Resistance against Japan: Starting with the local militia

Chapter 99 Tang Ming's Letter

Just as Tang Weiguo returned to the regimental headquarters and was about to finish his hot tea, the communications officer at the door came in and reported:

"Reporting to the commander, the old steward sent a letter via a messenger. He said Tang Ming sent a trusted confidant to deliver it." The messenger then handed the letter to Tang Weiguo.

"Oh, I see. You can go ahead now."

"Yes, Commander." The communications officer received the order.

Tang Weiguo took the letter from the messenger and looked at it. The envelope read:

"To Tang Weiguo personally."

The letter was sealed with a special wax for security purposes.

Upon seeing this letter, Tang Weiguo guessed that the matter he had entrusted to Tang Ming last time had been completed.

Tang Weiguo then opened the letter, which read:

My nephew is well. All the matters entrusted to me last time have been completed. Please send someone to Pingshan County as soon as possible to contact Chief of Staff Wang of the 68th Brigade. I have already communicated the specific details with the 68th Brigade. The 68th Brigade has prepared the supplies my nephew needs. Please confirm the price according to the previously agreed price and do not add any extra price.

Furthermore, my nephew's transport needs to pass through the enemy's blockade zone, so please be extra careful on the road. Remember, remember.

Signed by: Tang Ming

"I didn't expect Uncle Tang to be so efficient, getting it done in such a short time. I just don't know how many anti-aircraft machine guns Uncle Tang managed to get; the letter didn't specify."

"The letter said the price hadn't changed, so it seems military merit is worth more than I thought."

"Looks like I'll have to find out the going rate for military merits in the future," Tang Weiguo thought to himself.

"Now that Uncle Tang has taken care of things, I need to get this batch of weapons back as soon as possible and make sure they're safely in the country." Thinking this, Tang Weiguo called out towards the door:

"Communicator."

"Here you are, Commander." The communications officer on duty outside the door rushed over.

"Notify Tang Xiaohu, Niu Dali, and Bi Shoucai to come to the regimental headquarters now. There are tasks to be assigned," Tang Weiguo ordered.

"Yes, Commander." The communications officer received the order and ran out the door.

"Pingshan County, Pingshan County, let me see where it is." Tang Weiguo walked to the front of the map to check the location of Pingshan County.

"Wow, that's far, probably around 300 kilometers," Tang Weiguo estimated, looking at the map. Moreover, the route passes through many Japanese-occupied territories; transporting this group of military supporters back won't be a simple task.

"The 68th Brigade also chose its location carefully, stationing itself so far from the front line, which is quite remarkable."

"Not only are they stationed far away, but their weaponry is also so good. It looks like they even have anti-aircraft machine guns. They're incredibly wealthy."

"Damn it, I really don't understand what those old men in the Nationalist government are thinking. Those who dare to fight have such poor weapons and equipment, while those who don't dare to fight have such good weapons and equipment. No wonder they kept retreating in front of the Japanese, and in the end, it was the ordinary people who suffered."

Tang Weiguo felt utterly helpless about all of this. The power of an individual was simply too insignificant in the face of this era.

Tang Weiguo began to understand how powerful the Eighth Route Army's advocacy of uniting all forces that could be united was. Like grains of sand forming a crowd, by gathering the strength of many individuals, immense power could be unleashed.

On the other side, Tang Xiaohu was training the militia soldiers on the training ground. His battalion's core members were all veterans, and a batch of soldiers had recently been added from the replenishment battalion. These soldiers were now training hard under the guidance of the veterans.

After the last head-on battle with the Japanese, although the militia ultimately won, it was a partial victory, which Tang Xiaohu, who was riding high, could not tolerate.

After this battle, Tang Xiaohu realized that his troops' combat effectiveness in Doha was still somewhat inferior to that of the Japanese troops. Only then did he understand how correct Tang Weiguo's usual advice to take the Japanese's combat capabilities seriously had been.

Recently, the militia was reorganized, and the commander incorporated all the elite troops into his own battalion. Tang Xiaohu understood that this was a sign of the commander's trust in him. Although the commander did not say anything to put pressure on him, Tang Xiaohu had grown up with Tang Weiguo since childhood, and he knew in his heart that this was Tang Weiguo's expectation.

Therefore, Tang Xiaohu secretly made up his mind to train his battalion into a force that would make the Japanese fear him.

"Sweat more in peacetime, bleed less in wartime. You all need to train hard and make sure your tactical movements are perfect," Tang Xiaohu shouted as he walked.

"Report, Battalion Commander Tang, the regimental commander wants you to come to the regimental headquarters." The communications officer ran over and said to Tang Xiaohu.

"Did they say what it was about?" Tang Xiaohu asked.

"They didn't say exactly what, but they told me to inform Battalion Commander Niu and Section Chief Bi to go to the regimental headquarters together," the communications officer replied truthfully.

"Okay, I got it. I'll go now."

"Yes, Battalion Commander Tang, I'm going to inform the others now." With that, the communications officer ran off.

"Deputy Battalion Commander, you stay here and oversee everyone's training. I'm going to the regimental headquarters for a bit."

"Yes, battalion commander."

A short while later, Tang Xiaohu arrived at the regimental headquarters. Seeing that only Tang Weiguo was there, he sat down, took a sip of water, and asked:

"Commander, what brings you here?"

"Do you remember when I bought a batch of weapons from Uncle Tang last time?"

"I remember, we spent 500 small yellow croakers."

"Oh, right, I also rushed back to the militia's base overnight and transported a batch of damaged Japanese weapons and uniforms from the logistics warehouse. I don't know what my uncle wanted such junk for," Tang Xiaohu recalled.

"Commander, has the weaponry been secured?" Tang Xiaohu asked.

“Yes, Uncle Tang just wrote today saying that the military supplies have been secured and we can go and transport them,” Tang Weiguo said.

"Uncle Tang, it would have been so much better if you had just had it shipped over to us," Tang Xiaohu complained.

"Haha, Little Tiger Tooth, you're thinking too simply. We're in enemy-occupied territory. The arms dealers who sell us weapons wouldn't dare to deliver them to us. They're cowards," Tang Weiguo said with a laugh.

"Commander, we've already joined the Second War Zone, why don't they give us more weapons? It feels like all we got was a title and a 1 silver dollar pay, but they didn't mention any weapons or equipment. We're treated like stepchildren."

"Besides, what can you do with 1 silver dollars? You can't do anything with it. Even if you were to work as a farmhand for a landlord, you'd still have to pay him," Tang Xiaohu complained.

"Therefore, we can only rely on ourselves, make use of them, and benefit from them, since the Nationalist government is still in charge."

"Besides, we were planning to fight the Japanese ourselves anyway, so it doesn't matter whether they're here or not," Tang Weiguo comforted him.

Upon hearing Tang Weiguo's words, Tang Xiaohu fell silent, but the expression on his face still betrayed his frustration.

After a while, Niu Dali and Bi Shoucai walked in together.

"Commander, what mission is assigned this time? I was just about to go down the mountain to continue collecting fertilizer from the Japanese soldiers," Bi Shoucai said to Tang Weiguo as soon as he entered.

“You’ve already delegated the task of collecting fertilizer powder to others. Now there’s another task that the three of you need to do,” Tang Weiguo said.

"Commander, what's the mission?" Niu Dali asked.

“Lately, I feel like I’m getting rusty because I haven’t had any missions. Commander, just tell me what mission it is, and I’ll definitely complete it on time,” Niu Dali continued.

“It’s good that you’re motivated. Now I’m announcing the order,” Tang Weiguo said.

“I’ve purchased a batch of arms through connections in the Second War Zone, and we need to send people to escort them back. The transaction location is in Pingshan County, which is nearly 300 kilometers away from us. We also have to pass through enemy-occupied territory. So your task is to safely transport this batch of arms here,” Tang Weiguo said.

"Yes, Commander, we guarantee to complete the mission," Tang Xiaohu and the other two said in unison.

"Tang Xiaohu, this time you will lead two companies of the First Battalion, and Niu Dali, you will lead the entire reconnaissance battalion."

"Yes, Captain."

"Bi Shoucai, you'll come with me this time. Let's see if we can get some other military supplies from them. Since we're already going, we should try to get as much stuff as possible," Tang Weiguo said to Bi Shoucai.

“Yes, Commander, I’m good at doing business,” Bi Shoucai said with a smile.

"When you arrive, contact Chief of Staff Wang of the 68th Brigade," Tang Weiguo instructed.

"What are the specific details of the transaction, Commander?" Bi Shoucai asked.

"I'll explain it to you in detail next."

Tang Weiguo then spent the rest of the time explaining the details to Bi Shoucai and the others.

"Do you all understand?" Tang Weiguo asked.

"understood."

"Okay, go back and make the arrangements. We'll leave first thing tomorrow morning. Be sure to be careful."

"Yes, Commander." Tang Xiaohu and the others left after receiving the order.