The victorious 18th Army of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army showed no signs of wild ecstasy. While this battle had indeed annihilated over 7,000 Japanese troops, the Revolutionary Army had also suffered the sacrifice of over 2,400 commanders and fighters. The 18th Army had been fighting bloody battles in the Northeast for nearly half a year. The casualties from successive battles, combined with the losses from this major engagement, had cost the army over 20% of its strength. Not to mention the large-scale weapon malfunctions that had occurred in the freezing snowy weather.

However, the reconnaissance results were quite surprising. After the annihilation of the Miyazaki Brigade, the division commander of the 19th Division made a prompt decision and withdrew all remaining troops back to Benxihu. As a blocking force, once the 18th Army left its defensive positions, it would encounter various problems, so making a choice was indeed a difficult matter.

"The urgent task now is to quickly inform other units of the situation we encountered. Especially the various troubles we faced. Other units need to learn from our experience and lessons immediately," Mu Husan said.

The meeting was attended by division and regiment-level cadres. The comrades hadn't expected Mu Husan to prioritize this matter. Everyone's eyes couldn't help but fall on Xu Donghai, the acting commander of the 6th Regiment, who was attending the meeting. The 6th Regiment had lost 95% of its commanders and fighters in the battle. In temperatures of twenty-some degrees below zero, once someone was seriously injured—even with wounds that wouldn't be considered fatal in the summer—the wounds would freeze, the blood vessels would freeze, and without targeted medical treatment, the wounded couldn't last long. The near-total annihilation of the Japanese Miyazaki Brigade wasn't because the Revolutionary Army slaughtered prisoners, but because the Japanese wounded simply froze to death in the bitter cold. Similarly, due to more than an hour of hand-to-hand combat, the vast majority of injured comrades in the 6th Regiment couldn't be saved either.

After the battle, the remaining commanders and fighters of the 6th Regiment were only enough to form a single company, but no one dared to exclude the 6th Regiment, which had made such terrible sacrifices, from the military conference. Although Xu Donghai had only been a vice company commander before the battle and an acting battalion commander during the fighting, the fact that he could persist from beginning to end in such hellish combat was enough to command the solemn respect of comrades from other units.

With a wooden expression and his head lowered, Xu Donghai seemed not to hear what the army commander was saying. It wasn't until Mu Husan stood up, walked over to him, and placed a hand on his shoulder that Xu Donghai raised his head in slight surprise.

Mu Husan grabbed Xu Donghai by the shoulder, pulled him up, and then stared intnetly into his eyes, saying, "Comrade Xu Donghai, your regiment bore the brunt of the fighting and made the greatest sacrifices. Your 6th Regiment is the banner of our army, the backbone of our army! So I demand that you pull yourself together now. The battle has only just begun; it is far from over!"

Hearing the commander mention the tragic battle, Xu Donghai's entire body convulsed, and a look of pain flashed across his face. "Com... Commander, our regiment is gone..." Xu Donghai's voice contained indescribable agony.

"If the unit is gone, it can be rebuilt. When we rebuild, I will prioritize rebuilding your 6th Regiment!" Mu Husan didn't waver in the slightest, his voice full of strength. "I will also request a commendation for the unit from the Military Commission! I will apply for an honorary title from the Military Commission! I will apply for campaign badges from the Military Commission! But, Comrade Xu Donghai, you yourself cannot collapse! If you are like this now, what would the spirits of the more than one thousand sacrificed comrades say if they saw you like this?!"

Hearing the commander mention the sacrificed comrades, Xu Donghai's eyes and nose instantly turned red. Although he covered his mouth and managed not to cry out loud in public, tears couldn't stop flowing down his cheeks.

Although Mu Husan's gaze remained resolute and firm, his slightly trembling voice betrayed his emotions. Mu Husan gripped Xu Donghai's shoulder tightly and said loudly, "Comrade Xu Donghai, if you want to cry, cry out loud! No one will laugh at you. But what we must do now is bury our comrades, wipe away our tears, and then continue to move forward. This battle is just the beginning. What your regiment needs to do now is summarize the experience accumulated with fresh blood, and tell these experiences to the comrades of other units, so that they can exchange fewer sacrifices for greater victories! Don't you think this is the true way to comfort the spirits of our comrades in heaven?!"

Xu Donghai only sobbed a few times before stabilizing his emotions. Wiping away his tears, he stood at attention and saluted Commander Mu Husan. "I will resolutely complete the mission!"

"After this operational meeting, the Army Headquarters, the Staff Department, and the Training Section will immediately send comrades to summarize the process of this battle with you. All comrades in your regiment must participate." Mu Husan finished speaking and walked back to his seat. "As for whether to attack the 19th Division first or the incoming Japanese reinforcements, do you comrades have any ideas?"

"Usually, we just need to pay attention to gun maintenance, but fighting in snowy weather is much harder. The snow melts on the gun and immediately freezes again. We can't be cleaning our guns while shooting. I think we can wait until the snow stops before fighting," the commander of the 1st Division said. The cold weather was a big problem. However, based on the various refinements of imported oil carried out in the base areas, the types of anti-freeze oil had finally been determined after multiple experiments by the Northeast troops. The Railway Corps had risked their lives to transport these logistical supplies. But the problem of snow water produced when snow melted on the guns was difficult to solve. Moreover, anti-freeze oil was currently scarce, and it was impossible to keep the guns filled to the brim at all times. Not to mention that putting a large amount of anti-freeze oil in the gun would affect firing. With the Revolutionary Army's tradition of emphasizing weapon maintenance, there hadn't been enough time to summarize a satisfactory solution to this problem.

The head of the Quartermaster Department replied, "Our rifles weren't designed specifically for high-altitude cold regions to begin with, and there was no consideration for snow protection. I'm thinking about temporarily installing a few auxiliary parts on the rifles and machine guns to see if we can provide temporary snow protection."

"Will that work?" All the comrades perked up.

Seeing the hungry wolf-like expressions of the comrades, the head of the Quartermaster Department hurriedly replied, "I can't guarantee this. Even if the parts are installed, it will have a significant impact on the operation of the firearms. So I can only do my best; I can't make any promises to everyone."

This discussion pleased Mu Husan. Since heavy snow would affect the Revolutionary Army's use of firearms, the large quantity of captured Japanese weapons had also undergone emergency testing, and the Japanese weapons encountered the same problems in snowy combat. Moreover, there were no signs that the 19th Division had carried out any special treatment other than grease protection. If the firepower problem could be solved, the heavy snow would actually be a great opportunity for the Revolutionary Army to utilize its firepower configuration and assault tactics. The 6th Regiment had already proven with practical action that the Revolutionary Army would absolutely not be at a disadvantage in bayonet fighting against the Japanese army. The immediate task was to find a way to fully utilize the unit's firepower configuration advantages as soon as possible.

Chief of Staff Liu Guange said, "The communications officer from the 15th Army has brought news. Their march has been affected to a certain extent by the wind and snow. However, they will arrive at the rear of the Japanese army the day after tomorrow at the latest. But if we fail to solve the snow problem, we will likely face a very arduous battle."

The commander of the 2nd Division replied, "If we don't wipe out the Japanese here, are we going to let them go back to Korea?"

The Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army had always taken the annihilation of the enemy's effective strength as its strategic direction; people were the key to everything. Even if Japan could utilize its manpower to replenish the annihilated units, the newly formed units could not compare with the veteran units in terms of quality or experience. However, the 6th Regiment was a unit of the 2nd Division, and the heavy sacrifices of the 6th Regiment gave the 2nd Division commander a strong desire for battle.

The 9th Regiment was a unit of the 3rd Division. Although the 9th Regiment had only sent one battalion of reinforcements, the death rate of this battalion also exceeded 90%. Since the Japanese 19th Division had to retreat to the Benxihu area to hold its ground, as long as the two opposing Japanese divisions were dealt with, the 19th Division would be completely trapped like a turtle in a jar. At that time, how to cook it would be entirely up to the Revolutionary Army. Not to mention that the two divisions of the 14th Army should have already moved south by now. Although relying on two divisions wasn't enough to encircle and annihilate the Japanese 19th Division, which had only one brigade left, monitoring the 19th Division was still achievable.

"The only thing we have to worry about now is a sudden retreat by these two Japanese divisions," Liu Guange said.

"Don't completely cut off the Japanese communication lines; let the 19th Division help us intercept the Japanese army," the commander of the 1st Division replied. Although the 1st Division hadn't directly engaged the 19th Division, it had put in a lot of effort during the annihilation of the 20th Division, and its casualties were not small. It was precisely because of the successful annihilation of the Japanese 20th Division that the 18th Army could have the series of victories that followed, now pushing the 19th Division into a desperate situation. The 1st Division commander naturally wouldn't object to fighting a war of annihilation.

"Then all units should make preparations now. Once the 15th Army arrives in position, we will set out immediately," Mu Husan ordered loudly.

In fact, there was no need for the Revolutionary Army to deliberately relax the blockage of Japanese intelligence lines. While retreating, the 19th Division had already sent seven or eight small detachments to ask for help from the Japanese troops to the south. The southern responding forces were the 6th and 7th Divisions. Upon receiving the news that the 19th Division had paid the price of half its troops and was still unable to break through, the 6th and 7th Divisions immediately transmitted the news back to Antung. The news crossed the Yalu River, and then pierced through North and South Korea at top speed via the Japanese telegraph network in Korea. Following the undersea cable across the Tsushima Strait, it arrived in Tokyo within a day.

It wasn't the first time the Japanese Ministry of the Army had received such news that made them feel utterly ashamed. At this moment, it really wasn't a good time to shirk responsibility or conceal the facts. So, after a whole night of arguing, the Minister of the Army finally mustered the courage to drive over to visit Yamagata Aritomo.

Yamagata Aritomo merely glanced at the Minister of the Army and asked coldly, "Which unit had an incident?"

The Minister of the Army was startled, but since he was prepared beforehand, he earnestly reported the latest news to Yamagata Aritomo.

Yamagata Aritomo didn't fly into a rage. He simply ordered someone to bring out a map and spread it on the table. "Tell me the results of the Ministry of the Army's discussion."

This attitude was even more terrifying to the Minister of the Army than a torrent of abuse. He first glanced at Yamagata's expression before pointing at the map and saying, "The Ministry of the Army wants the 8th Division, currently located in Pyongyang, to cross the Yalu River, while the 6th and 7th Divisions bypass the enemy's defense line to go and meet the 19th Division."

Yamagata Aritomo looked at the map and didn't speak for a long time. After quite a while, he finally opened his mouth and said, "Is there another plan?"

"Another plan..." The Minister of the Army hesitated. He listened for a moment before replying, "The other plan is to order the 19th Division to break out to the north on its own, cross the mountainous area, and return to Korea."

Yamagata Aritomo continued to look calmly at the operational map. His finger pressed on the map, sliding west from Antung, and finally stopped steadily on the location of Panjin. The Minister of the Army's gaze followed Yamagata Aritomo's finger.

"Order the 19th Division to break out on its own. After the 6th and 7th Divisions return to Antung, they are to reorganize their troops at top speed and attack westward," Yamagata Aritomo said.

"Your Excellency, why is that?" the Minister of the Army asked.

"Since we have fallen a step behind the People's Party again, there is no need to insist on executing the original plan. No matter how the People's Party moves, their true base area is in Panjin. As long as we conquer their lair, the People's Party will inevitably have to turn back to retake Panjin," Yamagata Aritomo replied.

"Besieging Wei to rescue Zhao?" the Minister of the Army replied thoughtfully. "In that case, the 19th Division won't be subjected to a powerful enemy pursuit?"

"It's not besieging Wei to rescue Zhao, but rather that our original plan was exactly this. Cut off the People's Party's route into the pass, and encircle and annihilate the People's Party's troops in Manchuria in the spring. However, I didn't expect the 19th Division to be so useless," Yamagata Aritomo replied coldly. The immense dissatisfaction in his tone made the Minister of the Army shudder.

"Your Excellency, if this still can't save the 19th Division, those people in the Navy Ministry..." the Minister of the Army asked hesitantly.

"If we are driven out of Manchuria, what good does it do the Navy Ministry? Are they planning to sail their warships into Manchuria?" Yamagata Aritomo asked in return. Yamagata Aritomo was extremely disgusted in his heart with these petty games of intrigue among the younger generation. The struggle between the Army Ministry and the Navy Ministry had existed for a long time, but at least in Yamagata Aritomo's era, this struggle was based on the common pursuit of victory. At best, there were fierce conflicts when competing for credit, completely unlike the current situation where they would still try to undermine each other relentlessly even when facing a crisis.

Seeing the Minister of the Army's expression of relief, Yamagata Aritomo couldn't help but say, "Besides issuing orders, you must now mobilize the 10th, 11th, and 12th Divisions to enter Korea. The People's Party cannot possibly watch helplessly as Panjin is lost. They will definitely increase their troops as well. By spring, this battle will definitely be fought on a huge scale. Mobilize the troops now."

The Minister of the Army couldn't help but say, "But the Navy side..."

"I will speak to the Navy side. You go and make preparations now!" Yamagata Aritomo ordered in a tone that allowed no questioning.

"Hai!" The Minister of the Army bowed and replied.

The Army Ministry and the Navy Ministry would also spy on each other. While Yamagata Aritomo was listening to the Minister of the Army's report, Saionji Kinmochi also found the current Prime Minister, Takahashi Korekiyo.

Takahashi Korekiyo looked at Saionji Kinmochi's ashen face and roughly guessed some clues in his heart. He poured tea for Saionji Kinmochi and then waited quietly to hear the latest news.

"Takahashi-kun, if the Army is defeated, what exactly do you plan to do?" Saionji Kinmochi didn't mention anything about the war situation but asked directly about the outcome.

Takahashi Korekiyo showed no surprise or hesitation. He replied calmly, "If that happens, I can only vigorously conduct trade with Europe. No matter what, we must make more money to reduce our losses."

Saionji Kinmochi completely hadn't expected Takahashi Korekiyo to be so composed. He was stunned.

Takahashi Korekiyo continued, "In any case, we will be fighting the People's Party over Manchuria. We cannot possibly give up Manchuria. Since that's the case, is there any other choice besides doing our best to win the victory?"

"But the Army's performance is too shameful!" Saionji Kinmochi said angrily.

"Saionji-kun, do you still think our opponent is the China of the past?" Takahashi Korekiyo asked.

"Eh?" Saionji Kinmochi was stunned. He had never considered this question. In fact, this was the first time someone had bluntly raised this issue.

Looking at Saionji Kinmochi's astonished expression, Takahashi Korekiyo said steadily, "Our opponent is not the Manchu Qing, nor the Beiyang; our opponent is the People's Party. The current China is no longer the China of the past. Saionji-kun, I hope you can recognize this. I don't believe the Army Ministry's failure is because the Army Ministry itself is unskilled in war, but because the Army Ministry still thinks the opponent we are facing is the China of the past."

Takahashi Korekiyo looked at Saionji Kinmochi's thoughtful expression, and a trace of loneliness flashed through his heart. Although he knew he was just a transitional Prime Minister, Takahashi Korekiyo sincerely wanted to revitalize Japan during his term. However, he now understood that his position as Prime Minister wouldn't last long. Since that was the case, Takahashi Korekiyo had nothing left to worry about. He continued, "Saionji-kun, the Navy currently feels that China hasn't changed simply because the People's Party hasn't put its strength into building a navy yet. But looking at it now, this situation won't last too long either. The predicament the Army is facing now, the Navy will confront sooner or later. Although I cannot prevent the outbreak of this war, if the war really reaches an unmanageable state, I will still stand up and demand an end to the war. For our Great Japanese Empire, the European war is our best opportunity. Even if I can utilize it for one more year, one more month, or even one more day, I will do my best to strive for this opportunity."

Saionji Kinmochi looked at Takahashi Korekiyo with a frown. He knew that both the ruling and opposition parties in Japan had a very high evaluation of Takahashi Korekiyo's economic abilities. However, Takahashi Korekiyo had been pushed onto the Prime Minister's throne by Saionji Kinmochi single-handedly, so deep down, he still somewhat looked down on Takahashi Korekiyo. Now hearing Takahashi Korekiyo state his strong determination in a calm tone, Saionji Kinmochi couldn't help but feel a burst of respect for him. After all, not just anyone could sit in the Prime Minister's position and still strive to promote their political philosophy with an attitude of completely disregarding the Prime Minister's throne.

Even if only for this magnanimity, Saionji Kinmochi couldn't help but feel respect for Takahashi Korekiyo.