sovbooks Chapter 1 Company Commander of the 8th Company
Chapter 1 Company Commander of the 8th Company
"You are all veterans of the Red Army, and the backbone of our new First Regiment. The new First Regiment is newly established, lacking soldiers, food, guns, and artillery. The reason I called you nine here is for one thing: to fight independently and develop on your own!"
"From today onwards, each of you will lead your own comrades, find your own territory, and recruit soldiers! If you're short of food, the Japanese have plenty; if you're short of guns, the Japanese still have plenty."
"I don't care what you do, I want to see you come back in three months with a company that can fight tough battles."
"Also, we can't abandon the rules of the Eighth Route Army: we can't take a single needle or thread from the people, and we can't bully the poor. We should discuss everything with our comrades, but when trouble comes, we have to take responsibility. Don't let us down!"
"Of course, if you can lead the team, that will be a great achievement! If you can bring in a battalion of soldiers, I'll make you a battalion commander. If you can bring in a regiment, I won't mind giving you the position of regimental commander."
But if anyone dares to be a coward, deserts, or betrays the country and becomes a traitor, don't blame me, Li Yunlong, for my Mauser pistol—it doesn't discriminate!
Yang Zheng leaned against a big tree, still recalling what Li Yunlong had said in the regimental headquarters meeting room.
As a time traveler, I was transported into the body of a veteran Red Army soldier in the world of "Bright Sword".
Just as he had recovered from his injuries and sorted out the memories in his mind, Li Yunlong was ordered by Brigade Commander Chen to form a new regiment, and Yang Zheng was assigned by his superior to Li Yunlong's subordinate, becoming one of his company commanders.
Being a company commander is no easy task. He only has about 40 men under his command, and just eighteen rifles and one Mauser pistol. The rifles are a motley collection of old, outdated designs from all over the world. Each man only has a dozen or so bullets, some as few as six.
Light machine gun, grenade launcher, heavy machine gun?
Haha, don't even think about it, it's impossible.
The only equipment given to each person was a large sword and a grenade.
Their overall combat strength was so great that they could hardly stand up to a small Japanese squad head-on.
Fortunately, Yang Zheng has a cheat code, as well as the experience and memories left by the soul of this body and his powerful strength.
Once you acquire initial resources, you can grow rapidly, like a snowball rolling downhill.
At this moment, Chen Xiaoquan, a platoon leader under Yang Zheng, quickly bent down and ran over, saying, "Company Commander, Da Shuan and the others up ahead heard gunfire, possibly from the direction of Changning Village!"
Yang Zheng jumped to his feet and ordered, "Everyone, stop resting and check your weapons and ammunition!"
Then he asked, "Did you hear clearly what kind of gun it was?"
Chen Xiaoquan's slightly dark face showed a hint of seriousness as he nodded and replied, "It's very likely a Japanese Type 38 rifle! Da Shuan and the others have already gone to investigate."
Yang Zheng took a deep breath. Da Shuan and the others were veterans who had dealt with the Japanese many times. Although they were a bit far away, they shouldn't have misheard.
He immediately ordered: "First platoon, follow me. Second platoon, stay behind and provide cover. Da Hu, leave two comrades behind to watch over our rations and supplies."
As Yang Zheng gave the orders, he quickly checked his pistol, loaded it, and then instructed, "Chen Xiaoquan, take your men and stay close. Position the grenades where it's most convenient for me!"
"Yes, sir!"
Chen Xiaoquan, the first platoon leader, and Zhao Dahu, the second platoon leader, responded quickly and then split up to carry out their respective tasks.
Chen Xiaoquan roared at his soldiers, "Hurry up and stick close to the company commander! Get your weapons ready!"
More than 20 men followed behind Yang Zheng, crouching low as they rushed toward the direction from which the gunshots rang out.
Yang Zheng knew very well that this was not Japanese-occupied territory, but a guerrilla zone, so the Japanese wouldn't have much to worry about.
After all, their main control logic in the occupied territories was to consolidate their rule and plunder resources, so their actions were not as barbaric.
But guerrilla areas are different. They frequently launch surprise raids and often burn, kill, and loot civilians, behaving like animals.
So after hearing the gunshots, Yang Zheng became worried about the safety of the villagers.
After moving quickly for more than ten minutes, Yang Zheng suddenly heard another crisp gunshot and immediately determined that it was the sound of a Type 38 rifle.
Fortunately, the gunfire wasn't too frequent, and things hadn't reached the worst point yet.
Once he and his men could see the houses in the village in the distance, a man quickly poked his head out and gestured to them. It was Da Shuan, who had come to scout ahead of them.
"Company commander, the Japanese have entered the village to sweep it up. I just went in quietly to observe. It should be a small detachment, with 13 Japanese soldiers and a light machine gun set up next to the stone mill in the center of the village."
"The Japanese are still in the village collecting grain, and they probably won't leave anytime soon; they just opened fire and killed a few villagers who resisted." Mao Dashuan quickly reported this important information as Yang Zheng approached.
Yang Zheng nodded, immediately racking his brains for a solution. Then, looking around, he saw the hillside not far from the village entrance, his eyes lit up, and he gave the order:
"Xiaoquan, immediately send someone to inform Dahu to bring the second platoon over and assemble them on the hillside ahead; first platoon leader, follow me!"
At such a time, entering the village to fight the Japanese head-on would be the most unwise thing to do, only increasing casualties and causing even more suffering to the people.
After all, the light machine gun positioned in the center of the village wasn't just for show. Given the village's terrain, it could provide support to any position should a conflict break out. Moreover, the villagers were already under the control of the Japanese...
The best course of action would have been to strike the Japanese soldiers hard when they had finished their looting and were relaxing their guard and leaving.
The company's only 45 grenades were crucial, and the soldiers in his company had received specialized training in throwing them.
After all, the team was short of ammunition, and the only way to quickly increase combat effectiveness through training was through grenade throwing and close combat.
The soldiers of the Eighth Company moved quickly and carefully, and within half an hour, they had all assembled on the hillside.
"Get all the grenades out, unscrew the caps, and wait for my command to throw them all! Then grab your broadswords and prepare to chop off the heads of the Japanese devils!"
Yang Zheng looked around, his face filled with murderous intent, and said.
"Yes, sir!"
All 43 soldiers responded in unison and quickly began preparations.
The hillside here is about 30 meters away from the road at the village entrance, which is the farthest distance the soldiers can reach by throwing grenades.
The simultaneous explosion of 43 grenades, even if the grenades weren't powerful enough, was enough to wipe out half of the Japanese soldiers, and also to confuse the remaining Japanese soldiers, creating time for them to charge forward and engage in close combat.
After the charge, only a few Japanese soldiers remained, and with 44 men, they were bound to win.
So the priority now is to hide your body properly and prevent the Japanese from discovering you beforehand.
And this happens to be one of the strengths of the Eighth Route Army.