Vanguards of the War of Resistance! Let's travel back in time together, classmates!

Chapter Forty-Eight: Heavy Losses

At this moment, Liu Ransong was torn between two conflicting emotions. He was reluctant to part with the new and tempting weapon, yet he could not resist the memory mission implanted by the system.

Shangguan Yun saw this and immediately understood. He quietly asked the system spirit Hong Ling who these people were.

The answer is that the implanted memory is that of the remnants of the Northeast Army who were defeated by the Japanese. They recruited many refugees and anti-Japanese heroes along the way, and the team they formed was passing through this place. Their next step was to go inside the Great Wall to find the main force.

Hehe... Shangguan Yun chuckled to himself. With just these few people, they'd probably become targets for the Japanese before they even reached Shanhaiguan!

The system is truly cunning; it kills and silences everyone after use, leaving no trace. Oh well, what can I do? I'm a compassionate and respectful person, so I'll just take in these homeless wanderers...

Thinking of this, he chuckled and said, "To be honest, we are not simply an independent anti-Japanese force. I am a student of the eighth class of the Central Military Academy. I came to Rehe to visit relatives and ended up here."

We have already made initial contact with the government. The higher-ups have heard of our valiant fight against the foreign enemy and attach great importance to it. They have ordered us to contact our old comrades here, expand our forces, and seize the opportunity to counterattack the Japanese. They have also provided us with a large amount of material support.

The weapons and equipment you saw earlier, including those currently used by our army, were all airlifted here by planes sent by the Party-state.

Moreover, the higher-ups promised that once our army reaches a certain size, it will be given an official designation as a reward. Hehe... Brother Liu, do you still have any concerns...?

Upon hearing this, Liu Ransong's eyes lit up. He saw that the men and soldiers in the stronghold were dressed neatly, their military bearing and formation were indeed rigorously trained, and their weapons were advanced, unlike those of ordinary troops. He believed most of them. Looking at the fiery eyes of his soldiers, they all had expressions that said, "You're in charge."

Thinking that with just a few men and guns, we didn't know if we could even make it to the interior, but since we could fight the Japanese here, fighting for the Party, the country, and the nation, what did it matter if we were driven by others? So we made up our minds.

So he stepped forward, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, and said, “We are grateful to Instructor Shangguan for not abandoning us, and to the leaders of the village for thinking highly of us brothers. On behalf of all the soldiers of the company, I agree to your army’s incorporation. From now on, we will share the same breath and fate with your army. From me down, 103 brothers are willing to serve Instructor Shangguan with utmost loyalty and dedication…”

Of course! At this moment, Shangguan Yun is representing the government in recruiting them. If he doesn't serve the government, why would he serve the bandits? Even if they were recruited by the reinforcement order and their IQ is a little low, they are not stupid after all!

Shangguan Yun was overjoyed. "Haha... With the help of Company Commander Liu, our Song Family Village will be even stronger, and our great cause will be just around the corner... Come, come... let me introduce you all to my brothers one by one."

After everyone had greeted each other and exchanged pleasantries, Shangguan Yun assigned tasks to the new soldiers. Everyone then began the busy cleanup work, as a fierce battle had just taken place here, leaving countless dead and wounded, and the area in complete disarray.

The battle raged from noon until dusk, leaving the surrounding area shrouded in smoke and gloom, obscuring the sun and moon.

Within a radius of a hundred miles, more than a dozen forces, large and small, suffered heavy losses. Some were completely wiped out, while others retreated to their mountain strongholds and held out to the death...

"Ding dong... Congratulations, host, for gaining the loyalty of Liu Ransong and 103 others, earning 123 merit points and one Advanced Reinforcement Order (upon use, you will receive reinforcements with your highest current troop strength, lasting for 24 hours. If the duration is less than 24 hours in one use, it can be used in multiple uses. The troops cannot be recruited). Would you like to tally today's gains...?"

"Let's put that aside for now, there are still many important things to do..."

Shangguan Yun assigned tasks to several of his capable subordinates, and they all went off to do their own things. He himself went to the medical team to check on Song Dalong's injuries.

As soon as they got close, Song Xiaoyun suddenly shouted and rushed forward, punching and kicking Shangguan Yun.

"Waaah... Shangguan Yun... you liar... Father is dead... waaah... you liar... you promised to bring them back safely... waaah..."

Shangguan Yun did not resist, letting her hit him to vent her grief.

After a long while, Song Xiaoyun stopped what she was doing, her body slumped, and she fainted from grief.

Everyone helped her to the side and looked at Shangguan Yun. Shangguan Yun glanced at Song Baichuan, who was covered by a white sheet, and her eyes were slightly red.

I never imagined that the old man who was singing, dancing and drinking happily with me just the day before would suddenly be separated from me by death, becoming a cold corpse. I was struck by the impermanence of life and couldn't help but shed tears!

Sister Zhu handed over a handkerchief and said, "Wipe your tears. Don't cry. You're the pillar of support for everyone right now, so you must cheer up..." The people around her nodded in agreement.

"Alas... war is so cruel. If it weren't for the invaders, we would still be living a paradise. But since things have come to this, I will not give up. You little devils, just wait... I will make you pay for your blood debts..."

A smile appeared on everyone's face. The setting sun, combined with the crimson hues they wore, created a breathtakingly beautiful scene...

As night fell, the villagers and militia who had been cleaning up the battlefield returned to the village. Several key figures arranged for people to be on duty, and all the wounded received treatment at the medical team.

Shangguan Yun spared no effort in using his merit points to exchange for a large amount of medicine and medical equipment, which greatly excited the girls in the sanitation team.

The worst thing about fighting is getting injured, and the worst thing about getting injured is not having medical care. Now, following Instructor Shangguan, whatever we need, we can just say a word and soon receive a large amount of government-supplied supplies, which makes us feel incredibly secure.

The elders of the village slaughtered pigs and sheep to reward the soldiers who had fought bravely that day. After everyone had a hearty meal, they went back to their barracks to rest. Even Liu Ransong's newly arrived company was properly settled.

What a joke! That person is the greatest benefactor of the entire mountain stronghold. Otherwise, the Japanese would have breached the stronghold before the instructor could return. Therefore, the arrangements were made with great care.

They naturally had no idea that all of this was orchestrated by Shangguan Yun alone.

After arranging everything, Shangguan Yun glanced at the Song siblings who were still unconscious, then went to the council hall and summoned all the company and platoon leaders and managers from the entire village to hold a meeting.

Now that all the bigwigs in the stronghold are gone, only Shangguan Yun remains as the military commander. Moreover, the number of troops loyal to him is now greater than the number of troops in the stronghold, so his prestige in the stronghold is quite high.