Chapter 46: Why Are There So Many Spoils?!

On the battlefield where the Japanese invaders were completely annihilated, the fighters of the 2nd Battalion of the 772nd Regiment were happily clearing the battlefield.

They certainly had reason to rejoice. In this operation to wipe out over 300 Japanese troops, the 2nd Battalion of the 772nd Regiment suffered virtually zero casualties. Only two soldiers sustained minor flesh wounds from rifle fire, and a few days of rest would have them jumping around in high spirits again.

Although the 772nd Regiment had previously ambushed the Japanese many times and fought several bloody battles, this was the first time they had crushed the enemy as easily as shooting rabbits, with the Japanese soldiers foolishly charging straight into the muzzle of their guns.

Three Type 92 heavy machine guns maintained continuous and precise suppressing fire from a high vantage point in the distance, pinning down the enemy's grenade dischargers so effectively that they could not even lift their heads. Dense light machine gun fire turned the Japanese charges into suicidal missions, while choosing to hold their ground stubbornly proved to be a dead end. After all, the other two battalions had already charged in from other entrances of the mountain hollow, launching a direct attack on the enemy's rear.

Abundant ammunition, effective tactics, and elite soldiers effortlessly wiped out all the Japanese troops—who had lost their heavy weaponry—on the slopes near the exit of the mountain hollow.

"Battalion Commander, take a look at these two binoculars! We found them next to the Japanese major. They feel very precious!"

"Battalion Commander, more than a dozen ammunition crates were found over here, containing about thirty thousand rounds of Arisaka rifle ammunition."

"Battalion Commander, we've gathered twelve Type 11 light machine guns, over two hundred Arisaka rifles, and fourteen thousand rounds of loose ammunition."

The commander of the 2nd Battalion grinned from ear to ear. Today's battle had been truly exhilarating. Although it felt a bit like winning an easy victory without much suspense, capturing so much loot was equivalent to striking it rich!

When the 2nd Battalion Commander finally found the Brigade Commander holding the two pairs of binoculars, Zhang Yun breathed a sigh of relief. By this time, Brigade Commander Chen had already been toying with his binoculars for a while. Although Zhang Yun had offered to present the binoculars to the Brigade Commander as a gift, the Brigade Commander was reluctant to take away something loved by others; yet, while refusing, he had continued to turn them over in his hands.

"Brigade Commander, take a look at these two pairs of binoculars—top-notch goods!" The 2nd Battalion Commander evidently failed to notice the Brigade Commander's subtle intentions, reporting happily as he handed the binoculars over.

Immediately, the Brigade Commander spotted the two pairs of binoculars, which were the exact same model as Zhang Yun's. He took them over, examined them closely, and casually returned the original pair of binoculars to Zhang Yun.

"Not bad, not bad. It seems the Japanese Army has also imported some Zeiss binoculars from Germany. I used to think only the Japanese Navy could afford such fine things." The Brigade Commander was clearly a connoisseur. As an outstanding graduate of Whampoa Military Academy, he was quite knowledgeable about excellent military equipment from around the world.

"In addition, we captured over two hundred rifles, twelve Type 11 machine guns, nine grenade dischargers, more than forty thousand rounds of ammunition, over seven hundred hand grenades, specialized rifle grenades, and two hundred gas masks," the 2nd Battalion Commander continued reporting.

"How many? Over forty thousand rounds of ammunition? Why did the Japanese bring so much ammunition?" Upon hearing this, the Brigade Commander immediately withdrew his attention from the binoculars.

"Japanese troops are generally required to carry 120 rounds per person on sorties, including 60 rounds of full-power rifle ammunition and 60 rounds of reduced-charge rifle ammunition. However, during long-distance marches, the Japanese might carry an extra allotment of bullets," Zhang Yun chimed in, offering a brief explanation of the enemy's ammunition configuration.

"Haha, today is truly a fine day!" The Brigade Commander grew cheerful again, feeling that despite launching a rapid raid today and not fighting any particularly hard battles, the spoils of war he had reaped were by no means small.

He solemnly handed the two pairs of binoculars to the guard beside him, turned back to Zhang Yun, and asked, "Commander Zhang, where are the weapons and ammunition you captured in the county town currently located?"

"They are in Wujia Village, three kilometers away from the county town. Regiment Commander Kong Jie made the arrangements, and their forces are currently stationed there as well," Zhang Yun replied. "In addition, the operational funds we intended to turn over to the public after capturing Xiaohuozhuang, the canned goods obtained from ambushing the transport convoy, and the artillery shells we brought along previously are also temporarily stored there."

Commander Chen nodded with a smile, "Good, that makes it convenient for the Independent Regiment to transport everything together and swiftly distribute supplies to the entire brigade. Just how many canned goods and how much funds are there?"

As he spoke, he led Zhang Yun, the guard, and the 2nd Battalion Commander toward the battlefield to inspect the captured supplies.

"There aren't many canned goods, only about a thousand. As for the funds, there are 15 kilograms of gold, 10,000 Japanese Yen, and over 10,000 legal tender notes."

Hearing this, Commander Chen, who was walking in front, stumbled in his stride and almost took a fall. He steadied himself, turned back to look at Zhang Yun, and said, "Fifteen kilograms of gold—that amounts to forty-eight large gold bars! Coupled with the Japanese Yen and legal tender, this sum of money is enough to sustain the headquarters for quite some time. To think you managed to capture so much gold and wealth in just a place like Xiaohuozhuang!"

(In 1938, one large gold bar was roughly equivalent to 400 silver dollars or 400 Japanese Yen, which at the time could buy a quadrangle courtyard in Beijing; 100 legal tender notes could buy an ox, while the procurement cost of a single Japanese Type 38 rifle for the Japanese military was only 80 Yen.)

Zhang Yun smiled faintly. Shanxi Province had always been a hub of commerce; since the Ming and Qing dynasties, Shanxi merchants had operated banks and other businesses. After warlord Yan Xishan took charge of Shanxi, the province's industry and commerce developed fairly well, and capitalists and wealthy landlords had hidden plenty of gold and silver in their homes.

What was Xiaohuozhuang compared to the grander scheme? Merely "occupying" Heshun County Town yielded a system bonus of 243 kilograms of gold and 12 tons of silver. If they could capture major cities like Yangquan, Jinzhong, or Taiyuan, the bonus gold and silver would be an astronomical figure!

"Brigade Commander, Xiaohuozhuang guards the Ping-Liao Highway and was naturally a commercial hub, as well as an important Japanese stronghold in Xiyang. It's no surprise the Japanese scraped together these things after occupying it. Now that it has returned to our hands, we can just use this money to fight the Japanese!"

The Brigade Commander burst into laughter. "Good, that makes perfect sense. I'll log another merit for you."

"You must never forcibly plunder the common people; otherwise, the headquarters, the division headquarters, and I will none of us spare you."

Zhang Yun nodded in agreement.

Standing on the hillside, Brigade Commander Chen looked at the Japanese corpses in the mountain hollow and the pile of gathered weapons and ammunition. With deep emotion, he said to Zhang Yun, "Yesterday, Kong Jie said that fighting alongside you makes capturing enemy supplies feel much easier, and I didn't believe him. Now that I see it for myself, the spoils really are immense. Haha, you truly are a lucky general!"

"What are your plans for the future?"

Zhang Yun had also pondered this question and replied, "Our Independent Detachment has actually only been out of our base for two days, but over these past two days, the troops have constantly maneuvered to find targets and fought a series of ambushes and assaults back-to-back. The soldiers are already very exhausted. I plan to arrange for the soldiers to return to the base for rest and reorganization once we hand the supplies over to the brigade headquarters."

"Currently, our Independent Detachment actually only has 15 veteran soldiers, over 160 soldiers who have undergone a month of strict training, and more than 400 others who are new recruits who have barely touched a gun and possess virtually no combat effectiveness. I do not intend to have them continue participating in subsequent battles; instead, I will arrange for them to return as soon as possible to carry out training."

"However, our Independent Detachment possesses decent artillery strength, especially the newly acquired mountain guns, which will be of great assistance in attacking the county town. I would like the detachment's artillery unit to accompany the main force in attacking the enemy in Liao County, and return to the base once the enemy in Liao County is expelled."

"In addition, I will arrange for our logistics squad and stretcher team to head to the headquarters hospital to receive the officers assigned to us (severely wounded soldiers from the 772nd Regiment) and bring them back to the base for recuperation so they can integrate into the troops as quickly as possible. At the same time, they will deliver the medicine we previously captured and purchased to the headquarters hospital to help the severely wounded soldiers currently in serious condition recover as swiftly as possible."

"Brigade Commander, do you see anything inappropriate in my arrangements?"

Brigade Commander Chen nodded with gratification. "There is nothing inappropriate. Remember, troops should always be valued for their quality rather than their sheer numbers. Untrained troops cannot fight major battles, and troops without faith cannot fight hard battles!"

"You didn't attend military academy; your art of war was learned from surviving a hundred battles on the battlefield, which is a rare accumulation of experience. However, a lack of formal education will sooner or later have to be compensated for with the lives of our soldiers. Just in time, you'll be following me these next few days, and I'll teach you some textbook knowledge to properly make up for this lesson!"