Okamura Neiji gave Okabe Naosaburo a meaningful look. Of course, his little thoughts could not be hidden from Okamura Neiji.

This old devil knew that the reason why Okabe Naosaburo wanted to personally go to send electricity to Shinozuka Yoshio was just to give him a reminder.

Even the reason given by Yoshio Shinozuka in his reply was most likely the work of Naosaburo Okabe.

However, Okamura Neji did not mean to blame Okabe Naosaburo, but agreed with him very much.

Because he also believed that the Eighth Route Army in North China posed a threat to the Japanese army that completely exceeded that of the Central Army and the Shanxi-Sui Army.

Taking this battle as an example, the Eighth Route Army first captured the Zhengtai Railway, Tongpu Railway, and Pinghan Railway, totaling more than 300 foreign strongholds.

Then they launched a strong attack on large strongholds on various railway lines, and successively captured four large strongholds: Niangziguan, Pingping, Jucheng and Donghui.

In addition, they also captured the two county towns of Pingding and Yangquan.

Such results have never been achieved by the Jinsui Army and the Central Army.

Among them, there are certainly reasons why the Japanese army was empty of troops and underestimated the combat effectiveness of the Eighth Route Army.

But the results achieved by the Eighth Route Army were also real.

The most important thing is that since 1937, the Japanese army has carried out numerous large and small raids on the Eighth Route Army's major base areas without letting up for a moment.

In this way, the Eighth Route Army was as tenacious as green bamboo biting in the green mountains. In just two or three years, it grew from tens of thousands to two to three hundred thousand people.

If not for this Hundred Regiment War, the Japanese army would have been kept in the dark and would not have known that the Eighth Route Army already had so many troops.

In fact, not only the Japanese army, but also the heads of the Eighth Route Army headquarters discovered that the Eighth Route Army had grown to such a scale only after launching the Hundred Regiments Campaign.

The strength and combat effectiveness displayed by the Eighth Route Army now completely shocked Yoshio Shinozuka, Ningji Okamura and other senior officers of the Japanese army in North China.

Okamura Neiji pondered for a moment, and then suddenly said: "Okabe-kun, your analysis is good. The current Eighth Route Army poses a threat to the North China Imperial Army even more than the Central Army and the Shanxi-Sui Army."

"This time the Eighth Route Army concentrated its forces. Although it caught the Imperial Army by surprise, it also exposed all their strength.

If they lurk and develop together, they might actually threaten our Imperial Japanese Army.

But now, although the strength displayed by the Eighth Route Army scares me, it’s nothing more than that!”

"Okabe-kun, please call Shinozuka-kun back immediately and tell him that if he can completely annihilate or severely injure the Eighth Route Army after the 41st Division arrives in Taiyuan, he will be able to defeat the enemy, but if he cannot complete the strategic mission,

Then the two crimes will be punished simultaneously, and no mercy will be given lightly!"

"Hiyi!"

Naosaburo Okabe paused heavily, then turned and left, heading to the Communications Department to send a message to Yoshio Shinozuka.

…

The screen returns to Shanxi.

Time passed and it was twelve o'clock noon.

Both Li Yunlong and Wang Chengzhu completed the campaign against local tyrants. Among them, Wang Chengzhu seized modern ocean and yellow croaker, with a total value of more than 4.3 million silver dollars.

Li Yunlong seized fresh ocean and yellow croaker, with a total value of more than 1.8 million silver dollars.

In addition, there are also large amounts of food, medicine, weapons and ammunition.

Compared with Yangquan County, Pingding County has a huge gap in terms of population, strategic position, historical status, and prosperity.

Therefore, even with the four major families of Qin, Tang, Ding, and Xia, the silver coins Li Yunlong captured from fighting local tyrants were far less than Wang Chengzhu.

As for weapons, equipment, and medicines, since the headquarters of the Japanese independent 1st Brigade was in Yangquan, Li Yunlong could not compare with Wang Chengzhu.

The only thing that can compare with Wang Chengzhu is the captured grain.

This was all due to the fact that the Xia family wanted to make war fortune and deliberately hoarded a large amount of food, but in the end, it gave Li Yunlong an advantage.

Since the Japanese army only carried out two retaliatory bombings on Pingding and Yangquan counties, they then focused on outside the cities.

Therefore, Li Yunlong and Wang Chengzhu also executed the local tyrants and evil gentry who had committed heinous crimes in public as scheduled.

And part of the captured grain was distributed to people in need.

In this way, the Eighth Route Army immediately laid a solid mass foundation in Pingding and Yangquan.

During this period, the Japanese air force was not idle. Although they did not continue to carry out retaliatory bombings on Yangquan and Pingping counties, they carried out sabotage bombing on the Zhengtai Railway, blowing up the rails dozens of times in total.

And this news naturally spread to the Eighth Route Army headquarters, as well as division headquarters, brigade headquarters, and regiment headquarters.

In Yangquan County.

Provisional headquarters of the Second Independent Regiment.

The commander of the reconnaissance battalion, Wang Shugen, reported to Wang Chengzhu with some doubts: "Commander, logically speaking, if the Japanese want to prevent us from continuing to expand our results through armored trains, they should blow up some bridges or tunnels.

But why did they choose to blow up ordinary sections of road and make such a time-consuming and laborious decision? What on earth are they going to do?"

Wang Shugen did not think that the Japanese commander was stupid and could not think of a once and for all solution like blowing up bridges and tunnels.

Wang Chengzhu saw through Shinozuka Yoshio's intention at a glance. He said: "Blowing up bridges and tunnels can certainly eliminate the potential threat of armored trains once and for all.

But for our Eighth Route Army, there was no substantial loss, because it was our strategic plan to attack the Zhengtai Railway.

If the Japanese really do this, it will actually save us a lot of effort and explosives."

After a pause, Wang Chengzhu changed the subject and continued: "But the Zhengtai Railway is the lifeline of the Japanese First Army. It can be said that all the food, medicine, and even weapons and ammunition and other supplies of the Japanese First Army need to pass through this railway."

Lifeline transportation.

Once this lifeline is cut off, the Japanese 1st Army may be able to hold on for a short time, but if it takes a long time, trouble will definitely occur."

"Also, even though we have gained control of the Zhengtai Railway now, once the Japanese army calms down, they will immediately launch a counterattack.

By then, even if we make all-out efforts, we will not be able to stop the Japanese army's strong counterattack."

"It is only a matter of time before the Chengtai Railway is recaptured by the Japanese army."

"So, they can blow up the bridges and tunnels now, but then they have to rebuild them, which is expensive and laborious, and most importantly, it takes a lot of time."

"So, it's not that the Japanese army doesn't want to blow up bridges and tunnels, it's that they can't because it's not worthwhile."

"Although it seems stupid to bomb ordinary road sections now, and it also consumes time and aerial bombs, it is the most feasible method at the moment."

"Moreover, this can also achieve the strategic purpose of solving the threat of armored trains."
Chapter completed!