Chapter 3: Foresight or Fraud

Chapter 3: Visionary Planning or Smooth Talking?

(I)

In the original story, Li Yunlong led the 1st Battalion of the Independent Regiment into an ambush, hoping to pick off a soft target, but unexpectedly ran into two squadrons of the Kwantung Army. The two sides collided head-on in a narrow pass. In the end, the 1st Battalion wiped out more than 300 Kwantung soldiers but suffered heavy casualties themselves, leaving only 80 men standing—a pyrrhic victory.

The victory at Wild Wolf Valley had its pros and cons. The upside was that the Independent Regiment, having achieved a 1:1 casualty ratio against the Kwantung Army, gained instant fame. Even the Jin-Sui Army and Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek in Chongqing sent telegrams of consolation and provided a significant amount of ammunition and firearms. However, the downside was obvious: many of the 300 soldiers lost in the 1st Battalion were veteran Red Army soldiers who had survived the Long March.

In this world where Guan Shan had transmigrated, the Independent Regiment had just fought that very battle at Wild Wolf Valley. That was precisely why able-bodied men from all the surrounding villages had flocked to join the regiment. This was the same reason Guan Shan and Wang Gensheng had traveled over a hundred miles to enlist. When registering their ages, both Guan Shan and Wang Gensheng claimed to be twenty, but that was their traditional lunar age; in reality, they were only eighteen or nineteen.

As children, they had been shepherd boys who threw stones to keep their flocks in check, which was why Guan Shan and Wang Gensheng’s grenade-throwing accuracy was peerless within the Independent Regiment.

After growing up, in addition to herding, they had followed village hunters into the mountains. They were highly skilled with snares, traps, bows, blowpipes, and homemade hunting rifles. That was why they had caught the eyes of Li Yunlong and Zhang Dabiao, leading to their induction into the regiment.

Given the circumstances, the location must be in Central Shanxi, before the great breakout toward the vicinity of Ping'an-Gele in Northwest Shanxi. Calculating by the time—having just passed the Lunar New Year—it should be around February 1942.

With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Guan Shan drifted into a hazy sleep.

(II)

"No, no, no!"

Drifting in and out of sleep, Guan Shan was suddenly jolted awake by a clamor. In his groggy state, it sounded as if Li Yunlong was arguing with someone.

"Well, well, Zhang Dabiao, you’re actually trying to negotiate terms with me!"

Oh, right. It wasn't a negotiation; he was lecturing Zhang Dabiao.

"Regimental Commander, how would I dare..." Zhang Dabiao’s voice was low, and Guan Shan couldn't hear him clearly, but the tone suggested Zhang was smiling and trying to appease him.

"What do you mean it’s hard to carry out the work? Which company commander is it? Send him to me! Does he think he can revolt against me?"

(III)

"The injuries on your head and body are just abrasions, and the fracture in your left lower leg isn't too severe. The medic’s field treatment was quite thorough," the doctor said. "Stay at the Zhang Village clinic for now and focus on rest. We’ll check your recovery in a few days."

"That’s a relief," Wang Gensheng, who had accompanied the stretcher team, sighed in relief.

Guan Shan asked hesitantly, "If it’s not too serious, do I really need to stay here? Can’t I go back to our unit?"

Military Doctor Liu replied, "It takes a hundred days to recover from an injury to the bones and tendons, especially since it’s your leg. Even if it’s relatively minor, you won’t be able to do any strenuous exercise for at least a month or so. Even if you returned to your unit, you wouldn't be able to participate in training. Stay at the clinic, and you can help out with some light chores."

"No, no, Doctor Liu, I don't know how to explain it, but I feel like I might be able to return to normal training in three to five days," Guan Shan insisted, sitting on a stool and gently lifting his left leg to swing it.

Come to think of it, Guan Shan himself found it very strange. He had experienced a fracture in his previous life, and even with modern physical therapy, it had taken over thirty days to show initial signs of healing.

And now, after only a single night, he could already exert force!

"Stand up and let me see," the thin, tall Dr. Liu pushed up his glasses, which were tied with twine at the temples. He muttered, "Then it shouldn't be a fracture. If it were a fracture, it wouldn't be possible to recover this quickly."

Leaning on his crutches and with the help of two stretcher-bearers, Guan Shan carefully let his left foot touch the ground. It still hurt a little, but it was completely different from the agonizing pain he had felt yesterday when the splint was first applied.

"You two, support him. Let him slowly put some weight on his left foot. Don't force it; if the pain is unbearable, stop!" Dr. Liu stepped back two paces, signaling Guan Shan to stand up and try.

"Then it really shouldn't be a fracture!" Dr. Liu shook his head in confusion. "But even if it were just a hairline fracture, it shouldn't heal this fast!"

"No way!" The two stretcher-bearers scratched their heads in bewilderment. They had both been there when the medic treated Guan Shan’s leg yesterday.

Guan Shan tried to explain it away using the "secret recipe" of the Shaolin Temple from Wei Heshang, but Dr. Liu just smiled, not taking it seriously.

(IV)

"What? You can stand? No way!" Li Yunlong was filled with disbelief when he saw Guan Shan returning with his bedding roll.

The previous night, the argument between Li Yunlong and Zhang Dabiao had indeed been about Guan Shan’s transfer.

As Wei Heshang had expected, Li Yunlong wanted to transfer Guan Shan, who was skilled in mountain maneuvering, to be his personal messenger.

Zhang Dabiao had his reasons for objecting. After the battle at Wild Wolf Valley, the 1st Battalion had only 80 veterans left—barely enough for a single company. These soldiers, tempered by blood and fire, had all been promoted to squad and platoon leaders. The battalion desperately needed fresh blood. They had just discovered a promising recruit during the intensive training, only to have the Regimental Commander snatch him away—just like he had done to Wei Heshang, who was already a platoon leader, over half a year ago.

In the end, it was Zhao Gang who acted as the mediator, working on Zhang Dabiao’s mindset. He even told Zhang that Regimental Commander Li had a much more long-term vision.

"Think about it, Dabiao. We are currently preparing a cavalry company, right? Why? To use the speed of the cavalry to seize the initiative in flat-terrain combat!"

"Now, think again, Dabiao. What if we are in the mountains? The Taihang, Luliang, and Zhongtiao Mountains—with so many high peaks and ridges in Shanxi, let alone cavalry, even regular infantry have a hard time passing through! But what if we had a unit like this—it doesn't need to be big, just a company or even a platoon! They could maneuver through places where there are no paths. Think about it, really think about it!"

Next door, Wei Heshang and Guan Shan heard every word clearly. Wei Heshang covered his mouth to stifle a laugh and whispered to Guan Shan that Political Commissar Zhao and Regimental Commander Li were a perfect match: one would steal openly, and the other would be responsible for the "smooth talk," and within a few moves, they could sweet-talk the victim into submission.

Guan Shan could only force a smile. Although he understood Zhao Gang’s intent, he also realized that Zhao Gang and Li Yunlong weren't just "smooth talking"—they were being forward-thinking, even if they hadn't yet coined terms like "special operations forces" or "mountain infantry."