Chapter 48: The Three-Front Battalion Banner, A Great Victory!!

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Watching the defeated Japanese soldiers shuffle out of the city with their heads hung low, the fighters of the New First Regiment and the Independent Regiment felt a long-suppressed rage finally burst forth with fierce satisfaction! That release of pent-up anger surged straight to their very souls! If not for strict discipline, many would have wanted to shoot these beasts on the spot! Li Yunlong gritted his teeth and growled, “First Battalion! Keep a close watch on these scoundrels! Anyone who makes a move—no arguments, shoot them dead!” “The rest, follow me into the city!” With a grand sweep of their hands, Li Yunlong and Kong Jie led their troops in a formidable march into the city.

Zhicheng was the main city, far larger than any county seat. Upon entering, Kong Jie led the Independent Regiment with murderous intent straight toward the Sakatani Regiment’s headquarters. He held a deep grudge against that son of a bitch, Sakatani. Li Yunlong, meanwhile, led the Second Battalion directly to the command post of Wuyun Nan. “Third and Fourth Battalions, the enemy cavalry, artillery, engineers, and logistics barracks are yours! Search thoroughly! Any Japanese soldiers who don’t surrender with hands raised but are still breathing—kill them on sight, no burial necessary!” “Yes, sir!” The two battalion commanders snarled their orders and charged toward their assigned areas.

Li Yunlong continued, “Fifth Battalion, take over the hospital. Sixth Battalion, secure the airport.” Zhicheng housed a small airfield. “Seventh and Eighth Battalions, assume city defense. Any who take advantage to commit crimes will be executed without mercy!” Li Yunlong issued his commands with clarity and authority. This time, headquarters intended to completely reclaim the plains nestled between the Taihang and Taiyue mountain ranges. The brigade commander had told Li Yunlong that once Zhicheng was taken, it was to be liberated immediately. After giving the orders, Li Yunlong led the Second Battalion straight to the Japanese command post.

Inside the command post lay a scene of utter devastation. “Regimental commander, this bastard must be the commander of the 36th Division, Wuyun Nan,” Zhang Dabiao pointed at a corpse clad in a general’s wool coat, wearing lieutenant general’s shoulder boards. Li Yunlong spat and cursed, “Damn it! I was lucky not to personally gut that dog bastard!” Zhang Dabiao, sharp-eyed, picked up a finely crafted general’s sword from beside the corpse, its handle inlaid with golden chrysanthemums, and exclaimed excitedly, “Commander! A lieutenant general’s saber! What a treasure!” Li Yunlong’s eyes brightened as he grinned, “Keep it safe. Next time, I’ll give it to Brother Lin!” “Yes, sir!” Zhang Dabiao carefully secured the officer’s sword, a symbol of high rank among the Japanese.

Then the Second Battalion’s soldiers tore through the vast command post like wolves and tigers, turning it upside down. Countless antiques, paintings, gold, and jewels were unearthed. They found nearly a thousand golden yellow croaker fish! Over six hundred thousand silver dollars! Page 2/3

Several crates of Japanese-issued military currency were also discovered. “Ha ha ha!” Li Yunlong looked at the mountain of gold and silver before him, laughing with a toothy grin. “Good! Damn good! All this good stuff, pack it up! When Brother Lin visits next, we’ll give it all to him!” Even Zhao Gang, usually calm and disciplined, nodded with a smile. Without Mr. Lin, such a glorious victory would not have been possible. Although these treasures were priceless, when combined, could they buy ten 107mm howitzers? Zhao Gang shook his head. Forget 107s—ten 105mm howitzers couldn’t even be purchased with this haul!

Meanwhile, the Third and Fourth Battalions conducted a “cleanup” of the ruins of the Japanese regimental camps. Once orderly red brick barracks now lay in ruins, blackened and broken. Severed limbs mixed among the rubble, the sickening stench of blood and burnt flesh filling the air. Even battle-hardened veterans felt a chill descend upon entering this hell on earth. “Move quickly! Search carefully! Anything valuable or useful, get it out!” the Third Battalion commander barked. “Japanese corpses are to be dragged outside and burned in groups. Not a single one left!” Prompt disposal was vital to prevent plague outbreaks. “Yes, sir!” The soldiers, fighting nausea, searched diligently amid the wreckage.

They dragged out bodies trapped beneath debris, looting the last valuables before stacking the cold corpses aside. “Report, commander! Found one still breathing!” a soldier shouted. The commander approached and saw a wounded Japanese soldier half-buried in rubble, eyes wide with terror. “Surrender?” he asked. “Wh-what?” the soldier looked confused. “Bang!” The commander fired a bullet straight into his head without hesitation. “Coward for not surrendering—deserved it!” This scene quickly taught the surrounding troops the harsh lesson. The Japanese barracks soon echoed with the sound of gunfire. As the shots tapered off and the commander prepared to speed up the cleanup, a soldier dragging a Japanese officer’s corpse trapped beneath a beam suddenly exclaimed, “Hey!” He pried open the stiffened arm and found the officer clutching a partially burned flag. The flag was dull and unremarkable, but the pole—astonishingly—was made of solid gold! “Report! Found a golden flagpole!” Page 3/3

As dusk fell, the cleanup was only halfway done. Li Yunlong, Zhao Gang, and Kong Jie gathered in Wuyun Nan’s command post. Kong Jie grinned broadly, “Ha ha ha! What a thrill! Damn thrilling! This time we really hit the jackpot!” Though he regretted not personally dispatching Sakatani—who had long since been blown to pieces—the Independent Regiment’s discovery of over a hundred thousand silver dollars in the Sakatani Regiment’s ruins more than made up for it. “Look at your ambition!” Li Yunlong sneered at him. “You’re so happy with just a hundred thousand silver dollars?” “Heh, a mosquito’s leg is still meat!” Kong Jie shrugged indifferently.

“Old Kong, I remind you,” Li Yunlong rapped the table, “all these spoils—silver, gold bars, or scrap metal—must be packed and handed in. That’s the rule!” Kong Jie nodded repeatedly, “Got it, got it. We’ll send it all to your local tycoon.” “What the hell do you mean, local tycoon!” Li Yunlong slammed the table, eyes bulging. “Kong, I know you suffered as a kid and don’t like landlords or rich folks, but Brother Lin is different!” “Hey, why are you getting so worked up?” Kong Jie was puzzled. Li Yunlong glared, “You say I’m okay, but say Brother Lin isn’t? Who says that gets me mad!” Seeing his old comrade so agitated, Kong Jie quickly raised his hands in surrender, “Alright, alright, I misspoke. I’ll drink to that.” Li Yunlong snorted and took a swig from his bowl.

Afterwards, he wiped his mouth, “Ugh! This damn Japanese horse urine tastes awful! Not half as good as our sweet potato spirits!” At that moment, a loud report came from outside the door: “Report!” “Come in!” “Yes, sir!” The door swung open and two soldiers entered, each carrying a golden flagpole. “Report, commander. The Third and Fourth Battalions found two golden flagpoles while clearing the camps. They weren’t sure and sent them immediately for your inspection.” Though the men below lacked experience, they were no fools. Any fool would know a golden flagpole was no ordinary item. Kong Jie wiped the wine foam from his lips and added, “Oh? I found one similar in the Sakatani Regiment. The officer clung to it till his last breath; I couldn’t pry it loose. I wondered what kind of treasure it was…” Just then, Zhao Gang sprang from his chair with a sharp intake of breath, eyes fixed tightly on the two glittering golden flagpoles: “Regimental flags! These are the enemy’s regimental flags!”