Chapter 76: Zhang Zhisong Concedes!

“Commander Chen, what… what do you mean by this? Are you still holding a grudge over my earlier rudeness? If so, let me apologize to you again!” Hearing Chen Qingzhi’s words, Zhang Zhisong was caught off guard and spoke anxiously.

“Colonel Zhang, you misunderstand! My words aren’t out of resentment. From the very beginning, I had no intention of garrisoning within the city.” Chen Qingzhi smiled as he spoke. “I plan to station our Independent Brigade outside Dingyuan County! We’ll build defensive positions out there!”

“Commander Chen, that absolutely cannot be done!” Zhang Zhisong hurriedly protested. “If you set up your positions outside the city, you’ll be directly exposed to the Japanese assault. Your brigade is made up of new recruits—they’ll surely suffer heavy casualties and won’t be able to hold out!”

“If you garrison inside the city, you can at least use Dingyuan’s walls to fight the Japanese. But stationing your troops outside—this is simply unwise!” Zhang Zhisong urged earnestly.

He was genuinely worried that Chen Qingzhi would deploy outside. After all, the Independent Brigade had just been formed and was mostly comprised of new soldiers. If they were to camp beyond the city walls and the Japanese attacked, they would have to face enemy fire head-on—this could be a fatal blow for a fledgling unit.

Should they take heavy losses, panic might grip the recruits, and the brigade could even collapse entirely. While their 135th Division had enough manpower stationed in Dingyuan, having Chen Qingzhi’s brigade nearby would only strengthen their defenses.

If the Independent Brigade were defeated, it would be a significant blow to the morale of the 135th Division’s soldiers as well.

That was why Zhang Zhisong tried so hard to persuade him.

If it had been just another ragtag unit, Zhang Zhisong wouldn’t have cared where they camped—as long as they didn’t come running to him for help, their fate was none of his concern.

His intentions were sincere, but as he spoke, Huzi and Fang Xiaodong exchanged glances and burst out laughing.

Even Chen Qingzhi couldn’t help but smile, his eyes full of mystery as he answered calmly, “Colonel Zhang, rest assured—we have our reasons for this decision.” Before Zhang Zhisong could reply, Chen continued, “Let’s leave it at that for now. My brigade has come a long way; let’s rest in the city tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll move outside and construct our defenses.”

With that, he turned to Fang Xiaodong at his side. “Give the order for the troops to enter the city.”

“Brothers, move in!” Fang Xiaodong shouted, waving his arm.

At once, the Independent Brigade began marching slowly into the city.

Zhang Zhisong, hearing Chen Qingzhi’s words and seeing his resolve, could only sigh inwardly, feeling both anxious and a little resentful toward Chen for his stubbornness.

No matter how earnestly he advised him, this Commander Chen simply wouldn’t listen. Zhang Zhisong’s good intentions were clearly not appreciated.

He was just about to go find the division commander to persuade Chen Qingzhi in person, when he suddenly noticed something odd.

As these thoughts filled his mind, his eyes tracked the Independent Brigade’s soldiers as they entered Dingyuan. He suddenly realized that something was different about them.

He noticed that among every dozen or so soldiers, there was always one carrying a light machine gun, and every now and then, four men would be hauling a heavy machine gun past him.

He even saw many soldiers with disassembled mortars and infantry guns strapped to their backs!

Grenade launchers were everywhere—almost as common as light machine guns, with nearly every squad equipped with one!

The discovery left Zhang Zhisong gaping in shock.

“Th-this… Commander Chen, your men…” Zhang Zhisong stammered, staring at Chen Qingzhi in astonishment.

Chen Qingzhi only smiled, nodding slightly to encourage him to keep watching.

Zhang Zhisong was utterly astounded!

In other units, a whole regiment might not even have a handful of machine guns. Heavy machine guns were treated like rare treasures—if a regiment had three to five, it was already a luxury!

As for mortars, grenade launchers, and infantry guns—these were even rarer.

But in Chen Qingzhi’s Independent Brigade, such equipment seemed almost commonplace. Zhang Zhisong had watched less than a regiment’s worth of troops enter the city, but already he’d seen dozens of light machine guns and more than ten heavy machine guns, not to mention an endless stream of infantry guns and grenade launchers.

This arsenal… it was simply extravagant!

Yes, in Zhang Zhisong’s eyes, it was pure extravagance.

Heaven help him—his own 566th Regiment was considered well-equipped within the 135th Division, but compared to the Independent Brigade, it was like day and night.

His regiment’s gear suddenly felt like worthless scrap!

Truly, comparison can be fatal.

Zhang Zhisong watched the soldiers march into the city, burning with envy—yet what came next made him even more jealous.

After the three infantry regiments of the Independent Brigade passed by, a large team of pack mules appeared at the rear. But that wasn’t the main point—it was what the mules were hauling that caught his eye.

Artillery.

At the sight of these cannons, Zhang Zhisong was completely stunned. His jaw dropped and wouldn’t close, his face filled with awe.

He knew a thing or two about artillery! The smallest pieces he saw were 62mm mortars, and further back were 80mm and 82mm mountain and field guns. At the very end, there were even 105mm howitzers!

He drew in a sharp breath, staring at the artillery in shock. Dozens of guns, drawn by mules, moved slowly toward the city gate, their menacing barrels angled skyward, glinting coldly in the sunlight with an imposing presence.

Even after the last of the guns disappeared into the city, Zhang Zhisong was still reeling.

He could hardly believe what he’d just witnessed.

When had the Republican Army ever fielded such splendid weaponry?

Yet as the 105mm howitzers rolled by, their wheels cutting deep ruts in the earth, every detail confirmed the truth before his eyes.

An independent mixed brigade, whose soldiers all carried Mauser 98k rifles, each squad equipped with grenade launchers and light machine guns, and each regiment boasting Japanese Type 92 infantry guns for fire support.

On top of that, dozens of artillery pieces—such a configuration was simply unrivaled!

Even a full division couldn’t match this level of equipment! As far as he knew, even the Central Army’s German-trained divisions, at best, might have two, three, or four artillery pieces per division—still a far cry from the Independent Brigade.

Now, at last, Zhang Zhisong understood why Commander Chen was so confident about camping outside the city—they had every reason to be!

With such an arsenal, even if they faced the Japanese head-on, they wouldn’t be outmatched.

Zhang Zhisong was convinced—utterly and completely.