Holding the original shares, they fought all the way to the Korean War!

Chapter 162 Infiltration Plan!

at the same time.

Taiyuan.

Headquarters of the Japanese First Army.

Commander's office.

Yoshijiro Umezu sat behind his desk, with seven or eight extinguished cigarette butts piled up in the ashtray in front of him.

He held a newly translated coded telegram in his hand, which he had already read over and over again three times.

The telegram was short, but his expression darkened with each reading.

He read it again, gently placed the telegram on the table, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes.

This intelligence comes from an inside source in Chongqing and has been verified by multiple parties.

It has been confirmed that there is no indication that the Military Intelligence Bureau was involved in this matter.

Dai Li himself was also in a passive position regarding this matter, and the intelligence was obtained later than expected.

Furthermore, they failed to obtain any substantial information about the perpetrator.

Based on intelligence analysis from various sources, it is suspected that the Eighth Route Army was behind this.

There is currently no direct evidence pointing to any specific unit or personnel.

However, the killer's familiarity with the terrain around Taiyuan and the choice of his retreat route indicate that he is an armed force that has been operating in Shanxi for a long time.

The Eighth Route Army was active in southeastern Shanxi, and recently its troops had successively eliminated many strongholds of the Imperial Army.

Their combat style is highly similar to that of this operation.

Yoshijiro Umezu opened his eyes and his gaze fell on the telegram again.

"adjutant."

"Hi!"

The door was pushed open, and the adjutant stood in the doorway, waiting for his instructions.

Yoshijiro Umezu did not speak immediately; his gaze went past his adjutant's shoulder and out the window.

His fingers tapped lightly twice on the table, the rhythm steady, carrying a hint of barely perceptible anxiety.

He turned his gaze away and looked at his adjutant.

"Go and call the head of the intelligence section."

"Yes."

The adjutant saluted, turned, and strode out.

The sound of footsteps gradually faded away in the corridor.

A moment later, another burst of hurried footsteps sounded.

There was a knock on the door.

"Commander, Colonel Yamashita, the head of the intelligence section, has arrived."

"Come in."

The door was pushed open, and a middle-aged military officer in his forties walked in.

He stopped in front of the desk, stood at attention, and saluted.

"Commander, you wanted to see me?"

Yoshijiro Umezu pointed to the chair opposite him.

"sit."

Colonel Yamashita sat down, waiting for him to speak.

Yoshijiro Umezu picked up another document from the table.

It is a summary report on the activities of the Eighth Route Army in southeastern Shanxi, which was just sent yesterday from the First Army Staff Headquarters.

"Yamashita-kun, I've read the analysis report you submitted earlier regarding the latest developments of the 386th Brigade."

Has the 386th Brigade expanded its operational area recently compared to before?

Colonel Yamashita bowed slightly.

"Yes, Your Excellency Commander."

"According to feedback from various frontline outposts, the units under the 386th Brigade have been very active recently."

"In particular, the expansion speed of its several newly formed regiments has exceeded expectations."

"Tell me more about it."

"The 1st and 2nd Regiments under the 386th Brigade have recently eliminated several strongholds of the Imperial Army in the area east of Qin County and west of Licheng."

"At the Wangjiaping stronghold, a small squad was completely wiped out."

"At the Liujiabao stronghold, an entire squadron of soldiers was wiped out, and the facilities within the stronghold were completely destroyed."

"According to the on-site reconnaissance report, the fighting methods at these two strongholds are quite different from the fighting style of the Eighth Route Army in the past."

Yoshijiro Umezu's gaze shifted slightly, signaling him to continue.

Colonel Yamashita carefully considered his words.

"In the past, the Eighth Route Army was poorly equipped and lacked ammunition, so it mainly relied on night raids or sieges to attack strongholds."

"Low firepower density, long battle duration."

"But this time it's completely different."

"At the site of the Wangjiaping stronghold, the area where shell casings were scattered was very small, indicating that the attacking force launched the assault at extremely close range and with extremely dense firepower."

"Mortar shell shrapnel and shell craters were found in the ruins of the Liujiabao stronghold."

"The distribution pattern indicates that the artillery fire was very accurate, which is something that ordinary guerrillas could not achieve."

"A newly formed regiment?"

Yoshijiro Umezu's voice was calm, but his question was very direct.

Colonel Yamashita nodded.

"Yes."

"To be specific, the commander of the new regiment is named Li Yunlong."

"This person was originally the battalion commander of the 1st Battalion of the 772nd Regiment of the Eighth Route Army, and was later transferred to form a new 1st Regiment."

"Based on intelligence, this person is rough and bold in character, has a daring fighting style, and is good at ambushes and raids, but lacks systematic planning."

"The commander of the new Second Regiment is Zhou Tianyang. He was originally the battalion commander of the Third Battalion of the 772nd Regiment. He was transferred out at the same time as Li Yunlong to form the new Second Regiment."

"This person was known for his solid work style and flexible command during his time in the 772nd Regiment."

Colonel Yamashita paused here, then added a sentence.

"Intelligence personnel noticed that the equipment level of the New Second Regiment was significantly higher than that of other units of the Eighth Route Army."

"The exact source is unknown, but it may be spoils captured from the Imperial Army's transport convoy."

Yoshijiro Umezu's brow twitched almost imperceptibly.

He leaned back in his chair, his gaze passing over Colonel Yamashita's shoulder.

It landed on the Japanese flag in the corner and remained silent for a long while.

Yoshijiro Umezu's lips twitched slightly.

That expression wasn't exactly anger; it was more like an instinctive reaction to being hurt.

"Have you confirmed the location of the Second New Regiment's base?"

"It is roughly 200 li away from Taiyuan, located in a mountainous area with complex terrain."

"The exact location has not yet been fully confirmed."

Yoshijiro Umezu nodded.

He was silent for a moment, going over the information he had just received in his mind again, forming an increasingly clear outline.

The battles at Wangjiaping and Liujiabao strongholds were fought in two consecutive engagements, and the fighting style was completely different from that of the Eighth Route Army in the past.

Yoshijiro Umezu slowly clenched his teeth.

He tapped the table twice lightly, the sound particularly clear in the quiet office.

"Yamashita-kun, do you think these two actions are directly related to that incident?"

Colonel Yamashita did not answer immediately.

He lowered his head, as if weighing something.

It took several seconds before he raised his head again.

"Commander, there is currently no direct evidence to prove that the 386th Brigade was responsible for that incident."

"However, judging from their combat style, familiarity with the surrounding terrain, and ability to quickly withdraw after an operation."

"The tactical prowess demonstrated in these two operations to eliminate strongholds is highly similar to the situation we encountered at Guangshe Airport."

"Can this similarity be used as a basis for judgment?"

"Can."

"But the intelligence department is taking a cautious approach to this."

Colonel Yamashita's voice remained calm and composed, neither humble nor arrogant.

Then, Yoshijiro Umezu's eyes turned cold.

He sat up straight again, placed his hands clasped on the table, and looked at Colonel Yamashita.

"Yamashita-kun, after you return, draft an infiltration plan targeting the Eighth Route Army's base area in southeastern Shanxi."

"The core target of the plan is the 386th Brigade, especially the new 1st and 2nd Regiments."

Colonel Yamashita listened without asking any further questions.

He stood up, stood at attention, and saluted.

"Hi."

Then he turned around and strode toward the door.