Chapter 27: Not Just a Simple Errand

Chapter 27: Not Just Running Errands

(I)

"Reporting!" Guan Shan called out at the door.

"Oh, Shanzi, that was quick!" Tian Daqing greeted him, quickly whispering a reprimand to the soldiers to keep them quiet.

Guan Shan stepped into the room and took a look. Aside from Tian Daqing, there were six other soldiers.

"Platoon Leader Tian, didn't the Battalion Commander say a squad?" Guan Shan asked, puzzled.

Tian Daqing gave a bitter smile and said, "We’re understaffed, and we haven't finished filling the ranks yet! There's no help for it; you can't just be a rookie who runs errands and tosses grenades to join the scout squad."

Running errands and tossing grenades—wasn't that clearly a jab at him?

Truly worthy of being Li Yunlong's men; their tongues were sharp enough!

Guan Shan couldn't afford to bicker with him too much. His own men were angry that they couldn't follow the Regimental Commander to get a taste of meat and soup, and they were unwilling to cooperate with a "newbie" like him who could only "run errands and toss grenades."

Examining their equipment closely, Guan Shan noticed that besides Tian Daqing, only two of the six soldiers carried Arisaka rifles, while the other four carried Zhongzheng rifles, which looked even less new than his own.

Ah, Guan Shan understood. Having better equipment was another reason for these veterans' resentment.

As Guan Shan observed them, the soldiers were also observing him. Seeing his equipment, two of the soldiers couldn't help but exchange a look and curl their lips. One of them rolled his eyes and muttered, "What the hell? His face isn't exactly fair-skinned either!"

Fine... but it was alright. Regardless, Guan Shan had plenty of experience from his previous life in how to quickly integrate into a new team.

There would always be people who were unconvinced, people with attitudes, and people harboring doubts. Li Yunlong had encountered this when he came to lead the Independent Regiment, and Ding Wei had faced it when he took over the New First Regiment. It was simply human nature.

"Platoon Leader Tian, is there anyone here who knows how to handle explosives? Also, among these comrades, who can operate a grenade launcher?" Guan Shan asked with a serious expression.

"Explosives? A grenade launcher?" Tian Daqing was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at his men.

The soldiers looked at each other in confusion; they really didn't possess those skills.

There was no need to dwell on their attitudes; he had to first establish a common goal—a goal that happened to be something they cared about.

(II)

"Why? Is there going to be a fight?" Tian Daqing asked subconsciously.

Guan Shan thought for a moment and glanced toward the door.

Tian Daqing pursed his lips, and a soldier ran to the door to check before closing it.

Clearly, the moment they heard there might be a battle, these guys all perked up.

Guan Shan pulled a simple map from his tunic and spread it out on the edge of the kang. Tian Daqing and the soldiers crowded around.

"Here, the North Third Pass—the northernmost of the three mountain passes. Plus, the dirt road at this intersection is relatively wide; a truck could drive another few miles in, so it’s highly probable that the Japanese special detachment will enter through this pass," Guan Shan explained.

"Coming in a truck?" a soldier asked curiously.

"Don't interrupt!" Tian Daqing reprimanded.

"Didn't the Battalion Commander tell you?" Guan Shan looked up and scanned the room. "It might be that same group of Japanese from Yang Village."

"Yang Village?" Tian Daqing's eyes widened immediately.

"Damn those bastards!"

"Son of a bitch!"

The veterans of the Independent Regiment all knew about Yang Village; it was their greatest humiliation. Although they had later fought the Battle of Lijia Slope and the Yeliangyu ambush—where they traded nearly one-for-one with two Japanese Kwantung Army companies—it still hadn't managed to pull out that thorn called "Yang Village."

The second step after defining the target was to stir up, mobilize, and guide everyone's emotions. For Guan Shan, that was still no challenge.

"The Japanese special detachment might set out from Taiyuan in a truck, enter through the pass, and then travel on foot through the wild mountains where there are no roads. The Regimental Commander analyzed that their target is likely to be something important—the arsenal, the hospital, the performance troupe, or the brigade or division headquarters. Of course, since we aren't certain..." Guan Shan explained tactfully.

"Damn it! If only they could fall into our hands..." Tian Daqing cursed angrily—well, half-cursed.

The soldiers all looked at Tian Daqing, then back at Guan Shan.

Clearly, they understood why Guan Shan had mentioned demolition skills and the grenade launcher. That group of Japanese was truly... ferocious. Despite their extreme rage, the soldiers, especially the veterans who had experienced that battle, were soberly aware of the gap in capability.

(III)

Guan Shan didn't continue to provoke them; there was no need. The combat will and morale of these soldiers didn't require mobilization.

"Platoon Leader Tian, look here. Assuming the Regimental Commander’s analysis is correct and the Japanese drive into the pass, if our Political Commissar goes ahead to set up an ambush point, the Japanese will surely try to drive back the way they came after being defeated..." Guan Shan looked at Tian Daqing and said, "But Platoon Leader, look at this distance... I haven't calculated it precisely, but it's very likely that before the Regimental Commander can bring the main force to the pass and seal off their retreat, we might have to hold them for three or four hours..."

"Pfft! Is that all? Just three or four hours?" a soldier said dismissively.

No sooner had he finished speaking than his head was smacked by more than one soldier.

"Why hit me?" The soldier rubbed his head, looking aggrievedly at Tian Daqing. Guan Shan recognized him as one of the two who had curled their lips at his new rifle earlier.

"You rookie, is it your place to talk?" Tian Daqing rolled his eyes at him and said to Guan Shan, "Don't mind him, he's just a greenhorn. Go on—oh, I didn't mean you, Comrade Guan Shan!"

Guan Shan looked at Tian Daqing and said, "The probability isn't high, but if we really do encounter them, I think we need to be well-prepared! Forget about machine-gun support, let's not think about that, but I can figure something out regarding explosives and the grenade launcher."

"For the grenade launcher, Platoon Leader, Old Xu from the artillery platoon can do it! That guy is a crooked genius; he's great with the grenade launcher, though he's only second-rate with a fixed mortar that has sights..." a soldier reminded him.

"Done! I'll go ask the Battalion Commander for him!" Tian Daqing agreed immediately.

"As for the demolition expert, how about Old Sun from the training squad?" another soldier suggested.

"Oh, I remember him. He's an old pal of Battalion Commander Zhang from their days in the 29th Army. But..." Tian Daqing looked at Guan Shan and asked worriedly, "Brother, can you really get your hands on explosives and detonators? Those are rare items!"

Guan Shan grinned and said, "How about this, Platoon Leader? You go get the men, and I'll take two soldiers to the logistics department to move some supplies..."

"Hey! This kid, not bad!" Tian Daqing beamed and said, "Listen to him, you'd think the logistics department was run by his family!"

(IV)

"Explosives, detonators, blasting machines? And a grenade launcher, too?" Li Yunlong looked suspiciously at the piece of paper Guan Shan handed him, then at Tian Daqing standing behind him, and furrowed his brows.