Chapter 445

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

Lv Muzhi watched the two of them play good cop/bad cop at the table, and Dai Li was completely out of options.

Qiu Qingquan finished speaking, extended both hands, and said: "That's all I have to say. Director Dai, if you don't believe me, just arrest me—I have no objections."

Dai Li looked left and right, thinking to himself that he wouldn't dare.

He had brought only twenty-plus agents with him; how could he take Qiu Qingquan, Deputy Commander of the Youth Corps and Commander of the Youth Second Army, away from the hands of the hundred-thousand-strong Youth Army?

The Old Man had sent Dai Li here, but he could actually do nothing—just wanted an explanation, and to apply some pressure on the side.

Dai Li hurriedly explained, his tone softening considerably.

"The Old Man does care about this matter. After all, on their side... cough, cough. Anyway, if there's a reasonable explanation, I can give a proper account."

Lv Muzhi saw the moment was right and set down his wine cup: "Then is my explanation reasonable?"

Dai Li nodded vigorously: "Reasonable! Very reasonable! Anyway, I believe you!"

"It's just that this kind of situation... should be avoided as much as possible next time."

Qiu Qingquan snorted coldly, thinking: Avoid this kind of situation?

Fu Zuoyi in Suiyuan, Wei Lihuang in the First War Zone—which of them wasn't flirting with the Eighth Route Army?

Yet they only kept hounding Qiu Qingquan; it was clearly a case of the teahouse patron not being there for the tea.

Lv Muzhi said: "Don't worry, it won't happen again. My Youth Army is about to leave Shanxi and sortie toward the North China Plain."

Dai Li clenched his fist; after twists and turns, the topic had finally reached his true purpose!

Dai Li mustered his courage and asked: "Commander Lu, do you still intend to keep fighting? On the Xubeng Battlefield, the various forces drawing in the main Japanese force are already exhausted in men and horses!"

Lv Muzhi asked: "What do you mean?"

Dai Li explained: "Commander Lu, the Old Man's meaning is... the war has reached this point, and that's enough."

"Our army has in one stroke recovered the Shanxi land south of Yanmen Pass, and we've also heard that Chu Yunfei's unit has pacified Northern Henan and is already eyeing the North China Plain."

"This is already an unprecedented great victory since the start of the war, and the whole nation is jubilant."

"Relying on this highland of Shanxi, we have the opportunity at any time to thoroughly purge the North China Plain; there's no need to rush this moment."

"This battle ends here. Let all forces take the opportunity to rest and reorganize, digest the battle results, and continue the counteroffensive in the future."

Lv Muzhi looked at Dai Li: "Digest battle results? Digest what battle results?"

Dai Li continued: "Commander Lu, rest assured. After the ceasefire, the Old Man guarantees that regarding the Shanxi matter, the Central Government will not interfere and will leave it to the Youth Army to hold this place."

"You also know that the situation here is very complex."

"The Eighth Route has always been a heart-and-belly trouble, and there's also Yan Laoxi."

"As for Yan Laoxi, he's fickle and changeable, and the Central Government is very displeased with him."

"The Principal hopes that Commander Lu's Youth Army will take action, first put down roots in Shanxi, and carry out a thorough purge."

Dai Li said this, and a flash of ruthlessness crossed his eyes.

"If the Youth Army rushes out of Shanxi to fight in Hebei now, and wants to come back later, it won't be so easy to find a way back!"

Lv Muzhi snorted coldly and understood.

Analyzing the Old Man's art of balance in his mind, he drew a conclusion.

The current situation was that the Youth Army was very imposing domestically!

Lv Muzhi had also become an object of the Old Man's apprehension—an existence that needed weakening.

The greater Lv Muzhi's military achievements, the heavier the Old Man's suspicions.

Seeing the Japanese Army weakened, the Old Man's confidence rose, and he believed he no longer needed to rely on the Youth Army to control the situation.

He wanted the Youth Army to stop in Shanxi, engage in internal attrition, fight Yan Laoxi, and grind against the Eighth Route Army.

To stage a "two tigers competing for food" and achieve a "sitting on the mountain watching tigers fight."

Put plainly, the Old Man was suffering a "relapse of an old illness."

Shanxi was a good place for guerrilla warfare; if Lv Muzhi's troops really stayed there, they would fall into the trap.

Not only unrighteous, but also an empty drain on manpower.

Lv Muzhi didn't fear the Japanese devils, but he truly feared internal attrition, letting the Japanese Army finally find an opening.

"Commander Lu? Commander Lu!" Seeing Lv Muzhi spacing out, Dai Li spoke up to remind him.

Lv Muzhi finished thinking and asked: "If my Youth Army insists on sortieing?"

Dai Li heard this and wore a worried frown, not knowing how to return and give an account.

"Commander Lu, the fighting on the Xubeng Battlefield is already very exhausting. Perhaps before you even reach Pingjin, our main force will be annihilated by the Japanese Army!"

Lv Muzhi gave a noncommittal reply: "You think I have no one on the Xubeng Battlefield?"

"Every day I follow the situation there. I have the Youth Third and Fourth Armies on the Xubeng Battlefield. According to Commander Zhang Fei's report from the Third Army, the Xubeng Battlefield has now turned into trench warfare, with both sides locked in stalemate."

"The Japanese Army is equally unable to annihilate our forces on the Xubeng Battlefield, so where does talk of being annihilated come from?"

Dai Li said: "But we've already received intelligence that the Kwantung Army has sent two more divisions of reinforcements."

"Leaving the various passes of Shanxi, the Japanese Army strictly defends and holds fast; it's not that easy to break through."

Lv Muzhi still insisted: "The battle hasn't even started; how do you know it can't be broken through?"

Seeing he couldn't persuade Lv Muzhi, Dai Li laid his cards on the table: "Commander Lu, let me say this first—I handle intelligence, don't command troops, and am only conveying the Vice Commander's meaning."

"On the Xubeng Battlefield, the Central Army might withdraw from combat at any time due to battle losses. If those several hundred thousand Japanese troops aren't pinned down and they divert forces back to defend Pingjin, you might suffer losses."

Hearing these words, Qiu Qingquan got angry and stepped forward: "What do you mean, removing the firewood from under the cauldron? Dai Li, explain yourself clearly!"

Dai Li was startled, stepping back: "Wait! This isn't something I can decide!"

Lv Muzhi stopped Qiu Qingquan, saying: "Whether I fight is my business; whether the Central Army withdraws is the Central Government's business."

"Now I make my stance clear: taking advantage of this excellent opportunity, I will continue fighting; I will not rest until the Japanese Army in North China is swept clean!"

"The door is there; you can leave."

Lv Muzhi pointed at Da Men, gesturing for Dai Li to leave.

Dai Li glanced at the fearsome Qiu Qingquan, hurriedly stood up, and walked toward Da Men.

Qiu Qingquan asked: "Just let him go back like that? I fear we won't have peaceful days afterward!"

Lv Muzhi said: "What else do you want? Let's finish off the devils first!"

Dai Li walked faster and faster; once out the door, in the Corridor, he saw Sun Liren holding a Pistol waiting outside, with several guards beside him.

Scared, Dai Li's legs went soft, nearly kneeling on the ground, thinking to himself: There are actually "Executioners" under the corridor!

Sun Liren laughed: "Out already, Director Dai, take it slow."

After speaking, Sun Liren quickly entered the door, reporting something to Lv Muzhi.

Dai Li left Taiyuan in dejection.

Sun Liren brought news to Lv Muzhi: "Lu Commander, Chu Yunfei's Guerrilla Corps is already ready in Henan North, prepared to launch an attack on Handan, Hebei at any time!"

Lv Muzhi nodded: "After Chu Yunfei's side secures battle results and puts pressure on the Japanese Army in North China, we will move out immediately!"