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

The two returned to the regimental headquarters one after the other.

Zhou Tianyang walked to the table.

He took the pistol off his waist and placed it on the table, then pulled out a chair and sat down.

Zhao Wenlong sat opposite him, waiting for him to speak.

Zhou Tianyang didn't rush to speak.

He picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip of water.

His gaze fell on the hand-drawn topographical map on the wall.

Black Wind Village is in the southeast, and Wild Wolf Valley is in the north.

The three alliances are scattered in the west.

Three points, like three nails, are driven into different corners of this mountainous area.

"Wenlong".

Zhou Tianyang put down his teacup, his tone calm.

Zhao Wenlong straightened his back, waiting for the next part.

"What do you think of what Village Chief Li just said?"

Zhao Wenlong thought for a moment and then said:

"The five bandit groups together number over four hundred, which is quite a lot."

"We still need to deal with those 150-plus bandits from Black Wind Stronghold."

"If we don't clean this up, we won't be able to live in peace in Lijia Yu."

"Go on."

"Tian Chengjun from Wild Wolf Valley used to be a battalion commander in the Nationalist Army, and his men were all defeated soldiers."

"People who don't rob ordinary people and fight the Japanese should be able to be won over."

"The three groups of bandits in the three-family alliance are not strong; they can only stand firm by sticking together."

"If we can win over Wolf Valley, then the three-party alliance will be much easier to manage."

Zhao Wenlong paused here, then added:

"However, commander, our entire regiment only has 126 people right now."

"We fought against more than 150 bandits from Black Wind Stronghold, but we were outnumbered."

"Moreover, Black Wind Stronghold is strategically located, easy to defend and difficult to attack. If we were to fight it head-on, the casualties would be considerable."

Zhou Tianyang nodded.

Zhao Wenlong is right.

He had thought of all these problems.

But he thought about it more deeply.

It's not a question of whether or not we can fight.

The question is not how to fight.

It's not a question of when to play.

The question is not why we should fight.

"Wenlong, I have a question for you."

Zhou Tianyang picked up the pencil on the table and wrote a number on the paper.

"Tell me, what's the biggest deficiency in our new Second Regiment right now?"

Zhao Wenlong answered almost without hesitation:

"People, I guess."

"Yes, it's people."

Zhou Tianyang put down the pencil.

"We now have 126 men, 400 guns, more than 10,000 rounds of ammunition, and 500 hand grenades."

"We have plenty of machine guns, ammunition, food, and medicine, but we lack manpower."

His fingers tapped lightly on the table.

"Even the smallest regiment has three battalions, more than a thousand people."

"We don't even have a battalion yet, what kind of regiment are we?"

"At best, it's just a company."

Zhao Wenlong listened without saying a word.

He knew the commander was telling the truth.

It's embarrassing to say that a group only has a little over a hundred people.

"Where do people come from?"

Zhou Tianyang asked and answered his own question.

"Recruit soldiers."

"Recruit from the common people, from young students, and from the routed Nationalist soldiers."

"But recruitment takes time, and training takes time."

"It takes longer to train new recruits into qualified soldiers."

He raised his head and looked into Zhao Wenlong's eyes.

"Do we have time?"

Yes, but not many.

"The Japanese army's nine-pronged attack continues, and the situation in the base area will only become more and more tense."

"The window of opportunity left for us to grow and expand may only be a few months, or even less."

Zhao Wenlong frowned.

"So, Commander, what do you mean?"

"The fastest way is not to recruit new soldiers."

Zhou Tianyang stood up and walked to the map on the wall.

He pointed his finger at the locations marked as bandits.

"The quickest way is to incorporate them."

Zhao Wenlong's eyes lit up.

But he quickly frowned again.

"Recruiting bandits?"

"Yes, incorporate them."

Zhou Tianyang turned around and looked at Zhao Wenlong.

"The hundred or so men in Wild Wolf Valley were all defeated soldiers who had fought and seen blood, and had combat experience."

"After recruiting them and giving them some training, we have about a hundred veterans."

"The three alliances consist of more than 140 people, though their backgrounds are diverse."

"But most of them were poor people who were forced into this situation."

"As long as the policies are correct, the transformation will not be a problem."

"The two groups together numbered over 240 people."

"Adding our own 126 people, that makes more than 360 people."

"The size of a battalion is barely comparable to that of a regiment."

Zhao Wenlong's heart raced as he listened.

More than 360 people and more than 400 guns.

If this can really be done...

The strength of the new second regiment has more than doubled.

"But Commander, will Wolf Valley and the Three Alliances just let us take them over?"

Zhou Tianyang walked back to the table and sat down.

He picked up the teacup and took another sip of water.

"That's what I'm going to talk about next."

He put down the teacup, his tone becoming serious.

"Incorporation is not something that can be done with just a few words."

"You need to have leverage and the means."

"We need to convince them wholeheartedly."

He held up one finger.

"First, we need to let them know our strength."

"If you don't have the ability, why should anyone respect you?"

"Why should we entrust the team to you?"

Then he extended a second finger.

"Secondly, one must have shown them kindness or intimidation."

"Only by combining kindness and severity can people be won over."

Extend your third finger.

"Third, we must give them hope."

"We need to convince them that following the Eighth Route Army is a better career path than being a bandit."

Zhao Wenlong nodded.

He understands all these principles.

But how exactly to do it?

We still have to listen to the regimental commander.

"So, let's do one thing first."

"Take down Black Wind Stronghold."

Zhao Wenlong was taken aback.

"Commander, didn't you just say that we are outnumbered?"

"Having a numerical advantage does not mean we cannot win."

Zhou Tianyang's eyes turned cold.

"Black Wind Stronghold has more than 150 bandits. It sounds like a lot, but they are just a rabble."

"Without rigorous training, without meticulous organization, and without a tenacious fighting spirit."

"They're fine when things are going well, but they crumble when they encounter tough battles."

He paused, then continued.

"There are 126 of us, all of us are veterans."

"In terms of individual soldier quality, tactical skills, and fighting will, they are ten times better than those bandits."

"More importantly, we have the equipment."

"Four hundred guns, more than ten thousand rounds of ammunition, five hundred hand grenades, six light machine guns, and one heavy machine gun."

"What do those bandits from Black Wind Stronghold have?"

"At most, they're just some old-fashioned rifles and Hanyang rifles; they don't have many bullets."

"What makes them think they can compare to us?"

As Zhao Wenlong listened, his concerns gradually dissipated.

"But Black Wind Stronghold is strategically located, easy to defend and difficult to attack."

"Terrain is static, but people are dynamic."

Zhou Tianyang's tone was very confident.

"I'm not going to launch a direct attack."

"I want to outsmart them."

"Night raids, surprise attacks, decapitation strikes—there are plenty of ways."

"The key is to first find out their background."

"How many people, how many guns, how much food, how many checkpoints, the changing of the guard times, and the terrain of the village."

"We need to figure all of these things out."