Chapter Fourteen: Old Li’s Business

Morning of July 24, 1938, Heyuan County

When Yamazaki Jihei left the county town of Heyuan, he never imagined that he would be out all night, only able to finally catch his breath at dawn the next day. Throughout the night, the Eight Route Army guerrillas he despised managed to attack five small outposts. Except for one purely brick-and-stone stronghold that remained unconquered, the other four were completely ransacked and set ablaze by the Eight Route Army.

Although only two Imperial soldiers were killed, the number of puppet troops either killed or captured approached two hundred. The losses included nine heavy and light machine guns, over 140 rifles, and 24 pistols. Along with the puppet battalion lost during the daytime of the 23rd, the Heyuan County Security Regiment had lost nearly half its strength in less than 24 hours.

If Li Yunlong had known the loss figures reported by Li Fugui and Ichiro Hirata, he would have cursed wildly, for there were simply not that many men. The combined total of the four outposts was just 56 people, one of which was a bunker "outsourced" to the village maintenance committee. This so-called outsourcing meant the security regiment provided the uniforms and outposts, while the maintenance committee supplied manpower, set up checkpoints, collected fees, and shared the proceeds. As for weapons, Li Yunlong had only seized four machine guns and 23 rifles.

Of these four light machine guns, one was a Chauchat M1915, one was a severely worn rifled straight handle (a Liaoning-made crooked handle), one was a ZB vz. 26, and one was a Lewis gun without a sleeve—four machine guns, four different calibers, with scant ammunition. The rifles were even more peculiar: some were Hanyang rifles with old-type sleeves, and shockingly, there were several Lee-Enfield rifles, which, though .303 caliber, used black powder bullets.

It was obvious that Li Fugui had used this opportunity to fill all vacancies and losses within his ranks. Whether the Japanese believed it or not, Li Fugui believed it himself. It wasn’t easy for him—Japanese funding, weapons, and supplies were insufficient, and they distrusted their own troops deeply. Without some crafty measures, the force would have long since disintegrated.

As for why Li Yunlong was so enthusiastic, it was because Wang Yue had finalized a new partnership with him. Simply put, Wang Yue would supply guns and ammunition to support Li Yunlong’s side business. This time, besides allowing Li Yunlong to take back heavy machine guns and machine cannons, he was also handed 52 old-type rifles that were useless to Wang Yue, along with 20 rounds of artillery shells. They agreed that once the shells were used, Li Yunlong could return the casings for new shells.

Knowing Li Yunlong’s penchant for taking advantage, Wang Yue had to assign a “liaison officer” to the New First Regiment to accompany Li Yunlong on missions, roughly accounting for ammunition consumption. Officially, this was to prevent Li Yunlong from going overboard and causing financial strain on their side.

“Old Yan, do you think I could trade you these two Mosin-Nagant rifles for some other rifles?” Li Yunlong approached the liaison officer Yan Shuzhai with a smile.

“Sure, I can give you four Hanyang rifles or six Dreyse rifles, provided those two rifles come with their gear and ammunition. Otherwise, forget it,” Yan Shuzhai adjusted his glasses and said seriously. Though young, he played the role of Wang Yue’s steward, known for being tight-fisted. Neither Li Yunlong nor Li Wulaming could ever get a good deal from him.

“Old Yan, look at these nearly brand-new Mosin-Nagants, barely a scratch on the bluing. Can you give me more in exchange?” Li Yunlong was reluctant; the New First Regiment was still short on guns, and though the Mosin-Nagant was good, quantity mattered.

“We’re not short on good guns,” Yan Shuzhai glanced at Li Yunlong. If Wang Yue hadn’t instructed otherwise, he wouldn’t have given him even this ratio. With a guy like Wulaming around, the rifles they didn’t need would eventually be sold off, and at a good price.

“Old Yan, how about this: I have four Type 91 grenades here. Can I get a box of Gong-style grenades in exchange?” Li Yunlong pouted but didn’t give up.

“Neither starving nor cold, but if you can’t calculate right, you’ll suffer. The commander values me for this. Four Type 91 grenades plus two Type 90 steel helmets, and I’ll give you a box of horse-tail grenades.” Yan Shuzhai eyed the Type 91 grenades in Li Yunlong’s hand. They were actually quite useless—he wouldn’t even bother looking at them if they couldn’t be used in the Type 89 grenade launcher.

As for the horse-tail grenades, Yan Shuzhai was quite exasperated. The Heyuan County Security Regiment actually issued these to the puppet troops below. Didn’t they fear the grenades would get caught on branches and explode prematurely? It was absurd, though at least these weren’t pure black powder grenades like those used by the Sichuan troops, or else he would have been driven mad.

“Horse-tail grenades? Old Yan, why do you keep dumping all this junk on me? That stuff really doesn’t work well,” Li Yunlong, having fought the Sichuan troops and used horse-tail grenades, knew how underwhelming they were.

“They’re better than the ones made in your border region!” Yan Shuzhai said flatly.

“A box of grenades is only about 30 rounds. I saw you seize hundreds of Gong-style grenades yesterday. Why bother giving me horse-tail grenades?” Li Yunlong’s mouth watered thinking of the equipment of the 17th Division’s guard company.

“Better than your border region’s!”

“Horse-tail grenades are hard for most people to use properly—they tend to explode on friendly troops,” Li Yunlong grumbled, irritated.

“Better than your border region’s!”

“Alright, alright, I’ll trade. Isn’t that enough?” Li Yunlong finally gave in, fearing his head might explode if he persisted.

“I recommend you exchange those rifles for Dreyse rifles. They shoot accurately and have less recoil, better suited for your new recruits,” Yan Shuzhai continued, ignoring Li Yunlong’s nearly bursting expression.

“Old Yan, I’m curious—what do you do with all the Japanese uniforms after stripping the enemy?” Li Yunlong’s eyes were full of curiosity. Usable uniforms could be repaired, cleaned, and re-dyed, but what about those that were ruined?

“Sole liners,” Yan Shuzhai rolled his eyes and explained seriously. “With our training load, we go through a pair of cloth shoes every week, sometimes not even enough. Where would we get so much material for sole liners?”

“That must be so annoying. I even saw you guys take the Japanese crotch cloths back,” Li Yunlong said with a wave of disgust.

“Who cares, they’re underfoot. As long as the layer touching the sole is good cloth, it’s fine. Neither starving nor cold, but if you can’t calculate right, you’ll suffer,” Yan Shuzhai said with a smug look. This was done under his insistence. Japanese uniforms were durable; though they were scraps, they were far more wear-resistant than the best homespun cloth.

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End of pages.