuan army fought and retreated, eventually taking refuge in Tengxian County along the railway line.

The Battle of Pengcheng has officially begun.