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

"That's right!"

Terauchi Hisaichi slammed his hand on the edge of the sand table, his eyes gleaming with confidence:

"The intelligence reports have been saying that Tang's troops are moving towards Pengcheng, but they have not yet reached their designated location."

In retrospect, this was clearly a smokescreen put out by Commander Li of the Fifth War Zone in China.

Tang's troops must have already secretly marched and circled around to the Linyi battlefield.

Tang's five divisions, plus Lin Feng's four divisions, plus Pang's remnants.

Isn't that exactly the strength of ten divisions?

This completely explains why Itagaki felt surrounded by enemies!

Naosaburo Okabe nodded repeatedly, his face full of admiration: "Commander, you are wise! But... how do you explain the excessive number of artillery pieces? Itagaki said that the enemy's heavy artillery firepower even suppressed them."

"That's even simpler."

Terauchi Hisaichi's lips curled into a smirk, as if mocking the poverty of the Great Xia army:

"Even if Lin Feng is rich, he can't conjure up so many large-caliber heavy artillery out of thin air."

The only explanation is that the guy from Jiangcheng brought out all his most treasured possessions.

Tang was his most trusted and beloved general.

The White Party must have secretly assigned all the German-equipped heavy artillery regiments that had managed to escape during the Battle of Shanghai and the Battle of Nanjing, such as the 10th and 14th Artillery Regiments equipped with 150mm Rheinmetall howitzers, to Tang's 20th Army Corps.

They've pooled the last of the Great Xia's artillery reserves, attempting a desperate gamble to wipe out my 5th Division in one fell swoop.

"So that's how it is. The Chinese are gambling with the fate of their nation." Okabe Naosaburo suddenly realized.

"Since they have put all their chips on Linyi in the north, the south must be vulnerable."

Terauchi Hisaichi walked to the large map on the wall, his gaze falling on the Huai River line:

"Immediately send a secret telegram to General Hata Shunroku, Commander of the Central China Area Army."

He was urged to immediately issue an order for the Central China Army to launch a fierce offensive along the Huai River defense line, thus breaching Li's southern gate.

Let's use a strategy of attacking Wei to rescue Zhao.

"As long as the southern front becomes critical, the Fifth War Zone will inevitably be unable to attend to both ends, and the pressure on Linyi will naturally dissipate."

"What about the air superiority issue?" Naosaburo Okabe asked with some concern. "Itagaki reported that Lin Feng's independent air force has completely seized air superiority on the battlefield, and their dive bombers have inflicted devastating damage on the 5th Division."

Terauchi Hisaichi scoffed disdainfully:

"Air superiority? Hmph, so what if Lin Feng, a local warlord, has a few imported planes?"

Daxia cannot build airplanes.

Even if it's a 5-for-1 trade, as long as he continues to suffer losses, his fleet will soon be completely depleted!

"Immediately order all air regiments to deploy all flyable fighters and bombers to the south."

Let them launch multiple sorties from nearby locations, using their numerical and frequency of attacks to offset the enemy's qualitative advantage in aircraft!

Naosaburo Okabe quickly wrote it down.

"In addition, in my name, I request assistance from the Navy."

Instruct them to transfer their attack aircraft from bases in Shanghai and the mainland to land-based airfields in the Qizhou and Qingchenggang areas to cooperate with our operations.

"Strive to smash all of Lin Feng's planes on the tarmac and completely regain air superiority."

After taking everything into consideration, Terauchi Hisaichi felt much better about his previously uncomfortable stomach and intestines.

He turned around, his eyes fixed intently on the map, and loudly gave the order:

"Someone, draft the battle orders."

"Let Itagaki show some backbone and nail him to that spot."

Terauchi Hisaichi suddenly waved his hand:

"I will use these four reinforcements to set up a huge counter-encirclement on the Lunan Plain."

Now that the main force of the Black Tengu has been exposed, that's perfect.

"I will devour Lin Feng's 33rd Army Corps and Tang's 20th Army Corps in one fell swoop, completely eliminating the empire's greatest threat."

As for whether Itagaki Seishiro is alive or dead?

Terauchi Hisaichi sneered inwardly.

Overthrowing superiors is a fine tradition of the Japanese army.

If subordinates can talk back to their superiors, then it's only natural that superiors would use their subordinates' heads to gain military merit, right?

Not to mention, during the Battle of Xinkou, Terauchi Hisaichi and Itagaki Seishiro had a considerable rift over issues related to battle command.

If Itagaki really dies this time, then the credit for killing Lin Feng will belong entirely to Terauchi Hisaichi.

-----

With a single order from Terauchi Hisaichi, commander of the North China Area Army, the entire Japanese force in the north sprang into action.

On the railway in Shanxi Province, freight trains loaded with Japanese infantrymen sped day and night toward Beijing and Tianjin.

At Tianjin Port, the vanguard of the 106th Division has begun boarding ships, preparing to head straight for Qingcheng Port under the escort of the navy.

Along the Jinpu Railway, tanks and trucks of the 15th Independent Mixed Brigade kicked up clouds of yellow dust as they menacingly maneuvered eastward.

A massive counter-encirclement network is slowly unfolding across the Lunan Plain.

But Lin Feng wasn't focusing his attention on the reinforcements who were still on their way.

Xiangcheng, a large compound near the headquarters of the 33rd Army Corps.

This place has now been transformed into the most heavily guarded temporary detention center in the entire army.

Inside and outside the courtyard, there was a guard every three steps and a sentry every five steps.

Fully armed guards, carrying submachine guns, scanned every corner with their eyes.

Several large military dogs lay under the eaves, their tongues lolling out, making low growling sounds.

The sentries in the open stood ramrod straight, while the hidden sentries were concealed on high ground, so that not even a fly could get in.

"Creak—"

The heavy wooden door was pushed open, and Lin Feng, along with Zhao Yushu and the others, strode into the dark side room.

In the center of the room, tied to a sturdy armchair, was an old Japanese soldier dressed in a tattered yellow woolen military uniform.

It was Major General Jun Sakamoto, the captured commander of the 21st Brigade of the Japanese army.

Upon hearing the noise, Sakamoto Jun, who had been hanging his head, suddenly raised it.

When he saw Lin Feng walking at the front, wearing a coat, his pupils contracted instantly.

Although they had never met, Sakamoto Jun guessed the identity of the excessively young general of the Great Xia Dynasty in front of him.

This is the legendary Lin Feng, the Black Tengu who beheaded Major General Kunisaki Noboru with a single sword strike north of the Yangtze River!

Jun Sakamoto's body trembled instinctively, and a hint of undisguised fear flashed in his eyes.

But he quickly gritted his teeth, forced himself to straighten his back, and tried to maintain the last shred of dignity of an imperial general.

"Hey you old devil, what are you looking at?"

Zhao Yushu sneered and stepped forward:

"How does it feel to be a dignified major general and brigade commander from Japan, now a prisoner of ours?"

"Hmph, the victor is king, the loser is villain; I have nothing to say."

Sakamoto Jun, speaking broken Chinese, launched into a tirade of arrogant and defiant remarks:

"But don't get too cocky."

What does it matter if I, Sakamoto Jun, am captured?

What does it matter if my 5th Division suffers setbacks?

"You Chinese are destined for national subjugation and annihilation!"