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Until he returned to the headquarters tired of playing, Xu Le did not tell Zhang Shuping what he was waiting for.

He was indeed waiting, or to be more precise, waiting for an opportunity. What opportunity it was, he himself couldn't tell!

Because the current trajectory of historical development is completely different from what he remembers, the 88th Army is at the center of the storm between the Tang Dynasty and Japan, and any move can affect the entire body.

He doesn't know how to move!

So we are waiting for Japan to make a move, or waiting for the entire situation in Asia or the Pacific to change, and then adjust our troops according to those changes!

It was not until the follow-up detailed information about the expeditionary force's defeat that Xu Le perhaps understood what he was waiting for.

On this day, all officers above the rank of division commander and brigade commander of the 88th Army gathered at the military headquarters, and the atmosphere was particularly depressing.

Xu Le gently placed the telegram he had just read on the table, feeling extremely excited.

It was found out that the Japanese troops fighting against the Expeditionary Force had five divisions, led by the 18th Division and the 4th Division, with a total strength of more than 5, including hundreds of fighters and bombers, hundreds of artillery pieces and hundreds of tanks.

[The 5 troops in 15 divisions does not mean that each division has 3 troops. It means that there are 5 divisions that are fully staffed, plus some guards and puppet troops, as well as the regiments of the remaining divisions. I will not go into details about the establishment of independent mixed brigades, independent infantry brigades, etc.]

[During World War II, the Japanese army formed a total of 173 divisions and more than 100 independent mixed brigades, plus some independent infantry regiments, independent artillery regiments, independent artillery brigades, etc. This article will definitely be different. ]

The Expeditionary Force and the British Allied Forces had only 13 men. The Allied Forces' equipment and firepower were far inferior to those of the Japanese, and there was also a difference in troop strength. The Japanese also used ambushes and sneak attacks.

No wonder the expeditionary force suffered 9 casualties in the battle. It was a miracle that only 1 could be withdrawn back to the country.

"Young Marshal! Now is not the time to dwell on the failure of the expeditionary army. The Japanese 18th Division has already crossed the Nujiang River and is in an unmanned area. The National Guard is retreating step by step, and several counties in Yunnan Province have fallen!"

Jiang Feng still spoke with a stern face, and it was obvious that he was very worried.

The terrain of Yunnan Province is complex, and it is very difficult for the Japanese to break through here.

But who could have imagined that the Japs would use their permanent divisions to lead the way and gather a large number of troops to attack, like a mad wild dog.

"According to the current intelligence, the Japanese want to use the Burma Road as the main attack route and push all the way to Kunming. Let me think about what to do about this matter!"

Xu Le said slowly that in the previous life, the Japanese invaders only occupied three counties in Yunnan Province, including Tengchong, but now the Japanese invaders have occupied more than these three counties, and they are still sending more troops.

The National Guard Army could not resist the Japanese 18th Division with its existing equipment alone.

And the 4th Division is also on the way!

The Fourth Division is very famous, commonly known as the Osaka Division, and is a permanent division formed by a group of businessmen.

In the past, many people mistakenly believed the rumors on the Internet, thinking that the Osaka Division had no combat effectiveness and was a garbage division that resold military supplies.

But Xu Le never thought so. What is the first element of a businessman? Treacherous and cunning!

As the saying goes, there is no business without fraud!

How could a well-equipped and treacherous army be weak in combat effectiveness?

During the Second Battle of Changsha in 41, the commander's mistake left the city's defenses vulnerable, allowing some Japanese troops to take advantage of the opportunity and break into the city.

The first Japanese army to attack the city was the 4th Division, which shows how strong its combat effectiveness was.

Before the outbreak of the full-scale war of resistance, Japan had disbanded four permanent divisions due to financial and other reasons, but the 4th Division was retained.

The Japanese are not fools. They know the true combat effectiveness of the 4th Division and must keep it.

Wei Junjun was naturally also in this meeting, but he did not have a front row seat. Instead, he was sitting behind Xu Le to the left, taking notes with a notebook.

He said, "Commander Jiang also sent a telegram, asking for help from the young marshal in his personal capacity, hoping that the young marshal would dispatch the main force to Yunnan Province to snipe the devils and defend the country."

As soon as these words came out, the scene suddenly became noisy...

"We are in Shanxi Province, which is at least 5000 miles away from western Yunnan. How can we get there?"

"Yes, it's a super long-distance attack. By the time we get there, the Japanese won't even know where they are!"

"We only have 10 troops in our entire army, and we are facing nearly a million elite Japanese soldiers in the Xinkou and Niangziguan areas. Commander Jiang said it was easy to dispatch the main force for reinforcement, but where can we get them from?"

"That's right. It's not that we are standing by and watching them die! Our duty as a soldier is to protect our country, but we must also act according to the situation! If we withdraw part of our troops, what if the Japanese in Xinkou and Niangziguan take the opportunity to launch an offensive?"

"It is said that the Japanese are building airports in Hebei Province. They will definitely dispatch a large number of fighter jets. Our own situation is so serious. We absolutely cannot split our forces at this time!"

.....

Almost all people were of the opinion that Commander Jiang’s request should not be agreed to, as they simply couldn’t spare the time!

If the troops suffer huge losses due to a mistake in troop division, no one can bear the responsibility.

At this time, Wei Li signaled everyone to be quiet and said, "Young Marshal, I have something to say, but I don't know if I should say it or not!"

Xu Le raised his hand and signaled everyone to keep quiet again: "Advisor Wei, feel free to speak your mind. Anyone can speak freely!"

Wei Li came to the map and said, "Soldiers, there are things you can do and things you can't do. Since the Japanese invaded our Tang Dynasty, how many battles did we want to fight? But our Tang army fought bloody battles, and countless men fell. They sacrificed their lives to defend the country and are national heroes.

We must protect Jin Province, of course. But Yunnan Province is also part of the Tang Dynasty territory, so we must protect it too!

Although I don't know why the Japanese spent such a huge price and what their purpose was in mobilizing so many main forces to attack Yunnan Province.

But one thing is certain, the invaders are definitely not well-intentioned. Yunnan Province is the barrier to the rear of our Great Tang Dynasty and the main line of defense to protect the rear of our Great Tang Dynasty. It must not be broken.

If it is broken, our Tang Dynasty will be in real danger!

Looking at all the armies in the Tang Dynasty, only our 88th Army has the strength to stop the devils. If we don't go, who else can go?"

Xu Le frowned slightly and said, "So, Advisor Wei means that we send troops to reinforce western Yunnan?"

"That's right!" Wei Li nodded heavily, then looked at the officers and said, "If we can't defend Taiyuan, we can just retreat back to the Luliang Mountains. But if Yunnan Province is lost, the Japanese will attack us from three sides in Central and Southern China, and Shancheng and Sichuan Province will be in jeopardy!"

Fang Yue was the only military operations staff officer attending the meeting, but everyone knew that although he was a staff officer on the surface, he actually had a hidden title of "chief" behind him.

He said, "I agree with Advisor Wei and we should send troops to western Yunnan. As for Taiyuan, it's not that easy to lose it. Our tanks and armored vehicles are not vegetarian. Unless Commander Yan is collaborating with the enemy and selling out the country, I don't believe the devils can break in easily.

Moreover, judging from the current situation, the Japanese are fighting fiercely in the Pacific battlefield, and they have so many main forces in North China. Together with the troops in western Yunnan, the Japanese have already opened up three huge fronts. If they want to start a large-scale war on three fronts at the same time, the Japanese don't have that ability!"

Wei Li and Fang Yue reached a consensus, and their opinions were quite important, which immediately sparked a discussion.

Just as everyone was talking, Xu Da hurriedly ran in from outside the room.

"Young Marshal, something terrible has happened!"