Chapter 34: A New Decision

The Brigade Commander flicked his riding crop and barked, "Don't give me any of this or that! First, send men to transport all these captured weapons and ammunition to the brigade headquarters."

"Then, assemble the entire regiment and announce the headquarters' commendation!"

After giving his orders, the Brigade Commander strode off to the regimental headquarters to wait.

Once he had left, Zhang Dabiao leaned in toward Li Yunlong and asked with a bitter face, "Regimental Commander, are we still..."

Li Yunlong waved him off irritably. "Didn't you hear? I’m not the commander anymore. Just do as the Brigade Commander ordered!"

"To hell with it all! I’m done caring. Who knows which grandson is going to reap the benefits of our hard work anyway!"

Li Yunlong grumbled and stomped away. Zhang Dabiao scratched his head in frustration and found Captain Tian. "Sorry to trouble you, Captain Tian, but please just take these straight to brigade headquarters."

After ordering the First Battalion to assemble at the training grounds and arranging for the other battalions to be notified, Zhang Dabiao felt a heavy heart. Their New First Regiment had only just begun to find its footing, and now they were to have their military leadership replaced; he had no idea what the future held.

And what about that sworn brother of the commander? Having just tasted the sweetness of new weapons, who knew if they would continue to support them?

Before long, the New First Regiment was assembled. This time, it was the Brigade Commander standing on the dirt platform to deliver the speech, while Li Yunlong stood behind him with a sullen face.

"Comrades! By the decision of the Central Committee, in recognition of the New First Regiment’s bravery and sacrifice during the Battle of Cangyun Ridge—where you killed Sakata, routed the Sakata Regiment, and, for the first time, captured an enemy regimental flag—you have achieved a monumental victory!"

"The New First Regiment is hereby awarded a written commendation, and the entire army will be notified of this honor!"

Upon hearing of such glory, the soldiers of the New First Regiment erupted into cheers.

Once the excitement subsided slightly, the Brigade Commander continued the announcements. "Additionally, the First Battalion of the New First Regiment, for its outstanding performance in battle, is awarded a collective third-class merit!"

"Good!" Zhang Dabiao roared, taking the lead in clapping vigorously.

The soldiers of the First Battalion held their heads high, accepting the applause and congratulations of their comrades.

"Finally, for Comrade Wang Chengzhu, who destroyed Sakata with a single shell, an individual second-class merit!"

"And for Comrade Li Yunlong, commander of the New First Regiment, a verbal commendation is awarded!"

The crowd applauded warmly for Wang Chengzhu, leaving him standing in the ranks feeling both flattered and slightly confused. Why had their commander only received a verbal commendation?

The officers who were in the dark breathed a sigh of relief; they knew their commander had acted in defiance of orders. A commendation was better than nothing—at least he hadn't been stripped of his rank entirely.

As it turned out, their relief was premature.

While the soldiers of the New First Regiment were still buzzing with discussion, the Brigade Commander handed the commendation orders and medals to Zhang Dabiao and Wang Chengzhu, then glanced at the dejected Li Yunlong.

"What? Do you have an opinion?"

Li Yunlong shook his head gloomily. "I have no opinion!"

The Brigade Commander leaned in close. "You’d better not! Let me tell you, Li Yunlong, don't you dare cause any trouble! When your successor arrives, whoever it is, you will handle the handover properly—do you hear me?!"

Staring at the riding crop nearly poking his nose, Li Yunlong pulled his chin back and snapped to attention. "Yes! Brigade Commander! I will absolutely obey the orders of headquarters!"

"Hmph! Let’s go!" The Brigade Commander cracked his whip and strode off in a whirlwind of activity.

After he left, Li Yunlong let out a breath and waved at Zhang Dabiao, who was hovering as if he had more to say. "Alright, Dabiao, do me a favor and prepare the men mentally. Don't let our New First Regiment lose face in front of our comrades!"

Leaving the joy and sorrow of the New First Regiment behind, the Brigade Commander galloped back to the brigade headquarters. He immediately summoned Chief of Staff Li, and after a brief consultation, they jointly filed a request to headquarters.

The Brigade Commander picked up the telephone. "Get me headquarters!"

As it happened, the Commander of the 129th Division was right next to the phone at headquarters. "Hello, this is headquarters!"

"Oh, it's you, Old Chen. What’s the matter?"

"Yes, yes, I see. I understand what you mean. I will explain the situation to the Commander-in-Chief. Haha, don't worry, I know him better than anyone! If I tell him the result, he’ll be happier than anyone!"

The Division Commander hung up with a chuckle. "That Old Chen, he loves giving people puzzles. He’s trying to turn the Monkey King loose to wreak havoc in Heaven!"

The Division Commander walked over to the Deputy Commander-in-Chief, who was busy sketching on a map. "Commander, I have a situation to report!"

The Deputy Commander-in-Chief straightened his back and tossed aside his pencil stub. "Out with it! What’s the situation? I heard you on the phone—who has so much influence that they can get you to plead their case?"

"It wouldn't be Li Yunlong again, would it?"

The Division Commander nodded, then shook his head. "It is indeed an issue regarding Li Yunlong, but it's not that he's caused more trouble!"

The Deputy Commander-in-Chief looked puzzled. "What do you mean? Haven't we already decided to grant him a lenient punishment?"

The Division Commander’s expression turned serious. "Commander, as you know, the situation between us and the enemy has shifted significantly."

"Ever since the southern front entered a strategic stalemate with the Japanese, the enemy has pulled back a considerable number of troops to conduct what they call 'pacification campaigns'."

Though the reason for the sudden change in topic was unclear, the Division Commander’s point was well-taken.

"That's right. The Japanese have been raiding our base areas with increasing frequency and larger scales."

"And that Generalissimo of ours is dreaming of the day we are wiped out by the Japanese!"

"Hmph! Let them keep on dreaming!" The Deputy Commander-in-Chief waved his hand with vigor, indicating that those who wished for their destruction were living in a fantasy.

"Exactly," the Division Commander agreed, then shifted his tone. "However, the coming period will be increasingly difficult. We must strive to strengthen our forces to meet every challenge."

The Deputy Commander-in-Chief agreed, but as he started to speak, he caught the drift and pointed at the Division Commander with a wry smile. "You sly fox, so that’s what you were leading up to!"

The Division Commander laughed without pretense. "Haha, I didn't say anything!"

"You, you," the Deputy Commander-in-Chief shook his head.

"Today, Old Chen went to the New First Regiment. Beyond the commendations, he noted that the unit’s strength was unexpectedly high. They possess a certain spirit, and their ability to recover combat effectiveness is remarkably fast."

"After this breakout, while other units are still in their recovery phase, Li Yunlong's New First Regiment has already regained its combat power."

The Division Commander summarized the situation. "Our army is currently short of such officers. We discussed it and feel it would be a waste to simply sideline Li Yunlong."

The Deputy Commander-in-Chief nodded. "Li Yunlong is a crafty one when it comes to fighting; the units under his command develop quickly and possess high combat effectiveness."

The Deputy Commander-in-Chief looked at the Division Commander. "What do you have in mind?"

The Division Commander finally revealed the Brigade Commander’s plan. "Our thought is this: Old Chen also serves as the commander of the Taiyue Military Sub-district and is currently looking to organize new units to defend the base area."

"Why not transfer Li Yunlong there?"