Liang Jian: Commander, save some for me

The others were also very happy, as they could now leave the village and go out to fight the Japanese.

"Don't be too happy too soon. There are restrictions. Those under 16 and over 25 are not eligible." Old Master Wu said.

This silenced some villagers who did not meet the requirements.

"Captain Li, why don't you want those over 25?!" A young man who was already over the age limit looked at Li Jin and asked.

"Yes, although we are over 25 years old, we can still fight the Japanese. We will definitely not be a drag!" A middle-aged man also spoke up. He did not quite understand the condition set by Li Jin.

They are now barely in their prime and their abilities are not bad, so why don't they meet the requirements?

"Don't be impatient, listen to me..." Li Jin then explained the reason, but others were not convinced.

"No matter how tiring the training is, we guarantee that we can complete it. Please accept us, Captain Li!" The middle-aged man said with a serious face. He felt that the training was no problem at all and they would definitely be able to complete the task.

"Shut up! What are you arguing about!" Old Master Wu shouted.

Suddenly, everyone didn't dare to say anything more.

"Captain Li, this is for your own good. What if there are any problems during training? Although you cannot join Captain Li's troops, you can join other troops, right, Captain Li?!" Grandpa Wu said and then looked at Li Jin.

Because Li Jin had said before that Li Jin's regiment was more special and other troops did not have so many restrictions, so those in the village who did not meet the requirements could join the army in other troops.

"Well, yes, I can write a letter of introduction for you, and then you can go to the New 1st Regiment to join the army!" Li Jin nodded in acknowledgment.

"That's fine." Upon hearing this, the villagers who did not meet the requirements nodded.

"Of course, I didn't finish my conditions just now. Those who join the army must not only meet the age requirements, but also cannot be the only son in the family!" Li Jin then added another item.

As he was the only child in the family, he would not allow the other person to join the army, so he had to leave a descendant for him.

"Don't worry about it, we wouldn't let our only son join the army even if you didn't tell us." Old Master Wu said. We have to leave someone to carry on the family line!

"Well, that's no problem. I'll write you a letter of introduction first." Li Jin said as he took out a pen and paper, then wrote a simple letter of introduction, stamped it with his own name, and then handed it to Mr. Wu.

"Grandpa, please have someone take this letter and go to the New 1st Regiment's base. I will tell the commander of the New 1st Regiment in advance." Li Jin tore the paper from the notebook and handed it to Grandpa Wu.

"Thank you." Mr. Wu took the paper, folded it and put it carefully into his pocket, fearing that he would lose the item.

"Since the things have been given to you, let's say goodbye here. When I come back, I will take away those who meet the requirements." Li Jin said.

"Okay, no problem." Mr. Wu nodded.

Li Jin didn't say anything more, turned around and left.

"Hey, why did Captain Li leave? Didn't he say he was recruiting people?!" someone asked in confusion.

"Captain Li and the others are still busy, so they can't take you with them for the time being. Let's wait until he comes back." Old Master Wu gave a brief explanation.

"Ah?! How long will we have to wait?!" Everyone was stunned. They thought they would be able to follow the other party and leave soon to fight the Japanese, but they didn't expect that they would have to wait.

"At least two months, at most three months." Mr. Wu said the time.

"This is too long!" Wu Gui said. He thought the other party would be back in ten days or half a month at most, but he didn't expect that he would have to wait for two or three months.

"Old village chief, why don't those of us who meet the requirements also go to the New 1st Regiment." Someone suggested that instead of waiting for so long, they might as well go directly to the New 1st Regiment to join the army.

"Yes, we will all be in the same unit by then, so we can take care of each other. If anything happens, there will be someone to report it." Wu Gui also agreed. It would be better if all the people in the same village joined the army and were in the same unit.

"No, those of you who meet the requirements must go to Captain Li's troops. Believe me, I won't lie to you. Captain Li's troops are very powerful.
Moreover, he is already the head of a regiment at such a young age. His future is limitless. If you cause any trouble in the future, he can also handle it. In short, it will never be wrong to go to his army. You can fight the devils and you can have a guarantee!" said Mr. Wu with a serious face.

"Old Village Chief, are you sure?!" Wu Gui hesitated when he heard that.

"What? Can I still lie to you? You have seen what happened just now. Captain Li's men are all skilled and not simple characters. It's right to follow them!" Old Master Wu persuaded again.

In his life, he rarely misjudged people, so, in his opinion, Li Jin would definitely be a very powerful person in the future. The only pity was that the villagers did not join Li Jin when he was small in number, otherwise, they would probably have become officers now.

"Okay, then I'll listen to you." Wu Gui expressed his opinion immediately.

"We'll listen to the village chief!" Others also said this, and they all agreed to wait for Li Jin to come back.

"There is one more thing. The people in our village need to hide in the mountains for a while. Although the Japanese were killed by Captain Li, the danger is not over.

So, to be on the safe side, we need to go into the mountains and hide for a while, and come back later!" Grandpa Wu talked about asking the villagers to evacuate.

"Understood." Everyone nodded.

Afterwards, Grandpa Wu took these people back to the village. After gathering the villagers together and explaining the whole story, they let the villagers disperse, pack their things, prepare to leave the village, hide in the mountains, and return to the village when it was safe.

.........

"Captain Li, I don't know much about the Boxer Rebellion, but from what you said just now, it seems that they are all very powerful." He Guangchen said as they walked. He was not very clear about the Boxer Rebellion, but seeing how Li Jin respected the old village chief so much, he could tell that the Boxer Rebellion must be something.

"Of course they were powerful. At that time, many powerful enemies invaded and the Qing army was defeated. However, the Boxers chose to go against the current and fight against the enemy's guns and cannons with their flesh and blood.

Countless people were sacrificed, which frightened the foreigners and made them pay a huge price... It's a pity..." Li Jin felt a little sad when talking about this.

Because their weapons were so backward, the Boxers had no hot weapons at all. It was unknown how many people were sacrificed just by attacking a foreign embassy.

"They are indeed powerful, they are all heroes! The Qing Dynasty actually stabbed them in the back, they deserve to be destroyed!" Hearing this, He Guangchen was full of admiration, but he was also very angry.

The Qing Dynasty did not dare to point its guns at the enemy, but it showed no mercy when it came to killing its own people. They deserved to die.

"Yes." Li Jin nodded. The corrupt Qing Dynasty had plunged the country into a century of humiliation and suffered unimaginable blows and casualties. After Li Jin met up with Lu Changgong and the others, he immediately asked the telegraph operator to send a telegram to Li Yunlong to inform him of the matter!
The bodies of the Japanese devils have also been dealt with.

Li Jin then sent another telegram to the leader, explaining that his arrival in Yan'an might be delayed.

Although the villagers were safer after hiding in the mountains, Li Jin still planned to attack the Japanese county town to be on the safe side, so that the Japanese would have no time to care about the dead Japanese soldiers and thus save the villagers from danger.

.........

New 1st Regiment, Regimental Headquarters.

Because there was one more battalion of recruits, Li Yunlong was now thinking about who should be the battalion commander of the fifth battalion.

"Battalion commanders of the five battalions, do you have any good suggestions?!" In the conference room, Li Yunlong looked at Zhao Gang and others and asked.

If the position of battalion commander is not confirmed soon, subsequent work will be difficult to carry out.

"How about choosing Wang Xuanshan, the deputy battalion commander of the Second Battalion? He is quite capable and is more than qualified to be the battalion commander." Zhao Gang thought for a moment and stated his candidate.

"I think the deputy battalion commander of the first battalion, He Changyuan, can also be qualified for this position. He is also a veteran who has passed through the grasslands. He has the qualifications and abilities. He is fully qualified." Chief of Staff Zhong also named his candidate.

"I think it's possible. When Song Yi was transferred from the first battalion, I thought he should be the battalion commander, but Zhang Dabiao is also very capable and was appointed as the battalion commander.

So, now that there is an opportunity, it is He Changyuan's turn. If we choose him, no one else will have any objections. Lao Li, what do you think? "Deputy Head Qian also spoke up.

If Zhang Dabiao was not very capable, the battalion commander at that time would definitely be He Changyuan, and now it should be He Changyuan's turn.

"Okay, then let's choose He Changyuan. Old Zhao, what do you think?!" Li Yunlong looked at Zhao Gang. He still had to ask Zhao Gang's opinion on this matter.

"Then choose He Changyuan. After all, I have not been here for too long, and my understanding of military officers is definitely not as good as yours. I have no objection." Zhao Gang said, and what he said was indeed true.

Although he has been in the New 1st Regiment for more than a year, he doesn't know as much about the officers under him as Deputy Commander Qian and Chief of Staff Zhong.

"That's settled then. As for the deputy battalion commander, let the fourth company commander of the second battalion take the position. The company commanders below will be the deputy company commanders of the various battalions.

The officers selected from below must be capable. Without a qualified commander, the battalion will not be very strong. Do you understand?" Li Yunlong said.

He still understands the truth that it is easy to get thousands of soldiers but difficult to get a good general.

"I understand!" Everyone nodded.

"As for weapons, prepare 18 light machine guns, 8 heavy machine guns, and enough rifles for them. Then have each battalion get a few grenade launchers and mortars!

It is just the initial construction now, and the firepower is enough. We will talk about it later when their combat effectiveness improves." Li Yunlong continued.

After all, it is a newly formed battalion, so it is understandable that its firepower is not as good as other battalions. When the time comes, each battalion will assign some veterans to the Fifth Battalion to train new recruits, so that the Fifth Battalion can quickly become combat-ready.

Veterans are the core of an army!

The three of them nodded in agreement, and the organization of a battalion was thus finalized. They were also looking forward to the time when the Fifth Battalion would become combat-ready.

"Old Zhao, use the intercom to contact several battalion commanders and ask them to come to the regiment headquarters for a meeting." Li Yunlong ordered.

"Okay." Zhao Gang took out the walkie-talkie without saying a word and prepared to make a contact.

"Captain, Commander, Li Jin sent a telegram." At this time, a telegraph operator hurried into the conference room.

After Li Yunlong took the telegram, he started reading it. Zhao Gang and the others also stared at Li Yunlong.

"Old Li, what did Li Jin say in the telegram?!" Chief of Staff Zhong was a little curious. Wasn't Li Jin on his way to Yan'an? Why did he suddenly send a telegram? Did something happen? !

"This guy has killed a squad of Japanese soldiers and saved a village. Now the villagers of that village want to join the army.
To join the Eighth Route Army, Li Jin wrote them a letter of introduction and asked them to join our New First Regiment." Li Yunlong told them the contents of the telegram.

"So that's how it is. I knew this guy wouldn't go to Yan'an so quietly. Something would definitely happen." Chief of Staff Zhong laughed. If Li Jin could arrive in Yan'an as planned without any problems, that would really be unlike Li Jin's style.

"Killing the Japanese was probably not Li Jin's original intention. If the Japanese didn't want to harm the villagers, Li Jin would not have taken action against them!" said Deputy Captain Qian.

"That's not necessarily true," Chief of Staff Zhong responded.

Deputy Captain Qian was silent for a moment. Don't mention it, really, with Li Jin's temper, no matter whether the Japanese went to harm the villagers or not, he might really take action if he met them.

"Li Jin asked us to recruit villagers from that village. What do you think?" Li Yunlong brought the topic back to the topic.

"What else can I say? I've definitely accepted it. This is the first time this guy has written a letter of introduction to you, so we have to give him this face." Chief of Staff Zhong said. This was the first time Li Jin had written a letter of introduction in such a long time.

"I think so too. Besides, the Fifth Battalion is short of people, so we can save some effort if we take them back." Deputy Captain Qian also said.

Taking in those villagers not only gave Li Jin face, but also added more people to the Fifth Battalion, saving a lot of time in recruiting people. It was really killing two birds with one stone, which was a good thing.

"Then accept it." Li Yunlong also thought so. Besides, he and Li Jin were family members, so he would not refuse to give them a little face.

"Li Jin killed dozens of Japanese soldiers who came to the village. I guess the Japanese soldiers will not let it go." Zhao Gang frowned and said as he thought of this.

With so many Japanese soldiers killed, they will definitely send people to search. By then they will probably find the village, but Li Jin is not there, so the villagers will be in danger.

"Old Zhao, you are worrying too much. Since Li Jin dared to take action, he must have made preparations for the aftermath. He would not act without thinking." Li Yunlong told Zhao Gang to be at ease. Even if others did not understand Li Jin, he should be able to understand him.

"Old Li is right. Li Jin will definitely resolve the problem. He will not let the villagers he rescued be killed by the Japanese again!" Chief of Staff Zhong also agreed with what Li Yunlong said.

(End of this chapter)