Chapter 10: Shocking the Deputy Commander

Chapter 10: Shocking the Deputy Regiment Commander

“Since you managed to trick Xiao Wang Village with just three artillery shells, why not take advantage of the enemy’s surprise and quickly deceive them again...” Wu Ze’s words trailed off.

Li Yunlong immediately understood and exclaimed with delight, “Exactly! How did I not think of that?”

“Hahaha, Commander, this is like finding a treasure,” Huzi laughed heartily at Li Yunlong.

“Not just treasure, it’s a veritable think tank. One sentence from him is worth several months of my own effort,” Li Yunlong said thoughtfully, then shouted to Zhang Dabiao, “Dabiao, come here.”

“Yes, Commander!” Zhang Dabiao ran up to Li Yunlong and saluted.

“Leave the Third Battalion behind to clean up the battlefield, gather supplies and prisoners, then assemble the First and Second Battalions. We’re heading to the Xiao Li Village stronghold,” Li Yunlong ordered.

Zhang Dabiao pondered, “Commander, you mean we should take advantage of the fact that the Japanese haven’t caught on yet and, by imitation, deceive the puppet army’s stronghold again?”

“Yes, we must act quickly,” Li Yunlong nodded. “Eliminate or drive off any enemy scouts nearby.”

Having captured Xiao Wang Village, the enemy nearby cannot communicate with it by phone and will surely send scouts to investigate. Removing or driving off these scouts will buy us valuable time.

Within this window, capturing Xiao Li Village remains quite feasible. After all, it’s the closest stronghold, and it won’t take long to get there.

“Understood,” Zhang Dabiao replied and immediately set about executing the orders.

“Wu Ze, you return to headquarters with the Third Battalion. Once I’ve taken the Xiao Li Village stronghold, I’ll come back...” Li Yunlong said to Wu Ze.

If the reinforcements arrive after the capture, a fierce battle might ensue, and bullets don’t discriminate. It wouldn’t be good if Wu Ze got hurt.

“Commander, I want to go with you,” Wu Ze insisted.

Since he had arrived in this era, he wanted to witness the realities of war with his own eyes.

“Wu Ze...” Li Yunlong was about to object.

Wu Ze cut in, “Commander, I want to broaden my experience.”

“Alright, you’re a brave man,” Li Yunlong nodded in agreement.

Zhang Dabiao dispatched small units to intercept scouts from various directions, then quickly gathered the First and Second Battalions. Li Yunlong led them, accompanied by the Italian artillery, swiftly marching toward the Xiao Li Village stronghold.

---

The Third Battalion hurriedly cleared supplies, took prisoners, and withdrew, returning fully loaded.

Meanwhile, Deputy Regiment Commander Zhong Zhicheng had been “forcibly” sent back to headquarters by Li Yunlong.

Once inside, Zhong Zhicheng immediately picked up the phone on the desk to contact the brigade commander.

At the 386th Brigade headquarters, the commander had paced back and forth countless times, deeply anxious.

Though he repeatedly reassured himself that Li Yunlong was always someone who sought advantage without taking losses—he surely wouldn’t do anything reckless like smashing eggs against stones—he still worried.

Since Li Yunlong dared to take the entire regiment out, he must have found something valuable. Demanding autonomy was likely just so he could keep the spoils to himself.

Yet the commander’s unease only grew.

Though Li Yunlong was skilled at side enterprises, not every venture could go smoothly. If he failed, the entire regiment might be wiped out, and the commander would be held accountable.

Ring! The phone on the desk suddenly rang urgently. The commander snatched it up: “This is Chen of the 386th Brigade…”

“Commander, this is Deputy Regiment Commander Zhong Zhicheng of the First New Regiment. Li Yunlong has forcibly brought me back,” came Zhong’s angry and anxious voice.

“What? You say Li Yunlong brought you back by force?” The commander’s mind exploded.

That scoundrel Li Yunlong had done it again—he’d once done this before, and the commander had scolded him harshly, making him swear never to do it again.

But now, it was clear Li Yunlong had forgotten that promise as if it were nothing.

“Yes, Commander. I conveyed your order to Li Yunlong to cease the attack and withdraw, but he refused and insisted on attacking the Xiao Wang Village stronghold...” Zhong’s words were cut off.

The commander was furious: “That bastard Li Yunlong is going to get me killed this time!”

“However, Commander, there’s something I must report,” Zhong said.

“What is it?”

“Li Yunlong somehow got hold of a mountain cannon. I think that’s why he’s attacking Xiao Wang Village...” Zhong’s words trailed off.

The commander was stunned. “Zhong Zhicheng, you’re saying Li Yunlong obtained a mountain cannon?”

“Yes, I saw it with my own eyes. The barrel was entirely foreign-made, seemed to be Italian,” Zhong replied.

“Zhong Zhicheng, are you sure it’s a mountain cannon and not making things up?” The commander’s tone suddenly softened, less angry.

If Li Yunlong had a mountain cannon and sufficient shells, it would explain his confidence in attacking Xiao Wang Village.

Even if he couldn’t capture it, at least he wouldn’t recklessly charge in.

In other words, the regiment wouldn’t be annihilated.

If the regiment was saved, the commander’s greatest concern would be eased.

“Commander, it seems that on his way back from brigade headquarters, Li Yunlong stumbled upon this cannon by sheer luck and grabbed it,” Zhong assessed.

“Hmph! ‘Grabbed it by chance’? Are you kidding? This is a mountain cannon!” The commander interrupted sharply.

Do you think mountain cannons are roadside tubers to be picked up easily?

Bring me one if you can just ‘grab’ it like that.

Li Yunlong had demanded autonomy from the commander because he must have gotten intelligence beforehand.

So, he asked for autonomy one moment and immediately went to seize his prize the next.

He feared the commander would interfere and want a share, so he staged this whole charade to keep everything to himself.

That rascal was truly scheming.

“Commander, what do we do now?” Zhong asked.

“What else? You wait at headquarters. The moment Li Yunlong returns, hold him tight—I’m coming over immediately,” the commander said, already anticipating that Li Yunlong would capture Xiao Wang Village.

That boy had plenty of clever tricks in battle.

In other words, Li Yunlong had made a significant gain at Xiao Wang Village and obtained a mountain cannon. Such an important matter required the commander’s personal attention.

A mountain cannon was a valuable asset; he had to come personally to take charge.

“Yes, Commander,” Zhong answered, relieved that the commander would intervene personally.

Only the commander himself could rein in Li Yunlong now.

(End of Chapter)