Chapter 32: A Wild Horse Unleashed, Li Yunlong Becomes a Mountain King?
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A poison gas bomb?
“What on earth is going on?”
The deputy commander asked with a grave expression.
After all, he was fully aware of the dangers posed by poison gas bombs; if this were true, it would be a tremendous threat to our army.
We must be vigilant!
The deputy chief of staff then recounted the entire situation.
The deputy commander was stunned.
Poison gas bombs captured during Li Yunlong’s assault on Xijing Town?
The New First Regiment had actually moved to develop in the Taihang Mountains area?
Already reaching a scale of around a thousand troops, and their equipment was not bad either?
No wonder there had been no news from Li Yunlong these past few months—it all made sense now.
“That kid actually went and became a mountain bandit king; he really has guts!”
Speaking of this, the deputy chief of staff felt somewhat relieved, nodding as he said, “Commander, you have to admit, Li Yunlong has done quite well leading the New First Regiment’s development.”
“Judging by the scale and firepower used to attack Xijing Town, that boy must have struck it rich,” he praised.
“The local bandits in that area have been wiped out or assimilated, the civilians support the New First Regiment, and young men from nearby villages have all signed up to join.”
“However, due to time constraints, I haven’t inquired in detail about the specific situation of the New First Regiment.”
“The Huangyadong base was recommended by Li Yunlong himself; otherwise, I would have been delayed longer.”
The deputy commander chuckled and said, “I had already heard about the New First Regiment before, but I never expected Li Yunlong to develop it so rapidly without headquarters’ support.”
“In just about two months, he’s built up a full regiment. That boy really has a knack for leading troops in battle.”
“Still, we must be careful not to let this wild horse cause any trouble.”
The deputy chief of staff chuckled softly, “Commander, I think you can rest assured.”
“Judging from interactions with Li Yunlong and the public sentiment, there hasn’t been any trouble so far.”
The deputy commander was momentarily taken aback, then laughed, “Rest assured? Hardly!”
“Notify Commander Chen; tell him to keep a close watch and not wait until something goes wrong to fix it.”
“Understood!” The deputy chief of staff nodded. “I was just about to inform him about the New First Regiment’s situation.”
He then wrote a telegram.
“Communicator!”
“Yes!”
The deputy chief of staff handed over the telegram, saying, “Send this to the 386th Brigade.”
“Yes, sir!”
The communicator took the telegram and hurried off.
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...
386th Brigade Headquarters.
The brigade commander strode back to the command post with a grim face.
Recently, the Japanese had frequently launched attacks, causing significant losses to the unit and gradually threatening the safety of the arms factory.
How could his mood be anything but grim?
“Chief of Staff, what’s the current situation?”
“Report, Commander. The enemy has withdrawn; the troops have reestablished defenses, and the fighting has temporarily ceased.”
“Casualties were heavy, largely because the unit expanded its forces too quickly, weakening combat effectiveness. Most casualties were new recruits...”
The commander’s expression darkened further as he listened.
He had anticipated some of this, but seeing the casualty numbers still pained him deeply.
Each one was a living soul, a hero sacrificed for the war of resistance.
After a long moment, the commander regained his composure and ordered, “Settle the wounded. The troops must intensify training...”
“Yes, sir!” the chief of staff responded firmly.
Suddenly, the commander asked, “By the way, have we received any news from the New First Regiment?”
“No.”
“That Li Yunlong is truly unruly,” the commander cursed. “It’s been nearly two months, and he hasn’t sent anyone back to report. Is he planning to rebel?”
“That brat really needs to be disciplined!”
Just then, the deputy commander walked in and heard the commander’s words. He smiled and said, “Commander, who told you to give him half a year of autonomous development?”
“It’s not easy to build up a unit without support from headquarters!”
“I shouldn’t have agreed to it in the first place!” The commander sighed helplessly. “If this continues, things might spiral out of control.”
“We must send someone to check on the New First Regiment’s current situation.”
The deputy commander knew the commander was worried about the New First Regiment’s development. After all, with frequent Japanese sweeps recently, the regiment had started with just a single company and rather ordinary equipment.
He had no concerns about the unit’s nature; otherwise, the commander would never have allowed Li Yunlong to develop it autonomously.
“Commander...”
Before the deputy commander could finish, the communicator approached and handed over a telegram.
“It’s a headquarters dispatch!”
The deputy commander took it and paused, surprised.
He had not expected the telegram to concern the New First Regiment.
The result left the deputy commander stunned.
The commander, puzzled, took the telegram and asked, “What happened?”
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Coming to his senses, the deputy commander smiled, “You’ve been waiting for news from the New First Regiment, haven’t you? Now you have it.”
Hearing this, the commander was momentarily stunned, then quickly read the telegram.
After finishing, he was somewhat bewildered.
The New First Regiment had grown to a thousand troops and was developing well?
They even captured Xijing Town?
Their base was at Black Wind Ridge!
The commander quickly searched for the New First Regiment’s location on the map.
After checking, Commander Chen couldn’t help but laugh and curse.
“Heh heh heh... That kid really has become a mountain king!”
“If it weren’t for the deputy chief of staff’s encounter, that boy probably still wouldn’t have reported back. He really needs to be taught a lesson!”
The deputy commander shook his head with a smile.
He knew well the commander’s sharp tongue but soft heart!
Learning about the New First Regiment’s development, he was probably secretly pleased.
After all, receiving praise from headquarters’ leadership meant the regiment’s growth was on track—and they had won the people’s support.
This was ample proof that the New First Regiment had done well.
“Commander, do we still need to send someone to the New First Regiment’s base?”
“No need!” The commander waved his hand with a smile. “Since the deputy chief of staff has inspected it, and headquarters has other plans for the New First Regiment, it means they’re satisfied.”
“That kid really has some talent. He built up a well-equipped regiment in just two months, and he hasn’t embarrassed our 386th Brigade.”
“I’ll visit when I have time to see if it’s truly as the headquarters leaders described.”
“But since the New First Regiment has already grown into a full regiment, it’s time to assign someone to assist Li Yunlong and help share the workload.”
The deputy commander nodded slightly, curious, “Who do you think would be suitable?”
After all, this person would need some military command ability and experience in ideological education.
The New First Regiment’s rapid development surely faced challenges similar to other units.
The commander did not answer immediately, instead pondering who would be the right fit.
After a moment,
the commander had found a suitable candidate.
“Send orders to...”