The First Shot (2)

  "Why didn't you say so earlier? I'll take care of it!" Chen Zizhong said with a smile, his face beaming with joy as he counted on his fingers. "Choosing the elite troops is definitely the Sharp Blade Regiment, the regimental commander and political commissar are wise indeed!"

  "Smooth talker, you turtle grandson is still an official slave." The captain knocked the table and made it shake. "Do well, reward! Do not do well, come to see me with your head held high!"

  "Yes!" Chen Zizhong's face cleared of its usual stubbornness, his body straightening up like a rifle.

  "Chen, don't be too pleased with yourself. You're just an acting company commander, and whether you get to keep the position depends on your own performance. After all the battles we've been through, I'm sure you have a drawer full of medals by now. So why are you still just a platoon leader? Those who have achieved less than you have become company commanders or even battalion commanders. You need to think this through carefully. Having a gun can give you courage, but anyone can be reckless in the heat of battle. War is not that simple."

  Chen Zizhong looked up at the ceiling, his big eyes like stars in the night, shining and dimming suddenly.

  The team leader's gaze turned to Ding Rugang: "Ding Rugang?"

  "Yes, Liberation Warrior Ding Ruguang!"

  "You're not just some reckless fool like Chen, you're the deputy commander of a guerrilla unit. Let me remind you, many of the UN troops are veterans of World War II, with rich combat experience, don't underestimate them. Especially since you're operating behind enemy lines, you have to rely on yourselves for everything. Secondly, you need to thoroughly understand the US military's tactics and strategies, in order to win battles cleverly. Guerrilla units can't afford losses, there's no reinforcements to make up for casualties!"

  "Yes!"

  Chen Zizhong was lost in thought, his eyes blinking like a dragonfly's wings.

  The political commissar reminded the two that the guerrilla team was a combat unit operating and developing in an independent region. First, they must complete their tasks; second, they must do good mass work. This is not like being at home where you can just apologize after stepping on someone's foot. You must keep your wits about you.

  "Squad leader Chen, platoon leader Hou and the likes are found in every unit, but from our company commander down to the cooks, everyone is a crack soldier. Figure out how to fight yourselves! Scram!"

  Ding Ruguang and Chen Zizhong with a pleased expression have been kicked out.

  After the two men left, the political commissar asked the team leader: "Is there any other consideration for the deputy captain? Ding Rujin always talks about the Liberation Army, and it seems like he has a knot in his heart."

  "Don't worry, Chen Dabang has a way to deal with the mountain king, he won't be defeated. Ding Ru is not a good person, he can give him a wake-up call, if he thinks fighting the American army and fighting the Nationalist army are the same, he will suffer greatly."

  Chen Zizhong's field army formed a guerrilla brigade, which was divided into six guerrilla detachments. Each detachment consisted of one to two companies of combat personnel. The third guerrilla detachment led by Chen Zizhong was composed of the Sharp Blade Company and two platoons from the Korean People's Army who were familiar with the terrain. In addition, scouts with experience in enemy rear operations were also drawn from the prototype unit of the film "Crossing the River Reconnaissance".

  The third guerrilla team was full of good men, and besides Ding Rujing, who served as deputy captain, there was also Pak Tong-ming, an old comrade-in-arms of Chen Zizhong. Pak Tong-ming was a Korean, and his fellow countryman Yoon Bong-gil used a bomb disguised as a thermos to kill the Japanese commander of the Shanghai invasion force, Shirakawa Yoshinori, in Hongkou Park, Shanghai. Later, Uemura Mamoru, who became the commander of the Kwantung Army, was also bombed and lost one leg.

  Park Dong-ming and Chen Zizhong once huddled together in a snow den in Northeast China, drinking old white wine together. They got drunk and lay on a kang, snoring so loudly that the wall skin fell off. After the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army was reorganized, Chen Zizhong joined the Sharp Blade Regiment, while Park Dong-ming joined the Korean Division, serving as a regimental commander. He later returned to Korea with the division and served as the commander of a certain unit in the Korean People's Army. After the army's defeat, he led the remnants to continue fighting in the deep mountains. The Korean soldiers under Park Dong-ming's leadership had mostly fought against the Japanese invaders in Northeast China, spoke Chinese, which shortened the troops' running-in period and invisibly enhanced their combat effectiveness.

  Park Dong-myeong is a sturdy and strong man, his words are like beans falling from a bamboo tube. He has a similar temperament to Chen Zizhong, and the two quickly became as close as one person.

  The guerrilla team cadres were mostly high-ranking and low-matched, the leaders of the detachment were deputy regimental or battalion cadres, and most of the sub-team leaders were reconnaissance company deputy platoon leaders, except for Chen Zizhong who was a sharp knife platoon leader. Most of the guerrilla fighters were reconnaissance squad leaders or excellent scouts, except for the sharp knife company which joined as an organic unit.