118: Chapter 118 Directing from the Rear! He's Gone Mad!

Eighth Route Army Headquarters.

The Deputy Commander paced back and forth in front of the map, hands behind his back, having lost count of how many laps he had made.

The Chief of Staff, the Division Commander, and several other Chiefs were either sitting or standing, smoking cigarette after cigarette. The small operations room was filled with a thick haze of smoke.

They knew that the battle at He County had already begun.

Earlier, they had received the first urgent telegram from the Brigade Commander, learning that the Japanese had actually assembled four artillery regiments and were preparing to conduct indiscriminate shelling on He County.

The Chiefs had all slammed the table and stood up, filled with both shock and fury.

"Beasts! Absolute beasts!" one Leader shouted, his hands trembling with rage. "They won't even spare the civilians!"

The Deputy Commander's face was ashen, his fists clenched so tight his knuckles cracked.

Could He County hold out?

Would those hard-earned assets—the Arms Factory equipment that carried so many hopes, and the precious gear sent by Mr. Shen... truly be destroyed along with everything else?

Just as this suffocating pressure reached its peak, the second telegram arrived.

"Katyusha Battalion volley fired! Four enemy artillery regiments have been basically destroyed!"

It was just a short line of text, but it was like a bolt of lightning cutting through dark clouds, leaving everyone in the cave dwelling stunned.

"Taken out? All of them?"

The Chief of Staff snatched the telegram and read it again in disbelief, his face instantly flushing with wild joy.

"Good! Well fought! Mr. Shen has rendered a great service!"

However, before they could even process this surprise, a third brief telegram arrived:

"Our forces have launched an all-out offensive and are currently pursuing the routed enemy."

"Pursuing?" The Deputy Commander's brow furrowed, and the heart that had just settled was hanging in suspense again. "Ten thousand men, chasing down a hundred thousand routed troops?"

The cave dwelling fell silent once more.

The Chiefs were both delighted and nervous!

They were delighted that the Japanese artillery had been successfully eliminated, half-solving the siege of He County!

But they were nervous because ten thousand men pursuing a hundred thousand-strong army sounded unreasonable no matter how they looked at it!

It had always been one Japanese soldier chasing ten Nationalist Army soldiers!

For instance, a Japanese battalion of about a thousand men would often chase and fight an entire Nationalist Army division!

While the overall quality of the Eighth Route Army was much higher than the Nationalist Army, their equipment couldn't compare. In terms of comprehensive combat power, they were actually about the same.

Now, ten thousand Eighth Route Army troops were chasing down a hundred thousand Japanese and Puppet Army?

It was truly surreal!

Even though their equipment had improved, this was still an unprecedented experience!

The Chief of Staff put down the telegram and shook his head with a bitter smile. "Deputy Commander, this sounds... how can it be so far-fetched?"

Another Leader chimed in, his tone also full of disbelief. "Yes, this battle is truly the first of its kind since the beginning of time!"

"No matter how powerful the gear Mr. Shen brought is, the disparity in troop numbers is still... if the Japanese snap out of it during the pursuit and organize a counterattack or have an ambush..."

The Deputy Commander shook his head.

The Brigade Commander's order to pursue was correct!

Opportunities on the battlefield are fleeting. It was absolutely right to seize the optimal moment when the Japanese were terrified and their formations were in chaos to expand the results of the battle!

If they didn't beat the Japanese until it hurt and they were afraid, the cost when they caught their breath and returned would be even greater.

Everyone understood the logic.

But understanding was one thing; this situation of 'the few chasing the many' simply exceeded all their past wartime experience.

For a moment, The Chiefs' emotions were incredibly complex!

Time passed minute by minute.

The sky outside the window turned from a dusty yellow to pitch black.

The lamp wicks in the cave were trimmed brighter, but the light didn't seem to dispel the tension hanging in the air.

No one had the heart to eat. The water in the tea mugs grew cold and was refilled, only to grow cold again.

The Chiefs stopped pacing and sat down, but their fingers unconsciously tapped on the table.

They discussed various possibilities and simulated situations that might occur during the pursuit, sometimes getting excited over a possible victory and sometimes frowning at potential risks.

Until—

"Report!"

The heavy cotton curtain was suddenly thrown open, and the Communications Staff Officer responsible for direct contact with He County practically rushed in, clutching a freshly printed telegram.

"Urgent telegram from He County! A great victory! An unprecedented great victory!"

The Communications Staff Officer took a deep breath and tried to read it clearly and loudly:

"The Brigade Commander reports that after a day of fierce fighting, our units have killed, wounded, or captured a total of over thirty-five thousand Japanese and Puppet Army on the outskirts of He County and during the pursuit!"

"Among them, approximately twenty thousand were Japanese and fifteen thousand were Puppet Army! We have completely destroyed four artillery regiments, including the Japanese 36th and 37th Field Artillery Regiments, the 2nd Independent Field Heavy Artillery Regiment, and the Independent Mixed 3rd Brigade Artillery Unit!"

"The offensive forces of the 36th Division, 37th Division, and Independent Mixed 3rd Brigade have been routed, and the remnants have scattered into the mountains!"

"Our army has captured countless supplies! And... and we have once again captured three Japanese regimental banners!"

"Our unit's casualties are minimal, and not a single piece of major equipment was lost! He County and the Arms Factory are intact!"

The staff officer finished reading, but a momentary deathly silence fell over the cave.

Thirty-five thousand enemies eliminated?

And three more regimental banners captured?

The little Japs were beaten so badly they fled into the mountains?

The Chiefs were dumbfounded as they listened.

"How... how many?" One Leader picked at his ear, thinking he had misheard.

"Thirty-five thousand! And three banners!" someone next to him murmured, his eyes wide.

"Good heavens..." someone gasped.

Immediately following—

"Good!!!"

"Well fought! Hahahaha!"

"Beautifully done! This is so inspiring!"

The cave dwelling instantly erupted in excitement!

The Chiefs stood up abruptly; some slapped their thighs hard, some pounded each other's shoulders, and some laughed toward the ceiling with tears glistening in the corners of their eyes.

The Deputy Commander clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white, his chest heaving violently.

The Chief of Staff took off his glasses, wiped the lenses vigorously, and put them back on.

"Unbelievable... truly unbelievable..."

The results of this battle were simply too glorious!

So glorious that The Chiefs hardly dared to believe it!

Not only had they repelled an army of a hundred thousand, but they had eliminated over thirty-five thousand!

This was on par with the Hundred Regiments Offensive!

Most importantly, this was on a frontal battlefield!

Both sides had squared off for a head-on collision!

While the Eighth Route Army's use of rockets could be seen as a surprise attack, the Japanese had first tried to 'besiege a point to strike reinforcements' and then planned to shell He County—weren't they playing tricks too?

It could only be said that it came down to who was tougher!

Therefore, the significance of this victory was absolutely monumental!

No guerrilla warfare, no sneak attacks—just a fair and square elimination of the enemy!

The Chiefs at Headquarters knew all too well what this meant!

Many even cried out of excitement!

After the wild joy, the Deputy Commander took several deep breaths, forcing down his surging emotions.

"Immediately!"

"Use the top-secret radio to send the detailed battle report, word for word, to The Rear Area!"

The matter was too big; what to do next was no longer for the Deputy Commander to decide.

When The Rear Area received this earth-shattering battle report, the shock and wild joy it caused were not one bit less than at Headquarters.

That... ahem, the process... won't be described in detail.

The Rear Area held an overnight meeting!

Soon, an instruction personally drafted by... ahem, was sent back to the Eighth Route Army Headquarters...