127: As you wish

Inside the japanese Headquarters in Tianjin.

Lieutenant General Kiyoshi Katsuragi's teacup smashed against the wall with a crack, shards of porcelain and tea splattering across the floor.

"Nani~~ Artillery bombardment of the area~~" came Kiyoshi Katsuragi's icy interrogation over the phone: "Mutaguchi, do you know what this means?"

"Hai! I... I request emergency reinforcements!" Mutaguchi Ren's voice was distorted with panic.

"Silence!" The roar made the receiver buzz, "I'll be there tomorrow. I want to know every detail, everything.

If there's a single false report, you'll face court-martial."

The phone was slammed down, and Mutaguchi Ren's receiver clattered to the floor.

"baka! A full-strength battalion plus an artillery company, utterly routed by the Chinese Army—disgraceful~~~"

Kiyoshi Katsuragi pounded the table, roaring, veins bulging on his forehead.

The staff officers stood by, holding their breath.

On the operational map, the red arrow representing the Wenzi Mountain area had been roughly crossed out with a black X.

"The dignity of the Great japanese Imperial Army must not be defiled!" Kiyoshi Katsuragi tore open his uniform collar.

He shouted at the operations officer: "Immediately order the Kwantung Army's Kamikaze Special Forces to rush to the rescue!"

"But, sir..." the officer hesitated, "the Special Forces are preparing for the Rehe operation... Also, Commander Takeshita has high autonomy in operations..."

"This is the highest order from the North China Garrison Army!" Kiyoshi Katsuragi slammed his fist on the table, "Tell the Kwantung Army Headquarters.

If this unit isn't eliminated, the Beijing-Tianjin Strategy cannot advance."

The officer snapped to attention: "Hai~~~"

The next day, sporadic fighting continued. At noon, Lu Fan found He Jifeng.

As soon as they met, he got straight to the point: "Brigade Commander He, I wonder if it's convenient to tell me where General Zhao Dengyu's troops are now?"

"Division Commander Zhao?" He Jifeng was taken aback, "He's leading the 32nd Division to set up defenses around Langfang. Why, Boss Lu, do you know Division Commander Zhao?"

"At the request of an old friend, I need to meet General Zhao."

Lu Fan didn't answer directly, turning to Zhang Tingshu to give an order: "We depart for Langfang this afternoon."

"Understood! I'll organize the team right away."

Receiving the order, Zhang Tingshu immediately jogged off.

"So urgent?" He Jifeng scratched his head, "Should I send a guide..."

"No need." Lu Fan stood up and clasped his hands, "Thank you for your hospitality today, Brigade Commander He. Take care, and we'll meet again someday."

As they left the brigade Headquarters, a light rain was falling from the sky.

By evening, the dirt roads on the outskirts of Daxing, Beijing, had become particularly muddy.

Lu Fan's Security Team didn't complain or tire, marching swiftly along the country paths toward Langfang.

Suddenly, sporadic, disorganized rifle shots rang out.

Soon, the sound was overwhelmed by the crisp, orderly reports of type 38 rifles.

Ah Fu reported the situation first: "Boss, there's a japanese squad 900 meters to the southeast."

"Advance under cover, eliminate all enemies." Zhang Tingshu waved his hand, and the entire team immediately dispersed into the sorghum fields by the roadside.

Pushing through layers of green sorghum stalks, the scene before them made everyone frown.

Over a dozen young people in student uniforms were resisting, relying on a low wall.

Their weapons were a motley assortment: old muskets, hanyang rifles, and even a few hunting guns.

The gunfire was sparse and scattered, clearly running low on ammunition.

Opposite them was a standard japanese squad, about thirty-odd men.

Li Zhenshan's eyes turned red, charging ahead: "Damn it! Even bullying students!"

This old soldier from the Northeast couldn't stand such scenes, grabbing his machine gun and going at it.

Bang~~~

Zhang Tingshu fired his sniper rifle first.

With a crisp sound, a bloody hole suddenly appeared in the japanese squad leader's steel helmet.

Before the japanese could react, Li Zhenshan had already led the assault team to charge out from the flank.

The machine gun fired at full blast, spewing tongues of flame, instantly mowing down seven or eight japanese.

"Enemy attack!" The japanese frantically turned their guns, only to find another team charging out from the other side.

The rapid-fire sound of the type 85 submachine gun was like the scythe of death, cutting down japanese in swathes wherever it passed.

In just three minutes, this japanese squad was surrounded, with not a single survivor left.

The students stared dumbfounded at this mysterious force that had descended from the heavens.

They wore uniforms never seen before, wielded weapons unheard of, and their combat style was terrifyingly efficient.

A female student with a short braid and a face smudged with gunpowder was the first to react.

Her firewood-chopping knife had unknowingly fallen to the ground as she ran up to Lu Fan: "Thank you, sir, for saving our lives!

I'm Lin Yanqiu, a student at Beijing Women's Normal University. These are my classmates from our Anti-Japanese Salvation Corps."

Lu Fan sized up this seemingly delicate but determined girl: "Students should be studying in classrooms. Why come out to fight?"

"Studying?" Lin Yanqiu wiped the black soot from her face, her voice choked, "The gunfire at the Lugou Bridge shattered our desks long ago!

Classmates have died or scattered. We'd rather die fighting than become slaves of a conquered nation!"

Behind her, over a dozen students gathered, supporting each other.

Some had injured arms, hastily bandaged with cloth strips; some had lost their shoes, standing barefoot on the scorching ground.

But everyone's eyes burned with the same unyielding flame as Lin Yanqiu's.

"Sir!" A bespectacled boy suddenly stepped forward and asked: "Which unit are you from?

Can... can you take us in? We may not have fought before, but we're not afraid to die!"

"Nonsense!" Li Zhenshan couldn't help but scold: "Fighting is a life-and-death job. You students..."

"Old Li~~" Lu Fan raised his hand to stop him, turning to the students, "Do you really want to fight the japanese?"

"Yes!" over a dozen voices answered in unison.

Lin Yanqiu stepped forward: "Sir, we may lack experience, but I know first aid and understand japanese;

Wang Mingli is from the Chemistry Department of Yenching University, he can make explosives;

Zhao Guoqiang is from a physical education school, he's strong..."

She listed each classmate's specialties as if counting treasures.

Lu Fan looked at these young people, whose average age was under twenty.

After a moment of silence, he turned to Zhang Tingshu and ordered: "Distribute the captured weapons to them."

"Boss?" Zhang Tingshu was surprised.

"If they want to fight the japanese, they need proper gear."

Lu Fan bent down to pick up a type 38 rifle, deftly ejecting and reloading the magazine, "Remember, always point the muzzle at the enemy."

The students were overjoyed, scrambling to divide the weapons.

But Lin Yanqiu stood still, looking directly at Lu Fan: "Sir, you haven't said where we're going?"

"Langfang, to find General Zhao Dengyu, to fight the japanese!" Lu Fan handed the type 38 rifle to her, "What, scared?"

"Scared?" Lin Yanqiu suddenly smiled.

She deftly loaded the rifle, her movements surprisingly practiced, "During last year's military training, the instructors praised me for having the best marksmanship in the whole school."

Li Zhenshan couldn't help but take another look at the girl, muttering: "She's promising..."

When the team set off again, the Security Team had gained sixteen student soldiers.

They clumsily shouldered their rifles but walked with heads held high.

Lu Fan glanced back at the spirited students, thinking to himself: "I'll do everything I can to let you have your wish~~"