Bright Sword: I checked in amidst the aftermath of the battle

Chapter 56 Zhang Dabiao's Troubles

"Hmm, not bad, hehe..."

Li Yunlong smiled with satisfaction. He took out a Hademen cigarette and handed it to Wang Yousheng: "Here, have a couple of puffs."

Wang Yousheng raised an eyebrow. Before he transmigrated, he didn't smoke because of heart and lung problems.

So, Wang Yousheng subconsciously said, "Commander, I don't smoke."

"What? You don't smoke? Holy crap!"

Li Yunlong got impatient: "This is good stuff, Hademen! Hehe, there's a saying, 'Everyone smokes Hademen,' everyone smokes Hademen."

"Have one, it's no big deal! Smoke like crazy, this is my reward for you!"

Wang Yousheng checked his body and found nothing wrong. Since it was a gift from the regimental commander, he would naturally smoke it.

While he was smoking, Golden Finger sent a message.

Congratulations on obtaining the new profession: Independent Regiment Platoon Leader

[Identity successfully bound, officer command power unlocked, joystick technical service area successfully bound! Locked range 100 kilometers]

"Oh?"

Wang Yousheng was a little surprised. He had obtained several professional identities before, but he hadn't seen any "command power" appear. Why was this happening now?

However, he quickly realized that a platoon leader was a commander who could lead troops into battle! How could he be compared to a secretary or an instructor?

[Dominion range: Visible within 100 kilometers of the Blu-ray screen.]

[Do you wish to enter the remote sensing technology service area?]

"Enter."

[Okay, you have successfully entered the remote sensing technology service area and will automatically bind your contacts.]

Swish!

At the same time, a small 20-inch screen appeared in front of Wang Yousheng.

The user interface is exactly the same as before.

When Wang Yousheng was binding Li Yunlong and Zhang Dabiao, he had thought that remote sensing technology was a good thing, as it could check any situation within a hundred kilometers!

For example, villages and towns, as well as enemy-occupied areas, can be viewed by simply clicking on them to see the specific layout of the target.

Just like now, if you click on a village's marker, you can clearly see who the village chief is, what his affinity with the Eighth Route Army is, how many people are in the village, and whether there is any grain stored there.

This also includes enemy-occupied areas, but only within a 100-kilometer radius.

One hundred kilometers is enough! Now that I'm a platoon leader, I have the power to command my soldiers. As long as the battle plan is feasible, plundering resources is a piece of cake.

Most importantly, we discovered that some village gentry and landlords were colluding with the Japanese. Damn it, let's send troops to attack them and seize their resources!

Wang Yousheng began to sense that he was about to embark on the path to becoming a god!

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but laugh as he smoked.

Seeing this, Li Yunlong scoffed, "Damn it, you're this happy about being a platoon leader?"

-

After Li Yunlong and Kong Jie left after inspecting the First Battalion.

Wang Yousheng originally wanted to study the joystick technology, but Zhang Dabiao took him to a room to discuss the recruitment of soldiers and food supplies.

After Li Yunlong took office as the commander of the Independent Regiment, the Independent Regiment reorganized its troops.

Despite Zhang Dabiao's seemingly glamorous position as the commander of the reinforced battalion, his life was actually quite miserable.

Putting aside the results of this operation, all the soldiers in the previous battalion were formed by compressing the third and first battalions. The battalion was not fully staffed, there was a shortage of battalion-level officers, and very few guns and ammunition.

A fully reinforced battalion needs to be at least seven or eight hundred men, and its weapons must be top-of-the-line.

This series of three consecutive victories has almost directly elevated the combat effectiveness of the First Battalion to the top level.

Right now, the only problem left for the battalion is manpower.

If there are enough manpower, forming an enhanced battalion would be more than enough.

Recruiting two or three hundred people within a month is neither particularly difficult nor easy.

On the earthen kang (heated brick bed) in the room, peanuts with a little wine, plus some pickled vegetables, make for a perfect dinner.

Zhang Dabiao also enjoys having a couple of meals on a regular basis, such as a famous Shanxi brand – sweet potato shabu-shabu.

"Come on, Shengzi, let's have a drink."

Zhang Dabiao raised his porcelain bowl and clinked it with Wang Yousheng's.

Zhang Dabiao said, "Shengzi, from now on you can just call me Dabiao, we don't need to be so formal."

Zhang Dabiao is a shrewd man. Wang Yousheng is now a platoon leader, handpicked by the regimental commander. Zhang Dabiao needs to be careful in dealing with him.

Wang Yousheng nodded. He glanced at his phone and realized that his intimacy level with Zhang Dabiao had reached 80. He hadn't expected that their intimacy level would increase so quickly after those battles.

100 is the peak of intimacy. I wonder if Zhang Dabiao will ask him to become sworn brothers when intimacy reaches 100.

After taking a sip of wine, Zhang Dabiao's expression clearly turned displeased.

Wang Yousheng said, "Battalion Commander Zhang, it's just about expanding the manpower pool, you can leave this to me."

Wang Yousheng had already planned it out. Now that he had the joystick technology, he was preparing to send the recruit company to recruit soldiers, and at the same time, find out the situation in the nearby towns and villages.

Zhang Dabiao continued, "Shengzi, you don't understand. The manpower is a minor issue; the main problem is food. Don't be fooled by the large amount of supplies we've captured this time—how can we possibly sustain this?"

"How so?"

Zhang Dabiao said, "Our battalion's rations can only last about half a month, and even the few hundred catties of millet we captured aren't enough to eat. At most, it'll last for a month. Even if we train like crazy, by the time our combat effectiveness improves, our battalion will be out of food. Damn it, this is driving me crazy."

To maintain an army, one must store up food supplies. Having guns and cannons is not enough to make one strong; logistical support is the foundation of a powerful military.

Zhang Dabiao had the ability to rapidly improve the soldiers' combat effectiveness within a month, but the food problem was a different story.

"I see."

Wang Yousheng understood; the reason for the relationship was because of the grain.

Li Yunlong said that we should produce our own food; an entire battalion needs to eat.

The entire battalion has fewer than 500 men. Even if each soldier eats only one pound of grain a day, they would still consume tens of thousands of pounds of grain a month.

Wang Yousheng then said, "It seems that the requisition of grain is urgent."

"That's right," Zhang Dabiao said frankly, "That's why we brought you here to discuss this."

Wang Yousheng understood what the former meant.

Wang Yousheng then asked, "You mean, try to find out from the soldiers?"

Zhang Dabiao nodded: "That's right. Our battalion has just been transferred here and we're not familiar with the surrounding area yet. The new recruits are from several nearby towns. Let's think it over and see if we can get some food."

Wang Yousheng pondered for a moment, then said, "It's spring planting season now, and the villagers don't have much surplus grain. There are only two options: either seize the grain or spend money to buy more."

"Spend money? Seize the spoils?" Zhang Dabiao immediately rejected the idea: "Don't even think about it. You know we Eighth Route Army soldiers are so poor we're practically selling our pants. Where would we get cash? Damn it, even spoils won't do. The troops still need to train."

Clearly, Zhang Dabiao had already considered this point.

"Damn it!"

Wang Yousheng couldn't help but swear.

Even a skilled cook can't cook without rice!

However, Wang Yousheng quickly came up with a solution.

Wang Yousheng then said, "Da Biao, let me first find out about the situation in the nearby towns and villages, and see if I can get some local gentry to provide some support?"

Zhang Dabiao pondered for a moment, then said, "This is the only way. I'll take charge of the training, and you'll lead the new recruit company. We must get the First Battalion up and running within a month."

"All done!"

The two raised their glasses and gently clinked them together...