kingnovel Chapter 1187 A Village in Southern Shandong
Chapter 1187 A Village in Southern Shandong
The villagers generally knew about the air defense regiment's recruitment drive; it usually took place at the county level. But this time, they came right to the village, saying they were recruiting militia and that there was no need to travel around; they could just receive training in the village.
“Commander Wang, you should have done this a long time ago. Our villagers are actually very enthusiastic about resisting the Japanese, but no one knows how to fight them. We are just honest and simple farmers. If the Japanese really come, are we supposed to carry hoes and fight them? Although I was a soldier, I can't lead them all by myself.”
Under the big locust tree at the village entrance, Liu Qingyuan watched the people from the county come to recruit soldiers, and he was extremely excited. The thing he had been looking forward to for so long had finally come today. How could he not be happy? This meant that the people also had weapons in their hands and could fight the Japanese to the death.
This guy was originally from the 1st Army of the 72nd Army. He was shot in the back, and although surgery removed the bullet, he couldn't withstand high-intensity combat, so he had to be discharged. He got a job as deputy mayor of the town through the 72nd Army's logistics department, which was a good outcome. After all, he was a combat hero of the 72nd Army, so he couldn't have a bad life back home. And over the years, he's received a steady stream of funding, so he's been living quite comfortably.
But who knew that after a while, the deputy mayor's position was taken away by the locals. Fortunately, he could still be the village head, and life was still manageable. But when the Japanese came, all of that was over. Now, hearing that a militia was to be formed in the village, he immediately became interested and hurriedly brought his family members and nephews to help.
"Old Liu, this time we need to establish a three-dimensional defense organization. Although our regular army and security regiments may leave, the security teams and militias in each village and town will not leave. After the Japanese come, you can continue to fight them and buy us time and space. Of course, you will not be isolated. The necessary communication systems will be left for you, and the necessary air support will also be available. When the time is right, if we all fight back, we will pay the Japanese together."
Wang Youqing is in charge of the county's militia. Although he's still wearing his Fourth Army uniform, it probably won't be long before he has to take it off. Wang Youqing made a mistake within the ranks. It wasn't a major one—a dozen or so Japanese children were captured. Remembering the children his family had killed, he grabbed a submachine gun and went to investigate. As a result, following orders from above, he was discharged from the regular army and sent to organize the militia.
This kid's strength wasn't combat, so leaving the regular army to organize the militia was where he truly utilized his strengths. His strength lay in liaison.
“I understand. I studied the guerrilla warfare that our commander-in-chief talked about for a while when I came back. But at that time, no one in the village believed me, and no one supported me. Apart from the few guys in my family, no one else had received military training. But my three nephews and two nieces came. These people have been training with me since the day I came back. Now they are definitely qualified to be members of the security regiment. You can check them one by one later.”
Liu Qingyuan said with great pride that after he retired from the army, some of his former comrades kept in touch with him. He also had a very accurate grasp of the situation. His hometown was likely to fall into war soon. He had a considerable amount of retirement pay, and his family also had some assets. Therefore, the next generation of his family members were all undergoing military training, but they lacked some weapons.
“I saw your two nephews. They could easily be sent to the regular army. But let’s not talk about that now. Let them stay here and help you set up the security team. In the future, the security team in the whole town will listen to you. You need to establish a liaison system for the militia in each village. If we really fight, these people can knock a few teeth out of the Japanese.”
Wang Youqing was quite satisfied with the local situation. Progress in other places wasn't as fast as here, mainly because a large number of relatives and friends who had fled from northern Jiangsu had told the local people about what the Japanese had done, so these people were very concerned about how to protect their homes.
"Cousin..."
Just as the two were discussing something, a man ran over from a distance. He was probably not even 20 years old, but judging from the weariness in his eyes, he must have experienced a lot.
"Erniu! You're joining the security team too?"
Logically, having someone join the security team should be good news for Liu Qingyuan. However, when he saw the person in front of him, he didn't seem particularly happy. This person was also called his uncle; his mother was Liu Qingyuan's cousin, who later married and moved to northern Jiangsu.
A while ago, he came back with a letter. Of his family of over ten, only he escaped; the rest, along with everyone else in the village, were killed. This guy's only thought is revenge against the Japanese. Whenever Liu Qingyuan organizes training, this guy is always the most diligent. Now he finally has a chance. Although he can't join the regular army, this security team is also fighting against the Japanese, and he'll definitely participate in any battle against them.
“Uncle, I know what you’re thinking. It’s about me being the only son left in my family. But the problem is, if I don’t join the security team, do you think I can escape unscathed when the Japanese invade? Our area is surrounded by battlefields, and Japanese planes have been coming these past few days. If I’m in the security team, killing one enemy would be enough, but if I’m among the civilians, I’d be helpless if the whole village was slaughtered.”
Erniu said anxiously that he knew what the letter said. Because his whole family had died, he had to make sure that his maternal family could preserve the bloodline. So after returning to the village, his uncles took good care of him and usually didn't let him go to dangerous places.
But now it's about joining the army to fight the Japanese. Every time I close my eyes at night, I can't stop thinking about what the Japanese did to our village. I just can't close my eyes. Before, I never had the chance, but now that I do, if I don't go and kill the Japanese, how will I face the villagers after I die?
Therefore, it is necessary to serve as a member of the militia.