Chapter 210: Blind Eyes, Blind Heart
“What new instructions?” the Brigade Commander asked.
“Factory Director Li said he needs equipment from the Japanese Invaders’ Natural Gas Factory,” Ding Wei said. “So, Brigade Commander, you need to keep an eye out and gather intelligence on this.”
“Mm, got it.” The Brigade Commander noted it down.
The management personnel from this Cuicun Arsenal, if their mouths could be pried open, might yield related intelligence on the Natural Gas Arsenal.
After all, these arsenals are all interconnected.
“Brigade Commander, then we’ll head back,” Li Yunlong and Ding Wei prepared to go back and rest.
“Hold on.” The Brigade Commander stopped the two and said, “I almost forgot, you brought back the Copper Refining Plant and tungsten ore, what did Xiao Li from the arsenal give you?”
“Didn’t give much, just two vouchers,” Li Yunlong said. “Brigade Commander, you should know too, Younger Brother Li is working on shells that don’t need a cannon barrel to launch, called New Type Rockets. He gave me and Old Ding thirty rounds each.”
Thirty rounds each?
The Brigade Commander glared upon hearing this: “Do you only want this little? Such a good thing, and you only took this much, you must have let Xiao Li pull the wool over your eyes.”
The Brigade Commander thought these two could each easily get fifty or sixty rounds, plus Cheng Xiazi, totaling over one hundred fifty or sixty.
But in the end, all three of you together don’t even have a hundred.
That’s a Copper Refining Plant, that’s tungsten ore!
Glaring like this from the Brigade Commander, Li Yunlong said: “Brigade Commander, this is medium artillery that doesn’t need a cannon barrel to launch, just dig a dirt pit and it can fire. These shells must be extremely valuable. Younger Brother Li gave thirty rounds each, I think that’s plenty.”
Ding Wei reacted: “Old Li, this doesn’t add up like that. We sent so many raw materials to the Border Region Arsenal, when these New Type Rockets are produced, the quantity won’t be small. Thirty rounds feels like brushing off a beggar.”
Li Yunlong’s eyes widened upon hearing this: “Damn, the way Old Ding puts it, Younger Brother Li really didn’t act squarely.”
“Go find Xiao Li again later and have him give you some replenishment,” the Brigade Commander said.
“Yes, Brigade Commander.” Ding Wei and Li Yunlong both nodded.
“Also, how come your troops, Li Yunlong, only have that much artillery and light and heavy machine guns?” the Brigade Commander asked.
In the Brigade Commander’s view, Li Yunlong, Ding Wei, and others snatched arms from the military train. With Li Yunlong’s dogged greed, forget splitting evenly—he could easily take half for himself.
Even if he made him give some to Kong Jie, Li Yunlong wouldn’t have only this little artillery arms left.
“Brigade Commander, didn’t you say to give Old Kong some artillery arms?” Li Yunlong explained with a smile. “I only kept this much artillery ammunition for myself; the rest I gave to Old Kong.”
The Brigade Commander glared suspiciously: “Li Yunlong, you dog, so generous?”
“Brigade Commander, although Old Kong is helping the arsenal with coal mining, if Japanese Invaders show up one day, Old Kong still has to protect the arsenal, so out of that consideration, I gave him a bit more,” Li Yunlong explained with a smile.
“A bit more? Grenade Launcher Mortars adding up to sixty or seventy, and you gave him three Type 92 Infantry Guns!” the Brigade Commander roared.
“Seems like a lot, but this is also to prevent the Division Commander from robbing you, Brigade Commander,” Li Yunlong laughed. “With more gear in hand, Kong Jie can continue expanding his troops, right?”
Kong Jie’s side, relying on logistics units, has a natural advantage in expanding troops.
“Prevent my ass!” The Brigade Commander cursed in annoyance, turning to Ding Wei: “Ding Wei, you kept as much artillery as Li Yunlong; leave the rest at Brigade Headquarters.”
The Border Region Arsenal is certainly important.
But Kong Jie has a bit too much artillery.
Need to quickly issue an order to Kong Jie to absorb all the county brigades and district squads in that area under the New Second Regiment, quickly assign these artillery configurations, that way more artillery can be preserved.
“Yes, Brigade Commander.” Ding Wei immediately carried out the order, leaving most of the artillery at Brigade Headquarters.
Our New First Regiment can retain a total of thirty Grenade Launcher Mortars, one Type 92 Infantry Gun, one Hell Cannon—this is still very powerful firepower.
Seeing Ding Wei’s attitude, the Brigade Commander was very satisfied and lectured Li Yunlong: “Li Yunlong, learn from Ding Wei in the future. He cooperates so well leaving things at Brigade Headquarters. Look at you, with your few guts, still trying to play mind games with me!”
“Yes, yes, yes, Brigade Commander, I’ll definitely learn, definitely learn well from Old Ding.” Li Mouren humbly nodded like a chicken pecking rice.
“Go on, go rest. Rest well during the day, work hard at night, and if luck is good, sift out this Japanese Invader Sato Jino,” the Brigade Commander let Li Yunlong and Ding Wei go rest.
“Yes, Brigade Commander.” Li Yunlong and Ding Wei saluted the Brigade Commander and quickly left.
With the two gone, the Brigade Commander remembered something and called a staff officer, asking: “How’s the investigation into that secret thing of Sato Jino that I had you look into?”
When this Sato Jino parachuted in, he secretly did something; the Brigade Commander had people investigating.
And from Li Yunlong and Ding Wei’s description, this Sato Jino had people sprinkle special powder on the tungsten ore to track with military dogs.
This immediately made the Brigade Commander smell a trace.
Could be that Sato Jino’s secret thing is bait.
Once we investigate and unwittingly swallow this bait, which has special powder sprinkled on it, if Sato Jino tracks with military dogs, that’s a killer move.
“Still investigating, preliminary judgment is that it’s a nutritional supplement,” the staff officer answered.
“Investigate specifically, don’t act rashly, report to me in time when the moment comes, got it!” The Brigade Commander’s expression was extremely solemn.
Nutritional supplement, this thing seems unremarkable at first glance.
But think carefully: if we capture nutritional supplements, who would we give them to?
Either to the arsenal, or to the field hospital wounded, or to headquarters leaders for nutritional replenishment.
Of course, most likely all three.
If Sato Jino really sprinkled tracking special powder on the nutritional supplement, this is no joke.
Arsenal, field hospital, and headquarters—three targets directly locked by them.
Of course.
At the same time, this is also a prime opportunity to turn the enemy’s plan to one’s own advantage.
If handled well, maybe capture Sato Jino.
“Yes, Brigade Commander.” The staff officer nodded.
“Go.”
“Yes.”
The staff officer left, and the Brigade Commander prepared to rest a bit.
Hadn’t closed his eyes all night, needed to recharge his spirit.
Once spirit is recharged, immediately apply some pressure to these management personnel from the Cuicun Arsenal.
Today, there must be breakthrough progress.
If these bastards don’t cooperate, don’t blame me.
In the end, just as the Brigade Commander lay down, Cheng Xiazi returned.
“Brigade Commander, haha, I’m back.” Cheng Xiazi happily burst into the Brigade Commander’s room.
“Regimental Commander Cheng, good work. Keep thirty Grenade Launcher Mortars, one Type 92 Infantry Gun, half the light and heavy machine guns; leave the rest at Brigade Headquarters and go rest,” the Brigade Commander said. “I’m going to rest too.”
“Brigade Commander, this Border Region Arsenal has New Type Rockets, did you hear?” Cheng Xiazi asked.
Regarding the Brigade Commander wanting him to leave most of the arms, Cheng Xiazi didn’t mind.
He had asked on the way here; Ding Wei and Li Yunlong’s shares were now the same amount.
Of course, thirty Grenade Launcher Mortars, one Type 92 Infantry Gun—this firepower configuration was still very high.
In the past, wouldn’t even dare to think about it.
“Mm, got it,” the Brigade Commander nodded, casually asking: “How many rounds did you get?”
In the Brigade Commander’s view, the New Type Rockets Cheng Xiazi got should be as many as Ding Wei and Li Yunlong’s.
“Twenty rounds,” Cheng Xiazi said excitedly.
“How many, twenty rounds?” The Brigade Commander suspected he misheard.
Li Yunlong and Ding Wei each got thirty, but you, Cheng Xiazi, only got twenty.
You did the same task, how did you, Cheng Xiazi, get less than Li Yunlong and Ding Wei?
Hearing the Brigade Commander’s tone off, Cheng Xiazi asked suspiciously: “Brigade Commander, what’s wrong? Did I take too few?”
“That’s a Copper Refining Plant, tungsten ore!” The Brigade Commander cursed outright. “Li Yunlong and Ding Wei each got thirty, which is already few, and you got even fewer than them. Li Yunlong didn’t get your nickname wrong; you really are blind.”
The Brigade Commander was speechless inside: same work, took less pay, and you come happily showing off to me.
Cheng Xiazi, hearing Li Yunlong and Ding Wei each got thirty while he got twenty, was stunned: “Brigade Commander, you’re not joking with me, right?”
“Show me your voucher,” the Brigade Commander reached out.
Cheng Xiazi handed the voucher to the Brigade Commander, who looked and pointed at the thick strokes, cursing: “Isn’t it obvious? This has been altered; it was originally thirty, changed to twenty. Blind man, are your eyes really on your ass?”
Cheng Xiazi suddenly realized and immediately cursed: “Oh man, Minister Zhang screwed me. He said this pen doesn’t write well, ink dripped a bit making the strokes thicker. I sympathized with Minister Zhang as Head of Logistics not having it easy, not even willing to use a good pen himself, so I gave him my new pen. Turns out Minister Zhang played me.”
“What, you even gave your new pen to Old Zhang!” The Brigade Commander nearly choked on hearing this.
You, Cheng Xiazi, not only have blind eyes, your mind is blind too.
“Brigade Commander, I, I, I…” Cheng Xiazi looked embarrassed, words unfinished, as the Brigade Commander roared like a lion from the east: “Get out!!!!!”
Cheng Xiazi scrambled out of Brigade Headquarters.
……
Somewhere in the wilderness
A Japanese Army small detachment led a military dog, quickly tracking by scent.
“Unbelievable, after the Eighth Route Army robbed five carts of tungsten ore, they still weren’t satisfied and even robbed Yuehua Station,” the Japanese Invaders small detachment captain followed the military dog’s steps, tone full of shock, then said, “Good thing, special powder was sprinkled on the tungsten ore. As long as we find the Eighth Route Army Arsenal, everything can still be salvaged.”
“Yeah, tungsten ore is so important; the Eighth Route Army took it straight to their arsenal. Once we find the Eighth Route Army Arsenal and lock the location, when our main force arrives, we can uproot the Eighth Route Army, recover the robbed tungsten ore and other supplies…” Another Japanese Invader leaned in to speak to the small detachment captain.
Well!
The words unfinished, suddenly stopped, pupils shrinking instantly.
The military dog handler tracking by scent with the military dog stepped on a jumping mine.
This jumping mine shot up from the soil to a height of one meter.
Boom!
The jumping mine exploded.
The military dog handler and military dog were instantly blasted to see Amaterasu.
This small detachment also suffered heavy losses; six were seriously wounded on the spot, losing mobility.
Except for the small detachment captain, the rest all took some shrapnel more or less.
In one sentence, this one jumping mine thoroughly deprived the entire small detachment of combat power and ability to continue searching.
“Baka, the Eighth Route Army’s jumping mines are too terrifying, baka!” The Japanese Invaders small detachment captain’s face was full of horror and confusion.
He didn’t understand why the military dog scent tracking would so coincidentally step on the Chinese people’s jumping mine.
Could it be the Chinese people already knew the tungsten ore was tampered with—this their countermeasure?
The same tragedy soon occurred in other wilderness areas.
Over a dozen Japanese Army small detachments with military dogs tracking by scent.
Ultimately without exception, all stepped on jumping mines; military dogs scrapped on the spot, small detachments heavily damaged, losing ability to continue searching and tracking.
After over a dozen military dogs were completely wiped out, the Japanese Army’s scent tracking was forced to terminate the operation.
Their airplanes went out again like mad.
