Chapter 47 Brigade Commander: The New Independent Regiment is Extraordinary! Their Equipment Level Rivals That of the Central Army

386th Brigade Commander's Headquarters.

The brigade commander was currently briefing the deputy brigade commander on routine brigade affairs in preparation for his upcoming visit to the arsenal.

With the ongoing construction of the arsenal, counter-espionage work required his personal supervision and reinforcement.

After all, this was his area of expertise.

This matter concerned the very foundation of our army and could not be handled carelessly!

At that moment, a communications soldier walked over holding a telegram and reported, "Commander, a telegram from the headquarters."

The brigade commander took the telegram and couldn't help being slightly startled as he read it.

It instructed him to visit the New First Regiment's base area to investigate certain matters?

The New First Regiment had compiled and published a "Militia Military Training Manual"?

He was asked to look into the reasons behind the dramatic increase in the New First Regiment's combat effectiveness?

Li Yunlong, that rascal, had actually managed to attract the attention of the higher headquarters?

The brigade commander had never expected such an outcome.

The headquarters had previously made new arrangements regarding the New First Regiment, and judging by this, the regiment must have done a commendable job with its security work.

Otherwise, how could it have drawn the headquarters' notice?

In truth, even without the headquarters' instruction, he had been planning to visit the New First Regiment's base area to inspect things for himself.

After all, the New First Regiment had been operating independently for three months now, and he needed to see how things stood; otherwise, he could never entirely set his mind at rest.

Seeing the look of astonishment on the brigade commander's face, the deputy brigade commander asked with some perplexity, "What instructions have come from headquarters?"

"Li Yunlong has quite some capability; he actually managed to draw such serious attention from headquarters," the brigade commander remarked with a sigh of emotion.

"It seems we must make a trip to the New First Regiment's base area after all."

The deputy brigade commander took the handed-over telegram and read it with growing curiosity.

Upon finishing, he too was momentarily stunned.

For a "Militia Military Training Manual" to command the attention of the headquarters and be slated for widespread implementation, its intrinsic value was beyond doubt.

"Commander, it seems the New First Regiment is no ordinary outfit!"

"Indeed!" The brigade commander smiled with satisfaction and instructed, "Keep this matter quiet for now. Once I finish arranging the security protocols for the arsenal, I will go over and investigate."

The deputy brigade commander instantly understood that the brigade commander intended to make an unannounced, covert visit to assess the situation of the New First Regiment firsthand.

"Understood!"

Following their discussion, the brigade commander set off for the Huangyadong base area.

...

Black Wind Ridge.

The New First Regiment base area.

The artillery company's camp.

Following Li Yunlong's successive retrieval of 82mm mortars and 20mm autocannons, the artillery company experienced an explosive surge in its weaponry.

Originally, the artillery company possessed only two Type 92 infantry guns and a single 75mm mountain gun.

Now, six 20mm autocannons and six 82mm mortars had been added to their arsenal.

That could only be described as utterly formidable!

To properly equip and deploy these artillery pieces, Li Yunlong had no choice but to expand the artillery company into an artillery battalion.

The 20mm autocannons were primarily intended for anti-air defense, ground attack, and close fire support.

In terms of anti-aircraft combat, they could effectively shoot down low-flying enemy aircraft.

Simultaneously, they were capable of delivering devastating ground strikes and close-range tactical support.

This provided formidable firepower support in complex terrain and urban combat environments.

It significantly enhanced the security of the base area.

After all, the New First Regiment's base now encompassed multiple small towns.

This acquisition provided them with a genuine, albeit modest, anti-air defense capability.

"Zhuzi, Yang Zhihua, you've got the weapons now, so you'd better step up your training and not let me down."

"Yes, sir!"

Wang Chengzhu and Yang Zhihua responded excitedly, "We guarantee the mission will be accomplished!"

Neither of them had expected the artillery battalion's equipment to arrive so swiftly.

With equipment of this caliber put into action, they would undoubtedly be able to beat the little Japanese devils until they cried for their mothers.

After inspecting the training progress of the artillery battalion, Li Yunlong proceeded to inspect the condition of the 3rd Infantry Battalion.

Although each of the three infantry battalions had dispatched a company to expand outward independently, through subsequent personnel replenishment, their troop strength had not only recovered but even increased.

The reserve forces, in particular, had expanded substantially.

Each battalion's primary mission was intensive combat training, along with the development and consolidation of the base area.

The New First Regiment was currently in no shortage of weapons; what they lacked were seasoned, professional soldiers.

Machine gunners, for instance.

When the regiment reached the regimental scale, it had been rewarded with 81 light machine guns and 18 heavy machine guns. Combined with previously captured light and heavy machine guns, the total number approached 200.

Yet, the number deployed across the entire regiment was only 120.

Even this was the result of incentive policies introduced by Li Yunlong.

To encourage the battalions to cultivate skilled personnel, they were permitted to requisition light and heavy machine guns, and even mortars, provided they met specific training criteria.

This greatly boosted the troops' enthusiasm and competitive spirit.

"Dabiao, your 1st Battalion's training progress is quite impressive. The proportion of light and heavy machine guns is the highest among the three battalions."

"Splendid!"

"Thank you for the compliment, Commander!" Zhang Dabiao replied with a triumphant smile, "My goal is fifteen machine guns per company; we're still a little short of that."

"Ha-ha-ha..." Li Yunlong laughed, then cautioned, "You'd better keep a close eye on logistical supply lines then, so that when a battle breaks out, ammunition doesn't fail to reach the front lines."

Zhang Dabiao nodded affirmatively, "Don't worry, Commander, I've already assigned reliable personnel to handle that. I guarantee there won't be any mishaps."

Observing the soldiers engaged in intensive machine-gun drills, Li Yunlong displayed a look of satisfaction.

"Keep up the good work!"

"Yes, sir!"

Zhang Dabiao watched Li Yunlong depart before turning back to oversee the troops' training.

Fifteen light and heavy machine guns per company meant forty-five per battalion.

Such heavy equipment was something he had never even dreamed of, not even back when he served in the Central Army.

At that moment, Zhang Dabiao felt profoundly grateful for his past decision.

Especially after being entrusted with heavy responsibilities.

It turned out the regimental commander truly promoted men strictly on their merits.

This was precisely why everyone worked with such fierce determination.

Having completed his inspection of the 1st Battalion, the last stop in the base area, Li Yunlong returned to the regimental headquarters.

Judging by his inspection, the entire New First Regiment was currently maintaining an exceptional momentum of growth.

Excluding the three independent companies operating outside, the troop strength of the three infantry battalions alone had reached 1,500 men, and with the inclusion of the artillery battalion, the total reached 2,000.

The militia force acting as the reserve stood at over 3,000 personnel.

And this number was growing at a steady pace.

Following the implementation of the "Militia Military Training Manual," their overall proficiency had improved rapidly.

In their spare time—when they weren't helping local villagers resolve difficulties—many militiamen trained rigorously according to the manual.

To continuously elevate their military standards, the frontline combat units regularly dispatched veteran soldiers to guide and mentor the militia in their drills.

Gauging the successful implementation across the regiment, Li Yunlong couldn't help but wear a satisfied smile.

At this rate of progress, two months from now, the main force's troop strength could conservatively be expected to reach the brigade level.

A standard brigade typically numbered between 5,000 and 6,000 men.

If the independent companies operating externally performed exceptionally well, breaking the threshold of seven or eight thousand men was by no means out of the question.

When that time came, he would unlock brigade-level system rewards.

The mere thought filled Li Yunlong with immense anticipation.

As he hurried back to the regimental headquarters, he habitually pulled up the virtual map to check for any enemy infiltrators who might have slipped into the area.

A few black dots appearing on the virtual map instantly caught his attention.

Japanese devils and traitors had infiltrated?

Without hesitation, he strode toward the location.