The Iron-Blooded Army of Beacon Fire

Chapter 464 Killing Pigs

At the entrance of Sanlong Village, two military trucks slowly stopped. More than twenty officers and soldiers in grey cotton uniforms jumped out from the back of the trucks one after another. The biting cold wind blew from time to time in the early morning, but these officers and soldiers did not seem to feel the slightest bit of coldness. Although some were taller than others, everyone had a very strong physique, and emanating from their bodies was a murderous aura that had been tempered by blood and fire.

If there were people who had fought in the army and fought in battle, they would be able to tell at a glance that these officers and soldiers were all veterans who had fought in the battlefield and killed people.

Immediately afterwards, the officers and soldiers who got off the car moved a lot of things from the back of the car, including two octagonal tables, several chairs, a box, two large pots, a lot of cooking utensils, cooking condiments and ingredients, firewood, and all daily necessities that had nothing to do with fighting.

The two gray-blue German Opel Lightning military trucks belonged to the Third Independent Motor Vehicle Battalion assigned to the Assault Corps, and the officers and soldiers who jumped out of the vehicles one after another were naturally the officers and soldiers of the Assault Corps. This group of "uninvited guests" suddenly broke into Sanlong Village in the silence of the early morning.

Lieutenant Yang Biao, the commander of the special forces company directly under the assault corps, pushed open the passenger door of the truck, shook his body lazily before jumping off the truck. While looking at the village, he thought about the recruitment mission he would perform here today. After a moment, Yang Biao waved his arm and shouted, "Brothers, set up the pot! Kill the pig!"

"Master, set the table and get ready to work!"

He Wei's previous plan for recruiting and conscription was a completely secret operation, but after making full preparations, he immediately started to work. Just as He Wei had arranged before, the assault corps used the companies in the existing organized forces as the basic units. Each company selected capable officers and personnel according to its actual situation and organized them into several recruiting teams. Each team then went to different villages to recruit soldiers.

Currently, the assault corps has three infantry battalions and one artillery battalion. Each of the three infantry battalions has six companies, and the artillery battalion has three companies. In addition, there are directly affiliated special forces companies, engineering companies, logistics companies, and communications companies, a total of twenty-five companies.

Each company organized one to three recruitment teams. After He Wei decided to start the action, he sent out these recruitment teams at the same time and let the trucks of the newly assigned Third Battalion of the Independent Motor Vehicles pull the teams, casting a net everywhere, attacking various villages and starting to carry out the recruitment mission at the same time. Sanlong Village happened to be the recruitment mission village of the special forces company directly under the assault corps.

Following Yang Biao's order, the officers and soldiers of the special forces company who came with him quickly took action. A dozen strong brothers and the cook squad leader wearing an apron shouted slogans and dragged the two screaming fat pigs to the open space at the entrance of the village to prepare for cleaning. Two large pots were also set up.

A sergeant clerk from the secret service company who looked a bit bookish and was called "master" by Yang Biao, brought several soldiers, set up an octagonal table and chairs, and laid out the four treasures of the study. Several other soldiers carried a large box to the table, opened the lid, and revealed a box full of cash inside.

Yang Biao, along with his three platoon leaders and two drivers from the motor vehicle battalion, leaned against the truck and watched the officers and soldiers' orderly movements.

The roar of car engines, the painful howls of two black fat pigs, and the clattering sounds of soldiers moving things soon spread throughout the village. After all this commotion, many villagers who had heard the noise had already come and ran to the village entrance to watch the excitement.

At first, when they saw two military vehicles equipped with light machine guns and a group of ferocious-looking soldiers passing by, many villagers were so scared that they ran away. Some hid back home and did not go out. Some thought that it was the National Army coming to conscript men, so they hurried back to notify their young and strong men not to come out. It was really a chaotic situation.

Of course, there were also some brave ones who gathered in twos and threes near the village entrance with inquiring eyes, looking at the busy special forces company officers and soldiers. It was not that they were not afraid of being soldiers, but the behavior of these soldiers was really strange. They did not rush into the village to capture people or rob food. Instead, they pulled pigs, set up pots, and boiled water at the village entrance. It was really very strange. Of course, what attracted them most was the box of cash. The alluring light emitted by the white dollars was a great temptation for these farmers who made a living in the fields.

The two black-haired fat pigs started howling miserably as soon as they were lifted off the vehicle. After being carried to the open space by a dozen soldiers, they seemed to realize their upcoming fate and howled even more fiercely. The cook squad leader of the special forces company, who was wearing a fence, shouted, "Put the pigs down! Get out of the way! Get out of the way! Bring a stool over here and put the beasts on it!"

A soldier brought a long bench and there was another round of screams. The fat pig was put on the bench and held down by several soldiers. The cook squad leader first put a hemp rope around the pig's head and then put a bag on the fat pig's butt. The surrounding soldiers quickly came forward and held down the fat pig. After a while, amid even louder screams, lumps of pig manure were discharged into the bag.

Seeing this, the cook squad leader skillfully took out the butcher knife, aimed at the pig's neck and stabbed it in. The big fat pig immediately screamed and blood gushed out. The cook squad leader immediately pushed the wooden basin forward and began to slowly collect the pig's blood.

When the blood was almost drained, several soldiers brought freshly boiled water from the well at the entrance of the village and poured it on the pigs in basins. Then they began to scrape the hair, vividly demonstrating what it means that a dead pig is not afraid of boiling water. Needless to say, the next process was to butcher the pig. The assault corps had a full range of meat and vegetables every day, so the cooking squad leaders of each company were naturally very skilled in butchering pigs.

I saw the cook first take off the pig's head, then remove the limbs, and finally cut open the belly and deal with the internal organs. After a series of smooth operations, a big fat pig was slaughtered. Next, after the cook followed the same method and processed another big fat pig, he began to add ingredients to stew the meat.

Soon, the aroma of meat began to spread at the entrance of the village, and more and more villagers came to the village entrance. Their fear of the uninvited Kuomintang soldiers at the entrance of the village was also eliminated a lot. The reason was that the behavior of this Kuomintang soldier was so strange. They didn't say anything and just set up a pot to stew meat when they arrived at the village entrance. This method was really strange, and many people also vaguely realized that this group of Kuomintang soldiers should not have any ill intentions.

Furthermore, the number of this group of national army soldiers was really small. Although the two machine guns mounted on the vehicle were quite intimidating, there were only more than 20 of them in total. If they really wanted to do something bad, the people of Sanlong Village might not suffer any loss if they fought with them. Therefore, more and more villagers bravely went to the village entrance to watch the excitement.

In this day and age, poor people can barely eat meat a few times a year. The aroma of the two big fat pigs at the entrance of the village spread along the wind to the entire Sanlong Village. Such a gluttonous feast is of course very attractive to the poor villagers. Soon, the entrance of the village was surrounded by three layers of drooling "hungry ghosts!"

Yang Biao looked at the increasing number of villagers who gathered around him and thought that the time was almost right, so he said to Ou Yuxiang, the second lieutenant platoon leader of the special forces company beside him, "It's almost time, let's start, Platoon Leader Ou, you do the literary work, you guys who graduated from military academies are good at speaking and understand politics."

After that, Yang Biao looked at Liu Yonggui, another platoon leader of the special agent company who was a military man, and said, "According to the instructions given to us by the General Staff Office, keep a close eye on those village chiefs and Jiazhangs. If anyone dares to make trouble, go and give them a beating."

Then, Ou Yuxiang, the second lieutenant platoon leader of the special agent company directly under the assault corps, stepped forward and saluted the people watching at the entrance of the village, and then slowly said: "My fellow villagers, I came to your village today to disturb you for the great cause of the War of Resistance against Japan. Now the morale of the war is high. The Japanese invaders have invaded China. All the soldiers and civilians in our country, regardless of age or place, have the responsibility to defend the land and fight the war. Our unit is the elite assault corps of the central army of the national army. We are now ordered to be stationed in Ba County for training and recruit new soldiers from Ba County and Fuling County."

At this point, he paused. He thought that the people around him would have a big reaction after he said he wanted to recruit soldiers, but the fact was that the people around him were completely indifferent. It was not that they were no longer afraid of military service, but that Ou Yuxiang, a student officer from the military academy, spoke in a very literary way, and these people could not understand him at all. After realizing his problem, Ou Yuxiang also tentatively changed his words: "Now our county and the neighboring Fuling County have both established regiment management areas, which means, ahem, our two counties are going to recruit soldiers. However, the situation in our two counties is rather special. We don't have the system of conscripting men. Whether or not you want to join the army is entirely voluntary. We are here today to recruit soldiers."

Ou Yuxiang changed his words to plain language, and the villagers understood that he was here to recruit soldiers. So they were immediately furious and all ran away. Yang Biao saw this and shouted, "Don't run!"

The officers and soldiers shouted in unison, and the sergeant on the truck also raised his Czech light machine gun and made a shooting gesture from a high position. "Come back, come back! Listen to this before you leave. We are not trying to recruit you as soldiers. If we really want to recruit you as soldiers, I won't be so polite to you. I will just surround your village and capture all the young men. That's what we call recruiting men. Come back, listen to this before you run away!"

After Yang Biao's threat and the threat from the light machine gun, the villagers around him dared not run around, and had to bite the bullet and continue to listen. So, Ou Yuxiang continued, "I just said that we are here to recruit soldiers. Anyone between the ages of 17 and 25 can apply. As long as you dare to apply, you will have meat to eat. Those who are physically fit will be given one dollar directly. There will be a second screening later. Those who pass the second screening can fill the vacancy of new recruits and will be given another five dollars directly at that time. After joining the army, the military salary will be paid every month, and there will be no arrears. If your household registration and family are in this county, you will get things during the holidays. If you want to apply, you can come up now!"

After Ou Yuxiang finished speaking, the surrounding villagers remained indifferent and the atmosphere was completely cold. Although the conditions Ou Yuxiang mentioned were very tempting, it was impossible for the villagers to go to the battlefield and risk their lives just because of one sentence. First, life is more important than money. Second, who can guarantee that these conditions can be fulfilled? Therefore, no one came forward to apply.

A moment later, a lame man appeared in the team. He stared at the two large pots of fragrant meat with a dazed look in his eyes and walked over. He said intently, "Sir, can I apply? Can I eat meat?"

"You are a cripple, what use are you as a soldier? You will only be a drag on the battlefield."

Someone among the villagers started to make a noise, and immediately, the villagers burst into laughter. It was obvious that this lame man came up to get some meat, and his presence actually eased the tense atmosphere.

Yang Biao was also happy and said, "Platoon Leader Ou, give him two dollars, no, five dollars, five dollars. He dared to be the first to come out and apply, so he should be rewarded."

Ou Yuxiang nodded, walked forward to pull the lame man over, took out five dollars from the box, handed it to the confused lame man, and said: "This brother dared to be the first to come up and apply, which shows his determination to kill the enemy and fight the war. We should reward such patriotic men. Although this brother's physical condition is not suitable for service, his courage and patriotism to be the first person are worthy of our praise."

At this time, the lame man was so happy holding the five dollars. He had gone forward just to get some meat, and he didn't even think he could get the meat. It was good enough for a lame man to enlist in the army and not be beaten. It was really that he hadn't seen meat for a long time, so he had to muster up the courage to go forward. But who would have thought that not only could he eat meat, but he also got five dollars.

"Brother, you are not suitable for military service in your current condition, but your courage is commendable. Here is the money. Go to the side and wait for the meat."

"Okay, thank you, Boss. Thank you, Boss."

The lame man, who had inexplicably become a typical patriot, was overjoyed and immediately squatted beside the big pot waiting to eat meat.

The surrounding villagers were suddenly excited. Seeing this lame man getting the upper hand, many people began to murmur in their hearts. Looking at the appearance of the national army in front of them, it seemed that they were really here to recruit soldiers, and they were really giving money. The key was that they gave a lot. This lame man did nothing, but he got five dollars right away. This was really too much!
Moreover, the lame man didn't have to really join the army, just because he was the first to step forward, he got the money.
As the saying goes, a big reward will always bring out a brave man. The money Ou Yuxiang gave to the lame man quickly had the effect of buying a horse's bones with a lot of gold, making many of the men watching itching to do so. However, many people misunderstood Ou Yuxiang's words, thinking that they could get money if they volunteered to join the army, but would get no money if they did not, and they might even be forced to be conscripted and taken away in the end.

In this case, if you don't volunteer to join the army, you may be conscripted and get no money. If you volunteer to join the army, you can get money. It's better to volunteer to join the army, at least you can get some money.

In short, these villagers had different thoughts and understandings, but with the example of the lame man in front of them, many people were already moved. Then, two or three young men came out one after another. They were all poor people in the village. They had many children and men at home, and it was difficult to support them. Seeing that this army that came to recruit soldiers really gave money, they simply made up their minds to apply. After Ou Yuxiang and several veterans checked the physical fitness of several people and completed the paperwork registration, they fulfilled their promise on the spot and gave each of them a dollar in cash for passing the preliminary election.

While they were waiting to eat the meat, a few veteran soldiers chatted with the young recruits, showed them the trucks, fiddled with the majestic Czech light machine guns, distributed the biscuits they had brought with them to them, and told them to give the money they had received immediately to their families to supplement the household expenses.

For a moment, the atmosphere was extremely harmonious.

Just like that, after the first one, there was the second one, and then more people kept coming forward to apply, and more and more people registered to queue up to eat meat. Those who passed the test got money and meat, and those who didn't pass the test also had meat to eat.

As a result, more and more people came forward to apply. At this time, Yang Biao and Ou Yuxiang were very happy, because this real money was really useful.

But the village chief Wang Qinian, who had been watching coldly, burst into tears. He knew what these soldiers who suddenly broke into the village were going to do. Normally, the regiment management area needed soldiers and able-bodied men by force. They, the village chiefs and the head of the village, recruited the households under their jurisdiction, and their profit came from this. Now, instead of conscription, they were recruiting soldiers. Wouldn't that mean that they, the village chiefs and the head of the village, would be bypassed? Wouldn't their profit be gone?

Moreover, Wang Qinian had not heard any relevant rumors before, nor did he make any countermeasures or preparations. Now that he suddenly got the news, Wang Qinian was immediately panicked. Looking at this situation, Wang Qinian's first reaction was that he must not let these soldiers recruit soldiers. He must find a way to stop them temporarily, and then take his time. Anyway, he must not let them recruit soldiers smoothly!

"Sir, sir, I am the village chief. According to the regiment, the conscription of soldiers should be regulated by the county, and the townships and villages should be allocated quotas, and then we, the village chiefs, will recruit soldiers from the households."

Wang Qinian, impatient, bowed and walked out, looking embarrassed and speaking to Yang Biao and the others. But before he could finish, the platoon leader of the special forces company, Liu Yonggui, walked up to Wang Qinian, smiling and saying, "You are Wang Qinian, a prominent figure among the village chiefs in Sanlong Village, right?"

Wang Qinian smiled and said, "Boss, it's me, it's me."

Unexpectedly, at this moment, Liu Yonggui's face suddenly changed. He grabbed Wang Qinian's collar and scolded him in a low voice: "Old beast, don't think I don't know what you are up to. We have already checked your background. When you were recruiting soldiers in other counties before, you seemed to be a big deal for the soldiers dealers to buy and sell strong men. I heard that you also helped the head of another county to stop the road and arrest pedestrians in other counties to serve as strong men. You are very brave. By the way, it seems that your little son is studying in the county. What do you think about me arresting him and sending him to be cannon fodder?"

Suddenly, Wang Qinian's face turned pale and he could no longer speak.

(End of this chapter)