The Chief of Staff is particularly good at observing the words and expressions. In order to ease the mood of the commander, the topic changed and continued to report: "Major General Aso thinks that now is the best time to attack the defense zone of the National Salvation Army. I hope the military headquarters can draw at least one of the Imperial Army strengthening the regiment to launch an attack. Taking advantage of the fact that the remnants of the National Salvation Army have no leader, they will catch them off guard, hurt them severely, and destroy them!"

After listening to this report, the commander did not react for a while. He was confused for a while before staring at the Chief of Staff and asked!

"No, in order to win the National Salvation Army in one battle, in addition to a field brigade commanded by Major General Aso himself, we also strengthened a cavalry brigade, three artillery brigades, a certain number of chariot troops, baggage troops, and the Imperial Army... to increase their total strength to more than 15,000."

"Now is indeed the best time for us to attack the National Salvation Military Defense Zone, but shouldn't they send troops themselves? Why do we still have to send troops to attack the National Salvation Military Defense Zone? Is it necessary to encircle Chengdu for one Zhou?"

The Chief of Staff has always wanted to avoid this problem. After hearing the commander's question, he had to report: "Report to the Chief, it is not that Major General Aso does not want to send troops to attack the defense zone of the National Rescue Army, but that they have no soldiers to send?"

The commander was confused and asked with disbelief: "Bageyalu, how is this possible! They have more than 15,000 people, how could they have no troops available to take down a Jinzhong county town!"

"You must be wrong. There are only 4,000 National Salvation Army in Jinzhong County. Even if they are all elite veterans, they will become vulnerable under the joint attack of our army's aircraft and heavy artillery. According to the scheduled combat plan, they will lose up to 4,000 people in Jinzhong County. After capturing Jinzhong, there should be 11,000 troops left. Leaving 4,000 people to guard Jinzhong County is enough to search Zhou Cheng, and they should be able to draw 7,000 people to attack the National Salvation Army's defense zone. How could there be no soldiers to send?"

"You're not making a mistake, are you?"

The Chief of Staff could only bite the bullet and continue to explain: "It would be great if their losses were only four thousand people!"

"Major General Aso reported that the National Salvation Army built a large number of permanent firepower points in Jinzhong City. In addition, they also transformed the county into a huge street fighting battlefield. Our troops were unable to defend themselves. First, they were attacked by the Burrow, causing heavy losses. Then they fell into the quagmire of street fighting, losing a large number of troops. In the final battle, many imperial troops and the remnants of the National Salvation Army died together, further aggravating our casualties."

"After statistics, our direct losses in the entire battle were more than 7,000 people, of which more than 4,000 were the Imperial Army, and the soldiers who lost these losses were infantry, and the technical troops accounted for only a small proportion!"

"Although Major General Aso commanded more than 15,000 troops, the real infantry was only more than 10,000, and there were three thousand imperial assistants in it."

"Reducing the losses from attacking Jinzhong County, Major General Aso's infantry was reduced to more than 3,000, including less than 1,000 imperial army and more than 2,000 imperial army."

"This little force is only enough for them to block the Jinzhong County and search for Zhou Cheng, and they cannot draw out any extra troops to attack the National Rescue Army Defense Zone!"

The more the army commander heard the heavy expression on his face, the heavier the expression on his face, and his face turned red due to anger.

The Chief of Staff did not dare to stimulate the commander anymore, so he decisively picked good news to calm the commander's anger.

Facing the commander's angry eyes, he reported: "Although the infantry attacking Jinzhong County suffered heavy losses, the artillery and other technical troops suffered almost no losses."

"As long as we draw some infantry reinforcements on the battlefield, and then join forces with the artillery troops we stayed in Jinzhong County, the chariot troops and cavalry troops, we will definitely be able to enter the National Rescue Army defense zone and kill the National Rescue Army!"

Compared with the losses of infantry, the losses of artillery and other technical troops can definitely be described in the four words "little".

Compared with the two, the anger on the commander's face suddenly sootheed.

But this was his helpless move.

Now that things have come to this point, the commander’s heart cannot change anything no matter how dissatisfied he is.

The only thing we can do is to judge the situation and make the most favorable judgment to the Imperial Army under the current situation.

He walked quickly to the sand table and started to give orders two minutes later: "Major General Aso's judgment is correct, and the opportunity cannot be missed. We must seize the opportunity in front of us to enter the defense zone of the National Rescue Army and kill the National Rescue Army!"

"Chief of Staff, you immediately make a plan to mobilize troops. I will give you one day and immediately draw 4,000 imperial troops and 2,000 imperial alliance troops to reinforce the battlefield."

"First march to Jinzhong, join the artillery and chariot troops there and then directly enter the defense zone of the National Rescue Army. The speed must be fast and do not give the National Rescue Army any preparation time!"

"When they have no leader, catch them off guard first!"

"I will give Major General Aso another order. The military headquarters believe in his judgment and ask him to find Zhou Cheng. Sheng wants to see people and die. No matter what he says, he can no longer let Zhou Cheng slip away from us!"

"Order the two Yangming troops attacking Xiyang and Yangquan. They can launch an attack. It is best to attract all the troops left by the National Rescue Army to them. In this way, the troops that launched the attack from Jinzhong County can march straight into the hinterland of the National Rescue Army defense zone, and destroy their command and logistics base. Then divide the troops into two groups, cooperate with the Yangming troops to attack the troops left by the National Rescue Army defense zone, and eliminate the remnants of the National Rescue Army!"

"In addition, in order to combat the morale and morale of the National Salvation Army, we can also announce in advance that the National Salvation Army commander Zhou Cheng has been eliminated by us in Jinzhong City!"

If Zhou Cheng was really destroyed in Jinzhong City, this news would definitely play a role in hitting the morale of the national rescue army.

But the key to the problem is that Major General Aso on the front line himself is not sure whether Zhou Cheng has been killed.

If Zhou Cheng is not dead and the military headquarters announces to the public that Zhou Cheng is eliminated in Jinzhong City, this matter will definitely turn into a joke, which would be too embarrassing.

The Chief of Staff did not take the order immediately and hesitated for a moment to remind: "General, what if we do not destroy Zhou Cheng in the end?"

"Nothing happens!" the commander replied extremely firmly.

"Even if Zhou Cheng is still alive now, he is trapped in Jinzhong City. I believe Major General Aso can definitely kill him, and this matter is decided."

"Not only should the military headquarters announce this good news to the outside world, the intelligence department should also spread the good news that Zhou Cheng was killed by us in the National Salvation Military Defense Zone, in order to crack down on the morale of the military and civilians in the National Salvation Military Defense Zone."

While the Japanese army was working hard to capture the defense zone of the National Rescue Army, Zhou Cheng, who was disguised, had secretly returned to the National Rescue Army Punishment Command, and the troops who broke through the Jinzhong County also secretly lurked to Shouyang Peace Ding for training.

Since Zhou Cheng came here, the guards around the command center have at least doubled, especially the command center conference room. It is not an exaggeration to describe it as five steps per post and ten steps per sentry. No one else can enter and exit except Chief of Staff Chen Zhengyu, Deputy Chief of Staff Li Honghui, and Deputy Chief of Communications platoon Deng Jinghua.

This incident made the rest of the command center imagine, but no one linked this matter to the leader here.

Li Honghui suddenly appeared at the door of the conference room, and was like a thief, and he crawled into the conference room with a mysterious look on his face.

Seeing Zhou Cheng, the mysterious expression on his face was immediately replaced by a smile. He was very happy to report: "Captain, our results in Jinzhong City have been estimated, and the losses have been counted. The results are greater than we imagined!"

Zhou Cheng became interested after hearing this, and looked at Li Honghui with anticipation and asked: "To be specific, how many Japanese and puppet troops have we killed in Jinzhong County?"

Li Honghui immediately reported: "A preliminary judgment is that we will kill at least 7,000 Japanese and puppet troops in one battle in Jinzhong. In the eyes of the Japanese, the more than 4,000 people stationed in Jinzhong County were destroyed, and you, the regiment commander, died in battle."

"This is a clear telegram just sent by the Japanese Army in Taiyuan, announcing that they will retake Jinzhong and eliminate the 4,000 National Salvation Army and regiment commander."

"In fact, we lost no more than 2,000 people in Jinzhong City. There were 1,652 soldiers who died directly, 398 were seriously injured and lost their combat effectiveness, and more than 2,100 people were left to safely withdraw from Jinzhong County."

"Except for the two garrison troops defending Jinzhong County, they returned to the team as soon as they retreated, all three main battalions lurked in Yangquan and Pingding for replenishment and training."

Zhou Cheng laughed after hearing this: ""The result of the battle is indeed very big!"

"Our original plan was to use Jinzhong County and street fighting to kill 4,000 Japanese and puppet troops, and we would make a fortune. Unexpectedly, we killed more than 7,000 Japanese and puppet troops at less than 2,000 people. On average, each soldier killed four Japanese and puppet troops, and the results were achieved by fighting head-on with the Japanese and puppet troops. No one believed it, and the soldiers fought too well."

"You immediately notify all the battalion commanders participating in the battle in the city. We cannot bring out the bodies of the soldiers who died in Jinzhong City, but we must not forget their names. The company commanders of each battalion must register and no one can miss it. When the battle is over, the regiment headquarters will build a monument for all of them!"

"I will notify the Chief of Staff to add recruits to all participating troops."

"Although the troops left behind in Jinzhong suffered heavy casualties, their backbone and veterans are still there. Our supplementary soldiers have already completed the training of recruits. As long as the supplementary troops are brought one-on-one, it won't take long for them to adapt to the battlefield and form combat effectiveness!"

"Since the Japanese and puppet troops who felt that our troops left behind in Jinzhong had been destroyed and even I died in Jinzhong City, the Japanese and puppet troops would definitely not miss this opportunity to raid our defense zone."

"The Shouyang Garrison and the Pingding Garrison are waiting for their work in the defense zone. The main force of the regiment is ready to participate in the war as an ambush. It will definitely kill the Japanese and puppet troops entering our defense zone and smash the Japanese and puppet troops' large-scale raid against us."

The Second World War Command, after reading a telegram sent by the Communications Staff, the Chief of Staff was in a very complicated mood and could not say whether it was good or bad.

From the perspective of the war zone, this is definitely unprecedented good news.

Because Zhou Cheng was not only listed as a major threat by the Japanese and puppet troops, but also regarded as a potential enemy by the war zone.

As the national rescue army becomes stronger and stronger, the control ability of the national rescue army in the war zone becomes weaker and weaker. Many people are worried that the national rescue army will develop into an uncontrolled warlord unit, which will eventually threaten the security of the war zone.

Now that Zhou Cheng was destroyed by the Japanese and puppet troops in Jinzhong City, this hidden danger is gone.

But from the bottom of my heart, the Chief of Staff was unwilling to see Zhou Cheng being killed.

He is too powerful to fight the Japanese and develops troops better than others.

As long as he is alive, the strength of the National Salvation Army will become stronger and stronger, and more and more Japanese will be eliminated, which will be beneficial to the overall situation of the War of Resistance Against Japan.

But as the chief of staff of the World War II zone, any ideas and decisions must be based on the interests of the theater.

So he could only suppress his thoughts of waiting for Zhou Cheng to live and resolutely implement the combat plan of the war zone against the National Salvation Army.

After sighing, the Chief of Staff slowly calmed down, decisively put those unrealistic ideas behind his mind, and ordered at the door: "Call the intelligence officer immediately, hurry up, I have important tasks for him!"

Deep in the Taihang Mountains, a rapid knock on the door sounded at the division commander's door.

"Sir, something happened!"

"We just received a clear telegram from the Japanese army in Taiyuan, saying that the Japanese army had taken over Jinzhong County and wiped out all the troops left by the National Rescue Army in Jinzhong County. Zhou Cheng, the commander of the National Rescue Army, was also eliminated!"

"Bang..." The division commander's closed door was immediately opened, and then he saw the division commander walk out with a serious look on his face, heading straight to the war room, asking while walking.

"When did this get the message!"

"Did you notify the political commissar? If not, go and notify me now and ask him to go to the war room to meet me immediately!"

"Go to the communications office to ask if you have received any secret telegrams from the National Salvation Army."

"By the way, notify the intelligence department to immediately check the battle process in Jinzhong County. The more detailed the better. I will wait for news in the war room!"

The political commissar rushed to the war room five minutes later. The division commander was already lying on the table to study the map, frowning, obviously he was in a very bad mood at this moment.

"Old guy, what's going on?" The political commissar glanced at the situation in the war room and realized something was wrong. He immediately frowned and asked anxiously.

The division commander handed over the information at hand and looked at the map with a worried introduction.

"This is a clear telegram sent by the Japanese military headquarters in Taiyuan, announcing to the public that they have taken over the Jinzhong County and eliminated all garrisons!"

"The telegram also said that Zhou Cheng was also destroyed by them in Jinzhong City!"

"The intelligence department report: The fire exchange in Jinzhong City has indeed stopped, so the Japanese's clear telegram is 80% true. The only uncertain thing is whether Comrade Zhou Cheng is still alive. This is also the thing I worry about the most!"

"Have the National Salvation Army contacted us?" The political commissar became worried after hearing this and asked anxiously.

The division commander shook his head: "If I received their telegram, I wouldn't be in a hurry here!"

After hearing this, the political commissar was no longer worried and replied with a smile: "Old guy, I think you are too worried!"

"I think it's a good thing for the National Salvation Army to not contact us. This just proves that the clear telegram sent by the Japanese is probably fake."

"Zhou Cheng, the commander of the National Salvation Army, Tang Yufeng, Zheng Yunshan, almost all the cadres above the battalion were from the old Red Army!"

"If Zhou Chengzhen had an accident in Jinzhong County, do you think Tang Yufeng and the others dare not contact the division headquarters?"

"And we have studied it when Comrade Zhou Cheng decided to lead his troops to defend Jinzhong County by himself. This battle is not as simple as it seems. If Zhou Cheng dares to defend Jinzhong alone, then there must be a way to escape. Therefore, the Japanese and puppet troops will never be able to destroy Zhou Cheng in Jinzhong City."

The words woke up the dreamer, and the commander immediately showed an expression of agreement: "The authorities are confused and the bystander are clear, the political commissar, you are right, I am too worried."

"If Zhou Cheng really had an accident in Jinzhong County, Tang Yufeng would definitely contact the division headquarters as soon as possible. The division headquarters has not received their telegram, which means that Zhou Cheng has no accident and he is living well now."

"The reason why the Japanese mistakenly thought something happened to him was that they might be plotting against the Japanese again!"
Chapter completed!