Chapter 1439: Return to Chanda

Seeing Wang Yan eating and drinking heartily, responding with noncommittal grunts, Luo Zhuoying finally ended his useless talk.

"Wang Yan, we all know, even the Chairman knows, that you resent being ordered to lead men to hold the airport to the death. But you must also consider the situation; you knew the circumstances then: surrounded on all sides, your isolated force pushing deep with only those seven hundred men. No one knew you had such capability; holding the airport to the death was the best solution.

We have fought the little Japanese for so many years, and you yourself have been through a hundred battles, fighting from north to south; you should know better than anyone that many of our battles were precisely about holding ground and never retreating."

"Commander Luo, stop saying useless things." Wang Yan shook his head. "When we held ground and never retreated within the country, we were protecting the common people. At that broken airport, was it right to trade the lives of me and my seven hundred brothers just to let the foreign devils depart in ease? Listen to yourself—is that right?

Being surrounded on all sides indeed made escape highly unlikely. But I always struggled with my brothers; there was always hope of survival, not just staying at the airport waiting to die. Say something practical: what official rank does Old Jiang want to give me, how many men, and whose command will I follow?"

"Wang Yan, you had better speak more politely." Someone could not stand Wang Yan's posture.

Wang Yan sneered: "You tell me, why have I been losing battles all along? It's because there are too many good-for-nothings like this putting on airs; they have no ability in warfare yet think highly of their own position, bossing people around as if they were still old-style masters from the former society. If you're so awesome, why don't you become Emperor?"

"You..."

Wang Yan casually threw the gnawed chicken bone onto that officer's face: "What about me? You should feel lucky; I'm a bit tired from fighting, otherwise I would have shot you dead today, then taken my brothers and left immediately. What could anyone do to me? I, Laozi, can secure aid from the foreign devils on my own; so far, it seems quite reliable. Isn't that right, Commander Luo?"

"We are all brothers; don't be so extreme." Luo Zhuoying finally opened his mouth with a smile. "You are still too young; the problems you think about are too simple."

"You have problems too." Wang Yan retorted without hesitation. "Age is not capital; an old farmer is not young, so do you think his thoughts are complex or simple?

Ultimately, it is my brothers and I who earned our capital through tangible combat achievements. The foreign devils want to use the Chinese battlefield to tie down the little Japanese, so they give us aid. I lead my brothers to kill Japanese in groups, and they give us aid; it is that simple.

Why does the Commander of the Expeditionary Force, a dignitary like yourself, invite me to dinner? Why smile at me? Because my brothers and I can fight.

The little Japanese have blockaded the eastern region; this attack on Burma cut off the Yunnan-Burma Road, making it difficult for foreign supplies to enter the country. The Expeditionary Force's mission is to retake the road; even if we cannot fully retake it, we must preserve part of the route for transporting supplies.

Commander Luo, I am also an ambitious youth; I attended school for a few years. Though I dare not claim mastery of ancient and modern knowledge, I can read classical texts and understand foreign languages. Do not treat me like a child to be fooled, and do not put on an air of superiority. I am not so young anymore; I no longer listen to the words of elders."

Luo Zhuoying felt no embarrassment; his cultivation in maintaining composure was deep, and he remained smiling. In contrast, the others at the table looked displeased; some even slammed the table and stood up, while others seemed ready to draw pistols from their waists.

Bang! A gunshot rang out...

Wang Yan looked at that officer who stood dazed with his hand on his waist, then calmly returned his pistol to his belt.

"Commander Luo, are you setting a Hongmen Banquet for me? I am no Liu Bang; could it be that Commander Luo compares himself to Xiang Yu?"

"Sit down!" Luo Zhuoying shouted angrily.

That furious officer who had tried to draw his gun sat down in a daze; blood was flowing from his ear...

"Just look—waste like this, with such psychological quality, can sit at the same table as Commander Luo. Does this Party and Nation still have a future? No wonder I criticized him; someone like this would definitely piss his pants in terror on the battlefield, yet he is still an official, damn it.

I truly feel sorrow for the brothers under his command; fighting under such a man, the credit goes to him while the hard and tiring work is theirs. The brothers fight life-and-death battles, gaining nothing for themselves, yet they boost his official rank. Sorrowful, truly sorrowful..."

"Enough." Luo Zhuoying had somewhat lost his composure. "Do you think I cannot see that your blustering and posturing is just sitting on the ground to raise the price?"

"Can the price be raised?" Wang Yan asked with a smile.

"It cannot; national affairs are difficult..."

Luo Zhuoying sighed. "Let me speak plainly: I will promote you to Colonel and Division Commander, supplement you with five thousand men, designate your unit as New 23rd Division, and place you under my leadership."

"So you still want to send my brothers to their deaths. What Division Commander? Am I not still just a point man? Our allied forces are still the same damn mess; I can say with certainty that when we truly run out of ammunition and food, that bastard will definitely watch us die without offering help. I estimate he is just like Yu Xiaoqing, knowing only how to bluff the brothers below into dying."

"Enough, will you never finish?" Luo Zhuoying drank lightly in dissatisfaction. "Just say whether you will do it or not."

"With men, guns, and grain provided, how could I not do it? However..."

Wang Yan took a sip of foreign liquor, turned his head to look at Luo Zhuoying, and said, "Commander Luo, I must decide how to fight."

"Impossible! Your unit must obey command and follow orders!"

"Then I will take a step back: you state the objective, but do not interfere with how I execute it. Laozi has simply been a rank-and-file soldier too long; only by chance this time did I open my mind. It turns out all those previous officials were mere wine bags and rice pockets, possessing no ability whatsoever, knowing only how to embezzle money and seize credit.

Command me? Commander Luo, tell me: in the current war against Japan, which unit, which general, has achieved better results in the past half-year than I have? Obeying orders killed my brothers; I will not do it again."

Sincerity was written on Wang Yan's face. "Commander Luo, actually, it makes no difference whether I say this or not. Later, when the troops, weapons, and supplies arrive under my hand, won't I do as I please anyway? I tell you this first out of respect for you and respect for the Party and Nation."

"Then let us discuss it; whoever has reason shall be followed. I admire your command ability." Luo Zhuoying also took a step back.

This was the united front value Wang Yan had earned through combat, fought for by him and the brothers under his command, not begged as charity. Therefore, if it should be fought for, then it must be fought for.

"Then it is settled; I will wait for my troops. Come, Commander Luo, I toast you. We are all insiders; do not give me trouble behind my back later."

"I do not have that courage; later, if I provoke you in anger, you might shoot me dead, take your brothers, and run away. What could anyone do?"

"That is true."

Seeing Wang Yan nod so seriously, Luo Zhuoying, who had intended only to warn him slightly, instead felt unsure and looked at Wang Yan suspiciously.

"No need to look at me like that, Commander Luo. As long as one has men in hand, one can have anything. I have read in those storybooks: 'When the rabbits are dead, the dogs are cooked; when the birds are gone, the bow is stored.' Moreover, I am essentially a rebel who has now been granted amnesty. Listen to that—does it not sound similar to the experiences of those bandits on Liang Shan?

And what happened later? The amnestied Liang Shan fought Fang La and lost their foundation; some died, some were crippled, torn apart. In the end, what happened? Song Jiang was ordered to commit suicide. These are lessons from experience."

Luo Zhuoying said with amusement: "You have read too many miscellaneous books. With the nation in crisis, look at you bringing up the Hongmen Banquet and the amnesty of Liang Shan at Sham Shui Po. This is a new society; where is there any amnesty? Where is there any Emperor?"

"But is there not the Red Party? Hey, do not say it; it really matches up. For the National Army, Laozi is now Song Jiang, an uncultivated bandit leader; the Red Party is Fang La; and the little Japanese? They are the Jin people who have already entered the Central Plains. Look at this situation, tsk tsk..."

Wang Yan shook his head repeatedly. "I have said too much; if these words spread, I fear I will truly be treated as a rebel. No more talk. Come, come, Commander; from now on, I am your soldier. Let us drink!"

When Wang Yan engaged in casual conversation, he was quite likable; apart from those who already held prejudices against him—which could not be changed—others with no conflicting interests found great joy in talking with him.

Besides Commander Luo Zhuoying, he also met a famous figure: Sun Zhongneng, Division Commander of the New 28th Division. This man rose rapidly through the ranks; later, retreating to Taiwan Island, he even became Regional Commander of the Army and Security Commander, a Full General Second Class of the Army, before his glory faded and he fell into imprisonment...

After eating and drinking, Wang Yan returned to the camp where they were stationed.

Facing the members of the Cannon Fodder Regiment who gathered around, Wang Yan said: "From now on, I am a Division Commander, and we will continue fighting the little Japanese here."

"Isn't this just seeing that we can fight, so they push us to the front to die in a deadlock?" Fan La frowned. "That would cause more casualties than our previous way of fighting. The little Japanese have airplanes, tanks, and artillery, while we have nothing at all, Wang Gong."

"I call you stupid and you still do not believe it." Long Wenzhang said disdainfully. "Since they made our Wang Gong a Division Commander, they will certainly supplement us with corresponding manpower. When we have so many troops, will not whatever we want to do be up to Wang Gong? If they order you to die, do you just die? The guns are in our hands."

"How could they let us make the decisions? They will definitely send a Deputy Division Commander and staff officers; their purpose is to send people to watch over us."

Ah Yi's words made Wang Yan feel gratified: "Well said; Ah Yi has improved now. Overall, our return to allegiance with the National Army brings more benefits than harms. Therefore, we must consume the benefits and clean up the harms, remaining in charge ourselves. I do not believe that within our own ranks, anyone can turn heaven upside down."

"Wang Ba Gai Zi Di! Whoever dares to sabotage this, I will be the first to object!" Bu La shouted aggressively.

"Straighten your tongue first." Mi Long snorted. "Do we need you? The Guard Company is here; later it will become a Guard Battalion. I will beat them to death!"

"Enough; that is the matter. Later, all brothers will be promoted; this counts as rising in the world." Wang Yan laughed. "Even the Veterinarian will become an official, serving as the Battalion Commander of our Sick Soldier Battalion."

"Aiya, who could have expected it? A bunch of cannon fodder meant to fill trenches actually has such a day today." Yao Ma sighed emotionally.

Thus, the whole group followed suit with emotional reflections, thinking of past days and recalling the time when the brothers had messed around together in the courtyard of the Chanda Reception Station.

No one expected that in merely over half a year, things had developed to this extent. Looking back now, the days in Chanda seemed like a very distant past...

"Speaking of which, I actually miss those days at the detention center a bit." Mi Long, the iron-hard man, showed a tender side.

But before his voice had even faded, Yao Ma cursed loudly: "You son of a bitch, you lived like a big shot there, how could you not miss it?"

"Get lost! Even when I was acting like a big shot, I didn't enslave you lot; it's you who are useless! Especially Ah Yi, let me tell you, back then you were too good at pretending. Now, though, you look much more bearable."

Ah Yi glared: "Get lost!"

"Ah, that's right, you have to be like this, I'm telling you." Mi Long laughed heartily, then let out an 'ai' and continued, "We've got nothing pressing to do now, and Chanda isn't far away; how about we go back and take a look? Brother, is that feasible? Your wife is still in Chanda."

At these words, the scene fell silent; one by one, they all looked at Wang Yan, clearly showing varying degrees of interest.

Wang Yan smiled, nodded, and said: "No problem; tomorrow we'll move, and once we're settled, we'll head back to Chanda for a visit."

Long Wenzhang asked hesitantly: "Is that really feasible?"

"You stay behind to guard the home front; you have no business over there anyway." Wang Yan patted his shoulder.

"Young Master Wang, please think thrice; I fear that if you return, someone might seize power during this time, not to mention, what about your personal safety?"

"You're overthinking it." Wang Yan shook his head with amusement. "I can fight, and I can win battles; being alive is more useful now than being dead. As for seizing power, are you just eating idle rice? Whoever goes too far gets executed on the spot. We are at war; who has time to fuss over such nonsense? Don't be afraid, don't be cowardly! Alright, it's settled."

The next day, Wang Yan informed Luo Zhuoying of his itinerary; the latter naturally did not refuse. Wang Yan's unit needed a long period of rest, waiting for weapons aid from Britain and America to arrive, waiting for Yunnan Province to allocate additional troops, and needing time to select personnel to insert into Wang Yan's ranks to ensure control.

Thus, Wang Yan led his men to relocate their garrison to a safer rear area for recuperation; stacking several thousand men at the command headquarters would be difficult to accommodate and would create immense logistical pressure.

A few days later, after settling his brothers, Wang Yan took Mi Long, Fan La, Ah Yi, the Medic, and other members of the Cannon Fodder Regiment, along with his guard company, driving jeeps, trucks, and more, crossed the Nu River, and traveled all the way back to Chanda.

After several days of travel, when they reached the small road outside Chanda, they saw from afar that troops inside were urgently assembling, then running out to form ranks and welcome them.

As their vehicles approached, Yu Xiaoqing also came out by car.

When the convoy drew near, Wang Yan jumped down from his vehicle; Fan La and the others also disembarked one by one, looking dignified, holding their heads high, extremely arrogant, precisely to make sure Yu Xiaoqing got a good look at how they appeared today.

Yu Xiaoqing's expression was naturally very ugly, yet he still saluted Wang Yan, expressing admiration.

Wang Yan waved his hand, walked forward, glanced at the three stars on Yu Xiaoqing's uniform, and said with a smile: "Already a Colonel? Became a Division Commander?"

"Aren't you one too?"

"Ai, Old Yu, I can't compare with you. My rank of Colonel and Division Commander was earned with real guns and real bullets, fighting my way in and out seven times amidst the encirclement of the little Japanese."

"Our Division Commander hasn't been enjoying life in the rear either!" He Shuguang, standing beside Yu Xiaoqing, chimed in. "Wang Yan, that's enough; a soldier's duty is to obey orders. Besides, aren't you living quite well now? What's so hard to get over?"

Wang Yan scoffed, walked over, and patted his shoulder: "Old He, you've just listened to too much of his nonsense; it's all worthless. Before I left, I wiped out the Takeuchi Regiment; it's been only four months, and the western Burma front has already pushed them back, yet here you are still facing off against the little Japanese across the river. Are you waiting for the little Japanese devils here to withdraw before you consider moving south?

How many battles have you fought to become a Colonel? Damn it, can just anyone become a Colonel? Later I'll make a scene; at the very least, they should make me a Major General."

"Wang Yan, there's no need to mock me; it's useless. Even if given another chance, I would still order you to hold the airfield to the death."

"You son of a bitch, you truly have no shame." Even Mi Long grew angry.

"You bastard! The benefits you promised us, the guns, the cannons, none of it materialized; we believed your lies. You guys ran back, living carefree lives, and all got promoted. Bullshit!"

Zhang Lixian and He Shuguang, Yu Xiaoqing's right-hand men, wanted to retort, and soldiers on the side wanted to raise their rifles, but Yu Xiaoqing stopped them all.

Wang Yan shook his head with a smile: "Enough, Old Yu; go play your Young Master role, don't talk to me about warfare; do you even know how to fight?"

"Ai, Wang Yan, don't be so absolute; we are all on the same side, let's keep things harmonious." A chubby man with a buzz cut and white hair spoke up.

"Get lost!"

Wang Yan glanced sideways at him. "What act of a good person are you putting on? Brothers, take a good look; this is what a smiling tiger looks like. Smiling on the surface, appearing like a good commander, but when it comes to dealing with you later, he won't hesitate in the slightest; having lived this long, heaven knows how many people he has tricked to death in his life."

"Did you eat gunpowder?" Yu Xiaoqing asked displeased.

"Can't hold it back anymore? What drama are you performing for us? Trying to show your subordinates how persistent Division Commander Yu is? 'Do it again, and let us die again'? If we do it again, I won't fight the Japanese; I'll come back specifically to blow your brains out, you son of a bitch. You get lost too; don't ruin the brothers' good mood of reminiscing about the past."

"Wang Yan!" Yu Xiaoqing shouted loudly.

Wang Yan struck suddenly, grabbing Yu Xiaoqing's throat with one hand and lifting him high into the air.

"What are you doing?"

"Stop!"

"Put down your guns!"

The scene instantly descended into chaos; Yu Xiaoqing's men raised their rifles, and Wang Yan's brothers did the same; click-clack-click-clack were the sounds of bolts being pulled and rounds chambered as they faced off.

"Wang Yan, put him down quickly! If this escalates, it won't be good for any of us." The old fat man jumped up and down in anxiety.

"I know it's not good; otherwise, you old rascal would be involved too. Send someone over to coordinate accommodations, and the food and drink issues."

Wang Yan snorted, casually threw Yu Xiaoqing aside, where he was caught by Zhang Lixian and He Shuguang, then waved his hand and led his brothers, who had lowered their weapons, swaggering into Chanda.

"Pah!" Bu La spat a mouthful of phlegm onto the ground.

Thus, the others followed suit, spitting phlegm on the ground as well.

Yu Xiaoqing's face was truly extremely ugly; in his entire life, he had never suffered such humiliation, and if possible, he really wanted to shoot Wang Yan dead on the spot.

The old fat man's expression was inexplicable; no one knew what he was thinking.

Everyone else stood dumbfounded, looking at the disheveled Yu Xiaoqing, then at the Deputy Division Commander who remained cheerful despite being scolded, and finally at the arrogant figure of Wang Yan and his group departing into the distance.

Their reverence for Yu Xiaoqing had shaken...

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