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

Minister Chen echoed this sentiment, looking at the smiling elderly man sitting at the head of the table.

"Look, the people and military across the country are now in high spirits and their morale is high."

People from all walks of life are calling on us to launch a counter-offensive as soon as possible and recover our lost territory.

I believe that the strategic defensive phase, which has lasted for nearly a year, has come to an end.

We should launch a major strategic counter-offensive!

Minister Chen walked to the sand table, picked up the baton, and pointed to the location of Pengcheng.

"The goal of the Battle of Pengcheng should not be merely to hold this transportation hub between the Jinpu Railway and the Longhai Railway."

We should mobilize a large force and launch a full-scale counter-offensive against the Japanese, with Pengcheng as the center.

"Strive to eliminate one or two more Japanese divisions to completely turn the tide of the battle."

"Yeah yeah!"

"If we sent our well-equipped Central Army, the results wouldn't be any worse than Lin Feng's."

Listening to the speeches of these radical generals, Director Guo of the Operations Department, sitting in the corner, frowned deeply.

Do these people make it sound like the Japanese divisions are like cabbages, something you can just eat up?

Lin Feng was able to wipe out tens of thousands of Japanese soldiers from the 5th Division because he simultaneously possessed superior manpower, firepower, armor, and air power.

After the successive battles of Shanghai and Nanjing, the Central Army suffered heavy casualties in its German-equipped divisions, training corps, and tax police regiment. Where were the well-equipped troops left?

At that moment, looking at the troop strength and situation of both sides on the sand table, he felt cold sweat pouring down his back.

Thinking of this, he stood up and loudly interrupted everyone's optimism.

"Minister Chen, colleagues, we must not be careless!"

Although the Japanese suffered a defeat in Jiaodong, their war potential remained enormous.

Don't forget, according to intelligence, the Japanese General Headquarters is drawing reserves from the country to form new divisions.

At the same time, the Kwantung Army was also mobilized.

The North China Area Army and the Central China Expeditionary Army continued to massively concentrate their forces towards Pengcheng.

Director Guo walked to the sand table and used red chess pieces to form a huge semicircle around Pengcheng.

"Pengcheng is located on a plain with no natural defenses, making it a typical battleground."

The Japanese invaders advanced from both the north and south, their intentions were very clear: to open up the Tianjin-Pukou Railway and annihilate us in the Pengcheng area.

If we commit all our main forces to launch a major counterattack...

Once the Japanese complete their encirclement, hundreds of thousands of troops will be surrounded and wiped out, with unimaginable consequences!

As soon as Director Guo finished speaking, the conference room fell silent.

But this silence lasted only a few seconds.

Commander Tang sneered, looking at Director Guo with utter contempt.

"Director Guo, have you been scared out of your wits by the Japanese devils?"

Boost the morale of others while diminishing your own.

The Japanese were advancing from both the north and south? What were they going to use to fight back?

With the 5th Division gone, the North China Area Army is now practically crippled.

We have hundreds of thousands of troops, and the brilliant command of X, are we really afraid of them?

Minister Chen chimed in, his tone clearly showing his rejection.

"Director Guo, when it comes to fighting a war, you can't just look at the map; you also have to consider politics."

Now the whole country's attention is focused on Pengcheng.

The Fifth War Zone won a great victory, and Commander Li was in the limelight.

Lin Feng also became very famous.

If our Central Army shrinks back at this time and only knows how to defend,

How will I ever be able to hold my head high in front of the people of the whole country again?

Others will say that our Central Army is cowardly and only knows how to preserve its strength.

This statement struck a nerve with all the Central Army generals present.

They all have their own selfish motives.

Since the outbreak of the War of Resistance against Japan, the Central Army has suffered heavy losses but has not won many decent battles of annihilation.

All the credit has now been stolen by Commander Li of the Guangxi Clique and Lin Feng of the ragtag army.

They desperately need a major victory to prove their worth and seize credit.

In their view, Lin Feng's ability to win easily, recover Jiaodong, and drink from the Yellow River proved that the Japanese were no longer capable.

Now is the perfect time to rush in and grab kills and reap the rewards.

The elderly man sitting at the head of the table listened to the debate, his gaze wandering over the sand table.

He was actually aware of the disadvantages of Pengcheng's terrain.

But he was more concerned about the political impact and the prestige of the Central Army.

He absolutely could not tolerate the local factions growing too powerful during the war of resistance, overshadowing his own achievements.

"Okay, stop arguing."

The old man raised his hand, silencing the noise in the meeting room.

He cleared his throat and made the final decision.

"What Cixiu said makes sense."

The enemy's morale is currently low, which presents a good opportunity for our army to launch a counterattack.

Relay my order to immediately draw elite troops from various war zones.

Immediately reinforce Pengcheng.

We must concentrate our superior forces and engage the Japanese in a decisive battle on the outskirts of Pengcheng, achieving an even greater victory!

Director Guo closed his eyes in despair.

He was unaware of the authority over the three armies, yet he assumed the responsibility of commanding them.

It's over, it's over!

Hundreds of thousands of soldiers are about to be pushed into a bottomless pit of fire!

……well!

After the meeting, the generals dispersed to prepare for troop deployment.

The old man did not leave, but instead kept Chen and He there.

The guard closed the conference room door, and the atmosphere inside instantly changed.

The atmosphere of blind optimism and enthusiastic celebration that had just been there has completely vanished.

The old man's face darkened, and his brows furrowed into a deep frown.

He walked to the window, looked at the gray sky outside, and sighed deeply.

"The great victory in Jiaodong has brought jubilation throughout the country."

But do you know what? I haven't been able to sleep at night for the past few days.

The old man turned around and stared sharply at his two trusted confidants.

"Lin Feng has taken over Jiaodong and now controls more than a dozen counties."

The 33rd Army Corps has swelled to over 100,000 troops.

They not only had heavy artillery, but also organized air force fighters and bombers.

Tell me, where did he get these weapons from?

Chief of the General Staff He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and answered cautiously.

"Well... the Military Intelligence Bureau has been investigating all along."

Initial suspicions suggest that Lin Feng has the support of powerful nations.

It's very likely that Hans, or the White Eagle, was secretly supplying him with weapons.

Foreign merchant ships come and go in Qingcheng Port every day; we can't get involved at all.

The old man snorted and slammed his hand on the windowsill.

"Damn it! This is too big to be controlled; raising a tiger will only bring trouble!"

Lin Feng has now become the largest warlord in the north.

A warlord who is not controlled by the Nationalist government and possesses powerful military force.

This is even more of a headache for me than the Japanese devils!

In his view, the Japanese were merely an external threat and would eventually be forced back by the international situation.

However, the warlords within the country posed a major threat, directly threatening his rule.

Lin Feng's rise was too fast, so fast that it terrified him.

"Lin Feng is currently enjoying great popularity, and people all over the country regard him as an anti-Japanese hero."

If we take action against him at this time, it will likely provoke public outrage and put us in a very politically disadvantageous position.

Minister Chen pushed up his glasses and spoke in a sinister tone:

"However, we can definitely do it another way."

This would both weaken his power and silence public criticism.

The old man turned his head and looked at Minister Chen.

"Cixiu, what's your idea?"

Minister Chen walked to the sand table, picked up the baton, and slammed it down on a spot.

"Qizhou!"

Minister Chen pointed to the provincial capital of Shandong Province, his tone cold.

"Qizhou was an important town on the Jinpu Railway and also the core of the Japanese rule in Shandong Province."

The Japanese stationed a large number of troops there and built countless permanent defensive fortifications.

The city walls are tall and sturdy, with the Yellow River as a natural barrier to the north and mountains to the south.

It's practically an iron turtle armed to the teeth.

Minister Chen looked up at the old man.

"Chairman, we can issue a top-level order to Lin Feng."

It was said that this was to coordinate with the major counter-offensive strategy of the Battle of Pengcheng.

The order was given to the 33rd Army Corps to immediately launch a strong attack on Qizhou, cut off the Jinpu Railway, and block the Japanese reinforcements from advancing south.