Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Changjin Lake, a Hundred Battles, a Hundred Victories

Chapter 10 Recruitment
After the soldiers woke up, Chen Ming personally served them porridge, treating them all equally.

However, the porridge given to the wounded had two extra pieces of meat in it, as a sign of care for them.

The soldiers in the district squad were very happy, and after they finished eating, they even licked the oil stains off the bowls clean.

Chen Ming did not discriminate even against newly recruited soldiers.

Now that you've joined his team, you're family. As long as you sincerely fight the Japanese alongside them, past transgressions will be forgiven.

The newly joined soldiers were also very moved. They never expected that after joining the district squad, they, a group of prisoners, would enjoy the same treatment as everyone else.

"It smells so good, I haven't had meat in ages."

"Yes, I wish I could eat this every day."

Listening to the soldiers smacking their lips and savoring the taste after finishing their meat porridge, Chen Ming sighed inwardly.

Yes, it will happen.

Once we win, everything will be alright.

"Alright, now that we've finished eating, let's start packing up and moving the supplies," Chen Ming called out.

"Yes."

The soldiers said excitedly.

They were about to head back with their weapons, ammunition, and supplies. Thinking about all that equipment, they were sure to show it off when they got back to their usual village.

The place they were going to relocate to was Xiaowangzhuang, more than ten kilometers away from this village. It was a place where their Ping'an County Team often operated and had a solid foundation among the local people.

In addition to the captured weapons and ammunition, the supplies to be transported this time also included houses in Lijia Village that had been looted by the Japanese.

The Japanese soldiers have been wiped out by Chen Ming, and there's no one to return the captured supplies, so he can only keep them for his own use.

In the afternoon, the group finally arrived at Xiaowangzhuang.

"The captain and the others are back."

At the village entrance, the militiamen who remained behind saw Chen Ming and his group from afar and shouted.

"Yes, they were carrying a lot of guns and supplies; it's obvious they've won a battle."

As the militiamen shouted, many villagers came out of the village.

It's not the busy farming season now, so villagers usually stay at home.

After the group entered the village, the kind-hearted villagers lent a hand and helped the team move supplies.

"This is the deep bond between the military and the people!" Chen Ming exclaimed.

"Captain, what battle did you win to capture so many weapons and equipment this time?" the militiaman asked eagerly.

"This time we wiped out a Japanese squad, a total of thirteen Japanese soldiers, and also captured a platoon of traitors. However, the most wicked ones have been publicly tried, and the rest were sent home to farm, while others chose to join us in fighting the Japanese."

Upon hearing the question from the militiamen who remained behind, Dafei raised his head and said proudly.

"Great! These damned Japanese devils deserve to die! Dafei, can I touch your gun?" The militiaman was overjoyed after hearing Dafei's words.

After seeing the Type 38 rifle on Dafei's back, I couldn't resist the urge to use it.

"Alright, take it. This gun killed three Japanese soldiers."

Dafei took off his gun and handed it directly to the other person.

"Hehe." The militiaman stroked the gun, clearly pleased with it. "How many soldiers sacrificed their lives this time?"

“Nineteen of our brothers have been lost,” Dafei said, catching his breath.

"That was a great victory."

At that time in 39, the Japanese troops were still highly elite and their fighting strength was still very strong. Even a small militia unit like their district's platoon would often be wiped out before they could kill more than a few Japanese soldiers.

The casualty ratio of 1:1.5 in this battle can be considered a major victory.

Therefore, the militiamen who stayed behind were very happy and regretted that they were the ones who stayed behind.

If he went with us, we could fight the Japanese together. As for sacrifice, people die every day in this era.

Chen Ming directed his team to move supplies and put them into storage. After that, he started publicizing the annihilation campaign in the village.

Its purpose was to recruit soldiers.

The number of weapons now exceeds the number of soldiers in the district squad; it would be a waste not to recruit and train more soldiers.

Looking at the Level 2 Infantry Badge he had obtained, which could increase training experience by 40%, Chen Ming couldn't resist the urge to try it.

"With its support, new recruits will soon become well-trained veterans, and after a few more battles, they will become seasoned elites," Chen Ming thought.

The recruitment went smoothly, and when more than forty guns were erected in the open space of the village, it caused an unparalleled shock to the villagers.

In particular, there was a machine gun and a grenade launcher among them. The villagers didn't know what a grenade launcher was; they only knew it was a small cannon.

These were all captured from the Japanese army, which means that Chen Ming's district squad is a team capable of winning battles.

"Tiesheng, could you help the village chief record the number of people who have signed up?" Chen Ming said to Tiesheng.

"Dafei, Lizhu, go to the surrounding villages and recruit people. Take anyone who meets the requirements," Chen Ming ordered.

The recruitment work was in full swing. Two days later, in addition to Xiaowangzhuang recruiting more than 30 people, Dafei and Lizhu also brought back more than 60 people.

As a result, their district team members suddenly swelled to more than 130 people.

"Captain, there are too many people. Our food supplies will only last for a little over a month."

Li Zhu looked at the large number of new recruits, frowned, and said while smoking his pipe.

Chen Ming was also very troubled. He hadn't expected the villagers to be so enthusiastic, with so many people choosing to join the army.

They now have more than 130 people, but only 50 guns if you don't count pistols.

Neither of them could get a gun.

However, Chen Ming needed to maintain his composure in front of others, and confidently stated:
"Don't worry about food shortages, the autumn harvest is coming soon, and we can seize it from the Japanese then."

"Let's settle the new recruits in first, then start training. Once they're trained, we can start fighting the Japanese devils."

"Okay." Li Zhu nodded.

Next, Chen Ming began to arrange the organization of the district squads.

Now the district squad has more than 130 members, and the old model of him commanding alone is no longer suitable.

Therefore, Chen Ming set up district squads under the district squads, and district sub-squads under the district squads.

There are a total of three district teams and nine district sub-teams.

However, apart from the essential core personnel, Chen Ming grouped together soldiers who had experience handling guns.

He wanted to ensure that there was a combat-ready detachment under his command to undertake the main combat missions.

Dafei was appointed as the squad leader. He was daring, resourceful, and the perfect candidate.

For the other two detachments, Chen Ming appointed a former puppet army squad leader and a veteran from a district platoon as detachment leaders.

After setting up the troop organization, Chen Ming began to oversee the troops' training.

Chen Ming had served in the military in his previous life and had been a squad leader in basic training, so he had a wealth of training experience.

P.S.: The battle begins in the next chapter.
(End of this chapter)