Bright Sword: This unit is really ruthless

"I'm from the independent regiment. I just came back from the headquarters. When I was passing by here, I happened to encounter the Japanese raid..." Zhang Ling made up an excuse. Of course, he couldn't say that he had traveled through time.

"Independent Regiment?" When the other soldier heard the words "Independent Regiment", his tone softened. "Wait a minute, I'll get someone to pull you up!"

"Okay, thank you brother!" Zhang Ling felt relieved.

After a while, several soldiers came over with ropes and quickly pulled Zhang Ling out of the pit.

"Brother, are you okay?" one of the soldiers asked with concern.

"It's okay. I'm lucky. I won't die!" Zhang Ling brushed the dust off his body and said with a smile.

"You are really lucky!" The soldier also laughed, "Even the Japanese artillery shells can't kill you. I think you will be able to capture Yamamoto Ikki alive in the future!"

"Yamamoto Ikki?" Zhang Ling's heart moved. It seemed that these two soldiers didn't know that Yamamoto Ikki had been killed by Li Yunlong.

"Okay, stop joking and take this brother back quickly. It's not safe here!" another soldier urged.

"Yes, yes, hurry up and leave!"

Zhang Ling followed the two soldiers forward. Along the way, he asked around about the situation of the independent regiment.

"Brothers, how is our independent regiment doing now? Are Captain Li and Political Commissar Zhao all right?"

"Everything is fine!" One of the soldiers said with a smile, "Our Captain Li is still as energetic as ever, and Political Commissar Zhao is still as... uh, still as caring as ever about the soldiers!"

"That's good, that's good!" Zhang Ling nodded, but he was secretly amused in his heart. The two soldiers' evaluation of Li Yunlong and Zhao Gang was really insightful.

After walking for about half an hour, they came to a valley.

"Our base is just ahead!" one of the soldiers said, pointing deep into the valley.

Zhang Ling looked up and saw that the valley was brightly lit and bustling with people, and he could faintly hear bursts of singing and laughter.

"These guys are having a dinner meeting again!" Another soldier smiled and shook his head.

Zhang Ling followed the two soldiers into the valley and saw a huge bonfire burning in the open space. Hundreds of soldiers were sitting around it, drinking, eating meat, and chatting and laughing.

"Lao Wang, Lao Li, why did you two come back just now? Did you go stealing again?" A loud voice came from the crowd.

Zhang Ling looked in the direction of the voice and saw a burly, bearded middle-aged man holding a wine bowl and looking at them with a smile.

"Report to the regiment commander, we didn't steal anything, we caught a 'tongue'!" One of the soldiers pointed at Zhang Ling and said.

"'Tongue'?" The man was stunned when he heard this, then he looked Zhang Ling up and down and asked, "Who are you?"

"Report to the commander, I am from the independent regiment, my name is Zhang Ling!" Zhang Ling stood at attention and saluted, saying loudly.

"From the Independent Regiment? Why haven't I seen you before?" The man frowned.

"Report to the captain, I just came back from the headquarters..." Zhang Ling repeated the reason he had made up before.

"Headquarters?" The man seemed to have thought of something, his face suddenly changed. He put down the wine bowl, walked quickly to Zhang Ling, grabbed his shoulders, and asked anxiously, "You said you came back from the headquarters? Have you met the brigade commander and the chief of staff?"

Zhang Ling looked at the anxious man in front of him, and suddenly a bold idea came to his mind. He took a deep breath and said in a deep voice: "Report to the regiment commander, I came back from the headquarters this time on the orders of the brigade commander. I have important things to report to you and Political Commissar Zhao!"

"What?!!"

"who?!"

"Don't shoot, we are one family!" Zhang Ling shouted loudly and threw the Type 38 rifle in his hand to the ground to show that he had no ill intentions.

Two soldiers approached cautiously, one of them holding a grenade in his hand, obviously ready to fight at any time.

With the dim light, Zhang Ling could clearly see what the two men were wearing: they were wearing grey coarse cloth military uniforms, leggings and straw sandals, and Eighth Route Army caps on their heads, but the cap badge had faded a little.

"Who are you? Where are you from?" asked one of the taller soldiers. He had thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a square face. He looked like a straightforward person.

"I..." Zhang Ling hesitated, not knowing how to explain his origins. He couldn't say that he had traveled through time, right?

"Old Zhao, do you think he's dressed like one of ours?" another soldier interrupted. He was a little younger and thin, with a pair of eyes that rolled around, revealing a clever look.

"I don't think so." The soldier named Lao Zhao nodded. "The clothes he's wearing look more like what the rich people in the city wear."

Zhang Ling looked down at his clothes. Indeed, compared with the coarse cloth uniforms of the two soldiers in front of him, his clothes did seem a bit out of place.

"My name is Zhang Ling. I came from... from Taiyuan." Zhang Ling made up an excuse. "I was originally planning to seek refuge in the south, but I encountered a raid by the Japanese on the way and got separated from my family. I fled all the way and ended up here by accident."

"Taiyuan?" Old Zhao looked at Zhang Ling suspiciously. "Wasn't Taiyuan occupied by the devils? How did you escape?"

"I..." Zhang Ling was speechless for a moment. How could he know how Taiyuan City was occupied by the Japanese?

"Old Zhao, he is hesitating, there must be something wrong!" The young soldier leaned close to Old Zhao's ear and whispered, "I think he is probably a spy of the Japanese!"

"Spy?" Old Zhao's face darkened when he heard that. He raised his rifle again and pointed it directly at Zhang Ling. "Tell me! Who are you? What is your purpose in coming here?"

Looking at the black muzzle of the gun, Zhang Ling groaned in his heart. How come he was mistaken for a Japanese spy when he hadn't even met Li Yunlong yet?

"Don't get me wrong, don't get me wrong!" Zhang Ling looked at the black muzzle of the gun and broke into a cold sweat. He cursed himself for being so stupid. He rushed into the muzzle of a gun without knowing the situation clearly after traveling through time. He was really tired of living. "Two big brothers, I am a good citizen! If you don't believe me, search me. If I have anything suspicious on me, you can shoot me and feed it to the dogs!"

Old Zhao and the young soldier looked at each other in bewilderment. Why did this boy speak so coherently? He didn't seem to be as rigid as a Japanese spy. Old Zhao thought for a moment and winked at the young soldier. The young soldier understood, stepped forward a few steps, and carefully searched Zhang Ling.

"Hey, be gentle, this dress is expensive. You'll have to pay for it if it's damaged!" Zhang Ling complained, but he was secretly glad that he brought a Browning pistol with him before traveling through time and hid it in his pocket. If it was searched out, he would never be able to wash it off even if he jumped into the Yellow River.

The young soldier searched the place, but found no weapons except a few dollars and some odds and ends. Old Zhao was relieved, but he was still on guard. "You said your name is Zhang Ling, and you're from Taiyuan. So, when was Taiyuan occupied by the devils?"

"Uh..." Zhang Ling was speechless. How could he know this? Seeing that Zhang Ling couldn't answer, Lao Zhao's doubts became even more intense.

"Old Zhao, look, I told you there's something wrong with this guy!" The young soldier leaned close to Old Zhao's ear and whispered, "I think we should tie him up and hand him over to the regiment commander for punishment!"

"Kidnapped? Who did you kidnap?!" A thunderous roar suddenly sounded behind the two of them. Zhang Ling suddenly felt his eyes go dark and he almost fainted from the sound.

"Captain!" The two soldiers turned around and saluted. Zhang Ling looked up and saw a burly man with a full beard standing in front of him. His eyes were piercing and seemed to be able to see through everything. Isn't this Li Yunlong?

Zhang Ling was ecstatic. It was like searching for something without any effort. He was just worrying about how to get close to Li Yunlong, but he didn't expect to run into him.

"From the Independent Regiment? Why haven't I seen you before?" Li Yunlong looked Zhang Ling up and down, his eyes full of confusion.

"Captain, he said he came back from the headquarters, and also said..." Old Zhao was about to explain when he was stopped by Zhang Ling.

"Captain!" Zhang Ling stood at attention and saluted, saying loudly, "I am here this time to report important intelligence to you and Political Commissar Zhao!" He deliberately lowered his voice and spoke mysteriously.

Li Yunlong raised his eyebrows, "Important information? What information?"

"This is a serious matter. This is not the place to talk. Please allow me to talk for a moment, Captain!" Zhang Ling said, looking around vigilantly.

Li Yunlong was suspicious by nature. Seeing Zhang Ling being so cautious, he became even more curious and waved his hand, "Follow me!"

The three of them came to a secluded corner, and Li Yunlong asked impatiently, "What information do you have, tell me!"

Zhang Ling took a deep breath and was about to speak when suddenly, a burst of rapid gunfire came from a distance, breaking the silence of the night.

"What's going on? Where did the gunshot come from?" Li Yunlong's face changed and he asked sternly.

"Oh no, Commander! The Japanese are coming!" A soldier ran over in a panic, saying breathlessly.

Zhang Ling looked at the black muzzle of Lao Zhao's gun and secretly groaned in his heart. How could he be regarded as a Japanese spy before he even met Li Yunlong? He rolled his eyes and came up with a plan.

"Brother, you misunderstood!" Zhang Ling raised his hands in a panic, "I really fled from Taiyuan, if you don't believe me, just look!" He took out a pocket watch from his pocket, "This pocket watch is a family heirloom left to me by my father. If I wasn't trying to escape, why would I take it out?"

Lao Zhao took the pocket watch and examined it carefully. The pocket watch was finely crafted and worth a lot of money. It was not something that ordinary people could own. He handed the pocket watch to the young soldier next to him and asked in a deep voice, "What's your name?"

"My name is Zhang Ling." Zhang Ling replied quickly.