Resistance against Japan: Starting with the local militia

Chapter 296 The Leader Arrives

(Wishing all my dear readers a happy National Day holiday!)

night.

Outside the Independent Regiment's garrison, Li Yunfei, along with Zhao Xiaogang and a squad of elite troops from the Independent Regiment, waited in the mountain pass for the arrival of the brigade commander and his entourage.

"Old Zhao, it's almost 12 o'clock, past the agreed time. Should I take some people to go and take a look?" Li Yunfei paced back and forth along the roadside inside.

“Old Li, the brigade commander has instructed us to wait where we are. The leaders may be delayed by some matters,” Zhao Xiaogang said, suppressing his anxiety and trying to appear calm.

"Besides, the entire route the commander has taken is through our base areas for development, so there shouldn't be any major safety issues. We can rest assured about that," Zhao Xiaogang continued to reassure him.

"It's better to be safe than sorry. But for now, we can only wait a little longer. If the brigade commander hasn't arrived yet, we must take concrete action."

After saying that, Li Yunfei had no choice but to wait patiently to the side, glancing at his watch every now and then.

Before long, the sound of horses' hooves could be heard in the distance.

Upon hearing this, Li Yunfei's face lit up with joy, and he quickly called out.

"Political Commissar, it should be the brigade commander and division commander who have arrived."

As the sound of hooves grew closer, a group of forty or fifty people appeared before Li Yunfei. One of them stepped forward first, seemingly to verify his identity.

"Platoon Leader Zhang, it's been a long time."

Upon seeing the person in front of him, Li Yunfei walked up and greeted him warmly.

"Greetings, Commander Li."

"Political Commissar Zhao is also here."

Zhang Xu breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the two people in front of him; they had finally reached the Independent Regiment's defense zone.

"I will now notify the leaders to come over."

After speaking, Zhang Xu picked up his flashlight and waved it a few times at the people in the distance. A short while later, Li Yunfei and the others saw a cavalry unit rushing towards them.

"Battalion Commander Zhou, notify the troops to strengthen their vigilance." At this moment, Li Yunfei turned to Zhou Zhengbiao and said.

"Yes." After receiving the order, Zhou Zhengbiao left.

A moment later, the brigade commander and his entourage arrived in front of Li Yunfei and the others.

"Greetings, Division Commander! Greetings, Brigade Commander!" Upon seeing the two men leading the team, Li Yunfei and Zhao Xiaogang quickly stood at attention and saluted.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. We encountered a small accident on the way. We ran into the Japanese soldiers who had sneaked into our base in Zhao Jia Gou Zi, so we had to take a detour to get here," the brigade commander said.

"Brigade Commander, these Japanese devils have become too arrogant lately, daring to infiltrate our base area."

"What are the new regiments doing? They still have to wait for the brigade commander's instructions."

"As long as you give the order, Brigade Commander, I, Old Li, will immediately lead my troops to wipe them out," Li Yunfei said eagerly.

"Alright, you don't need to go yet. I've already notified the New First Regiment to go and encircle them. They should be engaging the Japanese by now." The brigade commander waved his hand at Li Yunfei.

Then the brigade commander smiled and said to the division commander beside him.

"Commander, I told you so. Once this kid knows there's going to be a battle, he'll charge in like a wolf."

"Chen, you are indeed your soldier. Our army needs commanders like you, who dare to fight and charge forward." The division commander said with a smile.

"Thank you for the compliment, Commander." Li Yunfei smiled happily when he heard his commander say that.

"Alright, don't be so polite. Let's go back to your regimental headquarters first. I've been riding all this way, let the division commander get some rest," the brigade commander said.

"Yes," Li Yunfei quickly replied.

"Division Commander, Brigade Commander, this way please." With that, Li Yunfei mounted his horse and led his group to the Independent Regiment's garrison. The guards also withdrew one by one.

Back at their post, Li Yunfei exchanged a few pleasantries with the leaders and then arranged for them to rest.

At 5 a.m., as the reveille sounded, the soldiers of the First Battalion stationed at the headquarters of the Independent Regiment began their daily training.

As veteran revolutionaries, the division commander and brigade commander were not pretentious people, and they got up early in the morning with the reveille.

"Come on, Li Yunfei, let me go with the division commander to check on your unit's situation," the brigade commander called out to Li Yunfei as they walked towards the training ground.

"Hey Li Yunfei, you've made quite a bit of money lately, haven't you? I've seen almost nothing but Japanese weapons along the way," the brigade commander said with some surprise.

"You little rascal, did you secretly hide the captured equipment?"

"I asked you for weapons and you're telling me you're broke?" The brigade commander glared at Li Yunfei.

"Damn it, I forgot to hide the good equipment." Upon hearing the brigade commander's words, Li Yunfei panicked.

“Hey brigade commander, you can’t treat me like a rich man. This is all the equipment I’ve worked so hard to accumulate. It’s all I’ve got for one battalion.”

"The equipment of your entire battalion is more luxurious than that of an entire regiment of other companies."

"Commander, you have to stand up for me! We can't let the brigade commander covet the little bit of wealth I've accumulated," Li Yunfei pleaded with his commander, seeing the situation was turning against him.

"Xiao Chen, Li Yunfei has earned enough for two regiments this time. I think you'll have to put him in a difficult position this time," the division commander said with a smile.

"Commander, with your words, I feel much more at ease." Upon hearing his commander speak, Li Yunfei immediately beamed with joy.

"Rank has the power to crush you. We'll do as the division commander says." The brigade commander glared at Li Yunfei as he spoke.

As they talked, the group arrived at the training ground.

"Alright, Li Yunfei, you can go ahead and get busy. The division commander and I will just stroll around for a bit," the brigade commander said.

"Yes." With that, Li Yunfei left, but he didn't go far. He stayed right next to the training ground, watching the troops train.

At this moment, the soldiers are training in the morning sun, sweating profusely.

Upon learning that a commander was approaching, the soldiers trained with extra fervor. Shouts of battle filled the air.

"Xiao Chen, how is your engraving of the Independent Regiment?" the division commander asked.

"It's better than I expected. The average quality of the soldiers is far higher than that of our front-line troops. Li Yunfei has really given me a huge surprise."

"Xiao Chen, not only that, but I also noticed that these soldiers have rosy complexions and are not pale, which means that the food in this unit is very good. Otherwise, they wouldn't have developed such a spirit."

"The division commander's observation is indeed meticulous. I didn't expect Li Yunfei to be developing so well here."

"Such a good unit, plus such a fighting spirit in the regimental commander, Xiao Chen, we should give Li Yunfei more responsibilities."

"Commander, we've got the same idea."

"When we get back, I'll have the Independent Regiment take over the Second Regiment's base and use the Second Regiment to support other places. That way, I'll have an extra regiment of troops at my disposal."

"Commander, at first I was thinking of transferring Li Yunfei to another place, but considering Li Yunfei's relationship with the Wolong Mountain unit, I gave up that idea."

"It seems that Li Yunfei has benefited a lot from this unit over the past year or so!"

"It seems we need to bring some real substance to this lecture."

"Just based on the equipment of those two regiments, we have to bring something out of them too."

After walking around for a while, the group returned to their original spot, and Li Yunfei came over at that moment.

"Li Yunfei, the troops are training very well." The division commander nodded in satisfaction.

"Thank you for the compliment, teacher."

"Commander, it's lunchtime, Brigade Commander. Let's go to the mess hall for lunch," Li Yunfei said.

"Our food is the same as the soldiers'. No special treatment allowed. Do you understand?" the brigade commander specifically instructed.

"Yes, I promise to be treated the same as the soldiers and not receive any special treatment."

As they spoke, the group headed towards the cafeteria.