Chapter 36: Elder Brother’s Got Your Back
“Minister Zhang, didn’t we agree? To get cannons, you have to bring things to exchange. The 386 Brigade is doing things by the rules. If other troops have emotions, then they should rely on their abilities and bring things too.”
Li Muzhi said seriously, “Of course, if you have objections to this, you can change the rules back to how they were before. Would you agree? There are only eleven cannons produced in total. The troops below all reach out for them. Who do you give them to? You can’t keep the water level even. Logistics won’t be able to generate revenue either. Even more importantly, the arsenal’s development will stop from then on…”
Li Muzhi hadn’t finished speaking when Zhang Wanhe hurriedly shook his head: “The rules won’t change. How could we change them? The arsenal’s development absolutely cannot stop!”
Joking aside, logistics had finally managed to generate revenue, and the arsenal was up and running.
If we changed back, we’d definitely get cursed to death by the headquarters leader!
“Minister Zhang, so you agree?”
“The headquarters leader said that as long as it’s for military industry production, I must unconditionally cooperate with all your requests. Of course I agree.” Zhang Wanhe found a way out for himself.
“Heh.” Li Muzhi chuckled and said, “Minister Zhang, actually, the 386 Brigade bringing things to exchange is exactly keeping the water level even. The troops below rely on their abilities to get things. If they don’t have the ability, that’s their own problem. They have the ability, so others being envious won’t help.”
“I’ll ask one last time: the equipment handed over by the 386 Brigade can really make cannonballs?” Not arguing with Li Muzhi about keeping the water level even—otherwise he’d lose—Zhang Wanhe brought the topic back again.
“Yes.” Li Muzhi nodded.
“Alright, I’ll go report this to the headquarters leader. You don’t need to go, to save time.” Zhang Wanhe said.
Giving both cannons to the 386 Brigade was letting down the headquarters leader, and though this matter wasn’t small.
But with power sorted out, the arsenal would be able to produce cannonballs. The headquarters leader would definitely be thrilled.
The matter of Li Muzhi giving two cannons to the 386 Brigade was no big deal at all.
“Minister Zhang, how’s the money situation?” Li Muzhi asked.
“We’ve already borrowed some, and I’ve also had the civilians buy fertilizer in batches. It won’t be long before the first batch of fertilizer arrives here.” Zhang Wanhe said happily, “Once the 386 Brigade sends the sugar, we’ll immediately resume production of Hell Cannon shells!”
“Mm, no problems on your end. It all depends on the 386 Brigade’s efficiency now.” Li Muzhi acknowledged.
“I’ll go report the good news to the headquarters leader now.” Zhang Wanhe said and left immediately.
“Minister Zhang, please apologize to the headquarters leader for me. The third cannon we produce will definitely be sent to headquarters.”
“I’m just afraid that as soon as you produce the third cannon, the 386 Brigade sends a thousand catties of sugar, and you let down the headquarters leader again?”
“Heh, if we can really keep letting down the headquarters leader, that would be a good thing. The headquarters leader will understand us.”
“Hopefully.” Zhang Wanhe thought to himself that if the headquarters leader didn’t understand by then, the one getting cursed would be him, not Li Muzhi.
……
386 Brigade New First Regiment
After Ding Wei led the troops to draw away the Japanese invaders’ pursuing forces elsewhere and shake them off, he returned to the New First Regiment.
His butt hadn’t even warmed the seat when he saw Li Yunlong rushing over energetically.
“Hahaha, Old Ding, this Hell Cannon is now completely mine.” Li Yunlong hadn’t even entered the New First Regiment regimental headquarters, but his voice arrived first.
Ding Wei still couldn’t believe it: “Li Yunlong, you’re really not planning to return this cannon?”
“Get lost, watch your words. Do I, Li Yunlong, look like the type who borrows things and doesn’t return them!” Li Yunlong glared, then explained, “We got a batch of equipment from the Xikou Warehouse for the arsenal, and exchanged it for two cannons at once. So the brigade commander and I each got one.”
“The arsenal really gave two cannons?” Ding Wei had personally witnessed the terrifying lethality of this Hell Cannon and knew what it meant for our army.
Such an important and scarce artillery piece would likely be equipped to division-level troops. Lower troops probably had no chance to get one.
And the 386 Brigade getting two seemed too unbelievable no matter how he thought about it.
“Right, I forgot to tell you.” Li Yunlong slapped his forehead and said, “The allocation of Hell Cannons is different now. The arsenal set a rule: if you can get a thousand catties of sugar or a general’s sword, you can exchange for one Hell Cannon. Forget about getting one based on qualifications. The value of the equipment our brigade handed over definitely exceeded two cannons, so we successfully got them.”
Ding Wei teased: “It’s not that you and the brigade commander saw the arsenal’s new factory director Li Muzhi is young and used some…”
Though Ding Wei hadn’t met this Li Muzhi yet, he’d heard the new arsenal factory director Li Muzhi was only in his twenties.
“Old Ding, how can you judge people through a crack? You can say I’m reckless, but how can you say that about our brigade commander!” Li Yunlong got furious, then continued seriously, “Think about it—even if Li Muzhi is a green kid easy to fool, is Zhang Wanhe that easy to trick!”
Besides, that Li Muzhi wasn’t a green kid at all; he was much shrewder than Zhang Wanhe.
“True.” Ding Wei nodded. That logistics Old Zhang wasn’t an easy one to deal with.
If Li Yunlong and the brigade commander had really used shady means on Li Muzhi, Zhang Wanhe would have jumped up long ago.
Headquarters would be extremely furious too!
Ding Wei was very happy: “Li Yunlong, if we get a thousand catties of sugar or a general’s sword, we can really exchange for a Hell Cannon?”
That way, our New First Regiment would have a chance too, right?
“Exactly. The brigade commander and I divided tasks: I’m using the Hell Cannon to make trouble, and he’s using psychological tactics to get sugar from the traitors.” Li Yunlong nodded with an expectant smile, “If this goes well, with a thousand catties of sugar to the arsenal, our brigade will get another Hell Cannon. Old Ding, see how much your elder brother is taking care of you? I came specifically to help you.”
Though Li Yunlong was greedy, and wanted the third Hell Cannon for the 386 Brigade too!
But Li Yunlong understood that he already had one Hell Cannon. The brigade commander absolutely wouldn’t give him another.
So this third Hell Cannon would probably be allocated to one of the 386 Brigade’s regiments besides the Independent Regiment.
772 Regiment, 771 Regiment, New Second Regiment, New First Regiment.
Among them, 772 Regiment and 771 Regiment were the 386 Brigade’s regularly established troops, the favored ones.
New First Regiment and New Second Regiment were garrison regiments without regular establishment, the stepchildren!
Normally, when good things came, the favored ones always got priority.
With the third Hell Cannon coming to the 386 Brigade, the favored 772 Regiment and 771 Regiment would definitely be prioritized.
Kong Jie’s New Second Regiment was helping Li Muzhi with coal mining, so no need to consider them—Kong Jie had no chance.
That left Ding Wei’s New First Regiment.
To let Ding Wei compete over those favored 772 Regiment and 771 Regiment, he definitely needed Ding Wei to make achievements, big achievements!
Then, if the brigade commander wanted to give the Hell Cannon to the favored 772 Regiment or 771 Regiment, he’d have to think twice.
After all, he’d said himself that if you have the ability, you deserve meat; without it, you don’t even get soup!
If Ding Wei did better than 772 Regiment or 771 Regiment, then the third Hell Cannon should go to the New First Regiment!
