Resistance against Japan: Starting with the local militia

Chapter 40 The Reconnaissance Battalion Returns

Two days later, Niu Dali led the reconnaissance battalion back to the Wolong Mountain military camp, along with more than a hundred Chunchuan soldiers.

After settling the Sichuan soldiers he had recruited, Niu Dali rushed to the regimental headquarters to find Tang Weiguo.

"Commander, I'm back." Niu Dali picked up the thermos on the table, poured water into an empty cup, and then drank it all in one gulp. Not satisfied, Niu Dali had another cup.

"So busy, you don't even have time to drink water?"

"Commander, I didn't have time to drink when I got back. I just settled the newly recruited Sichuan soldiers and some wounded Sichuan soldiers. I'm taking them to Dean Chu along with the wounded soldiers in the battalion. Please give them a good treatment, Dean Chu." Niu Dali said while wiping his mouth.

Tang Weiguo learned early on through Niu Dali's telegram that they had discovered and annihilated three Japanese squads and rescued more than 100 Sichuan soldiers from the Japanese.

"Commander, there's something else I need to report to you in person. The last Japanese squad we encountered was exceptionally skilled in combat. We mistook them for ordinary Japanese soldiers, but as a result, nine soldiers in our battalion were killed. It was all due to my command errors and carelessness. The earlier battles were too easy, and we underestimated the enemy. Please punish me, Commander." Niu Dali said with a look of remorse.

Niu Dali knew perfectly well how much resources the regiment had invested in training them. Other units had a limit on the number of live-fire training sessions to conserve ammunition. Only their reconnaissance battalion had unlimited live-fire training sessions, specially approved by the regimental commander, and the regiment prioritized supplying ammunition to the reconnaissance battalion. Every soldier in the reconnaissance battalion who died was a loss to the entire regiment.

"The Japanese soldiers who can cause your reconnaissance battalion to suffer losses. It seems they are no ordinary Japanese squad. It seems you have encountered an elite Japanese unit."

"Based on my guess, you encountered the Japanese Fifth Division. The Fifth Division is one of the Japanese's top main forces. However, you should feel honored to have wiped out their entire squad," Tang Weiguo speculated.

No wonder these Japanese soldiers are so highly skilled in combat. Niu Dali suddenly understood. In a previous lesson, Tang Weiguo had specifically explained the composition of the Japanese troops, with the Japanese soldiers arriving first.

“We soldiers will always have to sacrifice ourselves on the battlefield. You’ve done a great job this time,” Tang Weiguo said, patting Niu Dali on the shoulder reassuringly.

"Shame is the mother of courage. I hope you can lead the special reconnaissance battalion to do even better in the future. A true iron-blooded army is one that emerges from defeat and has a tenacious fighting spirit. We will inevitably have many opportunities to fight the Japanese in the future. We will sacrifice the lives of our soldiers and settle scores with the Japanese slowly." Tang Weiguo then said to the dejected Niu Dali in front of him.

"Commander, I understand. I will definitely learn from this failure and not make the same mistake again when I encounter the elite Japanese troops next time." Niu Dali regained his spirits.

"Very good, your reconnaissance battalion is the sharpest knife in our regiment."

"Yes, Commander, I can guarantee that the Special Reconnaissance Battalion is the sharpest knife in our regiment."

"Alright, go back and let the special forces soldiers rest for a day," Tang Weiguo instructed.

"Commander, I'll head back now." Niu Dali said goodbye to Tang Weiguo and left the team.

On the other side, Zhou Liansheng and the soldiers who came with him were resting. Tang Weiguo did not make any arrangements for them for the time being, but told them to rest well and wait for instructions.

"Company commander, company commander, new Sichuan soldiers have arrived!" Sun Wukong hurriedly ran to Zhou Liansheng.

"Hmm? A new Sichuan army?" Zhou Liansheng asked.

"Yes, it was Battalion Commander Niu who brought them back. They are soldiers from the Third Regiment. One of them is from my hometown town, and I know him."

"It seems that quite a few of our Sichuan troops broke through the encirclement. It looks like they were also rescued by the local militia. How many of them are there?"

“I roughly counted them, and I estimate there are more than 100 people. Adding our 100-plus people, our Sichuan Army now has more than 200 people on Wolong Mountain,” Sun Wukong calculated.

"Company Commander, what do you think the regimental commander will do to us? He'll break up our Sichuan Army. These officers are worried about their subordinates sticking together, especially since we're outsiders," Sun Wukong said pessimistically, thinking about the past.

"Probably not. I trust the commander's character. He'll probably give our Sichuan Army soldiers a separate battalion when the time comes," Zhou Liansheng said after thinking for a moment.

"No matter what, Company Commander, our choice was right. I thought the militia only consisted of the troops we encountered, but I didn't expect their main force hadn't moved at all."

"There are two more battalions here that are fully equipped with Japanese equipment. Including the battalion we encountered, this militia has at least three battalions equipped with Japanese equipment."

"My goodness, did they rob an entire Japanese company?" Sun Wukong said in shock.

"Not only that, just looking at their ranks, you can tell they're elite. Comparisons are odious; we simply can't compete with their fighting strength. I'm now incredibly curious about the regimental commander I single-handedly built up." It's no wonder Zhou Liansheng is curious; Tang Weiguo is just too young. Zhou Liansheng even specifically asked the regimental commander's age, only to find out that Tang Weiguo had just turned 18 this year. Truly a prodigy.

"I heard from the soldiers that they also have a reserve supplementary regiment that doesn't train at this camp. So it seems the regimental commander actually controls two regiments," Sun Wukong said.

"The stronger the commander, the safer we are, and the more likely we are to survive," Zhou Liansheng said.

"We're behind enemy lines now, so let's be like the Great Sage, wringing the Japanese devils' bellies upside down. We must avenge the blood feud of the Enchuan Army!" Sun Wukong said through gritted teeth.

“Revenge isn’t just talk; we need to get to training too. We’ve had enough rest these past few days, and if we don’t train soon, our bodies will start to rust. Let’s go to the training ground.”

"Brothers, get your spirits up! We can't let Sichuan people down again!" Zhou Liansheng shouted.

"Company commander, no problem," the other Sichuan soldiers sitting in the courtyard responded.

"By the way, Sun Wukong, go and try to get on good terms with the new Sichuan soldiers. Even though our Sichuan soldiers are a separate battalion, we still need to fight for the military command position and try to gain their support."

"Don't worry, Company Commander, I've got this covered." Sun Wukong scurried out of the courtyard gate.

Zhou Liansheng led the others to the training ground for training.

At this moment, Tang Xiaohu is directing the soldiers of the First Battalion to conduct weight training.

"Sweat more in peacetime, bleed less in wartime. Hold on, everyone. There are no cowards in our battalion," Tang Xiaohu shouted as he patrolled the area.

"Company Commander Zhou, what brings you here?" Tang Xiaohu greeted Zhou Liansheng as he arrived.

“These two are practically going crazy from being idle all the time. People can’t stay idle, so I’m planning to train the brothers and learn from you guys how to train. You’re all elites,” Zhou Liansheng replied.

"We wouldn't call it a pilgrimage; we're just exchanging ideas," Tang Xiaohu said modestly.

"What kind of training are you doing now?" Company Commander Zhou asked, looking at the soldiers running in circles on the training field, all wearing full combat gear.

"Oh, this is weight training, it trains the soldiers' load-bearing capacity. It improves the soldiers' physical fitness," Tang Xiaohu explained.

"How many miles would that be?"

"The regimental commander stipulated that it should be 10 li (approximately 5 kilometers)." Tang Xiaohu casually remarked.

"My goodness, we can't possibly go that far."

"Besides that, there's combat training, shooting training, tactical training, trench digging training, and so on," Tang Xiaohu said, listing them off as if they were his own treasures. These training subjects had really worn him out, and he remembered them vividly.

"It seems I have a lot to learn from Battalion Commander Tang this time, and I'll have to trouble you a lot."

"It's all for the sake of resisting Japan, what's the trouble or not?"

"Company Commander," Tang Xiaohu called out to the crowd.

"Here you are, Battalion Commander."

"Company Commander Zhou, our company commander is a training pacesetter in the entire regiment. He was personally praised by the regimental commander, so if you don't understand anything, just ask him," Tang Xiaohu said to Zhou Liansheng.

"Company Commander, fully cooperate with Company Commander Zhou."

"Yes, battalion commander."