The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 311 Brother-in-law! You've become a division commander! (Bonus chapter of 550 words for the creation of the pornographic photographer)

It should be noted that the numerous unit numbers in the series of orders issued by Mr. Nanze to his communications platoon were definitely not the same as those of the puppet troops.

They weren't like the puppet troops who, just for the sake of sounding good, would call a company a battalion.

A regiment only has five or six hundred soldiers in total, which sounds impressive.

Every single unit number that Mr. Nanze shouted out was a full complement of troops; even the long list of attached guerrilla units ranged from a hundred to fifty or sixty men.

So, Mr. Nanze and Squid have been here since they split up and came here.

In just over two months, they managed to assemble a force of nearly two thousand men, which is about the size of a regiment.

Even compared to the Jin-Sui Army under Yan Xishan, where many newly formed regiments only had 1,500 men, this was a significant increase.

The only thing that Mr. Nanze and Moyu felt was somewhat lacking was...

Apart from the three battalions, which number around 600 men, this elite force is basically equipped with weapons and has completed all basic training for new recruits.

The other 1,400 troops were severely lacking in equipment and training.

Only the brothers of the Third Battalion had enough winter clothes and shoes, and on their heads were Japanese Type 90 steel helmets, either produced by the Zhangjiayu Arsenal or captured and blackened.

The other 1,400 people were all wearing the various kinds of cotton-padded jackets worn by ordinary people.

The only thing that could unify them and show their identity was a military cap that looked like the one worn by the Nationalist Army.

However, this situation is actually unavoidable; it is already a miracle that so many people could be mobilized in such a short period of time.

A large portion of these people were recruited in a rush after the battle between Zhangjiayu and Colonel Yamamoto Ichiki's special forces.

In short, given their current situation and conditions, there's no need to dwell on this outcome too much...

******
The team led by Mr. Nanze and Moyu set off at around 11 a.m. on November 19th, heading towards Zhangjiayu in a rapid march.

Even so, because the distance was too far, it was a little after 3 p.m. that the team arrived at a place called Xifenggou, which was 11 or 12 miles away from Zhangjiayu.

Xifenggou is not a large place, but it is a necessary passage to Zhangjiayu and a crossroads where several dirt roads intersect.

Seeing that his soldiers were somewhat tired after marching all the way here, Mo Yu couldn't help but suggest something:
"Gap-toothed guy, why don't you let the brothers rest for a bit?"

Anyway, it's still early, and we can definitely get to Zhangjiayu before dark.

After a short rest, the soldiers arrived at Zhangjiayu in even better military bearing, better able to impress the others and demonstrate the might of our Third Battalion.

"Hey! Old Salty Fish, you're pretty thoughtful, you even thought of this. Let the brothers rest for thirty minutes and tidy up their uniforms while you're at it."

Upon hearing this, Mr. Nanze gave the squid a thumbs-up and showered it with compliments.

"Old Salted Fish" is naturally the nickname given to the newbie, Cuttlefish, by a group of veterans.

The reason is probably that the squid has a faint fishy smell similar to salted fish from fishing at sea all year round. Over time, it has become known as "old salted fish".

Of course! Nicknames are just harmless trifles; showing off is the real deal.

After praising his deputy, Mr. Nanze rode a captured Mongolian horse at breakneck speed, shouting loudly as he went:
"Attention everyone, except for the guard company which will maintain vigilance around the perimeter, everyone else will rest for half an hour immediately."

Wash your faces, eat something, and when we enter Zhangjiayu later, you all need to be more spirited than the grooms, and make me look good in front of the other friendly forces.”

The words had barely faded when a clever little boy loudly responded:
"Commander Nan, you can rest assured!"
"The brothers will definitely put in all their strength and energy, just like in the wedding night, so that you and Commander Mo can look good in front of Commander Hu and the other officers from the other brother units."

With all the above responses and banter, everyone in the Third Battalion burst into laughter, making the atmosphere quite relaxed. This also made Mr. Nanze and Moyu even more eager for their upcoming appearance and show-off act.

But to his utter surprise, after only seven or eight minutes of rest, dust began to rise from the other three directions, a stark contrast to the dust that had accompanied their march.

Soon after, the personnel who had been on guard in the surrounding area rushed over.

From a distance, he shouted, "Commander Nan, Commander Mo, the First Battalion, the Second Battalion, the Special Service Battalion, these friendly forces are coming!"

Although it was a bit surprising that everyone had bumped into each other in the same place, now was clearly not the time to dwell on such a small matter.

As if they were extremely anxious, Mr. Nanze and the squid shouted almost in unison:
"Quickly, quickly, get up and line up, cheer up, and welcome our friendly forces."

It was quite amazing, or perhaps it was due to the simple principle that birds of a feather flock together, and that like attracts like, that the Third Battalion discovered other friendly forces.

The other battalions, the first, second, and special operations battalions, also discovered the presence of the third battalion at the same time.

Thus, these time travelers from the modern world, based on some of the same desire to show off, each made some similar arrangements.

Zanana from the First Battalion: "Little Henan, let the main force go first."

Under Xiao Henan's command to "stand tall, stomach in, and march in step," the main force of the First Battalion, composed of more than 100 veterans of the Central Army, immediately began to march with impeccable military bearing and heads held high.

After these days of rest, the veterans and miners have recovered well and their morale is incredibly high.

If it weren't for their inferior weapons and uniforms, a first glance might give the impression that they were a German-equipped division.

Old Yu from the Second Battalion: "Warehouse manager, warehouse manager, quickly take some men and move our Italian cannon to the front, and place it in the most conspicuous place in the formation."

The warehouse manager immediately ran to the Italian cannon and urged the gun crew to speed up the two packhorses that were towing the cannon.

At the same time, he breathed on a black spot on the cannon barrel, which he had already wiped clean several times before setting off, and then raised his sleeve to wipe it clean.

Even the cannon barrel was cleaner than his face, which was already cracked and bleeding from the cold winds of northwestern Shanxi.

Van Gogh of the special operations battalion was also energized, shouting immediately, "Old Ma! What are you standing there for? Hurry up and bring the cavalry battalion to the front."

During the Republican era, horse breeding in Pingding County was not large-scale, but there were many horse breeders in neighboring Yangquan.

Therefore, when the Independent Battalion, based on the mentality that military orders may not be obeyed when they are in the field, expanded their operations to the Yangquan area, they managed to acquire more than 320 mules and horses in a short period of time.

So now, under the Independent Battalion, there are two more people, Van Gogh and Old Ma, who secretly formed a cavalry battalion.

Although this cavalry battalion was not fully staffed, many of its mounts were mules, and much of its equipment was rather makeshift.

But now, led by Lao Ma, they started jogging, and their momentum was quite impressive.

Finally, after more than ten minutes, these guys who were eager to show off in front of others and dazzle them looked at their own troops and then at the troops of others.

They looked at each other blankly, completely bewildered.

A short while later, they suddenly burst into laughter again.

Then, as darkness was about to fall, Hu Biao was still in the cave looking at a map and adjusting some operational details.

With a loud 'bang,' the cave dwelling door was pushed open.

Mina burst in like a whirlwind, her first words being, "Brother-in-law! You've become a division commander..."

(End of this chapter)