Although there are many new soldiers recruited and various types of armed forces gathered, they have all undergone decent training, and their combat effectiveness can be imagined.
Now the only combat troops that Yang Ling can rely on are the two guerrilla battalions under his command, but the two battalions only have more than a thousand people at full strength.
If such a small number of troops were put into a larger battlefield, they would be like water drops falling into the sea, and they would be gone in the blink of an eye.
Moreover, the Japs are not weak, so Yang Ling is not in a hurry to join the war. Anyway, he knows that this nationwide winter offensive will last until the spring of next year, and they will have plenty of opportunities to fight the Japs.
Yang Ling attaches great importance to the new recruits he recruits. After all, these are the fresh blood in his army. They will be the backbone of the army in the future and must be well cultivated.
So Yang Ling also hurriedly got up at dawn on the morning of the new recruit camp's training and went straight to the recruit camp camp outside the city to prepare for the opening ceremony.
Recruits Zhang Hai and Wu Hao were assigned to the same company. After cleaning themselves, they put on their military uniforms. Because there were not enough 38 rifles, the recruits now had to use one rifle for two people. Bullets were only issued during shooting training.
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When they arrived at the recruit camp, they finally ended their life of fleeing and begging, and finally had a solid night's sleep.
"Haizi, wake up, let's gather."
Zhang Hai was still sleeping in a daze, dreaming that when he was still in the mountain village of his hometown with his family, he was pushed awake by Wu Hao.
Zhang Hai sat up in excitement. With the faint light coming from outside the shack, he saw that the other recruits in the shack were getting dressed, so he quickly put on their clothes.
By the time he and Wu Hao dressed up and walked out of the woods where they camped, and arrived at an open space covered with weeds outside, more than a thousand recruits had already arrived, and they were lining up in a chaotic manner under the scolding of the officers.
It was not yet bright, but the December weather was freezing and chilly. After searching among the crowd for a long time, the two men found the company they were assigned to.
"You two hurry up and get in line."
Company commander Liang Xiaoshan saw Zhang Hai and others approaching and hurriedly ordered them to join the queue.
Their recruit company has more than 160 people. Except for the company commander and a few platoon commanders who are veterans transferred from the backbone troops, the rest are all new recruits.
Even the platoon leaders were all veterans who had killed Japanese soldiers, and their unsmiling faces had an air of self-restraint. The recruits did not dare to make any mistakes, and they were quickly assembled.
"Everyone stand at attention!"
When Zhang Hai and others all lined up, a loud shout came from the front, the sound was so penetrating that it made the ears buzz.
Although there were nine companies of recruits, more than a thousand people, standing in the grassy field, they all heard the order, and the whispering stopped suddenly. The entire team was silent, and the atmosphere became solemn.
Zhang Hai and others also hurriedly looked up and saw an officer in a crisp woolen military uniform, surrounded by more than a dozen officers, walking to the front desk on a platform built with ammunition boxes.
Looking at the tall and thin officer with a strong nose and a stern face, Zhang Hai quietly pushed Wu Hao next to him and lowered his voice: "Who is pushing?"
Wu Hao replied in a low voice: "I heard it's Chief Yang Ling."
"Shut up!"
Hearing the whispers coming from behind, the company commander Liang Xiaoshan turned around and glared at them, causing them both to stand up quickly, look forward, and not dare to speak anymore.
Yang Ling's eyes swept over the more than 1,500 new recruits who had assembled in formation. Their skinny and thin bodies were clearly the result of long-term malnutrition.
Moreover, before they put on this military uniform, they were all honest farmers. Now they had to pick up the guns in their hands and fight bloody battles to defend their homes. The blood in Yang Ling's chest surged.
"Who can tell me why you are soldiers?" Yang Ling looked at the recruits and spoke to break the silence.
Yang Ling's voice was not loud, but every brother could hear it clearly. Faced with Yang Ling's sudden question, they were stunned for a moment.
"Fight the Japanese!" Soon someone in the recruit team shouted angrily.
"Protect our home and country!"
"Don't be a slave to the country's subjugation!"
"Fight back to my hometown in Northeast China and avenge my dead family members!"
"To earn a bite to eat and survive."
...
Although the recruits' answers were varied, they were their truest thoughts.
Yang Ling nodded with satisfaction and asked loudly: "Then do you know what a soldier is?"
The recruits all fell silent. After all, they were all peasants who didn't know how to read. How could they know so much?
Seeing that no one answered, Yang Ling said loudly: "I'll tell you!"
"Soldiers are the mainstay of a country and the last barrier of a country. They must defend the enemy from outside the country's borders, keep the people at home at home, and shoulder the heavy responsibility of protecting the country!"
"But now!" Yang Ling suddenly raised his voice and roared with righteous indignation: "The Japanese invaders invaded my country, slaughtered my brothers, killed my sisters, and made my land of China flow like a river of blood!"
"Brothers, since you have chosen to be a soldier and to be a soldier who protects your home and country, tell me what you are going to do in the face of the broken mountains and rivers!" Yang Ling looked directly at the new recruits.
"Drive out the Japanese invaders! Give us back our mountains and rivers!"
The recruits all held their breath in their hearts, and they all roared, their angry voices filling the sky.
"The Japs are very strong! They have strong soldiers, planes, and cannons! Do you dare to fight them?!" Yang Ling asked again.
"Kill-kill-kill!"
Yang Ling's answer was the roar of mountains and tsunamis, shouts of killing, which were shouts from the depths of the souls of the brothers. They expressed their attitude with the word "kill".
These recruits have all seen the little Japs slaughtering their brothers and sisters, and have also seen the Japs' arrogance and domineering behavior, and they have long suppressed their anger in their hearts.
The new recruits were like a pile of firewood that would burst into flames when exposed to sparks, and Yang Ling had now completely detonated the anger in their hearts.
"Okay! As expected of a strong Chinese man!" Yang Ling's stern face showed a look of satisfaction.
"Now all ten war zones across the country are launching a counterattack against the Japs! At Kunlun Pass, the Japs' brigade commander Masao Nakamura was killed by troops led by General Dai Anlan! In Baotou, the Japs Lieutenant General Io Mizukawa was also killed by General Fu Zuoyi
Cut off the head! Do you think the beating was good?"
"Okay!" When the recruits heard so much good news at once, their faces flushed with excitement and they burst into loud cheers.
"But!" Yang Ling changed the topic: "In many places, there are still many and very strong Japs. Not to mention far away, in Yancheng and Gaoyou in the south, countless brothers and Japs are fighting in bloody battles!"
After hearing what Yang Ling said, more than a thousand officers and soldiers clenched their weapons tightly, filled with righteous indignation, and wished they could rush to the battlefield right now and fight side by side with those brothers.
"So I only give you one week to train. After one week, we will go to the battlefield! The training time is very short, so everyone must go all out, do you understand?"
"yes!"
Yang Ling answered neatly and resonantly. The brothers were full of fighting spirit and the blood in their bones was stirring.