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

The Japanese regimental commander leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping lightly on his knees.

He was thinking about the size of that group of Eighth Route Army soldiers.

One battalion of troops was ambushed at Qingyun Ridge, losing more than half of its main force.

Then, another incident occurred with the Tanaka squadron.

The two engagements were less than three hours apart.

This shows that the other party did not waste any time while moving.

They found a new ambush location immediately after they finished attacking Qingyun Ridge.

This shows that the other party is extremely familiar with the terrain in this area.

They were so familiar with the area that they could find suitable ambush locations just by glancing at a map.

Moreover, the fact that the enemy dared to set up ambushes in the same area repeatedly shows that their troop deployment was extremely flexible and their commanders were extremely decisive.

This kind of force was definitely not an ordinary Eighth Route Army guerrilla unit.

The regimental commander stopped tapping his fingers.

How much further?

"About twenty li."

"Speed ​​up."

"Hi!"

The driver stepped on the gas again, and the car's speed increased a few points.

An hour later.

The convoy finally reached the location where the last contact was made.

The narrow passage between the two hills appeared ahead, and from the outside, everything looked peaceful.

However, the platoon leader ordered the vehicle to stop at the entrance of the alley.

He didn't rush to let the convoy drive in.

Instead, they first sent a squad of infantry soldiers off the vehicle and on foot into the alley to conduct reconnaissance.

"Reporting to the corps commander, there seems to be an situation ahead."

A soldier ran back quickly, his face looking rather grim.

"There was a lot of blood and burn marks in the middle of the alley."

The regimental commander narrowed his eyes slightly.

He didn't say anything, but strode into the alley.

Sure enough, large patches of dried blood and charred marks from being doused with gasoline remained on the ground in the middle of the alley.

There were piles of charred remains in the roadside drainage ditch; a cursory glance revealed at least a hundred bodies.

The air was filled with the pungent smell of burnt meat, mixed with the stench of blood and gasoline, making people wince.

The Japanese regimental commander stood in front of that ditch and stared at it for a long time.

He didn't speak, and none of the officers and soldiers behind him dared to speak either.

A while later.

He slowly turned around.

"Was this the location they reported during their last contact?"

"Yes, Your Excellency."

The Japanese regimental commander remained silent for a moment.

My gaze shifted from the gully to the slopes on either side of the path and the distant mountain shadows.

It eventually landed at the exit on the west side of the alley.

"Continue the search and see which direction they went."

"If it's heading due west, then this road is the only passage, and we should be able to find their trail."

"If they don't head due west, then we're in trouble."

The soldiers advanced westward for several hundred meters with their guns in hand, but soon some of them turned back.

"Reporting to the regimental commander, there is a fork in the road about two miles to the west of the alley."

"There is no main road extending westward at the fork in the road; there is only a small road leading southwest."

"The road was narrow, but there were many fresh trampling marks on the surface."

The Japanese regimental commander's face darkened completely.

"They changed course."

He stood there, his gaze fixed on the direction of the fork in the road.

This path leads to the border area between the Eighth Route Army's guerrilla zone and its base area.

He couldn't possibly allow a force of over three thousand men to be dispersed and pursue an uncertain route.

It would also be impossible for a large force to maneuver quickly in that kind of terrain.

"Pass down the order: all units shall rest and regroup on the spot."

The Japanese regimental commander's voice was icy cold.

"The scouts continue searching forward and report back immediately once they confirm the enemy's retreat direction."

"Other units remain in place and await further instructions."

Then, the Japanese regimental commander stood in the middle of the alley.

His face looked terrible, but there was a hint of self-mockery on the corner of his mouth.

The other party ran away.

He had no idea where the other person had gone.

The air in the alley was still filled with the smell of burning and blood, which lingered for a long time.

Japanese regimental commander Nakamura Ichiro stood in front of the drainage ditch filled with charred remains, his hands behind his back.

Several battalion commanders and company commanders stood behind him, but no one dared to utter a sound.

A while later.

Nakamura Ichiro slowly turned around.

"Signal Soldier".

He spoke, his voice not loud, but every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth.

"arrive!"

A communications soldier carrying a radio ran quickly from the back of the column.

Stand at attention in front of him.

"Send telegrams to all surrounding outposts."

Ichiro Nakamura's voice remained steady.

But what lies beneath that calm surface is more chilling than any roar.

"Order them to closely monitor all unusual movements within their respective defense zones from this moment forward."

"Any armed group found with more than two hundred people, regardless of which direction they are heading or whether they are approaching the stronghold."

"Report your location, direction, and number of personnel to the regimental headquarters immediately, without any delay."

He paused, his gaze becoming even sharper.

"Tell the garrison captains of each outpost that if they discover that team but fail to report it in time, or if they let the team slip past them due to negligence."

"They don't need to wait for my punishment; they can commit seppuku themselves as an apology."

"Hi!"

The communications soldier stood at attention in response, turned around and quickly ran to the back of the column to set up the radio.

The ticking sound soon echoed through the alley.

Nakamura Ichiro stood there, listening to the sounds of the telegraph keys, his expression unchanged.

He mentally reassessed the commander of that team.

The opponent can ambush Qingyunling after they have finished.

Find a second ambush location in a very short time.

And within an hour of Tanaka sending his last telegram, the entire Tanaka squadron was annihilated.

This shows that the other party is not only familiar with the terrain, but also makes decisions at an astonishing speed.

What's even more frightening is that after carrying out the second ambush, the enemy did not linger in the fight.

Then it turned into that alley and disappeared without a trace.

This was no ordinary Eighth Route Army guerrilla force.

This is the main force, and the elite main force at that.

Nakamura Ichiro took a deep breath, slowly exhaled, then turned around and walked towards the west side of the alley.

He stopped at the fork in the road, his gaze falling on the path leading southwest.

There were indeed many fresh footprints on the road surface, with messy and varying depths.

"They left in a hurry."

A captain standing nearby whispered something.

"Urgent, but not chaotic."

Nakamura Ichiro squatted down and reached out to touch the edge of a relatively clear footprint on the road.

"This is an organized retreat, not a rout."

He stood up, dusted off his hands, and gazed down the path until it disappeared into the bushes.

"They were carrying a large amount of captured supplies, so they couldn't move quickly."

"As long as our strongholds can detect their movements in time, we can keep them in check."

Nakamura Ichiro turned and walked back to the side of the convoy, without glancing back at the path again.

What he needs is patience and waiting.

After the telegrams from various strongholds were collected, the enemy's exact location and possible retreat direction were determined.

Then strike decisively.

He got back into the truck's cab, leaned back in his seat, and closed his eyes.

"Stay put and await reports from the various outposts."

"Hi!"

After the order was given, the Japanese soldiers around the convoy dispersed on both sides of the road.

No one spoke, no one whispered; the entire convoy was shrouded in a stifling silence.

Nakamura Ichiro sat in the driver's seat, his eyes closed, his fingers tapping lightly on his knees.

……