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

at the same time.

The Eighth Route Army's forward command post.

This small village deep in the Taihang Mountains.

It's quieter than usual today.

Inside the command post, an oil lamp was already lit.

The deputy commander-in-chief sat at the table.

A newly received telegram lay before him.

He has already read it once.

He was leaning back in his chair, his gaze fixed on the thin sheet of paper, as if he were thinking about something, or as if he wasn't thinking about anything at all.

The deputy chief of staff sat opposite him, holding a teacup and slowly drinking water.

He didn't urge the deputy commander-in-chief, nor did he ask anything. He just sat there quietly, waiting for the other party to speak first.

Sitting next to him was Commander Liu, who was holding an unlit cigarette in his hand and glancing at the telegram on the table from time to time.

The political commissar sat next to Division Commander Liu, his eyes lowered.

There were two more staff officers in the corner.

The room was quiet for a while.

"Boss?"

Commander Liu finally couldn't hold back any longer. He leaned forward slightly, his voice filled with a burning desire that he tried so hard to suppress but couldn't quite contain.

"Is what's written in the telegram true?"

The deputy commander did not answer immediately.

He reached for the telegram on the table, read it again, then slowly put it down, his gaze sweeping across the faces of the people.

"It's true."

His voice was not loud, but carried a certainty that came only after repeated confirmation.

"Telegram from the 386th Brigade: The New 2nd Regiment annihilated the 107th Regiment of the 31st Infantry Brigade of the Japanese 109th Division on the gentle slope south of Lugu Valley."

"Colonel Koichi Abe, the regimental commander, was killed, and the entire regiment of more than 3,000 men was annihilated."

The room fell silent.

It wasn't the kind of quiet that comes from having nothing to say.

Rather, it's a quietness where the information is too heavy and needs time to digest.

The silence lasted for several seconds.

Then the deputy chief of staff put down his teacup.

Without saying a word, he reached out and picked up the telegram, reading it from beginning to end.

He read very slowly, his gaze lingering on each word for a moment.

After reading it, he put down the telegram, looked up, and his gaze fell on the deputy commander-in-chief's face.

"An entire regiment was wiped out by the New 2nd Regiment?"

"yes."

The deputy commander's tone remained unchanged, but the corners of his mouth curved slightly.

The curve was very subtle, but everyone present saw it.

Commander Liu put the cigarette in his mouth, lit it with a match, and took a deep drag.

He took a deep breath before speaking, his voice carrying an irrepressible sense of satisfaction.

"Commander, this is the first time since the Eighth Route Army was established that we have annihilated an entire Japanese regiment on the main battlefield."

"In the past, when we launched ambushes and guerrilla warfare, wiping out an entire Japanese company was considered a major victory."

"This is a regiment of over three thousand men, not a company, not a battalion, but a full-strength regiment!"

"Tianyang has really made our Eighth Route Army proud."

The political commissar picked up his teacup, took a sip of water, and then put it down, his tone remaining calm.

"Old Liu is right, the significance of this battle is indeed extraordinary."

"In the past, when we fought guerrilla warfare, although we also depleted the Japanese troops, we never proved on the main battlefield that the Eighth Route Army had the ability to confront Japanese regimental-level units head-on."

"This time, the Second New Regiment proved with facts that as long as there is sufficient equipment, solid training, and flexible tactical command, it can succeed."

"Our troops are fully capable of gaining an advantage over the Japanese in local battles."

He paused, his gaze falling on the deputy commander-in-chief's face.

"Commander, after this battle, we might be able to make some adjustments to the Eighth Route Army's operational strategy."

The deputy commander-in-chief did not respond immediately.

He sat there in silence for a long while before speaking.

"The political commissar is right. The significance of this battle is indeed not just about the number of enemy troops killed."

"Our Eighth Route Army has been fighting in North China for so long, from the reorganization of the Red Army to now, always fighting behind enemy lines, waging guerrilla warfare, ambushes, and wars of attrition."

"This is because our equipment is inferior to the Japanese, our ammunition is inferior to the Japanese, our training is inferior to the Japanese, and we are not capable of fighting the Japanese head-on."

"But this battle of the New Second Regiment tells us that this situation can be changed."

He stretched out his finger and tapped it lightly twice on the table, as if he was organizing his thoughts.

"It's a fact that the Second New Regiment is better equipped than our other units."

"But it's also true that their training is more solid and their command is more flexible."

"They were able to wipe out an entire regiment, not just because of their American rifles and mortars."

"It relied on Zhou Tianyang's judgment of the battlefield situation, his command of troops, and his grasp of the timing."

He paused, his gaze becoming even more serious.

"So, what I'm considering is whether this model of the New Second Regiment can be extended to other units?"

The deputy chief of staff listened quietly the whole time.

He leaned forward slightly, his tone carrying a thoughtful caution.

"Boss, I agree with your suggestion to promote it."

"But there's a prerequisite: we need to figure out how the new Second Regiment did it."

"How does the training work?"

"How are tactics developed?"

"If we only know what these things are but not why they are, they are easy to distort when they are promoted."

"Each unit has a different situation and a different foundation, so we can't simply copy their methods."

The deputy commander nodded.

"You're right, promotion shouldn't be done blindly."

"But at least we can summarize the experience of the new Second Regiment and send it to various units for study and reference."

"What they can do, other units may not be able to do entirely, but they can certainly learn something useful from them."

Even learning just one tactical idea or training method is better than reinventing the wheel.

Commander Liu stubbed out his cigarette on the edge of the table and flicked it to the ground.

"Boss, I have an idea."

He put down his cigarette, his expression becoming more serious than before.

"The new Second Regiment currently has only 2,500 people, organized into five battalions."

"Although an entire regiment was wiped out, it was still a regimental-level unit after all."

"If we can promote the experience of the Second New Regiment and build some regiments with the necessary conditions in the same way, then our situation on the North China battlefield will be completely different."

"Even if only three or five regiments can reach the level of the New Second Regiment, we will have the ability to fight localized frontal battles against the Japanese."

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

His gaze fell on Commander Liu's face, he remained silent for a few seconds, and then slowly spoke.

"Old Liu, that's a great idea."

But you have to eat one bite at a time, and walk one step at a time.

"The fact that the new second group was able to grow to its current size in just a few months does not mean that other groups can do the same."

"Each regiment has a different background, different cadres, and different living conditions, so generalizations cannot be made."

"However, I will seriously consider your idea."