sjar Chapter 1197 I'll Add a Special Agent Battalion for You
Chapter 1197 I'll Add a Special Agent Battalion for You
"Report, Special Operations Battalion Commander Xu Changshan..."
Looking at the time, Li Shaoyi had been gone for half an hour. Ma Leizi summoned the battalion commander of the Fourth Army's Special Service Battalion. This guy used to be from the Military Intelligence Bureau, but was later assigned to the Fourth Army. With Ma Leizi's support, he established the Fourth Army's Special Service Battalion, and has been learning from the Military Intelligence Bureau's action team for a while now.
"We have an important small detachment that is currently on its way to Huangpu. Their mission is to take down the Japanese intelligence gathering center in East China. You immediately select your best men, not too many, around two or three hundred, and have them infiltrate East China as quickly as possible. You can talk to me about anything normally, but now that we need you, tell me everything if you encounter any difficulties. But if you fail to complete the mission, I will remove you from your post."
Ma Leizi remembered what Li Shaoyi had told him; this was truly a case of one level suppressing another. Originally, Ma Leizi didn't want the special operations battalion to go, but considering Li Shaoyi's safety, and that the special operations battalion had already completed their training and wouldn't be doing anything by just staying here, he decided to let them go deep behind enemy lines to do what they were supposed to do.
"Don't worry, Commander. The brothers are practically bored out of their minds every day. I'll go back and immediately order my men to set off. This time, I'll lead the team myself."
Xu Changshan didn't waste any words; his eyes burned with the desire to make a name for himself. He had originally thought that taking down the command post of a nearby division would be a significant mission. He hadn't expected them to send him straight to Pujiang; this was truly a favor. If they succeeded, their special operations battalion would be famous throughout the region.
The special operations battalion receives far more funding and weaponry during training than other departments. Those guys have no decency when they talk; they say things like, "We're born of concubines, favored by our mothers, and that's why we get so much money. If we were to get diarrhea on the battlefield, that would be truly shameful."
The special operations battalion also wanted to take a look around the battlefield, but there wasn't a suitable battlefield nearby. Ma Leizi had also heard from the people in the military intelligence department that the special operations battalion should be used in the right place; they weren't meant for siege warfare, but rather for carrying out special missions like this.
But where would the Fourth Army get so many special missions? Now, finally, they've got one. Ma Leizi also threw the special operations battalion out to show the other units that they weren't just eating all that flour for nothing; while the other troops were carrying out special missions, the combat units were just watching from the sidelines, unable to help at all.
At the same time, Ma Leizi ordered one of Zhang Haiguang's tank regiments to quickly advance south along the coast of northern Jiangsu, getting close to the Huangpu River. It's important to understand that the entire coast of northern Jiangsu is mudflats, and the Japanese have virtually no troops in this area. If we simply need to be physically close to the Huangpu River, our tank regiment can quickly advance directly there should something happen to Li Shaoyi's side.
A single tank regiment might not amount to much, but when our tank regiment appears nearby, it can draw away some of the surrounding forces for Li Shaoyi. If Li Shaoyi is willing to retreat towards the tank regiment, then our tank regiment can charge towards him, ensuring his safety.
Many people within the Fourth Army were not quite aware of Ma Leizi's arrangements. Since it was a classified mission, there was no point in letting too many people know about it, so they simply announced to the public that a special training exercise would be conducted.
Twenty li southwest of the Fourth Army headquarters.
Li Shaoyi and his men had been out for some time. Miss Gu held a telegram in her hand, a telegram they had just intercepted from the Fifth War Zone. This telegram was sent from the Fifth War Zone Command to the Ministry of Military Affairs.
"When the 3rd Regiment of the 14th Division retreated to Wen County, they encountered a Japanese infantry battalion. They had clearly scouted the area beforehand and found no Japanese troops there, so it seems they were deployed there last night. The 3rd Regiment itself suffered heavy losses, with only about 1000 men left, and now they have all been killed in action."
Sitting in the carriage, Li Shaoyi grew increasingly grave upon hearing this news. These Japanese soldiers had learned how to fight; they wouldn't engage the 72nd Army in direct combat on the battlefield, but instead deliberately targeted these ragtag units. Furthermore, their ability to gather intelligence from the surrounding area, specifically choosing the weakest targets, was also a way to inflict casualties on our forces.
"We can't drag this out any longer. These Japanese devils have figured out their pattern. If they continue like this, it will throw the ragtag troops currently on the battlefield into disarray. Once they start running around recklessly, the Fifth War Zone will be finished. I estimate that the Fifth War Zone is just a testing ground for them, and they will eventually expand it to the whole country."
Li Shaoyi hadn't expected an information gathering center to be so powerful. Now, analyzing the whole situation, if they manage to bring down the Fifth War Zone with this thing, then other war zones will also establish similar information gathering centers, which would be a real problem for our various miscellaneous armies.
Despite their lackluster combat effectiveness on the battlefield, they tied down a significant number of Japanese troops. Without these miscellaneous units, our war effort wouldn't have reached this point. According to Li Shaoyi, they were crucial to the overall battlefield effort.
"We need to contact the Fifth War Zone now. I estimate that the Japanese can also decipher the telegrams I have deciphered. So we will pass on the telegrams we have deciphered to the Fifth War Zone to minimize their losses."
Although Miss Gu and her group were on a march, there were two horse-drawn carts carrying straw behind them. Inside the straw carts were special spaces with dedicated communication equipment, all powered by hand-cranked generators. Therefore, the number of telegrams intercepted was definitely not large.
"Every little bit helps. Don't send telegrams to the people in the Fifth War Zone. I'll find someone to relay the message."
Li Shaoyi had heard a few days ago that several operations staff officers in the Fifth War Zone had made contact with the Japanese. If you were to contact the Fifth War Zone directly, we would be exposed. The Japanese would definitely strengthen their defenses, making it much more difficult for us to carry out this mission in the future, and they might even hide the entire intelligence gathering center.
Li Shaoyi's choice was naturally Dai Li. He also had a group of elite generals under his command, so having him personally handle this matter would likely minimize the chance of a leak within the party and the state.