roccoschili Chapter 33 Expanded Again
Chapter 33 Expanded Again
"Damn it, these Nationalist government people are shameless! They even dare to claim military merits fraudulently. If they're so capable, why don't they go to the battlefield and fight the Japanese themselves? What kind of skill is it to steal our military merits? I'm going to publish an exposé on them in the newspaper, Regiment Commander!" Tang Xiaohu said angrily.
"That's right! The Nationalist government is shameless! They're practically being touted as national heroes. What a bunch of hypocritical scoundrels!" Chu Xin cursed without restraint. She was furious after seeing the Nationalist government's actions in the newspaper. She was already close to the Eighth Route Army, and seeing the Nationalist government's behavior only fueled her contempt for them.
"Commander, say something!" Chu Yu shouted.
At this moment, Tang Weiguo showed no displeasure whatsoever; instead, he was engrossed in reading the newspaper.
"I'm happy that someone took the blame for us. What's there to be angry about? If the Japanese find out we did it, our small militia can't withstand their retaliation," Tang Weiguo said with a grin.
"The Japanese have suffered such a huge loss this time, they won't let it go easily. I've been thinking about how to hide our militia these past few days, and now someone has volunteered to draw the Japanese fire for us. I couldn't be happier," Tang Weiguo said with a smile.
"Well, if that's the case, then they've actually contributed to our cause, haven't they?" Chu Xin said.
“The guild leader has a long-term vision. In his words, we need to develop stealthily and slowly grow our strength,” Niu Dali added.
"Commander, but I still can't swallow this insult," Tang Xiaohu said resentfully. He had fought so hard against the Japanese, only to have these people enjoy the glory of victory; Tang Xiaohu was extremely unhappy.
"Little Tiger, don't be impatient. Our military merits aren't so easy to earn. As the ancients said, 'Virtue doesn't match one's position.' Just wait and see; they'll have a good show to watch later," Tang Weiguo said calmly.
Tang Weiguo knew very well that his two ambushes of the Japanese at the same location had severely humiliated them, and the Japanese wouldn't let them off easily. This time, they might use various intelligence resources to investigate their tracks. His militia would be discovered by the Japanese sooner or later. His militia had neither the support of the Nationalist government nor any connection with the Eighth Route Army. Given its current size, the consequences of being discovered by the Japanese would be unimaginable.
“However, the Nationalist government’s 68th Brigade is really stubborn. Have you all noticed that the newspapers say their regiment suffered a great number of casualties? I suspect they’re balancing the numbers,” Tang Weiguo suddenly said.
"Balancing the accounts?" several people asked curiously.
"As far as I know, it's common for the Nationalist army to have soldiers who don't actually receive pay. I reckon they're taking this opportunity to list those who don't receive pay as fallen soldiers. This way, they can hide the fact that they're not receiving pay and also make a fortune in soldiers' pensions. It's quite clever," Tang Weiguo said with a meaningful smile.
"Commander, I understand. These Nationalist troops are fucking bastards!" Chu Yu shouted angrily.
"However, the Nationalist government still has many troops who are genuinely committed to resisting Japan, after all, they are the ones fighting on the main battlefields," Tang Weiguo said.
"By the way, when you go back, make sure to tell all the soldiers that they are not allowed to reveal that we ambushed the Japanese. We can't let the Japanese know that we did it," Tang Weiguo instructed.
"Yes, Captain."
"Alright, everyone, let's stop discussing this matter. Right now, our militia's focus should be on continuously strengthening our power. Since you're all here, I'll announce a few things now."
"Yes, Captain."
"Xiaohu, Dazhuang, how's the replenishment of personnel for the First and Second Battalions going?" Tang Weiguo asked.
"Reporting to the commander, the personnel of the first and second battalions have all been selected from the supplementary battalions and are now at full strength. They are currently intensifying their training." In this battle with the Japanese, Tang Xiaohu and his men deeply realized the gap between the militia soldiers' combat effectiveness and that of the Japanese.
"Last time we captured a lot of Japanese weapons and equipment, and gave them to your two battalions. You plan to add another combat battalion with the remaining equipment. Do you have any recommendations for a battalion commander?" Tang Weiguo asked.
"Commander, I think Li Debao, the company commander of the first battalion, is capable of the job," Tang Dazhuang said.
"Xiao Hu, what's your opinion?" Tang Weiguo asked.
“I think that’s a good option. Li Debao is quick-witted, doesn’t act recklessly, and is good at thinking things through. He has the potential to be a commander. His only weakness is that he lacks a bit of experience in overall battlefield management,” Tang Xiaohu said after considering it for a moment.
“Battlefield strategic awareness can be cultivated. Since both of you battalion commanders have recommended him, it means he is capable of the job. Li Debao will be the battalion commander of the newly established Third Combat Battalion. You two battalion commanders should provide him with guidance.” Tang Weiguo fully endorsed their opinions.
"Based on the situation of the last battle, I found that we do not have enough medics on the battlefield. In order to better treat the wounded on the battlefield, I have decided to equip each squad with a medic."
"The personnel to be trained as medics shall be reported by each battalion, and Director Chu shall conduct the training in a unified manner."
"Dean Chu, I'll have to trouble you to train the staff then," Tang Weiguo said, turning to Chu Yu.
"No problem, Commander. As long as it reduces the number of soldiers who die, I'm not afraid of any hardship," Chu Yu said.
"Zhao Zhu, we still need to recruit more soldiers for the replenishment battalion. We have enough weapons and ammunition now, so the replenishment battalion needs to be expanded to the size of a regiment. Zhao Zhu, you will still be in charge of recruiting the relevant personnel. You are now the backbone of our regiment," Tang Weiguo praised.
"Commander, I can't guarantee anything else, but recruiting soldiers is definitely not a problem. The Japanese devils are almost at Taiyuan these days, and the men of Shanxi are very enthusiastic about joining the army."
"Moreover, our militia often helps the people, so the people have a very high level of recognition of our militia, and everyone is very willing to join our militia."
"Moreover, thanks to the regimental commander's policy of protecting the hometown, the newly joined soldiers now have a certain level of combat skills, and the time for recruit training has been greatly shortened."
"Okay, good." Tang Weiguo said with satisfaction.
"Zhao Zhu, how's the tunnel construction going in the villages around Wolong Mountain?" Tang Weiguo asked.
"The construction of the tunnels is progressing in an orderly manner, and now the tunnels of every household are truly interconnected," Zhao Zhu replied.
"Okay, good. If the Japanese really do invade, we can use the tunnels to keep them at bay."
"How are the supplies and logistics?" Tang Weiguo asked.
"Commander, we currently have sufficient weapons and ammunition, and we are currently purchasing grain on a large scale. We have collected nearly 100 million catties of grain so far."
"Our militia's own pig farm and chicken farm have been successfully built, and we are preparing to raise livestock next year. The wasteland around Wolong Mountain has been almost fully reclaimed, and we are just waiting to plant the seeds next spring."
"Good, very good. We won't panic if we have guns and food."
"By the way, regarding the soldiers who are wounded or disabled on the battlefield, those who want to go home can go home, and those who don't want to go home but want to continue serving in the militia will be uniformly assigned to the logistics department to be responsible for the development of our militia."
"If they don't want to go back, let them continue to contribute to the militia. As long as our militia exists, we will support them."
"The battalion commanders and the guards will handle this matter personally," Tang Weiguo ordered.
"Yes, Captain."
Just as Tang Weiguo's militia were resting in Wolong Mountain, the situation at the Xikou defense line became increasingly critical. As Tang Weiguo had predicted, the Japanese launched a large-scale attack on the Niangziguan area. The Xikou defense line was in grave danger.