Chapter 72: Brigade Commander Roars: Li Yunlong, How Big A Deal Are You? Come Be Brigade Commander
Hearing the sounds of the 358th Regiment engaging the Japanese invaders, Li Yunlong smiled at Ding Wei and Zhao Gang, saying, “You two, see, I wasn’t wrong. Chu Yunfei is blocking the pursuers for us.”
“Old Li, from the sound of it, Chu Yunfei has the upper hand. You won’t really go ask him for a thank-you gift later, will you?” Ding Wei joked.
“No need for me to go personally. He, Chu Yunfei, will deliver it to me himself.” Li Yunlong was very confident.
Zhao Gang understood and said, “Chu Yunfei must have his eye on that cannon we have.”
“Nonsense!” Li Yunlong glared and said, “His artillery battalion only has standard artillery, which has already suppressed the Japanese invaders’ mechanized troops. If he could get heavy cannons, he, Chu Yunfei, would be like a tiger with wings. How could he easily give that up? No matter what, I won’t sell it.”
“Old Ding, you boy aren’t allowed to sell it either, got it?” Li Yunlong glared at Ding Wei again.
“Old Li, the way you put it, I haven’t even gotten my hands on the Hell Cannon yet. Even if I wanted to sell it, there’s nothing to sell.” Ding Wei retorted, then thought of something and said, “What I’m worried about is Chu Yunfei contacting our logistics through official channels.”
“Then there’s even less to worry about.” Li Yunlong was very calm. “Younger Brother Li at the arsenal may look young, but he’s even more cunning than Old Zhang. Wanting him to sell the Hell Cannon, heh heh heh heh.”
We sent over more than ten tons of oil to the arsenal, and they promised us twenty cannonballs. We were so thrilled at the time.
Thinking about it now, we got the short end of the stick, big time.
The value of oil is no less than sugar.
Twenty cannonballs—what’s the difference from brushing off a beggar? But we played the beggar ourselves and walked away delighted.
Wanting to buy cannons from Li Muzhi will pit you hard.
“That’s true, that’s true.” Although Ding Wei hadn’t dealt much with Li Muzhi, even Li Yunlong, this shrewd one, had been completely fooled by him. If Chu Yunfei wanted to buy cannons through official channels, we really didn’t need to worry.
If there was really something to worry about, the one to worry for was Chu Yunfei—lest he get sold and still help count the money.
“Old Zhao, you take the troops and bring the things back first. The scrap yard is just a small target. Old Ding and I will go test the remaining two cannonballs on the way.” Li Yunlong instructed Zhao Gang.
“Mm.” Zhao Gang nodded, took the things and returned. Li Yunlong and Ding Wei headed to the scrap yard.
……
Scrap Yard
“Brigade Commander, it’s been so long, and Regimental Commander Li still hasn’t shown up. Could you have misjudged?” The guard platoon leader quietly asked the brigade commander.
Although the local troops had successfully withdrawn, and Li Yunlong had successfully entered Ping’an County Town for a haul, the brigade commander’s emotions had eased somewhat, but his face was still dark.
“No, he will definitely come.” The brigade commander was very certain.
Sure enough, soon a guard soldier ran up to report to the brigade commander: “Brigade Commander, I saw Regimental Commander Li and Regimental Commander Ding coming.”
“This bastard, he’s finally rolled back!” The brigade commander, upon hearing this, didn’t wait for Li Yunlong and Ding Wei to arrive and charged over proactively.
Li Yunlong and Ding Wei still didn’t know the brigade commander was waiting at the scrap yard.
The two were still walking and chatting.
Although Ding Wei was in a good mood, he was still a bit worried: “Old Li, you say when we get back, the brigade commander really won’t do anything to us?”
“Old Ding, put your heart completely at ease. No one knows our brigade commander’s temper better than I do. As long as we don’t take a loss on the battlefield and can bring back some profits for the old man, the brigade commander will at most curse me out a couple times, that’s it.” Li Yunlong was very calm. “Never mind him cursing me a couple times—even if he curses me ten or a hundred times, what of it? It’s not like I’ll lose a piece of flesh. Next operation, he’ll still give me full autonomy.”
“That’s true. Old Kong even said you’re spoiled rotten by the brigade commander. Battlefield defiance—if it were on Old Kong’s head, two executions would be enough. But you go stay at the clothing factory for a few days, then immediately back to regimental commander.” Ding Wei was much relieved.
“How can that Kong Er Lengzi compare to me!” Li Yunlong was very smug. “He’s just been the good boy too long. What our brigade commander likes most are the naughty kids, like me. Not to brag, but the Sakada Regiment is a tough nut, right? During the Cangyun Ridge raid, Old Kong ran into them, Li Wenying sacrificed, Old Kong wounded, the Independent Regiment nearly got wiped out by the Sakada Regiment. Then 358th Regiment’s Chu Yunfei fought the Sakada Regiment for an hour and panicked into a hasty retreat. In the Xinkou Battle, the Sakada Regiment’s record was even more something else—they smashed two direct line divisions. But on Cangyun Ridge, this naughty kid of mine managed to beat his Sakada Regiment down, even took out Regimental Commander Sakata…”
Li Yunlong hadn’t finished bragging when a vanguard hurriedly ran up to report: “Report, Regiment Commander, there’s a situation at the scrap yard.”
“Don’t fart. What situation could there be at a little scrap yard?” Li Yunlong didn’t believe it at all. A place full of junk—what situation could there be?
“The brigade commander is coming from over there…” The vanguard’s words weren’t finished.
Li Yunlong’s expression changed instantly, like a bird startled by a bowstring, tensely looking at the vanguard: “You boy didn’t misidentify, did you? It’s really the brigade commander?”
Beside him, Ding Wei watched Old Li turn from bragging posture to this cat-seeing-a-mouse look in an instant, and couldn’t help saying to Li Yunlong: “Old Li, didn’t you say the brigade commander wouldn’t do anything to us? What are you afraid of?”
“Afraid? Where am I afraid!” Li Yunlong stuck out his neck, forcefully defending himself. “I’m worried about the brigade commander’s safety out here. That’s our brigade commander. If anything happens…”
“Li Yunlong, if something happens to me, wouldn’t that be good for you! You’re so badass, even more than this brigade commander of mine. If I’m gone, the spot opens up, perfect for you to take brigade commander.” The brigade commander hadn’t arrived, but his voice roared over from around the corner first.
Hearing the brigade commander’s tone full of murderous intent, Li Yunlong’s stuck-out neck immediately shrank, and he scurried over in panic.
Ding Wei followed behind Li Yunlong, his expression uneasy.
He’d only been with the 386th Brigade for a short time and still hadn’t fully grasped the situation here.
He’d thought Li Yunlong really wasn’t afraid of getting disciplined by the brigade commander, and the brigade commander really would just casually curse Li Yunlong a couple times and be done.
The current state clearly wasn’t like that.
The fearless Li Yunlong, the supremely calm Li Yunlong behind the scenes—faced with the brigade commander, his camouflage was thoroughly torn away.
How was he not afraid of the brigade commander? He was clearly the most afraid of him.
“Oh, Brigade Commander, I was really worried about you…” Li Yunlong saw it was indeed the brigade commander and grinned cheekily as he sidled up, but before he finished, the brigade commander sarcastically interrupted, “Don’t deserve it, my great Brigade Commander Li.”
“Brigade Commander, don’t joke with me.” Li Yunlong’s expression was awkwardly embarrassed.
Not afraid of the brigade commander cursing, but afraid of the brigade commander getting under his skin.
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