169: I'll give you a chance to talk about it.

Lu Fan led several people out of the warehouse to greet the visitors.

Out of respect, he was the first to cup his fists in greeting. "Commander Zhang, I have long heard of your reputation."

General Zhang Zhizhong's gaze swept over the crowd, and he spoke in a calm tone, "I have already heard of the achievements of you brave warriors in today's battle."

"Bombarding the Japanese invaders Headquarters has boosted our military's prestige and strengthened our morale. On behalf of the soldiers at the front lines, I, Zhang, thank you all!"

Facing these well-equipped civilian volunteers with outstanding military achievements, Zhang Zhizhong did not hide his admiration and praised them greatly.

However, a complex light then flashed in his eyes, with a hint of worry buried deep within.

He paused, but his tone shifted slightly. "However, the current war situation is intricate and complex; a single move can affect the whole situation."

"Although the Japanese invaders have suffered setbacks, their air and sea superiority remains, and international perceptions must also be considered."

"The intention of the higher-ups is to hope for a suspension of such... overly aggressive offensive actions, focusing instead on stabilizing the defensive lines."

"I wonder if you brave warriors could..."

Before he could finish, the hot-tempered Li Zhenshan could no longer hold back.

Stepping forward, he questioned loudly with a distinct Northeast accent, "Suspend? Suspend how?"

"During the September 18th Incident, you also told us to hold back like this, and the result was losing the Three Northeastern Provinces."

"Now in Shanghai, the brothers have finally managed to build up some momentum and knock the Little Japs down, and you want us to hold back again?"

"Damn it all! Are we supposed to wait for them to catch their breath and then use their naval guns and planes to bomb us?"

He slapped his chest hard and pointed at his clothes. "General Zhang, look closely. What we're wearing aren't military uniforms."

"We are the Security Team, a group formed by the people ourselves. We don't report to the Military Department!"

"We only follow one principle: when the Japs come, we hit them as hard as we can!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the emotions of the team members behind him were ignited, and they shouted one after another, "Right! We only care about the logic of hitting the Japs."

"Exactly! I shed my old skin and came to Shanghai just to fight the Japs! What, you say stop and we stop?"

"We're the Security Team, and we don't fall under your jurisdiction. We respect you because you're a Commander; if we didn't, you'd be nothing!"

"Exactly! You don't even dare to fight the Japs, so stop bossing us around!"

"Damn it! The Japs are already at our doorstep. If we keep tolerating them, we'll become slaves of a fallen nation!"

"By my ancestors, we don't want to be slaves of a fallen nation!"

"Heads may be severed, blood may be shed, but we'd rather die than be slaves of a fallen nation!"

The surrounding team members were filled with indignation, shouting in agreement, completely unconcerned that the visitor was a Theater Commander-in-Chief.

Lu Fan raised his hand, signaling the team members to be quiet.

He looked at Zhang Zhizhong, his tone calm but unquestionable. "General Zhang, you see the current situation."

"In the face of the destruction of our nation and race, I cannot fulfill your request. We must kill these Japs!"

"Rebellion! This is rebellion! You bunch of mud-legs have gone too far!" An aide-de-camp behind Zhang Zhizhong stepped out from the crowd.

He raised his white-gloved hand and pointed at the crowd, rebuking them sharply, "This is not a negotiation with you; this is an order!"

Lu Fan looked over; the aide-de-camp had a fair complexion, wore gold-rimmed glasses, and had a slightly arrogant look in his eyes.

His clothes were spotless, and his leather shoes were so polished they could show a reflection.

Through the nameplate on his chest, Lu Fan knew this was Major General Staff Officer Chen Ming.

He pushed up his glasses and gave a cold snort. "Hmph, don't think you can be so arrogant just because you've won a few small battles."

"If it weren't for our entire Army Group pinning them down for you, would you have been able to win? It's nothing but reckless courage!"

Chen Ming's tone not only carried the typical arrogance of a bureaucrat.

But he also skillfully fabricated things out of thin air, stubbornly claiming the Security Team's credit as his own.

Lu Fan had seen shameless people before, but never someone this shameless.

Lu Fan, Brigade Commander Huang Meixin, and the others could endure this, but Li Zhenshan would not tolerate his nonsense.

He pulled up his mask and spat directly next to Chen Ming's shiny leather shoes.

Then, he questioned irritably, "Why don't you tell us how many shots you fired on the battlefield and how many japanese you pinned down?"

"Damn it, drinking tea and reading newspapers in the office all day long—do you even know what a Jap looks like?"

"Come on, I'll give you a chance. Speak your piece."

Chen Ming's face turned pale and then flushed with anger from being rebuffed.

He tried his best to remain calm, gritting his teeth as he forced an explanation, "That's because you haven't seen our silent contributions behind the scenes!"

"Heh," Li Zhenshan sneered. "We really didn't see it. How about you contribute in front of us next time?"

"You're always doing little things behind our backs; why don't you come to the front and contribute?"

"I'm just asking, is what you do so shameful that it can't be seen? If there's credit to be had, speak up!"

Once Li Zhenshan spoke, Chen Ming was left speechless.

At the same time, these words drew a burst of loud laughter, and the team members behind him began to mock him.

"Damn your ancestors! You're nowhere to be found during the fighting, but you're first in line to snatch the credit!"

"You idiot! You pretty boy, if you'd even stepped onto the front line today, the credit would be yours!"

"You useless prick! Good for nothing except being number one at stealing credit. If you have the guts, come with your grandpa for another round of killing. Do you dare?"

"With that pathetic look of yours, I bet you don't even know which way the gate of the japanese Naval Headquarters building opens!"

Their words drove Chen Ming into a rage, and in his desperation, he resorted to his ultimate move: pinning a huge blame on them.

With his hands on his hips and eyes wide with anger, he shouted, "What do you mud-legs know?!"

"Do you realize that your actions have disrupted the entire strategic deployment? You've sabotaged the higher-ups' peaceful efforts for a diplomatic solution!"

"If this triggers even more frantic retaliation from the Japanese Army, can you bear the responsibility?"

"You are disregarding the big picture and sabotaging the War of Resistance!"

This distorted, high-sounding bureaucratic talk completely infuriated everyone.

Lu Fan's eyes turned cold. He didn't even bother to refute it himself and simply gave Li Zhenshan a look.

Li Zhenshan had been holding back his anger for a long time. Upon receiving the signal, he didn't say a word and took a large stride forward.

Under the astonished gazes of everyone, he swung his massive, fan-like hand.

*Slap!*

A thunderous slap landed directly on Chen Ming's face, sending his gold-rimmed glasses flying!

"Ah!" Chen Ming cried out in pain, clutching his face as he stumbled back, both shocked and furious. "You... you dare..."

"I'm hitting exactly the kind of spineless coward who talks out of his ass!" Li Zhenshan roared.

Almost simultaneously, a tall team member wearing a combat mask, whose face could not be clearly seen, suddenly stepped forward.

He denounced them passionately, "Open your eyes and look at the Occupied territories."

"Every inch of land fought over is filled with the lives of our brothers."

"With one light sentence from you, you call for a ceasefire just like that. What about the brothers who died?"

"They... they were only how old... do you even know? Did they... did they die for nothing?"

As he spoke, he began to choke up, and tears flowed freely from his eyes.

He pointed his finger at Chen Ming and accused him, "Don't think I don't know where you came from. If it weren't for Wang Jingwei, would you have landed this position?"

"People like you, drawing high salaries and shouting cheap slogans—what else can you do besides pinning labels on others and holding us back?"

"Peace talks? What peace talks can there be with invaders who slaughter our compatriots?"

"Only fighting!"

"Hit them until it hurts! Hit them until they're afraid!"

"Only then can true peace be achieved!"

These words were powerful and resonant, like a grand bell, speaking the heartfelt thoughts of all the soldiers who fought bloody battles.

The Security Team Members roared in unison, "Kill all the japanese and return our beautiful land!"