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

The Japanese chief of staff put down the telegram.

Place your hands crossed on the table.

His gaze lowered for a moment, as if he was digesting the full meaning behind that information.

Then he looked up at Yoshijiro Umezu, his tone still calm.

"An entire regiment was annihilated, and this annihilation occurred within a pre-determined operational area."

"This means that the enemy's troop strength and firepower configuration are far greater than we previously estimated."

Yoshijiro Umezu didn't respond, but his gaze showed that he was listening.

"Prior to this, our assessment of the 386th Brigade was..."

"The total strength is between five and seven thousand men, and the equipment consists mainly of captured and homemade weapons. They lack heavy firepower and are not capable of engaging in direct combat with regimental-level units."

"But now it seems that this assessment was clearly wrong."

The chief of staff paused for a moment.

"To completely annihilate a regiment before it can send out a distress signal, the enemy must meet at least the following conditions."

"First, the troop strength is no less than three thousand, which is enough to form an equal or even superior force on a local battlefield."

"Secondly, it has extremely strong firepower coverage and can destroy the wing's communication equipment and command system in a short period of time."

"Third, they are extremely familiar with the terrain, enabling them to pre-plan ambush positions and ensure that they are not discovered by Imperial Army scouts."

Yoshijiro Umezu leaned back in his chair and tapped his fingers lightly twice on the edge of the table.

His anger had gradually subsided, replaced by a more calm and thoughtful demeanor.

He asked:

"So how do you think the 386th Brigade managed to do all that?"

"Where did they get their equipment and troops?"

The chief of staff did not answer immediately.

He lowered his head as if he was reorganizing all the information in his mind.

Then he raised his head, his voice carrying a certainty that came from careful deduction.

"Commander, if my judgment is correct, there may already be one or two regimental-level units within the 386th Brigade that possess regimental-level combat capabilities."

"Their equipment and training methods were completely different from those of the Eighth Route Army units we had encountered before."

"The 107th Regiment was not worn down by a war of attrition, but was encircled and annihilated by a concentrated superior force in a short period of time."

"This kind of fighting style cannot be achieved through guerrilla tactics."

Yoshijiro Umezu's gaze darkened slightly.

He remembered a piece of intelligence he had received before.

The intelligence report stated that a newly formed regiment under the 386th Brigade was rapidly expanding in a short period of time.

The equipment level far exceeded the regular organization of the Eighth Route Army, but he did not pay special attention to it at the time.

He casually set aside a piece of intelligence from a grassroots observation station that had not been verified or corroborated.

Looking back now, that may have been the root of the problem.

"you're right."

Yoshijiro Umezu finally spoke, his voice carrying a calmness that came from digesting his thoughts.

"The 386th Brigade is undergoing changes, and we have hardly noticed them."

"This is a major blunder in our intelligence work."

The chief of staff did not respond, but he nodded slightly in agreement.

Yoshijiro Umezu stood up and walked to the battle map hanging on the wall.

His gaze started from Taiyuan, moved south along the railway line, and stopped at the densely marked points in the 386th Brigade's defense zone.

His finger moved slowly across the map.

It was as if they were measuring the distance between those markings, or as if they were reassessing something in their minds.

"So what do we do next?"

His voice came from the direction of the map.

"Should we continue the sweeping?"

The chief of staff also stood up, walked to his side, and looked at the map as well.

He paused for a moment before speaking, his tone carrying a cautious quality that suggested careful consideration.

"The 107th Regiment is gone, and the 69th Regiment is now isolated."

"If the 386th Brigade is capable of wiping out a regiment, then they are equally capable of wiping out the 69th Regiment."

"The risks of continuing are much greater than we previously anticipated."

"If Naoki Nakajima's regiment also gets into trouble, our entire military deployment in southeastern Shanxi will be severely affected."

Yoshijiro Umezu's gaze remained fixed on the map, but his fingers stopped.

He heard every word the chief of staff said very clearly, and he completely agreed with the logic behind those words.

But in his position, some decisions cannot be made based solely on military logic.

After a regiment was completely annihilated, they immediately withdrew from the mopping-up operation.

This might be a wise military strategy, but politically, especially in front of headquarters, he needed a reason that would be acceptable to those people.

Withdrawing the document is easy; the real challenge is explaining it afterward.

"you're right."

Yoshijiro Umezu's voice remained steady, but his speaking speed was slightly slower than before.

"The 69th Regiment is now in a dangerous situation; the risk of continuing the advance is too great."

"But we can't just back down like this."

"We need to give a proper explanation to the headquarters."

The chief of staff remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

Yoshijiro Umezu turned around and walked back to his desk to sit down.

He picked up the telegram on the table, read it again, then put it down, his gaze returning to the chief of staff's face.

"My idea is to have Naoki Nakajima's troops remain in place and not continue to advance south, but also not to withdraw immediately."

"Keep them on high alert in their current positions, and send out reconnaissance units to find out the troop deployment of the 386th Brigade."

"If we can confirm the enemy's specific unit number and location, then this sweep will be considered as not achieving its original objective."

"At least it can provide valuable intelligence for the next operation."

The chief of staff listened attentively without interrupting.

He spoke only after the other person had finished speaking, his tone carrying a cautious agreement.

"This method is feasible."

"This will ensure that the 69th Regiment is not put in danger, while preserving the intelligence base for the next operation."

"Moreover, the posture of standing by in place does not look like a retreat, and can be interpreted in the report as an adjustment of deployment to cope with changes in the enemy situation."

"OK."

"I'll get on it right now."

The chief of staff stood up and was about to leave when Yoshijiro Umezu called him back.

"There's one more thing."

The chief of staff turned around and waited for him to continue.

"The news of the complete annihilation of the 107th Regiment should not be announced to the public for the time being."

"Suppress it for now, and I'll decide how to handle it after I report to headquarters."

The chief of staff didn't speak, but simply nodded, then turned and strode out of the office.

The door closed gently behind me, and the sound of footsteps faded away down the corridor.

Yoshijiro Umezu sat alone behind his desk, his gaze fixed on the telegram.

He was thinking about a problem, a problem that made him restless.

If the 386th Brigade has indeed acquired regimental-level combat capabilities.

How many troops will he need to send out for the next sweep to ensure absolute success?

A brigade?

Or do we need to mobilize more troops?

He realized he didn't have an answer yet.