He spread out the map on the ground; it was a full square meter in size. Detailed markings of the terrain and routes were etched across it, clearly delineating the general deployment of the Japanese forces. On the black-and-white map, a conspicuous thin red line traced a path from the Japanese 11th Artillery Regiment all the way to the forward positions held by the National Government's 88th Division. It twisted and wound its way through the landscape, carefully bypassing Japanese defensive lines to avoid encirclement.
"Battalion commander, this map is a bit hard to read! Can you make sense of it?" Hu Youming rubbed his hands together, his face nearly pressed against the paper as he tried to study it thoroughly. It would be a lie to say he hadn't seen one before; after all, he was a company commander. He had visited the regimental headquarters a few times and caught glimpses of maps hanging on the walls. He knew enough to know that having a map made fighting easier, even if he couldn't truthfully claim to understand all the details.
"Old Hu, notify the troops. As soon as I fire, follow me and pull out immediately! If we make it out alive, I’ll teach you how to read maps," Lin Feng replied, ignoring the question as he folded up the map and issued the order to retreat.
Chapter 26