Chapter Seven: The Difficult Start

  Morale needs victories to boost. Now the "Eagle" team members not only have high morale, but also look at Chen Jifang and these "returning soldiers" with a new attitude.

  However, Chen Jifan couldn't get excited at all, because it was really not easy to lead the troops in this unfamiliar era. There were no supplies, weapons, ammunition, medicine, or food, and it was far worse than when they were in the special forces. Liangzi and Wang Dazhu's injuries were not serious thanks to timely treatment, but if there were more wounded soldiers in the future, medicine would be a big problem. And then there was food - for now, they could still get by on captured Japanese canned goods, but this wasn't a long-term solution; they couldn't really go out and survive in the wilderness every day, could they? And what about weapons? In the last battle, their side had fewer people, so they mainly relied on submachine guns, machine guns, and hand grenades to gain a firepower advantage over the Japanese army. But from now on, they would have to rely on the enemy for supplies - the enemy's light machine gun was really not good to use; Zhong Dingcheng said that when shooting, you had to remember to put oil on the bullets, and other indicators were far inferior to the Czech style. And then there was the MP18 - although it wasn't a great gun, it still had some power against the enemy's Type 38 rifle. But once the bullets ran out, where could they find more?

  "Captain Chen, this is the 'Outline of Troop Training' you asked me to work on. Take a look and if there's no problem, we can distribute it to each squad." Zhong Dingcheng's arrival interrupted Chen Jifan's train of thought.

  "Oh, Old Clock, you've come at just the right time. I'm worried sick. The troops have been assembled, but we're penniless and white, with nothing to our name. At this rate, it's not just a matter of fighting the devils, but even survival is a problem. Do you have any good ideas?" Chen Jifan asked.

  "Yes, we've all been thinking about this in private. Our troops are too few, our combat effectiveness is uneven, and ideologically we're still far from unified. What will be the goal of our future battles? We have no intelligence, no source of weapons, no mass base... now we're not even as good as the heroes of Liangshan." Zhong Dingcheng also sighed.

  "I have thought of mobilizing the masses too, but our strength is too weak. Once the devils retaliate, the masses will suffer a disaster." Chen Jifang said.

  Zhong Dingcheng thought for a moment and said, "Captain Chen, my opinion is that we must send someone down the mountain to think of ways to get some food first, and then gather information. Training can't start any later than tomorrow. Also, our current location is too close to the devils, it's not a place where we can stay for long, we need to find another place to settle down."

  "So, let's hold a team leader meeting tonight, the 7 of us will sit down and exchange our opinions thoroughly, carefully divide up the work, it concerns everyone's livelihood, so listen to what everyone has to say." Chen Jifan said.

  Just as Chen Jifeng and Zhong Dingcheng were worried about the future of their troops, the "Divine Eagle" members were studying the military rules of the "Divine Eagle" under the leadership of each group leader.

  The military rules were formulated by Chen Jifang himself after the Tianzhong team went up the mountain. It's almost a replica of the three major disciplines and eight notes, claiming to be learning but actually memorizing, so the "Shenying" team complained loudly, and by nightfall, each member fell asleep quickly.

  Chen Jifan and seven others were also gathered in a room discussing their future development direction.

  Everyone's speech is very positive. Suddenly coming to this strange world, there is no organization, no relatives or friends, no external support that can be relied on, everything has to rely on oneself. So everyone's words are especially numerous.

  Zhao Jun was the first to speak, he thought that they should stir up some more commotion in the occupied areas of the devils, increase the reputation of "Divine Eagle", and lay a good foundation for the future development of the troops.

  Hu Yunfeng, on the other hand, believed that the first thing to solve was the supply of troops. To solve the problem of troop supplies, it is necessary to mobilize the masses and win their support.

  Gao Huanjie meant that they should find a way to establish their own intelligence system in the occupied areas, otherwise future military operations would become aimless and chaotic, and there would be no warning time for the enemy's counterattack.

  Luo Yuguang was very dissatisfied with the combat effectiveness of the troops, so he meant to train the team members as soon as possible, otherwise they would not be able to bear higher-intensity battles.

  Fengchuan Hao then said two words: "Down the mountain".

  As everyone has almost finished speaking, Luo Yuguang said to Zhong Dengcheng: "Old Zhong, everyone has spoken, it's your turn now. What attitude do you have to tell everyone?"

  Zhong Dingcheng smiled and looked at Chen Jifan again, saying to everyone: "I met with Captain Chen during the day, basically it's what you all just said. My opinion is to solve two things first, one is to grasp the training of the troops, and the second is that we should hurry up and send people down the mountain, as for where to go, I haven't thought about it yet."

  "I've already thought it through, tomorrow I'll go down the mountain to Chuzhou with Yunfeng Zhao Jun, figure out a way to get some medicine and food, and gather information on the recent movements of the devils. The training of the troops on the mountain will be handled by Old Zhong, Wen Chuanhao and Luo Han will assist, Xiao Gao will first be in charge of monitoring the radio station, later he'll be responsible for training the troops' communication personnel. Does anyone have any questions?" Chen Jifan scanned the crowd with his eyes.

  "Afterwards, our troops will take high-value targets of the enemy as the objective for combat. The way we fought yesterday will not be done unless absolutely necessary." Chen Jifang added.

  Zhong Dingcheng handed out several papers to those around him, "This is the training plan for the troops that Captain Chen asked me to draft. Everyone take a look, if there's no problem, we'll execute it tomorrow."

  Everyone quickly passed around the training plan and had no comments.

  The training outline for troops is divided into four parts: one, physical fitness; two, individual close combat and bayonet fighting; three, firearms and shooting techniques; four, special forces tactics.

  Zhong Dingcheng added: "Considering the situation of the troops and the training time, this training plan is only primary, and will be gradually increased later."

  "Alright, meeting adjourned, everyone get some rest early, and we'll start as scheduled tomorrow," said Chen Jifang.

  The next day, Chen Jifang and the three of them encountered a small trouble when they set out - they couldn't find any ordinary people's clothes in the team, so Chen Jifang had to temporarily decide to go to the surrounding villages to "borrow" some clothes from the landlords.

  Song Guanhu was inquired and learned that there is a big village called Xiaowangzhuang 10 miles southeast of the base. Chen Jifan immediately decided to go to Xiaowangzhuang first.

  Xiao Wang Zhuang is located in a small basin surrounded by mountains on all sides, with dense forests and a small river flowing through the middle of the basin. There are about 300-400 households in the village. On a flat area near the river at the east end of the village, there is a large manor house. After putting down his binoculars, Chen Jifan decided to visit in the evening. Chen Jifan did not want to achieve his goal by robbery, after all, the concept of rule of law in the 21st century still exists, and besides, robbery would not be good for the image of the troops. In short, violence against ordinary people should only be used as a last resort.

  "Who are you looking for?" The guard in front of him was filled with doubt and vigilance towards the three military uniforms.

  "Trouble you to inform your master that a friend has come to visit." The doorman, seeing their unusual demeanor, didn't dare delay and quickly went in to report.

  The Wang family they visited was a prominent household in the area, with the master of the house being Wang Jicai, who was over 50 years old. Wang Jicai was perplexed by the report from the gatehouse, but upon hearing that the visitors were extraordinary, he didn't dare to be rude and ordered the gatehouse to invite them in.

  After the host and guest were seated, Chen Jifan couldn't help but admire the decorations in the house. He stood up and said to Wang Jicai: "I'm really sorry to have disturbed your esteemed home. If I've caused any disturbance, please forgive me, sir. May I ask for your honorable surname?"

  Zhao Jun and Hu Yunfeng heard Captain Chen imitating the dialogue from TV, they secretly laughed in their hearts but maintained a serious expression on the surface.

  "My humble name is Wang Jicai, may I ask where you come from? Is there anything that requires my assistance?" Wang Jicai asked coldly, holding a finely crafted water pipe.

  "We are China's 'Divine Eagle' anti-Japanese vanguard team, we'd like to ask your esteemed household for a few sets of ordinary clothes." Chen Jifan also didn't want to beat around the bush.

  "Ah!" Wang Jicai was so startled that he stood up from his chair at once. "Please, gentlemen, follow me to the study for a chat."

  Zhao Jun and Hu Yunfeng looked at each other, Chen Jifan signaled with his eyes that they should not act rashly, then the three followed Wang Jicai to the study.

  After entering the study, Wang Jicai first closed the door and then turned around to ask Chen Jifan: "Are you the troops who killed more than 100 devils in Dayu two days ago?"

  "That's right. We were thinking of going out for a stroll and thought we'd borrow some ordinary clothes from you that fit." Chen Jifan heard that his tone was still quite polite, so he didn't hide it anymore.

  "Good, good. The rise and fall of a country is the responsibility of every individual. Looking at these few people, their character is extraordinary, even better than our national army. If we have an army like this, it would be a great blessing for the country and the nation." Wang Jicai nodded repeatedly.

  Wang Jicai's performance was somewhat unexpected for Chen Jifan and others, previously on TV they saw that the landlord old money had few good things, it seems that landlords can also be patriotic.

  Wang Jicai then shouted out: "Wang Fu, go and find a few sets of clothes for the officials, make sure they're large sizes!"

  Chen Jifan said: "I'm sorry to trouble you, I represent 'Shenying' to express our gratitude to you." After that, the three people bowed to Wang Jicai.

  "Alas, it can't be helped, it can't be helped. It's just a small matter after all. As long as your army can beat the devils more, I'll also feel relieved."

  "Mr. Wang's patriotic spirit is admired by us all. Don't worry, we will definitely eliminate the Japanese pirates."

  The clothes were delivered quickly, and after the three of them put them on, they all fit quite well. Chen Jifan wore a long shirt with leather shoes, dressed like a businessman, while Zhao Jun and Hu Yunfeng wore servant attire, short jackets and black cloth shoes.

  "This is 100 taels of silver, consider it an old man's heart for the anti-Japanese cause, please, Director Chen, accept it with favor." Wang Jicai ordered someone to bring out a tray.

  "No need, Mr. Wang, how can we let you spend more money on us? We appreciate your kind intentions." Chen Jifan hastily declined.

  "Take some money with you, going into town to take care of something, how can you go without any money on you?" Wang Jicai insisted.

  Chen Jifan thought that in the city, he indeed needed some money on him, and no longer declined, letting Zhao Jun take it.

  It was already 9 o'clock in the evening when they left Wang Jicai's house. Wang Jicai said that the devils were posting wanted notices everywhere, and warned them to be extra careful. The three of them found a secluded forest, hid all their guns and military uniforms, and disguised themselves as merchants before heading towards Chuzhou.

  "Hey, do you think this landlord is truly patriotic or just humoring us?" Zhao Jun asked Chen Jifan.

  "Whatever he thinks, I think it's already quite good that he can do this much." Hu Yunfeng interjected.

  Chen Jifan didn't say a word, his mind was thinking about the action plan to Qu County. Historically, after the Japanese army occupied Nanjing, it seemed that they were going to fight the Battle of Tai'erzhuang. Chen Jifan wasn't very clear about that period of history either, but vaguely remembered that the Japanese army in the Battle of Tai'erzhuang had forces both in the south and north. Before coming here, Chen Jifan carefully studied the map in his hand, on which Xuzhou was the first city after Nanjing on the Tianjin-Pukou Railway. If the Japanese army wanted to move northward, the Tianjin-Pukou Railway would be their only lifeline they could rely on, so there must be some movement of the Japanese army in Xuzhou.

  Chen Jifang's guess was not wrong at all. The Japanese army in Xucheng is now really busy and has no time to avenge the "Divine Eagle". Since the Japanese army successively occupied Nanjing and Jinan, in order to achieve its plan of quickly destroying China, it decided to launch a pincer attack on Xuzhou from both Nanjing and Jinan along the Tianjin-Pukou Railway.

  As for the destruction of the Inada unit, the Japanese army changed its usual habit and did not organize a large-scale purge, but simply posted wanted notices in each county town.

  Chen Jifang and his party arrived at Chuzhou at around two or three in the morning, when the city gate was already closed. Chen Jifang decided to find a forest outside the city to rest for the night and recharge their energy before entering the city the next day.