Chapter 21: I Invite You to Join My 358th Regiment

“Brother Zhicheng, Brother Yunlong, what are your plans for this eastward crossing of the Yellow River to resist the enemy?”

“Plans? We’re crossing the Yellow River to fight the devils,” came the straightforward reply.

Zhong Zhicheng wore a serious expression. “Before we came, our superiors warned us that the Japanese army is extremely formidable and difficult to deal with. They urged us to be extremely cautious.”

Li Yunlong chuckled softly, his tone neither warm nor cold as he said, “Commander Chu’s regiment is strong and well-equipped. Why would they be guarding this Yellow River ferry instead of fighting the Japanese?”

Chu Yunfei glanced at Li Yunlong, already sensing what the scoundrel was thinking. “To be honest with you both, my 358th Regiment was just pulled back from the front lines. At the Battle of Ruyuekou, the 358th Regiment faced the main force of the Japanese Independent Mixed 11th Brigade, annihilating over three thousand enemies and securing a great victory. We received commendations from Commander Yan and the Chairman.”

Fang Ligong quickly added, “Currently, under Commander Yan’s orders, our 358th Regiment is stationed at Xing County to rest and guard the Yellow River crossing. Honestly, that’s just a secondary task.”

Li Yunlong and Zhong Zhicheng exchanged a glance, both reading the shock in each other’s eyes.

From what they had gathered that afternoon, the 358th Regiment alone had five to six thousand soldiers in Xing County.

If Chu Yunfei’s claim was true—that they had slain more than three thousand Japanese at Ruyuekou—then how was it possible they still had five to six thousand men left?

Li Yunlong and Zhong Zhicheng believed Chu Yunfei had no reason to deceive them.

After all, their own New First Regiment barely numbered four hundred at full strength. Even a standard regiment would not exceed four thousand soldiers at this time.

Could it be that before the battle began, the 358th Regiment had tens of thousands of men?

That regiment must have been extraordinary—where could so many men have come from?

Perceiving their astonishment, Fang Ligong, at Chu Yunfei’s silent cue, spoke up, “It seems the two of you are not familiar with our 358th Regiment, so let me briefly introduce it.”

Zhong Zhicheng chuckled, “Then we’re all ears.”

“As the commander just mentioned, our 358th Regiment is directly under the Second War Zone headquarters. Currently, there are only four such units in the entire zone.”

“These are the 358th Regiment, and the newly formed First, Second, and Third Regiments.”

“Of course, the other three are still in training, and their commanders have not yet been appointed.”

Li Yunlong’s eyes gleamed with intrigue; he had already guessed the purpose of Chu Yunfei’s visit. “So, the only regiment directly under the Second War Zone is your 358th Regiment, Commander Chu?”

Fang Ligong smiled and nodded. “Exactly. Our 358th Regiment is fully staffed with about nine thousand soldiers.”

“As for your unit, you number only three to four hundred, and your weapons situation is even worse.”

“You lack ammunition and heavy weaponry.”

“Pardon my bluntness, but with the combat strength of your New First Regiment, you could easily face annihilation against even a single Japanese battalion, let alone a company.”

Fang Ligong paused, pride evident in his voice. “In contrast, our 358th Regiment is not only large and well-led, but also boasts formidable firepower, with direct resupply from the Taiyuan Arsenal.”

“For the cause of resisting invasion and defending our homeland, our 358th Regiment obviously holds the advantage.”

Li Yunlong and Zhong Zhicheng fell into thoughtful silence.

Fang Ligong’s words were all true.

The truth often proves the hardest to accept.

Seeing their hesitation, Chu Yunfei smiled, “I’m a straightforward man who dislikes beating around the bush. I came here to invite you both to join my Jin-Sui Army’s 358th Regiment.”

“To show my sincerity, I will personally recommend you both for major’s rank, and I will reserve the deputy commander position for Brother Zhicheng.”

At this, Li Yunlong’s displeasure showed. “Commander Chu, I am the commander of the New First Regiment. If you wish to win us over, you should be courting me.”

Zhong Zhicheng remained silent, his gaze wary and cautious toward Chu Yunfei.

His intuition told him this man was no ordinary figure.

“Not to hide anything from you, I, Chu, graduated from the Huangpu Military Academy’s fifth class. While studying, I had some understanding of your army and party.”

“In the 18th year of the Republic, the division of responsibilities within your army clearly stated that political commissars bear responsibility for cadres...”

“Of course, I won’t go into the subsequent changes in duties—you two know better than I.”

Seeing they still remained silent, Chu Yunfei continued, “After the reorganization, your army no longer has political commissars, instead calling them deputy commanders externally... I assume I’m correct?”

Zhong Zhicheng clasped his hands and said, “Commander Chu, your intelligence work is impressive, and I admire you. However, I must respectfully decline the invitation to join the 358th Regiment.”

Fang Ligong snorted coldly, shooting them a furious glare.

To him, neither Zhong Zhicheng nor Li Yunlong were worth Chu Yunfei’s considerable effort to recruit.

Chu Yunfei coming personally to negotiate with two local guerrillas from the Eighth Route Army was already a great courtesy, yet they showed such ingratitude.

Chu Yunfei’s face remained expressionless, but he made no further insistence.

Rising, he prepared to leave. “If that’s the case, there’s nothing more to say. Gentlemen, I take my leave.”

“Oh, by the way, your troops can wait until friendly forces cross the river, then both regiments may leave together. That way, I can better explain to the commanders.”

“Thanks for your kindness, Brother Chu. Much appreciated!”

After Chu Yunfei and Fang Ligong departed, Li Yunlong and Zhong Zhicheng exchanged another glance.

“Old Li, do you think if we snub him like this, Chu Yunfei might take action against us?”

Li Yunlong shook his head. “No, Chu Yunfei’s pride is sky-high. I bet even recruiting us was a spur-of-the-moment idea.”

“Why do you say that?”

Li Yunlong grumbled, “When have you ever seen anyone recruit others on mere words alone? We still have a few hundred men, after all!”

“But what if he simply doesn’t care?”

Li Yunlong pondered Zhong Zhicheng’s words.

Would Chu Yunfei really care about a few hundred men?

...

In truth, Chu Yunfei did not care at all.

Li Yunlong was merely the leading character in a drama.

Aside from his many flaws and the countless blunders he’d caused—any one of which could have warranted execution—the only admirable traits he possessed were his fierce courage and the occasional flashes of cunning and ingenuity.

From Chu Yunfei’s perspective, Li Yunlong’s command skills were mediocre at best.

Their levels of leadership were not even on the same plane.

In Chu Yunfei’s mind, the scale was eighty thousand against sixty thousand.

Before attending military academy for further training, Chu Yunfei considered Li Yunlong’s ceiling to be that of a mere infantry regiment commander, someone who might sit at the same table with Chiang Kai-shek.

Still, Li Yunlong was quite suitable for leading assault teams.

Setting up a reconnaissance company or even a scouting battalion—putting Li Yunlong in charge would be a decent choice.

“Commander, these Eighth Route Army fellows are like people who refuse a toast but accept a punishment drink,” Chu Yunfei chuckled.

“Fang Ligong, don’t be so angry. Deputy Commander Zhong is a talent. Please send a telegram to the headquarters and ask them to check if there is any information on Deputy Commander Zhong Zhicheng.”

“Yes, sir!”

A mere few hundred raw recruits were beneath Chu Yunfei’s true regard.

What he wanted was the political commissar of the New First Regiment—Zhong Zhicheng.

Li Yunlong had respectable seniority.

And during this critical reorganization of the Eighth Route Army, selecting deputy commanders (political commissars) was done with great care.

Zhong Zhicheng not only matched Li Yunlong in seniority but must also possess certain command abilities.

Otherwise, he would never be able to rein in the stubborn Li Yunlong.

Li Yunlong was a double-edged sword.

Zhong Zhicheng was a true talent.

Chu Yunfei’s favorite thing was talent.