Bright Sword: Japs, times have changed

A phone call from the brigade commander broke the peace of the base, and all the company commanders were called into the house by Lin Qiang.

After everyone arrived, Lin Qiang spoke up, "The brigade commander just called and asked our independent battalion to open up a safe transportation route."

Seeing that Lin Qiang didn't continue, Zhang Yuntian asked, "Captain, our transportation routes have always been safe. I haven't heard of any problems there."

Then, Lin Qiang explained the brigade commander's order to everyone.

Because the independent battalion was famous in northwestern Shanxi and defeated the Japanese, refugees from all over the country believed that this area was the safest place and they all rushed there.

The influx of these refugees was also the main reason for the sudden increase in the strength of several regiments.

However, as more and more people came together, bad ideas began to emerge. In addition, the winter weather was cold and food was in short supply. Many people thought that even if they joined the Eighth Route Army, they might not be able to have enough food and clothing, so it would be better to form their own gangs and do some business.

Once this idea came out, many refugees thought it was a good idea, not to mention those refugees who had originally decided not to join the army. After discussing it, a group of refugees found a place to become bandits.

When the reputation of a bandit's den spreads, more people will choose to join. At this time, the bandits will begin to select strong men and beautiful women.

Those refugees who were eliminated had no choice but to form gangs and imitate the others to gather a group of people and become bandits.

This happened repeatedly, and in less than a month, more than a dozen bandit dens of varying sizes emerged in northwestern Shanxi.

At the beginning, these bandits were afraid of the combat effectiveness of the Eighth Route Army in northwestern Shanxi. Their main targets were the Japanese artillery towers and strongholds, and they would also attack the transport teams from time to time.

They never attacked civilians, nor did they affect the main transportation routes between the various units of the Eighth Route Army.

However, as the number of bandits continued to increase, their consumption also increased. The Japanese artillery towers and strongholds alone were not enough to meet their consumption needs.

Moreover, the Japanese also strengthened the defense of various artillery towers and strongholds, which made life even more difficult for the bandits.

Originally, there was only a piece of land, and the food grown was enough to feed a group of people. Now it has to be divided into more than ten parts, so conflicts naturally arise.

Conflicts broke out among the bandits, and some began to plot against the people.

Upon hearing the news, the brigade commander immediately ordered local armed forces to protect the people. However, this not only failed to scare the bandits, but made them even more rampant.

Not only did they shoot at local comrades, they also robbed the Eighth Route Army's transport team.

This kind of thing is absolutely not allowed to happen, so Lin Qiang received this order.

After understanding the whole story, Zhang Yuntian asked, "Battalion Commander, since we are going to suppress the bandits, we must first have a main target. We can't just attack whoever we want. We must have a legitimate reason."

The others didn't want to think as far as Zhang Yuntian did, especially Qiangzi, who said, "Why bother thinking about that? These bandits only know how to bully the weak and fear the strong. Battalion Commander, let our Second Company take on this task. I guarantee that within half a month, we can wipe out all the bandits around us."

Wang Qiang, Wu Zhe and others also volunteered, wanting to participate in this operation.

Although winter is not suitable for fighting, these people are used to life on the battlefield. They have been staying there safely for a month and are already feeling suffocated.

Now that they have the opportunity to stretch their muscles, everyone is naturally scrambling to take action.

Besides, it was a very easy task. The bandits' combat effectiveness was even worse than that of the puppet army. They were disorganized and undisciplined. A few artillery shells hitting their heads would force them to raise their hands and surrender.

It's simply free credit.

But Lin Qiang has a different opinion on this task.

"Stop arguing and listen to me."

"Wang Qiang, go contact the teams out there now and find out where the bandit dens closest to our base are. I want their detailed intelligence."

"Yes!"

After receiving the order, Wang Qian smiled and walked out of the house, leaving a long trail of footprints on the snow.

The others looked at Lin Qiang, their eyes gleaming with anticipation.

Lin Qiang smiled helplessly and said, "This mission is very simple. As for who to assign it to, I haven't decided yet."

"However, I do have an idea on how to complete this task."

"First, the bandits who intercepted our troops, oppressed the people, and shot at local comrades must be eliminated. There are no conditions for this. We must kill one to warn the rest."

"The second is those bandits who are just trying to survive. Not only have they not caused us any trouble, they have also contributed to the war of resistance. The main strategy for these bandits is to recruit them. If we really can't reach an agreement through negotiation, then we should forcibly disperse them."

"What do you think of this idea?"

Everyone was silent, even Zhang Yuntian, who was known as the think tank, did not answer.

It’s not that they think this idea is not feasible, but they think that the solution given by Lin Qiang is different from what they expected.

After a long pause, Zhang Yuntian spoke up, "I think this is feasible. As long as the bandits haven't committed any principled mistakes, we can recruit them. This will not only solve the problem of banditry, but also strengthen our team."

Wu Zhe also echoed, "That's right, and it can also let other bandits see our policy of appeasement. Who knows, they might even come to us without us having to personally try to persuade them to surrender."

"What about you? Do you have any other ideas?"

Hu Zi and others shook their heads in unison, indicating that they had no objection to this idea.

It was not until the evening that Wang Qiang returned with the intelligence he had collected.

Each team developing outside has a contact point so that they can contact the base as soon as possible when special situations occur.

So Wang Qiang didn't spend much effort to get the information he needed, he just had to wait a little longer.

The temperature at night was so low that it could freeze people to death. Even though Wang Qiang was wearing three layers of clothes, he was still very cold.

Lin Qiang poured him a bowl of wine to warm himself up, and Wang Qiang took it and drank it all in one gulp without hesitation.

"Ah~"

After drinking a bowl of wine, Wang Qiang felt much better. He took off his hat and reported to Lin Qiang: "Battalion Commander, I have obtained all the information you requested."

"There are four bandit dens closest to our base. Two are in Anhua County, one is less than 20 kilometers away from our base, and the other is right where the Ono warehouse is. These bandits cleared out the area where our bombs collapsed and turned it into their den."

"But these bandits haven't done anything wrong. Their main targets are the Japanese transport teams and artillery towers. The bandits closest to us occasionally go to help the villagers. According to reports from local comrades, many elderly people in the village who have no one to support them have been taken away by them."

After listening to Wang Qiang's report, not only Lin Qiang, but even the rough guy Qiangzi was moved.

Zhang Yuntian asked, "Then why don't these people join our Eighth Route Army?"

"You said this."

Wang Qiang explained, "I heard from local comrades that these people think the conditions in our Eighth Route Army are difficult. Most of them are elderly, and few of them can really fight. They are afraid that joining them will only cause more trouble for our team."

Wang Qiang wanted to continue speaking, but Lin Qiang raised his hand to interrupt him: "Alright, now that we have accurate information, let's start the action tomorrow."

"Huzi, Qiangzi, you two will be in charge of Anhua County. Wang Qiang, you will be in charge of the warehouse."

"By the way, Yuntian, you're in charge of the area closest to the base. If these people don't want to come, you have to bring them back to me, even if you have to tie them up!"

"Yes!"

Lin Qiang said to everyone, "Then do as I say and try to resolve these four areas within a day."

"Yes!"

Qiangzi chuckled and said, "Don't worry, Captain. I promise to make these bandits join us obediently."

Lin Qiang looked at him and said with a half-smile: "What bandits? They are our brothers who have not yet joined."