Holding the original shares, they fought all the way to the Korean War!

a few days later.

Black Cloud Village, Division Headquarters Hall.

The winter sun slanted in through the window, illuminating the detailed map of northwestern Shanxi on the table.

Three marks were marked on the map with a red pencil.

Each location represents the area of ​​activity of a guerrilla force in the surrounding region.

Zhou Tianyang sat at one end of the table, with the reconnaissance report submitted by Deng Chen in front of him.

He held a pencil in his hand, his fingertip occasionally tapping lightly on the report.

My gaze slowly swept over the densely packed characters.

Wang Xiuying sat next to him, flipping through a notebook in her hand.

That was the notebook she carried with her when she visited the surrounding villages, which contained not only basic information about each village and household, but also other information.

It also contains scattered records of rumors and comments about the guerrillas that ordinary people casually mentioned.

She turned to a certain page and glanced at it.

Then he closed the notebook, his gaze falling on Deng Chen, waiting for him to speak first.

Deng Chen sat opposite him, with a document in front of him, which was the result of his work after leading the reconnaissance platoon to run around several surrounding areas over the past seven or eight days.

The activity area, personnel composition, weapons and equipment, public opinion, and records of battles with the Japanese were all listed in detail for each guerrilla team.

"Let's begin."

Zhou Tianyang looked up from the report.

He glanced at the two people, his voice not loud.

Deng Chen cleared his throat, sat up straight, and spoke first.

"Commander, Political Commissar, these past few days I've led the reconnaissance platoon to get a basic understanding of the situation of the guerrilla forces in the surrounding area."

"Currently, three can be confirmed."

"Let's start with the first one."

He pointed to a location on the map, about thirty miles west of Kelan.

"This group is in Heihugou. The leader is called Zhao Laoshuan, who is about 30 years old. He used to be a platoon leader in the Jin-Sui Army."

"After the Battle of Xinkou, his troops were scattered."

"He then led a few dozen defeated soldiers to this area, occupied a mountain gully, recruited soldiers and horses, and slowly gathered more than a hundred people."

"There are about seventy or eighty guns, mostly Hanyang rifles and old-style rifles, with a small number of Type 38 rifles."

"They mainly relied on supply convoys fighting the Japanese and borrowing grain from wealthy households in the surrounding area to survive."

Zhou Tianyang nodded.

What kind of person is Zhao Laoshuan?

Have you seen it in person?

"I didn't meet him in person; I sent a soldier to speak with his men."

Deng Chen turned to a page of the document.

"According to the report from the scouts, Zhao Laoshuan is a man of principle in his speech and actions."

"It wasn't too bad for the ordinary people, but after all, I had been in that area for more than a year, and the people under my command were of varying quality, so there were occasional disturbances to the residents."

"His attitude towards the Eighth Route Army was neither close nor repulsive; he was the kind of person who would follow whoever offered him benefits."

How many veteran soldiers does he have under his command?

"There were about thirty or forty veterans who had actually fought in the war; the rest were refugees and locals who were recruited later."

"Their training level is average, and their combat effectiveness is not strong, but their numbers are considerable."

Zhou Tianyang kept this in mind.

He didn't rush to express his opinion, but gestured for Deng Chen to continue.

"The second group was near Chakou Town, south of Lan County. The leader was a woman named Zhou Guilan, who was in her early twenties and a local."

Deng Chen's tone carried a subtle respect, and he was even more serious than when he spoke of Zhao Laoshuan.

"Her husband was originally the militia captain in this area. Last year, he was captured by the Japanese and forced to build a pillbox. He died on the construction site."

"She led her husband's younger brother and a few people from the same village up the mountain to form a team, specifically to attack Japanese outposts and lone patrolmen."

"The team had more than sixty people, not many guns, only about twenty, and they were short of bullets, but they were very united and disciplined, and never harmed the people."

"The people have a very high opinion of her."

Wang Xiuying opened her notebook and interjected.

"I've heard of this Zhou Guilan."

"When I visited nearby villages, at least three households mentioned her to me."

"She said she led people to help the people reclaim the grain that had been stolen from the Japanese."

"An old man from one family said that his daughter had been targeted by the Japanese soldiers, and Zhou Guilan led people to send her to a relative's house on the other side of the mountain overnight to hide."

"The people not only feel gratitude towards her, but also a deep respect from the bottom of their hearts."

Zhou Tianyang's gaze shifted slightly.

His gaze shifted from the map to Wang Xiuying's face. He remained silent for a few seconds before looking back at Deng Chen.

"How is her team doing now?"

"Not good."

Deng Chen's tone turned somber.

"Her people have been active around Chakou Town for almost a year, and the Japanese have already taken notice of her."

"Last month, the Japanese organized a small-scale sweep, specifically targeting her area of ​​activity."

"She moved quickly with her people and suffered little loss, but the frequency of the Japanese raids was significantly higher than before, and her space to maneuver was being gradually compressed."

"Her team was already short of ammunition, and after several small battles, each person now has less than five bullets on average."

"If the Japanese launch another large-scale mopping-up operation, she might not be able to hold out."

After listening, Zhou Tianyang tapped his fingers lightly twice on the table, the rhythm very slow, as if he was digesting the information.

"What about the third one?"

"The third group is located north of Wuzhai, in a place called Liujia'ao. The leader is Liu Mantun, who is about 30 years old and used to be a hunter in that area."

Deng Chen turned to the next page of the material, speaking a little faster than before.

"After the Japanese occupied Wuzhai, he led a group of hunters and young men up the mountain to fight against scattered Japanese personnel and puppet troops."

"The team consisted of sixty or seventy men, all of whom were good marksmen. They moved around in the mountains with ease, and the Japanese soldiers searched the mountains several times but failed to catch them."

"But their organization was loose and lacked a clear structure; they relied solely on Liu Mantun's prestige to lead them."

"The spoils are divided after each battle, and everyone goes home to farm or hunt in peacetime, only gathering together when there is trouble."

"They had a relatively favorable impression of the Eighth Route Army."

After Deng Chen finished speaking, he closed the document and looked at Zhou Tianyang, waiting for him to make a judgment.

Zhou Tianyang didn't speak immediately. He leaned back in his chair and looked back at the map on the table.

The three red markers stood out prominently in the winter sunlight.

He used the end of a pencil to slowly draw a line between the three places: Heihugou, Chakouzhen, and Liujia'ao.

My mind was racing, quickly processing the scenarios.

The three guerrilla teams totaled about 240 to 250 men.

If all of them are incorporated, it will be a significant addition to the new Second Division.

The problem isn't about the number of people, but about how to collect them, to what extent they can be collected, and how to use them after they're collected.

The Second New Division has just completed its expansion, and the new recruits in each regiment are undergoing training. The shortage of officers has not yet been fully filled.

If the guerrilla units that are incorporated are of varying quality, they will not only fail to bring combat effectiveness.

Instead, it will slow down the existing training progress.

Zhou Tianyang remained silent for a long while.

He went through all the possibilities in his mind again and again before looking at Wang Xiuying.

"Political Commissar, you go first."

Wang Xiuying placed her hands crossed in front of the table, her tone calm and resolute.

"My view is that these three teams should be treated differently."