Warlords: Rising from the Northwest Border and Sweeping Across the Powers

Chapter 722: Turning Defense into Offense and Launching a Comprehensive Attack

In Shitian Town, the First Army Headquarters was brightly lit, and a tense and orderly atmosphere permeated every corner. The map on the wall was covered with various marks, showing the ever-changing situation of the war. Suddenly, a burst of hurried footsteps broke the silence in the room, and the messenger of the reconnaissance unit rushed into the room with sweat on his forehead, and the report in his hand seemed to carry a heavy weight.

"Report! Emergency!" The messenger's voice was a little hurried and excited. "Our reconnaissance aircraft found that the enemy showed signs of retreating to Kashima City. It seems that they have decided to give up rescuing the friendly forces in Southern Kyushu."

As soon as these words came out, there was an uproar in the room. General Liu Ershun frowned, and a sharp light flashed in his eyes. He quickly stood up, looked around, and said in a deep voice: "Everyone, this is the turning point we have been waiting for for a long time! I will never let the fat meat in my mouth fly away!"

Upon hearing this, the commander of the 101st Division, Wei Hu, raised a playful smile. He patted the table and said jokingly, "Hey, these devils are really cunning. When they saw that our defense line was impregnable, they immediately gave up the plan to rescue our friendly forces. But, you want to run? It's not that easy!"

Other officers also echoed and started discussing, but there was only one theme - we must not let the enemy escape easily. Liu Ershun saw this and waved his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet. He looked at them firmly and said, "We must take action immediately and not give the enemy any chance to breathe. Messenger, you immediately contact the headquarters and ask about the current situation of the Second Army, which has cut off the retreat of the two enemy divisions, and whether it can cooperate with us to complete the encirclement."

The messenger immediately took the order and left. The room fell into silence again. Liu Ershun turned and walked to the map. His fingers gently slid across the symbols representing the enemy and us, thinking about the next action plan in his mind. He knew that this was a race against time and every second was crucial.

The messenger rushed into the headquarters like a gust of wind, holding tightly in his hand the telegram he had just intercepted from the radio, his face filled with excitement and urgency. He took a few steps to Liu Ershun, saluted him with a standard military salute, and then reported in a trembling and excited voice: "General, the headquarters has called back! The Second Army has successfully bypassed to the Qingtai Town area behind the Mingzhao and Shantong divisions, completely cutting off their retreat!"

As soon as these words came out, the room suddenly became lively, and the officers' faces showed excited smiles. Liu Ershun's eyes lit up, and the corners of his mouth rose unconsciously. He knew very well that this was not only a major strategic victory, but also a godsend opportunity to rewrite the war situation.

"Great! What a great strategy of besieging Wei to save Zhao!" Liu Ershun slammed the table and stood up, his eyes flashing with determination and wisdom. "We can't just sit there and wait for death. We must turn passivity into initiative and firmly grasp the initiative in our own hands!"

He turned and walked towards the battle map, sliding his finger along the enemy's possible retreat route, and finally stopped at the narrow area between Qingtai Town and Kashima City. "Pass the order, the entire army will immediately prepare for battle. We must take this opportunity to wipe out the Mingzhao and Shantong divisions in one fell swoop!"

Following Liu Ershun's order, the entire command center quickly took action. The order was passed on to each combat unit like water, and the soldiers quickly sorted out their equipment, checked their weapons, and waited for the charge with high morale.

Liu Ershun personally deployed the battle plan. He ordered a part of the troops to contain the enemy directly and attract their attention. At the same time, he sent elite troops to secretly bypass the enemy's flanks and rear to form a pincer attack with the Second Army. He also emphasized the importance of communication and required all units to maintain close contact to ensure unimpeded command.

As night fell, the soldiers of the First Army approached the enemy silently like cheetahs in the dark night. However, the commanders of the Mingzhao and Shantong divisions were still immersed in the fantasy of retreat, not knowing that a huge death net had been quietly spread.

Tokugawa Mitsuka sat in the dim command room, surrounded by busy staff and flickering telegraph lights. There was an air of uneasiness. Although they had just made the decision to retreat to Kashima City, the ever-changing battlefield always made it difficult to completely relax.

At this moment, a messenger rushed into the command room, holding an urgent telegram in his hand, and walked towards Tokugawa Mitsuka with a serious look. "Division Commander, emergency! The movement of the First Army has been ascertained."

Tokugawa Mitsuka's heart tightened, and he immediately put down the document in his hand and looked at the messenger with a sharp gaze. He took the telegram, quickly browsed through the content, and his face gradually became solemn. The telegram clearly described the latest movements of the First Army - not only did they not relax their vigilance due to his retreat, but they took the opportunity to launch an offensive, targeting his two major divisions, Ming Zhao and Zentsu.

"It seems that we underestimated the enemy's determination." Tokugawa Mitsuka muttered to himself, with a flash of anger and unwillingness in his eyes. He knew very well that once the two divisions were surrounded, the consequences would be disastrous. This would not only mean that a large number of soldiers would be sacrificed on the battlefield, but it would also have an irreversible impact on the entire war situation.

He quickly stood up and handed the telegram to the chief of staff beside him, and ordered loudly: "Call all senior officers immediately! We need to reassess the situation and formulate a response plan!"

Following Tokugawa Mitsuka's order, the command room became busy again, with officers pouring in to discuss maps and telegrams.

Tokugawa Mitsuka stood in the center of the command room, his hands behind his back, staring deeply at the battle map on the wall. As the messenger brought news about the First Army's movements, his doubts gradually became clearer, and a feeling of sudden enlightenment arose spontaneously.

"So that's how it is..." He muttered to himself, his voice was soft, but it revealed an indescribable shock. Tokugawa Mitsuka had come to his senses at this moment. The enemy army besieged the Changfeng and Xiangchun divisions in southern Kyushu, but did not attack them. The more far-reaching purpose was to "besiege the point and attack the reinforcements" - using these two divisions as bait to attract and consume the friendly forces coming to rescue.

He recalled his previous correspondence with Yamamoto Ryuka and the moment he made the decision to retreat, and a complex emotion surged in his heart. On the one hand, he was glad that he had discovered the enemy's conspiracy in time and avoided greater losses; on the other hand, he was also angry and helpless at the enemy's cunning and cruelty.

"What a great trick to surround and attack the reinforcements!" Tokugawa Mitsuka gritted his teeth and said with anger flashing in his eyes, "Cunning Chinese!"

He quickly turned around and faced the officers around him, and said in a resounding voice: "Pass the order down, all troops immediately enter emergency combat readiness! We must change our original plan and no longer retreat blindly. Instead, we must take the initiative to fight and break the enemy's encirclement!"