Courtyard Houses: Longevity Since the War of Resistance

With the liberation of Yangchang County and the defeat of Japanese reinforcements, the entire situation in Shanxi Province changed dramatically. News of the victory spread, and the higher authorities bestowed honors upon the troops; the reputation of the War God Regiment and mine grew ever more renowned.

But in front of me lay a thick stack of casualty statistics and battle reports, each cold number representing a living, breathing brother.

The First Battalion suffered more than half its casualties, the Second Battalion lost more than 45% of its men, and the Third Battalion also paid a heavy price. Many of those familiar faces, the veterans under Zhao Dahai, the seventeen-year-old recruits in Wang Tiezhu's battalion, and so on, will never return.

They are like stones weighing on my heart.

"God of War?" I stared at the lamplight, grinning silently, a smile full of bitterness.

Victory was won by the soldiers sacrificing their lives, by their invincible bodies and the system's skills.

I know myself well that in my past life I was a top-notch special forces soldier, specializing in small-scale infiltration, decapitation, and sabotage; I was the sharpest of the sharp.

But commanding a regiment in frontal attack and defense, positional blocking, and multi-line coordination is a completely different field.

How many casualties could have been avoided in the battle of Yangchang County?

How many times did it take individual force to forcibly turn the tide of battle and prevent the front line from collapsing?

"I'm still a novice when it comes to large-scale operations," I muttered to myself, my finger tracing the numbers on the report.

There is a gap between peacetime tactical theories and the battlefields of this era. Perhaps it is truly responsible to let more professional people lead these brothers who trust him.

A clear idea took hold of me. I found the communications soldier and asked him to send a long telegram. The radio waves pierced the deep night sky and flew towards the brigade headquarters.

A few days later, the sound of the brigade commander's horse hooves broke the morning air at the regimental headquarters. This veteran Red Army soldier, known for his fiery temper, slammed his riding whip heavily on the table as soon as he entered the room, making the teacup jump.

"Li Feng! What the hell are you up to?!" The brigade commander glared with his bull-like eyes, his voice booming so loud it seemed to dust the rafters. "We won the battle, we made a great contribution, and instead of thinking about how to lead the troops well and expand our gains, you're going to abandon us? And you're even taking away our most elite soldiers? Have you lost your mind?!"

I stood ramrod straight, waiting for the brigade commander's anger to subside before calmly speaking: "Brigade Commander, please don't be hasty. You should have seen the battle reports and casualty statistics from Yangchang County more comprehensively than I have."

The brigade commander snorted, not denying it.

"We won this battle, but at a great cost," I said, pointing to the map.

"My command was flawed. So many flaws. Charges relied on sheer courage, evasive maneuvers on luck, tactics were rigid, coordination was poor. These flaws might fool others, but they couldn't fool myself, nor could they fool the brothers who sacrificed their lives."

"Bullshit! Victory is the only truth!" The brigade commander interrupted me, but his tone was no longer as aggressive as before.

"You can rely on luck or personal bravery once," I shook my head, "but what about next time? The Japanese aren't stupid; they'll adjust. If we can't achieve a greater victory at a lower cost, then we're being irresponsible to our soldiers' lives. Brigade Commander, what am I good at? Leading small units to infiltrate deep into enemy territory and accomplish seemingly impossible missions, not grinding them down inch by inch on the front lines with our soldiers' blood and flesh."

I approached the brigade commander, my tone sincere and fervent: "Handing the War God Regiment to comrades more experienced in large-scale operations will allow it to play a greater role and reduce casualties. But by bringing together me and the other soldiers in the regiment with exceptional skills to join the Ghost Suppression, our contribution will be no less significant than that of an entire regiment! Decapitation strikes, raids, reconnaissance, rescues—we can be the knife plunged deepest into the enemy's heart, the one that causes the most pain!"

The brigade commander paced back and forth in the room, his hands behind his back, his brow furrowed. He had taken my words to heart; as a senior commander, how could he not know the importance of troop professionalism?

However, my reputation and that of the War God Group are too great, and the higher-ups value them, so he finds it difficult to give them up.

"Have you thought this through? You don't want the title of regimental commander? That's a position that many people can't reach in their entire lives!" The brigade commander stopped and stared at me.

"I've thought it through." I said without hesitation, "What's suitable is the best, for both me and the army."

At this moment, Political Commissar Lao Dan rushed over upon hearing the news, his face full of anxiety and reluctance.

"Commander! How can you leave? The unit can't do without you! The soldiers all trust you!"

I patted Lao Dan on the shoulder forcefully: "Lao Dan, my good political commissar. I'm at ease entrusting the regiment to you. You're calm, experienced, and can lead everyone well. The new regimental commander will be sent soon; cooperate well. The spirit of the War God Regiment cannot be broken; no matter who leads it, it will always be that sharp knife that makes the Japanese tremble!"

After a long silence, the brigade commander finally sighed heavily, pointed at me, and laughed, "Damn it, in all my years of leading troops, this is the first time I've seen someone win a battle and then ask for a demotion! Fine! You've got guts! I grant your request!"

He walked to the radio and personally dictated the telegram: "The brigade headquarters reports to the division headquarters and headquarters that, in view of the special needs of operations behind enemy lines and to give full play to the extreme strengths of individual commanders and combatants, it is proposed to approve the request of Comrade Li Feng, the former commander of the War God Regiment, to form a special operations detachment with elite troops as its core, codenamed 'Ghost Suppressor.' The former War God Regiment will be temporarily led by Political Commissar Shan Tiexin as acting commander, pending a new appointment..."

The radio waves were transmitted again, this time laying the foundation for a legendary special forces unit. Shortly afterward, I led the twelve original members away from the main force of the War God Regiment.

In a mountain cave, we held our first formal operational meeting to suppress the ghosts.

"Our Ghost Town has officially been established at headquarters, but we need to make a name for ourselves with our first bite."

My finger pressed heavily on a city marked with a red circle on the map.

Tai City.

"Right now, in our entire Shanxi region, only Taishi and its surrounding area remain in the hands of the Japanese. It is the Japanese's last stronghold in this area, and also their toughest obstacle."

"Then our first battle will be to pry open this hardest nail! We, the Ghost Suppressors, are now the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, and we're going to crawl into Princess Iron Fan's belly and infiltrate the Imperial Market."

Jia Zhen has sharp ears; he can hear everything that's happening, making him the perfect candidate for a communications soldier.

"Jia Zhen, send a telegram to headquarters."

"Yes!" Jia Zhen immediately sat down in front of the small radio, put on the headphones, and began to skillfully tap the keypad.

With a ticking sound, a brief but weighty telegram was sent out:

"Headquarters: Zhen Gui, infiltrate Tai City immediately to infiltrate and infiltrate, waiting for an opportunity to break the stalemate from within, coordinating with the main force's external offensive. Victory is assured in the first battle. Zhen Gui!"

The radio waves will deliver our resolve.

Subsequently, I clarified everyone's roles and tasks, based on both previous combat performance and the optimal configuration after the Insight skill assessment.

Lei Dachui, machine gunner and porter; Song Jiahao and Liu Hou, scouts; Lu Yuan, sniper; Lu Guang, mechanic; Qian Lai, demolition expert; Zheng Dapao, grenadier; Bai Su, combat medic; Lin Zhi, doctor's bodyguard; Ye Qiao, tactical commander; Leng Xing, assassin.

By defining responsibilities, chaos can be avoided.

In operations behind enemy lines, every point is crucial and mistakes cannot be tolerated.

At this time, Tai City was like a frightened bird due to the intense fighting on the periphery. The highest-ranking officer of the Jin army, Yoshio Shinotsuka, ordered the city gates to be closed and security to be strengthened. It was impossible to sneak in by ordinary means.

"It's a tough nut to crack; you have to use clever tactics." Ye Qiao analyzed the intelligence gathered from reconnaissance. "They've tightened their defenses, but they still need to eat, drink, and relieve themselves, so the supply convoys come regularly."

"Then let's target the logistics team." I marked a point on the map. "This place, Laoyakou, is a narrow and densely forested road, a route the convoy must take. We'll use our old method: ambush, change clothes, and impersonate them to get in."

We lay in ambush behind the bushes and rocks on both sides of Laoyakou at night. In the distance, headlights pierced the darkness, and the sound of engines grew louder as a convoy of five R Army trucks approached along the dirt road.

The lead vehicle drove into the narrowest section of Laoyakou Road, and the team members were all waiting for my instructions.

If it were me in the past, I definitely wouldn't be able to control the noise when ambushing these kinds of vehicles, and it would be very dangerous if the Japanese heard it.

But it's different now.

After the battle in Yangchang County, I accumulated 300 kills and obtained three new skills.

Illusion Boy, skill effect: can trap any creature in an illusion for 10 seconds.

Earth Intimate, Skill Effect: Controls the earth element and can hear the voice of the earth.

Darwin, skill effect: can adapt to any environment, is anything.

The Illusion Kid is best suited for ambushing vehicles like this. I activated my skill and saw that the Japanese drivers and soldiers in the five trucks all had empty eyes and took their feet off the accelerator, and the vehicles gradually came to a stop.

Liu Hou and the others were stunned. Song Jiahao leaned over and whispered, "Captain, something's not right. Why did they suddenly stop? Is there some kind of ambush?"

I lowered my voice and shouted, "Don't worry about anything else, just do it!"

Upon hearing this, the team members immediately rushed forward like hungry tigers pouncing on their prey.

Three seconds were wasted on the car stopping, leaving seven seconds.

I spotted the first two vehicles, picked up two pebbles with my left hand, flicked my wrist, and with two quick throws, the King of Throwing and the Earth's Closest, the pebbles were like mini nuclear bombs, the brains of the three Japanese soldiers in the first vehicle were directly pierced by the pebbles.

I told you not to close your car windows!

Then, I drew three throwing knives from my waist with my right hand. These were the ones I got from Leng Xing before the battle. With a flick of my wrist, I took down three more heads.

The remaining three vehicles and the twelve team members had already divided up their tasks.

Leng Xing approached the third vehicle, slashed it with his dagger, and the Japanese soldier in the driver's cab had his neck cleanly cut open, drawing blood. Another Japanese soldier inside the vehicle had his neck broken by Zheng Dapao.

The fourth vehicle was handled by Song Jiahao, Liu Hou, and Lei Dachui working together to take down three enemies.

The last car of Bai Su was poisoned in a puff of smoke, killing everyone inside. A true master poisoner, the Poison Demon is truly skilled at poisoning.

I'm watching Bai Su's move. The combination of Illusion Boy and Bai Su's poison should have a miraculous effect.

"Clean up the battlefield and change your clothes!" I whispered.

The group immediately got to work, dragging the Japanese soldiers' bodies to the roadside bushes and stripping them of their uniforms to put on themselves. The clothes were all different sizes, but fortunately, they were too dark to see clearly at night to be noticeable, so they could get away with it.

After changing clothes, Linzhi and I helped adjust the details and do makeup.

"Remember, we're now the logistics team for the Xishan garrison. I'm Lieutenant Ono." I explained to everyone in Japanese. "Keep your mouth shut once we're in town. If anyone questions you, just handle it."

One last check, and all the documents are ready.

The truck started and drove towards the city gate of Tai City.