Courtyard House: Home Alone

The Minister of the Navy received the order and hurriedly withdrew. Shortly afterward, the heavy wooden doors of the conference room were pushed open one after another. The Prime Minister and the Marshal of the Army entered first, followed by the Army and Navy commanders. Everyone looked solemn, and no one dared to say anything at this time. After everyone took their seats, the entire conference room was filled with the sound of suppressed breathing.

The fool glanced at his panicked subordinates, slammed his hand on the table, and said in a deep voice, "What's all the panic about! It's just a small loss. Setbacks are inevitable in the course of the Holy War of the Great Japanese Empire. The most urgent task now is to quickly fill the gap on the Australian front. Who can tell me where the most suitable place to transfer troops is?"

The Minister of the Army stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, the conscription age in the country has now been lowered to sixteen. There are no extra reserves left, and the occupied territories in Southeast Asia are also short of manpower, so we simply cannot spare any troops."

After much deliberation, the only option was to draw troops from the Kwantung Army. The Kwantung Army already lacked sufficient forces to defend against Soviet Russia after the withdrawal of three divisions; if several more were to be transferred, the remaining troops simply wouldn't be able to fill the gaps in the defensive line.

The military marshal frowned and added, "Moreover, we still have no way of knowing who the attackers are. If they strike again, even if we send in several more divisions, we might still be wiped out halfway. We have to guard against this risk."

The meeting room erupted in chaos. Some argued that the fleet should be sent to sweep through the area and find the attackers before leaving, while others argued that the situation in Australia was critical and troop deployment should not be delayed. The argument was heated, and no one could convince the other.

Annoyed by what he heard, the fool banged on the table and shouted, "Enough! We can't wait in Australia. We must send troops as soon as possible. This time, we'll draw troops from the Kwantung Army again. Send the 12th, 57th, 29th, and Imperial Guard Divisions to Australia."

The issue of the Manchurian defense line doesn't need to be considered for the time being. The Russians are too busy taking care of themselves to have the energy to keep an eye on Manchuria.

As for maritime security, have the Joint Fleet send two aircraft carriers to patrol and ensure the safety of the shipping lanes. That's all. Make those arrangements immediately after the meeting!

The ministers quickly rose and filed out of the conference room. Along the way, high-ranking officials from the Navy and Army continued to criticize each other for their inaction.

At this moment, Lin Yifan was piloting a speedboat, heading towards Tianjin at an economical speed of thirty-eight knots. The evening breeze, carrying a salty and damp sea breeze, swept across the boat and splashed his face with a salty and fishy smell.

Lin Yifan leaned back in the driver's seat, his fingertips lightly tapping the control panel. He estimated that they would reach the shore around midnight, and then go back to Victoria Road to rest before returning to Beiping the next day.

He used his mental power to check his system points. This time, the annihilation of more than 60,000 Japanese soldiers and the sinking of warships and cargo ships had increased his points significantly. He had made up for the points he had spent on exchanging for the Type 022 missile boat and the YJ-83 missile, and even gained more than 30,000 points. His spatial area had also expanded considerably.

It seems another Japanese lieutenant general has fallen out of favor. Lin Yifan gripped the steering wheel, looking at the outline of Tanggu on the radar screen, a faint smile playing on his lips.

Two days later, Chen Gongshu returned to Nanluoguxiang. Lin Yifan, who had just returned home to Beiping, saw him rushing over and asked, "Uncle Chen, what's wrong? You look so hurried, what happened?"

Chen Gongshu wiped the sweat from his forehead, sat down in a chair, picked up the cold tea Yu Wenxiu handed him, and gulped down more than half a cup before catching his breath and saying, "Young master, you're finally back. News just came from the Northeast that the Japanese are assembling four more divisions. They're determined to reinforce Southeast Asia. You see..."

Lin Yifan waved his hand and said with a smile, "I expected this a long time ago. The Japanese suffered such a big loss, they definitely have to make up for it."

"Don't rush, sit down and talk slowly. If we wipe out all the Japanese, what will happen to the Americans in the Pacific? They need to have something to do too! So this time I'm going to let the Japanese go. Aren't those foreign devils always the ones who like to watch from the sidelines? Let them taste the power of the little devils."

Chen Gongshu was taken aback for a moment, then realized what he meant and slapped his thigh, laughing, "You're so thoughtful, young master! I was so focused on killing as many Japanese devils as possible that I forgot about this. So, we're just going to sit back and watch the Japanese and Americans fight a war of attrition?"

Lin Yifan picked up the tea on the table, took a sip, and slowly said, "We can't just stay put. The Japanese have withdrawn seven divisions from the Northeast, leaving behind many vacuum areas. The key defensive points will also be diluted. We can take this opportunity to change the living space and environment of the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army."

Let them grow strong quickly, so we don't end up having to rely on outsiders to drive the Japanese out. Those people aren't so easy to deal with; there's a saying, "It's easy to invite a god, but hard to send him away." In the end, we'll be the ones who suffer.

Chen Gongshu's eyes lit up, and he leaned forward: "Young master, do you mean to let the Anti-Japanese United Army take advantage of the situation to wipe out the Japanese's undefended strongholds and seize some territory? We can also coordinate the operation to disrupt the Japanese garrisons near Beijing and Tianjin and relieve some pressure on the Anti-Japanese United Army."

Lin Yifan nodded: "That's exactly what I mean. You should pass the word down and send a few more groups of brothers to the Northeast to find the Anti-Japanese United Army. I'll find a way to send them some weapons, equipment and supplies."

At the same time, let our people cooperate with the Anti-Japanese United Army to expand outwards. Taking advantage of the Kwantung Army's weakness, we should seize what we can and take what we can, and show the might of the Chinese people.

"Furthermore, this is a good opportunity to test your training results and let our brothers see some blood. You understand without me saying it: a soldier who hasn't seen blood can't be considered a real soldier."

Chen Gongshu immediately stood up: "I'll go back and make arrangements right away. I guarantee I'll handle things perfectly and won't let you down, young master."

Oh, and also, the brothers sent to the Central Plains and other places have sent back a message. The entire Central Plains region, including Hebei, Shandong, Shanxi and other places, has not seen a single drop of rain since the beginning of this year. Drought is a foregone conclusion.

They've also been spreading the word, as you instructed, that Beiping has no food shortages. Recently, the number of people at the various containment points in the buffer zone has increased significantly. Do you think we should control this? To prevent…”

Lin Yifan waved his hand and said firmly, "No need to control it. Take it all in. We have enough stored grain to settle these refugees. We can take this opportunity to build up the buffer zone and win over the hearts of people from all over the country."

Remember, anyone willing to come to Beiping to make a living will be accepted. We'll provide them with work, allocate wasteland for farming, and even those who were originally bandits will be accepted as long as they are willing to lay down their weapons and farm.

Chen Gongshu frowned and asked with some worry, "I'm afraid there might be Japanese spies mixed in here. They might infiltrate the refugees and cause trouble, and we won't be able to defend against them."