Chapter 12: A Surprise Emerges in the Outpost Town

After some time had passed, Liu Changqing and Old Zhang brought three men, all wearing Northeast Army uniforms and covered in scars, before Commander Zhang Yun. The three looked relatively young, about in their thirties. The leader bore a resolute demeanor, his body marked with the most scars—some still oozing blood—while the other two appeared somewhat better but still looked weak. One of them, in particular, seemed vaguely familiar to Zhang Yun.

“Changqing, what’s the situation here? Have they been subjected to torture or forced interrogation?” Zhang Yun asked anxiously, worried the deputy squad leader might have erred.

“Platoon Leader, no, these three were beaten by bandits. I just went to question the bandits and learned that these three brave men, originally from the Northeast Army, were tied up in the back prison cells,” Liu Changqing replied as he arranged a few chairs for them and reported to the nearby platoon leader.

“According to the bandits, they have been trying to establish themselves in this town for some time. Later, a dozen or so Northeast Army deserters arrived. Their company commander intended to eliminate the bandits and take over, but unexpectedly, ‘Liu San Dao’ intimidated him and became the bandit second-in-command. Most of the deserters followed the commander and joined the bandits.

However, these three comrades were professional artillerymen from the Northeast Army and refused to associate with the bandits. They initially planned to part ways peacefully with their comrades, but the company commander, seeing their talent, forced them to join. For over a month, they were sustained daily on a meager diet of potatoes and sweet potatoes, and it nearly broke their spirits.”

Hearing this, Zhang Yun felt a deep respect. Although he was now a committed soldier of the Eighth Route Army, he couldn’t say he could endure such continuous hardship for a month.

“Comrades, greetings. I am Zhang Yun, platoon leader of the 3rd Platoon, 1st Company, 3rd Battalion, Instruction Regiment, 386th Brigade of the Eighth Route Army,” Zhang Yun said, grasping the leader’s right hand. “Rest assured, the Eighth Route Army and the Northeast Army are both fighting against the Japanese now. You can recover your wounds here with us, and once healed, you are free to go. You are all admirable men!”

“Thank you, comrade of the Eighth Route Army,” the leader said earnestly. “We will be in your care during this time.”

“You’re welcome. Soldiers fighting the Japanese are all one family. By the way, what are your names?” Zhang Yun finally remembered to ask.

“My name is Wang Dachuan. I am a gun commander from the direct artillery regiment of the 388th Brigade, 130th Division, 53rd Army of the Northeast Army. I was responsible for mountain artillery, and as artillery dwindled, I specialized in a mortar,” the leader introduced himself. “We were scattered during the defense of Jincheng against the Japanese over two months ago. These are my two artillerymen, Zhao Tianduo and Wang Chengzhu.”

“You’re Wang Chengzhu?” Zhang Yun looked in surprise at the familiar artilleryman behind him. No wonder he seemed so familiar—this was none other than Wang Chengzhu, who in the opening of the series "Bright Sword" had fired the fatal shot that killed Sakata Nobuyoshi before tragically falling in battle.

Indeed, Wang Chengzhu only appeared briefly and died early in "Bright Sword," with no background explained—now it was clear he was from the Northeast Army artillery.

It all made sense. Mortar gunners require extensive training with shells, and only the Northeast Army, Jin-Sui Army, and Central Army produced such skilled artillerymen. As for why he later joined the New First Regiment, perhaps it was because he was saved by Li Yunlong or inspired by his charisma and distinguished record.

“Talented men, indeed talented men,” Zhang Yun thought excitedly. “They must be kept. Where is my political commissar? How do we conduct political work with these three?”

Artillery is the backbone of a soldier’s courage. Excellent artillerymen combined with well-functioning artillery form the soul of a fighting force. Historical statistics show that during World War II, 70% of soldier casualties were caused by artillery, while those killed by bullets were only a small fraction.

At that moment, Dabao and two others were passing by, carrying a box containing the mortar. They had just hitched several carts with captured bandit horses, planning to transport guns and ammunition back to base, with the rest to be carried by soldiers.

“Um,” Wang Dachuan hesitated but finally spoke to Zhang Yun, “Platoon Leader Zhang, this mortar belongs to us. We originally planned to take it back to our unit, but the company commander seized both us and the mortar. Could you return it to us?”

“Oh, really? How many shells did you have at that time?” Zhang Yun had noticed Wang Dachuan’s gaze fixed on the box and was already considering something.

“None. The Japanese infiltrated too quickly; we didn’t have time to gather shells. The logistics unit might have some, but they were scattered,” Wang Dachuan said with some shame. A mortar without shells is no better than a firewood stick; an artilleryman without artillery is like a soldier without a rifle.

“Oh, then it must not be your mortar. We found 200 rounds of 80mm mortar shells in the bandit command post. They must have bought this artillery and shells elsewhere. I’m planning to use them to attack Japanese strongholds,” Zhang Yun said casually, but his eyes discreetly studied Wang Dachuan.

“So many shells!” Wang Dachuan was astonished. He hadn’t hoped much to reclaim the mortar. “How could these bandits have 80mm shells? Only the Northeast Army and the Central Army have that model.” His expression dimmed. The Shanxi battlefield had very little Central Army presence, so these shells clearly did not come from bandits looting the Northeast Army. They must have been leaked from within the Northeast Army.

Since losing their northeastern stronghold, the Northeast Army had been uprooted. After the Xi’an Incident, the young marshal was detained by Chiang Kai-shek, leading to the army’s collapse and dispersal across various battlefields. The generals and soldiers of the Northeast Army were filled with uncertainty about the future. Many officers privately sold arms to bandits for profit. Wang Dachuan was one of the artillerymen unwilling to go along with the corruption but unsure of his direction.

“Gun Commander, let’s join the Eighth Route Army,” the somewhat shy and unassuming Wang Chengzhu was the first to suggest to Wang Dachuan.

“Though our 53rd Army has many heroes, internal strife is fierce, with commanders at odds. It’s better to fight the Japanese with the Eighth Route Army,” he said. “In recent months, the national armies on various fronts have suffered heavy losses and retreats, while the Eighth Route Army fought brilliantly at the Battle of Pingxingguan. Let’s fight the Japanese and avenge our hometowns.”

Zhang Yun was secretly pleased to hear this and couldn’t help but interject, “How about this? I currently have no artillerymen. Why don’t you come with me? We’ll use mortars to strike the Japanese hard and avenge the people of Northeast China, Hebei, and Shanxi.”

Wang Dachuan hesitated, and then Zhao Tianduo, who had been silent, spoke up: “Gun Commander, I want to fight the Japanese with the Eighth Route Army. I don’t want to stay in the Northeast Army feeling bitter and oppressed. The commanders there are too harsh and don’t know how to fight the Japanese. I just saw the bodies outside—our Eighth Route Army killed dozens of bandits with almost no casualties. Platoon Leader Zhang is truly a capable commander.”

Wang Dachuan said reluctantly, “We are artillerymen. Your army has too few big guns and insufficient funds. What if we run out of shells? What will we do then?”

Zhang Yun was delighted to hear this, confident in his position. He assured Wang Dachuan, “Here’s the deal: if we run out of shells, you are free to go. But as long as we have shells, you stay with us. How’s that? Come on, big men from the Northeast, give me a straight answer!”

After a moment’s thought, Wang Dachuan nodded. “Alright, you saved our lives. We’ll follow you for now.”

Outstanding artillerymen plus three!