12dz Chapter 61 The IOU is in hand
Chapter 61 The IOU is in hand
"Commander, what is it?" Li Qukou asked.
"Come with me to my office to talk," Tang Weiguo said, and the two walked together toward the office.
"Regarding intelligence work in our Wolong Mountain area, I have an idea I'd like to discuss with you," Tang Weiguo said bluntly.
"Oh? Wei Guo, tell us about it," Li Qukou asked curiously.
"These days you've been working in the militia, you know that in addition to the regular troops in the military camps, we also have village protection teams set up in the villages around Wolong Mountain, right?"
“Weiguo, I’ve heard Xiaohu mention this before. They do farm work when they’re busy and military training when they’re not. They are excellent reserve soldiers for us. They can be immediately converted into regular troops should we need to expand our forces.”
“Yes, I called you here today to discuss matters concerning them. Let’s first select some clever individuals from among their people to serve as our intelligence agents. Each person will be responsible for matters in their own village. Once they discover any suspicious individuals coming from outside, they should immediately report to your intelligence department, and then you can conduct a detailed investigation. This way, we can ensure that every place in the Wolong Mountain area has our eyes.”
Upon hearing Tang Weiguo's words, Li Qukou's eyes lit up:
"Wei Guo, this is a good idea. I'll go and make the arrangements right away."
"Alright, our militia's intelligence work to drive out the bandits has only just begun. Thank you for your hard work during this time."
"Weiguo, there's no need for formalities between us brothers. Besides, we're all fighting the Japanese. Enough said, I'll go make the arrangements now." Li Qukou waved to Tang Weiguo and hurriedly left Tang Weiguo's office.
.....
On the other side, Li Yunfei rode his horse all night and finally arrived at the brigade commander's residence before noon, and hurriedly walked towards the brigade commander's office.
"Commander Li, what a rare guest! It's been so long since I've seen you," Zhao Erhei, a guard at the brigade commander's door, greeted Li Yunfei.
"So it's you, kid. You've made such great progress. Last time I saw you, you were just a greenhorn. Now you're the brigade commander's gatekeeper. You've really changed a lot in just a few days, young man." Li Yunfei patted Zhao Erhei on the shoulder.
"Commander Li is too kind," Zhao Erhei said proudly.
"I'm not going to talk to you anymore. Is the brigade commander here? I rode all night to get here, and my butt is practically in two."
"Commander Li, your buttocks are naturally divided in two," Zhao Erhei said with a smile.
"Hey, you little brat, you're asking for a beating, aren't you?" Li Yunfei pretended to hit him. This was the scene the brigade commander witnessed as he stepped outside, and he called out:
"Li Yunfei, you've become more capable after just a few days, haven't you? I could hear you shouting outside even from inside the house."
"The brigade commander's here? I was just joking with this rascal. As the saying goes, even a seventh-rank official is subject to the prime minister's authority. We wouldn't dare to bully your soldiers." Li Yunfei chuckled.
"You're all talk. Tell me, what brings you to my brigade headquarters today, Commander Li? Let's get this straight: no complaining about being poor. I don't have a single weapon or ammunition this time. Go find some from the Japanese yourself." The brigade commander's face was full of refusal; he was thoroughly annoyed by Li Yunfei's constant demands for weapons. All units were facing difficulties, and although he, as the brigade commander, knew the struggles of Li Yunfei's Independent Regiment, he had to treat everyone fairly.
“Brigade Commander, you can’t look at us old Li with your old eyes. Before, our old Li was just a newly established independent regiment with nothing, so he could only come back to your home to ask for some dowry to save face.”
"Brigadier General, I'm not here to ask for weapons this time."
"Oh, so what are you up to this time?" The brigade commander immediately became curious.
"Brigade Commander, this time Old Li is here to do business with you."
"Huh, I wouldn't dare do business with you, Old Li."
"Look at what you're saying, Brigade Commander. What kind of person do you take Old Li for?"
"Alright, let's go inside and talk," the brigade commander said with a smile. He'd gotten used to bantering with Li Yunfei.
As soon as Li Yunfei entered the house, he saw that there was another person inside. Upon closer inspection, he realized:
"Oh, Division Commander, you're here too! Brigade Commander, you really are something, why didn't you say so earlier? If you had, I would have brought some local specialties for you."
"Well, Li Yunfei, I've been a brigade commander for so long, and I've never seen you bring back any of these local specialties."
"Brigade Commander, next time for sure, next time for sure," Li Yunfei said with a grin.
"Alright, enough with all the talking. Li Yunfei, tell me what kind of business you're planning to start," the division commander asked.
"Alright, Division Commander, Brigade Commander, I sent someone to report last time that the Japanese have a military train heading to Taiyuan next week."
"Yes, but our brigade doesn't have any spare troops right now. Besides, even if we sent a main force regiment to support you, we still wouldn't be able to defeat these two companies of Japanese soldiers," the brigade commander said with a regretful expression.
"Brigade Commander, speaking of this, I have to praise Old Li's luck. I was thinking of giving up, but I didn't expect there to be an anti-Japanese force in the county area, and their fighting strength is not weak. They can take on an entire Japanese company single-handedly."
"Really?" A hint of shock flashed in the eyes of the brigade commander and the division commander.
"That's right. My battalion commander personally confirmed that the enemy was equipped entirely with Japanese weapons. It made Old Li's mouth water."
"Hmm, you're not talking about the militia in Tangjia Town, are you?" the division commander suddenly asked.
"Commander, how did you know?" Li Yunfei asked, puzzled. The commander's intelligence was incredibly accurate. He hadn't even had a chance to introduce the team yet.
"I heard from the headquarters commander that our 'heartless cannon' was obtained from this militia," the division commander explained.
"Oh, is that so?" the brigade commander said. Since receiving a batch of gas launchers made from converted gasoline drums from headquarters, their unit's firepower has been greatly enhanced. However, they are prone to barrel explosions, so the soldiers both love and hate them, hence the nickname "Heartless Cannon."
"If they have such strong combat capabilities, it's not surprising. Cooperating with them, it seems your operation to attack the Japanese military train has a high success rate," the division commander said.
"You came here just to report on this matter?" the brigade commander asked.
"That's just a side note. The main thing is something else. I'm planning to borrow a battalion's worth of equipment from their militia." Before Li Yunlong could finish speaking, the brigade commander shouted.
"How much? Enough equipment for a whole battalion? Would you dare lend it to me?"
"Hehe, Brigade Commander, you know how daring Old Li is."
"Hehehe, I know that all too well. If I gave you a division, would you dare to attack Taiyuan? Did you get it?"
"No, not now. The other party agreed to lend it, but they want an IOU written by you, Brigade Commander. Old Li doesn't have as much influence as you, Brigade Commander. Otherwise, why would I have rushed over overnight without even having a sip of water?" Li Yunfei suddenly saw the water glass on the table, picked it up, and gulped it down.
"I never imagined my calligraphy would be so valuable, worth the equipment of an entire battalion," the brigade commander said with a smile.
"And what about the business you mentioned?" the brigade commander countered.
"Brigade Commander, can you help me borrow it? Then after we seize the Japanese military train, how about we split the spoils in half?"
"Haha, it's rare to see someone as generous as you, Commander Li. I'll write this IOU." With that, the brigade commander walked to the table, picked up a pen, and began to write. Then he signed his name.
The division commander standing nearby said, "Since I happen to be here, I'll sign my name too, to add to your significance." After saying that, the division commander also signed his name on the IOU.
"With your signature, Commander, we're all set." Li Yunfei was overjoyed.
After receiving the IOU, Li Yunfei carefully tucked it into his pocket and bid farewell to the two leaders.
"The weapons are more important. Division Commander and Brigade Commander, I'll retreat first. Wait for my good news of victory." After saying that, Li Yunfei turned and left.