Chapter 7: Yo, Brigade Commander

Looking at Li Yunlong with a face that said "I've got you figured out," Zhang Wanhe was momentarily speechless.

You, Regimental Commander Li, really dare to speak up—you know the production capacity of our arsenal. If every regimental commander came with liquor asking for weapons and supplies, never mind whether our logistics department has them; as long as I hand them out, they could be on the front lines by tomorrow. Our Eighth Route Army doesn't do factionalism.

Hey, that's what you said. I came today just to drink, and incidentally to ask Department Head Zhang, my fellow villager, for help. Nobody saw me asking for weapons and supplies, did they? We can't slander good people with idle talk.

Li Yunlong sat down beside Zhang Wanhe in a relaxed manner, putting his arm around Zhang Wanhe's shoulders to offer a toast.

Look at you—you don't look like a soldier, more like a merchant. You want to trade that broken mortar for twenty boxes of grenades? Your heart is too black. Not even one box. If you're capable, go see the brigade commander or the division commander.

Zhang Wanhe shook off Li Yunlong's hand; it was obvious this wasn't the first time he'd encountered such a situation.

You see, I've heard before that Logistics Department Head Zhang Wanhe isn't actually from our Dabie Mountains area—he originally came here fleeing famine from Shanxi. I didn't believe it at first, but now I do. Department Head Zhang, judge for us little Li: what's the Logistics Department for, if not to supply materiel to our Eighth Route Army units? Why can't they give us the New 1st Regiment?

Zhang Qian, who had been drinking and watching the fun, was suddenly mentioned by Li Yunlong; just as he was about to speak, Zhang Wanhe reached out to stop him.

You, Li Yunlong, are also a veteran Red Army soldier—when did you ever memorize the Three Main Rules and Eight Points for Attention? If you've forgotten, should I lecture you on what it means to obey orders in all actions, speak amicably, return borrowed items, and not beat or insult people?

Damn stingy—it's not a gold ingot; keeping it won't make it breed. Why do other regiments and units have it while my New 1st Regiment doesn't?

Li Yunlong began to play the rascal, bringing forth what he thought was a perfectly reasonable excuse.

Blind Cheng and Kong Erlengzi both have ammunition resupply, yet when they come to me they have to grovel. Why do they rank above me? One I taught personally how to shoot; the other, when I was carrying the old-style tube, I already knew the fast and slow mechanisms. If you don't give me anything today, I won't leave, and you'll have to feed me!

Just as Li Yunlong was bitterly complaining, a hurried footsteps sounded at the door, sounding like someone wearing military boots. The door of the cave dwelling was pushed open, and a man with an imposing aura walked in.

Li Yunlong! What the hell are you acting crazy for here? This is the logistics department, not a vegetable stall at the village entrance.

Yo, Brigade Commander. How come you're here without giving any advance notice?

Seeing the brigade commander arrive, Li Yunlong instantly changed his expression like a master of face-changing; he, who had just been aggressive, sprang to his feet and, with a fawning smile, took the brigade commander's horsewhip, saying: "Come on, come on, brigade commander. Have a seat, have a smoke—this is some fine stuff just captured. Care for a drink today?"

Well done, Li Yunlong—not only do you want to bribe the two department heads, but you also want to bribe me, the brigade commander, right?

The brigade commander sat down, glanced at the wine on the table, gave a sidelong look to Li Yunlong who was offering a cigarette, and continued: "As soon as I arrived I heard you here talking about seniority and status—really giving yourself face. If you like talking seniority, then today I'll have a good talk with you. When I was in the army, you were still weaving baskets in the Dabie Mountains. You even said Kong Jie carrying the old-style tube meant it wasn't a weapon for defending the homeland—and when you were shouldering the official rifle, I was shouldering Chiang Kai-shek himself! What do you have to be arrogant about?"

Li Yunlong, Li Yunlong, I shouldn't have had the vice chief of staff spare you back then; during the grassland crossing you dared to let troops loot grain, and now you're looting supplies right into our own logistics department—just how much more ambitious do you intend to get?

Saying that, the brigade commander, vexed at his inability to make Li Yunlong better, snatched the horsewhip and whipped him twice.

At this moment Li Yunlong stood to the side with his head lowered, like a child who had made a mistake, saying nothing.

Seeing the atmosphere turn so stiff, Zhang Qian took the initiative to speak and broaden the topic.

Yo, isn't this the legendary Shanghai Bund figure, Mr. Wang Yong, who's said to be able to dig up anything if the money's right? I'm the newly appointed head of the Eighth Route Army's Procurement Department. I have a favor to ask: could you help me find someone? Our 386th Brigade's brigade commander has gone missing—please help me look for him.

As Zhang Qian spoke, the brigade commander and Zhang Wanhe, after a moment of stunned silence, burst into loud laughter, forming a stark contrast with the embarrassed Li Yunlong. Poor old Li wouldn't know about the brigade commander's past glorious exploits. The brigade commander is also a jovial sort—being unrestrained, he doesn't just dare to set a trap for the deputy commander-in-chief; he even dares to cause a ruckus during meetings.

You kid, you're really quick to get comfortable—daring to joke with me on our first meeting, but I like it. The division commander was right: you, Zhang Qian, are an interesting person.

That's right—you and our division commander are both like modern-day Guan Yu. I still had a line I hadn't finished." Zhang Qian paused slightly, adjusted his expression, and affectedly said: "Arresting Lu Xun—what's that got to do with me, Zhou Shuren?"

Hahaha, you really killed me laughing. It seems you know quite a lot; if you'd been around back then, I wouldn't have stumbled on my horse. Li Yunlong, have a seat. Out of respect for Department Head Zhang's face, I won't pursue your conduct this time—but if there's a next time, you won't even get the chance to carry the big pot.

Hehehe, thanks, brigade commander.

Li Yunlong sat beside the brigade commander, meek as a little minion.

Don't complain, kid—I know everything about your New 1st Regiment, and you claim Zhang Wanhe is a local tyrant, yet I know how much stuff you've hidden. The 771st Regiment and the Independent Regiment are good boys; I know what you're capable of. Let me tell you: when I first took charge of the 386th Brigade, the troops were poorly equipped and lacked training, most of all lacking rifles. During the Shentou Battle, when I sent out the reinforcement regiment to fight, they went into battle carrying spears. At that time, the soldiers of the first battalion shouted a slogan—do you know what it was? They said they'd exchange these spears for the Japanese Type 38 rifles, and in that battle there was a tough guy who speared eleven Japanese soldiers with his spear.

The brigade commander took a sip of wine and continued: "Later I went to the division commander asking for equipment—guess what he said? No equipment; relying on allocated weapons counts for nothing—if you're capable, get it yourself. So Li Yunlong, from now on don't bother me with these trivial matters."

Seeing the brigade commander's anger fade, Li Yunlong hurriedly grinned and went along with the slope.

Brigade commander, let's leave the small talk at that—what brings you here this time?" Zhang Qian, seeing the atmosphere had eased, asked the question he'd been holding back for a while.

Yes, your logistics department is closest to our 129th Division; now the central command hopes your logistics department can properly handle the ammunition issue to supply the entire division.

The brigade commander brought up a new problem.