You were tasked with guarding the Sihang Warehouse, and you ended up with a German-equipped division

Chapter 214 Taking Down Two Japanese Divisions? Li Jianghe's Bold Idea

Sitting opposite him, Yang Ruifu pushed up his glasses, looked up, and asked with a smile.

"And now? This commendation order is worthless in your eyes?"

Bai Chengshan chuckled, scratched his head, and a hearty smile appeared on his face.

"Right now, it's nothing, just a blank sheet of paper."

"Nothing beats the thrill and the real action of fighting the Japanese alongside the corps commander, blowing up pillboxes, and raiding warehouses!"

Upon hearing this, Li Jianghe smiled calmly, tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, and suddenly changed the subject.

"Let's not talk about that. How's the situation in Gushi County now?"

Yang Ruifu immediately suppressed his smile, picked up the reconnaissance telegram on the table, and leaned over to report, pointing to the markings on the map.

"After we destroyed the Japanese army's logistics warehouse in Longtan Town, the Japanese offensive in the Gushi direction was delayed for a whole day."

"But the news from the forward reconnaissance team said that the Japanese had transferred a large amount of military supplies from Huainan in just one and a half days."

"All of these supplies were transported to Longtan Town, using more than a thousand trucks."

The people in the command post fell silent, and the air grew heavy.

While Japan's industrial capacity might not be considered top-tier among the world's great powers, it was undoubtedly the best in East Asia.

In China at that time, there wasn't even the capability to mass-produce trucks.

It's highly questionable whether all the trucks in the entire Nationalist Army could be gathered together to have a thousand or more.

However, the Japanese army, with only one corps, was able to mobilize thousands of trucks in a short period of time to transport supplies to the front lines.

This logistical mobilization capability is indeed a truly impressive feat, and it's a gap they have to face squarely.

"The Japanese army's logistical capabilities are indeed not to be underestimated."

Yang Ruifu put down the telegram and couldn't help but sigh, his tone tinged with helplessness.

"The ability to support hundreds of thousands of troops in continuous combat across an area spanning hundreds of kilometers is something we can hardly match."

Li Jianghe nodded, his fingertips slowly tracing the road lines on the map, his tone calm and firm.

"That's absolutely true. So, if we fight the Japanese head-on and wear them down, we'll never be able to outlast them."

"Find a way to destroy their logistical nodes, mobilize their forces, and then find an opportunity to encircle and annihilate their manpower."

"This is the path we should take, the battle we should fight."

At this point, his gaze suddenly sharpened, and his fingertips tapped heavily on the Shihe mark on the map.

"How's the situation along the Shi River?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Ruifu's expression became even more serious, and he shook his head and sighed.

"The Japanese have strengthened their defenses along the Shi River, and have built many observation posts and guard positions along the line."

"It will probably not be so easy to cross the Shi River undetected and launch a surprise attack on the Japanese flank."

"I'm not talking about the section of the river between Gushi and Fujinshan."

Li Jianghe raised his eyes, his fingertip moved upwards, and landed on the Shihe section north of Gushi.

"How's the situation in this area heading north?"

Yang Ruifu was stunned for a moment, then quickly looked down and started flipping through the telegram booklet in his hand.

After a long pause, he finally raised his head, a hint of apology on his face:

"This is not on the main battlefield, so there is very little relevant intelligence."

Upon hearing this, Li Jianghe immediately stood up and gave a stern order to the messenger at the door.

"Immediately send a telegram to the troops at the Gushi front, ordering them to send out reconnaissance troops immediately."

"Conduct a comprehensive reconnaissance of the situation along the Shihe River north of Gushi, and ascertain the Japanese army's troop deployment and positional arrangement."

Upon hearing this, Yang Ruifu suddenly raised his head and looked at Li Jianghe, his eyes filled with shock and realization.

"Commander, are you planning to... march straight into Huainan? We solemnly recommend this book to you: 'You Were Entrusted with Guarding the Sihang Warehouse, Yet You Led Out a German-Equipped Division,' here to read it."

He instantly guessed Li Jianghe's entire plan, and his heart began to race.

They crossed the Shihe River north of Gushi and headed east at the speed of an armored assault force.

Overnight, they could directly rush to the rear of the Japanese army on the northern front—Huainan.

According to intelligence from the Fifth War Zone, this was the main base for Japanese supplies on the northern front.

Even the Longtan Town logistics warehouse that was destroyed earlier was just a transit warehouse that was distributed from Huainan.

If we could capture Huainan, not to mention how much Japanese weaponry, ammunition, and military supplies we could seize.

Most importantly, it could completely cut off the logistical supply of the Japanese 10th and 6th Divisions in the Gushi direction.

They were trapped in a desperate situation where they had run out of ammunition and food.

"That's right. After taking Huainan, we'll turn west."

Li Jianghe traced a sharp arc on the map with his fingertips, his gaze icy, his tone carrying an undeniable certainty.

"Coordinate with friendly forces on the front lines and, to the greatest extent possible, encircle and annihilate the Japanese 10th and 6th Divisions!"

Upon hearing that Li Jianghe actually planned to wipe out two Japanese Class A divisions in one fell swoop, Bai Chengshan, who was standing nearby, couldn't sit still any longer.

He suddenly stood up, his tiger-like eyes wide open, his tone filled with barely suppressed excitement and agitation.

"If we win this battle, our Third Column will definitely become famous throughout the country!"

Yang Ruifu, however, was not so optimistic. His brows were furrowed, and he fell into deep thought.

After a long while, he finally raised his head, his tone tinged with worry, and offered a reminder.

"Commander, this plan is too audacious. We probably don't have enough troops."

He knew better than anyone that the two Japanese divisions in Gushi were both fully equipped and manned Class A divisions.

The total strength amounted to more than 50,000 men, all of whom were battle-hardened elite Japanese soldiers.

In contrast, Li Jianghe could only mobilize about 40,000 troops at most.

In a frontal defensive operation, they are fearless thanks to their fortifications and tactics.

However, this number of troops is far from enough to complete the encirclement and annihilation.

He clearly remembered that the 10th Division and the 20th Division had been surrounded and annihilated, leaving only remnants.

The Fifth War Zone deployed almost all of its main forces, totaling over 100,000 troops, more than twice the size of the Japanese army, before finally winning the battle.

"We can't do it alone. But we're not fighting this battle alone."

Li Jianghe waved his hand, his tone still calm: "Aren't there still the brothers of the Northwest Army?"

"Besides that, there is another force that we can borrow."

Which force?

Yang Ruifu leaned over the map, his brows furrowed, and asked with a puzzled expression.

"It can't be General Zhang from Huangchuan, can it? His troops only number around 20,000."

"Even if we commit all our forces to the front, it will be difficult to stop these two Japanese divisions."

Li Jianghe shook his head, his fingertip moving westward on the map, finally stopping at Xinyang.

"It wasn't just the Northwest Army in Huangchuan, but also Hu Zongnan's troops in Xinyang."

"These are the elite troops of the Central Army, and they also have their own tank units. They have sufficient firepower and manpower."

"If they could also be deployed to this counterattack, then the Japanese 10th and 6th Divisions..."

"Even if they aren't completely annihilated by us, they'll still suffer heavy losses and be severely bruised."

After hearing this, Yang Ruifu's worries not only did not lessen, but intensified, and he couldn't help but ask.

"Commander Hu is always arrogant and looks down on us local troops."

"Would he agree to bring troops to our aid and cooperate with us in the battle?"