Such a large amount of loot took a full day to transport back to the base.
When the 399th Division soldiers, along with the civilians who helped with the transportation, returned to the base, the local people were ecstatic.
Carloads of guns, ammunition, food, cloth, silver dollars, gold bars, and machinery.
All of it was proof that the 399th Division had won another battle, a resounding victory!
This further solidified the local people’s support for the 399th Division, a force that truly fought the Japanese, after witnessing the Japanese devils’ cruelty firsthand and having some of their own loved ones killed by the Japanese devils' bayonets.
.................
“Look, honey, the 399th Division captured a lot of rifles, and even cannons!
Do you think Da Gouzi, who was drafted by the Nationalist government, can fight as well as the 399th and beat these little devils up good?”
A plain-looking middle-aged woman grabbed her husband’s hand, excited.
“I doubt it. You know those Nationalist soldiers. They’re no different from bandits, many of them.
When they drafted Da Gouzi, they even took a lot of our food, saying it was for his food in the army.
Bah, everyone knows that soldiers not only get their food and lodging provided by the army, but also get paid every month!”
The middle-aged man spat, then said, “I think the 399th Division is more reliable. Why don’t we have Er Gouzi join the 399th?”
“I think that’s a good idea. The 399th Division is the only force that truly fights the devils!”
.........................
The conversation between the couple was just a glimpse into the feelings of the local people.
Having witnessed firsthand the 399th Division's two major victories, the locals were eager to join the army.
Many people asked the soldiers if the army would be recruiting new soldiers soon, so they could send their children to join.
Xiao Yun had the idea of expanding the army, but he needed to wait until after all this was over before it could be put on the agenda.
The 399th Division needed to digest the spoils of this major battle and map out its future development plan.
They couldn’t just be running around like headless chickens, one step forward and two steps back.
..................................
The massive amount of supplies was brought into the warehouse, and Old Zhang, the warehouse manager, was practically beaming.
Due to the sheer volume of loot, the existing warehouse couldn't accommodate it all.
They had to negotiate with the local people and buy a few granaries from them to store the supplies.
However, storing the supplies in different warehouses made things complicated in terms of management and security.
Plus, the existing warehouses were mostly converted civilian houses and granaries, hastily cleaned up and put into use.
It had been fine before, but now they were storing more and more valuable items.
They couldn’t just make do like before, building brand new military warehouses was now a must!
Xiao Yun mentioned this to Wang Yan, the political commissar, but didn’t dwell on it.
Wang Yan, who was primarily responsible for logistics and ideological education, would handle the rest.
That evening, the main leaders of the 399th Division met in the Division headquarters conference room.
Xiao Yun sat in the main seat, his stern gaze sweeping over everyone. Then, he spoke.
“Now, let’s go over the battle summary. Each unit will give a brief overview of the battle situation. Liu Hu, you go first!”
Liu Hu, who had just won a big battle, chuckled. “Our 812th Regiment was responsible for holding the line at Wuyun Ridge. We successfully wiped out a full regiment of Japanese devils, including all their weapons and equipment, including two Type 92 infantry guns!”
“We also eliminated a puppet army regiment with over a hundred people, and captured over 600 Hanyang rifles, and six Czech ZB-26 light machine guns.
Furthermore, over 100 soldiers from the puppet army surrendered to our side and helped us fight the Japanese devils. We absorbed them into our ranks!
The rest of the surrendered puppet army members were made to inform on each other. Those who had committed grave crimes were executed on the spot, while those who hadn't committed major crimes were brought back to the base to undergo labor reform.
Some who hadn't committed serious crimes and wanted to join our Eighth Route Army were accepted. Those who didn’t want to were given two silver dollars for travel expenses.”
“How were the casualties?”
“Due to the continuous Japanese artillery fire and the subsequent hand-to-hand combat, our casualties were rather heavy. We lost nearly 300 comrades and over 100 were injured.”
Liu Hu’s voice dropped slightly as he mentioned the casualties.
He had been the commander of many of the 812th Regiment soldiers during the Long March, and he could still recall the names of many of those who had died.
The loss of so many comrades in one go was difficult for him to emotionally accept.
Xiao Yun nodded. Liu Hu was a good soldier, a capable fighter. He had turned a holding action into a annihilation battle. Although the casualties were high, it was a testament to his abilities.
After all, there was no better way to minimize casualties in that situation. Those Japanese devils were ruthless, not even caring about friendly fire, there was nothing they could do!
“Your 812th Regiment did well. Those comrades who sacrificed their lives are true heroes. Be sure to take care of their pensions.
Have all the injured soldiers been sent to the 129th Division Field Hospital?
I’ve already sent some of the captured medical supplies to the field hospital, they’ll receive the best treatment there.
However, we should also build our own field hospital, it’s too far to the 129th Division Field Hospital. Some injured soldiers couldn't make it before they reached the hospital.
Wang Yan, sitting below him, quickly jotted this down, adding the construction of a field hospital to the list of tasks.