Chapter 5: Planning Something Big

Chapter 5: Going for the Big Score

Wu Ze hid on this side of the mountain, listening to the gunfire coming from the other side, and immediately knew that Li Yunlong had already started fighting.

Though he couldn’t see the battlefield, he could sense that Li Yunlong’s battle was going smoothly.

As soon as the fighting ended, Huzi stretched his neck and looked toward the mountain. “I wonder if the regiment commander managed to capture the artillery.”

“Huzi, no need to rush. Good things come to those who wait,” Wu Ze said with a smile. Since Li Yunlong was fully engaged, the Italian artillery surely hadn’t escaped.

Sure enough, before long, the second squad leader of the guards’ platoon came running over excitedly.

Huzi hurried up to him. “Second squad leader, how did it go? Was the mission a success?”

“The Italian artillery—yes, the Italian artillery! We took it down!” the second squad leader grinned broadly. “From now on, our New First Regiment has artillery, hahaha!”

“That’s fantastic! Truly fantastic!” Huzi jumped up with joy and quickly turned to Wu Ze. “Wu Ze, I really owe you an apology. I never suspected you were a spy.”

“Huzi, if you ever doubt Wu Ze again, and the commander finds out, you’ll be in for a beating!” the second squad leader glared at Huzi.

“I—I…” Huzi was tongue-tied, his expression suddenly anxious.

“It’s okay, Huzi. It’s only natural to be cautious when you meet strangers in the wilderness,” Wu Ze comforted him, feeling a weight lift from his heart.

Now that they had the Italian artillery, Wu Ze could continue working closely with Li Yunlong.

“Wu Ze, the commander asked me to come get you. Would you like to join our New First Regiment?” the second squad leader asked politely.

“If the commander doesn’t mind, I’m willing,” Wu Ze nodded.

“Huzi, carry Wu Ze on your back,” the second squad leader instructed.

Wu Ze wasn’t physically strong and couldn’t keep up the pace.

“All right,” Huzi said without hesitation and immediately hoisted Wu Ze up.

Wu Ze didn’t object. With the Italian artillery in hand, they had to move quickly; he couldn’t slow the team down.

Huzi was broad and strong, carrying the frail Wu Ze along the mountain path like a gust of wind.

Soon, Huzi brought Wu Ze before Li Yunlong. Li Yunlong clasped Wu Ze’s hand tightly. “Wu Ze, I truly thank you. Look, we got the Italian artillery.”

Seeing Li Yunlong’s warhorse pulling and seven or eight soldiers pushing the artillery forward, Wu Ze asked suspiciously, “Commander, judging by your direction, it seems you’re not heading back to the New First Regiment?”

Li Yunlong paused, looking surprised. “How do you know I’m not going back to the New First Regiment?”

“Because your marching direction now is different from the one you took on the other side of the mountain,” Wu Ze explained.

“Smart kid, you even noticed that,” Li Yunlong said with a grin. “I’m not going back. I’m going to take Xiao Wang Village.”

“Commander, what kind of place is Xiao Wang Village?” Wu Ze asked, intrigued.

“It’s a thorn in the heart of our New First Regiment, planted there by the little devils. It has a huge impact on us. The puppet troops number over 360, with more than a dozen watchtowers. Before, I couldn’t take Xiao Wang Village, but now that I have Italian artillery, I’m determined to deal with it...” Li Yunlong was in high spirits and didn’t treat Wu Ze as an outsider.

While Li Yunlong marched toward Xiao Wang Village with the artillery, Xiao Wuzi rushed back to the New First Regiment’s base as fast as he could.

The New First Regiment was short of battalion-level officers, with only one battalion commander, Zhang Dabiao, in charge of the first battalion.

There were no suitable commanders for the second and third battalions yet. Li Yunlong acted as the second battalion commander, and his deputy, Zhong Zhicheng, acted as the third battalion commander.

When Li Yunlong was absent, Zhang Dabiao temporarily commanded the second and even the third battalion.

At present, Li Yunlong was taking the guards’ platoon to the brigade headquarters to request equipment, so Zhang Dabiao was acting commander of all three battalions, supervised by Deputy Commander Zhong.

Xiao Wuzi’s return was timely; Deputy Commander Zhong Zhicheng was away handling some affairs, not at the regiment headquarters.

Only Zhang Dabiao, an important figure in the regiment, remained.

“Xiao Wuzi, why are you back in such a hurry? Where’s the commander?” Zhang Dabiao asked sternly as he saw Xiao Wuzi panting and sweating.

As a courier, Xiao Wuzi’s hurried return suggested something might have happened to the commander, perhaps needing reinforcements.

“Commander asked me to tell you to assemble all three battalions of the New First Regiment immediately and move to Xiao Wang Village. He wants to take it down,” Xiao Wuzi said.

Zhang Dabiao felt a slight relief at the news that nothing bad had happened to Li Yunlong.

But hearing that Li Yunlong was pulling the entire regiment out to attack Xiao Wang Village still shocked him. “Xiao Wuzi, are you sure you’re not misrepresenting the commander’s order? Did he really tell you to take the whole regiment to attack Xiao Wang Village?”

The New First Regiment didn’t even have grenade launchers, let alone siege weapons. How could they assault Xiao Wang Village?

“Yes, that was the commander’s direct order. Zhang Battalion Commander, you must carry it out immediately,” Xiao Wuzi nodded firmly.

Zhang Dabiao was a devoted loyalist to Li Yunlong, the rash type who obeyed orders without question.

If Li Yunlong told him to go west, he’d go west. If east, he’d go east.

No matter what doubts he might have, he would execute Li Yunlong’s orders without hesitation.

After confirming the order once more with Xiao Wuzi, Zhang Dabiao wasted no time and shouted at the bugler, “Bugler, sound the emergency assembly!”

The assembly call was sounded quickly, and the New First Regiment’s three battalions, totaling eight hundred men, gathered swiftly.

When the New First Regiment was first formed, it had only eight hundred soldiers and was still understrength.

It was still understrength now, mainly because of a shortage of rifles and ammunition, lacking real combat effectiveness.

Without combat strength, they couldn’t fight any meaningful battles.

Without meaningful battles, they couldn’t earn any military achievements.

Without achievements, no one wanted to join the New First Regiment.

“Battalion Commander, is there some urgent military matter?” a company-level officer asked Zhang Dabiao.

“The commander has ordered an immediate march with the entire New First Regiment to take Xiao Wang Village,” Zhang Dabiao replied.

“What? Take Xiao Wang Village?”

“We don’t even have grenade launchers. How can we fight it?”

“Is the commander joking with us?”

...

Zhang Dabiao’s announcement immediately stirred a wave of discussion among the regiment’s officers and soldiers.

“Enough, no more idle talk. Move out immediately,” Zhang Dabiao waved his hand to silence them and urged the troops forward.

“Battalion Commander, you can’t take the troops without the deputy commander’s order,” several staff officers hurried over, trying to stop him.

The entire New First Regiment was mobilizing, but both the commander and deputy commander were absent. Such a major decision couldn’t be made by a battalion commander alone.

“I’m acting on the commander’s orders. If we delay, who’s responsible?” Zhang Dabiao glared at the staff officers.

His words left them speechless.

Yet, the deputy commander had to be informed before the whole regiment moved out.

Zhong Zhicheng had explicitly told them before leaving that if anything major happened in his absence, they must notify him.

But Zhang Dabiao was leaving so suddenly, there was no time to inform Zhong Zhicheng.

(End of chapter)