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

Chapter 16 Recruiting Soldiers Again

Besides the brigade commander's side conducting the investigation, the Japanese side is also conducting an investigation.

In the area they controlled, two small detachments escorting supplies were ambushed by the Chinese army.

This army was able to ambush and annihilate more than thirty people without them noticing; it was tantamount to defecating on their heads.

If this isn't thoroughly investigated, transport teams around Ping'an County will no longer be safe, and a much greater price will have to be paid to ensure the safety of the transport routes.

However, according to information from surrounding strongholds and pro-Japanese elements, no Chinese troops were mobilized in various places, which puzzled Hirata, the old Japanese soldier.

Is it possible for an army to magically appear out of thin air?

As for militia organizations such as district squads and county brigades, they were naturally not within Hirata Ichiro's consideration.

Even the Eighth Route Army was, in his eyes, an army that was not worthy of being discussed, only capable of harassment and not fit for direct confrontation.

Moreover, a group of militiamen with hardly any guns could only intimidate the pro-Japanese elements who had surrendered. How could they possibly annihilate a transport team of more than thirty men with heavy machine guns?

After two days of investigation, Hirata Ichiro still couldn't find out which army had attacked his transport convoy at Huangtuling.

Left with no other choice, he had to continue sending people to investigate. As for the squad leader of the outpost who had lied about military intelligence, Hirata Ichiro sent him to a military court for trial.

If he hadn't failed to investigate properly and reported that the attacked unit was their small detachment, it would have led to Hirata Ichiro's misjudgment.

His transport convoy would not be annihilated without any support, just twelve kilometers from a county town with a large army.

Someone has to shoulder this responsibility.

The next day, after two victories, Chen Ming's district squad faced an even larger wave of recruitment.

Their district squad has made a name for itself in the surrounding villages. The villagers all know that this militia force is an army capable of winning battles.

For a time, the people's willingness to sign up for the army was very high.

The autumn harvest is almost over, and most of the grain that the people have harvested has been looted by traitors and Japanese devils.

The common people hated the Japanese invaders and wanted to contribute their share. At the same time, they sent the men in their families to join the army to relieve some of the pressure.

Soldiers are fed, and having one less mouth to feed means less pressure, preventing the whole family from starving.

After three days, the number of people in Chen Ming's district team jumped to more than three hundred.

This was despite Chen Ming's strict order not to accept only sons, yet he still managed to recruit over a hundred new soldiers.

This kept Chen Ming extremely busy.

That evening, Chen Ming called a meeting with all the squad leaders and platoon leaders.

"I've decided that the relocation will begin tomorrow," Chen Ming said.

“We now have more than 300 men, which is quite a target. We are only 20 kilometers away from Ping'an County. The Japanese can get here in two hours, which is really not conducive to covert operations.”

If there were only twenty or thirty people before, the small target would be easy to hide, and even though it was not far from Ping'an County, Chen Ming was not so worried.

But now the team has suddenly swelled to more than 380 people, which is no longer a small army.

Moreover, they had ambushed the Japanese transport convoy just three days ago, and now the Japanese were searching for them everywhere. It would be too dangerous for them to stay in Xiaowangzhuang any longer.

Chen Ming had to be responsible for the soldiers and the people of Xiaowangzhuang. Once the Japanese found their trail, he would send troops to encircle and annihilate them.

Even with a three-dimensional combat map, Chen Ming would find it difficult to guarantee a successful breakout.

“I agree to the transfer,” said Deputy Captain Li Zhu.

"Yes, yes," Wang Gui echoed. They weren't afraid of fighting the Japanese, but they were afraid that they wouldn't be able to take care of the villagers of Xiaowangzhuang while fighting the Japanese.

These are his relatives, and he doesn't want them to be in danger.

"I have no objection," Dafei agreed.

He resolutely carried out Chen Ming's decision, implementing what he understood and trying to understand what he didn't.

"Since everyone agrees, it's settled then." Chen Ming made the decision to relocate.

"After we leave, let's distribute some of the grain to the villagers as a way of thanking them for their support," Chen Ming added.

"agree."

"I have no opinion."

“Yes, yes,” Wang Gui echoed.

After a day and a night of rest, the main force began to move on the second night.

They moved to a village called Yanxia Village, which was further away from Ping'an County and closer to Erdaohuzi.

The villagers of Yanxia Village warmly welcomed the arrival of the district team and agreed without hesitation.

After negotiating with the village of Yanxia, ​​Chen Ming's district team obtained more than ten houses from families who had fled the famine.

In those days, the Japanese were rampant, and many villagers fled from the enemy-occupied areas to places not occupied by the Japanese.

Those who stayed were mostly villagers who were reluctant to leave their homeland and had a strong attachment to their hometown.

However, the people left, but the house remained, and it can now be lent to the soldiers of the district squad.

After securing a place to live, Chen Ming began arranging for the soldiers to rest.

"Everyone, please bear with it. If there aren't enough beds, sleep on the floor. We'll set up beds for the soldiers after it gets light."

Unlike later times with eight or ten people in dormitories, this era had long, two-bed dormitories for twenty or thirty people.

Although it was crowded, that was the condition; the soldiers were all from farming backgrounds, and sometimes they could even sleep in the fields.

These days, having a place to shelter from the wind and rain is already quite good.

As for the issue of snoring affecting sleep when there are many people, Chen Ming asked a soldier, who said that he couldn't fall asleep if he couldn't hear snoring!
After assigning sleeping places to the soldiers in small teams and groups, Chen Ming was exhausted and fell asleep in the room that was being used as the team headquarters.

Yes, after a new round of expansion, the original staffing was no longer sufficient.

With over 380 people, the number of people suddenly tripled. The number of people in one squad was already more than the original total number of people, so using the original organization would be somewhat bloated.

Therefore, Chen Ming set up a group under the small team.

A small squad is divided into three groups, each with thirteen soldiers including the group leader, similar to a regular army squad.

The team leader should naturally be a veteran with combat experience, so that the experienced can lead the new recruits and form a fighting force more quickly.

Although the overall combat effectiveness will decline in the short term, Chen Ming has a Level 2 Soldier Badge, which can speed up training, and the decline in combat effectiveness can be recovered quickly.

After Chen Ming was settled, the brigade commander, who was far away at the brigade headquarters, finally received the news through the intelligence network.

"After all this commotion, it turns out it was a small team from Ping'an County that attacked the Japanese stronghold. No wonder the Japanese sent more than 300 men," the brigade commander exclaimed.

(End of this chapter)