"A few days ago, the Japanese found our 354th regiment... They asked me to change my family and work for them..." Captain Zhou stopped talking nonsense and said directly in shock.
“The terms they offered are very attractive!”
"As long as we accept the reorganization, the 354th Regiment will immediately be expanded into the Second Shanxi Guard Brigade of the Royal Association Army... I will be the brigade commander, and all the battalion commanders of the 354th Regiment will be promoted to regiment commanders, company commanders will be promoted to battalion commanders, and platoon commanders will be promoted to company commanders.
long……"
"They also gave us a regiment's equipment and ammunition, and they also covered all our future ammunition supplies..."
"What do you think?"
"I listen to the regiment, and I will do whatever the regiment does!" One of his close friends, the battalion commander, immediately flattered him.
"I also listen to the regiment... Since the headquarters is ruthless to us, then don't blame us for being unjust..." The confidant of the second battalion commander said more directly.
"They forced all this... If our brothers want to survive, they have no other choice but to join the Japanese!"
"Young leader... you are becoming a traitor by taking refuge with the Japs. Isn't that bad!" A company commander stood up and retorted.
"We are all Chinese after all... Asking me to betray my ancestors and become a traitor... I can't do it... I humbly ask you to consider this carefully..."
The company commander spoke with indignation, but in the face of the general trend of surrendering to the Japs, these words did not resonate with many people. Only two company commanders stood up to agree!
"Let's speak freely... If you have anything to say, just say it, don't hide it... Any brothers who have no objections... stand up!" Captain Zhou said with a smile.
The three company commanders who stood up did not realize the danger. Instead, they encouraged others to stand up and oppose the 354th Regiment's defection to the Japs.
But it had no effect.
The battalion company commander who was still sitting on the chair was a human being. He had already seen that Commander Zhou was determined to surrender to the Japs. He would definitely not act like a fool to refute the commander, anger him, or cause trouble for himself...
"Very good..." Captain Zhou was very satisfied with the results and shouted orders at the door!
"Someone is coming..."
More than a dozen soldiers from the guard company pushed open the door and rushed in. They held submachine guns in their hands and formed a fan-shaped guard in front of Captain Zhou. The black muzzles of their guns were pointed directly at the three company commanders standing in the conference room.
"Take them all down..." Commander Zhou ordered with a stern face.
"Commander, please spare my life... I agree to surrender to the little Japs... Please spare my life..." A company commander began to beg for mercy as soon as he was picked up by the guards, but Captain Zhou did not intend to let him go and snorted coldly.
"Only now do I know how to beg for mercy...it's too late..."
"The 354th Regiment was established by me. You usually take a lot of benefits from me. When something happens, you want to betray me and run away. How can such good things happen!"
"Remember, I can only have one voice in the entire 354th Regiment..."
"Take them away quickly... follow the old rules and deal with these traitors who are cheating on others... They look like an eyesore..."
The remaining battalion and company commanders in the conference room all looked happy to have survived the disaster, and two company commanders were so frightened that they broke into cold sweats.
They originally wanted to stand up, but gave up at the last moment...
Unexpectedly, this coercion actually saved their lives!
A smile appeared on Captain Zhou's face again, and he looked at the battalion commander who had stayed behind and said happily: "The remaining brothers are all our own, don't be afraid... As long as everyone follows me, Mr. Zhou, sincerely, I guarantee that everyone will be popular."
For those who drink spicy food, high-ranking officials and generous salaries are not a big deal!"
"I have reached an agreement with the Japanese: from now on, the 354th Regiment will be officially reorganized into the Second Guard Brigade of Northwest Shanxi... All the battalion commanders sitting here will be promoted to regimental commanders, and the company commander will be promoted to battalion commander!"
"When everyone returns to the station, start recruiting and expand the troops!"
"I have prepared two hundred rifles and ten light and heavy machine guns for each of your regiments..."
"No matter what means you use, I must form three regiments within two days..."
"Two days later, the Japanese will send an infantry brigade into our defense area to help us resist the independent group's retaliation from the top and defend the existing defense area!"
"When the troops form combat effectiveness, we will find ways to expand the defense area!"
"The Japanese said... half of our military pay and supplies in the future will come from the defense zone!"
"The larger the defense area occupied by the troops, the more income our brothers will have in the future... boom..."
Captain Zhou became more and more enthusiastic as he talked, and when he was about to draw a few more cakes for his subordinates, a faint sound of horse hooves suddenly entered the conference room.
His brows immediately furrowed.
The 354th Regiment does not have an organized cavalry, so the cavalry unit that hears the sound of horse hooves must not belong to them...
After much deliberation, there was only one possibility. Looking at the panicked subordinates in front of him, he said: "Don't worry, everyone, it should be the cavalry sent by the Japanese!"
The guard company commander suddenly broke in: "Regiment seat, there is a Japanese cavalry rushing towards the regiment headquarters!"
"I just said they were cavalry sent by the Japanese...and it turned out to be true!" Captain Zhou said with a sigh of relief.
"The meeting is temporarily suspended, so I can go greet the Japanese!"
"You are all the future battalion commanders of the garrison brigade. Meet them first and get to know them... Otherwise, if you meet the Japanese in the future, they won't even know who you are, and the misunderstanding will be huge!"
After speaking, he was the first to leave the conference room.
The chief of staff, the commander of the first battalion... followed closely... and did not feel that it was a shameful thing to take refuge with the Japanese at all!
Although Captain Zhou has accepted the letter of appointment given to him by the military, the Japanese do not completely trust him!
As soon as the handover was completed, the reinforced squadron escorting the ammunition withdrew from the headquarters of the 354th Regiment and built a temporary camp nearby to prepare to monitor them from a distance.
In case of an accident between the two sides, the strengthened squadron still has time to prepare and stand by for help!
If stationed at the headquarters of the 354th Regiment, if an accident occurs, the reinforced squadron will definitely be killed by surprise, without even a place to stand together and wait for help.
Zhang Dashan is in a very good mood.
The Japanese and the 354th Regiment were stationed separately, which undoubtedly allowed God to create a good opportunity for themselves to defeat them one by one.
In the next raid, he was most worried about the Japanese strengthening the squadron.
As a result, they actually camped in the wild and only built a few temporary machine gun emplacements around it. This was simply a piece of meat for the cavalry battalion.
The only safety hazard that could threaten the cavalry battalion was gone, and Zhang Dashan's certainty of victory immediately increased from the original 60% to 90%.
Decisive order: "First and Second Company, follow me to raid the Japs' camp..."
"The Third Company and the instructor are going to raid the headquarters of the 354th Regiment..."
"When you get close, you fire and draw your sword. Kill them by surprise and give the enemy no time to prepare!"
"No enemy can be allowed to escape..."
Captain Zhou and his men saw more than a hundred cavalry rushing towards them before they reached the town entrance. They were very fast and showed no intention of slowing down.
"Regiment, something seems wrong!" Looking at the cavalry troops getting closer and closer in front of him, a flash of danger suddenly flashed in the chief of staff's mind.
The first battalion commander also frowned: "We are almost rushing into the town and still don't slow down... this is clearly a cavalry assault..."
"Tanzuo, don't the little devils want to destroy us?"
"Impossible!" Captain Zhou shook his head and replied.
"If they really want to destroy us, just two brigades can enter our defense area. There is no need to send us weapons and accompany us in such a big show..."
"Wait a minute...you'll know what's going on when the Japanese cavalry rushes over!"
"Pa bang bang..."
A series of gunshots suddenly rang out outside the town, and Captain Zhou knew the sound came from the Japanese garrison outside the town.
Just as he was about to send someone to check the situation, the cavalryman in front of him suddenly raised his horse rifle, pointed it at himself, and pulled the trigger.
The accident happened so suddenly that before Commander Zhou could make any reaction, the crackling gunfire rang out.
Two bullets went up and down into Captain Zhou's stomach. One of the bullets hit his chest. Blood gushed out like a fountain, instantly dyeing the uniform red.
His physical strength also quickly drained away along with the gushing blood, and he collapsed to the ground with a plop.
His eyes were round and he showed an expression of disbelief and shock. He couldn't understand why the Japanese would shoot him...
The battalion company commander and chief of staff who were following Commander Zhou were not spared either. At least five of them were shot and fell to the ground at the same time.
The remaining officers were all confused, and they also couldn't figure out why the Japanese would shoot at them... Shouldn't both sides be their own people...
"The Japanese are crazy... The group must have been tricked. Run quickly... If you don't run, you will die here..." A company commander shouted, turned around and ran back...
No matter how fast I run on my own two legs, I can't beat the cavalry.
If you want to survive the pursuit of the cavalry, you must rush back to the regiment headquarters immediately, find your own horse, and run away on horseback...
"Rumble...Comrades, kill me, and you won't let any Japanese devils go..."
The Third Company of Cavalry did not give them this chance. After firing, they put their horse rifles into their holsters, drew their sabers, and stared at a target to pursue them...
Outside the town, although the Japanese were on guard against Commander Zhou, their overall vigilance was not high.
He saw a cavalry rushing toward him, wearing his own military uniform, with Japanese war horses on his crotch, a horse rifle on his back, and a saber hanging on his waist... very typical cavalry equipment.
The Japanese guard posts took them as their own at a glance and thought they were mobile troops assigned to them by the military.
While asking his subordinates to open the camp door to welcome the cavalry battalion into the camp, he sent someone to contact the commander.
The result was a barrage of horse rifle bullets.
A few Japanese soldiers had just opened the camp door, but before they could return to the machine gun bunker at the door, their bodies were beaten into pieces...
"Bageya Road, close the camp gate quickly. We have been fooled. The cavalry rushing over are the enemy, not one of our own!" The major rushed over in time to relieve the siege.
But at this moment, the first and second companies of the cavalry have already rushed seventy or eighty meters away. With a few more breaths, they can rush into the camp and massacre the remaining Japanese troops stationed there!
"Fire all the light and heavy machine guns. Stop them at all costs. We must not let the cavalry enter the garrison, otherwise we will all die here...shoot..." the Japanese Major continued to shout, sweating profusely!
