Bright Sword: From Border Region Manufacturing to Major National Heavy Industry

Chapter 20 As expected of a brigade commander

"Oh dear, brigade commander, you've wronged me! You've really wronged me!"

Li Yunlong quickly stopped the brigade commander from drawing his gun, while confidently saying, "That's exactly what the logistics department said. If we can get a thousand catties of sugar in three days, this cannon will be ours."

"Old Zhang didn't say that," the brigade commander said, not believing it.

"This is what Li Muzhi, the new director of the arsenal, said," Li Yunlong quickly explained.

"This Li Muzhi is just a small arsenal director. How could he possibly be in charge of Old Zhang, the logistics minister?" The brigade commander still didn't believe it.

“Brigade Commander, this cannon was made by Li Muzhi,” Li Yunlong said. “Think about it, someone who can make a cannon is a treasure among treasures. Old Zhang would definitely cherish him. Whatever he says, Old Zhang would listen to him.”

"Li Muzhi made the cannon?" the brigade commander questioned. "Are you sure it was him who made it?"

If that's the case, then Li Muzhi's words carry a lot of weight in front of Zhang Wanhe.

When the headquarters leaders find out, they will personally commend Li Muzhi.

Li Muzhi was even able to make demands in front of the headquarters leaders.

“Absolutely true.” Li Yunlong nodded.

"But why didn't Lao Zhang mention this over the phone?"

“Brigade Commander, you know Logistics Minister Zhang well. He’s a real penny-pincher. Once these cannons are built, they’ll definitely give them to division-level units. The brigade and regimental-level units won’t even have a chance,” Li Yunlong explained to the brigade commander. “This is an opportunity that I negotiated with Li Muzhi. If we can get a thousand catties of sugar in three days, these cannons will be ours. Brigade Commander, we need to hurry. Time waits for no one.”

The brigade commander put the gun he had drawn back down and said through gritted teeth, "Li Yunlong, you really know how to give me a hard time."

"Brigadier, the problem was a bit difficult, but once we solved it, the gains were substantial." Li Yunlong said with a smile. "You hurry up and get the intelligence on the Japanese sugar. I'll do the work and take the risks. You just stay at the brigade headquarters and wait for my good news."

"Did this cannon really kill more than a hundred Japanese soldiers with a single shot?" The brigade commander's attention returned to the cannon.

This crude thing doesn't look like it could take down more than a hundred Japanese soldiers with a single shot.

“Of course, our whole regiment saw it with our own eyes. Otherwise, why would Old Zhang from the logistics department be so serious!” Li Yunlong nodded immediately and then explained, “Speaking of Director Li of the arsenal, he is truly a genius. He added a large number of iron balls and nails to the shells, and that’s what caused the main casualties of the Japanese.”

"I see." The brigade commander suddenly realized something and asked, "You brought the cannons back, but do you know how to fire them?"

"Of course I can! If I can't, what a waste!" Li Yunlong nodded seriously.

"Are you sure you can do it?" the brigade commander questioned.

“I learned it from Li Muzhi.”

"Have you had any live-fire training?" the brigade commander asked.

"I don't have that yet, but I really will," Li Yunlong vowed.

"I'm not comfortable with that; I still need to see live-fire operations firsthand," the brigade commander said.

“Sure, sure, we still have eight shells left. Where do you want to fire, Brigade Commander?” Li Yunlong asked.

"We're going to fight the Japanese at the Xikou Warehouse."

"Does the Xikou warehouse have any sugar?" Li Yunlong asked doubtfully. "Brigade Commander, we don't have enough shells. We mainly need to use them for the battle to get sugar."

"You've forgotten, I come from an intelligence background, and psychological warfare is one of my specialties," the brigade commander said confidently.

"Brigade Commander, I still don't quite understand what you mean." Li Yunlong blinked at the brigade commander. "If we take over this Xikou warehouse and there's no sugar in it, won't Old Zhang from logistics be furious?"

"Let me put it this way, if we take over the Xikou warehouse, and you were the Japanese soldier, what would you think?" the brigade commander asked Li Yunlong. Li Yunlong blurted out, "Needless to say, he'd be furious and would do anything to find our heavy artillery."

"That's it! We can send someone to trick those traitors who are eager to make a name for themselves, saying we have clues about heavy artillery, and then we can get them to exchange sugar for it." The brigade commander smiled sinisterly.

"Brigadier, I don't deny that the traitors have sugar, but the amount is definitely not a thousand catties."

"If we don't have one traitor, what about ten, or even dozens? We can always gather enough. Who knows, some idiots might even give us a pleasant surprise."

"Brigade Commander, that's brilliant! You truly deserve to be called Brigade Commander." Li Yunlong understood: if we take the Japanese West Gate Warehouse with our cannons, the Japanese will surely offer a reward for information about our heavy artillery.

We'll use this gimmick to lure out traitors. We'll cast a wide net, accumulating little by little. Who knows, we might actually be able to gather a thousand catties of sugar.

If some idiot comes along as a surprise, then we'll really have a lot to deal with.

"Time is short, let's set off now." The brigade commander acted swiftly and decisively.

The brigade commander already knew all the intelligence about the Japanese western warehouse; all that was missing were the assault weapons.

Now that the weapons for the assault are in place, let's get started immediately.

"Brigade Commander, I'm afraid my Independent Regiment doesn't have enough troops." Li Yunlong only has five or six hundred men available for combat at the moment.

Even if we take over the Xikou warehouse, we won't have enough manpower to move things.

"On the way to the West Gate Warehouse, we'll pass by the New First Regiment, right? We can take them along too, that'll be enough."

"Yes, yes." Li Yunlong nodded.

The new regiment was brought out by Lao Li, and it has heavy machine guns, grenade launchers, and mortars.

The new commander of the new regiment, Lao Ding, is also one of our old comrades.

We didn’t have time to catch up last time we met, but now that we’ve brought back a big cannon, we have to brag about it to Old Ding!
……

Japanese Military Police in Heyuan

Military Police Captain Hirata Ichiro is reading a letter from home, sent by his mother.

In her letter, my mother said she missed the days when she took Hirata Ichiro to see the cherry blossoms, and wondered when she would be able to see the cherry blossoms in spring with Hirata Ichiro again.

Hirata Ichiro shed tears and replied in a letter that he would definitely accompany his mother to see the cherry blossoms in the first spring after the war ended.

After writing his reply, Hirata Ichiro had it mailed out when Zheng Qianyi walked in with a serious expression.

Zheng Qianyi was the top spy chief under Hirata Ichiro. The battalion under Chu Yunfei of the 358th Regiment of the Jin-Sui Army was turned by him.

"Sir, the situation is bad." Zheng Qianyi went straight to the point as soon as he entered, "Sir Ogawa and his men were ambushed by the enemy and wiped out."

Upon hearing this, Hirata Ichiro was immediately shocked: "Baka! What did you say? Ogawa Ichiro is dead?"

The Sun Family Fort stronghold was suspected of being attacked by heavy artillery, and Hirata Ichiro quickly learned of the news.

Ogawa Ichiro and two other reinforcements rushed to reinforce the Sunjiabao stronghold, with a force of five or six hundred men.

Five or six hundred men were all wiped out?

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(End of this chapter)