Chapter 494: South China Freedom Army (4)

Jiang Anguo stood on the rocks, quietly watching the scene, his eyes calm and still, without any ripple.

He did not step forward to take that bayonet; the Japanese Army lieutenant colonel was still very well‑behaved.

Instead, he turned his head toward the translator beside him, who sported a tuft of the Japanese Army's characteristic moustache, and said, "Zhi Tian Xin Zhong, from now on you are their Commander, and the formation will be set as a regiment."

Zhi Tian Xin Zhong immediately straightened his back, gave a standard military salute, and in a respectful tone said, "Yes! Sir, I will certainly live up to the trust placed in me, properly discipline these people, and never disappoint you!"

Zhi Tian Xin Zhong, a Japanese Army officer, was not a captive; he was a regiment‑level officer that Jiang Anguo had exchanged within the system.

An interesting fact is that Zhi Tian Xin Zhong's trait is tameness.

In other words, the soldiers under him will be extremely obedient; clearly, this is a trait Jiang Anguo greatly needs.

"Hmm." Jiang Anguo gave a slight nod.

He continued to order, "Ask him his name, what rank he held in the Japanese Army before, and which regiment he belonged to."

Jiang Anguo's impression of this Japanese officer was not deep.

Zhi Tian Xin Zhong was about to speak.

Shanben Jianci, however, stepped forward half a step, bowed deeply before Jiang Anguo again, his waist nearly parallel to the ground, and in an extremely respectful tone said, "Good day, Commander. I am Shanben Jianci, formerly a Lieutenant Colonel of the Japanese Army's 232nd Regiment, 39th Division, responsible for guarding the Zhijiang area. Behind me is Lieutenant Colonel Jiman Yixiong, who belongs to the same regiment; we were both captured while rushing to aid Xiaoting."

Shanben Jianci was still very proper; even in this situation, he did not forget to mention his fellow countrymen, his classmates.

Jiman Yixiong also hurried forward, bowed and saluted, daring not a hint of slackness: "Good day, Commander. I am Jiman Yixiong, pleased to meet you."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Anguo's mouth curved into a faint smile; he already understood.

It turned out these two were the highest‑ranking Japanese officers among the captives.

However, he did not dwell on it; among the prisoners he now held were two Japanese lieutenant generals: Lieutenant General Watanabe Masao of the 56th Division, and Deputy Chief of Staff of the 15th Army Shou Wu Jing Er captured in the Great Power Battle.

By comparison, these two lieutenant colonels were nothing.

He raised his hand, signaling the two to stand, then raised his voice and addressed all the prisoners below, "Very well, from now on you will be commanded by Colonel Zhi Tian Xin Zhong; he will be your regiment commander, and you must obey his orders unconditionally!"

"Zhi Tian…" Shanben Jianci whispered the surname, a flash of surprise and awe in his eyes.

The surname Zhi Tian is too ancient and illustrious in Japanese history.

It made him involuntarily think of the Warring States era Japanese hegemon Zhi Tian Xin Chang.

He really did not expect that this newly appointed regiment commander would happen to have the surname Zhi Tian, and his heart grew a few more degrees of awe.

Jiang Anguo looked at the prisoners below, each with a different expression, his mind already fully calculated.

This unit would be composed entirely of Japanese prisoners of war, with not a single Expeditionary Force soldier mixed in.

To firmly control this unit, he had already, through the WarSystem, Exchange‑ed fifty‑five Japanese officers: forty platoon‑level officers, each costing fifteen points; ten company‑level officers, each costing twenty‑five points; five battalion‑level officers, each costing one hundred twenty‑five points; and the regiment‑level officer Zhi Tian Xin Zhong, who cost one thousand two hundred fifty points.

Now he had ample points, not lacking money at all; as long as he could build this usable force, any amount of points was worth it.

The key was that this unit must be obedient, absolutely compliant.

"We… are we being released?" a young Japanese prisoner of war, hearing Jiang Anguo's words, eyes full of disbelief, couldn't help whispering, his voice trembling slightly.

The prisoners beside him quickly tugged his sleeve, signaling him not to speak rashly, yet the yearning and excitement in his eyes could not be concealed.

When Jiang Anguo's command was fully conveyed, confirming that they no longer needed to stay in the mine to dig, but could form a unit and leave the hard labor,

all the Japanese prisoners couldn't help shedding tears, hugging each other, sobbing softly, venting their excitement and grievances.

"Great! No more mining!"

"I thought I would die trapped in this mine for the rest of my life, never expecting to see daylight again!"

"Thank you, Commander! Thank you, Regiment Leader Zhi Tian!"

The prisoners' cries and cheers intertwined; the eyes that had been numb and hopeless now finally shone with light.

Yet this joy did not last long; Zhi Tian Xin Zhong, following Jiang Anguo's orders, began to reorganize the unit, dispersing all the prisoners and rebuilding them into four battalions, each of five hundred men.

According to the Japanese Army's usual organization, a battalion's strength roughly equaled two companies, or even a bit more.

However, at this moment the actual number of the unit was still under two thousand.

The Japanese prisoners captured in the Great Power Battle still needed to be sent to the mine first for a period of reformation, grinding away their innate arrogance and rebellious hearts, before being added to this unit.

And Zhi Tian Xin Zhong would, at the appropriate time, assume the role of "rescuer" to bring those still suffering in the mine out.

Fully winning the trust and support of all soldiers, like a god, establishing an unshakable authority in their hearts.

After the reorganization, the fifty Japanese officers Jiang Anguo had exchanged served as commanders of the various battalions, companies, and platoons, tightly controlling every link of the unit.

And Shanben Jianci and Jiman Yixiong, because of their higher ranks and some command experience, were appointed as deputy regiment commanders of this unit, assisting Zhi Tian Xin Zhong in managing the force.

"Commander, the unit has been reorganized, please give orders!" Zhi Tian Xin Zhong stepped forward to report, his tone respectful.

Jiang Anguo nodded, his gaze sweeping over the neatly lined prisoners below, lost in thought.

Since they were now "our own people," they certainly needed a resonant name, one that could showcase the unit's identity and give the prisoners a sense of belonging.

After pondering, Jiang Anguo finally settled on a name: "From now on, this unit shall be called the South China Freedom Army."

South China Freedom Army.

It sounded full of liberty and hope, but only Jiang Anguo knew that this so‑called "Freedom Army" was in fact a free mercenary force.

They required no payment at all; even if a soldier died in battle, no additional compensation was needed; even if they lived, only daily rations were required, enough to make them fight desperately.

The first step in building the unit was training.

These prisoners must be turned from former forced laborers back into soldiers, and the primary requirement is obedience.

Unconditional obedience.

However, Jiang Anguo was not worried about this; after more than two months of mine hard labor, countless whippings and hunger, these Japanese soldiers had already been ground smooth, becoming extremely honest, no longer possessing the arrogance of their former selves.

If they still refused discipline, they would continue with mental whips.

Or be thrown back into the mine, which now was lacking many miners.