The War of Resistance Against Japan: Starting with a Calm View of Life and Death

Zhou Jindong slept soundly, his dreams filled with the sounds of gunfire and horses' hooves, and Chida's tuft of beard trembling in the wind.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself lying on a heated brick bed in the guerrilla headquarters of Dongzhai Town, covered with two patched old cotton quilts.

It was already bright outside the window, and the sunlight was so bright it hurt my eyes.

He rubbed his sore eyes, feeling his joints cracking all over, as if he had been taken apart and put back together.

Wang Quan was snoring on the table, drool dripping all over his arm.

Zhou Jindong sat up, feeling as if he had a handful of dry grass stuck in his throat, and coughed twice.

Wang Quan suddenly woke up with a start, grabbing his gun. He only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw it was Zhou Jindong and threw the gun back on the table.

"Dongzi, you're finally awake! You've been sleeping for a whole day and night!" Wang Quan wiped his mouth as he poured Zhou Jindong a bowl of cool boiled water. "The captain has come to see you three times already. The last time, he saw you were still snoring, so he didn't have anyone wake you up."

Zhou Jindong took the bowl, gulped it down, wiped his mouth, and said, "Slept soundly. How's the situation now? Any movement from Ningwu?"

"We've made a huge commotion!" Wang Quan pulled over a bench and sat down, gesturing excitedly. "We've launched a fierce attack at Shenchi and Pianguan, completely stunning the Japanese in northwestern Shanxi."

The Japanese soldiers in Ningwu County are now on edge. They heard that Chida was captured alive by you, and those bastards are packing their belongings and preparing to retreat to Datong.

However, there are several guerrilla groups around Ningwu, such as those from Fengku Ridge, Baima Cliff, and Shizuizi. These groups are all eyeing Ningwu, this lucrative prize, and everyone wants to get in and grab a piece of the action.

Zhou Jindong got off the kang (a heated brick bed), put on his shoes, and felt a little unsteady on his feet.

He walked to the basin, splashed cold water on his face to fully wake himself up, then turned to Wang Quan and said, "Notify the team's officers that there will be a meeting in half an hour. Also, bring me the list of the weapons and ammunition we captured this time, especially those mortars and heavy machine guns; they must be thoroughly checked."

Half an hour later, the team headquarters courtyard was full of people.

Zhao Laosi's arm was still wrapped in gauze, but he was full of energy. When he saw Zhou Jindong coming over, he grinned and showed a set of white teeth.

Wang Yuan also rushed over from the town government office, holding a telegram he had just received from his superiors.

"Everyone's here, so let's get straight to the point." Zhou Jindong stood on the steps, his back ramrod straight, though there were still bloodshot eyes. "Although we've recovered several surrounding counties, we haven't taken Ningwu yet."

Ningwu is the county seat of our Ningwu County. The city walls are high and the fortifications are sturdy. Although the Japanese are going to run away, if the puppet army and the landlords' armed forces occupy it, it will be a big problem in the future.

The superiors' intention was clear: they wanted our Dongzhai guerrilla force to take the lead in incorporating the scattered armed groups around Ningwu and then launch a unified attack into Ningwu.

The soldiers below began to whisper among themselves.

Zhao Laosi took a step forward and said loudly, "Dongzi, want to recruit those bandits? Those guys from Fengkuling are notorious for extorting and demanding bribes; we can't possibly get along with them!"

"Even if we don't see eye to eye, we still have to urinate!" Zhou Jindong's voice rose several octaves. "Now is not the time for sentimentality, it's the time for strength. We just arrested Qian Tian, ​​we have hard currency in our hands, that's our capital. Wang Quan!"

"Here!" Wang Quan stepped forward.

"Take a few men and bring out those two Type 92 infantry guns we captured, Zhao Laosi!"

"exist!"

"You take a platoon, fully armed, and come with me to Fengku Ridge. You don't need to bring many, just a platoon, but make sure you have all the equipment: four grenades each, and full ammunition pouches."

Zhou Jindong turned to Wang Yuan: "Brother Yuan, you stay home and oversee the logistics, especially those dozens of truckloads of grain and bedding that just arrived. Not a single grain of rice can be missing."

After assigning the tasks, Zhou Jindong set off with Zhao Laosi and a platoon of soldiers.

Fengku Ridge is thirty miles from Dongzhai Town. This group of people were originally a band of bandits, but later they put on a banner of resisting the Japanese, and they have always been two-faced.

Upon reaching the Fengku Ridge pass, before the sentry could even give a signal, Zhou Jindong ordered Zhao Laosi to fire a shot into the sky.

"Tell your leader that Zhou Jindong of the Dongzhai Guerrilla Team is visiting! Give him ten minutes. If he doesn't come down the mountain to greet me, I'll level this Fengku Ridge!" Zhou Jindong's voice carried far as he rode on his horse.

The sentry on the mountain was startled. Seeing the row of soldiers below, all exuding murderous intent, with the dark muzzles of their machine guns and submachine guns pointed up the mountain, he dared not delay and scrambled up the mountain to report the news.

Not long after, a group of people came down from the mountain. The leader was a burly man with a dark face, wearing a Central Army uniform that he had somehow acquired, with two Mauser pistols tucked into his waistband.

This man is the leader of Fengku Ridge, named Liu Heiqi.

"Oh my, isn't this Captain Zhou? What brings you here, great hero?" Liu Heiqi greeted them with a forced smile, his eyes fixed on the weapons in the soldiers' hands.

Zhou Jindong didn't dismount, looking down at him coldly, and said, "Liu Heiqi, let's not beat around the bush. The Japanese in Ningwu are about to escape, and I'm going to take over the county town. Your men either come with me, or I'll disarm you right now. The choice is yours."

Liu Heiqi's expression changed, and he reached for the gun at his waist: "Captain Zhou, isn't this a bit too much? Fengku Ridge is my territory..."

"Snapped!"

A crisp gunshot rang out. The Mauser pistol in Zhou Jindong's hand was smoking, and the stone in front of Liu Heiqi's feet was shattered by the bullet, with shards of stone flying all over Liu Heiqi's face.

The shot was so fast that the movement was impossible to see.

Liu Heiqi was so frightened that his hand, which had just touched the gun handle, froze.

The bandits behind him were thrown into disarray, raising their guns to aim below, but their hands were trembling.

"Your territory?" Zhou Jindong blew smoke from the muzzle of his gun. "Liu Heiqi, you think too highly of yourself. We wiped out the Qian Tian Brigade of Shenchi. Do you think your few hundred beat-up guns can stop us? I'm being polite by calling you 'Big Boss,' otherwise you'd be a dead man by now."

Old Zhao, standing to the side, rattled the bolt of his Type 96 machine gun: "Dongzi, why waste words with these bastards? Just blast them all out with one burst!"

Liu Heiqi looked at the machine gun below, then at the cold eyes of the soldiers around him, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

He knew Zhou Jindong wasn't bluffing; these people were truly capable of killing, and indeed had the power to do so.

"Captain Zhou, let's talk this out! Let's talk this out!" Liu Heiqi put on a smiling face, which looked more like a grimace. "I never said I wouldn't work for you! This is a discussion!"

"No discussion." Zhou Jindong put his gun back in its holster. "Either you get your troops together and come with me now, or I'll shoot you up and hang your head on the gate."

Furthermore, I'm telling you, once you enter Ningwu, all captured weapons, food, and clothing will belong to the state. Anyone who dares to hoard them will be punished according to military law.

Liu Heiqi gritted his teeth, then stamped his foot: "Fine! I, Liu Heiqi, will hand over these hundred-plus pounds to Captain Zhou! Brothers, grab your weapons, let's go to Ningwu for some meat with Captain Zhou!"

After incorporating Fengku Ridge, Zhou Jindong followed the same method and went to Baima Cliff and Shizuizi.

These two forces were relatively small. Seeing that Fengku Ridge had submitted, and that Zhou Jindong had directly deployed mortars as a show of force, they were subdued without firing a single shot.

In addition, following instructions from higher authorities, several district squads and village guerrilla teams from Ningwu County were incorporated into the organization.

Three days later, Zhou Jindong led a force of six or seven hundred men to the outskirts of Ningwu County.

Including the original Dongzhai guerrilla team, the team now has more than a thousand members. Although their uniforms are varied, with some wearing the gray uniforms of the Eighth Route Army, some wearing the yellow uniforms of the Central Army, and some wearing the black cotton-padded jackets of ordinary people, their spirit and energy are completely different.

On the city wall of Ningwu County, puppet troops and the remaining Japanese troops were in complete chaos.

Zhou Jindong did not rush to attack the city. Instead, he had someone bring out Qian Tian's command sword and found a loud-voiced soldier to shout from below the city.

"Listen up, people in the city! Your regimental commander, Chida, has been captured alive! Shenchi, Pianguan, Hequ, and Baode have all been recaptured! You are surrounded! You have half an hour to open the city gates and surrender. Prisoners will be treated well! If you don't surrender, once we break in, we will leave no one alive!"

After giving his speech, Zhou Jindong ordered the artillery to take their positions.

The two Type 92 infantry guns were pushed to a location 800 meters away from the city wall.

This distance is very close for infantry artillery, almost a direct-fire shot.

"Aim at the city gate tower and bombard it!" Zhou Jindong ordered.

"Boom! Boom!"

Two shells flew out, trailing plumes of smoke, and landed accurately on either side of the city gate tower.

The enormous explosion shook the city walls, sending bricks and stones flying everywhere.

This terrified the city's garrison.

Less than ten minutes later, the city gate slowly opened, and a group of puppet troops walked out carrying a white flag, followed by dozens of dejected Japanese soldiers.

Zhou Jindong led his troops into the city.

People on both sides of the street opened their doors to watch, and some even set off firecrackers.

As Zhou Jindong rode his horse, looking at the familiar county town, he felt a mix of emotions.

A month ago, they came and went in a hurry, like stray dogs, but now they've come back.

The first thing to do after entering the city was to eliminate the remaining enemy forces and maintain order.

Zhou Jindong summoned all the bandit leaders he had recruited to the county brigade headquarters for a meeting.

In the conference room, Liu Heiqi and several other leaders sat in chairs, looking somewhat awkward.

Zhou Jindong and Wang Yuan sat in the main seats, with a stack of documents on the table.

"Gentlemen, now that we're in the city, we're a regular army. We can't do whatever we want like before." Zhou Jindong tapped the table. "From today onwards, the unit numbers of Fengku Ridge, Baima Cliff, and Shizuizi are all cancelled. They are all reorganized into the Ningwu County Brigade. I am the brigade commander, and Comrade Wang Yuan is the political commissar."

Liu Heiqi was taken aback: "Captain Zhou, what about our original brothers...?"

"The original soldiers will be dispersed and reorganized." Wang Yuan continued, his tone gentle but firm, "We need to establish a formal system of squads, platoons, and companies."

Shui Sheng was appointed as the deputy captain of the squadron, and Zhang Fang was appointed as the squadron captain.

Sun Erniu was appointed as the deputy captain of the second squadron, and Wang Quan was appointed as the squadron captain.

Liu Rengui served as the deputy captain of the third squadron and later as the captain of the fifth and sixth squadrons.

Liu Heiqi, you are appointed as the deputy captain of the fourth squadron, and Zhao Laosi is appointed as the squadron captain.

Sun Tao, the leader of Baima Cliff, was appointed deputy captain of the Fifth Squadron, and Xu Wei was appointed squadron captain.

"Are all the deputy positions our people?" Liu Heiqi muttered somewhat discontentedly.

"What? You're not convinced?" Zhou Jindong's eyes turned cold. "Liu Heiqi, don't feel wronged. How's your men's marksmanship? How's their tactical awareness? How's their discipline? Having Zhao Laosi as captain is because he's training you! If you're not convinced, let's take them outside and have a match. Whoever wins becomes the boss!"

Liu Heiqi immediately shut his mouth when he thought of Zhou Jindong's amazing marksmanship.

"Let me make this clear from the start." Zhou Jindong stood up, glanced around, and said, "The county brigade is not a den of bandits. From now on, anyone who dares to rape women, rob people of their property, or smoke opium, whether you're the captain or a cook, will be shot! My bullets don't discriminate!"

These words were filled with murderous intent, and the bandit leaders in the room fell silent in fear.

For the next two weeks, the Ningwu County Brigade entered a period of intensive training.

Zhou Jindong led his troops to the riverbank outside the city.

The line of over a thousand people stood densely packed. Zhou Jindong stood on a high slope, holding a megaphone.

"Listen up, everyone! We have more people and more guns now, but we can't be a rabble! The Japanese have been defeated, but they could counterattack at any time. If we want to survive, we have to be stronger than them!"

"First, practice shooting! Many of us can't even hold a gun level, and we don't even know how to align the three points (points, center, and point). Starting today, every recruit will fire at least five bullets every day! No bullets? No bullets? Then practice aiming! Practice holding the gun! Lie prone for an hour straight, and if anyone moves, they'll have to practice for an extra hour!"

"Secondly, practice bayonet fighting! The Japanese bayonet skills are very formidable; we've suffered losses from them before. From now on, we'll have two hours of bayonet training every day! We'll practice with wooden rifles, and we'll also practice with real swords and spears! Anyone who's afraid of blood shouldn't join the army!"

"Third, practice tactics! Stop rushing forward like before, that's suicide! Learn tactical coordination! Form groups of three, cover each other, and advance in shifts! The responsibilities of squad leaders and group leaders must be clearly defined!"

The training ground was bustling with activity.

Zhao Laosi led the First Company in bayonet practice, their shouts of battle deafening.

Liu Heiqi initially resisted, thinking that practicing these fancy moves was useless and that it would be more practical to steal more things.

But when he saw Zhou Jindong personally demonstrate and lead the soldiers through tough battles, and in one combat exercise, Zhou Jindong led a platoon, using terrain and tactics, to defeat one of Liu Heiqi's companies without any chance to fight back, he was completely convinced.

"Dongzi, what's wrong with your brain? How can a battle be fought like this?" Liu Heiqi wiped his sweat and moved closer to Zhou Jindong.

Zhou Jindong was inspecting the barrel of a Type 92 heavy machine gun. Without looking up, he said, "This is all experience gained at the cost of our lives. In the battle at Shenchi, if we hadn't understood tactics, we would have been crushed by Chida's machine guns long ago."

Old Liu, if you want to live, and if you want your brothers to live, you'd better train hard.

On the battlefield, bullets have no eyes; only skill matters.

In addition to military training, political rectification was also being carried out simultaneously. Wang Yuan led political officers to various companies to explain the situation, discipline, and why we are fighting.

At first, the bandits who were recruited were not used to it and felt that it was brainwashing.

But when they saw Zhou Jindong and Wang Yuan eating the same food as the soldiers, sleeping on the same earthen beds, and leading the way in training, their resentment gradually disappeared.

That morning, Zhou Jindong was inspecting a bombing training exercise.

A new recruit, nervous, failed to throw the grenade he had just pulled the pin on, and it fell to the ground at his feet.

Everyone around was terrified, and the soldier's legs went weak and he sat down on the ground.