Chapter 20: Brother Yunlong, Brother Zhicheng, what do you think of the 358th Regiment?
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“Commander, why...”
“Why are you being so courteous to a bunch of Eighth Route soldiers?”
Fang Ligong nodded.
Sitting atop an ammunition crate, Chu Yunfei replied calmly, “The Eighth Route Army has already completed its reorganization. In theory, we now all serve under the Generalissimo’s leadership and belong to the same operational command within the Second War Zone.
“That makes them our allies, at least in name. When it comes to friendly forces, I, Chu Yunfei, have always believed that if I can lend a hand, I should.”
“After all, the Japanese are powerful. We must unite every force that can be united.”
Fang Ligong was puzzled. “Commander, that man reeks of banditry. He is a complete peasant, his mouth is full of foul language, and he has none of the bearing of a soldier...”
“Brother Ligong, appearances can be deceiving. The Eighth Route Army would never appoint a useless man as a regiment commander.”
Hearing Chu Yunfei say this, Fang Ligong frowned as he recalled his earlier encounter with Li Yunlong.
The man looked like an old farmer who had spent his entire life laboring in the fields.
His lack of manners could perhaps be overlooked, but the bandit air about him was unmistakable. He looked every inch a mountain chieftain.
Could a man like that really possess any redeeming qualities?
Fang Ligong racked his brains, yet he could not understand where Li Yunlong had found the courage to challenge the elite 358th Regiment.
“Commander, do you truly intend to report this to Commander Yan?”
Chu Yunfei shook his head. “Of course not.”
The war was growing increasingly tense. To report such a trivial matter to the headquarters of the Second War Zone commander would be absurd.
Would that not make him, Chu Yunfei, look like a good-for-nothing?
Naturally, he was not going to report it.
But neither could he simply let them leave.
Fang Ligong might not know this, but Chu Yunfei was well aware of how many people had their eyes on his position as commander of the 358th Regiment.
It was no exaggeration to say that some were even willing to trade him a brigade commander’s post for it.
Chu Yunfei, however, was not interested. He preferred the troops he had personally trained and led.
Wherever he was, he could still fight the Japanese.
It was only that the Eighth Route Army was still far too weak at present.
If he wished to resist the Japanese and kill the enemy, his current identity made it more suitable for him to remain with the Jin-Sui Army.
“Tonight, I’ll go speak with their commander, Zhong, and learn more about their situation.”
“Commander Zhong?”
Fang Ligong froze for a moment. “Commander, are you saying that Zhong Zhicheng is actually the commanding officer of the First Independent Regiment?”
Chu Yunfei merely smiled and said nothing. Instead, he turned his gaze toward the battle map hanging on the wall.
Where would the First Independent Regiment go from here?
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Elsewhere.
Sun Ming led the soldiers from the cooks’ squad in delivering four large buckets filled with millet porridge to the First Independent Regiment.
“Make way, make way!”
“Stop standing around like fools. Our commander was worried you hadn’t eaten, so he had us prepare some food for you in advance...”
The sparkling millet gave off wave after wave of enticing fragrance.
The soldiers’ eyes lit up, and they swallowed repeatedly.
Yet no one stepped forward.
Seeing the way they stared at the porridge like starving wolves, Sun Ming chuckled. “What’s the matter? Afraid we poisoned it?”
He took the wooden ladle handed to him by one of the soldiers and gently stirred the porridge.
At once, the rich aroma of rice spread through the air.
He then accepted a mess tin from another soldier and ladled some porridge into it.
After blowing on it several times, he used his chopsticks to take a bite.
Hearing the commotion, Li Yunlong also came over.
His brows drew together slightly. Clearly, he was unwilling to believe that the Jin-Sui Army would be so kindhearted.
“What’s going on here?”
When Sun Ming saw Li Yunlong approach, he took the initiative to salute. “Commander Li, our Commander Chu was worried that your men hadn’t eaten, so he ordered the cooks to prepare some millet porridge for you.”
“He said that Shanxi millet porridge is nourishing. He welcomes you to Shanxi and thanks you for supporting our great cause of resisting the enemy and defending Shanxi...”
Zhong Zhicheng also walked over at that moment and gave a hearty laugh. “Then we’ll have to thank Commander Chu for his kindness.”
Sun Ming could naturally tell that the men of the First Independent Regiment did not trust them very much.
So, rather than let the sight irritate him, he turned around and left with the cooks.
Li Yunlong muttered under his breath, “Old Zhong, why do I feel like these fellows are foxes paying their respects to chickens? They clearly have something up their sleeves.”
“They wouldn’t stoop to such despicable tactics. In any case, we are allies in name. If something happened to so many of our men, our superiors would certainly investigate.”
“There are no walls in this world that keep out every wind. With the situation in Shanxi deteriorating by the day, the Jin-Sui Army won’t dig its own grave. On that score, you can rest easy.”
Li Yunlong suddenly understood and nodded. “Then shall I order the men to eat?”
“I’ll try it first. Once I’ve confirmed there’s nothing wrong with it, we can eat...”
Li Yunlong stepped forward and shoved Zhong Zhicheng aside. “You sounded so damn confident that I thought you were sure of yourself!”
He took the ladle and sampled the porridge from one of the buckets.
“You bastard, you’re trying to steal even this from me?”
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Li Yunlong furrowed his brows slightly, as though savoring the millet porridge.
Zhong Zhicheng was startled and hurriedly asked, “What is it? Does it taste strange?”
Li Yunlong ignored him. Gripping the ladle, he took several more mouthfuls. “No, wait... Why is this millet porridge so sweet?”
His old comrade, who had fought alongside him for years, responded to Li Yunlong’s antics with a solid punch.
“You bastard! All that worry for nothing. Since it’s fine, let the soldiers have something hot to eat!”
After receiving permission from their commander and deputy commander, the soldiers gathered around.
At the cooks’ squad leader’s command, they formed an orderly line and each received a hot meal.
Afterward, Sun Ming had some captured Japanese canned food delivered as well.
As for why Sun Ming did not come in person—
He simply did not want to look at Li Yunlong’s sour face...
At dusk, Chu Yunfei brought Fang Ligong to the First Independent Regiment’s temporary station.
They had barely arrived when two young soldiers stopped them.
Fang Ligong was somewhat helpless. The barracks had been lent to them by the Second Battalion.
“What do you want?”
Fang Ligong did not take offense at the young soldier’s bluntness. Instead, he said amiably, “Please inform your commander that Chu Yunfei and Fang Ligong of the 358th Regiment have come to pay a visit.”
“Wait here!”
The young soldier hurried away, a large saber strapped across his back, and ran toward the regimental headquarters.
A moment later, Li Yunlong and Zhong Zhicheng came out to greet them.
“Commander Chu, Chief of Staff Fang, what brings you here so late at night?”
Chu Yunfei smiled. “Brother Yunlong, this is hardly the place to talk.”
Li Yunlong gave an awkward laugh and quickly smoothed things over. “I’ve been remiss in receiving you both. Please, come inside.”
The former headquarters of the Second Battalion’s First Company.
Now, the headquarters of the First Independent Regiment.
Chu Yunfei, Li Yunlong, Zhong Zhicheng, and Fang Ligong sat together.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Chu Yunfei got straight to the point.
“Brother Yunlong, Brother Zhicheng, what do you think of my 358th Regiment?”
Li Yunlong fell silent for a moment.
Even he, proud and arrogant as he was, had to admit the 358th Regiment’s excellence.
“With strong troops and sturdy horses, it certainly deserves to be called an elite force!”
Chu Yunfei laughed heartily and nodded. “To be honest with you both, my 358th Regiment is indeed an elite direct-command combat unit of the Second War Zone. I have only one superior—the one and only Commander Yan...”