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

The room was quiet for a while.

Deng Chen spoke first, his voice remaining steady.

"Platoon Leader Ma came up the mountain yesterday and told me about your situation."

"They said you came from Shanxi and passed through here, and that you fought three battles in Shandong and helped the guerrillas take down two strongholds."

He paused, his gaze lingering on Zhou Tianyang's face for a moment.

"Are you a unit of the Eighth Route Army?"

"Yes."

Zhou Tianyang didn't beat around the bush and directly picked up where he left off.

"The new Second Regiment, from the 386th Brigade."

"We came out of Shanxi on a mission and are now heading back."

After he finished speaking, he added another sentence.

"I was passing by and heard about your story."

Deng Chen did not respond immediately.

He remained silent for a while before raising his head.

"Then you should know who we are."

His voice remained steady, but something was subtly churning beneath the calm surface.

"From the 88th Division, formerly."

"Right now, I don't even know what I should be considered."

"I'm not very good at talking."

"I was thinking about it yesterday, what I should say if you really come to see me."

"But once I actually sat down here, I swallowed all those words back."

He paused, seemingly refining his words.

"Commander Zhou, the more than three hundred men under my command all came down from Shanghai with me."

"It's a miracle that we survived that place."

"Among these more than three hundred people, some have lost their parents and have nowhere to go, and some have had their homes burned down and have nowhere to return to."

"Some lost their wives and children and didn't know how to live, while others were wounded in battle and couldn't return to their original units."

"They followed me up the mountain and didn't scatter because I could still lead them to fight the Japanese."

"But I don't know how much longer I can lead them in this game."

His gaze was fixed on the table, as if he were looking at something very far away.

"To be honest, life on this mountain is not easy."

"We must conserve our food and our bullets. Since we can't go down the mountain to rob the people, we can only rely on the Japanese transport teams for supplies."

"If you can fight, then fight; if you can't, then starve."

"After living like this for so long, people almost forget why they joined the army in the first place."

"Yesterday, Platoon Leader Ma came up the mountain and told us about the situation of your Eighth Route Army in Shanxi."

"They say you have territory, a base, and a rear."

"To be honest, I haven't heard these words in a long time."

"Territory, base, and rear have long become a luxury for us."

Zhou Tianyang listened quietly without interrupting him.

After Deng Chen finished speaking, he didn't rush to reply.

"Battalion Commander Deng, please listen to me for a moment."

Zhou Tianyang spoke, his voice not loud, but very clear.

"As you said yourself, the Japanese are still here, and the war isn't over yet."

"You three hundred-plus veterans were forged in the blood and fire of the Battle of Shanghai and the Battle of Nanjing."

"Your skills should not be scattered on the mountain."

Deng Chen's gaze shifted slightly, but he still didn't respond.

"But what if you're willing to bring these three hundred-plus people with you and come with me?"

Zhou Tianyang looked at him, his tone low, but every word was firm.

"I can give you a definite answer."

"You've not come to seek refuge with anyone; you're returning to your unit."

"You are veterans of the 88th Division. The country and the people remember your unit number and your achievements."

"But unit designations and achievements cannot feed you, cannot be used as ammunition, and cannot give you the confidence to survive."

"If you are willing to join the new Second Regiment, I can guarantee that you will not have to worry about equipment, supplies, or your escape route."

"You can continue to fight the Japanese, continue to risk your lives, but you no longer have to live a precarious life on the mountain."

"Your blood will not be shed in vain again."

The room fell silent.

Deng Chen lowered his head and remained silent.

His fingers tightened slightly on his knee.

Zhou Tianyang didn't urge him or say anything more.

Time passed by, second by second.

Then Deng Chen raised his head.

The look in his eyes had changed.

"Commander Zhou."

His voice was slightly hoarse, but he spoke each word clearly.

"What you just said, is it true?"

"real."

Deng Chen remained silent for a moment, then slowly stood up.

He walked to the window, turned his back to Zhou Tianyang, and looked at the continuous mountain shadows outside.

He stood there, motionless for a long time.

Then he turned around.

"My 300-plus men are poorly equipped, lack ammunition, and their food supplies won't last long."

"But there's one thing we'll never lose."

"When we fought the Japanese, we never retreated."

He walked back to the table, stood in front of Zhou Tianyang, and then extended his hand.

"Commander Zhou, we'll follow you."

Zhou Tianyang stood up and took his hand.

Welcome back to the team.

Deng Chen let go of her hand, turned around, and called out towards the door.

"Call all the company and platoon leaders over and tell them that we have something important to announce."

A moment later, hurried footsteps came from outside the door.

Seven or eight people walked in one after another.

They were all around thirty years old, though they were dressed in various casual clothes.

But his figure and posture exuded the uprightness of a soldier, etched into his bones over the years.

Deng Chen's gaze swept across their faces one by one before he spoke.

"Brothers, from this day forward, our army is no longer alone."

"This is Commander Zhou of the Second New Regiment of the 386th Brigade of the Eighth Route Army. He came up the mountain today to recruit us."

He paused here.

It was as if to give those words some time to be digested.

"I told you guys, this team would fall apart sooner or later."

"But I don't want it to be scattered on the mountaintop, I don't want more than three hundred brothers to disappear silently like this."

"Now, the opportunity has come."

"He has equipment, supplies, and a backup plan, while we have veteran soldiers who can fight the Japanese and fearless courage."

"When the two sides come together, they can accomplish great things."

The company commanders fell silent for a moment.

They looked at each other.

Then the square-faced man at the front spoke first, his voice loud and clear.

"Battalion Commander, wherever you go, we'll go."

"Yes, we'll listen to the battalion commander."

"Follow the battalion commander, you can't go wrong."

Deng Chen didn't say much, he just nodded.

"Then it's settled."

He turned around and looked at Zhou Tianyang.

"Commander Zhou, when do we depart?"

Zhou Tianyang thought for a moment and then said a date.

"Today we'll pack our things and take everything we can from the camp. We'll set off early tomorrow morning."

Without hesitation, Deng Chen turned to the company commanders and said:

"Did you hear everything?"

"Go back and each of you should pack your things. Take everything you need and don't dawdle."

"yes!"

Several people responded and strode out of the house.

The footsteps quickly faded away outside the door.

It quickly turned into shouts and responses coming from different places as they went about their separate actions.

Zhou Tianyang walked out of the house and stood at the edge of the camp, watching the busy figures.