Nakamura returned empty-handed and was punished; the Japanese army adjusted its troops and hid its killing intent.
The Nakamura troops had been ambushing on the big mountain on both sides of the valley, and were waiting for the dead mouse to die. This almost drove Yamamoto Shōichi crazy with rage. Yamamoto Shōichi immediately sent an urgent telegram ordering the Nakamura troops and the Fourth Mixed Brigade of the Imperial Guard Army to return to the front line at once, without any mistake. Nakamura didn't understand the meaning and hurriedly sent a telegram back to ask Yamamoto Shōichi what this was all about. When Yamamoto Shōichi heard this, he was so angry that he almost fainted. In his telegram, Yamamoto didn't explain the specific reason, but said viciously: "If you miss the opportunity for battle, you will be severely punished by military law." Nakamura didn't dare disobey orders and had no choice but to lead the Nakamura troops and the Fourth Mixed Brigade of the Imperial Guard Army down the mountain. When Nakamura arrived at the foot of the mountain, he couldn't help but want to take a look at the Flying Tiger Cavalry Regiment, wondering what kind of trick they were up to this time and how many men they had. It wasn't until Nakamura led his troops down the mountain that he realized the enemy only had over 300 men. At this point, Nakamura finally realized that he had fallen into the Flying Tiger Cavalry Regiment's trap. Nakamura immediately became furious and led his troops to pursue the Flying Tiger Cavalry Regiment desperately. Gao Feixue shouted: "Second sister, why don't we also go and beat those little devils and puppet soldiers?" Gao Feihua said: "You silly girl, look at how many men the enemy has - they have over 10,000 men, while we only have over 300 men. If we go to fight them, aren't we just going to get ourselves killed?" Gao Feixue asked: "Then what should we do?" Gao Feihua said: "No need for words, let's run away quickly!"
Gaofei Hua led the three battalions to turn around and run away, Nakamura was so angry that his teeth were itching, he no longer returned to the front line position, but instead chased after Gaofei Hua's three battalions. The Nakamura Brigade and the Fourth Mixed Brigade of the Imperial Japanese Army pursued closely, but they got farther and farther away. The two legs of the little devils couldn't run as fast as the four legs of the war horses, so in a short while, Gaofei Hua led the three battalions to disappear into thin air.
Nakamura was furious and stomped his feet, he had no choice but to return to the front line position. When the Nakamura Brigade and the Fourth Mixed Brigade arrived at the position, they found that except for the corpses scattered all over the ground and the abandoned guns and ammunition, there was not a single living person left on the battlefield.
Nakamura knew that this time he had made a big mistake, so he could only swallow his pride and return to Qingzhou City. When Nakamura arrived at the command department of Yamamoto Shōichi, he said "report" and heard someone inside say "come in". Nakamura stepped into Yamamoto's command department, where Yamamoto Shōichi, Kumamoto Ichiemon, Koga Heiichirō, and Okamura Yasuji were all present. There was also a Japanese woman in her thirties standing beside them, wearing a Japanese military uniform, looking very heroic and majestic. Her face was as white as jade, with round eyes that seemed to be staring angrily at Nakamura.
Nakamura looked around and saw everyone glaring at him, so he knew Yamamoto Shōichi wouldn't let him off this time. Yamamoto bellowed: "Nakamura-kun!" Nakamura hastily bowed his head and replied: "Yes?" Yamamoto thundered: "Weren't you always saying the Flying Tiger Cavalry was in front of that mountain valley? How did they end up on our western flank?" Nakamura hastily explained: "Commander, sir, I fell for their deception tactic. They only had one battalion's worth of troops and kept moving back and forth in front of the valley like a revolving lantern. I didn't know how many men they actually had, so I thought the Flying Tiger Cavalry was still there." Yamamoto roared: "Baka!" He walked over to Nakamura and slapped him across the face with his hand, landing more than a dozen slaps that left Nakamura's nose blue and swollen, with fresh blood flowing from the corners of his mouth. ōkura Nishijirō said: "Alright, alright, we can't blame Nakamura entirely for the failure of Operation Death God. Even if Nakamura had blocked the Flying Tiger Cavalry, Chen Gang's 13th Division still caused significant damage to our positions, which led to us not only failing to annihilate the Chinese army in the encirclement but also suffering heavy casualties ourselves. We must learn from this and never let such a failure happen again."
"Yamamoto Shūichi said to the Japanese beauty beside him, 'Mieko, I asked you to investigate the Flying Tigers' situation. What did you find out?' The Japanese beauty replied, 'Father, I've already investigated everything.' Yamamoto Shūichi shouted, 'How many times have I told you? In the military, there is no "father" title, only superior and subordinate titles!' This Japanese beauty was none other than Yamamoto Shūichi's daughter, Yamamoto Mieko. She was an extraordinary woman who had been trained in martial arts since childhood and was extremely skilled in both hand-to-hand combat and marksmanship. Moreover, she was adept at disguise and could think on her feet, able to read people's minds, especially with her exceptional 'bed skills' that could drive men wild. As a result, Yamamoto Mieko had been working as a spy, successfully stealing top-secret information from the National Government multiple times, causing significant losses for them. She had even received the Japanese High-Ranking Beauty Spy Medal from the Emperor of Japan and was known in the Japanese military as the 'Imperial Spy Flower'."
Yamamoto Yoshiko saw her father get so angry, Yamamoto Yoshiko immediately changed her words and said: It's Commander-in-Chief, I've investigated clearly. The captain of the Flying Tiger Cavalry is Jiang Zhifei. This person was originally a disciple of the Divine Blade Sect, but later joined the 11th Division. Because this person has some skills, Liu Chenzhou valued him very much, and soon he was promoted to a regimental commander. After the establishment of the Flying Tiger Cavalry, Jiang Zhifei became the captain of the Flying Tiger Cavalry. This person not only excels in martial arts and marksmanship but also has some wisdom. However, the most powerful one is He Gang, the political commissar of the Flying Tiger Cavalry. Originally a lay disciple of Shaolin Temple, he later joined the Eighth Route Army Independent Brigade. The brigade commander, Guo Yiming, was his teacher. This person can be said to be both literary and military, with the nickname "Divine Fist Taibao Xiao Zhuge". On the surface, the Flying Tiger Cavalry is a joint establishment of the Nationalist and Communist parties, but in fact, He Gang has always controlled the command power. All battles were commanded by He Gang. This person not only has meticulous thoughts and surpassing wisdom but also excels at surprise attacks, making his opponents unable to defend themselves. Since He Gang started his career, he has almost never lost a battle. This person is the core figure of the Flying Tiger Cavalry.
Kumamoto Ichiyō said: "However, there is one thing that I still don't understand. Chen Gang's 13th Division was defeated by my Kumamoto Division, and half a year ago, he led his troops to be surrounded by my Kumamoto Division in Linde. Just as they were about to be annihilated, Liu Chenzhou's 11th Division arrived to reinforce them, and Chen Gang's 13th Division barely escaped with their lives. How could Chen Gang's troops hide so well this time and escape right under our noses without being detected? I didn't expect that in just half a year, Chen Gang's combat strength would increase so rapidly, and his wisdom would become so remarkable. It's simply unbelievable."
Yamamoto Yoshiko said: "Commander Kumamoto, you are not aware of the situation. In fact, all these strategies were planned by He Gang for him. Otherwise, how could Chen Gang have such abilities?"
Yamamoto Shūichi let out a deep sigh and said: "Alas... it seems that we didn't take the Flying Tiger Cavalry seriously enough and didn't understand them well enough, which led to today's defeat. This cavalry has become a major threat to our Imperial Japanese Army, and we must find a way to thoroughly eliminate the Flying Tiger Cavalry at all costs."
Okamura Yasuji said, "General Yamamoto, don't worry, the Flying Tiger Cavalry's doomsday has arrived." Yamamoto Shuichi was shocked and asked, "What? Does Your Excellency have some secret plan?" Okamura Yasuji sneered and said, "This time, to deal with the Flying Tiger Cavalry, I requested that the Emperor dispatch our Great Japan's most powerful Kamikaze Cavalry. The Emperor has already agreed, and they will soon arrive in China. At that time, it will be the death of the Flying Tiger Cavalry." Yamamoto Yoshiko said, "Not only that, but I have also invited our Great Japanese Empire's most mysterious and fearsome underground organization, the One Crane Faction, to help us. The Flying Tiger Cavalry is definitely going to die this time." Everyone in the room was shocked and didn't know what kind of organization the One Crane Faction was. Okamura Yasuji asked in surprise, "What kind of organization is the One Crane Faction?" Yamamoto Yoshiko said, "Your Excellency should have heard about the legend of our Japan's ninjas." Okamura Yasuji said, "Yes, I've heard that ninjas are not only able to fly and disappear like ghosts, but also can kill people without being seen. Even we Japanese people find it difficult to know where they are. Yoshiko, how did you know about the One Crane Faction?"
Yamamoto Yoshiko said: Because the head of the Crane School, Tada Toshio, is a very good friend of mine. Okamura Yasuji said: I see, but you didn't return to Japan, how did you invite them? Yamamoto Yoshiko said: I wrote a personal letter, promising them many favorable conditions, and also because Tada Toshio is my good friend, and he is a selfish person who only cares about his own interests. As long as we appeal to him with emotions, reason, and benefits, Tada Toshio will definitely come to China to help us eliminate the Flying Tiger Cavalry.
Okamura Yasuji nodded and said: That's great, I think this time the Flying Tiger Cavalry is doomed. Yamamoto Yoshiko said: To be on the safe side, I still have one last trick up my sleeve. Okamura Yasuji asked: What's your last trick? Yamamoto Yoshiko said: I can infiltrate the Flying Tiger Cavalry from within, relying on my beauty and intelligence. From within the cavalry, I can divide or disintegrate the Flying Tiger Cavalry.
Yamamoto Shuichi asked: How do you plan to divide or disintegrate the Flying Tiger Cavalry? Yamamoto Yoshiko said: Commander, don't forget that the Flying Tiger Cavalry is a joint force of the Nationalist Party and the Communist Party. The two parties have been sworn enemies for many years, and if it weren't for the invasion of China by our Great Japanese Empire, they would have already fought each other to the death.
Therefore, there are deep contradictions and grudges between them. As long as I stir up trouble from within and guide them with favorable circumstances, I think the Flying Tiger Cavalry may even turn on each other and fight among themselves. Even if they don't, I can still grasp their every move, and as long as we understand their motivations in advance, we won't be beaten everywhere. On the contrary, we can find opportunities to wipe them out once and for all.
