Chapter 19: The Commander Numbed, the Enemy Approaches

"Yes, sir!"

Zhang Dabiao hurried to the door and took a brand-new PPSh submachine gun from a soldier.

Li Yunlong cleared his throat, ready to show off: "Commander, do you know what this thing is called? This is..."

Before he could finish—

*Swish—!!!*

The commander sprang up from his chair like a coiled spring!

His eyes, wide as copper coins, were fixed intently on the weapon in Zhang Dabiao’s hands, a marvel of industrial design.

"A submachine gun?!"

"Uh..."

Old Li, about to boast, was stunned into silence by the commander's intense reaction; all his prepared words stuck in his throat.

"Commander, you… you know submachine guns?"

Li Yunlong was dumbfounded. Even he had seen this weapon for the first time just now. How did the commander recognize it at a glance?

The commander shot Li Yunlong a disdainful look, as if looking at a rustic bumpkin unfamiliar with the world.

"Of course! When I was gnawing on black bread under Frolov’s command, you were still playing with mud in the Dabie Mountains!"

Li Yunlong scratched his head. "Haha, I almost forgot, Commander, you’re a scholar, not like me, Old Li, who’s illiterate."

The commander’s fingers lightly traced the cool metal of the gun, feeling its hefty weight and precise craftsmanship, nodding repeatedly.

"Good weapon! Compact structure, fierce firepower! This is a revolutionary infantry tool!"

But then his tone shifted to one tinged with regret: "Unfortunately, I hear it’s hard to manufacture, costly to produce, even the Russians prize it highly!"

"The quantities are pitifully small, impossible for large-scale deployment; it’s only a rare treasure for assault troops or guards..."

Li Yunlong looked puzzled. "Is that so? Mr. Lin sent over two thousand of them this time, so I guess there won’t be any more next time."

The commander trembled.

"What did you say? How many did Mr. Lin send?"

Li Yunlong scratched his head. "Two thousand."

Even the seasoned commander was taken aback by that number.

Two thousand submachine guns?!

That alone could decisively sway a localized conflict!

"Good! Good! Good!"

The commander repeated emphatically.

"This Mr. Lin... is truly a godsend to our Eighth Route Army! A timely rain, a debt of gratitude as heavy as a mountain!"

Li Yunlong nodded in agreement. "Indeed, Mr. Lin is nothing like those landlords and wealthy scoundrels in the city! Generous and straightforward!"

The commander’s gaze burned with intensity as he asked, "Besides these two thousand submachine guns, what else did Mr. Lin send?"

Li Yunlong counted on his fingers and reported, "Five hundred general-purpose machine guns, two hundred mortars, fifty 75mm mountain guns, twenty 105mm howitzers, plus ten times the standard ammunition."

...

The commander was stunned.

He remained calm until he heard about the fifty 75mm mountain guns, at which point his hand trembled; when he heard about the twenty 105mm howitzers, he could no longer sit still.

Heavy artillery had even made an appearance!

It took him a full two minutes to digest all that.

"My heavens! Who exactly is this Mr. Lin?"

Li Yunlong clicked his tongue and gave a simple yet powerful answer: "A good man!"

The commander smiled. "Yes, a good man!"

—

He looked at Li Yunlong, unable to conceal the smile on his face.

Truly a blessed soldier!

"Ahem, well, as usual, you keep one regiment’s worth of equipment, and I’ll take the rest."

"What? Are you robbing us?" Li Yunlong immediately frowned.

The commander didn’t bother to act anymore, bluntly saying, "You’ve got barely over a thousand men. How can you even use all this gear?"

"Take those 500 machine guns alone — you’d need five or six thousand men to operate them. Where are you going to get so many?"

Li Yunlong laughed, realizing even the commander didn’t know everything.

"Commander, those are general-purpose machine guns; they don’t need that many operators."

He then looked at Zhang Dabiao again. "Go bring one of those general-purpose machine guns here, let the commander see for himself!"

Finally, he had a chance to show off.

Soon, Zhang Dabiao returned, carrying an MG42.

"Ahem," Li Yunlong seized the rare opportunity to boast.

"Commander, you need to update your thinking! This is called a general-purpose machine gun. See?"

He swiftly clicked the gun from its light machine gun bipod into a heavy tripod stand nearby, instantly transforming it into an imposing heavy machine gun.

"Light or heavy, we decide! One gun, two uses! Its firepower is no weaker than the Type 92!"

"Most importantly, it’s not as delicate as the German gun, nor as clumsy as the Type 92! Two or three people can handle it—mobile and powerful at once!"

"A squad with three or four of these is a moving fortress of firepower!"

The commander watched intently, eyes sparkling with excitement.

Taking the gun from Zhang Dabiao, he felt its weight—indeed similar to the German model.

"Is its firepower really as strong as you say? Comparable to the Type 92?" he asked Li Yunlong.

If what Li Yunlong claimed was true, this gun’s significance on the battlefield would rival that of the submachine gun.

Imagine if two or three men could establish a fire position—compared to a traditional machine gun squad, the firepower would increase four or five times!

Li Yunlong patted his chest confidently. "Absolutely! Only stronger, never weaker! I personally tested it this morning!"

Since Lin Ran left earlier, Li Yunlong had tried out all the weapons, especially the submachine guns and this general-purpose machine gun.

When firing, it was fierce—bullets poured down like raindrops.

The commander looked down at the machine gun in his hands, overwhelmed not only by shock but by deep curiosity about the mysterious Mr. Lin’s identity and background.

Where did he acquire such unprecedented, advanced weaponry?

If it was brought in from abroad, the coastline was tightly blockaded by the Japanese.

How did he evade their sweeps to transport hundreds of tons of supplies into their base area?

The more he pondered, the more mysterious it became.

Everything seemed shrouded in thick fog.

At that moment, Li Yunlong suddenly said, "Commander, if you want to take part of the weapons, that’s fine, but you have to trade people."

"Drivers, artillerymen—I want them all!"

The commander gave Li Yunlong a contemptuous look. "Look at you, acting all clever."

But after thinking it over, he agreed to Li Yunlong’s request, since you can’t refuse requests when taking people’s hands.

"Alright, I’ll pick a few from the brigade to help you form a transport company and an artillery company."

—

Li Yunlong’s face lit up like a blooming flower.

"Hahaha, thank you, Commander!"

Then, recalling Lin Ran’s parting instructions, he added, "By the way, Commander, Mr. Lin mentioned two cooperative matters before he left."

"What cooperation?" The commander immediately became alert.

Such immense wealth—was the other party about to make unreasonable demands?

Li Yunlong hurriedly waved his hand. "Don’t worry, Commander. He just said, if you want to use these weapons, you have to fight the Japanese!"

The commander breathed a sigh of relief. "That goes without saying!"

Li Yunlong continued, "Maybe he doesn’t quite trust us yet, which is understandable. So, I thought it would be best if the deputy director of the political department wrote a note—black on white—for everyone’s peace of mind."

The commander considered it and said, "Alright, I’ll report to the higher-ups. It shouldn’t be a problem."

Li Yunlong nodded, knowing for sure that the superiors would agree.

Then he added, "Also, Mr. Lin wants us to do him a favor."

"Oh? What kind of favor?" The commander was intrigued.

"Well, Mr. Lin said he has an old family residence in the capital, which is now occupied by others. He wants us to help prove that the house belongs to his family," Li Yunlong relayed Lin Ran’s small request.

The commander frowned slightly and paced a few steps.

This seemed simple but involved local property rights and no investigation had been done. If the Eighth Route Army recklessly issued a certificate and it turned out wrong...

"Help prove it? How? Who among us knows him? If the house isn’t really his, wouldn’t we be accomplices?"

Li Yunlong had anticipated this concern and quickly explained: "Commander, your worries are well-founded! I thought the same at first."

"But think about it—what did Mr. Lin send us? Enough to arm a main division and still have surplus riches! It’s a life-saving token that spares thousands of our brothers from bloodshed!"

"This kind of loyalty and generosity—isn’t it worth a house in the capital? I’d say it’s worth a hundred!"

He paused, a hint of sarcasm in his tone. "Frankly, if Mr. Lin gave all this to the Japanese in the capital, wanting to live in the imperial palace, even that son of a bitch Duotian would have to make room for him!"

The commander considered this and nodded slowly.

Indeed, in the face of such immense military supplies, the ownership of a single residence seemed trivial.

One howitzer could buy several houses!

If the other party had ill intentions, why go to such lengths?

This trust must be reciprocated by the Eighth Route Army!

"You have a point," the commander finally nodded slowly. "But how exactly does Mr. Lin want us to prove it?"

"Mr. Lin said he wants the deputy director of our political department to write a note, stating that the courtyard house at number ** on ** Street in the capital belongs to Lin Jingxuan. Just a simple matter," Li Yunlong said.

The commander nodded; that was straightforward.

"Alright, I’ll report this to the higher-ups later."

Li Yunlong’s face beamed with joy. "Hehe, I knew this would work out!"

If he, Old Li, couldn’t manage such a small matter after Mr. Lin sent all these supplies, he’d lose face forever.

The commander shot Li Yunlong a glare. "Enough with the jokes. I came here on serious business..."

Before he could finish, urgent, hurried footsteps sounded outside.

"Report—!!!"

A scout soldier burst in, covered in sweat and dust, panting heavily.

"Report, regiment commander! Commander! Scout company urgent report!"

"Japanese troops from Chang County... are mobilizing their entire force! They’re heading straight for our Chenjia Village—!!!"