Chapter 43: Not a Single Strand

"Commander, just as you predicted, those puppets really did shell the second line of defense first." Zhang Dabiao watched the scene through his binoculars, his admiration for Li Yunlong deepening once again.

Zhang Dabiao had originally served in the Nationalist Army and was well-versed in positional warfare. However, he was not yet particularly proficient in guerrilla tactics. Seeing how skillfully Li Yunlong employed such tactics now, he was genuinely impressed.

"Dabiao, let me test you," Li Yunlong said, looking at him. "Do you think we should continue to set an ambush at the key pass of the third line of defense, or should we withdraw?"

"Well," Zhang Dabiao pondered for a moment before answering, "Commander, it's hard to say. If things go wrong, these puppet troops might start shelling again."

"They won't be firing their artillery anymore," Li Yunlong shook his head.

"Why not?" Zhang Dabiao asked, suspicious.

"You've seen how many shells those six guns of theirs have fired. By my estimation, they must have used up a fifth of their ammunition," Li Yunlong said. "They've burned through a fifth of their shells without even scratching a hair on our heads. Do you really think that Japanese company commander will just sit by and watch Jiang Deshui waste any more?"

"That makes sense," Zhang Dabiao nodded, then said to Li Yunlong, "Then we should deploy our ambush at the key pass of the third line of defense..."

Before Zhang Dabiao could finish, Li Yunlong shook his head and interrupted him again: "No, that's not how you play the guerrilla game."

"Commander, I don't quite understand what you mean," Zhang Dabiao said, puzzled.

"Put yourself in Jiang Deshui's shoes for a moment. If the key pass of the third line can't be shelled first, what would he do?" Li Yunlong prompted him.

He needed to get Zhang Dabiao familiar with guerrilla tactics as quickly as possible and cultivate his abilities. Eventually, Zhang Dabiao would have to command on his own; Li Yunlong wouldn't always be there. Or rather, Li Yunlong couldn't be expected to personally direct every single battle. A qualified officer shouldn't be fighting every engagement himself, but rather enabling his subordinates to achieve victory through their own intellect and skill.

Zhang Dabiao quickly caught on: "If Jiang Deshui can't use his artillery, he will certainly concentrate his superior numbers for an assault. If we insist on setting an ambush, even if we hold the terrain advantage, the enemy's artillery will undoubtedly be brought back into play without hesitation, and our casualties would certainly be heavy."

"Exactly, that's right," Li Yunlong replied. Zhang Dabiao’s mind was quick, making him easy to instruct.

"Yes, Commander, I will go and withdraw our forces from the key pass of the third line of defense immediately."

"Go ahead."

***

"Well? How many of those 'Earth Eighth Route' soldiers did we blow up?" Seeing over a thousand soldiers storming the key pass of the second line of defense, Jiang Deshui immediately asked his subordinate officer.

"Sir, the Earth Eighth Route are too cunning," the puppet regiment commander replied. "We haven't found a single one of them. There's nothing left there but the craters from our shells."

"Impossible, that's absolutely impossible," Jiang Deshui refused to believe it. "They withdrew from the first line of defense, so why would they also withdraw from the second?"

"Sir, I don't want to believe it either, but it's the truth," the regiment commander replied.

"Damn those Earth Eighth Route! They must be at the key pass of the third line. Quickly, bring the artillery..." Before Jiang Deshui could finish his sentence, Fujimura Yeno walked over.

"Jiang Deshui, did the shelling just now yield any results?" Fujimura asked, staring at him.

"Sir, the Earth Eighth Route are too cunning. My two rounds of shelling didn't yield anything!"

"Baka!" Fujimura yelled immediately upon hearing this. "You've used up a fifth of our shells and haven't even blown up a single one of them! Do you think the shells of our Imperial Army are inexhaustible?"

"Sir, please believe me, the Earth Eighth Route must be at the next key pass. This time, my shelling will surely..." Jiang Deshui promised.

"Baka! Until the trace of the Earth Eighth Route is confirmed, you are forbidden from wasting any more shells!" Fujimura barked, cutting him off.

"Sir, then, then..." Jiang Deshui stammered.

Fujimura said again, "What is it? Was I not clear enough?"

"Yes, sir, I understand. No sight of the Earth Eighth Route, no shelling," Jiang Deshui nodded.

"Hurry up, it will be dark in two hours," Fujimura said. "If this poor performance is reported to the Gendarmerie and I am reprimanded, don't blame me for being ruthless with you."

"Yes, yes, sir, please believe me, please believe me," Jiang Deshui nodded repeatedly.

After Fujimura left, Jiang Deshui immediately summoned his three regiment commanders: "Gather the strength of all three regiments and charge together."

"Yes!" The three commanders responded and immediately went to execute the order.

The puppet soldiers from the three regiments quickly organized their formation and charged toward the next target pass. Although they couldn't see a single trace of the Earth Eighth Route, they fired their weapons as they charged, making a great deal of noise. Yet, there was absolutely no sign of return fire from the target pass.

"Sir, could it be that the Earth Eighth Route aren't at this target pass either?" The adjutant leaned in to ask, suspicious that there was no return fire.

"Don't jump to conclusions," Jiang Deshui said, trying to remain calm. "The Earth Eighth Route are very cunning; they often wait until our soldiers are close before opening fire."

"In the past, the Earth Eighth Route waited until we were close because they lacked ammunition and wanted to maximize their damage with limited resources," the adjutant said. "But the New First Regiment has sufficient weapons and ammunition now; do they still need to do that?"

"Don't jump to conclusions," Jiang Deshui knew this, of course, but given the situation, there was no turning back.

Night was approaching, and his casualties had already exceeded a company’s worth. Yet, he hadn't even caught a single hair of the Earth Eighth Route. If such a record were reported to Hirata Ichiro, and Fujimura Yeno were reprimanded by him, he certainly wouldn't have a good end either. He could only pin his hopes on the idea that the Earth Eighth Route were holding back—that they were there, they had to be there.

Jiang Deshui hoped the Earth Eighth Route were at this target pass, but were they? Of course, they were not.

The puppet soldiers from the three regiments rushed to the target pass, prepared to engage in a fierce battle with the ambushing forces. But their pent-up morale had nowhere to go but the empty air. It was like smashing a fist into a void.

"Sir, the Earth Eighth Route are not here," the puppet regiment commander reported to Jiang Deshui.

"These cunning Earth Eighth Route! They are simply too hard to deal with!" Jiang Deshui cursed incessantly.

"Well? Did you fail to hit the Earth Eighth Route again?" Fujimura Yeno, hearing no sounds of return fire, asked Jiang Deshui with a sour look.