Blood-Red Front

At this moment, a group of people were shouting and arguing at the entrance of the supply depot.

"First come, first served. That cannon doesn't even have a scope, and it hasn't been assigned yet, so why shouldn't we get it?"

"Hand over the cannons now! We still need to fight the newly promoted army!"

From a distance, Lin Zhiyuan stopped running, straightened his clothes, and walked solemnly to the entrance of the supply camp.

"What's going on? Who gave you permission to cause trouble here? What's your unit number?!"

A barrage of questions, coupled with a serious expression, silenced the shouting soldier.

A captain stepped out from the crowd.

"Good morning, sir. We are from the 119th Regiment of the 40th Division. I am Captain Sun Yu."

Looking at Sun Yu, Lin Zhiyuan said sternly, "The 119th Regiment isn't fighting on the front lines, but instead bullying its own people here? Where is your regimental commander?"

"They're dead." Sun Yu's expression was somewhat downcast. "The regimental commander and several battalion commanders are all dead. I was already the highest-ranking officer."

Lin Zhiyuan was taken aback. "I'm sorry, I didn't know that. How many of you have left? Why aren't you retreating to rest and regroup?"

"You have nothing to apologize for; you didn't kill the person."

"Our regiment fought in Lindian for three days, and out of 1500 men, less than 200 were left. So few of us died that we really can't go back to see our fellow villagers."

"We need cannons, we just want to go back and avenge our brothers."

Seeing Sun Yu's dejected expression and the soldiers behind him, Lin Zhiyuan's eyes darted around.

"Without transfer orders, even if you get the artillery, you're unlikely to get to the front lines."

"Well then, my troops are heading to the front lines, so why don't you join them?"

"Go and assemble the troops now. I'll take over the anti-tank guns and we'll set off together."

Hearing Lin Zhiyuan's words, Sun Yu was a little confused: "Who is the superior officer?"

"Lin Zhiyuan, Battalion Commander of the Independent Battalion Directly Under the 8th Army."

Sun Yu was even more bewildered. "The 8th Army's Independent Battalion? When did the concept of an independent battalion for military dependents become available?"

"There's a lot you don't know. This is a newly formed unit. The commander has authorized me to recruit defeated soldiers on my own. How about it, want to join my unit?"

After thinking for a moment, Sun Yu finally decided to join.

After all, Lin Zhiyuan was right; even if they got the artillery, no position would be given to them.

Every position is now crucial, and even filling in the gaps is not something these remnants of the army can do.

Sun Yu stood at attention and said, "Reporting, sir, the remaining troops of the original 119th Regiment have been ordered to join the Independent Battalion. Please give your instructions!"

"How many of you are there? How many guns?"

"There are 186 men who are still able to move. They are equipped with one heavy machine gun, three light machine guns, and the rest are riflemen," Sun Yu reported in detail.

"You will all be reorganized into a reinforced company, designated as the Second Company of the Independent Battalion, and you will be the company commander."

"I order you to quickly complete the reorganization, assemble here, and then depart with the main force."

"yes!"……

Sun Yu went to assemble the troops, while Lin Zhiyuan led the 1st Company into the supply camp.

Looking at the anti-tank gun standing by the wall, Lin Zhiyuan turned his head and asked, "Is there anyone here who knows how to fire it?"

A slightly overweight soldier stepped forward. "Reporting, Battalion Commander, I will."

Pointing to the anti-tank gun in front, Lin Zhiyuan said, "Let's see what's going on."

"yes!"

The supply battalion captain standing nearby became anxious when he saw that Lin Zhiyuan treated him like family.

"Sir, sir, although this cannon has been repaired, it still lacks a sight and cannot be used in combat."

"It's alright, I don't blame you." Lin Zhiyuan waved his hand.

The supply battalion captain became even more agitated. "Why are you blaming me?"

"Sir, without orders from higher command, it's still uncertain how to allocate the resources. Why don't you ask your superiors to issue a note?"

Lin Zhiyuan glanced at him sideways. "Superior? Which superior? Where am I supposed to find your superior?"

"Besides, the cannons are all repaired, why aren't we moving them to the front lines? Are we just keeping them to breed?"

"As for the police, that's easy to handle." Lin Zhiyuan gestured to the side, and Ma Daxi immediately handed him paper and pen.

Lin Zhiyuan quickly wrote a requisition notice.

With a "smack," Lin Zhiyuan slapped the note onto the chest of the supply battalion captain and then pushed him away from the anti-tank gun.

At this moment, the artilleryman also stood up. "Reporting to the battalion commander, the cannon is fine."

"Do you know how to use this cannon?" Lin Zhiyuan asked.

"I've fired the Rheinland Pak 37 anti-tank gun in Prosen."

Based on his memory, Lin Zhiyuan knew that this Prosen should be De San of this world.

"You've even been abroad?" Lin Zhiyuan asked, somewhat surprised. Studying in Germany was no simple matter.

"Yes, I studied artillery."

"So how did you end up as a common soldier?"

"I didn't finish my studies because my family fell on hard times and I had to come back. Later, I was conscripted into the army. The regiment didn't have any artillery, so I could only be an infantryman."

"What's your name?"

"Liu Tianle".

"Very good." Lin Zhiyuan nodded: "Liu Tianle, now you are the squad leader of the anti-tank gun squad. If you need a few more men, just ask Ma Daxi."

"This cannon is directly under my command. No one may use it without my order."

"yes!"

Liu Tianle was overjoyed to be able to return to artillery service.

Looking at the supply battalion lieutenant who had been pushed aside, Lin Zhiyuan asked, "Where are the shells? I need armor-piercing shells and high-explosive shells."

The 37mm anti-tank gun was considered miniature in Europe, but on the West Coast battlefield, it was a surefire way to hit newly built tanks.

"Sir, I..."

"It's alright, you don't need to help if you don't want to." Lin Zhiyuan waved his hand. "Ma Daxi, do this brother a favor, go to the warehouse, find the shells, and move them out."

"Yes!" Ma Daxi led a few men into the nearby warehouse.

Soon, they came running out with several iron boxes.

"Battalion Commander, we don't have many shells. We only found 12 armor-piercing shells and 18 high-explosive shells."

"Liu Tianle, it's up to you now."

"Yes!" Liu Tianle smiled broadly and handed the shells to several people, then checked them one by one.

Seeing the tattered clothes and straw sandals on the soldiers carrying artillery shells, Lin Zhiyuan said, "Ma Daxi, take the brothers to change their clothes and carry some more bullets. We're going to the front lines soon, and we can't afford to be unprepared."

Seeing that Lin Zhiyuan wanted more and more, the captain of the supply battalion hurriedly ran over and grabbed Lin Zhiyuan's arm.

"Sir, sir, this is unacceptable! These items are all registered and cannot be allocated without orders. I cannot bear this responsibility."

Did I ask you to take responsibility?

Lin Zhiyuan took out paper and pen again and quickly wrote another note.

"This is a note I wrote. Take it to the military headquarters. The commander won't make things difficult for you."

Pushing the supply battalion captain aside, Lin Zhiyuan gestured to Shang Kebing, "You should also change into a soldier's uniform; it'll be safer that way."

"Okay." Shang Kebing happily ran inside as well.

Regardless of whether military uniforms are ugly or good-looking, they are treasures in this era. Before the invention of polyester fiber, some people could pass down a single piece of clothing for a hundred years.

Soon, the soldiers, now dressed in new uniforms, came out and lined up in high spirits.

Seeing Shang Kebing's curves still showing even in her oversized soldier's uniform, Lin Zhiyuan walked into the warehouse and came out with a pair of women's military leather boots.

"Try them on to see if they fit. If they do, wear these into the trenches."

The Binxi area has a dense network of waterways, and there must have been water accumulation in the trenches. If you fought in the trenches for a long time, wearing cloth shoes would inevitably cause trench foot.

Lin Zhiyuan felt a little reluctant to part with this adorable little girl.

"Thank you, young master." Shang Kebing was even happier.

Leather military boots are something most people don't have.

Lin Zhiyuan waved his hand, "Let's go, assemble with the Second Company, we're off to deal with those beasts from Chusheng!"

……

As the Independent Battalion walked out carrying large and small bags, someone approached the captain.

"Sir, what do we do now? We've lost so much stuff without orders from above; it'll be hard to explain."

The captain patted the note on his hand and casually asked, "What do you want me to explain? Who am I supposed to explain to?"

"Do you know who this is? The eldest son of the Lin family, someone even a military commander has to fawn over. With this note, who dares to make things difficult for me?"

"And what about just now?"

"What do you know? If I don't do something, what if someone reports me to the authorities?"

"Not stopping it is one thing, but stopping it and it being useless is another. There's a lot to learn here, so you should start learning."

……