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

Commander Liu sat on the other side, with a map in front of him.

But his gaze did not fall on the map, but rather on the telegram that the deputy commander-in-chief had placed on the table.

He kept his lips pursed, as if he was trying his best to suppress some emotion.

Sitting next to him was the political commissar.

He was usually a man of few words, but at this moment his gaze held a sharpness that was more focused than usual.

There were also two senior staff officers inside the room.

They sat in their respective corners, no one making a sound or moving around.

The silence lasted for about several tens of seconds.

Then the deputy commander spoke, his voice not loud, but loud enough for everyone in the room to hear clearly.

"Another Japanese lieutenant general and a Japanese major general."

"How long has it been since that shot in Taiyuan?"

"Less than half a year, I guess."

He raised his head and his gaze swept across the faces of the people in the room.

"Comrades, let's all speak up."

"My opinion on this matter."

The deputy chief of staff put down his teacup and spoke first.

"Based on the contents of the telegram, Comrade Liu Ping confirmed that this incident was committed by the same person as the previous Taiyuan incident."

"His tone was confident, and he used no vague or speculative language, which indicates that the information he had was reliable."

Moreover, he emphasized the words "safe evacuation".

This indicates that no unexpected situations occurred after the operation, and the executors were in good condition.

He paused for a moment and adjusted his glasses.

"Comrade Liu Ping had only been in Shanghai for a short time, yet he was able to establish a stable telegram transmission channel and confirm such important information in such a short period of time."

"This indicates that his work in Shanghai is progressing more smoothly than expected."

The deputy commander nodded but did not reply.

His gaze turned to Commander Liu.

"Old Liu, why don't you share your thoughts first?"

Commander Liu did not answer immediately.

He first picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip of water, and then put the cup down, his voice carrying an exaggeratedly flat tone.

"Boss, I'll get straight to the point. I'm very happy."

He paused, then repeated himself, raising his voice by half an octave.

"Zhou Tianyang was a member of the 386th Brigade of my 129th Division."

"He accomplished this, which is a great honor for the 129th Division."

The deputy commander's lips twitched slightly.

"You're right to be happy."

"But this isn't something that can be resolved with a simple happy ending. You should think about how to handle it."

Commander Liu sat up straight and became more serious.

"Boss, Zhou Tianyang's last incident in Taiyuan was already a huge achievement."

"You said at the time to temporarily keep the information confidential and not to release it to the public, and we strictly followed that."

"The situation in Shanghai this time is even more serious."

"At the main gate of the East China Expeditionary Army Headquarters, two Japanese officers were assassinated in broad daylight."

"This is no longer an ordinary attack; it is a direct blow to the entire Japanese command system in East China."

He looked at the deputy commander-in-chief, his voice resolute.

"Boss, we need to report this to the Shaanxi headquarters."

The deputy chief of staff then interjected.

"Tianyang has done this twice in a row."

The political commissar also spoke, his voice not loud, but clear and logical.

"Sir, I agree with Commander Liu's opinion."

"This matter must be reported to headquarters immediately, but the way it is reported and the wording must be carefully considered."

After listening to the three men, the deputy commander-in-chief did not rush to express his opinion.

He remained silent for a moment, as if he were going through all the possibilities in his mind.

Then he picked up the telegram on the table, read it again, put it down, and spoke.

"Liu Ping's telegram did not mention Zhou Tianyang's name, the 386th Brigade, or the Eighth Route Army."

"This shows that he conducted a risk assessment before sending the message."

"Even if the telegram is intercepted, the Japanese will not be able to directly identify Zhou Tianyang or our Eighth Route Army from its contents."

The deputy chief of staff nodded.

"Comrade Liu Ping has been doing underground work for many years and has a wealth of experience in this area."

"The fact that he used such wording indicates that he sent the telegram only after confirming Zhou Tianyang's safety."

The deputy commander leaned back in his chair and tapped his fingers lightly twice on the table.

"Then let's do as you say."

"This matter was reported to the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia headquarters and classified as top secret."

He paused, then added a sentence.

"In addition, send an internal notice to the 386th Brigade so that they know about this and are not to spread it."

Commander Liu's expression relaxed a little.

But he quickly composed himself and regained his usual calm.

"Boss, there's one more thing."

"explain."

What happened to Zhou Tianyang after he returned to the 386th Brigade?

"What? How do we handle it?"

"Although the Japanese haven't locked onto him yet, with their intelligence network, they'll find some clues sooner or later."

"If he continues to stay in the 386th Brigade to lead the troops, what if his identity is exposed one day?"

"The new Second Regiment and even the entire 386th Brigade will face enormous pressure for retaliation."

The room fell silent for a moment.

The deputy commander's finger stopped on the table.

He was silent for a few seconds, then slowly began to speak.

"You mean, transfer him away from frontline duty?"

"It's not a transfer, it's a temporary adjustment to the work method."

Commander Liu was very careful with his words.

"He can continue to serve as the commander of the new Second Regiment, continue to lead troops, and continue training."

"But you should keep a low profile in public activities and avoid appearing in any situation that might be detected by the Japanese military intelligence system."

"At the same time, we will strengthen the security around the Second New Regiment to prevent the Japanese from infiltrating and conducting reconnaissance in any way."

After listening, the deputy commander-in-chief did not immediately express his opinion.

His gaze fell on the continuous Taihang Mountains outside the window, and he remained silent for a long time.

Then he spoke, his voice a few decibels lower than before.

"Comrade Zhou Tianyang's merits lie not only in his personal abilities."

"His ability to develop a newly formed regiment into its current size within a few months demonstrates that his organizational and troop-leading abilities are also top-notch."

"We can't hide such a person away just because we're afraid of retaliation from the Japanese."

"What we need is to allow him to continue to play his role while providing him with sufficient support."

After listening, Commander Liu didn't say anything more, he just nodded.

The deputy chief of staff nodded, picked up a pencil from the table, and quickly jotted down a few notes in his notebook.

"I'll send a telegram to headquarters right away."

He stood up, strode out of the mud-brick house, and his footsteps gradually faded into the distance in the courtyard.

The deputy commander-in-chief, Division Commander Liu, the political commissar, and two senior staff officers remained in the room.

The deputy commander-in-chief picked up the telegram on the table again, read it once more, then put it down and said slowly.

"Less than six months!"

"Once in Taiyuan, once in Shanghai."

Upon hearing this, Commander Liu finally managed a slight smile.

That smile carried the kind of satisfaction that only an elder would feel when watching a younger person accomplish something remarkable.

However, he didn't say anything, but simply picked up his teacup and took another sip of water, as if to cover it up.

The political commissar also picked up his teacup, took a sip of water, and looked calmly at the deputy commander-in-chief.

The deputy commander-in-chief stood up and walked to the door.

He gazed at the distant, continuous Taihang Mountains and remained silent for a moment.

Then he said something, but not loudly.

"Once Zhou Tianyang returns to the 386th Brigade, have him write a detailed operation summary."

"It's not for outsiders to see, it's for our own archiving."

No one responded, but the eyes of the people in the room all held the same approval.

The deputy commander-in-chief said something else, his tone calm and even, as if he were making a final confirmation.

"Alright, let's do it the way we just discussed."