Chapter 17: Busy Transporting Seized Supplies

The wind slowly swept through the valley, and the smoke before the position gradually dispersed, revealing the grim scene of the enemy and puppet troops. About fifty to sixty Japanese and puppet soldiers lay sprawled on the ground, their weapons and ammunition scattered everywhere, with no sign of any enemy able to move normally.

Within the mountains, the gunfire also gradually ceased. With a force ratio of three to one and superior firepower, the ambush was successful; eliminating fifteen enemy soldiers took little time.

At this moment, the capture interface on Zhang Yun’s screen began rapidly updating with new data.

Captured this time:

Weapons and equipment: 41 Type 13 rifles, 7,825 rounds of 7.92mm pointed bullets, 2.5 Mauser pistols, 244 rounds of 7.62mm pistol ammunition, 1.5 Czech machine guns, 1 grenade launcher, 34.5 specialized grenades, 78 Gong-style hand grenades.

Money: 2.54 kg of gold, 468 grams of silver, 18,200 yuan in legal tender.

Food supplies: 4.5 kg of flour.

Metals: 1.68 kg of iron, 0.65 kg of copper.

Building materials: none.

Others: 23 gas masks, 45 ammo boxes, 12.4 bolts of cloth...

To conveniently track each battle’s loot, Zhang Yun had set the capture system to separate current battle captures from cumulative totals. Furthermore, damaged rifles could be exchanged for new ones at a 2:1 ratio, and he had automated this exchange. Since uncollected guns could also be converted into bullets, this was very convenient.

What pleased Zhang Yun even more was the capture bonus system’s default classification of grenade launchers as artillery, allowing them to be exchanged proportionally for other calibers like mortars, howitzers, and cannons. Although the exchange rate for mortars was decent—roughly six grenade launchers for one 80 or 82 mm mortar—the ratio for howitzers was less favorable, as it was based on international factory prices. Specialized grenade launcher rounds could also be converted into other artillery shells by caliber.

Exchanging grenade launchers for mortar shells was especially advantageous. In reality, capturing two grenade launchers would yield a capture bonus equivalent to one launcher, which could be converted inside the loot interface into approximately 340 rounds of 80 or 82 mm mortar shells.

The Japanese possessed an extremely high number of grenade launchers. As long as Zhang Yun kept fighting them, he could essentially achieve unlimited mortar shell supplies.

However, this time, he did not plan to cash out or convert the bonus grenade launcher into 0.16 of a mortar. Instead, he intended to convert it into 2,000 Type 91 hand grenades. The system categorized these grenades as artillery shells, but they could be fired from grenade launchers or used as hand grenades. His troops were currently in dire need of grenades.

At this moment, the cumulative capture (not yet collected) stood at:

Weapons and equipment: 51 Type 13 rifles, 8,425 rounds of 7.92mm pointed bullets, 6.5 Mauser pistols, 434 rounds of 7.62mm pistol ammunition, 1 Czech machine gun, 2,034.5 rounds of Type 91 grenades, 78 Gong-style hand grenades.

Money: 3.38 kg of gold, 94.98 kg of silver, 98,200 yuan in legal tender.

Food supplies: 46.48 tons of flour, 14.52 tons of meat.

Metals: 120.68 kg of iron, 65.65 kg of copper.

Building materials: 42 cubic meters of wood.

Others: 27 gas masks, 58 ammo boxes, 26.7 bolts of cloth...

Well, there was so much food and meat that cashing it all out was truly a problem, Zhang Yun thought happily.

At that moment, voices came from behind: “Don’t move, don’t move! Surrender your weapons, and you won’t be harmed.” Zhang Yun turned to see two enemy soldiers lying in a trench. Old Zhang, leading seven or eight soldiers, had rushed into the town and disarmed the remaining puppet troops. Indeed, upon seeing the newly uniformed recruit company suddenly appear and annihilate the main Japanese force, the few remaining puppet soldiers quickly knelt, surrendered, and handed over their weapons.

At this point, Zhang Yun’s interface refreshed again, granting him two more rifles, half a Czech machine gun, along with a significant amount of flour, meat, and eggs.

But Zhang Yun was already too busy to care. He looked at the two Japanese military trucks parked in the town, and with a flicker of determination, the trucks suddenly seemed to sink slightly. Inside appeared 30 Type 13 rifles, six Mauser pistols, one Czech machine gun, 20,000 rounds of 7.92mm pointed bullets, 5,000 rounds of round-nose bullets, 6,250 rounds of 6.5mm Arisaka bullets, 2,030 Type 91 grenades, and over 70 Gong-style hand grenades. The capture system thoughtfully provided ammunition boxes as well.

Then Zhang Yun fixed his gaze on a large flatbed cart nearby. Swiftly, several carts filled with many cans of Japanese beef, flour, and several slabs of pork appeared. Indeed, meat could be exchanged for canned goods. Unfortunately, the carts were too small, and Zhang Yun only dared convert less than two tons of meat.

“Old Hu, take some men and bring those puppet soldiers out for questioning. If there are any blood crimes, execute immediately. Then comfort the townsfolk and return to them whatever belongs to them,” Zhang Yun ordered, unwilling to let those puppet soldiers linger in town too long, fearing they might discover some flaw. He assigned Second Squad Leader Old Hu to handle it.

“Communications officer, hurry back to Little Wang Village and contact Logistics Section Leader Old Tang. Have the logistics team organize and mobilize the villagers to come here and transport the captured weapons, ammunition, and food supplies.

Also, send someone to inform the deputy squad leader, first squad leader, and third squad leader to quickly clean the battlefield and gather the spoils of war. There are more battles ahead.”

Combining his knowledge of the Japanese invasion of China and observing how hastily the enemy was collecting supplies, Zhang Yun began to understand why the Japanese suddenly appeared at Liu Family Town and pushed all the way to the gates of his Little Wang Village base.

In April 1938, the Japanese army in Shanxi launched the Nine Route Encirclement Campaign against the Eighth Route Army’s anti-Japanese base in southeastern Shanxi. Under the leadership of the Eighth Route Army Headquarters, the southeastern Shanxi forces and allied troops launched a successful counteroffensive against the encirclement.

By April 13, the Japanese 108th Division’s 105th Regiment, which had advanced from Yangquan and Xiyang, had occupied Heshun and Liaoxian counties. However, due to constant attacks from the Eighth Route Army headquarters’ special forces and local guerrillas, coupled with the widespread implementation of scorched-earth tactics by the populace, the regiment found itself trapped in hunger, exhaustion, and a passive defensive position.

As the Japanese regiment’s rear area, the forces in Yangquan and Xiyang had to intensify their search throughout the counties for supplies to support the front-line troops, with grain and meat as top priorities. Although Liu Family Town was remote, it was one of the more notable towns under Xiyang County, and naturally gathering supplies there was faster than in villages.

Zhang Yun pondered silently. The Japanese forces left to hold local positions were limited. With the main invading force pressing the base, enemy numbers in Yangquan and Xiyang shrank. He estimated only one company was stationed in the Xiyang county seat, including the troops guarding Xiao Huozhuang. A company consisted of roughly three squads totaling about 180 men, even with enhanced heavy machine guns, numbering around 200, plus perhaps one or two hundred puppet soldiers.

So where did these fifty-plus Japanese soldiers come from? Zhang Yun concluded they must have come from the Xiao Huozhuang stronghold! The Japanese had yet to extensively train puppet troops, and the county seat required sufficient numbers—one squad plus roughly a hundred puppet soldiers couldn’t defend such a large town. Furthermore, the Japanese did not fully trust the puppet troops.

Xiao Huozhuang was now vulnerable—a prime opportunity.

As a relatively large permanent stronghold, it surely stored large reserves of backup ammunition for the Japanese squads. Early in the war, a typical Japanese squad would store 40,000 to 50,000 rounds of bullets along with other munitions and medicines. Capturing the fort would not only yield a massive haul but also allow for further liquidation of other supplies.

Don’t forget, Zhang Yun still had 800 mortar shells and large quantities of unliquidated food.

One more crucial point: the Japanese at Xiao Huozhuang knew about the squad’s movement to Liu Family Town.

The final fate of the Japanese 108th Division’s 105th Regiment—after suffering over a thousand casualties—was a hasty retreat. Yet Yangquan and Xiyang county seats remained in enemy hands, and Zhang Yun’s surrounding situation of enemy superiority and his own weakness would persist for a long time.

It was necessary to attack and even annihilate the Xiao Huozhuang Japanese to confuse the enemy, making it impossible for them to locate Zhang Yun’s base. After all, the Eighth Route Army’s special forces, local guerrillas, and allied troops were ambushing and sniping the Japanese everywhere; the enemy would have no idea which force had eliminated the Liu Family Town troops and breached Xiao Huozhuang.

Thinking this through, Zhang Yun quickly approached Second Squad Leader Old Hu, who was already escorting several puppet soldiers outside the town. Zhang Yun stopped him and personally interrogated the prisoners about their base.

According to the puppet captives, they indeed came from the Xiao Huozhuang stronghold. Following urgent Japanese orders, they had spent two consecutive days ferrying Japanese and puppet troops from Xiao Huozhuang through various towns to collect supplies and consolidate them in the county seat.

Currently, the Xiao Huozhuang stronghold was nearly empty, guarded only by one Japanese detachment rushed from the county seat and a dozen or so puppet soldiers.

Zhang Yun was overjoyed. Glancing at the sun, he felt there was still ample time for a surprise attack on Xiao Huozhuang today. Although the troops had just fought a battle, the mountain road from Liu Family Town to Little Wang Village base was only about seven kilometers, and their stamina remained good.

However, the battlefield was not yet cleaned, the captured supplies had not yet begun transport, and the townsfolk remained unsettled—so many tasks lay ahead, but Zhang Yun remained patient.

After a while, Deputy Squad Leader Liu Changqing arrived cheerfully. “Squad Leader, guess how many weapons we captured today? You might be shocked—over 90 intact rifles (including 30 from liquidating captures), five crooked-handle rifles and Czech machine guns combined (three crooked-handle plus one Czech left by the Central Army and one liquidated Czech), over 30,000 rounds of ammunition, and more than 2,000 grenades. Also, more than 20 rifles were damaged by artillery shells.

Mortar shells pack a punch; weapons can’t withstand them. Such good weapons... It’s strange though, why did the enemy bring so many weapons to Liu Family Town? They surely weren’t giving us gifts, were they?”

“Changqing, believe it or not, we’ll have another batch of weapons coming in tonight,” Zhang Yun smiled to the deputy squad leader.

“Where else are we going to fight the enemy today?” The deputy squad leader laughed; he had only killed two Japanese soldiers today and was far from satisfied.

“Xiao Huozhuang!” Zhang Yun explained in detail the information he had just gathered from the puppet captives.

Liu Changqing was also delighted. As a veteran Red Army soldier, he knew all too well the pain of weapon shortages. He certainly didn’t want to miss any opportunity to obtain more arms.

He immediately pledged to return to Little Wang Village base to urge Old Tang to swiftly organize and mobilize the villagers for transporting weapons, ammunition, and captured supplies. Once preparations were complete, he would head to Xiao Huozhuang to fight the Japanese.

Zhang Yun shook his head with a smile. “I’ve already sent the communications officer. You have a more important task now: immediately allocate ammunition from the captured stock to replenish the entire squad’s recent consumption and replace old rifles.

I have also assigned Old Zhang to lead scouts to conduct detailed reconnaissance of the Xiao Huozhuang stronghold. Once our main force arrives, we will launch an immediate attack.

The loot at Xiao Huozhuang will be substantial. After Old Tang finishes transporting the supplies here, I will assign the transport team to move to Xiao Huozhuang to support us.”

Deputy Squad Leader Liu Changqing nodded in agreement and began to make the arrangements without delay.