The tall, thin National Revolutionary Army soldier in front of him resembled Yang Zhihua from "The Gun God" in appearance, physique, and even voice. Lin Yue shifted his gaze to the side of the tall, thin soldier, and there was Wang Tietou, the genius of gunpowder born into a firecracker-making family. However, Lin Yue didn't show his surprise.
He smiled faintly, "No need for formalities. We are just passing by. May I ask your name, brother?"
The tall, thin National Revolutionary Army soldier smiled and said, "My name is Yang Zhihua." "Hello, Brother Yang. I am Lin Yue, the Second Platoon Leader of the First Company, First Battalion of the New First Regiment, under the 386th Brigade of the Eighth Route Army.
May I ask which part of the National Revolutionary Army you belong to, and why are you here?" "Platoon Leader Lin, this is Wang Tietou. We are both from the 182nd Division.
These four brothers are from the 122nd Division of the Sichuan Army. We all got separated from the main force. We met by chance on the road and decided to travel together to find our units.
Originally, there were eleven of us, but we had terrible luck. At the crossroads ahead, we encountered a Japanese patrol. Alas, after a skirmish, only six of us remained.
Fortunately, you appeared in time to save us, otherwise, we would likely have been in grave danger today." Lin Yue was secretly delighted upon hearing this, but his face maintained a friendly smile. "So you are brothers from the 182nd and 122nd Divisions, honored to make your acquaintance!
The 182nd and 122nd Divisions are both renowned units." As he spoke, he gave a thumbs-up. Yang Zhihua scratched his head and smiled sheepishly.
"That's too kind. Tietou and I are just stablehand soldiers; we don't have any great abilities." Lin Yue quickly waved his hand.
"Never say that! No matter what kind of soldier, they are an indispensable part of the army! Take stablehand soldiers, for example.
Without you, how could the soldiers charging into battle ride their spirited horses to kill the enemy and achieve merit!" Yang Zhihua and Wang Tietou exchanged a look, a hint of surprise in their eyes. They hadn't expected such high praise for stablehand soldiers from the person in front of them.
Lin Yue seized the opportunity and said earnestly, "Brothers from the National Revolutionary Army, these are chaotic times with Japanese soldiers everywhere. It's too dangerous for you to search for the main force aimlessly like this." He paused and continued, "Why not join us in the Eighth Route Army?
Isn't fighting the Japanese wherever you are still fighting the Japanese? To be frank, our Second Platoon is short-handed. I see you are all battle-hardened veterans.
If you were to join me, I guarantee to provide you with the greatest stage to fully display your talents. Perhaps in the future, you could become a great hero who shakes the region and makes history! Such an opportunity will not come again!
Our Eighth Route Army is full of true brothers fighting against Japan, with the same goal, hoping to drive the Japanese out of China!" Under Lin Yue's patient and sincere persuasion, Yang Zhihua and Wang Tietou's minds were completely swayed. Yang Zhihua took a deep breath and looked at Wang Tietou and the four soldiers from the 122nd Division beside him.
"Brothers, I think Platoon Leader Lin makes a lot of sense. In this chaotic world, we just want to fight the Japanese, and fighting anywhere is still fighting. Instead of blindly searching for the main force, why not follow Platoon Leader Lin and achieve great things in the Eighth Route Army!"
Wang Tietou also became excited, waving his arms. "Exactly! My family has been making firecrackers for generations.
My gunpowder skills shouldn't be buried like this. In the Eighth Route Army, they will surely be of great use! Brothers, let's do this together!"
The four soldiers from the 122nd Division looked at each other. One tall soldier scratched his head and said, "Alright, since you all say so, let's join the Eighth Route Army together and fight the Japanese to our hearts' content!" Everyone nodded.
Lin Yue looked at the scene with a gratified smile. He knew that his Second Platoon now had a group of capable new members. "Welcome to the Eighth Route Army.
You six will be temporarily assigned to the Sixth Squad. Chen Dahai, come here for a moment." Lin Yue then briefly explained the situation of Yang Zhihua and the others to Chen Dahai, who was very happy to hear it.
While they were talking, the soldiers of the Second Platoon finished clearing the battlefield. They captured 8 Type 38 Rifles, 1 Type 92 Heavy Machine Gun, 4 Type 94 Nambu pistols, and over 1000 rounds of ammunition from the Japanese soldiers. Of course, Lin Yue's system also dropped a lot of items, including 3 M1 Garand semi-automatic rifles, two ZB vz.
26 Light Machine Guns, and 5 Type 11 70 mm mortars. The journey that followed proceeded without incident. In the afternoon of the next day, after a long march, they finally arrived safely at Yangshugou.
Lin Yue looked at his slightly tired soldiers and loudly announced, "Brothers, this will be our base from now on. Everyone get some good rest and recover your strength!" The soldiers cheered and found places to settle down.
Lin Yue lay on the kang, contemplating the future development priorities. With the system by his side, he lacked nothing in terms of weapons, equipment, or food, except for manpower. Therefore, recruiting people became the primary task for the Second Platoon.
The best way to recruit quickly was through annexation, such as incorporating routed armies, puppet troops, and bandits. Of course, not everyone was suitable; scum who had oppressed the common people and committed heinous deeds would definitely not be accepted. For this, Lin Yue could use the system's good and evil rating function to differentiate.
Lying on the kang, Lin Yue continuously pondered strategies. After an unknown period, he drifted off to sleep. After a full night's rest, the soldiers were refreshed.
Early in the morning, Lin Yue sent out the Fifth Squad to scout the enemy situation around Yangshugou, while the others remained in Yangshugou for continued training. Lin Yue himself was not idle. After breakfast, he left Yangshugou and began searching the surroundings carefully.
He needed to find a safe and hidden place to store the weapons, equipment, and supplies dropped by the system. Then, he would claim to have special channels to acquire these items, thus explaining the source of the equipment and dispelling any doubts. After searching for most of the day, Lin Yue finally set his sights on the mountain behind Yangshugou.
This mountain was well-concealed and strategically located, making it ideal for building a warehouse to store supplies. He made a decisive move and led the soldiers to work on the back mountain that afternoon. When the soldiers heard they were building a weapons warehouse, they were full of energy.
Working day and night without rest, they completed a solid warehouse in just two days. During these two days, the Fifth Squad's reconnaissance work also yielded significant results. They had covered the surrounding mountains and villages, thoroughly understanding the enemy situation around Yangshugou.
In the vicinity of Yangshugou, there were three blockhouses, one stronghold, one puppet troop camp, and three bandit groups. In the command post, Lin Yue marked the targets discovered by the Fifth Squad one by one on the map. Then, he looked up, his gaze sweeping over Zhang Haiyang, Chen Dahai, Yang Zhihua, and others, and said, "Here is my plan: first, we will eliminate the three blockhouses in Wangjiayu, Zhao Family Village, and Tawan Village, and then attack the puppet troop camp in Gejia Town.