Holding the original shares, they fought all the way to the Korean War!

The new recruits stood on the dirt road at the entrance of the village.

Some carried bundles, while others were empty-handed.

All eyes were on Zhou Tianyang, filled with curiosity and awe.

Is this the regimental commander?

So young?

"Let them into the village."

Zhou Tianyang turned around and said to Tian Chengjun.

"First, arrange accommodations, then we'll have dinner."

"After lunch, we'll start forming the squads this afternoon."

"yes!"

Tian Chengjun stood at attention and saluted.

He turned around and shouted at Li Shengjun.

"Shengjun, bring the men in!"

"yes!"

Li Shengjun stood at attention and answered.

He turned around and shouted to the new recruits behind him.

"Come with me!"

One hundred and eighty-two new recruits, lined up in two columns, followed Li Shengjun toward the village.

Tian Chengjun followed behind the group, his eyes sweeping over the new recruits, a satisfied smile on his face.

Zhou Tianyang stood at the village entrance, watching the procession pass by him.

His gaze swept across the faces of the new recruits one by one.

Young and full of vigor.

Although he was dressed in rags and looked pale and thin, there was a light in his eyes.

That is the light of hope, the expectation for the future.

Zhou Tianyang looked at the new recruits, a slight smile playing on his lips.

These people are the future of the new Second Regiment.

He turned around and strode back to the regimental headquarters.

I sat down at the table, picked up a pencil, and wrote a few lines on a blank notebook.

Second Battalion: 182 new recruits.

Then, he leaned back in his chair and tapped his fingers lightly on the table.

Zhao Wenlong and Sun Shengli haven't returned yet.

But they should be here soon.

As previously agreed, no matter how many people are recruited today, they must all return to the team.

Zhou Tianyang was making plans in his mind.

If Zhao Wenlong and Sun Shengli could also recruit more than a hundred people.

With the three battalions combined, the total number of personnel in the new Second Regiment would exceed seven hundred.

A reinforced battalion is barely worthy of being called a regiment.

As he thought about this, the smile on his lips grew wider and wider.

Outside the window, the noise of the new recruits settling into their quarters could be heard.

Zhou Tianyang stood up and walked to the window.

On the threshing floor, Li Shengjun was directing the new recruits to be assigned rooms.

"You guys, stay in this room!"

"You guys, stay in that room!"

Zhou Tianyang watched this scene and a smile appeared on his lips.

It was noon.

At the threshing ground in Lijia Yu.

The 182 newly recruited soldiers have been settled in almost completely.

Cook Lao Ma, along with several cooks, set up several large pots by the threshing ground.

The new recruits squatted on the ground, bowls in hand, slurping down their porridge.

It was just corn porridge with pickled vegetable dumplings.

But in these days, being able to have a bowl of hot porridge is already a great blessing.

A seventeen or eighteen-year-old recruit squatted against the wall, holding a bowl, drinking until he was covered in sweat.

He sat next to a fellow young recruit, and the two of them drank porridge and talked in hushed tones.

"You mean the Eighth Route Army's food is this good?"

"What's so good about it? It's just corn porridge, not even a drop of oil in it."

"That's still better than being at home. At home, I can't even get corn porridge; I eat tree bark every day."

"That's true..."

The two talked and finished their porridge, then went to get another bowl.

Zhou Tianyang stood at the entrance of the regimental department.

Looking at the new recruits on the threshing floor, a slight smile appeared on his lips.

Just then.

The sentry at the village entrance came running, panting.

"Commander!"

"The battalion commander and the others are back!"

Zhou Tianyang's eyes suddenly lit up.

"They've reached the village entrance!"

Zhou Tianyang strode towards the village entrance.

On the dirt road at the village entrance, a large group of people were marching towards the village.

Leading the way was Zhao Wenlong.

He was dressed in a military uniform, with a belt around his waist and a Type 38 rifle slung over his back, walking with a powerful and imposing gait.

I hadn't seen him for almost a month, and he had gotten quite tanned.

He was filled with an undisguised excitement.

Behind Zhao Wenlong followed a long line of people.

Zhou Tianyang stood at the entrance of the village, his gaze sweeping over the new recruits.

I estimated in my mind that there were at least two hundred people.

Upon seeing Zhou Tianyang, Zhao Wenlong quickened his pace.

I walked up to him, stood at attention, saluted, and spoke in a loud voice.

"Commander!"

"The First Battalion has completed its mission and is returning to its unit!"

Zhou Tianyang nodded, his gaze passing over Zhao Wenlong and landing on the new recruits behind him.

"How many people did your battalion recruit this time?"

Zhao Wenlong turned around, looked at the team behind him, and his face was full of pride.

"Commander, this time when we went north, we went as far as Yushe and Heshun."

"The Japanese were active in those areas, and the people were severely bullied. They were all filled with resentment."

"As soon as they heard that the Eighth Route Army was recruiting soldiers to fight the Japanese, they were extremely enthusiastic."

His voice rose a few decibels, tinged with a hint of arrogance.

"A total of 228 new recruits were enlisted!"

Zhou Tianyang narrowed his eyes slightly.

Two hundred and twenty-eight.

With the addition of the original veterans of the First Battalion, the First Battalion now has nearly 350 men.

"By the way, Commander."

"I even fought a battle with the Japanese in Yushe."

Zhou Tianyang frowned slightly.

"What happened?"

Zhao Wenlong's tone became serious, and he told the whole story.

"When we were recruiting soldiers in a village north of Yushe, a small Japanese squad came to sweep through the area."

"More than thirty men, carrying a Type 91 light machine gun."

"I saw that there weren't many of them, so I led the soldiers of the First Battalion to ambush them."

"The battle was over in half an hour; all thirty-odd Japanese soldiers were killed."

"We captured thirty Type 38 rifles, one Type 99 light machine gun, and a considerable amount of ammunition."

Where are our people?

"Zero casualties."

Zhao Wenlong grinned.

"Commander, don't worry, I, Zhao Wenlong, am not the kind of reckless person."

"I will never fight a battle I am not confident of winning."

Zhou Tianyang stared at him for a few seconds, then nodded.

"Okay, we'll talk about this later."

"First, arrange for the new recruits to enter the village and let them eat and rest."

"yes!"

Zhao Wenlong stood at attention and saluted.

He turned around and shouted to the new recruits behind him.

"The entire battalion is here, advance into the village!"

"Your accommodations have been arranged. Settle in first, then we'll have dinner!"

Two hundred and twenty-eight new recruits, lined up in two columns, followed Zhao Wenlong toward the village.

The procession was very long, and it took several minutes for everyone to enter the village.

Zhou Tianyang stood at the entrance of the village, watching the new recruits walk past him.

Their faces showed excitement, nervousness, and anticipation.

Some looked only fifteen or sixteen years old, while others looked over thirty.

Zhou Tianyang turned around and strode back to the regimental headquarters.

Sitting at the table, I picked up a pencil and wrote another line in my notebook.

First Battalion: 228 new recruits.

Adding the 182 men from the Second Battalion, that makes 410 men.

In addition to the existing veterans.

The total number of people in the new second regiment has exceeded seven hundred.

Zhou Tianyang looked at the number, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

More than 700 people.

The size of an reinforced battalion.

The first and second battalions have returned, but the third battalion hasn't returned yet.

Sun Shengli headed south to the area around Lucheng and Licheng.

They haven't returned yet, and Zhou Tianyang is somewhat worried.

It's not that I'm worried about Sun Shengli's safety, it's that I'm worried he won't be able to recruit anyone.

Although the area around Lucheng and Licheng was an old base area.

But the local people have already been recruited several times.

Young people of the right age who should have joined the army have already done so.

It won't be easy to recruit more people.

Zhou Tianyang leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping lightly on the table.

......