Chapter Forty-Five: Recruitment in Progress

After all, Liu Dayou was a hunter, a man of considerable strength. Relying on his sturdy build, he managed with great effort to squeeze through the throng and reach the very front. There, he saw a table set up, surrounded by a large crowd of onlookers.

Beside the table sat two soldiers in officer uniforms. On one of their collars, three stars were linked by a single horizontal stripe. Behind them stood more than a dozen fully armed soldiers, each holding a rifle and dressed in immaculate uniforms, exuding an air of formidable authority.

Liu Dayou cast an envious glance at the rifles in their hands, thinking how imposing he would look if only he could hold one himself. He couldn’t help but salivate at the sight, before collecting his thoughts and stepping forward.

Wang Yachuan, surveying the dense crowd before him, felt a surge of satisfaction. He had once been a company commander in the 244th Regiment of the 79th Army. After a bitter defeat, his unit was absorbed by Chen Qingzhi’s forces during their retreat. At first, he’d been unwilling to follow Chen Qingzhi, for at the time, Chen’s unit counted barely over a hundred men, most of them wounded—a remnant force, clearly battered and on the run.

Were it not for the fact that Chen Qingzhi outnumbered his own men, Wang Yachuan would never have agreed to join him. But fate has its way: who could have foreseen that Captain Chen would achieve such resounding feats on the battlefield of Nanjing? With the strength of a single battalion, he annihilated an entire Japanese regiment and killed General Tani Hisao, commander of the Japanese Sixth Division, shaking the nation to its core!

Riding this wave, Chen was promoted several ranks at once, swiftly becoming commander of the Independent Mixed Brigade. This accomplishment made Wang Yachuan regard Chen Qingzhi with newfound respect—even a touch of admiration.

After all, who could have predicted that a fellow retreating from Nanjing would, in a mere instant, carve his name into history with such an unprecedented feat? How could Wang Yachuan not be moved?

It was for this very reason that Wang Yachuan decided to stay with this unit. First, he could see clearly that this was a force dedicated to fighting the invaders. Second, Wang Yachuan had his own ambitions. Chen’s brigade had expanded from a mere battalion to an independent brigade—leaving many positions unfilled.

Currently, the combined strength of Chen’s forces amounted to only five or six hundred men. Apart from Chen himself, only Huozi, Fang Xiaodong, and Wang Yachuan held officer ranks.

Just three officers.

Yet the Independent Brigade, at full strength, would comprise three regiments—a structure that meant Wang Yachuan had every chance of becoming a regimental commander. How could he not be tempted? In his old regiment, the 244th of the 79th Army, he’d risen only to company commander despite countless battles, all for lack of backing. He might have been a regimental commander by now, if not for that.

But in the Independent Mixed Brigade, perhaps his ambition could finally be realized.

It was precisely this hope that kept Wang Yachuan in the brigade. To be honest, ever since he made the decision, he’d felt entirely satisfied. Not only was this a force determined to fight the enemy, but the soldiers were brimming with morale and possessed fine equipment.

When they were first absorbed, Wang Yachuan made no protest only because he’d seen with his own eyes the dozens of light and heavy machine guns in Chen’s unit—a staggering sight, when most regiments had only a handful of such weapons. To see over a hundred men carrying dozens of machine guns was a shock of immense proportions.

After a moment of reflection, Wang Yachuan returned to the present and gazed at the enthusiastic recruits before him, his smile growing ever wider.

They’d been at this for only a morning, and already he had recruited several hundred men. By the end of the day, perhaps a thousand would have signed up! And there were four such recruitment stations spread throughout Qingyuan County. They would likely reach full strength in a single day.

As long as the ranks were filled… Wang Yachuan fingered the insignia on his collar—the one-star, three-stripe rank—and a smile crept across his face.

At the very least, he could expect to be a battalion commander. Perhaps even a regimental commander was within reach. Maybe his single star could soon be exchanged for two, or even more.

As these thoughts played through his mind, a robust young man with a bow slung over his shoulder approached—an obvious soldierly type, fit and strong.

Wang Yachuan couldn’t help but nod approvingly. “Young man, are you here to enlist?”

The youth appeared a bit shy and nervous as he replied, “Sir, I heard that if I join here, I’ll receive four silver dollars a month in pay, and a twenty-dollar settlement allowance?”

“Of course! As long as you’re eighteen or older and have no criminal record, you can enlist. Once you pass, you’ll immediately receive twenty dollars as a settlement allowance.”

“Really?” Liu Dayou’s face lit up with delight. “Sir, I want to be a soldier!”

“You can enlist,” Wang Yachuan said, “but tell me, is it just for the pay that you want to join?” For reasons he couldn’t explain, Wang Yachuan suddenly felt a keen interest in this young man and asked the question.

Liu Dayou fell silent for a moment, not answering at once. After a while, he spoke slowly. “Why do I want to enlist? I can’t really say. My family is poor—dirt poor. Every day is a struggle just to fill our bellies, and even then, a disaster could steal it all away. That’s not the life I want.”

A hint of confusion flickered in Liu Dayou’s eyes. “I don’t want to spend my days scraping a living from the yellow earth, nor do I want to pass my life in obscurity. I want to change my fate, but I don’t know how.”

“There was once an old scholar in our village who opened a small school. I used to listen in from outside, and I remember one thing he said: ‘In life, one must know what to do, and what not to do.’ At the time, I didn’t understand. But after you all arrived, suddenly I saw it clearly.”

“Rather than spend my whole life in the countryside, toiling away and dying unknown, I’d rather take a chance—fight for a bright future, bring honor to my family name, and let the world know that I, Liu Dayou, once walked this earth.”

Liu Dayou fixed his gaze on Wang Yachuan and said in a steady tone, “Sir, don’t you agree?”

His words were simple, but in Wang Yachuan’s ears they rang like thunder, resounding and unforgettable.

To tell the truth, Wang Yachuan had asked only out of passing curiosity. Who could have expected such soul-stirring words from an ordinary young man?

He gazed deeply at Liu Dayou, drew a long breath, and solemnly nodded. “Congratulations. You are now a member of our Independent Mixed Zhongzheng Brigade.”

…