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

"About ten miles north of Lugu, they were advancing southward at that time."

"According to the plan, they should enter the outer perimeter of the 386th Brigade's defense zone this afternoon."

Yoshijiro Umezu stood up, walked to the battle map hanging on the wall, and his gaze fell on the location of Ruya.

His finger moved slowly across the map.

The road stretched southward from Lugu and stopped at the edge of the 386th Brigade's defense zone.

He was silent for a long time.

"What about the 69th Regiment?"

"The 69th Regiment is currently maintaining normal communication and is engaged in direct combat with the 772nd Regiment. Their condition is stable."

Yoshijiro Umezu tapped his fingers lightly on the map twice, once, twice, three times.

"A full-strength regiment, more than 3,000 men, suddenly lost contact and could not receive any signal at all."

"What do you think this means?"

Lieutenant Colonel Nakajima's Adam's apple bobbed up and down.

"Commander, based on the current situation, there are three most likely scenarios that the 107th Regiment will encounter."

"First, we encountered strong resistance from the main force of the 386th Brigade, and our communication equipment was destroyed in the battle."

"Second, we entered an area with extremely rugged terrain, where radio signals were blocked by the terrain."

"The third, worst-case scenario, is that they may have been annihilated or severely damaged, and the remaining troops are retreating."

Which one do you prefer?

"Commander, judging from the command style of Regiment Commander Anbe and the training level of the troops, I don't think they would lose contact for more than an hour due to terrain obstacles."

"Abe-kun is not the kind of person who doesn't have a backup plan."

Yoshijiro Umezu did not respond.

He stood there, his gaze still fixed on the location of the valley on the map, motionless.

"Send a telegram to the 69th Regiment."

He finally spoke, his voice not loud.

"Order Regiment Commander Naoki Nakajima to immediately dispatch a battalion to advance rapidly toward Rutani and ascertain the situation of the 107th Regiment."

"Tell them that whatever they find, they must report to headquarters within four hours."

"Hi!"

Lieutenant Colonel Nakajima stood at attention, saluted, turned, and strode out of the office.

The footsteps in the corridor quickly faded away and disappeared around the corner.

……

The temporary command post of the Japanese 69th Regiment.

It is located in a small village about eight miles north of Shinian Village.

The village is small, with only about twenty households, and it has now been completely emptied.

The villagers were driven to an open space outside the village and guarded by puppet troops.

Two Type 92 heavy machine guns were mounted at the entrance of the village. The machine gunners leaned against sandbags, their eyes warily fixed on the mountain road in the night.

The most spacious adobe house in the village was requisitioned to serve as the joint command post.

Several kerosene lamps were lit in the room, their dim light casting a half-light and half-dark glow on the large battle map on the wall.

The map marks the defense zone of the 772nd Regiment.

Several red arrows extend from north to south, marking the planned attack route.

Naoki Nakajima sat at a simple table.

He was 41 years old, of medium build, with a square face, slightly prominent cheekbones, and a neatly trimmed mustache above his lips.

He was staring intently at the telegram he had just received on the table.

The telegram was sent from the headquarters of the First Army in Taiyuan.

The door was pushed open, and Colonel Ono, the regimental chief of staff, strode in.

His gaze also fell on the telegram.

"You saw it too?"

Naoki Nakajima's voice was not loud, and his gaze remained fixed on the telegram.

"I saw it."

Colonel Ono sat down across the table and tapped his fingers lightly twice on his knees.

"We've been out of contact for several hours; this can't possibly be just a communication failure."

Naoki Nakajima finally raised his head and looked at him.

After a few seconds of silence, he spoke, his voice carrying a cautious calmness.

"You know Koichi Abe; he's not the kind of person who would make silly mistakes."

"His regiment was a full-strength force of over three thousand men, well-equipped and well-trained."

"Even if we were ambushed, we shouldn't be unable to send a distress telegram."

Colonel Ono nodded, his tone carrying a sense of certainty born of analysis.

"If ambushed, he would immediately request reinforcements from surrounding troops after the first round of fire."

"But the command said that they hadn't received any signals since 2 p.m., not even a distress signal."

The two exchanged a glance, both reading the same conclusion from each other's eyes.

That silence carried more weight than any words.

"Then there's only one possibility."

Naoki Nakajima's voice lowered slightly.

"It's not that his radio is malfunctioning, but that his wing no longer has the ability to transmit."

"To completely disable the communication capabilities of a regiment of more than three thousand people in such a short period of time is not something that a small-scale ambush could achieve."

Colonel Ono did not respond, but he nodded slightly in agreement.

After a moment, he asked a question.

"So, the command's order is for me to dispatch a battalion to the direction of Lugu to investigate the situation?"

"That's how the order is written."

"Dispatch a battalion and quickly advance to the Lugu direction to ascertain the situation of the 107th Regiment and report to headquarters within four hours."

Naoki Nakajima paused, his gaze returning to the map, and tapped the location of the valley with his finger.

Which brigade should be transferred?

"The Third Battalion, I suppose."

Naoki Nakajima thought for a few seconds, then nodded.

"Summon Lieutenant Colonel Fukuda, the commander of the Third Battalion, to see me. I will personally assign you the mission."

Colonel Ono stood up, walked to the door, and called out to the outside.

A messenger ran out of the courtyard and stood at attention.

Colonel Ono lowered his voice and said something.

The messenger turned and ran, his footsteps quickly fading into the night.

About ten minutes later.

A steady sound of footsteps came from the doorway.

Lieutenant Colonel Fukuda walked in. He was thirty-seven or thirty-eight years old, lean and muscular, with an old scar on his left eyebrow.

He stood at attention in front of Naoki Nakajima after entering the room.

"Commander."

"Fukuda-kun, headquarters has sent an order that the 107th Regiment has been out of contact for more than a few and a half hours."

Lieutenant Colonel Fukuda frowned slightly.

But they didn't interrupt, quietly waiting for Naoki Nakajima to continue.

"Your third battalion will depart tonight and advance towards Lugu overnight."

"The mission is to ascertain the situation of the 107th Regiment. If any remnants are found, gather them on the spot. If enemy activity is detected, report it immediately. Do not engage in prolonged combat."

"I need to know what happened in Filter Valley within four hours."

Lieutenant Colonel Fukuda stood at attention and saluted, his voice steady.

"Hi!"

He turned and strode out, his footsteps quickly fading into the night.

Immediately afterwards, the commands to assemble and the sounds of soldiers organizing their equipment rang out from not far away.