roccoschili Chapter 43 Extremely Rich
Chapter 43 Extremely Rich
After settling Wang Wenhan in the room where the blacksmith shop used to be, he let him follow Li Dachui to the blacksmith shop at the new camp.
Yang Zheng himself began to handle some related matters, including sending out the reconnaissance team and arranging for Chen Xiaoquan and others to collect the necessary materials, and then he focused on drawing up the blueprints.
It wasn't until dark that Yang Zheng finally finished and stopped, looking at himself with satisfaction and a smile on his lips.
After having a quick bite to eat, I compiled the battle reports from the past few days into a post-battle report, which I wrote down and will send to the regimental headquarters along with the blueprints later.
Although Li Yunlong released them and gave them a great deal of autonomy, some reports still needed to be made, especially after such a successful battle.
However, Yang Zheng still played a trick on the situation regarding the spoils, making the data vague while also pleading poverty to Li Yunlong.
Once Li Yunlong realized what was happening, they could simply use those Hanyang rifles to shut him up, since their Eighth Company wouldn't need them anyway.
After all, their 8th Company now has nearly 200 Type 38 rifles, 11 Type 96 light machine guns, 9 grenade launchers, and even a Type 92 heavy machine gun. They are incredibly wealthy.
When the hundred newly recruited soldiers arrived, they were also provided with guns, so it was only natural that Yang Zheng looked down on the Hanyang Rifle.
Soon, the night deepened, and Yang Zheng finished writing his report. Seeing that the night school had been discontinued under Chen Xiaoquan's announcement, he finally turned off the oil lamp and went to sleep peacefully.
The next day at noon, under the blazing sun, at the new camp at the east end of Changning Village, the soldiers had just finished their morning training and were resting in twos and threes in the shade, cleaning their weapons. The cooks had just started serving lunch, and the aroma of the meal was wafting through the air.
Chen Xiaoquan and Zhao Dahu squatted at the entrance of the camp, eating cornbread with pickled vegetables, chatting casually about the upcoming training plan.
"Old Chen, do you think the Japanese might be planning something big?" Zhao Dahu asked vaguely.
Just as Chen Xiaoquan was about to answer, a commotion suddenly broke out at the entrance of the camp, mixed with the sentries' somewhat distorted exclamations.
The two men exchanged a glance, immediately dropped their cornbread, grabbed the guns leaning against the wall, and rushed out.
A large group of people walked in on the dirt road outside the camp gate!
Most of these people wore faded, patched but starched old military uniforms in a variety of colors, some gray-blue, some khaki, but without exception, they all bore the dust of a long journey. Although their faces showed signs of fatigue, their eyes were sharp, and their figures revealed them to be sturdy men who had been through many years of hardship.
What made Chen Xiaoquan and Zhao Dahu's pupils shrink even more was that there were actually seven tall, strong, and glossy warhorses following in the middle of the procession!
The horses carried some luggage and were led by several men, all dressed in old military uniforms and with upright postures.
"This...this is..." Zhao Dahu's mouth dropped open.
Chen Xiaoquan was completely stunned, his mind racing: He hadn't heard of any large-scale troop movements nearby. Where did all these soldiers and horses come from? Judging by their appearance, there were at least a hundred of them! And... they all looked like veterans!
At this moment, a man in his thirties, with a dark complexion and a shallow scar on his left cheek, strode forward. His gaze swept over Chen Xiaoquan and Zhao Dahu's uniforms and demeanor, finally settling on Chen Xiaoquan. He stood at attention, saluted, and spoke in a loud voice:
"Sir! We are brothers who were separated from, wounded and lost our units during battles with the Japanese army along the Yellow River and in the Zhongtiao Mountains, from various units of the former Northwest Army, Jin-Sui Army and Northeast Army!"
Having fled here, I have heard that your unit has recently won a series of victories in this area, inflicting heavy losses on the Japanese invaders and earning widespread fame!
Brothers, you are all soldiers of the Chinese nation, unwilling to be slaves of a conquered country, only wanting to follow the true fighting force against the Japanese! We have come here today to seek refuge, earnestly requesting your shelter so we may fight the Japanese together!
The hundred or so men behind him also straightened their chests and cast their burning gazes over. Although they did not utter a sound, their long-suppressed desire for battle and their fierceness honed by the fires of war were palpable.
Chen Xiaoquan and Zhao Dahu exchanged a glance, both seeing the shock and disbelief in each other's eyes.
A hundred or so veterans? And cavalry? This... this is like a pie falling from the sky, no, it's like a reinforced company of elite soldiers falling from the sky!
"You...you really came to join our Eighth Company?" Zhao Dahu's voice was trembling. Even though he had experienced many defeated soldiers defecting to his company before, he still couldn't believe it.
"Absolutely true!" the leader confirmed again. "We inquired along the way and confirmed that this is indeed your unit's achievement in this area. If the commander doesn't believe us, you can ask and record it one by one; we are willing to accept any scrutiny!"
At this moment, Luo Dashan, Zeng Dahui, Liu Tiegang and other platoon-level officers who heard the commotion also rushed over.
Even though they themselves were defeated soldiers who came to join the army, they were all so shocked by the scene outside the camp gate that they couldn't close their mouths.
"My goodness... so many good men?" Luo Dashan licked his lips, his eyes shining.
Liu Tiegang carefully observed the men's posture and eyes, and whispered, "They're all good soldiers. Look at their feet, the calluses on their hands... and those leading the horses, they're proper cavalrymen!"
Chen Xiaoquan, being a veteran of the Red Army, quickly suppressed the turmoil in his heart and realized that this matter was of utmost importance.
He stepped forward and solemnly returned the greeting: "Welcome, brothers! I am Chen Xiaoquan, the platoon leader of the first platoon of the eighth company of the new first regiment of the Eighth Route Army."
This matter needs to be reported to our company commander, Comrade Yang Zheng. Please wait outside the camp for a moment; we will make arrangements immediately!
While gesturing for Zhao Dahu to hurry to the company headquarters to find Yang Zheng, he instructed Luo Dashan and the others to maintain order, all the while rapidly calculating in his mind:
With so many people, their origins must be investigated, but judging from their demeanor and speech, they don't seem to be faking it. If they really have come to join us... the Eighth Company is truly about to grow incredibly powerful!
Zhao Dahu dashed out like his pants were on fire, with only one thought in his mind: "I'm rich! I'm going to be rich again!"
What incredible luck has our Eighth Company had? First, Luo Dashan and his men arrived, then Zeng Dahui and his men, then Liu Tiegang and his 70 men, and yesterday a master bullet maker arrived, and now they've sent over a hundred veterans and warhorses?!
"Damn it, the rewards for fighting the Japanese are huge! Not only can we capture guns and ammunition, but it's also incredibly attractive to recruits."
Inside the company headquarters, Yang Zheng and Wang Wenhan were discussing the bullet production process when Zhao Dahu burst in, his face red and his neck thick, unable to speak coherently.
"Company...Company Commander, hurry! Damn it, there are so many people at the camp gate...They say they've come to join us, to fight the Japanese with us. There are nearly a hundred of them."
Yang Zheng understood immediately; he knew the warriors summoned by the system had arrived. However, he feigned surprise, saying, "What? A hundred people? Is that so? Let's go see!"
Yang Zheng strode out of the company headquarters, and Wang Wenhan followed curiously behind him.