Chapter 5: Post-War Debriefing

"Platoon leader, the tally is complete. We’ve captured over 5,500 rounds of ammunition, mostly round-nose bullets for Hanyang rifles, along with some 6.5mm rifle cartridges," Dabao reported, handing a list to Platoon Leader Zhang Yun.

"This is no place to linger. Get everyone to move the weapons to the Mountain God Temple where we were stationed earlier. Call the squad leader of the Second Squad and the new recruits over. We’ll eat, then march through the night back to our base," Zhang Yun ordered. "The Japanese have suffered a loss, and there’s no telling if they’ll come back for revenge. We won’t tempt fate. Once the new recruits are trained, it’ll be our turn to go after the Japanese."

"Understood, Platoon Leader." Dabao and Qin Sheng, the two squad leaders, nodded in agreement.

The group, laden with rifles, ammunition, and captured supplies and uniforms, returned to the Mountain God Temple to rest. A veteran was sent into the dense forest to retrieve the new recruits. Once Second Squad Leader Old Hu returned with the thirty recruits, they celebrated their victory and the spoils of war. After a quick hot meal, the unit continued their trek into the depths of the terrain toward their base in Xiaowang Village.

Xiaowang Village was located deep in the eastern part of the West Taihang Mountains, yet not far from Liujia Town, a major hub under Xiyang County. To avoid exposing their location and to prevent any potential collaborators in Liujia Town from endangering the villagers, Zhang Yun led his men along winding back trails.

Though they had just eliminated the enemy, the likelihood of the Japanese finding Xiaowang Village was slim, even if they sent a search party. These were the survival and operational security tactics Zhang Yun and his predecessors had learned through the hardships of the Soviet areas and the Long March.

Once their forces grew and they possessed sufficient soldiers, rifles, ammunition, and artillery, Zhang Yun planned to go on the offensive. After all, the Eighth Route Army was a force dedicated to fighting the Japanese; without engaging the enemy, they couldn't build a reputation or mobilize the masses to join the resistance.

Back at the base, Deputy Platoon Leader Liu Changqing hurried to meet them. Seeing the brand-new rifles carried by the troops and the three wounded soldiers on stretchers, he grabbed Zhang Yun, inspecting him anxiously. "Platoon Leader, are you all right? How did you end up in a firefight with the Japanese? Why didn't you call us all together to fight them?"

"Haha, a true deputy platoon leader—that last part is what you really wanted to ask, isn't it?" Although Zhang Yun was a modern soul inhabiting this body, the memories and emotions left by his predecessor made him instinctively punch Liu Changqing in the chest. "Don't say I didn't take you along; this was an emergency, and your 'brother' here nearly cashed out his chips."

Zhang Yun explained the ins and outs of the battle and the tactics he had employed. Liu Changqing’s expression shifted between worry, shock, admiration, and envy as he listened.

This deputy platoon leader was a veteran of the Red Army, originally from the Fourth Front Army, and once a common soldier under Commander Li Yunlong. Later, after Commander Li was demoted for seizing grain during the crossing of the grasslands, Liu Changqing had remained to fight under the new commander.

After several transfers and an injury during the ambush at Shentou Ridge, Liu Changqing had met and become familiar with Zhang Yun while they were both recovering. Their superiors had paired them together. According to the current plan, they would likely work together for a long time, expanding the force to form an independent battalion, until one day they were reorganized by Brigade Commander Chen into a new backbone regiment.

In his predecessor’s memories, Liu Changqing was a "battle-hungry" veteran who lived for the fight. He was a skilled marksman, proficient with the bayonet, and fearless—the type of high-execution soldier and commander who excelled in the field. Unfortunately, he lacked tactical flexibility and was not as adept at working with the masses as Zhang Yun. In short, he was a reliable partner, though not yet ready to shoulder the burden alone.

"Once you've settled the new recruits, call a platoon meeting. We’ll conduct an after-action review and discuss our next steps," Zhang Yun said after finishing his account. The after-action review was a fine tradition of the Red Army and the Eighth Route Army—a democratic and transparent way to dissect battles, discuss the successes and failures of command, and subconsciously improve everyone’s leadership skills through participation.

"Right. I’ll have the veterans help the new soldiers settle in, and then I’ll take a look at those new rifles—the Arisaka Type 38s! Heh, I killed two Japanese soldiers at Shentou Ridge, but since I was wounded and sent to the reinforcement regiment, I never got to lay hands on their gear." Liu Changqing accepted the order with a grin, rubbing his hands in anticipation. He was a sharpshooter who favored rifles, disliking the short range of pistols; the platoon wasn't wealthy enough to equip the leaders with both.

A while later, the three squad leaders and the deputy joined Zhang Yun in his room—which served as a bedroom, a small meeting room for the platoon, and a reception area. The room was small; a small table sat on the *kang* bed, where Zhang Yun and Liu Changqing usually slept on opposite sides, a rough map spread out on the table. The squad leaders had to squeeze onto a large communal bed with the soldiers.

These houses had been offered by the villagers, whose own lives were difficult enough, and had only become harder since the Japanese invasion.

"Comrades, you all know how today's battle went. Let’s review it and see what we need to improve," Zhang Yun said, chairing the meeting.

"Platoon Leader, that was a miracle battle; what’s there to improve?" First Squad Leader Dabao said with a laugh. "If anything, the veterans need new guns. Our Hanyang rifles are worn out and inaccurate. If we had better aim, we could have finished the fight even faster."

"Exactly," Third Squad Leader Qin Sheng agreed. "It’s really hurting our performance. Even the puppet troops' Hanyang rifles are better than ours, and don't get me started on those Arisaka rifles—they look brand new."

Second Squad Leader Old Hu added: "The new recruits need training, or they're useless. We have nearly fifty men now, but over thirty are recruits. If we don't train them fast, they'll just drag us down, and our grain supplies are already low."

"True, you all make valid points. Let the veterans have first pick of the captured weapons, then issue the rest to the new recruits. If there aren't enough, they'll take turns using them to get familiar with the mechanics," Zhang Yun concluded. "Don't worry about the grain. We captured a fair amount of silver dollars and legal tender; we'll use that to buy grain and cloth from the villagers. Have the folks help us make uniforms—once we have a unified look, our morale will soar."

"Finally, training. I intend to set aside 3,000 rounds of ammunition for the veterans and recruits to practice marksmanship," Zhang Yun declared.

"3,000 rounds? Platoon Leader, are we trying to go broke?" Old Hu gasped. The other squad leaders and the deputy stared at him in astonishment.

"That's right, 3,000 rounds," Zhang Yun nodded. He had a "cheat"—he would never lack for guns or ammo. As long as he won battles, even against small enemy detachments, the additional loot and material exchanges would ensure he had plenty of supplies. But excellent soldiers were hard to find, and he intended to use those bullets to "feed" them into becoming sharpshooters. The brigade had explicitly stated that units developing in the field wouldn't have to turn over their supplies, making this the perfect time to train.

"Don't think of it as a waste. You saw it today: the Japanese are far wealthier than the Kuomintang. As long as we win, weapons and ammunition will keep rolling in. But the Japanese are also much tougher than the Kuomintang, so we must train elite soldiers to win. Once we capture grenade launchers and mortars, I’ll be training artillerymen, too," Zhang Yun finalized.

Although they felt the pinch, they knew Zhang Yun was right. As veterans, they knew that marksmanship was built through practice. Most importantly, Zhang Yun’s brilliant command and his ability to secure such a bounty had opened their eyes and filled them with confidence for the future.

In truth, however, most of the ammunition captured that day had come from his system. Despite his effective command, they had only physically captured about 900 rounds; the rest had been redeemed through the system, with a few broken rifles and half a machine gun being exchanged for the 3,000 rounds.