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

Zhou Tianyang listened to the three people discussing back and forth, but did not rush to express his opinion.

He went through the three people's opinions in his mind.

Then he stretched out his finger and drew a circle around the Wangjiaping stronghold on the map.

"Wenlong is right. It's too risky to sneak up at night. The watchtower has a wide field of vision."

"Old Tian is right. There are too many open areas around, and the casualties from a direct assault would be considerable."

"But you've overlooked one point."

The three of them looked at him at the same time.

Zhou Tianyang's finger stopped on the south side of the stronghold.

There was a symbol for a small river there, with many bushes growing on both banks.

"The Japanese soldiers' attention was focused on the north and east, because those two directions led to the main road and nearby villages."

"The river to the south is only a few meters wide and just knee-deep. The banks are covered with dense bushes, so you can't see it from fifty meters away."

"If we sneak over from the south and walk along the riverbank, we can get to within 200 meters of the stronghold's wall."

"This distance is already within the effective range of our rifles."

All three of them focused their attention on the small river.

Tian Chengjun was the first to react and nodded.

"The commander is right, the south is indeed a blind spot."

"When the Japanese built their stronghold at Wangjiaping, they probably thought that the small river was a natural barrier and that it was impossible for people to cross it by swimming across."

"So the defenses there are definitely weaker than those to the north and east."

Sun Shengli slapped his thigh.

"Then let's start from the south!"

"Get close, blow up the barbed wire with grenades, then rush in and take down that pillbox!"

Zhao Wenlong nodded as well.

"I agree."

"Approach from the south and catch the Japanese off guard. This squad simply cannot withstand one wave of our attack."

After the three finished speaking, their eyes all fell on Zhou Tianyang, waiting for him to make the final decision.

Zhou Tianyang leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms on the table, and slowly scanned the three people's faces before speaking.

"Try from the south, this direction is fine."

"But this time, I'm going to use a different strategy."

All three of them were stunned for a moment.

Zhou Tianyang tapped on the map, starting from Lijia Yu and tracing the mountain road all the way to Wangjia Ping.

"We have over 1,400 men, three battalions combined. We can take down a small squad's stronghold without sending the entire regiment."

"Too many people will restrict their actions, make them more vulnerable, and increase the risk of unnecessary casualties."

He turned around and looked at the three of them.

"I plan to select fifty men from each battalion to form a temporary assault company of one hundred and fifty men, which I will personally lead."

"The rest of you stay behind and be ready to provide backup."

The air in the room fell silent for a moment.

Then the three of them stood up almost simultaneously.

"Commander, you can't go in person!"

Zhao Wenlong was the first to speak, his voice trembling with urgency.

"You're the commander; what kind of logic is it for a commander to personally lead a team to take down a stronghold?"

"If anyone's going, it should be me!"

Tian Chengjun took a step forward and blocked Zhao Wenlong's path.

"Zhao Wenlong, what's your hurry?"

"The regimental commander said to send fifty men from each battalion, so each battalion will send men."

"If you go alone, what will happen to the brothers in the Third and Second Battalions?"

"Moreover, when it comes to attacking pillboxes, my Second Battalion has several veterans who fought in assaults during the Nationalist Army period, so they have more experience than you."

Sun Shengli squeezed in from the side, his voice louder than the other two.

"Stop arguing!"

"The soldiers in my third battalion are the most well-trained; you all saw their test results a few days ago."

Zhao Wenlong glared at him.

"Sun Shengli, stop bragging!"

"Your Third Battalion's achievements are only due to the large number of new recruits; when they're in good physical condition, they can hold on a bit longer."

"When it comes to a real battle, we'll have to rely on the veterans of the First Battalion!"

"What happened to the veteran?"

"Veterans can fight, but new recruits can't?"

"The new recruits in my 3rd Battalion are now better at target shooting than the veterans in your 1st Battalion, do you believe me?"

"I don't believe it!"

"If you're so capable, bring them out and have a competition!"

"Let's compete!"

The two started arguing face to face, and their voices grew louder and louder.

Tian Chengjun stood in the middle, looking at this person and that person, his expression a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

Zhou Tianyang couldn't help but laugh when he saw the three of them like this.

He raised his hand and patted the table.

"Alright, stop arguing!"

The three of them shut up at the same time and turned to look at him.

Zhou Tianyang sat down again, picked up his teacup, took another sip of water, and then said slowly:

"I'm in charge."

"Each battalion will send fifty people, and I will personally lead the team."

"Wenlong, stay behind and lead the rest of the battalion to prepare for the rescue."

"Chengjun will stay behind, and the remaining brothers of the Second Battalion will keep an eye on Lijia Yu."

"Even if we succeed, we will stay behind. The remaining men of the Third Battalion will serve as the general reserve, ready to provide reinforcements at any time."

Zhao Wenlong became anxious.

"Commander..."

"That's an order."

Zhou Tianyang's voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable tone.

"If any of you three argue again, you'll be standing guard at the village entrance tonight."

The room fell silent.

Zhao Wenlong opened his mouth, looked at Tian Chengjun, then at Sun Shengli, and finally swallowed back the words he was about to say.

He sat down again, still with a defiant expression on his face, but said nothing more.

Tian Chengjun also sat down, looked at Zhou Tianyang, and his tone became solemn.

"Commander, since you insist on leading the team yourself, we won't stop you."

Sun Shengli took over the conversation.

"Commander, how should we select the assault company?"

"Should priority be given to veterans, or to those with training performance?"

Zhou Tianyang thought for a moment.

"Each battalion should send fifty men, with priority given to those who are physically fit and have good marksmanship."

"Both new recruits and veterans are welcome to participate, as long as they meet the requirements."

"After you go back, screen people overnight and report back to me first thing tomorrow morning."

"yes!"

The three answered in unison.

Zhou Tianyang's gaze returned to the small river, then he looked at the location of the pillbox, and then at the three battalion commanders, his voice softening slightly.

"This is the first battle after the Second Regiment changed its uniform."

"I'm personally leading the team not because I don't trust you, but because I need to figure out our true combat effectiveness after the equipment change in this battle."

"I'll go myself so I'll know what to do and how to allocate troops when we fight big battles in the future."

After listening, none of the three spoke again.

Zhao Wenlong lowered his head and remained silent for a few seconds, then raised his head and looked at Zhou Tianyang.

"Commander, please be careful."

Zhou Tianyang smiled.

"If I lead 150 men to fight 50-odd Japanese soldiers and still manage to get hit, then I'll be a complete failure."

Sun Shengli couldn't help but chuckle, Zhao Wenlong grinned, and even Tian Chengjun's lips curled up slightly.

The atmosphere in the room immediately relaxed.

The tense, competitive spirit from just now vanished.

Tian Chengjun stood up.

"Commander, I'll go back and screen people now."

"We'll finalize the list overnight and show it to you first thing tomorrow morning."

Zhao Wenlong and Sun Shengli also stood up.

Zhou Tianyang nodded.

"Go."

"The assault company will assemble at the threshing ground at 3 PM tomorrow."

"I'll show them around the terrain and routes in Wangjiaping."

The three men saluted, turned around, and strode out.

The footsteps faded into the distance in the courtyard, disappearing into the night.

Zhou Tianyang stood by the window.

Watching the three figures disappear outside the courtyard gate.

I looked up at the moon in the sky again.