"After 0:00 on the 8th... I don't know the Japanese Army's efficiency or internal friction. But assuming a normal pace, the Army Ministry and General Staff Headquarters operate 24 hours a day, as does the Naval General Staff. Before 1:00, the Navy would conduct staff work based on the number and location of transport troops provided by the Army, and the status of vessels at various ports determined on the 7th. They would determine vessel types, speeds, quantities, and hold capacities to finalize the loading plan."

"Loading plan?" Zheng Sirang had honestly never heard the term.

"Ships have internal holds. Based on the size, location, and ventilation of different holds, personnel, equipment, and supplies are arranged according to navigation requirements. This is very professional work. For example, if a hold containing ammunition were to explode, the whole ship would be done for."

Zheng Sirang was an expert in army matters but knew nothing of the navy. After listening and thinking for a moment, he couldn't help but sigh. "Isn't this just like our Staff Department's workflow?"

"Our Staff Department doesn't have the ability to invent physical laws; we have to work according to existing physical and natural laws. Since everyone has to do this, excellent armies will perform differently on the battlefield based on their understanding of war and their industrial strength at the time. But the organizational model within the army and its operational logic are not that different."

Zheng Sirang's mind followed this train of thought. With this guiding principle, the operational plan for the Lushun-Dalian Campaign suddenly became incredibly clear. Zheng Sirang distinctly felt that although he had mastered the campaign process and execution through study, understanding, memorization, and training before the battle, deep down, he still had a tendency to be guided by tactical victory. Thinking back on it now, this tendency was very obvious. For a moment, a strong sense of shame welled up, making Zheng Sirang feel almost too ashamed to show his face.

Just as he was feeling at a loss, Zheng Sirang felt a heavy slap on his shoulder from He Rui. It shook him to the core, and he instinctively braced himself for a scolding. In fact, Zheng Sirang was even somewhat looking forward to being fiercely reprimanded by He Rui; it would make him feel a bit better inside.

"Hey! Don't overthink it!" He Rui's tone was full of encouragement. "When the comrades first arrived in the Northeast six years ago, you were all platoon-level officers without the ability to command even a company properly. Now, you can all conduct large army group operations and effectively execute campaign-level operational plans in the process. Don't make overly harsh demands on yourself; excessive demands are unhealthy."

"But..." Zheng Sirang had no intention of using He Rui's words as an excuse for himself.

"Sirang, the 1st Army Group has gone through such a bloody battle, and the Japanese Navy cannot launch a large-scale amphibious landing in the short term. The defense of Lushun and Dalian will be handed over to other units. The 1st Army Group will soon transfer to rest and reorganization. Your upcoming workload and the difficulty of your work will increase significantly."

"...Do you mean the merit evaluation work?" Zheng Sirang thought for a moment and understood what He Rui was referring to.

He Rui nodded. "Comrade Zheng Sirang, we all tend to choose people we like. This is human nature and nothing to criticize. But as a military commander, your responsibility is to improve the unit's combat effectiveness. Since you have gained some insight this time, use the knowledge you've learned and the laws you've understood to evaluate the officers' capabilities. A soldier who can execute combat orders well is not equivalent to one who can understand war. If there are soldiers who can understand war, put them in suitable positions and provide them with education and training. Expect them to grow and progress faster."

"Yes!" Zheng Sirang stood at attention and saluted. During the campaign, Zheng Sirang had been deeply impressed by some officers who performed outstandingly. At the time, he had considered promoting them heavily during the merit evaluation. Back then, he had only felt joy and anticipation, thinking that letting those brave and battle-hardened soldiers take command positions would certainly make the Northeast Army even more valiant.

Now, the merit evaluation work felt different. It was a serious task that could not accommodate any personal emotions. Selecting military commanders for battalion and company-level units was a matter of regiments recommending to division headquarters. Determining the commanders and chiefs of staff for corps and division-level units required choosing soldiers who understood war and military affairs, not just brave officers.

Zheng Sirang said sincerely, "Chairman, if you have time, please help more with this merit evaluation and promotion work."

"Sirang, calm down. You must trust in the construction of the army's systems. Don't underestimate the Political Work Department, and don't underestimate the relevant departments of the Staff Department responsible for archiving combat records. As long as these two departments work well, the merit evaluation won't be one-sided. Army organizational construction is for the effective and objective advancement of the army's development. For a military leader to be called qualified is itself a huge challenge. You are responsible for hundreds of thousands, even a million troops."

"Yes! I will definitely... bring the advantages of our army's military democracy into full play."

He Rui felt that Zheng Sirang saying such words proved he was really beginning to understand the purpose and value of military democracy.

No one likes democracy in their work. Democracy means listening to others, respecting others' authority, and restricting one's own impulses. Almost every aspect of it is counter-intuitive to human nature, but working together is essential for the continuation and development of human society. Only through cooperation can individual capabilities be maximized.

In history, the establishment of New China was guaranteed by democratic centralism. It was precisely because millions of revolutionaries and members of the revolutionary ranks pooled their strength through democratic centralism that such incredible success was created.

He Rui hoped that the more people who could understand and consciously execute such a system, the better.

At this moment, Zheng Sirang also felt his psychological pressure was too great and decided to change his mood. He dropped work and asked a question he was currently curious about. "Chairman, if the Japanese Army really adopts an extremely adventurous policy, what method do you plan to use to deal with the Japanese Navy's advantage?"

He Rui did not want to discuss this question. That method was not honorable, nor reasonable, and certainly couldn't be used for propaganda. So He Rui replied, "If we really encounter such a situation, I will tell you."

Zheng Sirang heard He Rui's determination not to divulge it, so he didn't waste any more words. "Chairman, are you staying in Lushun or going back?"

He Rui looked at his watch; it was already 16:00. "I'm returning to Shenyang now."

Zheng Sirang said nothing else. He didn't need to guess to know that He Rui's focus had already shifted from Lushun and Dalian to Korea.

***

October 9th, 16:00. A Japanese biplane two-seater flew clumsily over the rugged mountains of northern Korea. The pilot, Kobayashi Koichi, felt as if he were wrestling a wild horse. The terrain in the mountainous area was undulating. When the wind blew, it was blocked by the mountains and began to move upward. The varying heights of the mountains made the airflow elusive. The plane bobbed up and down, causing the observer in the back to complain incessantly.

Kobayashi didn't want this turbulence either, but if he flew too high, they couldn't observe clearly. Moreover, the mountains themselves were hundreds of meters high; keeping a few hundred meters of clearance meant flying at over a thousand meters. Flying any higher would exceed the plane's practical service ceiling.

To observe as clearly as possible while keeping the plane stable, and to control the plane in its current state—to solve these immediate problems, Kobayashi had absolutely no energy to notice two monoplane single-seaters circling half a turn above him and diving toward his reconnaissance plane from the rear flank.

During World War I, air combat began to erupt between European fighter planes. In 1915, the French Air Force developed a deflector system, installing wedge-shaped steel plates on the propeller blades facing the gun muzzle. This way, bullets hitting the propeller would be deflected, while those passing through would fly toward the enemy plane. Although this design solved the problem of bullets shattering the propeller, the bullets ricocheting off the propeller posed a danger to the pilot and the aircraft engine, potentially leading to a crash.

Soon after, the German Air Force successfully developed the synchronization gear. This device was like installing a pause and start button on the aircraft machine gun's trigger. The button controlled the machine gun through a cam and linkage rod, while the firing authority was controlled by the propeller. When a blade blocked the muzzle, the propeller drove the linkage rod through the cam to trigger the linkage mechanism, causing the machine gun to stop firing instantly. When the blade gap appeared, the linkage mechanism reset, and the machine gun continued to fire. In this way, every bullet could be fired through the gap in the propeller blades.

The German aircraft design team that the Northeast Army had directly poached included weapon system designers. At this stage, aircraft aiming systems were extremely backward, and the best position for the machine gun was the nose. In front of the Northeast Army fighter cockpit, a sight was fixed. In pilot Li Meng's line of sight, the growing Japanese plane was caught in the sight. Li Meng flicked open the firing safety catch on the upper right of the U-shaped control stick with his thumb and pressed the button.

The fuselage soon began to vibrate, and bullets punched a row of holes directly into the Japanese reconnaissance plane. The wingman pilot, Zhou Xingtian, suppressed his excitement and did not engage in firing before receiving the order. This rule was based on lessons written in blood. Pilots were human too, and could get hot-headed.

After one round of shooting, the flight team circled around. Seeing the lead plane wiggling its wings, Zhou Xingtian flew his wingman plane up and fired fiercely at the Japanese plane that was still barely flying. Under two strikes, and with another strong gust of wind, Zhou Xingtian hurriedly stopped firing, closed the firing safety catch, and focused entirely on climbing. He failed to notice that the Japanese plane disintegrated directly in mid-air, turning into fragments falling toward the earth.

This was the first time the Northeast Air Force had shot down a Japanese plane. Since no battle had erupted, it wasn't the first air battle.

About ten minutes later, the Northeast Air Force scattered across the battlefield successively shot down Japanese reconnaissance planes, quickly seizing air superiority over the battlefield.

From noon on the 9th, the Chosen Army moving north identified the main force of the Northeast Army's 2nd Army Group. Communications in Korea were immediately placed under control, with brigades contacting the Chosen Army Headquarters at any time. Fixed communications were also conducted every 30 minutes.

At 18:30, with the delivery of a cable telegram, the latest war situation was sent to the Army in Korea.

Nagata Tetsuzan, Okamura Yasuji, and Ishiwara Kanji were currently verifying their identities at the entrance of the Governor-General's Office of Korea. Captain Kamiya, the duty officer guarding the Governor-General's Office, knew Okamura Yasuji and was quite polite to the three. While his subordinate called to coordinate, Captain Kamiya sized up the three men.

The leader, Colonel Nagata Tetsuzan, had a long face and wore round glasses. His demeanor and conversation were extraordinary, especially that air of self-confidence; he looked like a leader.

Lieutenant Colonel Okamura Yasuji had a slightly pointed chin, giving his face a somewhat bitter look. Following beside Nagata Tetsuzan, he looked like an important executive following his boss.

Major Ishiwara Kanji, standing a bit further away, had a round baby face and was clean-shaven. His gestures carried a scholarly air, and his voice was refined. It made Captain Kamiya suspect if the 33 years of age on the ID was a mistake; if it were ten years younger, it would match Major Ishiwara's appearance perfectly.

However, it was clear that Major Ishiwara was not in a good mood. While waiting, he took out a cigarette and smoked. His slightly furrowed brows and downward gaze clearly indicated he was thinking about something.

Soon, Major General Wamura, the logistics chief of the Governor-General's Office, came out from inside to welcome the three elite officers. After signing in, he led them into the Governor-General's Office. The Government-General of Korea was an institution established within Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul (Keijo) after the signing of the Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty in 1910.

The Governor-General of Korea was directly subordinate to the Emperor of Japan and held full military, legislative, administrative, and judicial power over the Korean Peninsula. Under the Governor-General, there was a Vice Governor-General, the Governor-General's Secretariat, and five departments (General Affairs, Home Affairs, Finance, Agriculture, Commerce and Industry, and Justice). In addition, there were institutions such as the Central Council, Police Affairs Bureau, Courts, and Railway Bureau.

The Chosen Army Headquarters was also located within the Governor-General's Office. Upon entering the headquarters, Major General Wamura, the logistics chief, gave the three men an office and ordered his subordinates to send a copy of the relevant intelligence to Nagata Tetsuzan. He then left quickly.

Nagata and the others didn't mind. Having just arrived, they couldn't start working immediately. Naturally, they needed to familiarize themselves with the situation. Major General Wamura's instructions were exactly what needed to be done, showing the level of a veteran in military affairs.

Before long, a stack of telegrams and copies of documents were delivered to the office. The three gathered around the table and began to browse quickly.

Nagata Tetsuzan read in order, while Ishiwara Kanji read in reverse order. After finishing the latest telegram, Ishiwara couldn't help but sigh.

Okamura Yasuji asked, "Ishiwara-kun, what did you see?"

Ishiwara placed the telegram in front of Okamura. "Although the Japanese Air Force's reconnaissance is better than nothing, four reconnaissance planes were shot down so quickly. The front line probably won't dare to send out reconnaissance planes again. The Northeast Air Force will be able to operate at will."

Okamura didn't have much feeling for the air force, only thinking that this new type of service had its advantages but needed time to develop. After reading the telegram, Okamura looked at Nagata. Nagata seemed not to have heard, quickly browsing documents regarding the war situation. When he saw something doubtful, he recorded it in his notebook.

So Okamura continued reading as well. Nagata and Ishiwara both wrote as they read. Over an hour later, they had finished reading tens of thousands of words of documents, and both had recorded a lot of content in their notebooks.

Nagata took the questions he had recorded and gave instructions to Okamura. Okamura immediately began to organize based on Nagata's instructions. Okamura worked seriously; once he started, he was fully focused and turned a deaf ear to the conversation of the two beside him.

Nagata called Ishiwara to the window. While smoking, he asked, "Ishiwara-kun, I wonder who the commander of this Northeast Army is. According to intelligence, He-kun has ten major generals under his command. Before following He-kun, none of them had any experience leading troops. To have such command ability after six years of study... could it be He-kun's Chief of Staff, Cheng Ruofan?"

Ishiwara countered, "Why not the Northeast Army Commander Xu Chengfeng? Or the Commissar Zhong Yifu?"

Nagata knew Ishiwara was prickly; this sounded like a challenge. The structure of the Northeast Army was, in a sense, similar to the future new Japanese Army Nagata expected. It was just that He Rui had organized political and ideological work into the Civilization Party organization within the Northeast Army, with commissars responsible for it. Nagata hoped for the Army Education Department to take charge of this.

Other structures were no different, so the Commander-in-Chief could not possibly commit himself to a single battlefield.

"Who do you think is leading the troops, Ishiwara-kun?"

Ishiwara said slowly, "Of the ten major generals under He-kun, one is Zhou Yinshan. He graduated from the Japanese Military Academy with excellent grades and later served as an instructor at the Baoding Military Academy. He is the oldest among the Northeast Army's high command and serves as the President of the Northeast Military Academy. He absolutely cannot suddenly serve as a theatre commander. Neither can the Commander, Commissar, or Chief of Staff. Xu Jia, who serves as the head of personnel, does not have the ability to command troops. In my judgment, it might be Hu Xiushan."

"Why not Zheng Sirang?" Nagata asked. At the same time, he appreciated Ishiwara's line of thinking.

"Zheng Sirang's father was a bodyguar for the Huiyou Escort Agency, famous in Inner and Outer Mongolia. Zheng Sirang comes from the cavalry and must be a fierce general. The Northeast Army fighting the Chosen Army is an exterior line operation. Although He-kun is strong, he is only one person and cannot command multiple battlefields. With a fierce general on the outside, it isn't stable enough. It requires a general with a steady character. If I were choosing the candidate, I would keep the fierce general close at hand for use."

Nagata also agreed with Ishiwara's judgment and couldn't help but sigh. "Looking at the Northeast Army's advance into Korea, the commander doesn't look like someone who has only followed He-kun for six years. If the one leading the troops is indeed Hu Xiushan, he is only 27 years old this year."

"Does Nagata-kun think this person is not determined enough?" Ishiwara asked.

Nagata was unwilling to hypothesize about his enemy's character. If the enemy were useless, that would naturally be best. But to assume the opponent's character and ability from the start was foolishness. So Nagata lowered his voice slightly. "What does Ishiwara-kun think of the Chosen Army's logistical capabilities?"

Ishiwara gave a straightforward evaluation. "Korea is not the Japanese mainland. The children of the the Korean *Yangban* class read the Four Books and Five Classics to get ahead. The Empire has only truly controlled Korea for a few years and hasn't genuinely reformed it. Few Koreans truly understand modern military affairs. The logistical strength is likely far inferior to the Northeast Army."

Nagata agreed with Ishiwara's judgment. He held the Northeast Army commander attacking Korea in high regard precisely because the Northeast Army's advance was extremely methodical. Advancing nearly a hundred kilometers in over two days with an army of over a hundred thousand—only a screw-up or a truly excellent commander could do this.

In contrast, the Japanese army relied entirely on rail transport within Korea. The difference was stark upon comparison. Although the Northeast Army had come from afar, they held the upper hand.

The only good news was that the two division commanders of the Chosen Army were not muddled. They were very cautious when advancing and did not rush in recklessly. The opponent seemed to have predicted this and did not make any feints to lure the enemy, but deployed in battle formation to fight a dignified field battle with the Japanese army.

While he was analyzing in his mind, Nagata heard Ishiwara speak again. "I think He-kun also wants to defeat the Japanese army in a field battle. He launched a surprise attack on the Kwantung Territory; even if he won, no one would truly feel the Northeast Army is powerful. At most, they would think He-kun studied the cases of the Port Arthur Fortress offensive and defensive battles, calculating against the unsuspecting. This battle with the Chosen Army follows closely on the heels of the Battle of Kwantung. If he can defeat the Chosen Army head-on, only then can he shake Japan and the world. The key to this battle lies in logistics. Whoever can bring up more ammunition will win."

This sounded balanced and fair, but connecting it with what Ishiwara said earlier, Nagata understood that Ishiwara did not have high hopes for the Chosen Army. This didn't mean Ishiwara wanted the Japanese army to lose; it was precisely because he expected the Chosen Army to win that he paid extra attention to its weaknesses.

Although Nagata didn't like Ishiwara at all, he still felt a sense of cherishing talent. Ishiwara was an incredibly smart guy, but he was burdened by his own intelligence and arrogant because of his talent. Although Ishiwara had changed greatly after contact with He Rui—becoming very kind to lower-ranking lieutenants and NCOs and genuinely caring about their lives—this kind of person, arrogant because of talent, if not arrogant towards those below, would inevitably be arrogant towards those above. He looked down on the decisions of his superiors, and thus looked down on his superiors.

Ishiwara was not the only one of this kind; Nagata had seen many similar fellows, only they didn't have Ishiwara's supreme intelligence.

In Nagata's understanding, the problem with these people lay in their affectation. With Ishiwara's intelligence, did he not know that doing this was wrong? He certainly knew. Such people also wanted to integrate into society, but they couldn't accept people's stupidity, especially the stupidity of the upper echelons. Thus, they were rejected by society, especially by the upper echelons.

Ishiwara both relied on society and rejected it, and was rejected by the upper echelons. If not for the fact that he was a soldier and knew to observe the most basic discipline—and because he was too smart, so the upper echelons didn't want to truly crush him to death—he would have been finished. That was why they kicked Ishiwara to the Army War College to teach.

When Nagata went to the Army War College to ask Ishiwara to come out of retirement this time, the principal was overjoyed after Ishiwara agreed. Working overnight, plus the Army Ministry and General Staff Headquarters working overnight during the war, they managed to complete the procedures within 12 hours, happily kicking Ishiwara out. It was evident just how much Ishiwara was hated.