To the east of Huaiyin City, meandering streams flow gurglingly, and large reed swamps undulate with the wind. The guerrilla recruit camp is located in the woods next to the reed swamps.
The reason why Yang Ling set up the new military camp outside Huaiyin City was because there were more than 1,500 new recruits recruited. There were not enough houses in Huaiyin City to live in, and there were few sufficient training grounds.
The second reason is that the new recruits stationed in the city will inevitably have unnecessary impact on the residents of the city. The new recruits have just arrived and military discipline is still loose. If a mouse dropping spoils a pot of soup, Yang Ling will have no place to cry.
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In order for them to gain a foothold in the local area, in addition to having strong strength as a backing, their relationship with local residents is also an extremely important part.
Although they now rely on seizures for food, clothing, housing and transportation, this is not a long-term solution. In the end, they have to rely on the support of local residents, which is also an important reason for establishing good relations.
Yang Ling knew that many guerrilla troops sent behind enemy lines did not pay attention to establishing a good relationship with the local residents, resulting in lack of food and intelligence, and many were eventually destroyed. He had to learn a lesson.
Yang Ling and others have already developed an experience in military-civilian cooperation in Xiaowangzhuang, Qinghe Town, and this experience can be copied, so now it is copied directly to Huaiyin.
The camp of the recruit camp is in a dense forest. There are shacks that can accommodate several people, which are the temporary residence of the recruits.
And Yang Ling was also particular about setting up his camp in the woods, which was convenient for concealment and avoiding the bombing of the Japs.
Although these shacks made of reeds and hay are crude and crude, they finally provide a shelter from the wind and rain compared to the refugees sleeping on the streets.
Yang Ling also obtained a lot of money and supplies from the wealthy landlords who ransacked their homes, and bought some quilts from local residents to ensure that the brothers would not get cold while sleeping in the shacks.
More than a thousand people received new military uniforms. Although these military uniforms were temporarily modified using the uniforms of the Japanese soldiers and the puppet army, they still looked like soldiers.
"Everyone, take off your rags, line up to take a shower, and then put on your new military uniforms!"
Among these new recruits, those recruited from Huaiyin were not bad. Although they wore worthless coarse cloth, they felt clean. After all, they were not refugees.
But the situation was different for the recruits recruited from the refugees. They had been fleeing for a long time, and their clothes were in tatters and smelled of sourness after sleeping in the open air.
After all, they don't have enough to eat and are at risk of starving to death at any time, so they don't care about their own grooming. Now they all have unkempt hair and beards that haven't been groomed in months.
This time Lei Xiong, the staff officer of the guerrillas, was sent by Yang Ling to recruit and train new recruits. When he saw these new recruits who were wearing dirty and smelly clothes, the first order he gave was to let them take a bath.
"Hurry up, hurry up, go over and line up."
Liang Xiaoshan was considered a veteran, and he was yelling loudly to maintain order.
Yang Ling selected a group of outstanding cadres from the veterans of the guerrilla camp to serve as instructors, and also trained these veterans as officers.
Although Liang Xiaoshan had been a guerrilla for less than half a year, he had fought several battles with the Japs and was considered an experienced veteran.
He has a keen mind and is brave in fighting. This time he was appointed as the company commander of the new barracks, which made him walk like a tiger, not to mention how happy he was.
The water in the cauldron was boiling hot, and the recruits lined up to enter the makeshift shower room built with curtains, washed themselves thoroughly, and put on their modified military uniforms.
"Hey, I didn't realize it. A man relies on his clothes and his horse relies on his saddle. With these clothes on you, you look a bit like a soldier."
Recruit Zhang Hai looked at his brother Wu Hao, who had fled to the pass with him, and walked around him with a smile on his sallow face.
Recruit Wu Hao was arranging his guerrilla uniform, which had been sewn with puppet military uniforms, tight on his body, and said helplessly: "It's still a bit small."
"Let's make do with what we wear for now, and then go back and find someone to change into." Zhang Hai pointed to a few tents set up not far away and said, "First go and trim our long hair, we are almost turning into women."
The two families originally lived in the Northeast, but the war caused the village to be bombed by the Japanese, and they took their families and fled.
On the way to escape, some of the family members were killed by Japanese planes, and some died of illness. The money they carried had long been used up, and they had to beg in the Huaiyin area.
Although the puppet army also recruits soldiers, they have a blood feud with the Japs, so naturally they are not willing to be the Japs' lackeys.
So I just held on, hoping to find a chance to kill the kid to take revenge, but I didn't find a chance to take revenge, and I almost starved to death.
Fortunately, Yang Ling and the others recovered Huaiyin in time. Seeing that Yang Ling and the others were recruiting troops, they followed them closely. After eating two full meals, they finally regained their energy.
Zhang Hai and Wu Hao queued up to have their hair cut again. The men who had their hair cut were also officers and soldiers of the guerrillas. They were craftsmen before joining the army, but now they have picked up their old profession again.
The long hair that they had grown during the escape was cut short with the scissors, and their beards were shaved clean by the razor blades. The unkempt two men finally shaved off their heads, finally looking much more capable.
"We two brothers have finally become human again." Looking at the hair all over the floor, Zhang Hai sighed sincerely.
"After cutting this hair, we have to make a clean break with the past. From today on, we will start a new life. We will no longer be ordinary people with flat heads, but become soldiers and shoot the Japanese!" Wu Hao also said with confidence.
"Okay, let's kill him and turn him upside down!" Zhang Hai stretched out his skinny hand and made a fist.
Wu Hao took a look, then stretched out his hand to make a fist and touched Zhang Hai's fist lightly, making a promise.
"Well, he looks quite energetic."
After seeing the two skinny recruits tidying up, they actually wore their general uniforms with a somewhat heroic air, and Staff Officer Lei Xiong's face was also full of smiles.
The recruits he recruited this time were all good. After all, there were only so many places assigned to him by Yang Ling. He tried his best to select those who did not have families to support and those who seemed to be of good quality.
After all, Lei Xiong had served as the battalion commander of a guerrilla battalion before. Now as a combat staff officer, he always felt that he was not as happy as fighting on the battlefield. He also wanted to use this recruitment and training to perform well and win the opportunity to lead troops again.
"Hello, sir——"
When the new recruits Zhang Hai and Wu Hao saw the staff officer Lei Xiong, they hurriedly stood up and saluted. Although it was not standard, it was still decent.
Staff officer Lei Xiong looked at Zhang Hai and the others like he was sizing up his new wife, making them feel uncomfortable.
"Okay, okay, not bad. It will be better if you eat a few more meals and grow stronger." Lei Xiong looked at the two new recruits and became more and more satisfied.