Chapter 360: Seizing the Regiment Flag

The soldiers are cleaning the battlefield.

A scout rushed over: "Report! We've found a civilian wielding a Type 38, ambushing the Japanese Army! However…"

"Take me over there to see!" Jiang Anguo immediately turned his direction.

A moment later, they found Zhuge Mingliang, drenched in blood, by the creek.

His left shoulder was hit, yet he still clutched his rifle; seeing the Huaxia troops, he grinned, blood‑stained teeth showing: "Sir… I… I hit a tree…"

"Well done!" Jiang Anguo personally bandaged him. "That shot gave us a clear direction, letting us surround those Little Devils; that was the commander of the Japanese Army's 13th Division, you've earned a great merit!"

Zhuge Mingliang weakly nodded, tears in his eyes: "My parents' vengeance is finally avenged."

"You have already taken revenge," Jiang Anguo said gravely. "Now, stay alive, return to Dangyang to rebuild your home. By the way, what's your name?"

Jiang Anguo thought the youngster was about to die.

"Zhuge… Ming… Liang…" As soon as the words left his mouth, he collapsed.

Jiang Anguo wondered if he'd misheard—what! He thought he saw the Prime Minister!

"Young Master, is this person wearing a traitor's uniform?" Xiao Si stepped forward, his MP40 still in hand, constantly wary of the surroundings.

Jiang Anguo also realized that the man called Zhuge Liang seemed to be wearing the black horse‑coat typical of traitors.

"Maybe there's a misunderstanding. Medic, take a look at this 'Zhuge Liang' right now," Jiang Anguo shouted loudly to the medic behind him.

The medic, holding a Medical Pack, immediately assessed the wounded on the ground: "Commander, this person has only lost a lot of blood; there's no life‑threatening danger."

Jiang Anguo nodded, "Alright."

He ordered the men to carry 'Zhuge Liang' down the hill.

Xiao Si picked up a backpack from the ground and, curious, opened it; although it belonged to 'Zhuge Liang', it seemed left on the battlefield, so it was a spoil of war.

Xiao Si opened the backpack, revealing a corner inside.

Jiang Anguo, also curious, glanced, "A medicinal‑patch flag—what's so interesting about it?"

In fact, after the Battle of Yichang, many civilians and soldiers had the Japanese Army's medicinal‑patch flags collected; of course, most were simply burned to scorch the hatred in their hearts.

Xiao Si displayed the front of the flag, "Young Master, it bears the words 'Infantry 116th Regiment'; Young Master, this is the designation of the Japanese Army's Dangyang unit!"

What, what, what!

"Xiao Si, take it easy, you take it easy." As a killer of Japanese regiment commanders, Jiang Anguo still trembled slightly as he took the Japanese medicinal‑patch flag from Xiao Si's hands.

The flag's surface bears a sunrise pattern of sixteen rays of light, correct.

The center is a golden‑yellow sun, correct.

Around the edges are inlaid purple tassels, right, indeed.

The lower‑right corner is inscribed in Chinese characters with the regiment number 'Infantry 116th Regiment'; no mistake.

The flagpole is black‑painted wood, its top capped with a gilt triskelion‑shaped chrysanthemum emblem.

"What a character, how does this person have a Little Devil regiment flag? It can't be the Little Devil flag‑guard unit, can it?" Jiang Anguo said half‑jokingly.

Even after slaying so many Little Devil regiments, Jiang Anguo had never seized a regiment flag from them.

This regiment flag was personally bestowed by the Emperor to those devil units, representing the unit's honor, collective prestige, and the soul of the regiment. If the war is lost, before death the flag must be burned.

There is a veteran squad called the Flag‑Guard Squad, sworn to protect the Japanese regiment flag to the death, showing how much Japanese soldiers value the flag.

"Come, take a photo of me with this flag; I have a bold idea," Jiang Anguo ordered the cameraman, to pose together with the Japanese regiment flag.

Xu Guozhang also found it amusing and came over; he didn't quite understand the importance of the Japanese regiment flag.

Jiang Anguo gave Old Xu a brief explanation.

"What a character, excellent! This isn't even harder than capturing a Japanese division commander alive," Xu Guozhang exclaimed.

"Old Xu," Jiang Anguo said slowly, "Indeed, this is far harder than capturing a Japanese division commander alive. But we're not lacking; the Japanese 13th Division attacked Nanjing and took part in the Nanjing Massacre, so we've avenged the elders of Nanjing."

Seeing a camera among the troops, Hu Lian also joined in, "Come, take one for me too."

Thus a lively scene unfolded: the Huaxia officers who understood the Japanese regiment flag's importance all came over, but photographing one by one would take forever.

So they used a Platoon as the basic unit—once a photo was taken, they moved on to the next.

Of course, Jiang Anguo also set up a 'Flag‑Guard Squad', watching the regiment flag intently, forbidding it from falling to the ground.

Having annihilated the forces of a Japanese division—the 13th Division—and wiped out four of its regiments, they captured this regiment flag; one can imagine how difficult it is to seize a Japanese regiment flag amid artillery fire.

Jiang Anguo thought, this 'Zhuge Liang' probably didn't know about the traitor either; otherwise the flag couldn't have ended up in his hands.

"Xiao Si, keep an eye on this flag for me." Jiang Anguo took over Xiao Si's original backpack.

"Yes, Young Master." Xiao Si clutched the Japanese regiment flag to his chest, still using the backpack that Zhuge Mingliang had worn.

He thought of Zhuge Liang, and in an instant recalled many—Guan Yu, Elder Guan.

Jingzhou?

Hu Lian came to Jiang Anguo's side, looking at his daze, "Anguo, what are you thinking!"

Feeling a pat on his shoulder, Jiang Anguo snapped back, shook his head, "Nothing, just pondering how to fight next."

"No," Hu Lian replied, a bit confused, "Anguo, Yichang is already in our hands, and the Japanese division commander has been captured; the war is over now."

"No, we must expand the victory!"

"What, expand the victory?" Hu Lian's voice rose a few notches.

"Old Hu, if the next phase is defense, can your 11th Division hold Yichang?" Jiang Anguo asked solemnly.

Hu Lian looked at the suddenly serious Jiang Anguo, thought for a moment, "Honestly, it's hard to defend. First we'd face Japanese forces from Dangyang and Zhijiang, and also large Japanese troops from Jingzhou and Jingmen."

Jiang Anguo had already taken out the Yichang operation map and examined it closely, "These two places are very close!"

"Yes," Hu Lian nodded, "Jingzhou and Jingmen are only about ninety‑something kilometers from Yichang. If the Japanese want to attack Yichang, even with just my 11th Division and no hundred‑thousand troops, they can't easily take it."

Jiang Anguo fully agreed with Hu Lian's assessment; Yichang leans on Xiaoting, with the Jingmen mountain range to the north, which can block a hundred‑thousand Japanese troops without issue, giving the terrain an absolute advantage.