Bright Sword: Japs, times have changed

That night.

Except for the necessary defensive forces of the base, all the other soldiers were happy about the victory.

This was the first major victory in a row's history and was well worth celebrating.

Lin Qiang gave the order and Zhao Dezhu started to take out pork, canned food, and various vegetables from the warehouse. These were the things that people usually didn't want to eat, so they ate them all tonight.

The people in the base were also very happy and joined the kitchen team to help.

Black Cloud Village is large enough to accommodate a team of several thousand people, but it seems very crowded.

But this did not affect the soldiers' joy at all. Lin Qiang said that soldiers were allowed to have a few drinks, but they were absolutely not allowed to drink too much.

The soldiers were also very sensible and no one overstepped the line.

In Lin Qiang's room.

In addition to him, there are several other team leaders including Zhang Yuntian, Hu Zi, Qiang Zi, etc.

At this time, everyone was staring at each other, not knowing why Lin Qiang called them all here.

Zhang Yuntian, who has a keen sense of smell, only had a very bold guess this time.

That is to take advantage of the Japanese troops' lack of strength in Anhua County and liberate the county in one fell swoop.

With the current combat effectiveness of the first row, it is completely capable of liberating the county town and defending it.

"The leader is here today. I think you all know, right?"

Lin Qiang glanced at everyone and said, "The commander came here with an order from headquarters."

"In view of our team's recent development and its outstanding performance in this battle, after discussion at headquarters, it has been decided that the 386st Platoon, 1rd Company, 3st Battalion, Independent Regiment, 1th Brigade of the Eighth Route Army, will be reorganized into the 386th Brigade Independent Battalion, directly under the jurisdiction of the brigade headquarters. Lin Qiang, the former st Platoon leader, will be appointed as the commander of the Independent Battalion."

"All matters and job placements within the independent battalion are decided by Battalion Commander Lin Qiang."

The latter sentence was added by Lin Qiang himself. Li Yunlong was not very knowledgeable, and he didn't know how to say many things unless the brigade commander told him.

As for Li Yunlong forgetting, or knowing about it but not reporting it, that is absolutely impossible.

First, he forgot the orders of his divisional commander, but he would never forget a single word the brigade commander said;

Secondly, if Li Yunlong dared to know the truth but not report it, the brigade commander would tell him what it meant to settle old and new accounts together.

To sum up, Li Yunlong didn't dare.

So, the headquarters means that they will not take care of anything. The team will be reorganized, but you, Lin Qiang, will handle the rest of the matters yourself.

Lin Qiang also regarded this as a test and assessment by the headquarters to see if he had the ability to lead this team well.

To this, Lin Qiang only wants to answer with one word: Yes!

As soon as he finished speaking, there was no sound in the room except for the soldiers' laughter and chatter.

Zhang Yuntian was the first to react. Although he was always fluent, he stuttered and asked, "Platoon Leader, does that mean... you are now... the battalion commander?"

Seeing Lin Qiang nod, Zhang Yuntian took a breath.

"Sigh~"

After the battle, the platoon leader skipped over the deputy company commander and company commander, and was promoted two levels to become the battalion commander!

Then wouldn't these captains and the like be...

It seemed like in the blink of an eye, everyone present was no longer confused, and everyone became alert and stared at Lin Qiang.

"I called you here to announce something."

Lin Qiang said solemnly, "After careful consideration by the battalion headquarters and with a view to future development, we have made the following decision: the independent battalion will be divided into seven companies. The seven of you will be the company commanders, and you will be arranged in squad order. Hu Zi will be the first company, Qiang Zi will be the second company, and the rest will be Zhang Yuntian, Wu Zhe, Xu Lang, Wang Qiang, and Liu Boyi."

"As for how you manage your team, that's your business. I won't get involved. As I said, I only look at the results."

A row of troops, the independent battalion now has a total of more than 3,000 people. None of the first-level combat units of the Eighth Route Army in northwestern Shanxi have more troops than the independent battalion.

It is divided into seven companies, each with more than 400 people.

What does it mean to have a company of more than 400 people?

Taking the New Second Regiment as an example, the battalion under Kong Jie's command could not match the strength of Lin Qiang's company.

Not to mention the combat effectiveness, it is not on the same level at all.

No one spoke, but they could hardly suppress the joy on their faces.

Lin Qiang continued, "Hu Zi, there's no need to replace the guns in your team. From now on, all the soldiers' guns will be replaced with Garands."

Seeing Hu Zi's smile getting even brighter, Lin Qiang warned him, "Don't grin like a lotus flower, kid. If your team can't carry the weight in future battles, you won't even be qualified to stay in my team! Do you hear me?"

"Yes!"

Hu Zi stood at attention and responded, "Please rest assured, comrade Battalion Commander!"

In fact, Lin Qiang had made this decision a long time ago, but because there were not enough Garlands before, the soldiers held them like treasures.

The smiles on the faces of the others were not as bright, and they looked a little unhappy.

In response, Lin Qiang said in a gentle voice: "Don't run away like your wife. Equipping the first company with Garands may not be a good thing. In the future, assault rifles, or even better weapons, will have nothing to do with them. So, think about it carefully."

Everyone had different reactions when they heard this, only Hu Zi looked unconvinced. He knew better than anyone that although his company seemed to be the main force of the independent battalion, in fact, there was a special forces team above it.

Hu Zi dared to bet that if there were any better new guns, the special forces would use them first before it would be their turn.

Unless this gun is of no use to the special forces.

Hu Zi was extremely confident that his guess was correct, and he looked at the complacent people as if they were fools.

Xu Lang stood up and said suddenly, "Platoon... Battalion Commander, I think we should replace me as the company commander."

As soon as these words were spoken, the joyful atmosphere in the room was swept away.

Qiangzi is a straightforward person and doesn't think about why Xu Lang said such words at this time.

"What do you mean, kid? Huh?"

"Hadron!"

Lin Qiang snorted coldly and then asked, "Xu Lang, tell me your reasons. Why do you want to change people?"

"I'm not qualified."

Xu Lang seemed to have made up his mind. He looked up at everyone and said, "Brothers, in fact, this battle could have been a greater victory. It was because of my negligence that the Japanese commander Yamamoto Ikki and his special forces escaped."

"Not only that, but because of my stupidity, several soldiers were killed. So I don't think I'm qualified to be a company commander. If I can't even perform the most basic vigilance, how can I be a company commander?"

As he spoke, Xu Lang's voice began to choke up: "Li Zi is only 17 years old. I promised his mother that I would bring him home safely..."

The one who could resonate with him in this matter was Hu Zi: "This matter is not your fault. When I led the team to set up the blocking position, I knew that it would be easy to be exposed if I was too far forward, but I insisted on choosing that position. As a result, the machine gunners were concentrated fire. A soldier who had just turned 16 had his leg blown off by the Japanese grenade launcher in order to fill the firepower gap."

"When we received the order to retreat, I didn't even have time to tell him the news before he closed his eyes forever. I wish he could hold on a little longer, and I wish I could do it all over again."

At this moment, sadness seemed to overshadow joy. Inside and outside the house, separated by a wall, there were two different emotions.

It seemed that all the things in the world worth being happy and celebrating had nothing to do with them. At this moment, eight men were sad for two children at the same time.

Compassion does not command troops.

But how can a general without a trace of humanity lead real warriors?

After a long pause, Lin Qiang finally spoke: "War is cruel and merciless. It's not that you are stupid, but that you are unlucky."

"Yamamoto Ikki's special forces are even more professional than our own special forces. They are like cheetahs, ready to seize any opportunity. Under those circumstances, no one could have stopped Yamamoto Ikki from escaping."

"Being able to minimize casualties is a testament to your leadership ability. Not being blinded by hatred and not ordering a blind pursuit shows that you can think calmly at all times."

"So, if I say you are qualified to be the company commander, then you are definitely qualified."

“I trust my judgment of people.”