Chapter 40: Determining the March Route

"The straight-line distance on the map is over eighty kilometers. Everyone, share your thoughts!"

Li Yunlong did not act arbitrarily. This was a small test; he wanted to gauge the capabilities of his three platoon leaders. In the future, as the army expanded, weaponry would no longer be the primary obstacle, and recruiting would become much simpler. However, one issue still constrained the speed, scale, and quality of the army's expansion: the quantity and quality of junior and mid-level military officers. Li Yunlong had to plan ahead.

The three platoon leaders expressed their opinions, and Liu Bo’s choice was the most to Li Yunlong’s liking. He proposed moving west from Qin County, through Guo Village to the Wuyao line, entering a spur of the Taiyue Mountains, and then following that spur through several villages and towns until reaching Baiwanyulu.

"Good, the first platoon leader’s opinion is excellent. Why don't you tell everyone your reasoning?" Li Yunlong affirmed his choice and encouraged Liu Bo to elaborate.

"Yes, Company Commander!"

Liu Bo pointed at the map without hesitation. "Look, everyone. If we head east, we have to cross multiple water systems, and there are numerous enemy strongholds there. With our current strength, we would only be able to infiltrate at night, which would consume a vast amount of time and energy."

"And if we march near the Baijin Railway line, we must be wary of the Japanese railway patrol and garrison units. Because of our army’s continuous sabotage of the Baijin line, the Japanese patrol density is extremely high, and the possibility of an encounter is very high."

Li Yunlong nodded. "Not bad. From a tactical standpoint, your route is very reasonable."

"I have one more point to add. Besides being safer, this route has another benefit: recruits!" Li Yunlong pursed his lips and stared at the three platoon leaders. "Comrades, what is our primary mission?"

"Our primary mission is to recruit soldiers and expand the base area!"

"My thought is this: we can start recruiting along the way as we march! Whether to the east or along the Baijin Railway, the source of recruits is basically exhausted. We wouldn't be able to find many men there."

"Six months is not a long time, but it’s not short either. We need both quantity and quality. With our current number of veterans, we can definitely expand to the scale of a battalion! By having the veterans lead the new recruits, training while we march, and finding opportunities to strike puppet troops along the way, we can build sufficient combat effectiveness very quickly!"

Li Yunlong laid out the plan clearly. The three platoon leaders were in full agreement, though Liu Bo still raised a question: "Company Commander, we can manage the food and uniforms, but we don't have enough weapons and equipment. We don't even have extra broadswords or spears!"

Hearing this, Li Yunlong burst into loud laughter. "Hahaha! On the contrary, as long as I’m here, I guarantee we’ll trade our 'bird guns' for cannons. The only things we are short on are food and uniforms!"

"I’ve had this planned for a long time. Before we set off, we’ll make a detour to this spot and look up some old acquaintances of mine!" Li Yunlong pointed heavily at a spot on the map. The three platoon leaders looked closely. "The Logistics Headquarters?!"

"Yes, the Logistics Headquarters! Go back and inform the men. When the time comes, we will trade our current weapons and equipment with the logistics department for more food and uniforms!"

Hearing this, the three platoon leaders were stunned. "Ah? This?"

Zhang Wei, being the most impulsive, spoke up directly, "Company Commander, these weapons are the soldiers' lifelines. Without them, how can we fight the Japanese? We can't just mess around like this!"

Li Yunlong waved his hand to interrupt them, his eyes widening. "In one word, do you trust me or not?! If you trust me, listen to me. Out with the old and in with the new. I guarantee you’ll all have new weapons soon—the best-performing gear you’ve ever seen!"

Seeing Li Yunlong’s confident demeanor, and ultimately respecting his reputation, the three platoon leaders chose to obey. "Yes, Company Commander, we follow your orders!"

"Aihaihai... That’s more like it. Go ahead and issue the orders, and while you're at it, do some ideological work with the soldiers!"

Li Yunlong watched with a grin as the three platoon leaders went to work, then turned to Huzi. "Huzi, make a trip to the New First Regiment. Find Ding Wei and tell him I have a need. Tell him to release Zhang Dabiao and Wang Chengzhu to me!"

After Huzi left, Li Yunlong took out his communicator and sent a message to Brother Xu. He first described his current situation, then listed the number of weapons he needed and the exchange location.

"Haha, don't worry, brother. I will definitely deliver them to you on time."

"Besides, where isn't a place to fight the Japanese? With me here, I’ll make sure you get promoted to division commander!"

Listening to Brother Xu’s bold words on the communicator, Li Yunlong felt wonderful. "Hahaha, Li Yunlong, Division Commander Li? Sounds good, very good!"

Although the soldiers had some reservations, they obeyed the order resolutely and soon prepared for the march. Li Yunlong stood at the head of the formation. "All units, target Heilong Village, move out!"

Following his command, the company began to march, stepping firmly as they slowly left the village.

Xu Gaoxiang, after listening to all of Li Yunlong’s messages, couldn't help but sigh. "I didn't expect the original trajectory to actually change!"

Li Yunlong wasn't sent to the clothing factory to be a tailor; instead, he was sent to develop troops and expand the base area! Without those shackles, and with his own weapons supply, he was truly like a fish in the sea and a bird in the sky.

Xu Gaoxiang laughed happily. "Haha, this is good too. Isn't this exactly what I wanted? Li Yunlong is finally standing tall!"

Xu Gaoxiang thought for a moment. Since Li Yunlong was building a new force and needed to be self-sufficient, he could provide other help besides weapons, such as... He looked at the white sugar he was about to ship to Chu Yunfei’s 358th Regiment and muttered, "I wonder if Old Li likes sweets?"

Furthermore, since Li Yunlong was heading north, for the sake of future transactions, he needed to consider a new residence. This was not an easy choice; Li Yunlong’s area of activity was essentially surrounded by the Japanese, with large numbers of Japanese and puppet troops stationed in every county.

Finally, Xu Gaoxiang decided to take the risk and head to Qi County. After all, it was the birthplace of the Shanxi merchants, and he could easily establish himself under the identity of the Hexingju firm.

Having made his plans, Xu Gaoxiang prepared to depart immediately, taking Giant Stone and Arnold with him to the rendezvous point with Li Yunlong. For convenience, he bought two large carts to use as a cover.

Just as Xu Gaoxiang was heading to the rendezvous, Li Yunlong arrived at his destination, Heilong Village. With the villagers' consent, he used the village threshing floor to hang his recruitment banner.

Hearing that the Eighth Route Army was recruiting, the villagers were very enthusiastic. In the surrounding area, the reputation of the Eighth Route Army was legendary. Although the village didn't have a militia, several young men were very eager to join, especially when they heard that the officer leading the unit was the recently famous Li Yunlong. Their excitement was impossible to hide.