Chapter 41: Recruiting Troops and Buying Horses

On the threshing floor, the villagers gazed at the Eighth Route Army soldiers, who stood in neat, disciplined ranks with high morale. Before the troops sat rows of machine guns and mortars, neatly arranged. A sense of confidence surged in the hearts of the onlookers, and they began to whisper among themselves that this was truly an army capable of fighting the Japanese invaders.

Seeing that a crowd had gathered, Li Yunlong cleared his raspy throat and bellowed, "Folks, my name is Li Yunlong!"

The crowd erupted in a buzz of activity. A young man, filled with excitement, craned his neck and shouted, "Sir, are you the Regimental Commander Li who took down the old devil Sakata?"

Li Yunlong lifted his chin. "That's right! I am the one and only Li Yunlong, no doubt about it!"

"At the request of our superiors, we of the Eighth Route Army are here today to recruit soldiers to fight the Japanese."

"If we want to live a good life in the future, we must send all these killable devils to see the King of Hell. I, Li Yunlong, will lay it out plainly: for those who want to fight the Japanese and have a backbone, I welcome you to join our ranks!"

Li Yunlong waved his hand and clenched it into a fist. "I won't play any games. Let's get the unpleasant truth out of the way first: if you're just looking for a free meal, don't bother joining this cause!"

"Then, Commander Li, if we join the Eighth Route Army, will we be issued rifles?" asked a thin, dark-skinned young man, eyeing the machine guns on the ground with envy.

He had fled from another village as a refugee. Last year, a group of Japanese soldiers and puppet troops had raided his home, leaving him the sole survivor. He had previously tried to enlist in the Jin-Sui Army, but they had rejected him for being too scrawny. Since the Eighth Route Army was fighting the Japanese and providing weapons—especially under the command of the famous Li Yunlong—he had no reason to hesitate.

Li Yunlong looked him up and down. "Brother, what's your name? You don't exactly meet the physical requirements, do you?"

"My name is Zhao Fuquan. Don't let my size fool you, sir! I'm the fastest runner and the best tree climber in the village!" The young man’s dark face flushed, and he stared back at Li Yunlong without flinching.

"Good! Count yourself in! Go report to the commander of the First Platoon!" Li Yunlong didn't discriminate against him; in these times, it was rare for anyone to be well-fed, and big men were the minority. With proper training and this lad's sharp spirit, he would make a fine soldier.

Watching Zhao Fuquan dash off to report with joy, Li Yunlong nodded in satisfaction and turned back to the villagers. "Anyone else who wants to enlist, get over there now, or you'll miss the boat!" He pointed to Liu Bo, who was busy recording information in a small notebook.

Seeing Zhao Fuquan join the Eighth Route Army, several young men who were close to him rushed over to Liu Bo. With the support of their families, a few more villagers also came forward to sign up. Naturally, Li Yunlong had rules for recruitment; those who were the only children in their families or who had both elderly parents and young children to support were not permitted to join.

In the end, including Zhao Fuquan, Li Yunlong recruited five men from Heilong Village. For a village with a total population of just over two hundred, five recruits was a respectable number.

These five were dispersed among the various squads, with veteran soldiers tasked with teaching them the basic regulations and essential precautions of the unit. First, they had to learn the basic commands and what was expected of them. The rest would be taught through example as they marched.

After the recruitment, Li Yunlong declined the villagers' hospitality and led his troops onward. On the way to the logistics headquarters, he entered every village he passed to fly his banner and recruit. Thanks to the Eighth Route Army’s deep roots among the local population, the recruitment went smoothly. Some villages provided seventeen or eighteen men, others only two or three.

As word of Li Yunlong’s recruitment spread, various militia organizations—such as district squads and county battalions that had previously assisted the New First Regiment—heard the news and came to join him in admiration. By the time they reached the vicinity of Wujiamiao, the logistics headquarters, Li Yunlong’s company had recruited over ninety new soldiers, half of whom were militiamen with some basic experience.

By now, dusk was falling. After exchanging greetings with the brother units guarding the perimeter of the logistics base and receiving permission, the force, now more than half a battalion strong, settled into a series of cave dwellings. Li Yunlong went alone to the headquarters to find the Logistics Minister.

"Haha, Old Zhang, I’ve missed you like crazy!"

When Logistics Minister Zhang Wanhe heard that ear-piercing, raspy voice, he winced and turned around. His face darkened the moment he saw the troublesome Li Yunlong. Pretending he hadn't noticed him, Zhang Wanhe immediately turned to leave. "Hey, you there! Yes, you! Hurry up and get these supplies into the warehouse before some rat from nowhere carries them off!"

Li Yunlong saw this and ran after him, shouting, "Old Zhang! Hey, Old Zhang! Don't ignore me!"

Zhang Wanhe knew there was no escaping now. He turned around, feigning surprise as if he had just noticed him. "Oh? Isn't this Commander Li?"

Li Yunlong didn't stand on ceremony, flashing a grin. "Come on, come on... you know I’m not a Regimental Commander anymore! Stop pulling my leg!"

Zhang Wanhe chuckled, playing dumb. "Weren't you headed to the Taiyue Military Sub-district to expand your forces? What are you doing here?"

Li Yunlong played the emotional card. "Heh heh heh, I’m just here to ask an old friend like Minister Zhang for a little help!"

Zhang Wanhe had to hear what he wanted. "What kind of help?"

Li Yunlong didn't beat around the bush and made a bold request. "I don't need much this time. How about this: give me five hundred sets of the new uniforms from the clothing factory! And throw in three thousand catties of rations!"

Zhang Wanhe’s eyes widened as he stared at Li Yunlong’s brazen face. "My word, you really have the nerve to ask!"

"Absolutely not! Not a single uniform, not a single catty of grain!" Zhang Wanhe refused flatly and turned to walk away.

Li Yunlong grabbed him by the arm. "Don't walk away, Old Zhang! You’re from the Dabie Mountains—I thought you were a man of your word, but you’re stingier than Yan the Miser!"

"Besides, you’re giving these supplies to someone anyway. Are you treating them like gold bars? Do you expect them to breed?"

As he spoke, Li Yunlong sat down on a nearby stone mill, shamelessly playing the rogue. "If you don't give them to me today, I’m not leaving. You’ll have to feed me and house me!"

Zhang Wanhe pointed at him in exasperation. "Well, look at you, Li Yunlong! Are you still a soldier? You look just like a bandit!"

"If everyone acted like you, pestering me like this, how could I possibly do my job as Minister of Logistics?!"

Zhang Wanhe sat down beside Li Yunlong and shook his head with a wry smile. "Fine, I can't do anything with you. I know it isn't easy to build a unit from scratch. How about this: I’ll give you three hundred uniforms and two thousand catties of rations!"

Seeing Li Yunlong about to burst into a smile, Zhang Wanhe held up a hand to stop him. "Wait, I’m not giving them away for free. There are conditions; you have to trade something for them!"

Li Yunlong was secretly delighted. It was exactly as he had expected. But he still needed to see what this old friend’s conditions were. Perhaps he could save these supplies and use them to trade for more men from brother units later!