136: Chapter 136 Diamond-level mission, complete!

He County Headquarters.

Having received the "Imperial Sword" of full authority to act as they saw fit, the Chief of Staff and the others no longer had any misgivings.

"Orders!" the Chief of Staff shouted, his voice resonant and filled with an indomitable spirit.

"All reconnaissance units, except for essential personnel staying behind, set out immediately!"

"Objectives: Hu County, Gao County, Ling County, Jincheng, and all other important towns in Southeast Shanxi that have not yet been liberated!"

"I'm giving you twenty-four hours—no, eighteen hours! I want to see detailed enemy intelligence, defensive layouts, and topographical maps of these locations on my desk!"

"Order all participating units to seize this final moment to rest and resupply! Tanks, vehicles, and artillery must be in peak condition!"

"Order the logistics department to ensure a full supply of ammunition, fuel, and food!"

"In this battle, what we want is no longer just five counties and one city, but the entirety of Southeast Shanxi!"

"Yes, sir!"

The orders were issued instantly. The Eighth Route Army units, having just finished a high-speed assault, resumed their efficient operations without a moment's rest.

The troops, who should have needed rest after a high-intensity blitzkrieg, showed no signs of fatigue. Instead, they burst forth with even more astonishing passion and efficiency than before!

"Quick! Quick! Check your gear, resupply ammunition! Fill up the fuel!" The voices of the battalion and company officers were hoarse, but their eyes shone with frightening intensity.

While nimbly loading bullets into their magazines, the soldiers chatted excitedly. Not a trace of weariness could be found on their faces, only high morale and eager anticipation.

"Hey! We just took City Name, and now we're fighting again? This is satisfying! Damn satisfying!"

"You bet! Last night's battle felt like a dream! We hadn't even warmed up before the red flag was planted!"

"This is great; we're going to take all of Southeast Shanxi! Once we're done, how big will our base area be?"

"I wonder if there are any... regimental banners? Mr. Shen seems to value those things quite a lot."

"Who cares! Just follow the tanks and charge! With our current momentum, we'll kill any god or Buddha that stands in our way!"

"Be quick about it! Don't let the brothers from other regiments beat us to it!"

An unprecedented sense of absolute confidence, built upon their brilliant victories, permeated every unit.

The miracle of liberating five counties and one city overnight had greatly boosted morale, bringing their understanding of and trust in their weapons and new tactics to a peak.

Conversely, in places like Hu County, Gao County, and Ling County, the devils and Puppet Army inside the cities were mostly still in a state of ignorant confusion.

Some Old Devils sensed that something was different in the air, but they didn't know what had happened.

The county towns were far apart, communication was difficult, and because the Eighth Route Army had moved so quickly last night, these devils still didn't know what had transpired in City Name.

This was why The Chiefs had agreed to Shen Wang's suggestion; while they valued his input, they also felt this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Once the news spread and the devils were prepared, it would be difficult to replicate the miracle of the five counties and one city.

If nothing else, if the devils dug anti-tank trenches outside the county towns, it would be very hard to launch a tank assault.

Fortunately, the news had not yet leaked.

The garrisons in Hu County and elsewhere continued their daily routine of patrolling and drilling, only vaguely sensing that the atmosphere was unusual without being able to put their finger on why.

This absolute lag in information created near-perfect conditions for the Eighth Route Army's second lightning strike.

With the successful experience of the first blitzkrieg, this reconnaissance operation was astonishingly efficient.

The scouts no longer needed to spread out completely and test the waters cautiously as they had the first time.

Their objectives were extremely clear, and their routes led straight to the vitals: the devil headquarters, main barracks, ammunition depots...

For routine information like wall defenses and sentry distributions, they only performed quick verifications.

The efficiency was incredible!

In less than twelve hours, before the sky had even turned completely dark, a detailed map of the remaining major towns' defenses in Southeast Shanxi was delivered to the desk of the He County Headquarters.

"Good! Excellent!"

The Chief of Staff slapped his hands together as he looked at the new targets marked with red circles on the map: Hu County, Gao County, Ling County, and Jincheng.

"The reconnaissance missions of all units were completed brilliantly! The enemy situation is clear, our morale is high, and the window of opportunity is fleeting!"

The Division Commander, Brigade Commander, and others gathered quickly, and the operational plan took shape almost simultaneously during their discussion.

"The same old method: advance on multiple fronts and strike simultaneously!"

"Tanks will lead the way to strike at the heart! Focus on hitting their command systems and concentrated forces!"

"Each attacking unit can flexibly apply the experience from the first operation based on their specific target characteristics; there's no need to stick to a single pattern!"

"Attack time—midnight tonight! Catch them completely off guard!"

The orders were quickly dispatched.

The units under Li Yunlong, Kong Jie, and Ding Wei quickly prepared themselves.

At exactly midnight, the steel torrent set out once again!

Dividing into several routes like unsheathed swords, they silently yet unstoppably pierced into the remaining heartland of Southeast Shanxi!

Hu County, Gao County, Ling County, Jincheng...

The experienced Eighth Route Army assault units were truly like tigers descending from the mountains this time, skillfully utilizing their advantages in night vision, firepower, and speed.

The preliminary bombardment was more precise and lethal, often consisting of just a few tank shells or a rapid volley from the Type 107 rockets.

The assault routes were chosen more cunningly, striking weak points or directly interspersing, while the infantry followed up to clear the area with even greater speed and coordination.

Resistance?

It was practically non-existent!

At the vast majority of targets, there was almost no organized resistance to speak of.

The devil defenders in many strongholds were awakened from their dreams by the loud crash of tanks smashing through walls or were stunned by the explosions of sudden shelling on their headquarters.

Before they could even pick up their weapons to organize a defensive line, they were completely crushed by the surging steel torrent and the blazing firepower of the accompanying infantry.

Most of the Puppet Army surrendered as soon as they saw the army coming.

How to describe it? Just eight words:

Like crushing dry weeds and rotting wood!

With irresistible force!

The progress of the battle was so smooth that some commanders even felt it wasn't "satisfying" enough.

One town after another changed hands as expected, yet with surprising speed.

Red flags rose one after another under the night sky of Southeast Shanxi.

Meanwhile, Shen Wang was driving his Type 99A, "taking care" of the prisoners.

Shen Wang couldn't even say how many beasts he had slaughtered over the past two days!

But he didn't hesitate for a moment; not only was there a deep blood feud, but these were all military merit points!

Suddenly, a crisp system notification sounded in Shen Wang's ear without warning:

[Ding! Detected that the Host has captured a cumulative total of ten Japanese Army regimental banners.]

[Mission "Falling Sakura Banners" (Diamond-Grade) has been completed!]

[Mission rewards are being distributed...]

[Congratulations, Host! You have received a Diamond-Grade 10-draw reward (guaranteed SSR).]

Shen Wang's hand on the control stick paused slightly.

Ten regimental banners—finally collected!

Diamond 10-draw!

Guaranteed SSR!