12dz Chapter 90 The Independent Regiment Surrenders (Part 1)
Chapter 90 The Independent Regiment Surrenders (Part 1)
Just as Tang Weiguo was discussing business, Li Yunfei followed Zhao Xiaogang and led a company equipped with full Japanese gear, stealthily advancing towards the brigade headquarters.
"Old Zhao, once you cross that mountain, you'll reach the brigade headquarters."
After fighting alongside Zhao Xiaogang, Li Yunfei became thoroughly familiar with him. Zhao Xiaogang, in turn, truly integrated into the Independent Regiment after the battle.
"Old Li, I can finally relax a little now. The things we're carrying this time are extremely important." As Zhao Xiaogang spoke, he glanced intentionally or unintentionally at the three tightly wrapped boxes in the middle of the group.
“Old Zhao, who can argue with that? When you told me we’d seized 300 kilograms of gold, my goodness, it really gave me a fright,” Li Yunfei whispered in Zhao Xiaogang’s ear, still shaken.
“I’ve seen my share of the world, I’ve even seen 300 jin of silver dollars before. I even handed over some to the Nationalist government’s warehouses during the Long March, but damn it, this is 300 kilograms of gold! Old Zhao has 300 kilograms of gold in front of me, it’s dazzling!” Li Yunfei grinned broadly.
"Old Zhao, we've done such a great service, it's not too much for me to ask the brigade commander to pour me a drink, is it?" Li Yunfei's joy was evident on his face as he thought about the brigade commander personally pouring him a drink.
"I'm telling you, let alone the brigade commander pouring you wine, even the division commander would come to pour you wine personally when he hears the news. This batch of gold is really too important to us."
"Old Zhao, we need to hurry. Let's try to get to the brigade headquarters before dark. I'm eager to drink the brigade commander's wine. I know he's hidden a few bottles of good wine." Li Yunfei said with a wicked grin.
"Old Li, you haven't even arrived at the brigade headquarters yet, and you're already thinking about the brigade commander's wine," Zhao Xiaogang said with a smile.
"Old Li, we need to speed things up and get to the brigade headquarters as soon as possible so I can finally relax," Zhao Xiaogang added.
"Old Zhao is right."
"Comrades, hurry up and get to the brigade headquarters as soon as possible. I'll have the brigade commander treat you all well," Li Yunfei said to the soldiers behind him.
"Commander, do you have any meat?" a soldier asked, mustering his courage.
"Even if there's no meat, I'll have the brigade commander catch some first," Li Yunfei said with a smile.
"Communicator, notify the reconnaissance platoon to continue reconnaissance forward and ensure safety along the route."
"Yes, Captain."
"Let's speed up," Li Yunfei said, then directed the team to accelerate towards the brigade headquarters.
When Li Yunfei arrived at the brigade headquarters, it was just getting dark. Despite it being the dead of winter, Li Yunfei was still covered in sweat from the long journey.
As Li Yunfei approached the entrance of the barracks, he saw Zhao Erhei waiting for them with a guard squad. Upon seeing Li Yunfei, Zhao Erhei hurriedly ran up to him and said...
"Reporting to Regiment Commander Li, Zhao Erhei has come to meet you on the orders of the brigade commander." Zhao Erhei saluted Li Yunfei.
“Okay, let’s go find the brigade commander first,” Li Yunfei said to Zhao Erhei.
"Commander Li, please." Zhao Erhei led his team toward the brigade commander's courtyard.
"Commander Li, where have you made your fortune lately? You've captured so many weapons and equipment." Zhao Erhei looked enviously at the Independent Regiment soldiers behind Li Yunfei, who were equipped with full sets of Japanese gear. Although he was the brigade commander's bodyguard, he was only equipped with better Hanyang rifles. In the brigade commander's words, good weapons should be given priority to the front-line troops.
"I say, Erhei must be envious," Li Yunfei joked.
"Commander Li, I'm so envious. You know, we can only use these old guns. What if there's danger? How can we protect the brigade commander's safety?" Zhao Erhei said, and then took out the Hanyang rifle in his hand to show Li Yunfei.
“I know your situation all too well. So, besides meeting with the brigade commander, I’m here to provide you with a platoon’s worth of Japanese equipment. How about that?” Li Yunfei said with a smile.
"Commander Li? Really? That's wonderful!" Zhao Erhei said excitedly.
“Old Li is a man of his word, there’s no doubt about it. I’ll have the company commander deliver it to you tomorrow,” Li Yunfei said.
"Thank you very much, Commander Li," Zhao Erhei said again.
As they were talking, Li Yunfei arrived at the entrance of the brigade commander's courtyard. Li Yunfei ordered the first company to stand guard at the entrance, while he and Zhao Xiaogang had the soldiers carry three boxes toward the brigade commander's office.
"Hey Li Yunfei, you little rascal, what are you up to?" The brigade commander said as he saw Li Yunfei bring in three large boxes and put them in the brigade headquarters room.
"Everyone else, go out and keep watch," Li Yunfei ordered the soldiers after the boxes were placed in place.
"Li Yunfei, what's hidden in this box? You even notified me beforehand that only core personnel of the brigade headquarters can see it for security reasons," Staff Officer Li, who was next to the brigade commander, asked curiously.
"Brigade Commander, Chief of Staff, what Old Li brought this time will amaze you," Li Yunfei said with a smug look on his face.
"Now I'm curious, look at Li Yunfei's mouth, it's practically pouting to the sky," the brigade commander said with a smile.
"Alright, you two, stop hiding it and let us take a look," the brigade commander ordered.
"Brigade Commander, let's make this clear first: if there's anything good in the box, you'll have to let Old Li have a taste of those two bottles of fine wine you've been hiding."
"I'm giving it to you now, no need to mention tasting it. Hurry up and open it."
"Brigadier, just watch." With that, Li Yunfei and Zhao Xiaogang each took out three keys from their pockets and unlocked the two locks on the outside of the box.
Seeing how cautious Li Yunfei and Zhao Xiaogang were, the brigade commander said with some suspicion, "Judging from your actions, you didn't manage to get three boxes of silver dollars, did you?"
"Brigadier, just watch." Li Yunfei peeled off all the protective layers on the outside of the box, revealing the original black metal box. Without saying a word, Li Yunfei opened the box directly.
Suddenly, glittering gold appeared before the brigade commander and his men.
"Holy crap, this is gold!" the brigade commander exclaimed in surprise.
"Li Yunfei, you son of a bitch, you're really something," the brigade commander was so shocked he didn't know what to say.
After a while, everyone calmed down, and the brigade commander continued:
"I didn't expect you, Li Yunfei, to have pulled off such a big thing. You truly are a veteran who went through the Long March. It was right of you to ask us to keep it a secret."
"How much gold is in this batch?" the chief of staff asked.
"Chief of Staff, 300 kilograms," Zhao Xiaogang replied.
"My goodness." Although the brigade commander had guessed that there was a lot of gold, he was still shocked when he heard the exact amount.
Who in the Independent Regiment knows about this?
"Only the political commissar and I knew that I told the soldiers of the Independent Regiment that the box contained medicine and that the brigade headquarters needed to transport it."
"Good, very good. For safety's sake, this batch of gold will remain in your custody. Tomorrow, come with me to headquarters; we need to hand it over to them," the brigade commander ordered.
"Yes, I promise to complete the mission."
"By the way, besides you, the militia you're cooperating with also knows about this batch of gold, right?" the brigade commander asked.
"Yes, we split the gold on the military train 30/70, and they took 70%," Zhao Xiaogang answered truthfully.
"Good heavens, so the lion's share was with them." Upon hearing that they had stolen a ton of gold, the brigade commander gasped.
"You must be careful to guard against the Japanese retaliation," the brigade commander instructed.
"Don't worry, Brigade Commander. I'll have the Independent Regiment break into smaller units and develop independently, ensuring that the Japanese won't even find a trace of us," Li Yunfei said confidently.
"Okay." When it comes to fighting, the brigade commander still trusts Li Yunfei.
"Come on, you've accomplished something really important, I'll treat you to a good time tonight," the brigade commander said with a hearty laugh.
"Brigade Commander, don't forget to bring some wine," Li Yunfei reminded him again.
"Indispensable for you."
"Hahaha." The others laughed and walked out, leaving the Independent Regiment soldiers on guard at the door.