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

After it was read aloud.

The village entrance was quiet for a moment.

Then, a young man in his early twenties squeezed out of the crowd.

He walked up to Zhao Xiaohu and straightened his back.

"Squad Leader Zhao, I want to join the Eighth Route Army!"

Zhao Xiaohu looked at him. He was in his early twenties, not very tall, but very strong. He looked like someone who had been doing farm work for many years.

"What's your name?"

"Zhao Sanzhu".

"Who else is in the family?"

"My father, my mother, and two older brothers."

"Do your parents agree to you joining the Eighth Route Army?"

Zhao Sanzhu turned around and looked at a middle-aged couple in the crowd.

The middle-aged man stepped forward, patted Zhao Tiezhu on the shoulder, and his eyes were a little red.

"Sanzhu, go."

"Fight the Japanese devils and vent our anger for the people of Zhaojiagou."

Zhao Sanzhu's mother stood behind, wiping away tears, but did not stop them.

Zhao Xiaohu took out a notebook, wrote down Zhao Sanzhu's name in it, and then looked up at him.

"Meet at the Lijia Yu threshing ground early tomorrow morning."

"yes!"

Zhao Sanzhu stood at attention, his voice booming.

Once there's a first one, there will be a second and a third.

One young man after another stepped out of the crowd, walked up to Zhao Xiaohu, and introduced himself.

"Zhao Shitou!"

"Zhao Daniu!"

"Zhao Xiaoliu!"

"Zhao Mancang!"

One name after another was called out, and Zhao Xiaohu's notebook filled up page after page.

In less than half an hour, twenty-two young people from Zhaojiagou had signed up.

Village Chief Li stood aside, watching this scene, unable to suppress the smile on his face.

He walked over to Old Zhao and whispered:

"Old Zhao, this young man from your village is quite good."

Old Zhao snorted, his tone tinged with smugness.

"Of course, every young man from Zhao Family Village is a hero."

He paused, then sighed.

"It's a pity that we didn't have good teams back then. We didn't even know where to fight the Japanese."

"Now that the Eighth Route Army has arrived, the young men of our village have somewhere to go."

Village Chief Li patted him on the shoulder and said nothing more.

Zhao Xiaohu checked the names of the registered people to make sure nothing was missing before closing the notebook.

He walked up to Village Chief Li and whispered:

"Village Chief Li, the mission in Zhaojiagou is complete. Let's move on to the next village."

Village Chief Li nodded, then turned to Old Zhao and said:

"Old Zhao, we're leaving now. Tomorrow, have these young men gather at the threshing ground in Lijia Yu."

Old Zhao grabbed his hand and shook it vigorously.

"Old Li, please thank Commander Zhou for me. Thank him for avenging our Zhao Family Village."

"I will definitely bring it."

Village Chief Li turned around and led Zhao Xiaohu and the soldiers out of the village.

Behind him, the people of Zhaojiagou were still talking and cheering, some even wiping away tears.

It took about half an hour to walk.

They arrived at Willow Village.

Willow Village is situated beside a stream.

At the entrance of the village stand several large willow trees, their branches and leaves so thick they block out the sun.

Several women squatted by the stream washing clothes, their washing sticks bobbing up and down, splashing water everywhere.

Seeing a group of people approaching, the women looked up, their eyes filled with curiosity.

A young woman recognized Village Chief Li and stood up to ask:

"Uncle Li, what brings you here?"

"Recruiting has begun."

Village Chief Li said with a smile.

"The Eighth Route Army needs to recruit soldiers to fight the Japanese devils."

The young woman's eyes lit up.

"Is that the Eighth Route Army that wiped out Black Wind Stronghold yesterday?"

"Yes, it's them."

Village Chief Li nodded.

How did you know?

"Someone from our village went to visit relatives in Lijia Yu and told us about it when they came back."

The young wife put down the pestle and called out towards the village.

"village head!"

"Uncle Li is here! He says the Eighth Route Army is here to recruit soldiers!"

A short while later, the village chief of Willow Village came out of the village.

He was in his fifties, not very tall, with a round face and a goatee.

He walked up to Village Chief Li, and the two shook hands and exchanged a few polite words.

"Old Li, has Black Wind Stronghold really been wiped out?"

Goatbeard was still somewhat skeptical.

Village Chief Li recounted what happened yesterday again.

After listening, the goatee remained silent for a moment, then turned around and shouted into the village:

"Folks, come out!"

"The Eighth Route Army has come to our village to recruit soldiers!"

The villagers all came out of the village.

Some were holding bowls, some were carrying hoes, and some were holding children, all crowding at the village entrance.

Listen to Village Chief Li and Zhao Xiaohu explaining the policies of the Eighth Route Army and the conditions for recruiting soldiers.

With the example of Zhaojiagou, the villagers of Liushu Village had gained some understanding of the Eighth Route Army.

In addition, Village Chief Li is an honest and reliable person who doesn't lie, so the villagers trust him.

"I'm signing up!"

"I'm signing up too!"

Count me in!

One young person after another stepped forward and announced their name.

Willow Village is small, but it has many young people.

In less than twenty minutes, sixteen people had signed up.

Zhao Xiaohu wrote down the names one by one in his notebook.

Then, leading the soldiers, they followed Village Chief Li to the next village.

Shitouling is located to the east of Liushu Village, and is the furthest away, requiring a journey of more than ten miles along mountain roads.

When they arrived at Stone Ridge.

It was already past 11 a.m.

Shitouling is the largest village in this area.

The village, consisting of about a hundred households, is situated on a mountain ridge, offering a high vantage point and a wide view.

You can see the main road in the distance from the village entrance.

You can even see the outline of the Wangjiazhuang stronghold.

When Village Chief Li led his men into the village.

The village chief of Shitouling was sitting next to the millstone at the entrance of the village, smoking his pipe and squinting at the distant mountains.

Upon seeing Village Chief Li, he stood up, his expression somewhat complicated.

"Old Li, you've arrived."

"Old Sun, I've come to tell you something."

Village Chief Li walked up to him and recounted what had happened yesterday.

After listening, Old Sun remained silent for a long time, then sighed.

"Those bastards from Black Wind Stronghold are finally finished."

His voice was a little hoarse.

"Our Shitouling was the one that suffered the most from them."

"Last year, they came seven times, robbed more than 2,000 jin of grain, and killed several people."

"They emptied my family's grain jar, and we went hungry for several months, surviving only by eating wild vegetables and tree bark."

Village Chief Li patted him on the shoulder without saying a word.

"Old Li, the Eighth Route Army is recruiting soldiers, and we at Shitouling support them."

Old Sun raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the Eighth Route Army soldiers, and his tone became firm.

"I went door-to-door to persuade the young men in our village."

"Old Sun, you don't need to go door to door to do this."

Village Chief Li smiled.

"Call the villagers out and let Squad Leader Zhao talk to them; they'll sign up on their own."

Old Sun glanced at him, then turned around and shouted loudly into the village:

"Fellow villagers, the Eighth Route Army has come to our village to recruit soldiers!"

The villagers came out of the village.

More and more people gathered, crowding the village entrance to the brim.

Zhao Xiaohu stood on the millstone and recounted the story of Black Wind Stronghold's destruction the previous day.

After hearing this, the people remained silent at first.

Then came the discussion, and finally the cheers.

"I'm signing up!"

"I'm signing up too!"

Count me in!

There are many young people in Shitouling, and many of them have signed up.

In less than half an hour, 29 people had signed up.

There were four more people than the twenty-five that Village Chief Li had expected.

Zhao Xiaohu memorized names until his hands were sore.

Looking at the young people standing in front of him, he felt an indescribable surge of excitement.

Some of these people are the eldest sons in their families, while others are the youngest.

Some are only children, but their parents are in good health and insist on registering.

They were all emaciated and dressed in tattered clothes.

But there was something in their eyes that moved Zhao Xiaohu.

That was a kind of hope.

Hope for better days, hope for defeating the Japanese invaders, hope for the future.