Chapter 11: The Headquarters Was Stunned

Chen Jiayu.
Eighth Route Army Command Headquarters.
“Beep, beep beep—”
The radio crackled incessantly.

“Report!”
A young communications staff officer nearly rushed in, gripping a freshly decoded telegram tightly, his face marked by a mixture of disbelief, excitement... and bewilderment.

The deputy commander stood before the map with his hands behind his back. Hearing the commotion, he turned around. “Speak!”

“Yes, sir!” The communications officer snapped to attention, took a deep breath, his voice trembling slightly from nervousness:
“Report to the deputy commander! We’ve just received an urgent telegram from the Shancheng front! It’s... a commendation order!”

“A commendation order?”
The deputy commander furrowed his brows. The other senior officers studying enemy intelligence also looked up, their gazes fixed intently.

At such a critical juncture, Shancheng suddenly sends a commendation? When something seems off, there must be a catch.

“What’s going on? What’s the commendation for?” the deputy commander asked.

The communications officer replied succinctly: “Report, deputy commander. According to Shancheng, one Japanese battalion and two puppet army regiments were annihilated by our troops. They have sent this commendation in recognition!”

“What? One Japanese battalion and two puppet regiments?”

The deputy commander was stunned.

He glanced at the senior officers around him and asked, “Who gave orders behind my back?”

The senior officers exchanged looks and all shook their heads.

To annihilate a thousand Japanese troops and two thousand puppet soldiers, even with perfect deployment and advantageous terrain, at least a brigade’s strength would be needed, supplemented by local county and district units.

This was no minor operation. Without the deputy commander’s order, who would dare to mobilize so many soldiers recklessly?

The deputy commander suddenly turned sharply toward the communications officer, nearly shouting: “Read it! Recite the commendation order verbatim! I want to see who’s behind this!”

“Yes, sir!” The communications officer straightened up and unfolded the telegram.

“It is reported that the elite troops under your command, yesterday in the vicinity of Heifeng Gorge, with outstanding tactical leadership and the heroic dedication of all officers and soldiers, ambushed and intercepted the invading enemy.

After fierce combat, they dealt a devastating blow to the enemy, completely annihilating the Japanese Yamazaki Battalion and the cooperating puppet 19th and 27th Regiments.

In total, over three thousand enemy and puppet soldiers were killed, wounded, or captured. Countless weapons, ammunition, and supplies were seized, shattering the enemy’s sweep attempts and delivering a heavy shock to the North China occupation forces.

In this battle, your troops displayed the loyal and courageous spirit of soldiers, fearless in the face of danger, fighting bloodily, defeating superior forces with inferior numbers, creating an unprecedented glorious victory behind enemy lines.

Such remarkable achievements not only greatly boosted the morale of our military and civilians in the resistance but also vividly demonstrated the indomitable will of the Chinese nation to resist foreign aggression.

The good news has spread nationwide, greatly uplifting the people, and the commander-in-chief is deeply gratified upon hearing it.

Hereby, to commend your unit’s illustrious achievements and the outstanding merits of all participating soldiers, this order is issued—

The General Headquarters of the 18th Group Army of the National Revolutionary Army and the combat units responsible for this victory are hereby commended across all three services.

The main commanders who contributed to the battle are awarded a major merit once, and recommended for the Third-Class Cloud Banner Medal and the Fortress Medal.

All participating soldiers receive a formal commendation. Those especially brave and meritorious will be reviewed by your unit for further recognition.

Year 28 of the Republic of China...”

The communications officer finished reading the last word, and the vast command room fell into an eerie silence.

The air seemed to freeze.

“Annihilated over three thousand enemies...” a combat staff officer murmured, his voice strikingly clear in the quiet.

No wonder Shancheng sent a commendation order.

Such a victory, even on a nationwide scale, ranks among the most significant triumphs.

But everyone was even more bewildered!

Because they hadn’t done anything!

“Wait!” The deputy commander looked at the communications officer. “Where exactly did it say the battle took place?”

“Report—it was in the Heifeng Gorge area!”

The deputy commander turned to a combat staff officer. “Check whose defense sector Heifeng Gorge falls under.”

“Yes, sir!” The officer hurried to look up the information.

Seconds later: “Report! Found it!”

The deputy commander suddenly felt a foreboding: “Could it be that reckless fellow Li Yunlong?”

The combat officer nodded. “It’s Li Yunlong’s 1st Regiment.”

“My God, it really is him!”

The deputy commander then looked at the glasses-wearing division chief. “Ask the 386th Brigade—what on earth are they doing?”

...

In the real world,

Lin Ran was awakened by a system notification.

[Alert: The 1st Regiment annihilated 1,027 Japanese and 1,872 puppet soldiers, earning a total of 5,326 merit points.]

[Alert: The host has attracted the attention of the Japanese and Shancheng command; reputation +20.]

“Damn, Old Li is fierce!”

Lin Ran flipped out of bed with a somersault.

“To have actually wiped out a Japanese battalion, and apparently two puppet regiments too.”

“Awesome!”

Suddenly wide awake.

Having killed over three thousand enemies, Lin Ran couldn’t help but feel exhilarated.

“Open the system panel.”

[Host: Lin Ran]
[Level: T1]
[Merit: 5326]
[Reputation: 30]
[Armory: T1 (pre-1945), T2 (1946–1965), T3 (1966–1985)...]

“Over five thousand merit points!”

A hefty reward indeed!

Lin Ran then browsed the armory. All weapons developed before 1945 were prominently listed, including battleships, aircraft carriers, and even the massive ‘Big Mushroom’ bomb.

“Let me see what I can get for Old Li this time.”

Li Yunlong had caused such a stir—there was no way it could be kept secret.

However, he probably wouldn’t be punished, given the battle achievements. Most likely, it would be a wash of merits and demerits.

But the weapons he currently held were unlikely to be spared. Knowing the brigade commander’s temperament, at least eighty percent would probably be confiscated.

While browsing the weapon list, Lin Ran searched online.

“The best weapons of World War II…”

“PPSh submachine gun, MG42 general-purpose machine gun, T-34 tank, Katyusha rocket launcher…”

“Hmm.” Lin Ran pursed his lips.

Honestly, these weapons were indeed excellent, but Lin Ran wasn’t overly impressed.

“If only I could upgrade to T2 and unlock weapons before ’65.”

By then, with the AK-47, RPG, and the 107mm firepower trio unleashed, combined with masterful tactical maneuvers, the results would be unimaginable.

In the end, Lin Ran selected for Old Li: 2,000 PPSh submachine guns, 500 MG42 machine guns, 200 mortars, 50 75mm mountain guns, and 20 105mm howitzers.

After some thought, Lin Ran added 20 trucks.

The total cost was 4,110 merit points.

“That should do.”

This firepower nearly matched a U.S. infantry division.

As for tanks and rocket launchers, Lin Ran skipped them.

At this stage, the Eighth Route Army mainly roamed in mountainous areas like Taihang and Taiyue, where tanks offered little advantage and could easily become burdensome.

Protecting a single tank might even require sacrificing more soldiers.

Lin Ran believed those most lovable soldiers were definitely capable of handling such challenges.

...

At 2:30 p.m.,

On the outskirts of Beijing, a warehouse covering over 20,000 square meters.

“Mr. Lin, if everything is in order, please sign here.”

A staff member from the food factory handed Lin Ran a purchase order.

Lin Ran glanced over it, and after confirming everything was fine, signed his name.

Yesterday, the assistant to Miss Shen, the top student, had spoken reliably—everything would arrive before three o’clock, and indeed, all shipments were in place.

The 300 tons of various foods Lin Ran ordered were all moved into the warehouse.

Additionally, there were 5,000 sets of cotton-padded clothes.

The total cost was less than two million.

After all the workers left, Lin Ran’s heart stirred.

“Let’s go!”