PFC Chapter 24 Uniform of the First Army
Chapter 24 Uniform of the First Army
The next day, just as dawn was breaking, the wasteland at the east end of Changning Village became lively.
As expected, Zhao Dahu acted swiftly and decisively. Early in the morning, he loudly gathered the dozens of new recruits and invited several experienced builders from the village. Carrying shovels, picks, carrying poles, and ropes, they marched into the wasteland.
"Listen up, everyone! We're building a new home for our Eighth Company, and also for yourselves! Get your hands dirty and use your strength, but listen to the experienced foreman's instructions, and don't do anything reckless!"
Zhao Dahu, sleeves rolled up, shouted louder than anyone else, "Clear the area first, mark the foundation! First row, take care of the east side; second row, take care of the west side... Those digging and mixing soil, come this way! Those skilled in carpentry, go and get the timber from Old Master Zhou!"
After several days of basic training, the new recruits are still far from being elite soldiers, but they have begun to develop discipline and obedience.
With Zhao Dahu taking the lead and personally swinging a pickaxe to dig out the first clod of earth, everyone's enthusiasm was immediately mobilized.
The sounds of workers shouting "Heave-ho!" and the clanging of metal against soil and stones quickly filled the air.
The villagers weren't idle either. Old Master Zhou received the news yesterday and gathered several households together that very evening to discuss it.
The Eighth Route Army won a great victory and ensured the safety of the village. Now that they need to settle down and train their troops, how could we not help them with this little bit of work?
As soon as it was light, men drove oxcarts to deliver the accumulated wood and thatch, women carried hot water and dry food, and even half-grown children ran over to help by handing over tools or picking up stones.
The entire wasteland construction site presented a scene of bustling activity.
Soldiers and civilians mingled, laughter and chatter filling the air. One villager, watching the soldiers sweating profusely, couldn't help but exclaim, "Look at this! This is truly our people's army! They work so hard!"
Yang Zheng visited the construction site in the morning and was very satisfied with the progress and the atmosphere of military-civilian cooperation.
He reminded Zhao Dahu to be careful and to arrange his work and rest reasonably. He also thanked the villagers who had helped him before returning to the company headquarters to handle other matters.
Around noon, some noises came from the direction of the village entrance.
Before long, Chen Xiaoquan led five travel-worn, dark-skinned, and sturdy men to the courtyard of the ancestral hall.
The leader was a middle-aged man in his forties with a kind smile on his face and calloused hands.
"Company Commander, these men say they are apprentices of Master Li Tiechui. They came all the way from their hometown of Pingyao. They heard that their master was fighting the Japanese here in our Eighth Route Army, so they all came to join us," Chen Xiaoquan introduced.
Yang Zheng understood immediately; these were the five blacksmiths summoned by the system. A warm smile spread across his face as he stepped forward:
"Welcome, welcome! Master Li is busy in the backyard. You've finally arrived! He's short of help! Our Eighth Route Army desperately needs skilled workers like you!"
The apprentices quickly bowed, and the middle-aged man at the head said in a deep voice, "My name is Wang Tiezhu, and I'm Master Li's eldest apprentice. I've been learning this craft from Master since I was a child. We're here to fight the Japanese and protect our hometown; we have a part to play! Please feel free to ask us for help wherever our strength and skills are needed!"
"Good! What a fine man!" Yang Zheng praised, and then had someone take them to the blacksmith shop in the backyard to see Li Dachui.
He knew that with the addition of these five experienced blacksmiths, the blacksmith shop's production capacity would be greatly increased.
In the past two days, Changning Village has been unusually busy.
Construction of the camp at the east end of the village continued day and night. With many people involved, the foundation was already taking shape, and several simple shacks were erected as temporary warehouses and tool sheds.
The blacksmith's furnace burned all night, the clanging of hammers echoing constantly as he worked tirelessly to forge swords and spears, while also repairing some tools.
Yang Zhengze, Chen Xiaoquan, Zeng Dahui, and others were busy reorganizing the troops, distributing the newly captured weapons, and organizing training.
In particular, the two grenade launchers and three light machine guns were trained by a dozen of the most clever and steady veterans under Luo Dashan and Zeng Dahui, with Luo Dashan personally leading them in secluded spots outside the village.
Although he made a lot of mistakes at the beginning, he improved very quickly.
The large number of captured Type 38 rifles and Hanyang rifles were distributed, ensuring that everyone had a rifle.
Of course, live-fire training is still quite difficult. Although the ammunition seems plentiful, in reality, it can be exhausted in a medium-sized battle.
Therefore, Yang Zheng strictly ordered frugality, and training focused on dry-fire drills, aiming, and tactical coordination. Even live-fire exercises required approval.
The soldiers' morale and spirits visibly increased with the upgrade of their equipment.
Soon, it was October 7th, three days after the 70 soldiers were summoned. Yang Zhengzheng and Chen Xiaoquan discussed a "big matter" in the company headquarters—standardizing military uniforms.
The soldiers of the Eighth Company were dressed in all sorts of clothes: the original core members of the Eighth Company wore standard gray cloth uniforms of the Eighth Route Army; those from the Northwest Army wore old gray-blue uniforms in the style of the Central Army; those from the Northeast Army wore yellow-green uniforms; and the new recruits wore their own coarse cloth clothes, which looked rather messy and was not conducive to the sense of identity of the troops.
"Company commander, I've come up with an idea."
Chen Xiaoquan pointed to several old military uniforms of different colors spread out on the table, "Didn't we capture a lot of uniforms from the Japanese and puppet troops this time? There are quite a few, although some are torn and bloodstained, the fabric is still in good condition."
There were also our own worn-out military uniforms that we had replaced, as well as the old clothes that our comrades from the Northeast Army and Northwest Army had changed out of.
I was thinking, should I collect them all and ask the villagers who know how to dye cloth to help me dye them all the same gray, the color of the Eighth Route Army, using traditional methods?
Yang Zheng's eyes lit up: "That's a great idea! It's recycling waste and also gives us uniforms! But where will the dye come from?"
"I asked Zhou Dachui. Some families in the village have some alum and wood ash. We can also find some plant roots and stems that can be used for dyeing in the mountains. If we mix them together, we should be able to dye a dark gray or light gray. The color may not be very uniform, but it's still better than a colorful mess." Chen Xiaoquan had obviously done his homework.
"Alright! I'll leave this to you! Get it up and running as soon as possible. If you need manpower or supplies, just allocate them directly. Tell the villagers that we'll pay them according to their work, and they won't work for free." Yang Zheng immediately made the decision.
Standardizing military appearance is also an important step in enhancing the regularity and cohesion of the armed forces.
As the two were discussing the details, suddenly, hurried footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate. The sentry responsible for guarding the village entrance ran in excitedly, stood at attention, and reported:
"Reporting, Company Commander! There are so many people at the village entrance! They're all soldiers! The leader said they're... they've come to join our Eighth Route Army!"
Yang Zheng's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately realized that the 70 warriors summoned by the system had arrived!
"Let's go take a look!" Yang Zheng suppressed his anticipation, maintained a calm expression, and took the lead towards the village entrance. Chen Xiaoquan quickly followed.