The Mysterious Soldier of the Anti-Japanese War

Chapter 390 The Japanese Army's Plan and Zhao Fugui's Dilemma

Meanwhile, inside the Japanese headquarters in the county seat, the atmosphere was suffocatingly heavy. Captain Ando Yamano's face was grim, veins bulging on his forehead. After listening to his men's report, he slapped the soldier twice, cursing, "Baka!" The soldier stood at attention and yelled, "Hey!" Ando Yamano continued his fury, "A small mountain stronghold, a bunch of ragtag men, and yet we've suffered such heavy losses!"

Zhao Fugui, the captain of the puppet cavalry squadron, stood nearby, head bowed, not daring to breathe. He knew that the Japanese army had suffered a great loss this time, and as a puppet soldier, his life would not be easy either.

Ando Yamano suppressed his rage and ordered an emergency meeting. Soon, Japanese officers and Zhao Fugui hurried to the meeting room. Ando Yamano swept his cold gaze over the crowd and declared, "The complete annihilation of the Imperial Japanese Army's Women's Advance Team, the task force, and the reinforcement team is a disgrace to us! The man known as the 'Ghost Assassin' and his followers must be eliminated!"

A Japanese major stood up, saluted, and said, "Captain, we must be fully prepared this time and cannot underestimate the enemy. They have the advantage of being familiar with the terrain and are skilled in guerrilla tactics. We need to change our strategy."

Ando Yamano nodded, then pondered for a moment before saying, "This time, we can't disperse our forces like we did last time. All members of the infantry battalion will be dispatched, and the cavalry squadron will be responsible for outflanking and encircling them. We must capture them all in one fell swoop." He paused, then looked at Zhao Fugui, "Captain Zhao, your puppet troops are relatively familiar with the local conditions. This time, you must be at the forefront."

Although Zhao Fugui was reluctant, he had no choice but to agree: "Yes, Madam, we will do our best."

Ando Yamano continued, "Also, we need to strengthen intelligence gathering. Our previous ignorance of their strength and tactics led to such a disastrous defeat. I will send more scouts and traitors to infiltrate the surrounding villages and gather intelligence on them, especially the whereabouts of the 'Ghost Assassin' and their plans of action."

A Japanese lieutenant suggested, "Captain, they may be anticipating another encirclement and suppression attempt. Will they move ahead or set up a more formidable ambush?"

Ando Yamano sneered, "No matter what tricks they play, we will crush them this time with our overwhelming military superiority. Send a small force to explore and understand their defensive deployment first, and then the main force will follow up. Once we find their traces, we must not give them any chance to breathe."

Zhao Changli nodded and bowed quickly, echoing with a flattering face: "Your Excellency is wise! Once you implement this strategy, those rebels will be powerless. We underestimated them before. This time, with your Excellency personally commanding the troops, we will surely achieve a great victory!" As he spoke, he glanced at Zhao Fugui intentionally or unintentionally, and said with a hint of meaning: "But don't worry, Your Excellency. We are all loyal to the Imperial Army, especially Captain Zhao. We will definitely spare no effort. After all, Your Excellency brought his mother to the county town to live a good life, and she is served with delicious food and drink every day. Captain Zhao must be very grateful for your kindness, right, Captain Zhao?"

When Zhao Fugui heard this, his heart skipped a beat and his face turned pale and red. He hurriedly smiled apologetically: "Yes, yes, Madam and Commander Zhao, don't worry, I will try my best and will never be vague." Zhao Changli looked at Zhao Fugui's reaction, smiled with satisfaction, then turned to Ando Yamano and said: "Madam, Captain Zhao has always been a filial man, he will definitely not let us down." Ando Yamano nodded slightly, his eyes fell on the military map again.

After the meeting, Ando Yamano called Zhao Fugui into his office again and threatened him, "Captain Zhao, if you mess up tomorrow's mission again, you know the consequences. If you, the Imperial Japanese Army, don't do your best, the Imperial Japanese Army will show no mercy."

Zhao Fugui was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat and nodded repeatedly: "Don't worry, Madam Madam, we will serve you at the risk of our lives."

Coming out of the headquarters, Zhao Fugui was filled with turmoil. He knew that this encirclement and suppression campaign was likely a one-way trip, but he dared not disobey the Japanese army's orders.

He walked quickly with his head lowered, cursing fiercely in his heart: "Damn Zhao Changli, ever since you led us to surrender to the devils and became this despised traitor, I haven't had a single day of peace. I thought I could just make a living and not be too bad, but I didn't expect that you, a bastard, would bring my mother to the county town just to please Ando Yamano. This is not taking care of me, it's clearly cutting off my escape route! Now, Ando Yamano wants me to outflank him, but is that "Ghost Assassin" so easy to deal with? He's obviously using me as cannon fodder. What should I do if anything happens to me?"

The more Zhao Fugui thought about it, the angrier he became. He paused and subconsciously clenched his fists. But when he thought of the brutality of the Japanese army, his shoulders slumped again. His face was full of helplessness and despair, and he could only drag his heavy steps and walk home step by step.

Ando Yamano began to deploy troops in full swing, preparing to launch another encirclement and suppression campaign.