Inside the rather crude temporary command post of the Japanese 10th Division, the atmosphere was so heavy it seemed ready to drip water. Isogai Rensuke sat grim-faced at the head of the table, his hawk-like, piercing eyes sweeping across the room, sending a chill through everyone present. The officers seated around him all wore solemn expressions, sitting up straight and upright, none daring to easily break the suffocating silence.
The reason they were so tense and serious was entirely because of the problem that was giving everyone a headache: Teng County still had not been captured after a protracted siege! This battle, initially expected to be an easy victory, had now bogged down in a stalemate—unquestionably a disgrace for the Japanese military, which had always held itself in high regard. Therefore, everyone knew in their hearts that today's meeting would inevitably be a debate and decision-making process filled with gunpowder.
Isogai Rensuke slowly spoke, his voice low yet carrying unquestionable majesty: "Gentlemen, the battle of Teng County has been going on for days, yet our forces have still failed to conquer it. This is seriously affecting the operational progress of the Great Japanese Empire. Our troops and equipment are both superior; why have we fallen into such a stalemate?"
Chapter 87