Chapter 9: Reorganization in the Valley — The Growing Third Battalion

The Red Army soldiers had finished forming their ranks. Wang Lin stood upon a protruding rock, gazing at the brand-new unit before him. What was originally a force of 240 men, augmented by nearly 300 converted Guangxi Army captives, had now expanded to over 500—a true full-strength battalion! In the twenty days since he had crawled out from the piles of the dead, he had managed to bring his battalion to full capacity.

He took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping over every face—some were veterans who had broken through with him during the bloody battle at the Xiang River, others were new recruits who had just donned their Red Army uniforms. Their eyes no longer held the initial confusion and fear; in their place was a firm, unshakable conviction.

"Comrades!" Wang Lin’s voice echoed through the valley. "From this day forward, we are no longer a shattered, defeated force, nor are we fighting alone! We are the Third Battalion of the 102nd Regiment, 34th Division of the Red Army—a true, main-force unit!"

He unfolded the organizational chart in his hand and began reading the reorganization orders. The Red Army veterans and the newly converted comrades would be integrated into the following structure:

Three Infantry Companies: 160 men each, consisting of three infantry platoons, one heavy machine gun fire team, one communications and reconnaissance squad, one kitchen squad, and one logistics squad.

Three Infantry Platoons per company: 40 men each, consisting of three infantry squads (10 men each, equipped with one light machine gun) and one grenade squad (10 men, dedicated throwers).

Heavy Machine Gun Fire Team: Equipped with two heavy machine guns for suppressive fire.
Communications and Reconnaissance Squad: Responsible for coordination and battlefield scouting.
Kitchen Squad: Providing meals for the entire company.
Logistics Squad: Responsible for the transport of ammunition and supplies.

Battalion-Direct Units:
Guard Platoon (30 men): Expanded from the original sniper squad. Zheng Shuisheng was appointed platoon leader. The battalion's best marksmen were concentrated here, tasked with guarding the battalion headquarters and providing key combat support.
Logistics Platoon (30 men): Reorganized from the original supply platoon. Lin Huowang was appointed platoon leader, responsible for the transport of all battalion supplies.
Medical Team (10 men): Led by Zhong Guangbang, composed of soldiers with basic battlefield first-aid training.

"Company Commander of the First Company remains Chen Ahai!"
"Company Commander of the Second Company will be Huang Musheng, formerly deputy commander of the First Company!"
"Company Commander of the Third Company—" Wang Lin paused, his gaze landing on Zhou Zhiming, who stood in the front row. "—will be Comrade Zhou Zhiming!"

Liu Gensheng stood in the ranks, feeling somewhat uneasy—his grenade platoon had been disbanded. Wang Lin sensed his anxiety, walked over, and patted his shoulder. "Liu Gensheng, your grenade platoon fought well, but now we have better tools." He pointed to the six captured mortars (taken during the crossing of the Xiang River and yesterday’s ambush). "From today on, you will take a dozen sharp soldiers and learn to handle artillery from the Chief of Staff. Once you master it, you will be the mortar platoon leader."

Liu Gensheng’s eyes lit up. He snapped to attention and saluted. "Yes! I guarantee I will master it!"

The captured weapons were redistributed:
Light Machine Guns: One per infantry squad, 27 in total for the battalion.
Heavy Machine Guns: Two per company, 6 total, forming the fire support teams.
Rifles: A mix of Hanyang-made and Zhongzheng rifles; every soldier was armed, with spares to spare.
Hand Grenades: Six per man for the grenade squads, with a reserve of 200 stored for the battalion.
Mortars: 6 pieces, with 180 shells.

With 580 men and this level of firepower, the unit was now infinitely close to a full battalion of the Central Army. Seeing the excitement on the soldiers' faces as they received their new weapons, Wang Lin finally felt a sense of confidence. They were no longer a ragtag group short on guns and ammunition, but a force truly capable of fighting a hard battle.

A cheer erupted from the ranks. Zhou Zhiming stood tall and gave a standard military salute. The former Guangxi Army battalion commander had now completely integrated into this unit.

Wang Guangdao knelt beside a captured 82mm mortar, carefully wiping the barrel. He had served as an artilleryman in a warlord’s army in his youth and was intimately familiar with the weapon.

"Mortars are not the same as hand grenades," he told the group of soldiers, including Liu Gensheng, who had gathered around. He pointed to the baseplate. "When you throw a grenade, it depends on your arm strength, but this thing—" he patted the barrel, "—depends on mathematics!"

The soldiers looked at each other in confusion. Liu Gensheng scratched his head. "Chief of Staff, we only know a few characters; how are we supposed to calculate this?"

Wang Guangdao grinned. "It’s simple! I’ll teach you a mnemonic: 'Aim first, adjust second, fire third; watch the enemy scatter like a herd!'" The soldiers burst into laughter, and the tense atmosphere vanished.

That afternoon, Wang Guangdao led them to a clearing in the valley to set up the mortar.

"Target—the crooked-neck tree behind the dirt slope, 300 meters ahead!" He squinted, using his thumb to measure the distance before adjusting the angle of the tube. "Load!"

Liu Gensheng carefully inserted the shell into the barrel—
"Bang!"
The shell traced an arc, landing precisely beside the crooked-neck tree and kicking up a cloud of earth.
"It was off-target!" a soldier shouted.
Wang Guangdao nodded with satisfaction. "To land that close on the first shot is not bad at all! Again!"

After three test shots, Liu Gensheng was already able to operate it independently. While his accuracy still needed work, he at least wouldn't hit his own lines anymore.

At dusk, watching the mortar squad return from training, Wang Lin smiled at Wang Guangdao. "What do you think? Can these boys do it?"

Wang Guangdao wiped the gunpowder ash from his face. "Liu Gensheng learns fast. After a few more battles, he’ll certainly be a fine artilleryman!"

Wang Lin nodded, looking toward the distance. His battalion now possessed not only full infantry strength but genuine heavy firepower as well. With the system’s support, he dared to go toe-to-toe with any battalion of the Central Army.

The morning mist of the Danan Mountains had yet to dissipate when the rhythmic sound of marching feet echoed along the mountain path. The soldiers of the Third Red Battalion marched in three columns.

"One! Two! Three—four!"
Zhou Zhiming’s cadence echoed through the valley. Sweat beaded on the foreheads of the Third Company soldiers, but they gritted their teeth and kept the pace. Yesterday, they were "double-gun soldiers" of the Guangxi Army (carrying both rifles and opium pipes), but today they were capable of maintaining formation while traversing mountain ridges a thousand meters high. Wang Lin stood at the edge of a cliff, observing. On his 3D map, the red dots representing the soldiers moved at a steady speed toward the west; occasionally, a few dots would flicker due to exhaustion, only to be quickly picked up by the rear-guard recovery team.

During the noon rest, Wang Guangdao set up a temporary classroom by the stream.

"A mortar is not a toy!" he kicked a recruit who was trying to simulate a shell with a rock. "Did the windage correction mnemonic go in one ear and out the other?" A makeshift rangefinder made of tree bark was passed among the soldiers; Liu Gensheng was busy calculating trajectories with a charcoal pencil on a slate—the former grenadier could now land two out of three shots within a 200-meter range.

On the other side of the stream, Zheng Shuisheng’s guard platoon was conducting silent-kill training. Thirty gun barrels aimed simultaneously at tree targets 300 meters away. Between the front sights and rear notches of their Zhongzheng rifles, even the trajectory of a falling dead leaf was accounted for. "Bang!" Thirty gunshots merged into one, and thirty holes blossomed simultaneously in the center of the tree targets.

Wang Lin knew that marksmanship was built on ammunition. Thus, he specially approved ten training rounds per person. In the mountains, the sound of gunfire did not travel far, and with the sound of the stream and the wind masking the noise, they could practice while on the move. Combined with his system’s 3x growth bonus, the integrated Third Battalion was accelerating its growth.

On the third day of the march, a torrential rain broke down the final barriers between the old and new soldiers.

The steep mountain path turned into a quagmire, and the mule carrying the mortar suddenly lost its footing. As the barrel threatened to slide over the cliff, three former Guangxi soldiers lunged forward, grabbing the reins with all their might, their knees ground bloody against the sharp rocks. Veterans of the First Company immediately untied their leggings to form a rope, and more than twenty men hung over the cliff edge to form a human chain. When the mortar was finally pulled back to safety, it was impossible to tell whose blood was mixed with the mud.

In the rain, Wang Lin saw Zhou Zhiming using a captured German-made dagger to cut his own shirt to bandage a wounded man—the officer’s sword, which bore an inscription "Gift of Chiang Kai-shek" on the hilt, was now being used to tear open gauze.

At dawn, the whistle of the lead reconnaissance platoon came from the mountain peak.

Zhang Hongtu slid down the slope like an ape, a grin breaking across his bearded face. "Tongdao County seat! The white dogs have a security regiment there!" The soldiers grew restless.

"The whole battalion, conceal and rest." Wang Lin put away the map and flicked the frost off Zhou Zhiming’s shoulder straps. "Tell the comrades, the final hurdle has arrived." The sunset cast their shadows against the rock wall, their silhouettes now merged into one with the great mountains.