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

noon.

Liushugou Village, temporary command post.

In the courtyard, Zhou Tianyang and Li Yunlong squatted on the stone stools.

One person is holding a bowl of corn porridge.

He was munching on a few dark, pickled vegetable chunks with loud slurping.

This corn porridge is so thick that chopsticks can stand upright in it.

The villagers specially added extra cornmeal to the cooking.

The soldiers' room was the same; each person had a bowl of thick porridge and a piece of pickled vegetables.

In those days, this was considered the best food.

Li Yunlong drank the porridge with great relish.

That's how he always eats—he finishes his bowl of porridge in no time.

He put the bowl on the ground, took out a cigarette case from his pocket, and put a cigarette in his mouth.

He struck a match, lit it, squinted, and exhaled a puff of smoke.

"Zhou Xiaogui, do you think the Japanese patrol will come today?"

Zhou Tianyang sipped his porridge slowly.

His eating pace was completely different from Li Yunlong's; he ate slowly and deliberately, taking small bites at a time.

It's like savoring some rare delicacy.

It's basically just a bowl of corn porridge, without a single drop of oil.

"Didn't you send someone to touch it?"

"We'll know when the scouts get back."

Li Yunlong snorted.

The cigarette dangled from the corner of his mouth, its glow flickering.

"I sent three men out to sneak along both sides of the road; they should be back by now."

The voice just fell.

Hurried footsteps could be heard outside the courtyard.

A soldier rushed in, panting heavily, sweat dripping down his face.

His military uniform was torn in several places by thorns, and his trouser legs were covered with yellow dirt.

"Report!"

Li Yunlong suddenly stood up, and the cigarette almost fell out of his mouth.

"explain!"

The scout stood at attention, saluted, and wiped away his sweat.

His voice trembled slightly from running so fast.

"Commander, Commander Zhou!"

"We spotted the Japanese troops about five kilometers east of Heifeng Pass!"

How many people?

Li Yunlong narrowed his eyes.

"A squadron, about two hundred men, and five trucks!"

The scout's voice was clear and distinct.

The cigarette in Li Yunlong's hand fell to the ground.

Zhou Tianyang paused slightly while holding the bowl, but quickly resumed his normal posture.

He looked up and his gaze fell on the scout's face.

"What's on the truck?"

"The truck was covered with a tarpaulin, so we couldn't see what was inside."

"But judging from the tire tracks, it was very heavy, so it must be supplies."

The scout answered clearly and concisely.

They have clearly undergone rigorous training.

"What about the troop deployment for the escort?"

Zhou Tianyang pressed for more information.

"The Japanese company was in marching formation, with the infantry divided into three groups: about fifty men on each of the left and right flanks, and a convoy in the middle, with about fifty men guarding the front and back of the convoy."

"Light and heavy machine guns were positioned at the front and rear of the convoy, about four to six in total."

"No artillery was seen, but there were grenade launchers, the number of which is unknown."

After hearing this, Li Yunlong's face darkened completely.

He paced around the yard for a couple of steps, his brow furrowed in a frown.

Then he squatted down, picked up the cigarette butt that had fallen to the ground, put it back in his mouth, and took a deep drag.

"A squadron, more than two hundred people, five trucks, and they were also escorting supplies."

He muttered to himself in a low voice.

"Damn it, this isn't a patrol team, it's clearly a transport team!"

Zhou Tianyang put down his bowl of porridge and stood up.

I walked to the stone table in the courtyard and pushed the bowls and chopsticks on the table aside.

He took a small notebook out of his pocket, opened it to a blank page, and began to write and draw on it.

"Five kilometers. At the Japanese marching speed, it will take about two hours to reach Heifengkou."

He looked up at Li Yunlong.

"Old Li, we need to hurry."

Li Yunlong raised his head and his gaze lingered on Zhou Tianyang's face for a few seconds.

That gaze was complex.

There was excitement, hesitation, and worry.

There's also a kind of ruthlessness that's hard to describe.

"Zhou Xiaogui, do you know what a Japanese company means?"

"Know."

Zhou Tianyang nodded.

"A full-strength Japanese infantry company has between two hundred and two hundred and fifty men."

"It has three squads, each with three platoons, equipped with light and heavy machine guns and grenade launchers."

"Their firepower is no less than that of one of our main battalions."

"Do you even know how many people we have right now? How many guns?"

Li Yunlong's voice lowered.

"Two companies, more than two hundred men, one hundred guns, and one thousand rounds of ammunition."

"Heavy weapons, zero."

Zhou Tianyang spoke slowly and deliberately.

"So, do you think we can win?"

Li Yunlong stared at him.

Zhou Tianyang did not rush to answer.

He lowered his head, looking at the simple diagrams drawn in the notebook, his mind racing.

A Japanese company, more than two hundred men, well-equipped and well-trained.

They also had over two hundred people, but their equipment was far inferior.

Of the 100 guns, Hanyang rifles and Chiang Kai-shek rifles accounted for 70%, Type 38 rifles accounted for less than 20%, and the rest were old-fashioned rifles.

Bullets were scarce, averaging less than ten per person.

Can we win this war?

The gap is too large based on the data on paper.

The firepower of a Japanese company is at least three to four times that of their side.

If we were to engage in a head-on confrontation, let alone fight, we'd struggle to even defend.

But this is not a direct confrontation.

This is an ambush.

They have the advantage of terrain, the element of surprise, and pre-prepared positions.

Moreover, this is a transport team, not a combat unit.

Although there were a considerable number of guards, their main task was escorting goods, not fighting.

The key is.

Those five trucks were carrying supplies!

Zhou Tianyang's eyes lit up.

Five truckloads of supplies—what does that mean?

It means food, ammunition, clothing, and medicine—the things they lack most.

They might all be in these five cars!

If this battle is won, and these supplies are captured...

Then the new first and second regiments would have a solid financial foundation.

At least for the time being, we won't have to worry about food and ammunition.

They can focus on recruiting and training their troops.

If we can't win...

Zhou Tianyang raised his head and looked at Li Yunlong.

Li Yunlong was also looking at him.

Their eyes met in mid-air.

"Old Li, what are you worried about?"

Zhou Tianyang asked.

Li Yunlong took a drag of his cigarette.

"I worry about everything."

He stood up and paced back and forth in the courtyard, his steps hurried and heavy.

"A squadron of over two hundred people and five trucks—this size has exceeded our original plan."

"We originally planned to fight a small team, fifty or sixty people, and we were confident of victory."

"Now a squadron has arrived, more than two hundred people, two or three times the number."

He stopped and turned to look at Zhou Tianyang, his eyes filled with a complex expression.

"Zhou Xiaogui, you know what we're really made of."

"Two companies of veterans, one hundred guns, and one thousand rounds of ammunition."

"This little bit of stuff is the foundation for building our team."

"If you shine the light, there will be nothing left."

Zhou Tianyang remained silent.

I just listened quietly.

He knew what Li Yunlong was worried about.

This isn't a matter of being timid or not.

This is a basic quality of a commander.

Assess the risks and weigh the pros and cons.

Li Yunlong was a man who never backed down in battle.

But he wasn't a reckless fool; he knew how to calculate.

He knows in his heart when to fight and when not to fight.

Taking down a small Japanese squad is a high-probability, low-risk endeavor, and while the spoils may not be plentiful, it's a sure thing.

Taking down a Japanese company is a risky and risky endeavor, though the spoils may be plentiful.

But if things go wrong, you'll lose all your capital.

Anyone can do the math.

"Old Li, I have a question for you."

Zhou Tianyang suddenly spoke.

Li Yunlong looked up at him.

"What do you think we lack most right now?"

"We lack everything."

Li Yunlong didn't even think about it.

"Gun, bullet, food, medicine, clothing, everything is lacking."

"Yes, we lack everything."

Zhou Tianyang nodded.

"But what's the most lacking thing?"

Li Yunlong was stunned for a moment.

He squinted and thought for a moment, a cigarette dangling from his lips, its glow flickering.

After a long while, he slowly spoke.

"It's an opportunity."

"Yes, that's the opportunity."

Zhou Tianyang stood up, walked up to Li Yunlong, and looked him straight in the eye.

"Old Li, we're starting from scratch now, from zero."

"The brigade headquarters gave us a company of veterans, fifty guns, and five hundred rounds of ammunition."

"What can this little bit of wealth do?"

"Enough for a small battle, to capture a few guns and dozens of bullets."

"and then?"

"And yet we still lack everything."

His tone was calm, but every word he spoke was firm and resolute.

"But if we can take out this squadron and seize the supplies from these five trucks, the situation will be completely different."

"We have ammunition, and we probably have medicine too."

"With these things, we can recruit soldiers, expand our forces, and fight bigger battles."

Li Yunlong fell silent.

He knew Zhou Tianyang was right.

An opportunity, a real opportunity.

The supplies in five trucks were practically a mobile gold mine in those days.

You can't find it even if you want to normally.

It's being served to me now.

If you don't take a bite.

That would be a real shame to God.

But what about the risks?

The risk is too great.