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

Chapter 17: The Brigade Commander Has His Eye on Him
"That's not right. How could a small squad of just one district, with only a few guns, mobilize more than three hundred Japanese soldiers?"

The chief of staff asked the question that puzzled him the most.

He knew the situation of the district squad. It usually consisted of twenty or thirty people, a few rifles discarded by the regular army, and most of the soldiers used homemade guns and spears.

With so few people, how could more than three hundred Japanese soldiers be mobilized? At most, a small detachment would suffice.

"According to intelligence, this district squad is no ordinary unit. Not only is it well-equipped, but it also has light machine guns and grenade launchers!" the brigade commander said with a smile.

Where did they get so many weapons?

"I'm not entirely sure about that, but according to the local people around the stronghold, they saw light machine guns and grenade launchers firing from afar," the brigade commander said.

"Who's leading this district squad? They managed to get their hands on light machine guns and grenade launchers; they must be able to wipe out an entire Japanese detachment." The chief of staff asked the most crucial question.

The brigade commander thought for a moment and said, "Three months ago, we sent a group of cadres down to guide the work of the county brigades, districts and squads. This district squad should be one of those cadres."

“A month ago, the Japanese started another sweep, and the local militia organizations suffered heavy losses and went into hiding. Now we can’t find this district squad.”

"However, the people are our eyes and ears. I believe it won't be long before we can re-establish contact with this district squad," the brigade commander said confidently.

Previously, local militia organizations had gone into hiding to avoid the Japanese sweeps, and the brigade commander was also organizing various units to carry out counter-sweeping operations, so they lost contact with militia organizations such as district squads and county brigades.

We've contacted all the county brigades, district squads, and teams, but there's still no news on a few. We don't know if they've all been wiped out or are still hiding.

"I remember the district squad that was operating in the Ping'an County area, the one we haven't been able to contact yet, is Chen Ming's team, right?" the chief of staff said.

He was more familiar with this aspect than the brigade commander.

"If nothing unexpected happens, it should be that unit." The brigade commander nodded.

"This Chen Ming is really a talent. He only went to the district squad for three months to provide guidance, and he already got his hands on equipment like light machine guns. He even dared to attack the Japanese pillbox and cause such a big commotion," the chief of staff exclaimed.

"Yes, he's an officer from our old unit after all. He was quick-witted during the Long March. If he hadn't been wounded and had to recuperate, he would at least be a battalion commander by now," the brigade commander said.

Chen Ming was a veteran of the Red Army, but he survived a bullet wound to the lung in 37. He had been recuperating since then and only returned to the unit to fight six months ago.

Out of concern for Chen Ming's health, the brigade commander did not assign him to a unit with higher combat intensity, but instead placed him among the officers guiding the operations of district squads and county brigades.

The militia's combat intensity is lower than that of the regular army, and they play a more auxiliary role in the main force's operations. This is beneficial to Chen Ming's physical recovery and can also provide the militia with advanced experience and guidance.

"You should care about him. Once you get in touch with him, ask him to come to the brigade headquarters," the chief of staff said with a smile.

The brigade commander was sentimental, as the chief of staff knew. He cared deeply for his subordinates. Otherwise, given Li Yunlong's tendency to make small mistakes every three days and big ones every five, anyone else would have been executed long ago.

"That works too." The brigade commander nodded.

Chen Ming, who was far away in Yanxia Village, was unaware that his former leader, the brigade commander, had already taken a liking to him.

If Chen Ming found out, he'd have to kneel down before the brigade commander, begging him not to use the "Wishing you prosperity" tactic.

While I was sitting at home enjoying a hot pot meal and singing, a man in a leather jacket with a riding crop suddenly appeared and said, "Congratulations on your fortune!"

Who wouldn't be afraid of that?

Today, Chen Ming continues to organize the soldiers' training.

Although there is a huge shortage of weapons and equipment, with only one gun for every three people in the team, and only one-third of the soldiers have enough weapons and ammunition.

However, the training is still possible. Anyway, we can practice with guns even if we don't have any. Once we capture weapons, we can immediately form a combat force. If any soldiers are killed, we can immediately replace them.

Chen Ming believed that more sweat in peacetime means less blood in wartime, and that training should not be missed for even a single day.

With the added prestige of the second-level infantry insignia, Chen Ming wanted nothing more than to fill his soldiers' training schedules to the brim every day. After training, Chen Ming would also organize his soldiers to help the local villagers, fetching water and repairing houses, thus strengthening the bond between the military and the people.

"Dabiao."

Chen Ming called out towards the door.

"arrive."

Outside the door, a sharp-looking man in his twenties walked in.

His name is Wang Dabiao, Chen Ming's bodyguard.

Chen Ming is now a commander of more than 300 men, so it's reasonable for him to have a bodyguard.

"Come with me to see how the soldiers' training is going," Chen Ming said.

"Yes."

Chen Ming led Wang Dabiao to the place where the soldiers were training.

The soldiers were practicing various skills, including aiming with guns, using broadswords and spears, and camouflage.

In short, they practiced any training that could improve combat effectiveness and help them kill Japanese soldiers on the battlefield.

When the soldiers saw Chen Ming arrive, someone shouted loudly and then they all looked at Chen Ming.

"Don't look at me, keep training," Chen Ming urged.

Knowing that their captain was watching them, the soldiers trained even harder.

Chen Ming then led Da Biao to the soldiers who were practicing aiming their guns.

"Captain, you're here." Li Yong, the captain of the sharpshooter squad, jogged over when he saw Chen Ming.

"Well, how's the soldiers' training going?" Chen Ming asked.

"Very good. I've found several promising talents. They can join the sharpshooter squad once they achieve good results in live-fire shooting," Li Yong said happily.

Li Yong was originally a hunter. Because of his excellent marksmanship, Chen Ming appointed him as the captain of the sharpshooter squad and also made him a shooting instructor for new recruits, training more sharpshooters.

This was his first time serving as an instructor for a team of over 300 people, and Li Yong felt extremely proud, but also felt a heavy responsibility on his shoulders.

"Da Biao, give me ten bullets," Chen Ming said to Da Biao.

Da Biao was puzzled, but he still gave Chen Ming ten bullets.

Chen Ming took the bullet, weighed it in his hand a few times, and it made a crisp metallic clanging sound.

"Then I'll test you to see if your marksmanship has gotten worse," Chen Ming joked.

Upon hearing that the captain was going to test him, Li Yong patted his chest and said, "Captain, please test me. I feel that my marksmanship has improved a lot in the past few days. I can hit the target at 200 meters with confidence."

“If you talk big, I’ll have to punish you,” Chen Ming said seriously.

"Don't worry, Captain, I'm confident. If I miss, you can punish me as you see fit. I wouldn't be a man if I uttered a sound," Li Yong assured him.

"Okay, I'll give you five bullets. If you hit them all, I'll reward you with half a pound of sweet potato liquor."

(End of this chapter)