Bright Sword: The Flowers of War

Chapter 274 Trading
Su Yaoyang leaned back on the sofa with a leisurely air, looking at the two military bigwigs opposite him who were usually so dignified but were now as excited as if they had won the lottery. He felt no ripples in his heart, but rather a remarkable calm.

Gifts of roses, hand a fragrance.

He is certainly not some overly kind-hearted, saintly person.

The decision to leave such a large batch of sophisticated equipment, including heavy weapons, to the Fifth War Zone at a near-half-price "second-hand" price was made after careful consideration.

He knew very well that this was the most difficult and darkest time of the entire War of Resistance.

The Fifth War Zone, as the core war zone protecting the southwestern rear and directly facing the main force of the Japanese army, was of paramount importance.

However, the resources of the Fifth War Zone were simply too meager.

Apart from a few units directly under the Central Army, most of the troops were "miscellaneous troops" composed of various local armies, with all sorts of equipment and extremely tight logistical support.

As the leader of the Fifth War Zone, Li Zongren, who came from the Guangxi clique, was notoriously poor.

Although the Guangxi Army, which was based on its own resources, was brave and skilled in battle, its weapons and equipment had always been a major problem. Often, it took several people to share an old Hanyang rifle.

In the original history, they used such rudimentary equipment and relied on their flesh and blood to repeatedly resist the heavily armed Japanese army in Taierzhuang, Suizao, and Yichang, paying an extremely heavy price.

And now, I have arrived in this time and space.

He was no longer the weak transmigrator who had just arrived, needing to be cautious and careful, and meticulously calculating every bit of supplies.

With the incredible ability to convert matter into electricity, a stable base in Shanxi, and a nascent elite force, he had gained the initial ability to protect himself and even the capital to stir up trouble.

In that case, what's wrong with giving appropriate assistance to these friendly forces who are genuinely fighting against the Japanese and have close ties with us?
This is more than just simple funding.

Arming the Fifth War Zone was tantamount to driving an even harder and sharper nail into the middle reaches of the Yangtze River for the Japanese.

The longer the Fifth War Zone can hold out, the less pressure there will be on his base in Shanxi.

The more Japanese soldiers the Fifth War Zone eliminates, the fewer enemies it will face in the future.

From a strategic perspective, this "investment" is a sure thing.

Moreover, who were Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi?

He was the leader of the Guangxi clique and a powerful figure of great influence in the Nationalist government.

The favor we do today may bring us something far more valuable in return than steel and gunpowder.

Therefore, Su Yaoyang always wore that calm and composed smile.

In his view, this was just a mutually beneficial transaction, a win-win arrangement.

He gave the other party much-needed strength, and the other party will become his strongest ally on the chessboard in the future.

Who were Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi?

They were powerful figures who had fought their way out of the bloody battlefields of the Republic of China, a period of great upheaval and change. They were shrewd individuals who had spent most of their lives navigating the treacherous waters of officialdom.

They wouldn't believe a single punctuation mark on Su Yaoyang's lame excuse of "insufficient transportation capacity."

They knew perfectly well that Su Yaoyang was essentially dumping the army's best active-duty weapons on them like a clearance sale.

Although they couldn't understand why Su Yaoyang did this, they immediately felt the profound and genuine goodwill behind it, as if it were branded into their hearts.

Faced with such a great kindness from their friends, they naturally wouldn't be pretentious enough to refuse.

Having spent most of their lives navigating the treacherous waters of officialdom, they had long understood one thing: favors and obligations are sometimes more valuable than money.

Owe someone a favor, especially a favor from a young man with unlimited potential like Su Yaoyang, is by no means a bad thing.

What's more, the side benefit of this "favor" is thousands of trucks, hundreds of heavy artillery pieces, and tens of thousands of high-quality rifles!

These weapons can instantly boost the combat effectiveness of their poorly equipped Guangxi troops by several levels!
At this critical moment for the nation, anything that can strengthen the resistance against Japan is ten thousand times more important than so-called face!
Having figured this out, Bai Chongxi was the first to calm down from his excitement.

He stood up again, walked to Su Yaoyang's side, solemnly reached out, and patted him hard on the young shoulder.

This action was full of power and gratitude.

"Mingxi!"

Bai Chongxi's voice regained its usual composure, but the emotions it contained were even deeper than before: "Your kindness is appreciated by Delin and me. From now on, Delin and I will both owe you a favor."

He didn't say anything superfluous, but all his meaning was fully expressed through that powerful slap and solemn promise.

Su Yaoyang felt the force on his shoulder and smiled, his smile sincere and open: "It's all for the sake of resisting Japan. As long as we can kill more Japanese, this is nothing."

Li Zongren, standing to the side, nodded slowly. He picked up the teacup on the table, offered a toast to Su Yaoyang instead of wine, and then drank it all in one gulp. "They say great kindness needs no words of thanks."

He put down his teacup, and his eyes as he looked at Su Yaoyang were filled with the appreciation and affection of an elder for an outstanding junior. "Jiansheng and I have remembered your kindness."

"If there's anything we two old men can help with in the future, just let us know. As long as it's within our capabilities, we certainly won't refuse."

…………

Silent all night.

While Wutai County was still shrouded in the last tranquility before dawn, the encampment of the Shanxi militia outside the city had already begun to awaken.

The edge of the sun had just peeked over the eastern mountains, casting a golden glow upon the earth and dispelling the morning mist.

Captain Liang Shaobin of the Shanxi militia logistics department had finished his morning exercise.

He wore faded military shorts and a close-fitting army green T-shirt, which accentuated the well-defined muscles he had honed through years of training. His rubber boots, glistening with morning dew, indicated he had just covered a considerable distance.

Sweat soaked his forehead and slid down his cheeks; his breathing was even and strong.

Instead of returning directly to the camp, he turned into an inconspicuous alley on the south side of Wutai County, a place he knew by heart.

Deep in the alley, wisps of smoke rose from a small breakfast shop, carrying the aroma of noodle soup and charcoal fire, which was especially enticing on this chilly morning.

The shop owner was a middle-aged man in his thirties, with an honest appearance and a friendly smile on his face.

He was busy kneading dough when he saw Liang Shaobin. He immediately grinned and greeted him warmly in Mandarin with a heavy local accent.

"Commander Liang, you're here! Same as usual today?"

Liang Shaobin wiped the sweat from his brow with the towel hanging around his neck, shook his head, and answered in a loud voice:
"No... I want a change of pace today. Give me two bowls of knife-cut noodles, large bowls, with extra meat sauce."

Three more donkey meat sandwiches, grilled a little charred. Oh, and two tea eggs too.

The boss's honest smile remained unchanged, but a barely perceptible glint flashed in his eyes. As he deftly grabbed some dough, he joked, "Oh... Commander Liang, you have such a good appetite today? Can you finish all this by yourself?"

"It's okay if you can't finish it."

Liang Shaobin waved his hand dismissively, "I'll take it back and save it for lunch."

"okay!"

The boss nodded and said no more. He was extremely quick and skillful. He picked up a specially made tile-shaped knife and his wrists flew. One after another, the dough pieces, thick in the middle and thin at the edges, resembling willow leaves, leaped into the boiling pot with precision, like flying fish entering the water.

On the other side, he took out a golden-brown, crispy baked bun from the oven, cut it open, and stuffed it with savory donkey meat, filling the air with its aroma.

Soon, two steaming bowls of knife-cut noodles, three servings of crispy baked buns, and two dark brown tea eggs were ready. Instead of using bowls, the owner took an elegant bamboo food box, layered all the food, and handed it to Liang Shao-bin.

"Commander Liang, please take this. Just bring the box over when you go for your run tomorrow."

"Ah."

Liang Shaobin nodded, casually pulled a wad of crumpled Chinese currency from his shorts pocket, slapped it on the cutting board without counting it, picked up the food box, and turned to leave.

"Take care, sir!" the boss called out enthusiastically.

Throughout the entire process, from the conversation to the transaction, the two people appeared incredibly natural in their speech, mannerisms, and facial expressions, just like any ordinary morning, a routine interaction between a regular customer and a shopkeeper, with nothing particularly noteworthy about it.

However, as Liang Shaobin turned to leave and the boss bent down to gather the stack of legal tender on the counter, his fingers tapped the stack of legal tender a few times in a specific, rhythmic way.

Liang Shaobin, who had already reached the alley entrance, paused almost imperceptibly for half a second, as if responding to that silent signal.

After Liang Shaobin left, the boss called over the waiter and left the stove, clutching his stomach.

He hurried to the backyard, pushed open an inconspicuous door, pushed aside a wooden frame to reveal a hidden door, and then followed a path to a spacious secret room.

The room was brightly lit, and dozens of men dressed in ordinary people's clothes were inside. Some were resting with their eyes closed, while others were fast asleep.

Upon seeing the boss enter, a man in his forties frowned and asked, "Fujino-kun, what happened outside?"

The boss held up a slip of paper in his hand: "Our informant has sent intelligence that that Chinese war devil will be leading a large force back tomorrow."

If you want to take action, you'd better hurry.

"Yoshi... he's finally here!" The man's eyes lit up at the news, then turned fierce. "Now that you're back, enjoy your last moments!"

(End of this chapter)