Night falls.
The north wind howled, and snowflakes drifted down.
Inside the headquarters of the 1st Regiment of Zhangzhuang.
Regiment Commander Liang Jun and Political Commissar Huang Qiming are listening to Regiment Chief of Staff Yang Wei's deployment of the next tasks.
"Commander, Political Commissar, the Japanese are about to launch a new round of mopping-up operations."
As Yang Wei spoke, he pointed to the battle map on the table, "According to the scouts' report, the scale of this Japanese mopping-up operation is very large. The Japanese Independent Mixed Brigade No. 3 in Pingding County is very likely to move south to sweep through our base area!"
"If this is true, then our New 1st Regiment will be in a very dangerous situation!"
Liang Jun's expression was serious. After a moment of silence, he asked, "Old Yang, what are your thoughts?"
"I suggest we prepare for both possibilities!"
Yang Wei said without hesitation: "First, we will concentrate our superior forces and take the initiative to launch a guerrilla attack in the mountainous area north of Zhangzhuang to tie down the Japanese troops' attention and prevent their main force from having time to look south."
"Secondly, we evacuated the local people and wounded near Zhangzhuang to a safe area in advance to prevent a sudden attack by the Japanese."
"Time is of the essence, we have no other choice!"
Liang Jun and Huang Qiming both fell silent.
Zhangzhuang North Mountain Area.
The mountains are steep, the forests are dense, and the ravines are deep.
It is an ideal place for guerrilla warfare.
If the Japanese attack from the north, they will use guerrilla tactics to lure the main force of the Japanese into the mountains and gradually compress and annihilate them.
Of course, their New 1st Regiment was severely lacking in ammunition and supplies, making it almost impossible for them to annihilate an entire Japanese brigade.
The only thing they could do was to wear down the Japanese as much as possible.
Liang Jun nodded and praised, "Not bad, clear thinking and logical reasoning. You truly deserve to be a capable officer trained by headquarters!"
"Thank you for the compliment, Commander."
"Political Commissar, you are personally in charge of evacuating civilians and the wounded. I require you to complete the task within three days."
Liang Jun continued, "Furthermore, order the troops to prepare for battle. If the Japanese advance south, they should be ready to be deployed to the battlefield at any time!"
"Mission accomplished!"
Huang Qiming snapped to attention and saluted!
"Knock knock knock..."
A knocking sounded suddenly.
"Come in!"
As Liang Jun finished speaking, Chen Dahu entered the command post and saluted the three men, "Regimental Commander, Political Commissar, Chief of Staff!"
"First Battalion Commander, have all the Japanese soldiers in Wu'an Township been wiped out?"
Liang Jun raised his head and asked calmly.
"Reporting to the commander, it's like this."
Chen Dahu took a sip of water, caught his breath, and then gave a detailed report on the situation in Wu'an Township.
After he finished recounting the battle of Wu'an Township, everyone frowned.
"Light-duty rifle, heavy machine gun, mortar..."
"The firepower of a militia unit is stronger than that of our New 1st Regiment?! That's a bit too much!"
Liang Jun frowned, his face full of confusion.
"Chief of Staff, what do you think?"
Liang Jun turned to look at Yang Wei.
After a moment of contemplation, Yang Wei slowly said, "Regimental Commander, even if a report is submitted to the brigade headquarters for a militia unit to request a designation, the brigade commander will likely reject it."
"I actually think trading three hundred new recruits for these weapons and ammunition is a worthwhile deal!!!"
"Worth what?!"
Political Commissar Huang Qiming's eyes widened immediately: "Old Yang, are our soldiers meant to be traded?!"
"This is our base area. All spoils of war must be handed over. This is a matter of principle!"
Yang Wei retorted: "Political Commissar, I know this is a matter of principle, but the militia team of Wu'an Township is also thinking about the people of the base area."
"They went through so much trouble to wipe out these Japanese devils, so it's not unreasonable for them to make a few demands, is it?!"
"You!" Huang Qiming was speechless after being rebuked.
"Alright, alright!"
Liang Jun waved his hand, interrupting their argument.
"You two, stop arguing for now."
After pondering for a moment, Liang Jun said, "Chen Ergou is the First Battalion Commander's younger brother. I think this question should be answered by the First Battalion Commander!"
"Battalion Commander, tell me, should we hand over all of this batch of weapons and ammunition, or give it to them?"
Huang Qiming and Yang Wei exchanged a glance, then turned to look at Chen Dahu.
"This matter..."
Chen Dahu stood up, took a deep breath, and said, "Commander, to be honest, from the country's perspective, this batch of weapons and ammunition must be handed over to the logistics department for unified allocation and use."
"However, from a personal standpoint, I think it's possible to give it to people."
"Chen Dahu!"
Huang Qiming's expression changed, and he reprimanded sternly: "You need to know that your decision violates principles, do you understand?!"
"Political Commissar, don't blame the First Battalion Commander!"
Liang Jun stopped Huang Qiming and gestured for Chen Dahu to continue.
Chen Dahu took another deep breath and continued, "Political Commissar, our Eighth Route Army is an anti-Japanese armed force, and the Wu'an Township militia is also an anti-Japanese armed force. We are all here to eliminate the Japanese devils and for the cause of national liberation."
"Their weapons were also obtained at the cost of their lives."
"If we hand over this batch of weapons and ammunition, it will inevitably cause a huge uproar in our base area."
"What will the families of those fallen heroes think?!"
"What will those new soldiers who joined our Eighth Route Army think?!"
"If our New 1st Regiment has to alienate the people because of principles, I think tens of thousands of people will leave us."
"What will happen to our base then?!"
Chen Dahu stopped narrating and stared quietly, seemingly waiting for their reply.
After listening to Chen Dahu's words, the three fell silent and remained speechless for a long time!
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