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

Zhou Tianyang remained silent for a moment.

"I see."

"The mission of the new Second Regiment is to stop the Japanese soldiers and prevent them from entering the heart of the base area."

Brigade Commander Chen looked at him with a complex sense of satisfaction in his eyes.

"It's good that you understand."

"Then let's proceed according to your plan."

That evening, Brigade Commander Chen stayed at Lijia Yu.

Old Ma from the cookhouse rarely uses his best skills again.

I stewed a pot of meat soup, stir-fried a plate of eggs, and mixed a dish of wild vegetables.

Although it wasn't a lavish meal, it was a very good treat for the times.

Zhou Tianyang took out the half-full jar of sweet potato liquor, poured a bowl for the brigade commander, and then poured a bowl for himself.

Wang Xiuying also took a small bowl and sat on the side of the stone table, with a plate of peanuts and a plate of pickled vegetables in front of her.

Commander Chen picked up his wine bowl, took a sip, put the bowl down, and let out a long sigh of relief.

His gaze fell on Zhou Tianyang's face, his tone carrying a rare sense of emotion.

"Tianyang, when you opened that letter today, I saw your hands were shaking."

Zhou Tianyang did not deny it.

"Brigadier, that's a letter written by that commander."

"Anyone would be shaking."

Brigade Commander Chen smiled.

"Yes, we Eighth Route Army members receive very few personal letters from that commander."

"You received one today."

Wang Xiuying picked up a peanut, put it in her mouth, chewed it slowly, and then started the conversation.

"Old Chen, you're making it sound like you're so envious."

"Didn't you also receive letters from your superiors when you were in the Red Army?"

Brigade Commander Chen waved his hand.

"My letter is different; it was a combat order, handled strictly by official procedures. It's completely different from Tianyang's letter."

He paused, as if he had remembered something.

"I remember the last time I received a handwritten letter from that leader was Brigade Commander Wang of our 385th Brigade."

"That was in 1936. He won a battle during the Eastern Expedition, and the commander personally wrote a letter to praise him."

"He still treasures that letter like a precious gem. I saw it once; it was wrapped in red silk and kept in an iron box."

Wang Xiuying picked up the wine bowl and took a sip.

"Old Chen, the way you're saying it makes it sound like Tianyang's letter isn't worth treasuring."

Brigade Commander Chen immediately shook his head.

That's not what I meant.

"Tianyang's letter is even more valuable than Brigade Commander Wang's."

"Brigade Commander Wang's letter praised his military achievements, while Tianyang's letter affirmed him as a person and the contributions of his entire family."

"That has a completely different meaning."

Zhou Tianyang listened silently, holding his wine bowl, without interrupting.

He knew the weight of that letter.

Wang Xiuying put down the wine bowl.

"Old Chen, how many handwritten letters do you think that leader writes each year?"

Commander Chen thought for a moment and held up three fingers.

"Sometimes three to five letters, sometimes one or two."

"It might not happen even once a year that someone is praised by name directly in a letter."

After he finished speaking, his gaze returned to Zhou Tianyang's face.

Zhou Tianyang picked up the wine bowl and took a sip.

The spiciness of the roasted sweet potato burned from my throat all the way down to my stomach, leaving me feeling warm and cozy.

"Brigadier, to be honest, I never thought I would have this honor."

Brigade Commander Chen leaned back in his chair.

"You know perfectly well what you've done."

Wang Xiuying watched the two of them from the side.

"Tianyang, what was the last sentence of your letter?"

Zhou Tianyang remained silent for a moment, as if he were recalling something.

The last sentence reads, "We hope you will continue to persevere and strive tirelessly for the cause of national liberation."

Brigade Commander Chen picked up his wine bowl.

"You understand the weight of these words."

Zhou Tianyang lowered his gaze.

He could feel the heavy weight of the letter, a weight that made him feel both grounded and burdened with a profound sense of responsibility.

He recalled every step he had taken since his transmigration.

From just over 120 people when the 772nd Regiment left, it has grown to more than 2,500 people today.

From the first shot fired at Taiyuan Guangshe Airport to the two shots fired at the main gate of the East China Expeditionary Army Headquarters in Shanghai.

Every step felt like walking on a knife's edge, every shot felt like gambling with one's life.

But he won his gamble!

And they won more than anyone expected.

Wang Xiuying looked at him as if she could see right through his thoughts.

"Tianyang, don't overthink it."

"That letter was affirmation, not pressure."

"Just do what you were supposed to do, and live up to the letter."

Zhou Tianyang nodded.

"Big sister is right."

Commander Chen picked up his wine bowl, took a big gulp, put the bowl down, and his gaze became serious again.

"Tianyang, keep that letter safe, don't lose it."

Zhou Tianyang nodded.

"Don't worry, brigade commander, I keep it close to my body."

Brigade Commander Chen looked at him.

"Also, remember why that letter came."

"This isn't to let you rest on your laurels, but to give you more confidence when it matters."

Zhou Tianyang nodded seriously, remembering every word of those words.

The dishes on the table were gradually emptied, and the night grew deeper.

Brigade Commander Chen put down his bowl and stood up.

"Alright, it's getting late, you should get some rest."

Zhou Tianyang also stood up.

Brigade Commander Chen waved his hand and strode out.

Zhou Tianyang stood in the courtyard, watching the brigade commander's figure disappear at the gate, then turned around and sat down again at the stone table.

He reached out and touched the letter in his pocket.

He took another deep breath and slowly exhaled.

The letter lay quietly on his chest, like an invisible shield.

He turned off the oil lamp and sat in the darkness for a while.

Then he stood up and went back to his room.

The next morning.

The roosters in Lijia Yu had just crowed for the first time.

Brigade Commander Chen then pushed open the courtyard gate and came out.

Zhou Tianyang was standing at the entrance of the regimental department, waiting.

"Brigade Commander, you're leaving already?"

Commander Chen nodded, his gaze sweeping over Zhou Tianyang's shoulder and across the blurry outline of the Taihang Mountains in the distance.

"Let's get going as soon as possible; there's a ton of stuff waiting for me at the brigade headquarters."

Zhou Tianyang did not try to stop him, and took half a step forward.

"Brigade Commander, I'll escort you to the village entrance."

Brigade Commander Chen waved his hand, but did not refuse.

The two walked side by side along the village road toward the village entrance.

When we reached the entrance of the village.

Brigade Commander Chen stopped and turned around to look at Zhou Tianyang.

His expression became a few degrees more serious than before.

"Tianyang, we must not be careless about the Japanese sweep."

Zhou Tianyang straightened his back and listened attentively.

Brigade Commander Chen continued:

"You need to understand one thing: the Japanese soldiers are far more powerful than the puppet troops."

"Their individual soldier quality, firepower configuration, and coordinated combat capabilities are not to be underestimated."

"Moreover, no one can guarantee that the intelligence will be accurate."

"What if the actual number of troops is greater than what was detected by reconnaissance, or they change their route at the last minute?"

"If you don't respond in time, the villagers will suffer as a result."

Zhou Tianyang nodded.

"Brigadier, I understand."

"The new Second Regiment will prepare contingency plans and devise corresponding solutions for all three possible routes."

"If the Japanese really take the Lugu road, we have prepared ambush positions in both locations, which can be used to attack or defend."

"If the Japanese change course at the last minute, we also have a rapid deployment plan to prevent them from breaking through the defense line and entering the heart of the base area."

After listening, Brigade Commander Chen nodded slightly, but his expression remained serious.

"On the battlefield, no matter how comprehensive the contingency plan is, it can't keep up with changes."

"You must remember this ironclad rule!"

"If you prepare too much, your strength will be divided; if your strength is divided, it will be difficult to defend."

"Don't spread your forces too thin; when it matters, you need to be able to concentrate your forces and unleash a powerful punch."

"In addition, it is essential to maintain uninterrupted communication, and to adjust deployments as quickly as possible once changes in the enemy situation are detected."

Zhou Tianyang listened attentively, memorizing every word the brigade commander said.

"Brigade Commander, I've got it."

Commander Chen paused, his gaze becoming even more earnest.

"Also, if there is any need for support, send someone to the brigade headquarters to report it in a timely manner."

Looking into the brigade commander's sharp eyes, Zhou Tianyang felt a surge of inexplicable warmth in his heart.

"Brigadier, I will."

"Brigade Commander Chen patted him on the shoulder."

"Alright, I've said everything I needed to say."

"You go ahead with your work, I'm leaving."

Commander Chen said nothing more, turned around and strode toward the horse tied to the tree at the village entrance.