Bright Sword: Starting from the Improved Grenade

At the entrance of Xingjiazhuang village, a group of villagers gathered under a big banyan tree, lazily basking in the sun.

"Gou Wa Zi, why didn't you go dig wild vegetables today?"

A middle-aged man who was lying on his side teased Xing Gouzi, who was skinny and standing beside him.

"What are you digging for? The food I earn from working at the arsenal is enough for me to eat if I save it a little."

Xing Gouzi was lying on a rock and answered lazily.

"I can see you don't know how to live. I'm going to go dig wild vegetables tomorrow and cook them with cornmeal so that we can eat them for a longer time."

An auntie spoke up.

"That's right, add some wild vegetables to make it last longer. I'll go tomorrow too."

"I'm going too. Call me tomorrow."

"I still have it."

Everyone agreed.

"Okay, okay, let's all gather at the village entrance tomorrow and go up the mountain together."

The aunt greeted with a smile, saying that there were many wild animals in the mountains and it was safer if there were more people.

"Cut~~"

Looking at everyone who were full of enthusiasm and discussing which mountain to go to find wild vegetables tomorrow, Xing Gouzi turned over and looked at them with disdain.

It is the beginning of winter now, and there are few wild vegetables. Plus, people from the surrounding villages have to go looking for them, so it’s not easy to dig up wild vegetables!

It would be better to stay in the farm and bask in the sun to conserve your energy.

"Xing San, what are you guys still doing here? Hurry to the ancestral hall. The village chief wants to hold a clan meeting!"

Just then, a young man ran over breathlessly and shouted to the crowd who were discussing which hill to go to to dig wild vegetables tomorrow.

"Holding a clan meeting?"

Xing San asked doubtfully, "Do you know what it is?"

"I'm not sure, but it's definitely related to the Eighth Route Army. I saw the Eighth Route Army recruiting workers in our village that day."

The young man answered vaguely.

"Oh, then......"

With a "swish", as soon as the young man finished speaking, Xing Gouzi, who had been lying on the stone and didn't want to move, immediately stood up and ran towards the ancestral hall without saying a word.

Seeing Xing Gouzi running almost out of sight, the others also reacted and hurriedly followed him.

No matter what the Eighth Route Army is here for, with the benefits of the recruitment a few days ago, it would be a good idea to go and take a look.

What's more, this time the village chief held a special meeting in the ancestral hall. You should know that the door of the ancestral hall will not be opened unless there is something important.

At the same time, a middle-aged man wearing glasses, wearing a gray military uniform, with a round face and looking very kind, also walked into Xingjiazhuang.

Looking at the villagers running towards Xingjiazhuang in a swarm.

The guard next to the middle-aged man was about to step forward to stop a villager and ask what happened, but the middle-aged man held him back.

"Hey, wait a minute, let's go over and take a look, so as not to disturb the fellow villagers."

The middle-aged man had a hunch that this matter was related to Li Yunlong, and he wanted to see what Li Yunlong was up to.

..............

Inside the ancestral hall.

Seeing that everyone was there, Old Man Xing glanced at the Eighth Route Army soldier holding a pen and coughed.

"Ahem, everyone, please be quiet."

Old man Xing’s deterrent power is still good. As soon as he finished speaking, the ancestral hall, which seemed a little noisy just now, suddenly became quiet.

"Um... I'm sure everyone wants to know why we're called here this time. I won't waste any words. Do you see this Eighth Route Army comrade next to you?"

"I see!"

Everyone had a look of anticipation on their faces, obviously hoping that something good like the recruitment happened a few days ago.

"I know what you are thinking. I can tell you straightforwardly that the Eighth Route Army is here to recruit workers today."

"But we are not looking for laborers who can do hard work, but those who have some education or skills."

Hearing this, some people were sad and some were happy. Those who were happy were naturally those who had skills and could read and write.

There is no need to think about those who are worried, they are just those people who have no special skills and are not good at literary nitpicking.

Old Man Xing ignored the reactions of his people and continued, "But this recruitment is different from the previous two times. This time, we will directly join the Eighth Route Army."

"You can also say you are a soldier, but you are a logistics soldier. You don't have to fight on the battlefield. You only need to make weapons in the arsenal."

After hearing this, there was silence for a moment, and one person raised his hand carefully: "Village Chief, I have something to say."

Old Man Xing took a look and found that it was Xing Laowu, a famous cultural figure in the village.

"Go ahead."

"If the village head joins the arsenal, he will be a soldier. Does that mean he has to abide by military discipline? Will the Eighth Route Army bully the new recruits? And how will the wages be calculated?"

Listening to the questions asked by Xing Laowu in one breath, Old Man Xing looked at the Eighth Route Army beside him a little at a loss.

Seeing this, Li Yun put down his pen and stood up: "My fellow villagers, I know everyone has concerns."

"But please trust us, the Eighth Route Army. We will definitely not let you suffer any loss."

"Yes! The last time I worked at the arsenal, they provided me with plenty of food."

"That's right. After the Eighth Route Army arrived, they helped the village do a lot of work!"

The villagers nodded in agreement. It was obvious that the things the Eighth Route Army did on a daily basis were now beginning to show their power.

"We all believe in the Eighth Route Army. Sir, please continue."

"it is good."

Li Yuncai nodded: "First of all, joining the arsenal means joining the Eighth Route Army. Since you are already a member of the Eighth Route Army, you must abide by the military discipline of the Eighth Route Army."

"Especially the 'three rules of discipline and eight points of attention', which must be followed and cannot be ignored."

When the villagers present heard the “Three Disciplines and Eight Points of Attention”, they all smiled knowingly.

The Eighth Route Army has been here for so many days, and they have long liked this policy, which they always promote.

"There is also the issue that everyone is concerned about, the issue of veterans bullying new recruits. I can tell you here that this phenomenon does not exist in the Eighth Route Army."

"We emphasize equality between officers and soldiers. We don't have the habits of the old warlords, so you can rest assured."

"As for wages......"

As soon as the word "wages" was mentioned, the scene immediately became tense.

After all, the people of Xingjiazhuang have never seen the brutality of the Japanese devils, so it is impossible for them to be driven by justice. They are more concerned about their welfare and benefits.

"Three meals a day, meat once a month, a dollar allowance per month, and additional subsidies depending on production."

"Oh my god, three meals included!"

“I can still eat meat every month!!”

“There’s still money to be made!!!”

The villagers present were stunned by the conditions. People in their village only had two meals a day, morning and evening.

Some families are in financial difficulty and can just get by with one meal, let alone meat. As for money, forget it.

"I, I'll join in."

"I really want to be a soldier. Please choose me."

"Village chief, you know me. I have always wanted to be a soldier to defend my country."

Listening to the nonsense of the people below, Old Man Xing didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Okay, everyone, stop arguing. I just said that as long as you have the skills and can read and write, the others should not complain and go home."

Old man Xing still had enough deterrent power, and most of the hopeless villagers could only leave the ancestral hall dejectedly.

However, some villagers immediately thought of their educated or skilled relatives.

I was thinking whether I should notify him. If he is selected, I will have to give him a red envelope and some food!

But even if they did notify, they would be doomed to be disappointed. In this era, those who can read and write and have technical skills are a minority after all.

So in order to ensure that enough employees could be recruited, Li Yun had already divided the employees of the arsenal into several teams and sent them to the villages around Xingjiazhuang.

By the time they got there, those people had already been recruited by the people in the arsenal, so it was not their turn to tip off.

"Sir, do you want to notify Li Yunlong?"

After watching the excitement, the guard at the back of the crowd asked the middle-aged man next to him.

"No!"

The middle-aged man waved his hand and said, "Let's go to the arsenal first."

Inside the ancestral hall, Li Yuncai looked at the gray military uniforms that were leaving with the crowd and said, "Why do I feel a little familiar?"

"Forget it, it should be some leader who came to inspect."

Li Yuncai shook his head and began to focus on the matter at hand.