Chapter 14: Strengthening Organization and Advancing Development

A night of calm.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, after arranging for the troops to finish breakfast, Zhang Yun led over eighty men from the new recruits’ first and third squads, along with some newly enlisted soldiers. They drove six horse-drawn carts, led several robust cavalry horses, and carried rifles, ammunition, food supplies, cloth, and other seized materials. The large procession set off along the main road toward Liujiatun.

According to Zhang Yun’s planned route, they would turn onto a small path just before Liujiatun, then circle through mountain trails to return to Xiaowangzhuang.

To prevent any unexpected incidents, Zhang Yun deployed veteran scout Lao Zhang and others ahead to scout the way. Meanwhile, Deputy Squad Leader Liu Changqing took a few men and personally stayed with the main body of the troops.

After all, wealth stirs the heart, and the haul of supplies they had captured this time was considerable—Zhang Yun was not about to hand over his hard-won spoils to others.

Fortunately, the journey was smooth, and by afternoon, the main force returned to their base. Lao Tang had noticed the troop’s approach early and, together with the villagers, greeted them warmly, helping the soldiers unload the heavy materials.

Seeing the great quantity of seized rifles, ammunition, and provisions, Lao Tang couldn’t hide his joy. As the steward of the squad, he understood that weapons and supplies were the backbone of combat strength. With these resources, combined with the discipline and faith of the Eighth Route Army, the new recruits’ squad would soon become the most formidable unit in the training regiment.

Zhang Yun’s arrangements for the deputy squad leader and squad leaders to settle the new recruits were set aside for now. By evening, the inventory page for the day had updated six times.

According to the data, Zhang Yun had secured over 20 tons of grain, nearly 3 tons of beef, mutton, pork, chicken, and duck, 6.32 Liao Type 13 rifles, 1.3 Mauser pistols, and 272 rounds of rifle and pistol ammunition; 1320 grams of gold, 2.4 kilograms of silver, as well as copper, iron, lead, tin, lumber, and many miscellaneous strategic materials.

(To facilitate accounting, Zhang Yun had configured the loot bonus system to automatically convert all captured firearms and ammunition into Liao Type 13 rifles, Mauser pistols, and corresponding ammunition. The “Others” category contained too many varied items, so he temporarily hid its detailed display.)

Zhang Yun knew this bounty was thanks to Second Squad Leader’s “occupation” of six villages and recruitment efforts; he eagerly anticipated the arrival of new recruits.

By nightfall, Second Squad Leader and his men had yet to return, but Lao Tang, responsible for logistics and the cook squad, was already anxiously seeking out the squad leader.

“Squad Leader, we’ve taken in so many new recruits that the houses lent to us by the villagers are full to bursting. What should we do? Also, we don’t have enough cooks to prepare meals.”

“Lao Tang, don’t worry. Take a sip of water first. How many can our current barracks accommodate?” Zhang Yun had anticipated these practical difficulties but recognized that with so many matters to handle, obstacles must be overcome one by one.

“Right now, with communal sleeping arrangements, we can house about seventy, but more than thirty still have no place,” Lao Tang replied.

“Then tonight, prioritize housing the new recruits here. Arrange for the veterans to stay with villagers as temporary lodgers. Tomorrow, we’ll spend money to buy materials and ask the locals for help to build several dormitories. Let’s set up large communal rooms to house a hundred men at first,” Zhang Yun responded.

“Squad Leader, why build so many new houses? Are you planning to move the entire squad over there?” Lao Tang asked, puzzled by the scale of the construction plan.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you. I’ve sent Second Squad Leader to recruit in the villages beneath Yujiakou Town. He expects to bring in around forty more men,” Zhang Yun replied calmly.

Lao Tang drew a long breath and said, “Squad Leader, with so many recruits, we don’t have enough grain or ammunition. Besides, building these houses isn’t that simple—it’ll take a good while.”

Zhang Yun had been mulling this over during the journey and had already devised a plan. “When we took Yujiakou Town, I saw several tons of cement stored in the enemy’s command warehouse. It was too heavy and seemed useless at the time, so we didn’t bring it back. Tomorrow, I’ll lead a team to retrieve it. We’ll mix cement with stone and blue bricks to build the houses—quick and sturdy. They don’t have to be fancy, just solid and habitable.”

“As for food and ammo, our rifles, pistols, and machine guns are almost sufficient. We’re short on bullets, but don’t worry. Once we train the new recruits, I’ll take them out to capture more supplies.”

“All right, all right, you decide. I’ll start arranging it. Tomorrow, I’ll go with you to Yujiakou Town to buy some cooking utensils. We have to make sure everyone gets a hot meal,” Lao Tang said resignedly, trusting the squad leader to secure sufficient loot in time.

...

The next day, Zhang Yun, accompanied by Lao Tang and seventeen soldiers from the Third Squad, rode seven or eight horses and took a detour via a small path back toward Yujiakou Town.

He brought the Third Squad because none of its soldiers had ever been to that warehouse, allowing Zhang Yun to leverage the element of surprise and convert the cement and other materials into usable assets.

Deputy Squad Leader Liu Changxing wanted to come but was assigned by Zhang Yun to train the new recruits. Zhang Yun planned to wait until the new men were fully assembled before issuing weapons, but initial training in formation, discipline, and internal affairs must begin immediately. With so many new recruits, Zhang Yun aimed to strengthen discipline first; without rigorous training, a large unit of new soldiers would be ineffective in combat.

Meanwhile, around midday, Second Squad Leader returned with over forty new recruits, throwing the entire squad into a frenzy once more.

As for the route, Zhang Yun purposely took a longer path to scout Liujiatun ahead from a distance. Liujiatun was only about five kilometers as the crow flies from Xiaowang Village, and seven or eight kilometers by winding mountain road—practically right under Zhang Yun’s nose. He was now considering how to drive out the Central Army stationed there; after all, no one should slumber at another’s bedside. That Central Army unit was a real nuisance.

Liujiatun remained unchanged, garrisoned by roughly one hundred Central Army soldiers. Interestingly, they had already established defensive positions facing the county seat, digging two rows of trenches.

Based on the history of the Japanese invasion of Shanxi, Zhang Yun guessed that the enemy was beginning to implement a “war to sustain war” strategy in Shanxi, deploying troops to sweep surrounding towns and villages to requisition grain, meat, gold, silver, copper, iron, and other materials. At the same time, the number of puppet troops in Shanxi was noticeably increasing, and rural areas saw the rise of collaborationist organizations like the “Maintenance Committees.”

A sense of urgency filled Zhang Yun’s heart. Although he knew that before the Hundred Regiments Offensive, the Japanese frequently raided bases but with relatively light intensity, making the period before 1940 a good opportunity for base development, the reality was that while the Eighth Route Army had grown rapidly in the past two years, obtaining weapons and equipment had become increasingly difficult.

As time went on, the Kuomintang’s resistance to Japan grew more passive, and the Japanese ceased launching large-scale battles, instead redeploying their frontline troops to the rear for “security operations.” The forces surrounding Eighth Route Army bases increased steadily, and the Japanese garrisoned in county towns and key points continued to strengthen.

Currently, most Japanese troops in Shanxi concentrated in major cities or amassed along the Zhongtiao Mountains facing the Nationalist forces. Many county garrisons were weakly manned. Zhang Yun contemplated seizing one or two counties to secure sufficient stockpiles.

Indeed, with his loot bonus system, Zhang Yun could obtain enough grain, gold, silver, and cloth merely by occupying towns and villages. However, county towns held large quantities of machinery, construction materials, medicines, and other supplies typically absent in smaller settlements. These materials could help Zhang Yun establish rudimentary workshops and factories for military and civilian production—an undertaking of great significance to the Eighth Route Army as a whole.

...

The operation proceeded smoothly. Soon, Zhang Yun returned with his team to the bandit command post in Yujiakou Town. Seizing the opportunity to be the first inside the warehouse, he quickly converted several tons of cement into usable goods.

Afterward, Lao Tang purchased cooking utensils and some grain in town. The nineteen-strong party, carrying supplies on foot and horseback, returned to base.

Once the cement and food were secured, Zhang Yun immediately convened a meeting with all squad officers. Alongside Deputy Squad Leader, the three squad leaders, Wang Dachuan, and Lao Tang, they discussed troop organization.

According to their plan, the new recruits would be distributed among three infantry squads, while a squad headquarters, a mortar squad, and a logistics squad would be newly formed.

The squad headquarters would have five members: the squad leader, deputy squad leader, and three communications personnel.

The mortar squad would be composed of fifteen men, led by Wang Dachuan, with subordinates Wang Chengzhu and Zhao Tianduo. They would prioritize recruiting and training new recruits in mortar operation. Zhang Yun expected to field four mortar teams soon and had confidence in rapid deployment.

There would be three infantry squads, each with forty-eight men. Each infantry squad would be divided into three groups of fifteen men, plus three men in the squad headquarters. Each squad would have one or two Czech-style light machine guns, forty-two rifles, and four pistols.

The logistics squad would consist of three men responsible for supplies; the cook squad would have four men dedicated to meal preparation, with Lao Tang serving as both logistics and cook squad leader.

The full squad strength would be one hundred seventy-one men, with a few vacancies to be filled gradually.

Additionally, Zhang Yun assigned Lao Zhang to form a reconnaissance team of eight men, which would not be counted within the new recruits’ squad. Their primary duties would be scouting and special operations.

Regarding weaponry, although the plan was to standardize on Liao Type 13 rifles and Japanese Type 38 rifles as the basic infantry weapons, the conditions were not yet met. Mixed models like Hanyang and Shanxi Type 65 rifles still had to fill gaps.

In truth, this organization mimicked a company-level unit. Zhang Yun figured that if he reported back now, his superiors might grant him a company-level designation for regional forces, equivalent to a county battalion or district squad. But that would risk their becoming a mere local militia subject to regional control, which would hinder Zhang Yun’s ability to seize the current opportunity to build up supplies and ammunition.

He planned to launch a major “satellite” move!