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

"The more than three hundred men that Battalion Commander Deng brought were all scattered."

"Distribute them evenly among the first, second, and third battalions."

Zhou Tianyang's tone was calm, carrying a sense of certainty that came from careful consideration.

"They are veterans with rich combat experience, but they are new here and need time to get used to working with our soldiers."

"Break them apart and weave them in; they'll get to know each other quickly."

His gaze shifted to Deng Chen.

"Battalion Commander Deng, you have no objections, do you?"

Deng Chen sat up straight and shook his head.

"Commander, I have no objection."

"I said it from day one: once you arrive at the Second New Regiment, you belong to the Second New Regiment."

"Whatever you say, I'll make the arrangements."

Zhou Tianyang nodded and continued.

"Then, a portion of soldiers were drawn from the first, second, and third battalions to form the fourth battalion."

"Deng Chen was appointed as the battalion commander of the fourth battalion."

He shifted his gaze from Deng Chen and swept it over Zhao Wenlong, Tian Chengjun, and Sun Shengli.

The three people spoke almost simultaneously.

Zhao Wenlong was the first to express his opinion.

"Commander, no problem!"

Tian Chengjun nodded.

"The Second Battalion is fine too."

"I can get everyone on roll and hand them over to Battalion Commander Deng tomorrow."

Sun Shengli slapped his thigh.

"The Third Battalion is no problem at all!"

"Don't worry, Commander!"

Deng Chen sat at the end of the table, listening to the three battalion commanders make their statements one after another.

His gaze lingered on the weaving diagram for a moment, then he slowly spoke.

"Don't worry, Commander. Although I'm new here, I won't be lax about the training."

Zhou Tianyang nodded and then turned around.

Pointing to the largest circle in the picture.

"I have other plans for the artillery battalion; it will be formally established once the personnel are in place."

Zhao Wenlong's gaze followed Zhou Tianyang's finger to the largest circle.

"Commander, has the battalion commander for the artillery battalion been decided?"

"not yet."

Zhou Tianyang did not hide anything, his tone carrying a confident and frank tone.

"I am preparing to coordinate with the brigade headquarters to try to transfer an experienced artillery commander over."

"If our new Second Regiment is to establish an artillery battalion, we can't just have a few cannons. We need people who can command, coordinate, measure distances, and calibrate."

"In this regard, we don't have a suitable candidate in our group yet."

None of the four people spoke.

They knew Zhou Tianyang was right.

An artillery battalion is not just about having cannons; it also needs commanders who understand technology.

Deng Chen looked at the picture on the wall, remained silent for a moment, and then said something.

"Commander, back when I was in the 88th Division, there was an artillery regiment at the division headquarters, equipped with German-made equipment."

"I was commanding infantry at the time and cooperated with them a few times. The efficiency and accuracy of fire support were completely different from the infantry battalion operating mortars on its own."

"you're right."

Zhou Tianyang nodded.

"Therefore, the matter of the artillery battalion cannot be taken lightly."

"I will get the personnel in place as soon as possible."

He stood up, walked to the wall, and took down the weaving diagram.

"Tomorrow's task is for the First, Second, and Third Battalions to each select soldiers and hand them over to Battalion Commander Deng."

"yes!"

The four people stood up at the same time and answered in unison.

Zhou Tianyang's gaze swept across the four people's faces one by one, and the corners of his mouth curved slightly.

"Alright, everyone get back to work."

Zhao Wenlong was the first to turn around and walk towards the door, his steps large and fast.

Tian Chengjun followed behind him, his steps still steady, but a smile was clearly on his lips.

As Sun Shengli reached the door, he turned back and grinned.

"Commander, once the artillery battalion is built, our new Second Regiment will truly have everything we need."

"At that time, fighting the Japanese will be a piece of cake!"

Zhou Tianyang smiled and waved his hand.

"Alright, stop joking around and get to training."

Sun Shengli chuckled and strode after the two people in front of him.

Deng Chen walked at the very back, paused at the door, and turned to look at Zhou Tianyang.

"Commander, you can rest assured that the Fourth Battalion is in my hands."

Zhou Tianyang looked at him, nodded, and didn't say anything more.

Deng Chen turned around and strode out.

The sound of footsteps gradually faded away in the courtyard.

They quickly disappeared around the corner of the alley.

Zhou Tianyang walked back to the table, sat down, picked up his teacup, took a sip of water, then leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh.

Four infantry battalions and one artillery battalion.

The staffing arrangements have been finalized.

The rest is about implementing each item one by one, turning the plans on paper into a real team.

His gaze fell on the sun-drenched threshing ground outside the window.

On the threshing ground, soldiers of the New Second Regiment were training.

Slogans rose and fell, echoing in the afternoon air.

Zhou Tianyang watched for a long time.

He will go to the brigade headquarters to find the brigade commander first thing tomorrow morning.

We need to bring Tian Guoqiang over and finalize the matter of the artillery battalion.

The next morning.

When Zhou Tianyang pushed open the door of the regimental headquarters and walked out, there were already people moving around in the threshing ground.

Several early-rising soldiers were washing their faces by the well.

Upon seeing him emerge, they all stood at attention and saluted.

Zhou Tianyang nodded and strode towards the village entrance.

He walked alone along the mountain path towards the brigade headquarters without anyone by his side.

It's a mountain road of over forty miles, but if you walk fast, it only takes a little over two hours to get there.

He walked briskly, his expression calm.

I went over what I was going to say to the brigade commander in my mind again.

He remembered Wang Xiuying's instructions very clearly.

First, talk about the situation of the new Second Regiment, so that the brigade commander knows that he is seriously planning and not acting on impulse.

Wait until he's pleased with what you've heard before bringing up the matter of people.

Zhou Tianyang mentally went over those words again.

Only after confirming that nothing had been missed did they quicken their pace.

He arrived at the brigade headquarters around 9 a.m.

The sentry at the village entrance recognized him from afar and immediately stood at attention and saluted.

Zhou Tianyang waved his hand and strode into the village.

In the brigade headquarters courtyard, Brigade Commander Chen was squatting next to a stone table, holding a teacup in his hand, talking to Political Commissar Wang.

Seeing Zhou Tianyang walk in, he put down his teacup, leaned back in his chair, and looked at him with a hint of surprise.

"Tianyang, what brings you here?"

Zhou Tianyang walked to the stone table and stood at attention.

"Brigadier, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."

Brigade Commander Chen glanced at him.

He glanced at Political Commissar Wang next to him, then pointed to the stone bench opposite.

"Sit down and talk."

Zhou Tianyang sat down on the stone bench.

"Brigade Commander, the Second New Regiment now has nearly 2,500 men."

Brigade Commander Chen's eyebrows twitched slightly, but he did not interrupt him.

"I plan to expand the Second New Regiment into five battalions: four infantry battalions and one artillery battalion."

Brigade Commander Chen's eyes lit up, but he still didn't speak, just leaned back in his chair, waiting for Zhou Tianyang to continue.

Zhou Tianyang explained in detail the current organizational structure, personnel allocation plan, and the formation plan for the fourth battalion of the new Second Regiment.

He explained in great detail how Deng Chen's more than 300 men were dispersed and distributed to various battalions.

From drawing soldiers from various battalions to form the Fourth Battalion, and then to the planning of the artillery battalion.

Every step was explained clearly.

After he finished speaking, the courtyard was quiet for a moment.

Commander Chen picked up his teacup, took a sip of water, and looked at Zhou Tianyang with a thoughtful expression.

"Tianyang, you've taken quite a step."

"Four infantry battalions plus one artillery battalion, a total of 2,500 men, which is a large regiment even in the Eighth Route Army."

Are you sure you can do it?

"Brigade Commander, I am confident."

Zhou Tianyang's tone was firm.

"In terms of personnel, Battalion Commander Deng's more than 300 men are all veterans who have fought in many battles. After they are incorporated into the various battalions, their combat effectiveness will be directly improved."

Brigade Commander Chen listened quietly without immediately expressing his opinion.

His gaze lingered on Zhou Tianyang's face for a long while, as if he were weighing something.

Then he spoke slowly, his tone carrying a hint of agreement.

"Your plan is indeed very well done."

"Personnel, equipment, training—every aspect was considered; it wasn't just something we came up with on a whim."

He paused, his gaze becoming serious.

"But what do you plan to do about the artillery battalion?"

"Artillery is not infantry; it's not enough to just have people. You need people who understand the technology to lead it."