Chapter 26: Forming the New Recruit Replacement Battalion

Within the ranks of the 772nd Regiment’s marching column, Li Yunlong, Zhong Zhicheng, and Cheng Shifa walked together.

Once they had left the territory of the 358th Regiment, Li Yunlong asked impatiently, "How did you get so chummy with Chu Yunfei? Don’t you know what kind of man he is?"

"He’s the commander of the 358th Regiment of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army. What’s not to know?" Commander Cheng asked, looking somewhat puzzled. "You’ve been in his territory for several days; do you not know who he is?"

"That’s not what I mean. I’m asking how you got so close to him!"

Commander Cheng had a sudden realization and explained, "Commander Chu is easy to talk to, and he hasn’t fought against us before." He paused for a moment before adding, "You crossed the river quite early, so you don’t know the situation. A while back, the 358th Regiment had a scrap with the little devils at Ruyue Pass and killed several thousand of them... When I heard he was being transferred to guard the ferry, our Brigade Commander guessed that your New First Regiment would likely run into trouble crossing the river."

"So, he simply ordered me to pull you out... After all, Chu Yunfei is a Whampoa graduate; he couldn’t possibly refuse to show respect to such a senior alumnus."

Li Yunlong glared at Commander Cheng and cursed, "Bullshit! Who needs you to pull me out? If this Chu Yunfei is so tough, why was he sent here to guard a ferry?" He continued, "If he really killed thousands of devils, why was he pulled back? I reckon he’s still got thousands of men under his command..."

Seeing that Commander Cheng ignored him, he nudged him with his elbow and asked, "What mission did the 772nd Regiment receive? How did you end up delayed for two days?"

Cheng Shifa shook his head, his tone turning cold. "That has nothing to do with you, Old Li."

Seeing Li Yunlong growing anxious, Commander Cheng sighed and said with a smug, relaxed air, "Military secrets. Outsiders shouldn't pry. You’d better go back to honestly opening up your base area; leave these combat missions to us main-force units."

"Heh, I think your hide is itching, daring to talk to me like that..."

Cheng Shifa wasn't intimidated. "What? You, Li Yunlong, want to spar with me?"

Just as Li Yunlong rolled up his sleeves, ready to start a fight, Zhong Zhicheng quickly grabbed him. "Old Li, what are you doing! You’re the commander of the New First Regiment; you must always be mindful of your influence..."

***

"Regimental Commander, did you anticipate this days ago?"

Chu Yunfei smiled. "Fang Ligong is a man of Commander Yan, but in the end, we are both part of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army. When facing Nanjing, we must stand together."

Sun Ming looked only half-understanding. "Then, the Fourth Battalion Commander..."

"In the battle at Ruyue Pass, he led the charge and showed great merit in killing the enemy. This is all he deserves."

Chu Yunfei only said half of what he meant, but Sun Ming understood perfectly now. By having Fang Ligong send that telegram, not only would Nanjing learn of this, but Old Man Yan would naturally not turn a blind eye. For such a "loyal" subordinate as Chu Yunfei, rewards were necessary—the silver dollars to be granted, the promotions to be made. He didn't care about the personal gain, but he couldn't let the hearts of his soldiers grow cold.

***

As they spoke, they arrived at the stables. After mounting their horses, they headed toward the First Battalion’s garrison. The 358th Regiment had a large force; if they were concentrated in one place, they would likely be spotted by Japanese reconnaissance planes and might even be bombed.

Apart from the Second and Fourth Battalions stationed in the villages around the ferry, the Third Battalion was in the county seat, and the various units of the First Battalion were stationed on the outskirts. Their destination was the First Company's garrison. As the "sharp blade" company under the First Battalion, the First Company had the strongest combat effectiveness and was a priority for Chu Yunfei’s attention.

When the soldiers saw the Regimental Commander arrive, they hurried to salute. They were already accustomed to Chu Yunfei’s habit of visiting without notice. At first, they were surprised, not knowing why the Commander would suddenly inspect them. It wasn't until a certain company commander was caught drinking heavily in broad daylight and was given a dozen lashes by Chu Yunfei that the soldiers learned from their squad leaders that this was the Commander's "surprise inspection" method.

It was reasonable to assume that in these chaotic times, he would at least bring a few guards when heading out. But Chu Yunfei usually brought only Sun Ming, a testament to his confidence and skill, which earned him the deep admiration of his men.

"Regimental Commander!"

"Where is your company commander?"

"At the training grounds!"

"Take me there."

Chu Yunfei dismounted and handed the reins to a young soldier nearby, following the deputy squad leader with Sun Ming in tow. On the training grounds, Bian Fucheng was shirtless, instructing his men in bayonet drills. This hulking man, who had been reorganized from the Northeast Army, was as skilled with the bayonet as he was with his broadsword.

"I’ll kill you, you blockhead! If you don’t train properly, once we hit the battlefield, the little devils will rip your guts out in a blink..." Bian Fucheng held a rifle, thrusting it forward fiercely. "See that? Do you know how to stab someone now?"

Seeing all the soldiers standing silently without responding, Bian Fucheng looked puzzled. "What the hell are you all stopping for? Keep training!"

"Company Commander, the Regimental Commander is here!"

Bian Fucheng turned to look. Not far away, Chu Yunfei was smiling at him, while his adjutant, Sun Ming, waved. Bian Fucheng scanned his men and shouted, "Keep training!"

Shirtless, Bian Fucheng jogged over to Chu Yunfei and saluted. "Regimental Commander!"

"How is the quality of the new recruits?"

Bian Fucheng was blunt. "They’re too stupid. I want to kill the lot of them. If it weren't for the rule against hitting men, I’d beat them eight times a day... It’s infuriating!"

Chu Yunfei chuckled. "You’re a veteran of over a decade. Can’t you handle this?"

Bian Fucheng scratched his head, full of complaints. "It’s the same old routine. In the past, I would have just whipped them into shape." Seeing Chu Yunfei glare, the 1.85-meter-tall man actually looked a bit aggrieved. "But Regimental Commander, didn't you say at the meeting this year that we shouldn't physically punish or abuse the soldiers? You tell me, a rough guy like me, how am I supposed to train these new recruits?"

Seeing that Chu Yunfei didn't stop him, Bian Fucheng grew bolder. "Regimental Commander, how about this: why not set up a replacement battalion? Let those best at training recruits handle them. That way, the new soldiers assigned to each company won't need us company commanders to train them, which would save us effort and not affect combat effectiveness. What do you think of this idea?"

Chu Yunfei nodded at the suggestion. "That’s a very good idea. Do you have anyone to recommend?"

"How would I know that..."

Chu Yunfei patted his shoulder and watched the soldiers pairing off for bayonet practice. On the field, the veterans were visibly sturdier than the recruits, looking like young bulls, no less impressive than the Japanese.

On paper, the 358th Regiment had a high food standard: one and a half jin of staple food per person daily, eight qian each of oil and salt, six liang of meat, and one jin of vegetables, following the unified standard of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army. In reality, due to factors like soaring prices and the devaluation of the local currency, even the 358th Regiment could only see meat on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, with each person getting about four liang. Still, compared to allied units, it was quite good. Vegetables were not in short supply at this stage, and each person could still get their daily jin. If worst came to worst, there were always tofu or bean sprouts as substitutes.

As for other non-staple foods, they lived off the land. At this moment, Chu Yunfei was already beginning to consider the personnel for the replacement battalion and how to develop the Xing County area...