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

Ma Yong walked to his side and followed his gaze.

"Commander, are you really going to take them all back to Shanxi?"

"Um."

"More than 300 people, plus our guard platoon of 30, that makes nearly 350 people."

"Traveling such a long way, and having to cross several blockades along the way, will cause quite a stir."

"There are risks, but it's worth it."

Ma Yong didn't say anything more.

He stood there, watching the busy figures, and remained silent for a long time.

"Commander, do you think Deng Chen's soldiers will get along well with our troops after they arrive at the New Second Regiment?"

Zhou Tianyang did not answer immediately.

He stood at the edge of the camp, gazing at the distant, rolling mountain range.

"They are all people who fought against the Japanese, and they will integrate into the community over time."

"They and our soldiers are originally one family."

Ma Yong nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

He turned and walked down the mountain, intending to notify the guard platoon to prepare for their rescue.

night.

Several oil lamps were lit on Eagle Sorrow Ridge.

Deng Chen did not mistreat Zhou Tianyang.

He had several dishes placed on a long table made of planks in the center of the camp.

A pot of stewed wild rabbit meat, a dish of pickled vegetables, a pot of mixed grain porridge, and a few steamed buns mixed with wild vegetables.

Having spent a year in the mountains, being able to offer these things to guests is already a huge sacrifice.

Zhou Tianyang sat on one side of the table, Deng Chen sat opposite him, and Ma Yong sat next to him.

Several company commanders were sent by Deng Chen to settle their troops, leaving only the three of them in the room.

"Commander, the conditions on the mountain are simple, and we don't have anything fancy to offer you, so please don't mind."

Deng Chen picked up the bowl in front of him; it contained hot water but no wine.

He took a sip, put down the bowl, and his gaze fell on Zhou Tianyang.

Zhou Tianyang also picked up the bowl and took a sip. The water was warm and had the unique sweetness of spring water.

He put down his bowl, picked up a piece of rabbit meat, put it in his mouth, and chewed it slowly. The taste was not exactly exquisite.

But in this day and age, a pot of hot meat soup is already a rare treat.

"Battalion Commander Deng, you've had a tough year on the mountain."

Zhou Tianyang put down his chopsticks and looked at Deng Chen.

Deng Chen remained silent for a moment.

He picked up a piece of rabbit meat, chewed it twice, swallowed it, and then slowly opened his mouth.

"It really wasn't easy."

"When we first arrived on the mountain, we lacked everything: food, ammunition, medicine, and clothing."

"At that time, all we had were those German-made weapons. The guns were good, but every round of ammunition we fired was one less we had left."

He paused, as if recalling those most difficult days.

"Later, we started going down the mountain to intercept the Japanese transport convoys."

"If we can't beat the big ones, we beat the small ones; if we can't beat the whole team, we beat the lone ones. That's how we gradually built up our strength."

"Most of the ammunition we have now are captured Type 38 rifles, and the ammunition is barely enough for daily training and patrols."

"If a major war breaks out, we won't be able to hold out for long."

Zhou Tianyang listened without interrupting.

He could hear the calm that had settled down after experiencing hardship in Deng Chen's tone.

That's something shaped by reality, not something you're born with.

"Battalion Commander Deng, what kind of guns are you using now?"

Zhou Tianyang put down his bowl and asked a question.

Deng Chen thought for a moment, as if taking stock of his inventory in his mind.

"Most of them were Type 24 rifles, some were Type 38 rifles, and a few were Type 11 light machine guns captured from the Japanese."

As he spoke, his gaze suddenly fell on a guard platoon standing at the door.

The man was holding an MP40 submachine gun in his arms, standing upright, his eyes scanning the perimeter of the camp with alertness.

Deng Chen's gaze lingered on the gun for several seconds before slowly turning to Zhou Tianyang, his tone tinged with a hint of probing.

"Commander, I noticed during the day that the soldiers in your guard platoon were carrying submachine guns..."

"It looks like it was made in Germany?"

Zhou Tianyang followed his gaze to the soldier at the door, then looked away, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Battalion Commander Deng has a good eye. That's definitely a German product, an MP40 submachine gun."

Deng Chen's eyebrows twitched slightly.

It was as if something had touched a chord deep within my memory.

He was silent for a few seconds, then asked another question.

"I saw German-made submachine guns when I was in the 88th Division, but they weren't widely deployed back then."

"What are you doing...?"

He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was already quite clear.

He wanted to know why an Eighth Route Army unit would be equipped with weapons of this caliber.

Zhou Tianyang did not rush to answer.

He picked up the bowl, took another sip of water, then put the bowl down, his gaze falling on Deng Chen's face, his tone calm and natural.

"Battalion Commander Deng, this is a good opportunity to give you a briefing on the current equipment situation of our new Second Regiment."

Deng Chen sat up straight, his gaze becoming serious.

Zhou Tianyang pointed to the MP40 in the arms of the soldier at the door.

"That's a German-made MP40 submachine gun, 9mm caliber, 32-round magazine capacity, effective range of 200 meters, and rate of fire of 500 rounds per minute."

"This type of gun is the standard issue equipment for our regiment's guard platoon; it's very effective for close-quarters fire suppression."

Deng Chen's gaze lingered on the gun for a moment, then he looked away and at Zhou Tianyang, as if waiting for him to continue.

Zhou Tianyang didn't keep him waiting long and continued.

"The guard platoon is equipped with MP40s, but the front-line combat troops of the entire regiment are equipped with American weapons, not German ones."

"American-made equipment?"

Deng Chen repeated the word, his tone clearly showing surprise.

"Yes, American equipment."

Zhou Tianyang's tone remained calm, as if he were stating something perfectly ordinary.

"The M1 Garand semi-automatic rifle is 7.62 mm in caliber, has an 8-round magazine capacity, and uses a slotted clip for feeding."

"Effective range of 730 meters, rate of fire of 40 to 50 rounds per minute, semi-automatic fire, no need to pull the bolt, one shot is fired by pulling the trigger."

He paused here, looking at Deng Chen's expression.

"In other words, one of our soldiers can fire three to four times the firepower of a regular bolt-action rifle in the same amount of time."

"Moreover, this gun is highly accurate and reliable, and its performance on the battlefield is much better than that of the Type 38 rifle and the Type 24 rifle."

Deng Chen's Adam's apple bobbed up and down.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he said nothing.

He just sat there silently, trying to process the information he had just heard.

Ma Yong remained silent throughout.

Seeing Deng Chen's expression, I couldn't help but laugh.

"Battalion Commander Deng, what the regimental commander said is only part of the story."

"Our regiment has now been fully equipped with M1 Garand rifles, and each battalion is equipped with ten MG42 general-purpose machine guns and five mortars. Our firepower is the strongest in the Eighth Route Army."

Deng Chen's gaze shifted to Ma Yong, then back to Zhou Tianyang.

It was as if they were confirming the truth or falsehood of these words.