Chapter 647: Grand Sweep

Hearing these words, the trio was deeply moved; Chen Sang's most cherished protection was indeed us.

"It's fine, Chen Sang; as long as you're here, we're satisfied." Fujiwara Rina also knew the current situation and had nothing else to pursue.

Fujiwara Yuuko and Mitsuko also nodded.

"Tonight there's nothing else; I can stay here and keep you company all night." Chen Yongren said calmly.

Ah... this...

The trio was delighted to hear that.

But soon they would face a new problem.

What should we do about sleeping at night?

They naturally hoped Chen Sang would sleep on the bed, but...

We can't outright say we'll sleep together.

The atmosphere suddenly became a bit awkward; the trio's faces flushed red, and they lowered their heads, not daring to speak.

Then Fujiwara Rina's gaze fell on the white liquor on the table, and she instantly had an idea.

The trio clearly understood each other's feelings; they just needed an opportunity to pierce the window paper.

Now this is actually a good option.

"How about we have a drink to celebrate Chen Sang's return?" Fujiwara Nari picked up the white liquor, twisted it open, and immediately looked at Mitsuko and Yuuko.

Being the mainstay of the trio is indeed no simple feat.

Mitsuko and Fujiwara Yuuko exchanged a glance and nodded in unison.

The trio immediately raised their cups, took a small sip, and instantly their faces flushed red from the spiciness, continuously emitting hissing breaths.

This stuff is even more potent than Japanese sake.

Chen Yongren understood Nari's meaning and smiled without speaking.

He understood that the trio was just saving face, looking for an excuse.

Can just lightly touching the lips with wine get you drunk?

In fact, it really can.

As for whether it's truly the case, only the ghosts know.

Chen Yongren helped each of them onto the bed one by one.

Though they were still a bit dizzy, they soon became much clearer-headed, and the trio found a familiar feeling.

It wasn't until the next day, when the sky was just about to lighten, that Chen Yongren finally let them go.

At this moment, the three of them lay on the bed, reluctant to watch Chen Yongren's departing back.

After bidding farewell to the trio, Chen Yongren then returned to Beiping via the Anywhere Door.

Having just entered the North China Army, Chen Yongren was notified to go to the meeting room for a meeting.

Upon arriving at the internal meeting room, Okamura Ningji, Adachi Nijusan, and the other North China officers were already seated at the table.

He observed them for a moment.

It turned out to be that old devil Okamura, preparing to launch a new round of mopping-up operations in North China.

Upon learning that Chief Yuan had an interest in studying, he simply did him a favor, letting him join this meeting, which could be considered a bit of participation.

Seeing Chen Yongren enter, the officers' faces looked somewhat unnatural.

They had already heard that Chen Yongren had ferreted out Tanaka Tarou, who was hiding within the North China Army.

Moreover, the establishment of the Special Investigation Unit had already spread within the North China Army.

As for what this department actually does, the Japanese officers present already knew full well, so who would dare to underestimate it?

Sensing the thoughts of this pack of dogs, Chen Yongren's expression remained unchanged.

"Chief Director Sir, please sit down." Okamura Ningji gestured for Chen Yongren to sit beside Adachi Nijusan.

"Hai!" Chen Yongren sat beside Adachi.

On the table lay a folder; opening it revealed the situation of the Eighth Route Army in North China, especially the Jin Prefecture area, as gathered by the Japanese through rent collection, plus the battle reports compiled after the mopping-up operations based on combat results.

After a brief glance, Chen Yongren turned to Adachi and asked in a low voice: "Uncle, what's going on?"

Adachi gave a simple explanation, which matched what Chen Yongren had seen at a glance.

"Since the start of Showa 16, the battle reports sent in have perfectly proven the 'success of pacifying North China's security!'" The old devil Okamura wore a stern expression and went straight to the point.

"We should strengthen our study of the Eighth Route Army in North China and adjust our strategy toward them."

"What are your thoughts on this?"

"Today, you may speak freely; there's no need to be reserved."

After Okamura Ningji finished speaking, he glanced around at the officers on both sides.

"The situation in North China is complex; if we rely solely on military suppression, we are very likely to fall into a vortex of security warfare."

"By then, the locust army will forever be led by the nose; we must now not fall for the tricks of those country Eighth Route!"

"Although the situation currently looks great, if the bubble bursts, the consequences will be unimaginable."

"Even if it's not that we don't know these idiots, how many could think of wildly destroying the manpower and material resources of the base areas during the mopping-up?"

"By nibbling away and dividing, strengthening security, if one year doesn't work then two, if two years don't work then three—sooner or later we can end the security struggle in North China."

The old devil apparently already had an idea; he was just testing the waters.

Upon hearing Okamura Ningji's inner thoughts, Chen Yongren glanced at Adachi beside him.

This old devil knows he wants to carry out a mopping-up, but the concrete plan is unknown.

"Your Excellency Commander, they're just a bunch of country Eighth Route; as long as we conduct a few more mopping-ups, we will surely wipe them all out." Said arrogantly by Lin Fangtarou, commander of the Independent 7th Brigade.

The commander of the Independent 9th Brigade, Ike no Ue Kenkichi, chimed in: "Lin Fang-kun's words are quite reasonable; the North China Eighth Route is nothing to fear; we should shift our focus to the Central Army and the Jin-Sui Army above."

「Their weapons and equipment are excellent, and they hold important towns; that is what we should pay attention to. 」

「As for the Eighth Route Army, they only hide in small mountain gullies and abandoned villages, without any fixed location—why waste time? 」

Hearing this, Okamura Ningci furrowed his brow.

The other few regiment commanders who wanted to speak, seeing Okamura Ningci's displeased expression, indeed chose to stay silent.

「"Commander Okamura, I have a somewhat clumsy opinion; I don't know whether I should speak," Chen Yongren suddenly said. 」

This is an opportunity to show your ability in front of Old Dog Okamura; if you can propose a plan that suits his wishes, you will have more chances later to access more confidential documents.

After all.

The old devil can't possibly keep everything in mind; the current situation shows only what has been troubling him lately.

「"Chief Director Sir, don't make a fuss," Anda whispered sharply: "This is a military meeting—have you ever attended a meeting? Even some battle-hardened generals present A Ren't speaking. 」

Yesterday, "Yuan Chief" already drew all the attention, and Anda also worried he was attracting too much notice.

「"Didn't the commander say everyone could speak freely?" Chen Yongren said calmly: "We can't just talk and not count. 」

「"Anda Sir, let the Chief speak; I'd like to see what he can say." Okamura Ningci laughed: "Chief Director Sir, speak boldly—even if you're wrong, we won't blame you. 」

Chen Yongren opened the document before him and said: "The previous sweeps have already fully proven that further sweeps against them will hardly yield any effect."

"If we continue sweeping, we'll only fall into the vortex of pacification warfare; by then we won't be able to extricate ourselves, only to be led by the nose by the Eighth Route Army."

"Therefore I think we should appropriately adjust our upcoming combat strategy."