Chapter 41: Clearing the Battlefield, A Sudden Visit from the Brigade Commander (1)

On the ambush position, Zhang Yun silently watched the direction of the Japanese retreat through his binoculars, while Wang Dachuan, the artillery squad leader, observed the carnage on the enemy lines through his sighting telescope.

The artillerymen were exhausted, sitting on the ground and rubbing their sore arms. In a mere ten minutes, the squad had fired over 600 mortar rounds and 60 infantry gun shells. Every soldier had been fully focused and gave their all, leaving them with swollen, aching muscles once the cease-fire order was given. The sustained barrage was a grueling test of strength and endurance, one they had managed to pass thanks to over a month of intensive training.

Wang Chengzhu rubbed his arm and shouted excitedly, "That was satisfying! With this many shells, those enemies must have been blown to bits!" The dozen artillerymen laughed, sharing a rare moment of joy. Surrounding the battery position, empty shell crates and spent casings were scattered everywhere, a testament to the massive expenditure of ammunition.

Meanwhile, the infantrymen and militia transport teams stood on the slopes, gazing toward the enemy lines and whispering about the effectiveness of the bombardment. Most were new recruits who had never heard such thunderous shelling nor seen so many shells rain down on such a small area. The ambush point was nearly two kilometers away; they could only listen to the rumbling and watch the smoke rise toward the sky. As the smoke began to clear, some could vaguely make out the corpses of the Japanese soldiers.

Zhang Yun handed his high-magnification binoculars to Liu Changqing and walked down the slope, lost in thought, hesitating over whether to move in and secure the battlefield.

As he pondered, Deputy Platoon Leader Liu Changqing approached, beaming. "Platoon Leader, have we defeated the main force of the Japanese? I see bodies everywhere—not a single living soul in sight! Did we wipe them all out?"

Zhang Yun replied calmly, "We've likely killed about 400. Around a hundred escaped. But considering the 200 or so who were pursuing us earlier, there are probably about 300 left."

Liu Changqing calculated, "The reinforcements were over 800 strong. Between the two ambushes, we've eliminated over 500. I also saw that they abandoned all their artillery and heavy machine guns; the main force has essentially lost its heavy firepower. Platoon Leader, we should move in and clear the battlefield!"

Zhang Yun hesitated. "The Japanese have retreated, but they won't have gone far. If they link up with the pursuing force, they'll still be a significant threat. I'm worried they might launch a counterattack."

Upon hearing this, Squad Leaders Dabao and Lao Hu from the first and second squads gathered around. "Platoon Leader, we can't leave the loot behind. If we send men ahead to establish a defensive line, we can clear the battlefield at our leisure. Though the Japanese have 300 men left, their morale is shattered. We may be low on shells, but we have plenty of machine guns. We don't need to fear them!"

"Exactly, Platoon Leader! We used so much ammunition; we have to at least break even!"

Seeing the enthusiasm of his subordinates, Zhang Yun’s hesitation regarding potential casualties dissipated. No longer wavering, he ordered, "Squad Leader of the Second Squad, take your men and all the machine gunners to the east side of the enemy position and set up a defensive line—don't let them through. First Squad, take the militia and clear the battlefield. Lao Zhang, your reconnaissance team needs to put in some extra effort: keep an eye on the Japanese and maintain constant vigilance!"

"Yes!" Dabao, Lao Hu, and Lao Zhang replied in unison. Having secured such an easy victory, they once again felt the power of superior firepower and the strength of their new platoon. Everyone was eager to get to work.

...

While Zhang Yun had been hesitant, the soldiers were efficient. After leaving 50 militiamen to assist the artillery squad in packing up, Liu Changqing and the others quickly made their way toward the Japanese positions.

Only then did Zhang Yun have a moment to check the data from his "Loot Bonus System."

The two ambushes on the Kawazawa Battalion had yielded significant spoils. After systemic exchanges, he had acquired: 203 Type 13 rifles, 12 Mauser automatic pistols, 24,512 rounds of 7.92mm rifle ammunition, 346 rounds of 7.63mm pistol ammunition, 4 Type 92 heavy machine guns, 8.5 ZB vz. 26 light machine guns, 615 grenades, 9.5 grenade launchers, 215 specialized grenade rounds, 1 Type 92 infantry gun, 1 Type 94 mountain gun, and over 130 artillery shells.

Funds: 2.25kg of gold, 24kg of silver, and 1,245 Japanese Yen.
Provisions: 123kg of flour and 450 cans of meat.
Other: Spare parts for infantry and mountain guns.

...

The total was substantial, though Zhang Yun estimated the actual haul wouldn't be double the system's bonus, as much equipment had been destroyed in the intense bombardment. Still, the platoon had crippled the Kawazawa Battalion and captured most of their heavy weaponry; it was the perfect time to upgrade their equipment.

Considering the platoon's current configuration and ammunition compared to the firepower used by Nationalist and American forces against the Japanese during WWII, Zhang Yun identified three priorities.

First, 60mm mortars. Positioned between hand grenades and 82mm mortars, they could effectively suppress enemy grenade launchers and provide vital fire support at the platoon level.

Second, long-range mountain guns. Necessary for regimental-level support, they could suppress enemy infantry guns and mortar positions, allowing his own mortars to operate freely.

Third, semi-automatic rifles. The M1 Garand was an excellent choice; with the same number of infantry, it offered several times the firepower of the Japanese Type 38 rifle, easily suppressing enemy advances.

However, since they had only wiped out half a battalion, it would be suspicious to suddenly produce a pile of American rifles or extra mountain guns. But claiming to have captured one or two extra mortars was reasonable; the Japanese frequently scavenged abandoned weapons from the Nationalist, Northeastern, or Shanxi armies after defeating them.

Zhang Yun opened the system's exchange function. He found that the captured Japanese grenade launchers could be exchanged at a 3:1 ratio for French Brandt M1935 60mm mortars. Weighing 18kg and easily disassembled, they were portable and featured an 1800-meter range with powerful 1.38kg high-explosive shells.

Zhang Yun had 23.5 grenade launchers available. After calculating his unit's carrying capacity, he exchanged for 2 Brandt M1935 mortars, 600 compatible shells, 200 82mm mortar shells, 100 80mm mortar shells, and 4 ZB vz. 26 machine guns, having them "appear" in the ruins of the Japanese command post. He also cashed out extra spare parts for the infantry and mountain guns, hoping Wang Dachuan could assemble one or two functional pieces from the damaged equipment.

As for the rest, the unit couldn't carry any more. The new recruit platoon was officially upgrading.