Chapter 54: Tactical Training, Li Yunlong's Transformation Shatters the Brigade Commander's Worldview

A sound of reading aloud drifted through the village.

When the brigade commander followed the sound, he saw many people reciting articles.

There were children, young men, and soldiers...

What... was going on here?

Was the New First Regiment's base actually arranging for people to hold classes?

This certainly came as quite a surprise to the brigade commander.

Shortly after, the brigade commander asked a passing local resident, "Old fellow, who organized these study classes?"

Following the direction of the "school" pointed out by the brigade commander, the resident smiled and replied, "It's organized by the Eighth Route Army's New First Regiment. Anyone who wants to can come to class."

"Regiment Commander Li said that knowledge changes destiny, and having extra time to study is always a good thing."

"We adults don't have much spare time, but we mustn't let the children suffer; they are the hope of the future."

Uh...

The brigade commander was momentarily stunned.

Knowledge changes destiny?

Hearing these words come out of Li Yunlong's mouth somehow felt rather unnatural to him.

Still, the reasoning made sense.

What was most rare was that the common people were willing to believe it.

Just how on earth did Li Yunlong manage to pull this off?

A flurry of questions flashed through his mind.

He didn't even notice when the local resident walked away.

Coming back to his senses, the brigade commander shook his head with a chuckle, muttering to himself, "It seems Li Yunlong's ideological awareness has truly improved; he has changed a great deal."

"Indeed, one takes the color of one's company..."

In his view, Li Yunlong must have been influenced by Liu Yuan, which explained his significant transformation.

This brought a deep sense of relief and gratification to the brigade commander.

As long as Li Yunlong committed fewer mistakes, his promotion would be completely undisputed, and he would certainly be entrusted with greater responsibilities.

After all, they were old comrades.

Back then, it was precisely because of his numerous infractions that he remained stuck at the regimental commander level, unable to advance any further.

Of course, that was also related to the broader strategic picture.

Nowadays, our army was gradually expanding and developing rapidly, and we were precisely in urgent need of capable and responsible commanders.

Perhaps Li Yunlong would turn out to be a good choice after all.

Even so, the brigade commander decided to observe a bit longer.

He had simply been startled too many times by the random trouble Li Yunlong managed to stir up.

Thinking to himself, the brigade commander strolled about.

A moment later.

Guided by the murmurs, he reached an open space on the outskirts of the village, where he saw the soldiers conducting tactical training under the guidance of their commanders.

Through observation, he found these tactics to be rather fascinating.

The soldiers were organized into squads of three, with three squads forming a platoon.

Their positions formed a triangle.

The squad members assumed roles of offense, flanking, and support; the riflemen were in the front, and the squad leader in the rear, advancing and defending in a triangular formation.

Three combat squads, with three men each, provided mutual cover and were arranged in three echelons.

During an assault, they deployed in a "skirmisher line" formation.

They coordinated with one another and had a clear division of labor.

The soldiers transmitted signals through verbal commands, hand gestures, and whistles. Once deployed, dozens of men covered a battle line hundreds of meters wide.

Although the tactics were not yet fully refined, this approach left a deep impression on the brigade commander.

Against the Japanese devils, whose weaponry and individual combat capabilities far surpassed those of our army, these tactics could genuinely prove effective.

Which genius had come up with such tactics?

Instead of disturbing their training, the brigade commander walked over to another side to observe the tactical drills taking place on a different training ground.

This was somewhat different from the previous tactics.

A simulated enemy pillbox stronghold stood atop a hill, and the soldiers of the New First Regiment were launching an assault from two separate points.

This then gradually expanded into multiple points.

Unlike a chaotic, swarming charge, the soldiers' points of attack were extremely rational, and he noticed that these squads were spearheading the assault using the very tactics he had just witnessed.

As a brigade commander with rich combat experience, he quickly grasped the underlying brilliance.

Even if the enemy stronghold possessed formidable firepower, facing such tactics would cause their firepower to be dispersed and unable to cover multiple directions simultaneously.

If the squads formed a multi-point assault, it would further weaken the enemy's firepower.

Brilliant!

What a truly splendid tactic!

However, although the soldiers here executed the tactics somewhat better than the previous group, there were still quite a few shortcomings. Their coordination lacked smoothness, and they failed to adapt quickly enough when the tactics shifted, leading to numerous mistakes.

Yet, if they continued training, he was confident this tactic would fully display its might.

Of course!

The strength of any tactic ultimately depended on the people executing it; human agency was the most crucial factor!

The soldiers needed to be bold and resolute, the commanders needed to react promptly and direct with proficiency, adapting flexibly to the actual battlefield conditions... and so on.

Every single one of these factors determined the final outcome of the battle.

And the brigade commander saw precisely this fighting spirit and morale in the New First Regiment.

The soldiers dared to fight fiercely; the commanders were willing to learn, constantly rectifying errors through endless rounds of effort...

The discipline of the entire unit was remarkably strict.

This was what truly astonished the brigade commander in his heart.

After all, if a military unit lacked strict discipline, it would be difficult to execute any tactical maneuver effectively.

Li Yunlong certainly had a remarkable knack for managing troops!

No wonder the deputy chief of staff had assigned the newly formed New First Regiment of just a few months to undertake the outer perimeter security of the military arsenal.

Just as the brigade commander was filled with a myriad of emotions, Li Yunlong, who had just returned from his morning exercise, spotted the brigade commander standing there and walked over with a smile. "Good morning, Brigade Commander!"

Recovering his composure, the brigade commander looked at the spirited Li Yunlong and asked with pleasant surprise, "Did you join the morning training as well?"

Li Yunlong chuckled and replied, "Physical fitness is the foundation of revolution, after all!"

"How is the regiment's training so far? If there's anything unreasonable, I'd appreciate your guidance and corrections."

"He-he-he... You rascal, you're looking at things rather far ahead now~" The brigade commander smiled. "These tactics are quite interesting. What do you call them?"

Li Yunlong explained, "I call them the 'Three-Three Tactical System' and the 'One Point, Two Sides or Multiple Sides' tactics."

"They are primarily aimed at dealing with heavily armed enemy forces entrenched in fortified strongholds, compensating for our soldiers' low individual proficiency and lack of firepower."

"These tactics are still being explored and need refinement. The troops are still undergoing joint training and await testing on the battlefield."

A shock went through the brigade commander's heart.

From Li Yunlong's words, it seemed these tactics had been devised by Li Yunlong himself.

"Hmm, these tactics are good!"

"Who came up with them?"

Li Yunlong smiled shamelessly and said, "Untalented as I am, this old Li happened to think of them by chance."

"Untalented as you are!" A jolt ran through the brigade commander's heart, but he laughed and scolded, "You rascal, after reading books for a couple of days, your speech has turned all literary, hasn't it!"

"You've really grown some capabilities!"

"Still... the concept behind these tactics is sound. Keep up the hard training and perfect them. I look forward to the day these tactics reach perfection!"

"Yes!" Li Yunlong grinned broadly. "It is my honor to receive your recognition, Brigade Commander."

"..."

The two of them chatted as they walked back to the regimental headquarters.

Through the observations of the past two days, the brigade commander's impression of Li Yunlong had undergone a dramatic transformation.

Whether it was the development of the base area, the management of the troops, or the personal changes in Li Yunlong himself, everything completely refreshed his perspective.

Li Yunlong had truly changed!

The only thing that remained unchanged was his intense hatred for the Japanese devils and his unwavering loyalty to the organization.
This brought a profound sense of gratification and secret delight to the brigade commander.

Just as Li Yunlong stepped into the regimental headquarters, Liu Yuan hurried over and reported, "Regiment Commander, just as you anticipated, the Japanese spies who infiltrated the area have been caught."

"Here are the interrogation results!"

...

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