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

Zhang Wenzhong looked at that face, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

He felt like he'd seen that face somewhere before.

Suddenly, a photograph from a newspaper flashed into his mind.

That was a photo taken by a Japanese war correspondent when the Japanese 5th Division had just landed in North China.

The Japanese general in the photo is wearing high riding boots and holding a command sword, looking arrogant and domineering.

"hiss--"

Zhang Wenzhong gasped, abruptly stood up, pointed at Itagaki Seishiro, his voice trembling slightly:

"You...you're Seishiro Itagaki?!"

Upon hearing this name, Itagaki Seishiro stiffened abruptly, then lowered his head dejectedly and fell silent.

"Wow, we've caught a big fish, a really super big fish."

Zhang Wenzhong was so excited that he slapped his thigh repeatedly:

"Quickly, prepare the car immediately."

"Take these two men to Commander Lin's headquarters tonight!"

A few hours later.

The front-line command post of the 33rd Army Corps.

Lin Feng sat behind his large desk, watching Itagaki Seishiro being brought in.

He didn't speak immediately, but instead looked this Japanese general, who had been deeply involved in the September 18 Incident and could be considered a close associate of the Xia Dynasty, up and down with an extremely amused gaze.

At this moment, Itagaki Seishiro was wearing a tattered coarse cloth jacket, his hair was messy, and his hands were tied behind his back. He looked as disheveled as a beggar.

Lin Feng's system had already alerted him when his subordinates discovered Itagaki's weakness:

[Congratulations, host! Your troops have captured a high-ranking enemy general: Lieutenant General]

[Special Reward: 1 Fletcher-class White Eagle Destroyer]

[Please redeem the reward within 7 days; otherwise, it will be revoked.]

The warships would naturally have to wait until they returned to Qingcheng Port before they could be redeemed. At this moment, facing Itagaki, Lin Feng finally spoke, his tone filled with undisguised sarcasm:

"Lieutenant General Itagaki, I've long admired your name."

"I heard you were quite the big shot when you were in Northeast China."

I've heard that there's a saying circulating within the Kwantung Army: Ishihara's intellect, Itagaki's martial prowess.

You two were once hailed as the "Twin Pillars of the Empire," but after 20 years in the Republic of China, in that puppet state of Anzhou, you became the de facto emperors of that puppet emperor. Is that true?

How did our General Itagaki end up in such a state today?

Itagaki Seishiro raised his head, stared intently at Lin Feng, and said through gritted teeth:

"Lin Feng, don't be too smug."

The empire is invincible, and our Yamato people are superior to you Chinese!

Although you managed to capture me by sheer luck today, the imperial army will crush you into dust sooner or later.

At that time, the beautiful rivers and mountains of Kyushu will surely belong to our Yamato people!

"Invincible?"

Lin Feng felt as if he had heard the funniest joke and couldn't help but burst into laughter.

He stood up and looked at the stubborn old Japanese soldier:

"Where is your Fifth Division, known as the Steel Army, now?"

It was blown to pieces by Lao Tzu's train cannons and crushed into meat patties by Lao Tzu's tanks.

Where is your naval artillery fleet now?

They're feeding turtles on the seabed of the Yellow Sea!

Lin Feng reached out and patted Itagaki Seishiro's pale face, his eyes instantly turning icy cold:

"I originally thought that you, Seishiro Itagaki, were at least a soldier with backbone."

If you're defeated, you should at least act like a samurai and commit seppuku, right?

The results of it?

You actually took off your general's uniform, put on a commoner's tattered cotton-padded coat, smeared soot on your face, and ran away like a stray dog ​​into a cellar.

Is this what you call the Bushido spirit?

So, you're just a coward who wouldn't even commit seppuku, a clown.

Itagaki Seishiro was so embarrassed and indignant by Lin Feng's words that he turned red in the face.

He opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but couldn't utter a single word.

Because everything Lin Feng said was true.

He was indeed afraid of death, and he did try to deceive everyone like a clown.

"Take him away and keep a close watch on him."

Lin Feng waved his hand dismissively, as if even glancing at him would be an eyesore.

"Don't let him die."

This guy is a valuable asset.

-----

Pengcheng, the headquarters of the Fifth War Zone.

The atmosphere in the meeting room was heavy and oppressive at that moment.

Commander Li sat in the main seat, his brows furrowed, holding a cup of tea that had long since gone cold, yet he hadn't taken a single sip.

The staff officers and generals around him all had solemn expressions and were whispering among themselves.

"Can Lin Feng's troops really take down the 5th Division, such a tough nut to crack?"

A Guangxi general said with deep concern:

"The 20th Army Corps of the Central Army was composed entirely of its elite troops."

After three days of fierce fighting, they were battered and bruised, but still couldn't breach the ring-shaped fortifications of Tangtou Town.

I heard that Commander Tang even formed an officer suicide squad, throwing out bright silver dollars to boost morale.

The attempt failed, and they had to retreat and regroup.

"yes."

Another staff officer chimed in:

"Although General Lin's troops had made many military achievements before, and even liberated Qingchenggang, the largest city in Jiaodong, in one go.

But it was, after all, a surprise attack.

Now they are facing the remnants of the Fifth Division, which are being fought like cornered beasts, personally commanded by Seishiro Itagaki.

Can they take it down?

Even if we manage to capture it, how much damage will we suffer?

Everyone felt a little uneasy.

Even Commander Li, who was known for his composure and unwavering composure even in the face of a collapsing mountain, was now feeling quite uneasy.

After all, the battle situation in the north has reached an extremely critical moment.

The Japanese 10th Division is now putting in all its effort to break through the defenses and head south to rescue the 5th Division.

The Sichuan Army and the Northwest Army, responsible for blocking enemy reinforcements, suffered extremely heavy casualties, and their defenses were in grave danger.

Even the two artillery regiments he sent to provide fire support suffered considerable losses in artillery battles with the Japanese.

Now that the troops in each division are exhausted, if Lin Feng cannot quickly eliminate the 5th Division within the encirclement, and the 10th Division breaks through the defenses, the two Japanese forces will merge. In that case, the entire battlefield situation of the Pengcheng Campaign will be reversed again.

Just then.

"Report!"

A communications officer, clutching a newly translated telegram, rushed into the conference room like a gust of wind.

He was running so fast that he tripped at the door and almost fell.

But he paid no heed to any of that; his face was flushed, and his voice was even somewhat shrill from extreme excitement:

"A great victory! Reporting to Commander Li, our army has achieved a great victory!"

The meeting room fell silent instantly, and everyone's eyes were focused on the staff officer.

"Read it!" Commander Li stood up abruptly, though he was overjoyed inside, his face remained serious.

"Commander Lin Feng of the 33rd Army Corps sent an urgent telegram."

The staff officer swallowed hard and read aloud:

"Our army launched a general offensive at dawn yesterday."

After a bloody battle, by noon today, all the enemy forces within the encirclement had been annihilated.

The Japanese 5th Division was completely wiped out.

Furthermore, our 107th Division captured alive Lieutenant General Seishiro Itagaki, the Japanese division commander, who was attempting to escape in disguise, in a cellar at Lijiazhuang.