Chapter 444: Republic of China: Starting from Whampoa Phase 1 Chapter 454 Bandit Chen Geng

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

When Lv Muzhi stepped through the doors of the reception hall, he saw Qiu Qingquan like a lion whose head had been provoked, spraying saliva all over Dai Li's face.

Inside the reception hall, Qiu Qingquan's guards and Dai Li's attendants were all at a loss.

Qiu Qingquan was usually mild-tempered, like a deep and scholarly general, but once he went to war, he became a hot-tempered martial general.

At this moment, Qiu Qingquan flying into a rage at Dai Li was indeed a rare occurrence.

Dai Li reacted extremely quickly; upon seeing Lv Muzhi, as if he had seen a savior breaking the siege, he immediately stood up.

"Commander Lu, you've finally returned. If you hadn't come, Colonel Qiu might have swallowed me whole."

Lv Muzhi smiled and waved his hand, signaling everyone to sit down: "What exactly happened to make our Colonel Qiu so furious?"

Qiu Qingquan didn't respond; he picked up the tea in front of him and took a big gulp.

Dai Li rubbed his hands awkwardly and said in a low voice: "It's nothing. My subordinate spoke without weighing his words and accidentally angered Colonel Qiu."

Lv Muzhi knew exactly what was going on.

"It seems there's a misunderstanding? That's fine; as long as the misunderstanding is cleared up."

"Fortunately, I, Lv Weiyue, am easiest to persuade. Lunch is ready; let's mediate while we eat."

Shortly after, a table of steaming hot dishes was set on the round table in the side hall.

Only Lv, Qiu, and Dai were at the table; Sun Liren had something to do, sat for a while, and then left.

Lv Muzhi greeted everyone: "Shanxi is a place where the dishes aren't exactly refined, but in these war-torn times, being able to eat a hot meal is already a great blessing."

The steam from the food rose up.

Dai Li looked at the food on the table and nodded repeatedly: "Commander Lu is right!"

Qiu Qingquan still had a cold face and didn't say a word.

Lv Muzhi looked at Qiu Qingquan's cold face, then at Dai Li's eyes.

Dai Li looked at both of them, feeling somewhat awkward. He put down his chopsticks and clasped his hands toward Qiu Qingquan.

"Colonel Qiu, I, Dai, was rude."

"There were many people in the reception hall just now, so let me apologize to you here first."

"However, regarding some matters, the Vice Commander is urging us urgently. If I don't bring back an explanation, I really can't account for myself."

After hearing this, Lv Muzhi said: "Director Dai, just say it, no problem."

Dai Li nodded: "Regarding those ten trucks of supplies for aiding the Eighth Route Army, and those arms of the Japanese Thirty-Sixth Division... Colonel Qiu, you have to give me an explanation, right?"

"To be honest, the old man knows about this matter and is furious. He sent me to investigate Colonel Qiu."

Lv Muzhi knew this matter better than anyone.

Back then, Qiu Qingquan outflanked and attacked the Japanese in Jin Dongnan, was blocked by the Japanese Thirty-Sixth Division, and indeed had dealings with Chen Geng's Eighth Route Army troops during that time.

With the help of the local Eighth Route Army, Qiu Qingquan successfully broke through the Thirty-Sixth Division's defensive line and successfully coordinated with Sun Liren's armored cluster to encircle two Japanese divisions totaling twenty thousand men attempting to flee to Taiyuan.

Those ten trucks of supplies were a thank-you gift, and could also be seen as a toll fee. As for the surplus equipment the Thirty-Sixth Division couldn't take away in time, it was casually handed over to the Eighth Route Army.

But in Dai Li's and the old man's view, the nature of the matter had changed.

Moreover, Lv Muzhi knew very well that Dai Li wasn't making trouble for Qiu Qingquan, but was warning him on behalf of the old man.

Qiu Qingquan slammed his chopsticks on the table, his eyes wide: "Isn't it said we should cooperate in resisting Japan? What's wrong with that? Besides, they helped me!"

"You, Director Dai, just flap your lips and pin a big hat on me. How easy."

"My troops roamed the mountains for over twenty days, annihilating over ten thousand enemies. Why don't you mention that?"

Dai Li was about to speak, but Lv Muzhi stopped him first.

"Director Dai, I know about this matter. At the time, it was indeed a matter of necessity."

"Qiu Qingquan made a forced march in Jin Dongnan. Not only did he annihilate the Thirty-Sixth Division, but at a critical moment, he intercepted more than twenty thousand Japanese devils from the Thirty-Seventh and Forty-First Divisions trying to flee back to Taiyuan."

"Such battle results are rare even on the national battlefield, aren't they?"

Dai Li laughed awkwardly: "The battle results are naturally splendid, but this... aiding the Eighth Route Army... is after all a different matter."

Lv Muzhi sighed: "Alas!"

Dai Li was stunned: "Commander Lu, you've just recovered large swathes of lost territory. Why sigh?"

Lv Muzhi replied: "I'm speaking up for Qiu Qingquan. Escaping the wolf's den, only to enter the tiger's mouth!"

"I didn't tell you the truth before. Now I'll tell you the truth. You absolutely cannot laugh at my Youth Army!"

Dai Li became interested: "Oh? Is there a hidden difficulty?"

Lv Muzhi nodded: "I'm embarrassed just saying it. Director Dai, you may not know my old classmate Chen Geng well. Not a single one of the supplies Qiu Qingquan gave him was voluntary; they were all extorted!"

"That Chen Geng of the 386th Brigade, a Whampoa First Phase graduate, is my old classmate and also your old senior classmate, Director Dai."

"That fellow is a thoroughgoing great bully, the ancestor who plucks every feather from a passing goose!"

"Qiu Qingquan was traveling through the great mountains of Jin Dongnan. Don't you know what Jin Dongnan is?"

"It's the place with the most Eighth Route Army!"

"When Qiu Qingquan passed through, Chen Geng kept demanding money and grain, otherwise he wouldn't let them pass."

"It's also my fault. I urged Qiu Qingquan too urgently. To hurry, Qiu Qingquan had to submit to Chen Geng's coercion."

"Those ten trucks of grain, medicine, and bullets were, in short, road money and guide fees. If you don't pay, can he let you pass through the defense zone smoothly?"

Qiu Qingquan, listening on the side, was stunned. He thought: When I gave those supplies back then, I was actually quite willing.

At this time, Eighth Route Army Brigade Commander Chen Geng, in the great mountains of Jin Dongnan, opened an American luncheon meat can and sneezed six times in a row.

Dai Li looked suspiciously at Qiu Qingquan and Lv Muzhi, clearly holding reservations about this explanation.

"Then... after the Thirty-Sixth Division was annihilated, why were those piles of Japanese Army weaponry left to them?"

Lv Muzhi couldn't even be bothered to reply this time; he pointed at Qiu Qingquan, letting him speak for himself.

Qiu Qingquan came to his senses and slammed his hand on the table, standing up.

"Exactly! Those Eighth Route men under Chen Geng are practically bandits—they want everything."

"By the way, Director Dai, have you ever fought in a battle?"

"Do you know what a fighter is? Once you lose control, soldiers could die at any minute!"

Dai Li felt something was off; clearly, he was the one asking the questions.

"No, Dai Mou has never been on a battlefield. What of it?"

Qiu Qingquan stood with one hand on his hip, pointing out the window as he said:

"No wonder; you can't explain it to those who haven't fought a battle."

"I have tens of thousands of men and horses going to encircle and annihilate the Japanese Army's main force—should I stop to clear the battlefield, count every broken gun and cannon of the Japanese Thirty-Sixth Division one by one, register them, and then continue advancing?"

"By the time I finish counting, the yellow flowers will be cold! The devils will have already run into Taiyuan City!"

"If these twenty thousand men run into Taiyuan City, how much blood will the Youth Army have to shed!"

Dai Li blinked his eyes, frowning.

Qiu Qingquan continued: "That fellow Chen Geng is too unscrupulous; while I led my troops charging forward, he followed directly behind and cleared the battlefield."

"When I went back to look, you guess what? The pots were dry and the bowls were clean! What can I do about it?"

"Am I supposed to turn my guns around and fight my old Senior Classmate, just to snatch back that bit of equipment?"

At this very moment, inside the great mountains of Jin Dongnan, Brigade Commander Chen Geng opened another Japanese Beef Can, and sneezed several times in a row.

"Strange? Someone must be cursing me!!"