The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 297 Dividing the Forces (Bonus Chapter 1010 for the Emergence of the Color Master)

Even the tobacco leaves haven't been collected, let alone any plans to manufacture them. So, the specific brand of cigarettes produced by the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment isn't a pressing issue.

Even after so many days, I still find it very difficult to get used to the strong earthy taste of the plain water after taking a sip.

Hu Biao asked again, "Is there anything else? If not, the meeting is adjourned."

The reason they were in such a hurry to end the meeting was because they only had one period of basic training time for the newly formed Third Battalion of recruits.

Compared to the modern world, the three-month basic training period was undoubtedly much shorter; however, Hu Biao and his team did not want the training results to be too far behind.

Left with no other choice, I can only make the most of my time and intensify my training.

Therefore, he also planned to go back and train the group of people he was leading in some nighttime subjects.

To address the problem of night blindness among the new recruits, Hu Biao even prepared a lot of sheep offal and pine needle water for them to drink in their meals.

After several days, the results were quite good.

Unfortunately, when faced with Hu Biao's questions, the others not only had questions, but quite a few, so much so that Hu Biao had to listen to them all.

The idea of ​​developing quietly for a month, allowing the new recruits to complete basic recruit training, and then having Chaozi and his team produce a batch of equipment before making any moves has changed.

Specifically, it was Xiao Cui, the young woman, who raised a question that all the men had overlooked:
"Commander Hu, have you noticed that all the brothers in the regiment are still wearing the clothes and shoes they brought with them?"

The daily grueling training caused their clothes and shoes to wear out extremely quickly, soon becoming covered in patches.

More importantly, the Nationalist government's ordnance department will likely only ship one batch of weapons; there will definitely be no other items such as armor or shoes.

I asked the locals in Zhangjiayu, and they said there are at most two months until winter, but winter lasts four or five months. Based on their accounts, I estimate the coldest temperatures could reach -20 degrees Celsius.

At this point, Xiao Cui, who grew up in Bazhong, Sichuan Province, couldn't help but shudder.

Although it snows there in winter, winters in northwestern Shanxi are not as long or as cold as those in the region; just thinking about it makes me feel quite cold.

In fact, she wasn't the only one feeling cold in the above statements.

Hu Biao, Mr. Nan Ze, Mo Yu, Van Gogh, and many other southerners seemed to feel the chill that seeped into their bones; after all, they had no cotton-padded coats or shoes.

"Damn it! If I had known, I should have stripped all those Japanese soldiers of their uniforms back in Fanjiazhang Village, brought them back, washed and mended them properly. They're still usable."

The old saying is indeed true: you won't become poor because you can't afford to eat or dress well, but you will if you don't know how to manage your finances.

After imagining how cold it would be in minus twenty degrees Celsius, and how terrifying it would be for me, a southerner, to freeze like a dog.

With a stingy expression, Hu Biao uttered the above curse.

Some wealthy people in northwestern Shanxi still maintain the tradition of weaving their own homespun cloth during the off-season, and some of it can even be bought in Zhangjiayu.

Unfortunately, the quantity was too small. If we bought them all, it would probably only be enough to make one military cap for everyone.

In fact, this is how many of our Party's base areas are doing it, and only the main force can guarantee uniforms.

Other newly formed units, or county brigades and district squads, were already lucky to get a new military cap, so what Hu Biao and his men did wasn't shameful.

The problem is, just thinking about Hu Biao and his group makes them seem incredibly poor.

While Hu Biao was worrying about new military uniforms, winter clothes, and winter shoes, the usually taciturn Lao Yu suddenly spoke up and raised a new question:
"Damn it, no! It should be Commander Hu."

Zhangjiayu is still too small. Even though we've dug an extra well and excavated many new cave dwellings, it's almost at its limit in terms of capacity.

"If there are more people, not only will transporting food and supplies be troublesome and costly, but the scale of the operation will also be too large."

Faced with Lao Yu's question, Hu Biao pondered for a moment and finally made a decision. However, he knew that whether to implement it or not required reaching a consensus with others, especially Zhao Zheng.

Therefore, he spoke to Zhao Zheng:

"Chief of Staff, I think we should divide the troops ahead of schedule and let them develop separately."

From now on, the Zhangjiayu Regiment Headquarters will only serve as the headquarters for the regiment and the arsenal, while the others will be divided into groups of dozens and dispersed to other parts of Pingding County.

First, it will alleviate the pressure on the supply of food and other materials. After all, transportation in northwestern Shanxi is inconvenient, and even within a county, it is troublesome to transport a truckload of goods to Zhangjiayu.

Secondly, if we develop separately, we will grow much faster.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zheng first solemnly said, "Commander Hu, please note that I am only a deputy chief of staff; the chief of staff is Comrade Annie." Then, he asked a crucial question: "The new recruits haven't even completed basic training, so their combat effectiveness is limited."

Can we guarantee our safety if we just disperse like this?

"As long as we don't attack the county towns, we should be fine! Currently, the Japanese mobile forces are basically tied down by the Battle of Wuhan, and the Japanese forces in Shanxi Province are generally in a state of retreat."

The vast countryside holds immense potential.

Most importantly, each unit is led by one or two of these guys, who are all opportunists who refuse to suffer any losses.

Even if they couldn't defeat the main Japanese force, they knew to run away immediately, and they all ran incredibly fast," Hu Biao assured him.

After hearing Hu Biao's assurance, Zhao Zheng hesitated for a minute or two before nodding in agreement.

Immediately, the expressions on the faces of Van Gogh, Mr. Nanze, Old Ma, and other new and old time travelers became quite radiant.

Because this was entirely Hu Biao's plan to let go and let them go out and do whatever they wanted.

At that time, unscrupulous landlords, puppet troops, bandits, and Japanese transport teams will all be easy targets, easy prey for any of them.

They could easily catch a ticket and live a comfortable life.

Another point is that although Zhao Zheng, a senior cadre of our Party, is very amiable when dealing with them, these modern people are used to being free and undisciplined.

Staying by Zhao Zheng's side naturally allowed me to learn a lot. It was a great opportunity for self-improvement, but I always felt a bit constrained. It would be better to go out and be far away from the emperor's reach.

Well, let's talk about learning and self-improvement later, after we've had enough to eat.

While these guys were happily imagining their wonderful lives after they got out, Hu Biao started yelling at them:
"Listen up, I'm letting you out this time, no matter if you go to rob, steal, or cheat, but there are a few things you must remember well."

The first rule is that you can only gain an advantage, not suffer a loss. If I send out half a company, you must bring back at least a battalion.

The second point is to pay attention to discipline and never make any fundamental mistakes, nor should you use your heart and soul to serve the Japanese and traitors.

The third and most important point is that the regimental headquarters needs to set up an arsenal and small-scale industry to achieve self-sufficiency through production, which requires a great deal of manpower and resources to achieve results.

Therefore, after you leave, you must hand over half of the money, grain, and supplies you have captured.

However, you won't lose out. The products manufactured by the arsenal, as well as the equipment from the ordnance department, will all be allocated to you in the future.

No sooner had the words left his lips than Van Gogh shouted, "No, 25% at most!"

"Damn it! Did you buy clothes from a street stall? You have to hand over at least 48%!" Hu Biao rolled up his sleeves and shouted fiercely.

Mr. Minami: "At most 30%..."

Seeing the scene quickly escalating into a fight, Mina, Xiao Cui, and Zhao Zheng, the deputy chief of staff, couldn't help but cover their faces.

After a final argument, the group reached the following consensus:
Zanana and Xiao Henan, leading 70 people and bearing the designation of the First Battalion of the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment, will next go to develop the northern area of ​​Pingding County.

Old Yu and the warehouse manager, along with 69 men and a unit designated as the Second Battalion, will be heading to the southern part of Pingding County to develop the region.

Mr. Nanze and Moyu, along with 72 men and a battalion-sized crew, will be developing the eastern part of Pingding County.

Van Gogh and Old Ma, along with 68 men and under the designation of a special operations battalion, will go to develop the western region of Pingding County.

Hu Biao, Mina, Xiao Cui, Chaozi, the wizard, and others stayed in Zhangjiayu, the regimental headquarters, with the remaining 76 people.

Before Zanana and the others set off, they would each take about forty weapons and some ammunition, as well as enough rations to last for two days, and they would also be able to replenish their weapons and ammunition in the future.

However, after they left, they had to hand over 37% of the money and grain they captured each time.

And every week, the signalman must send back a brief report, and every month a detailed report.

And so, early the next morning, the four teams, totaling less than three hundred people and over a hundred guns, set off for different areas of Pingding County.

At the time of their breakup, Hu Biao and Zhao Zheng were unaware that...

Because of their decision to allow the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment to develop separately, a huge trend would soon be triggered.

If they knew, they'd probably just say, "These guys are really good at causing trouble..."

(End of this chapter)