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

After taking the photos, Itagaki Seishiro sheathed his sword, his smile gradually fading, and his eyes becoming sharp.

"Next, we can launch the siege of Linyi."

He strode into the main hall, which was being temporarily used as the command post, and stood before the huge battle map.

Seishiro Itagaki's gaze was fixed on the large circle of "Linyi" on the map.

He knew very well that Linyi was not an easy nut to crack.

In the past few weeks, his 5th Division set out from Qingcheng Port and swept through the city, easily capturing a series of towns including Zhucheng, Yishui, and Juxian.

But those were just small county towns with low walls and weak garrisons, which could not withstand a single charge from the "Steel Army".

But Linyi is different.

Linyi is an important town in southern Shandong and a truly large city.

The city was vast, with towering and extremely thick walls, and a wide and deep moat.

More importantly, Linyi possesses a much greater strategic depth and a better defense system than those smaller cities.

Currently stationed there is the 3rd Army Corps of Commander Pang of the Northwest Army, which is said to be composed of reckless men who fight without regard for their lives.

But so what?

A contemptuous sneer appeared on Itagaki Seishiro's lips.

No matter how thick the city walls of Linyi are, can they stop the 150mm heavy artillery of my 5th Division?

No matter how sharp the Northwest Army's broadswords were, could they withstand the Empire's chariots and machine guns?

In his view, Linyi was nothing more than another prey for his invincible "steel army" on the road to final victory.

Seishiro Itagaki's finger slowly slid across the map.

From Linyi, the road heads southwest to Taierzhuang, finally coming to a heavy stop at that transportation hub—Pengcheng.

"As long as we capture Linyi..."

A fanatical light gleamed in Seishiro Itagaki's eyes:

"Our army can then march straight to Taierzhuang and outflank Pengcheng from the flank."

At that time, it will not only seriously threaten the two major railway arteries of Longhai and Jinpu for the Chinese people.

They could also form a pincer movement with Isogai's 10th Division.

They annihilated hundreds of thousands of Chinese troops in the Pengcheng area in one fell swoop, achieving the final victory in this battle.

This immense credit will surely belong to me, Itagaki Seishiro.

Thinking about this, he felt his blood boiling.

"Someone come here."

Itagaki Seishiro turned around and shouted:

"Go and summon the chief of staff. I need to know the latest battle situation report from the North China Area Army Headquarters."

Not long after, Major General Takeshi Sakurada, Chief of Staff of the 5th Division, hurriedly walked in carrying a briefcase.

"Your Excellency, Division Commander."

Sakurada Takeshi saluted and took out several documents from his bag, handing them over.

Seishiro Itagaki took the document, glanced through it quickly, and couldn't help but frown slightly.

"What's going on? Why is the information in the report so vague?"

Itagaki Seishiro pointed to the words on the document and questioned them with dissatisfaction:

Why are there no detailed aerial reconnaissance photos regarding the troop movements and specific defensive line configurations of the Chinese army surrounding Pengcheng?

What are the air divisions attached to the army group doing? Are they asleep?

Major General Takeshi Sakurada sighed helplessly, his face showing a bitter expression.

"Your Excellency, Division Commander, this... this cannot be blamed on the Flying Division."

The main reason is that the enemy's air force has been extremely aggressive these past few days!

"The enemy's air force?" Itagaki Seishiro was taken aback.

"Yes, it's the 33rd Army Independent Air Force that sank the naval aircraft carrier."

Sakurada Takeshi's tone carried an undisguised hint of apprehension:

"Their new monoplane fighter was extremely powerful and fast."

These past few days, they've been patrolling the skies over southern Shandong like mad dogs.

Our army's reconnaissance planes are met with their frantic interception as soon as they take off.

In just three days, we have lost seven reconnaissance aircraft and twelve escort Type 95 fighters.

Now, the commander of the flight division has ordered that reconnaissance aircraft are strictly prohibited from approaching the airspace above the front line unless there is absolute certainty.

Therefore, we failed to obtain sufficient aerial reconnaissance intelligence.

Upon hearing this, Itagaki Seishiro's brows furrowed even deeper.

The Great Xia's air force, which was once seen as nothing more than a swarm of flies that could be swatted at any time, has now become a raptor that can blot out the sky.

However, this worry only lingered in his mind for a second before being dispelled by his extremely inflated confidence.

"It's alright..."

Seishiro Itagaki tossed the documents onto the table with a wave of his hand, his enigmatic smile returning to his face.

"We can still win battles even without aerial reconnaissance."

That Chinese general named Lin Feng was indeed quite clever; he managed to acquire some good airplanes.

However, war ultimately comes down to the army fighting with bayonets in the mud.

Seishiro Itagaki walked to the map, pointed in the direction of the Jinpu Railway, and confidently analyzed:

"The Chinese command is not stupid."

Isogai's 10th Division, along with its attached heavy artillery and independent mixed brigades, was an absolute main force of tens of thousands of men.

They are heading towards Pengcheng like a heavy hammer along Jinpu Road.

Faced with such immense pressure, the supreme commander of Great Xia would undoubtedly deploy his most elite trump card, namely Lin Feng's Thirty-Third Army.

They were sent to the main battlefield to fill the gaps in the Jinpu Railway.

Itagaki Seishiro sneered and drew his conclusion with absolute certainty:

"As for where we are?"

We were just on the flank.

The Chinese simply don't have enough troops to deal with us.

While Lin Feng and Isogai were locked in a fierce battle on the Jinpu Railway, my 5th Division had already captured Linyi and advanced to their rear.

At this point, Itagaki Seishiro could be said to have been too clever for his own good.

Based on his normal military logic, he subconsciously believed that the Great Xia side would never dare to abandon its main force and target his flanking force.

He couldn't even imagine it, and he would never dare to imagine it.

Lin Feng, who doesn't play by the rules, is currently leading tens of thousands of elite troops armed to the teeth.

A huge iron net was unfurled, silently and fiercely descending upon Itagaki Seishiro's head.

"Sakurada-kun, go."

Seishiro Itagaki turned around, a glint of cunning and cruelty flashing in his eyes:

"Bring that Chinese man named Liu Guitang here."

Since there's no aerial reconnaissance, we'll use ground firepower to probe.

Warriors of the Empire, life is precious.

Let those Chinese puppet troops do the scouting and suicide missions.

"Hi"

A moment later, a man dressed in an oddly shaped yellow-green military uniform, thin and with a mustache, slunk into the command post, bowing and scraping.

This man was none other than Liu Guitang, a notorious bandit in southern Shandong, who was now incorporated into the Japanese army as the commander of the "Peaceful National Construction Army," and was known as "Liu Heiqi."

"Sir, Sir Itagaki, you wanted to see me?"

As soon as Liu Guitang entered, his lower back buckled, and he bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle, his face plastered with a nauseatingly obsequious smile.

Seishiro Itagaki looked at the lowly Xia man before him, who resembled a rat, and a deep disgust flashed in his eyes.

But he concealed it well, instead putting on a kind and amiable face.

"Liu Sang, you are incredibly loyal."

Itagaki Seishiro walked up to Liu Guitang, patted his withered shoulder, and said kindly:

"The Imperial Army is very satisfied with your performance."

Now, Linyi City is right in front of us.

That was your hometown; you must be very familiar with its terrain.

Liu Guitang nodded repeatedly, like a chick pecking at rice:

"Familiar, all too familiar. Wherever the Japanese commander points, I, Liu Heiqi, will strike without hesitation."

"Yoshi."

Seishiro Itagaki nodded in satisfaction, his tone suddenly becoming impassioned:

"Liu Sang, in recognition of your loyalty."

I've decided to award you the credit for the successful attack on Linyi.

I will also specifically select four indestructible tanks from the division's armored squadron and assign them to your unit.

Seishiro Itagaki suddenly waved his hand and shouted encouragingly:

"Go, Liu Sang."

Lead your troops, under the cover of tanks, and attack!

"Please, you must take Linyi for me."