Chapter 29: A Squad of Ten

Dinner is at the exact time in the evening; we start eating at six o'clock.

Jiang Anguo himself has a very strong sense of time, and everyone is also very hungry.

The people who were late this morning had their photos still posted on the blackboard, which made them feel immensely honored, as if they wished they could bury their faces in the soil.

Jiang Anguo didn't even look for them, not even speak to them; he simply placed the photos and names on the blackboard.

During daytime training and labor, we truly gave it our all.

"Does it smell good?" Jiang Anguo held a steamed bun; he is from the South and actually doesn't like steamed buns much, but now he's starving.

"Delicious."

"Camp Commander, this beef is really tasty."

"Haha, if it's tasty, have more; there's enough for everyone," Jiang Anguo said.

Dinner was also extraordinary: beef stewed with potatoes and a small green vegetable.

"Train well, and I'll lead you back home," Jiang Anguo said inappropriately.

Some soldiers fell silent because they were far from home.

"What? You don't believe me? Let me tell you, Little Japan won't last long; Little Japan has gone to war with the United States and will eventually lose. When I tell you about American history someday, you'll see Little Japan is bound to lose."

"Sir, you're bragging. Can you lead us back to the Northeast?"

Mi Long sat on a tree stump, holding two large steamed buns and a bowl of freshly made beef stewed with potatoes, eating heartily with oil all over his mouth, shirtless.

Training is harsh, but the food is good and filling!

Everyone's complaints have lessened.

Mi Long didn't slack off during the day; he worked even more than many soldiers and was a real workhorse.

"What? You still don't want me as your Camp Commander," Jiang Anguo shouted.

"No, you're just a Camp Commander; how many can you command to go back to the Northeast?" Mi Long answered with a thousand doubts.

"Do you think I don't want to be a General? It takes steps. Maybe I'm a Camp Commander now, but later I'll be a Regiment Commander, then a Division Commander."

"Also, how can you be so bold? Look at the Great Northeast, tall and strong people; it's one thing if they didn't die there, but see where they've ended up, almost beyond the border—this is Yunnan, and you still say that."

Jiang Anguo's final sentence left Mi Long speechless.

Others were a bit better; Mi Long and Li Liansheng were the only two Northeasterners among all the Chanda's broken troops.

"Indeed, I'm a Camp Commander now, but you must know that a general leads a pack of bears, a soldier is a single bear; a soldier who doesn't want to be a General isn't a good soldier. If someday you become a General and lead troops back home, the family lineage will start from you."

"Of course, if you want to be Generals, wait until I become a Marshal."

Jiang Anguo was actually shifting the topic; indeed, given his current position, leading everyone back home would be very difficult.

Lin Yi recorded all of Jiang Anguo's words on the side, taking very careful notes.

"Haha." The crowd was also amused by Jiang Anguo.

"Do you know what the Japanese did in the Northeast?"

"They formed Unit 731, using live humans for bacterial experiments. I'm sure you know the Japanese like to launch Poison Gas Shells; all those munitions were made in the Northeast using live people, even pregnant women, cutting them open to extract the fetuses. Do you think the Japanese are hateful enough to be killed?"

Kill.

Kill.

Kill.

"The Japanese made a foolish move this time: they bombed Pearl Harbor, causing the Americans to join the war. Before the Americans entered, China was alone because no one would help us; the Soviet Union was too far away, distant water couldn't quench our immediate thirst."

"The Dian-Mian Highway runs from Yangon into Yunnan; it's our lifeline, continuously bringing weapons and equipment in."

Ordinary soldiers didn't grasp the importance of the Dian-Mian Highway, but when a rough map appeared on the blackboard, everyone could see more clearly that if the road were cut off, the supply line bringing goods into the country would be severed.

"Wherever we go, fighting Japanese Devils is glorious, even abroad."

"The Japanese aim to cut this transport line, completely strangling our nation. Do you agree?" Jiang Anguo looked around.

"Disagree."

"Disagree."

"Kill Little Japan."

Jiang Anguo nodded, "Good, we need that ruthlessness; everyone has a neck on their head, those who fear death won't enlist."

In fact, most enlist just to get a meal.

"Camp Commander, we have no weapons!"

"Yes, Camp Commander, we can't go fist‑fighting the Japanese Devils!"

Jiang Anguo took a Mauser K98k Rifle and said, "I'll give you weapons—mortars, howitzers, they'll come—but do you think you're ready now? With just over a thousand men, do you have ten guns in hand?"

"Here, I want to commend the brothers who still have rifles; this gun is your brother. If you discard your brothers, who will trust you?"

"Those who perform outstandingly will be equipped first."

"You should have seen that today I divided you into groups of ten. From now on, each ten of you form a Squad. Your two battalions become a Company, meaning you'll now have the size of eight Companies. As for the shortage in the final Company, once the wounded recover, they'll all be assigned to the eighth Company."

"The Company Commander and Platoon Leader haven't been selected yet, so you still need to work hard. Your previous ranks are void; everyone starts as a soldier. Within a month I'll reorganize you, and those who excel will become Company Platoon Commanders."

In fact there's also a Ninth Company, the unit Jiang Anguo exchanged, which has 194 men—a huge size for an Infantry Company.

Unfortunately, it's an Infantry Company without any mortars; if it had mortars, it would meet the standard organization of a regular Infantry Company.

"Finish your meals quickly; in a moment we'll reorganize. No one may act out of turn. Follow the previous formations for reorganization. The Battalion Commander will temporarily serve as Company Commander for each unit; after official Company Commanders are chosen, I'll make arrangements. Those just recovered from wounds will join the Seventh and Eighth Companies."

Originally there were ten battalions, and Mi Long's unit had the most men.

The troops were quickly reorganized; in reality the Seventh and Eighth Companies were severely understrength, essentially empty shells, so they must wait for the wounded to fully recover.

At present, the units that can be sent to the front immediately are Companies One through Six; arming them as cannon fodder is possible, but Jiang Anguo wants to make them a main force.