Chapter 15: Training Troops While Building Infrastructure

As Zhang Yun and his comrades carried out publicity and mobilization in the surrounding villages, the new recruit platoon quickly enlisted more than ten new soldiers, filling the vacancies in their planned roster.

However, out of the over 170 troops, only about seventeen or eighteen were veterans, and more than half had never even handled a gun. Such a unit was clearly lacking in combat effectiveness.

Although Zhang Yun was eager to lead his troops into action and seize supplies, the reality of his forces did not support such a decision.

Zhang Yun understood that haste makes waste; he needed to focus on training the new recruits. Since the first batch had only trained for about ten days and their combat skills were insufficient, he decided to put everyone through training again.

After replenishing the ranks, he drew on his previous experience in the Soviet areas, combined with infantry manuals he had studied later, and formulated a detailed training plan that included shooting, grenade throwing, defense, formation drills, and even basic engineering tasks. Thus began a vigorous and intensive month-long training campaign.

Zhang Yun explicitly stated that to train elite troops, one must be willing to expend ammunition. Of the 13,000 rounds in the logistics squad’s inventory, 8,000 were allocated for live-fire exercises for the soldiers. Additionally, 80 mortar shells were set aside for the artillery squad to practice firing. Although the platoon had captured few hand grenades, they used models for practice and planned to supply live grenades later.

Zhang Yun had the deputy platoon leader, Liu Changqing, plan the daily training subjects and intensities. The logistics squad distributed ammunition and shells each day and collected spent casings. Using the captured gold and silver, they purchased ample food and meat to nourish the soldiers. With increased nutrition and frequent training, the men’s spirits and vigor visibly improved, their faces glowing with health, gradually approaching the quality expected of frontline troops.

Every time the new recruits fired—“thud, thud, thud,” “bang, bang, bang,” “rat-tat-tat”—the logistics squad leader, Old Tang, winced at the cost of ammunition. Yet, once training ended, he would visit the soldiers, checking on them and bringing clothes and food. He understood that live-fire training was the fastest way to improve their shooting skills.

United in purpose, aside from the veterans assigned to guard duty, Platoon Leader Zhang Yun, Deputy Platoon Leader Liu Changqing, several squad leaders, and veterans all joined the infantry and artillery squads to participate in training and guide the new soldiers’ tactical movements. Through training and conversation, they built mutual familiarity and trust, steadily enhancing the unit’s true combat capability.

The platoon also conducted literacy campaigns at night to improve the soldiers’ cultural knowledge, along with political education and organizational work to raise their political awareness.

To improve the troops’ appearance, Zhang Yun entrusted captured cloth to local women in nearby villages to sew uniforms modeled after those of the Eighth Route Army. He intended to unify their dress quickly, having the new recruits shed their civilian clothes to enhance collective identity and pride.

Of course, while engaging in this large-scale training, Zhang Yun did not neglect the construction of their base. He allocated some of the captured funds to hire villagers from Xiao Wang Village and nearby hamlets to simultaneously build ten barracks and a sturdy, moisture-proof, and bomb-resistant warehouse. Soldiers helped the villagers with water carrying and weeding during training breaks, further strengthening military-civilian relations.

Houses of the wartime period were simple; with enough cement, bricks, and manpower, the ten barracks and small warehouse were quickly completed.

With some leftover cement, Zhang Yun constructed two camouflaged machine-gun bunkers on a strategic hillside in front of Xiao Wang Village’s entrance, facing outward. These bunkers could hold heavy machine guns and withstand thrown grenades and infantry artillery. Although he did not yet possess heavy machine guns, Zhang Yun was confident they would come.

His meticulous attention to Xiao Wang Village’s construction was well thought out. The location lay southeast of Yangquan and east of Xiyang County.

Though Xiao Wang Village was only about five kilometers in a straight line from Liu Jia Town, Liu Jia Town itself was a remote town under Xiyang County, deeply nestled in the mountains with dense forests, over 40 kilometers of mountain roads from the county seat. To the west of Liu Jia Town was Xiao Huo Zhuang, where Zhang Yun had been wounded in his previous incarnation, not far from the county seat and adjacent to Ping Liao Kilometer.

Liu Jia Town was relatively isolated, distant from the enemy’s main focus—the county seat and Ping Liao Kilometer. As long as Zhang Yun could control Liu Jia Town, Xiao Wang Village would serve as an excellent forward base to attack or defend before the Japanese launched large-scale sweeps.

Against small-scale enemy raids, Zhang Yun could easily hold them off outside Liu Jia Town. In two or three years, when the Japanese began large-scale sweeps, he expected to have accumulated sufficient captured supplies and enough troops to resist them.

Even if they could not hold, they could retreat with civilians into the mountains. The Japanese could not sustain a long-term presence in the mountains due to their manpower shortages.

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Nearly a month passed, and the soldiers of Zhang Yun’s new recruits platoon showed significant improvements in demeanor and morale.

First, they wore unified attire—the Eighth Route Army uniforms and caps, standing in neat ranks, presenting a regular army appearance.

Second, their physical condition improved markedly. With ample nutrition and sufficient physical and combat training, the soldiers grew stronger, their bayonet charges swift and powerful, adapting well to marching under load. On long marches, they could cover tens of kilometers, beginning to resemble the iron troops of the Long March.

Third, their combat skills progressed. Standing and prone shooting improved noticeably; most could hit the target, and some excellent marksmen scored eight or nine points. They developed awareness of dodging bullets and shells, and trench digging became competent. Notably, veterans excelled in marksmanship, leading Zhang Yun to establish specialized sniper teams within each squad.

Most importantly, after a month of training, the soldiers began shedding their previous peasant mentality, increasingly embracing their identity as fighters. Their political beliefs and understanding grew aligned with the Eighth Route Army collective.

Overall, Zhang Yun was very satisfied with the month-long intensive training.

To adjust the soldiers’ condition and conserve energy for upcoming operations, Zhang Yun consciously reduced training intensity in recent days and used the time to give tactical lessons.

On the training ground, over 170 soldiers formed groups by squads. Zhang Yun stood between two blackboards at the center, methodically explaining to the deputy platoon leader, squad leaders, and soldiers about the Japanese army’s organization, equipment, and common tactics.

“Comrades, you all know the structure of our domestic army: army, division, brigade, regiment, battalion, company, platoon, squad. But the Japanese army is different. From top to bottom, it goes division, brigade, regiment, battalion, company, platoon, squad.

“The division divides into permanent and newly formed divisions, with roughly 20,000 to 30,000 men. Permanent divisions are well-equipped with artillery, airplanes, and tanks; new divisions are somewhat weaker but still formidable.

“A division typically commands two brigades, each brigade has two regiments, and each regiment about 3,000 men, numbers adjusted as needed.

“These large units correspond to our army, division, and brigade level, matters for high command. I’ll focus on the small units we often encounter.

“The smallest tactical unit of the Japanese army is the squad—like the small units we wiped out last month, about a dozen men. Each squad has 13 men: a squad leader, four machine gunners, and eight riflemen. One light machine gun operated by a team of four, armed with a pistol or rifle; eight riflemen each with a single-shot rifle. Some squads are reinforced with an additional two-man grenade launcher team.

“Above that is the Japanese platoon, usually consisting of a seven-person platoon HQ, three 13-man squads, and one eight-man grenade launcher squad with three grenade launchers, totaling 54 men.

“Above that is the infantry company, which includes a 19-man company HQ: company commander, executive officer, three sergeants, four medics, officer orderlies, bugler, and eight signalmen; plus three 54-man squads. Totaling 181 men with 139 rifles, nine light machine guns, and nine grenade launchers. Sometimes reinforced with two to four heavy machine guns or one to two mortars or Type 92 infantry guns.

“Additionally, the Japanese have a machine gun company with 174 men, including a 14-man HQ, three machine gun squads, and one ammunition squad, each squad equipped with four heavy machine guns for a total of 12. There’s also an artillery company of 122 men, with a 25-man HQ, observation squad, 31-man ammo squad, and three 31-man artillery squads, totaling six 70mm Type 92 infantry guns. These companies usually operate with battalions or regiments.

“Above that is the infantry battalion, about 1,100 men, including a 30-man battalion HQ, a 110-man transport company, four infantry companies, one machine gun company, and a 55-man artillery company.”

Zhang Yun detailed the Japanese formations, then continued, “The Japanese tactics are quite simple. At the squad level, they mainly use light machine guns for suppression and grenade launchers to target our heavy firepoints, then rush us.

“At the company and battalion level, they first send squads to expose and attract our fire, then use grenade launchers and artillery to clear targets one by one before launching infantry assaults. At battalion, regiment, and brigade levels, the Japanese favor flanking maneuvers to cut supply lines and attack our flanks or rear.”

“Knowing their tactics, how do we counter? It’s not easy—the Japanese have strong firepower and veteran soldiers, making them tough opponents.

“But it’s not hopeless. Our new recruit platoon is small, so we mainly face Japanese squads and companies. Tactics must be flexible.

“If, like last time, our firepower matches the enemy’s, we rely on the essence of mobile and guerrilla warfare—strike unexpectedly, use ambush tactics, wear out the enemy, then find ways to destroy them.

“If we are stronger, we leverage our numerical and firepower advantage with superior fire and well-planned ambushes to achieve victory.

“In principle, we prioritize using mortars and snipers to attack enemy grenade launchers and artillery; we employ stronger machine gun fire to suppress enemy firepoints. Riflemen’s main role is to protect our firepoints and flanks, and only secondarily suppress enemy fire. Avoid reckless firefights or bayonet charges.

“We strive to maintain denser firepower and more ammunition than the enemy in the same timeframe—a tactic I call ‘firepower superiority.’

“This way, we can severely damage or destroy the enemy, capture their supplies, and then eliminate more foes.”