"One, two, three, four!"
On the open ground at the entrance to Duanjia'ao village,
over twenty men in brand-new blue-gray military uniforms were practicing tactical drills with their rifles on their backs.
Many villagers were also watching nearby.
Among them, quite a few villagers had proud expressions on their faces.
"Look, the one standing in the middle is my eldest son. See how spirited he looks in his uniform."
"The Eighth Route Army is great. As soon as you're selected, they give you two sets of new clothes and a settling allowance of five silver dollars."
"It's more than that. That Platoon Leader Qin also had people buy meat everywhere.
They get to eat meat every day, according to my kid.
It seems they're afraid the training is too tough and will wear them out."
"What?
Just standing in the sun,
running a bit, and you call this tough training?
It doesn't look as hard as harvesting wheat to me."
"You ignorant woman, what do you know.
This is called caring for soldiers like they're your own children.
Haven't you seen,
after this month, those who didn't meet the training standards.
Platoon Leader Qin won't even let them go to the battlefield.
They can only do battlefield cleanup work."
Listening to the envious and admiring voices of the villagers around.
The new recruits standing in formation under the scorching sun seemed to feel more energized.
Their previously trembling legs stopped shaking.
Qin Yangming was exceptionally strict with training.
He would rather a soldier get injured on the training ground than lose their life on the battlefield.
The training plan he prepared for the soldiers was a summary of discussions he had with his comrades in his previous life.
It was a plan formulated on how a chemical army during World War II should train.
He would never have imagined that the training plan they discussed casually would actually be useful one day.
However, for these new recruits, it was also a blessing in another sense.
A training plan jointly devised by the instructor team of Old A, a strategic-level special forces unit from China, was not something just anyone could enjoy.
It should be known that Old A, where Qin Yangming was from, recruited new members.
They didn't just pick from the army.
Instead, they selected directly from the special forces units of major military regions.
Anyone chosen to participate in the selection training was, in essence, a 'heaven's favored child'.
Old A has a saying: "Perhaps you are gold hidden by dust, but here, it is magnificent."
This saying alone shows how powerful the training plan Qin Yangming presented was.
To help the new recruits accumulate combat experience and weapons.
Qin Yangming would take the new recruits to practice on blockhouses or Japanese devil transport teams every few days.
At the same time, he also taught the district squads and militia how to make sneak attacks on the Japanese devils using poison, digging traps, and laying landmines.
In short, any method to kill the Japanese devils was employed.
He even taught the district squads methods of tunnel warfare and landmine warfare.
Then, the district squads who learned these methods would teach the other district squads who didn't know them.
And because Qin Yangming frequently went to trouble the Japanese devils,
the Japanese devils in the county town also noticed this small Eighth Route Army unit, and they had sent troops to encircle and suppress them.
But if they sent too many people, Qin Yangming would lead his soldiers into the mountains to hide.
Or they would use their familiarity with the terrain to sneak attack strongholds or blockhouses that were left with empty garrisons due to troop withdrawal.
If they sent too few people, he would directly lead the district squads and the county battalion to take down the enemy together.
They fought so fiercely that the Japanese devils dared not leave the county town or their strongholds.
As for the smaller blockhouses, they were directly taken down by Qin Yangming.
Although he was just the strongest assault trooper, it didn't mean his marksmanship was poor.
With an ordinary Type 38 rifle, within five hundred meters, he could hit any target he aimed at.
Moreover, he had a Mauser 98K sniper rifle in his hand.
Relying on Qin Yangming's formidable marksmanship.
The machine guns in the Japanese devil blockhouses couldn't even be fired.
As soon as an enemy soldier appeared, they were dead, unless it was a stronghold defended by twenty to thirty Japanese devils.
With a sufficient quantity of heavy machine guns and high troop quality, they could suppress Qin Yangming.
Just as Qin Yangming and Sun Zhigang were discussing in the ancestral hall whether to do something big.
And attack a stronghold, Captain Luo pushed open the door and entered the room in a hurry.
Seeing the flustered Captain Luo, Qin Yangming and Sun Zhigang instinctively thought something had happened.
They quickly drew their pistols: "Old Luo, what's wrong? Have the Japanese devils come to encircle us?"
Hearing Qin Yangming's question, Captain Luo shook his head and spoke after catching his breath.
"No, the Japanese devils haven't come to encircle us. We've received news from the main force."
"News from the main force?"
"Yes, news from the main force. They say a communicator sent by the regiment.
has arrived at the next village and is expected to reach Duanjia'ao soon. Platoon Leader Qin, should we prepare?"
Sun Zhigang guessed based on what Captain Luo said.
"Platoon leader, it looks like the regiment has settled down.
They're coming to notify us wounded soldiers to return to our units."
Qin Yangming nodded.
"Yes, it's been almost two months, it's time to return to our units."
Qin Yangming was mentally prepared for returning to his unit.
After all, he had contacted over thirty wounded soldiers in the surrounding villages.
More than twenty of them could participate in combat, making them seasoned veterans.
The Eighth Route Army, having experienced the large-scale sweep, was now short of veterans, so they naturally wouldn't let these veterans develop locally.
Moreover, among these thirty-odd people, there were two who, like Qin Yangming, had experienced the Long March and were truly veterans tested by blood and fire.
"Platoon Leader Qin, why don't you say a word to your superiors.
You should stay here with your men.
I've spoken with the captain. If you choose to stay,
the county battalion will be directly handed over to you as captain,
and he'll be happy to be just a soldier."
Listening to Qin Yangming and Sun Zhigang's conversation.
Captain Luo also became a little flustered.
The reason was simple: fighting the Japanese devils with them was too satisfying.
A trip out with Qin Yangming could at least take down a transport team.
Not only were their casualties low, but the captured goods were abundant.
If nothing else, their district squad, being the closest to Qin Yangming.
Their fifteen members had all been equipped with Japanese devil Type 38 rifles.
Each person even had over fifty bullets.
It should be known that a month ago, their district squad only had one pistol and two imitation guns.
And other district squads had also acquired some Hanyang-made rifles to varying degrees.
The county battalion had even been equipped with two Japanese devil Type 11 light machine guns.
And two grenade launchers; these were equipment typically only held by main forces.
The reason they had so much good equipment was entirely due to Qin Yangming.
Besides equipment, the most important thing was that the Japanese devils and traitors in the townships no longer dared to bully the common people at will.
Because all those who bullied the common people had their heads blown off by Qin Yangming!
At this moment, Qin Yangming and the others were about to return to their unit.
Captain Luo and the others were naturally unwilling.
"Captain Luo, we have other missions.
We cannot limit our focus to just this area.
There are still many common people across the country waiting to be saved.
Now, your district squad and county battalion are already quite strong.
Ordinary small Japanese devil units can't do anything to you."
"Just remember what I said:
If the enemy is strong, we hide; if the enemy is weak, we attack.
If the enemy advances, we retreat; if the enemy is tired, we harass.
Make good use of what I've taught you.
You don't need to be so afraid of the Japanese devils. You've seen it,
a Japanese devil hit by my shot will also die. Believe in yourselves."
"Moreover, our troops are growing.
The burden on the villagers is becoming too great. If we stay any longer, the common people won't be able to bear it."
Qin Yangming listened to Captain Luo's words and smiled as he persuaded him.
How could he not know Captain Luo's intentions?
It was just that this place was too small. The eight surrounding villages could barely support their force of over eighty men; it was reaching its limit.
If they wanted to expand their troops, they would have to attack the towns occupied by the Japanese devils.
However, Qin Yangming was not confident in holding the towns after capturing them.
The combined strength of all the district squads and county battalions in the vicinity was only about two hundred men.
And the county town had two hundred Japanese devils, not to mention over a thousand puppet troops.
If they were to attack the town, the Japanese devils would definitely send a large force to fight.
In that case, Qin Yangming and the others could just pack up and leave.
But the common people who remained in the area would suffer terribly.
Listening to Qin Yangming's words, Captain Luo fell silent.
Yes, if Qin Yangming and the others continued to stay, they would definitely recruit more soldiers.
But most of the suitable recruits in the nearby villages had already joined the county battalion or Qin Yangming's unit.
Moreover, Duanjia'ao, as the base for Platoon Leader Qin's unit, had almost all its villagers serving the troops.
It had already severely affected the villagers' daily lives.
However, because they were the Eighth Route Army, the villagers were willing to bear this hardship.
But willingness to bear it did not mean they could endure it.
Qin Yangming could not take it for granted that the villagers should bear all of this.