Bright Sword: The Flowers of War

Chapter 275 Be prepared
Hundreds of kilometers away from Yichang, in Wutai County, Shanxi Province, the chill of winter lingers.

Unlike the humid and warm Guizhou in Hubei, the mornings here still carry a hint of northern chill.

Hundreds of meters away from the headquarters of the Shanxi militia, inside an ordinary house that looks unremarkable from the outside, the light is dim and fine dust floats in the air.

A captain in a crisp military uniform stood solemnly, reporting the situation to a lieutenant colonel behind a desk.

Behind the desk was Lieutenant Colonel Wei Jin, the head of the newly established "Military Intelligence Department" of the Shanxi militia.

He didn't look at the captain in front of him, but instead lowered his head and slowly wiped the parts of a completely disassembled Mauser pistol in his hand with a white cloth, his movements meticulous, as if he were polishing a work of art.

"...The target used fiat currency for transactions."

The captain's voice was low, but every word was crystal clear: "This is completely different from the silver dollars and military notes that our militia officers and soldiers generally use, as well as the usage habits of the local people of Wutai County. This is a very obvious point of suspicion."

Wei Jin did not pause his wiping motion at all.

The captain continued his report: "Also... the owner of this breakfast shop came from out of town just six months ago, and the records say he's a refugee."

Although everything he did was exactly like that of an ordinary boss, there was one thing that didn't make sense. He came alone, without any family or employees.

But unusually, according to our investigation of the grain store, the grain and coal he purchased during this period were for the equivalent of twenty strong adult men…”

At this point, the captain paused, awaiting instructions.

Wei Jin finally put down the parts and white cloth in his hands. He raised his head, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes, which were hidden in the shadow of his hat.

"Increase surveillance." His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable air of command.

He stood up, walked to the detailed map of Wutai County hanging on the wall, and his eyes fell on a small dot circled in red pen—the location of that breakfast shop.

"The fact that this rat survived our last city-wide cleanup is proof enough that it is very cunning."

Wei Jin tapped his fingers lightly on the map. "And the fact that they've strengthened their connections recently proves that it's definitely going to make some big move soon..."

He turned around and looked at the captain with eyes as sharp as a knife.

"So... send the most reliable people to keep a close watch on him, 24/7! Report to me immediately if there's anything unusual!"

"Yes!"

The captain snapped to attention, gave a crisp salute, then turned and quickly retreated, the heels of his boots clicking on the floor.

The door closed softly, and the room returned to silence, leaving Wei Jin alone...

…………

Night falls in Wutai County.

In contrast to the tense atmosphere at the front, this place, as the rear base of the Shanxi militia, appeared peaceful and orderly.

The county has two crucial airports, Jiuquhe Airport and Jinshaling Airport, which are the bases of the Thunder Flight Squadron and the Pirate Flight Squadron, respectively, which Su Yaoyang built with heavy investment.

The officers' club was bustling with activity tonight, as there were no flight missions.

The air was thick with the mixed scents of whiskey, cigars, and men's sweat, and an old gramophone was playing upbeat jazz.

Doolittle, One-Eyed Jack, Tom, and a large group of mercenary pilots from the United States were drinking, bragging, and playing cards around the long bar and scattered tables, with laughter and shouts rising and falling.

They were war hyenas lured by Su Yaoyang with a hefty bounty, a group of desperate men who would risk their lives for money, fighting the Japanese at 10,000 meters in the air.

Among this group of testosterone-fueled men, a few beautiful figures stood out.

Those were Elizabeth, Anna, Margaret, Catherine, and other members of a small medical team who had also been hired at high salaries.

At this moment, they also took off their white coats, which were stained with blood and smelled of medicine, and changed into their own civilian clothes. Although they were just simple dresses and shirts, in the eyes of these rugged pilots, every inch of their skin and every smile exuded a deadly allure.

Anna was being amused by a pilot with a full beard, her full breasts heaving with laughter, and her bare legs, exposed beneath her skirt, were illuminated by the light.

Meanwhile, the more reserved Catherine, holding a glass of juice, listened somewhat shyly as One-Eyed Jack boasted about how he used his machine gun to turn a Japanese Type 97 heavy bomber into a fireball in the air.

Just as the drinks were halfway through and the atmosphere was getting lively.

Commander of the Thunderfly Group, former U.S. Army Air Corps Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle, picked up the small silver spoon used to scoop sugar cubes from the table and gently tapped the whiskey glass in his hand.

"Ding……"

A clear and melodious ringing sound instantly pierced through the noisy jazz music and cacophony of voices, echoing throughout the hall.

The once noisy hall fell silent instantly, as if a pause button had been pressed. All eyes, from the drunken pilot to the intrigued nurse, were fixed on Doolittle.

Doolittle put down his glass, glanced around at his unruly group of men, and smiled. "Ladies and gentlemen... please quiet down..."

He cleared his throat and said in heavily accented Texas English, "Everyone, I know you've all worked hard this past month."

You've put in a lot of effort to keep those Japanese flies in the skies over Shanxi firmly under your control.

He paused, his tone becoming more sincere: "Repetitive patrols, deadly air combat, and training rookie trainees who struggle even to take off—I know all of this is exhausting for you, both physically and mentally."

But there's nothing we can do; that's what we do. We're here to risk our lives, not for a vacation.

A burst of good-natured laughter rang out in the hall.

Doolittle raised his glass, his smile widening: "But it's alright! Ladies and gentlemen! The hard times will soon be over!"
because……"

He deliberately dragged out the words, "Our boss, the most generous boss ever, is coming back tomorrow! He's coming back with a glorious victory!"

The words just fell!

"Oh……"

"Xu..."

The entire hall erupted in deafening cheers and shrill whistles!
One-Eyed Jack slammed his fist on the table in excitement, making the glasses clink.

Tom jumped up, hugged Anna, and kissed her hard on her flushed cheek, which earned him a playful punch from Anna.

Upon hearing the news that their "boss" was coming back, these Americans became excited, their eyes gleaming with greedy and burning light.

They knew better than anyone that, given Su Yaoyang's generosity, once he returned victorious, the bonuses would surely be showered down like snowflakes!

They traveled thousands of miles to this unfamiliar country, risking their lives to fight the Japanese, all for this? For that damned, sweet commission!

Looking at the mercenaries below the stage, their eyes gleaming with dollar signs and as excited as a herd of bulls in heat, and the nurses whose cheeks were flushed from the atmosphere, Doolittle's smile deepened, but his eyes also held a sharp edge befitting a superior officer.

He raised his hand again and pressed it down, signaling everyone to be quiet.

"but……"

He deliberately dragged out his words, letting the atmosphere, which had just become heated again, cool down a little.

"Don't get too excited, all of you! Our boss is certainly generous," he said, glancing around at each excited face, "but he's also an extremely demanding person!"

"If we can't even do our jobs properly, forget about bonuses..." Doolittle grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, his tone full of schadenfreude and mockery, "If he doesn't kick your lazybones' asses until they're raw, he'll be doing you a great favor!"

"Hahahahahaha..."

The expected dissatisfaction and complaints did not appear. Instead, there was even more enthusiastic and heartfelt laughter than before.

This time, the laughter lacked the previous fervor and greed, and instead contained a tacit understanding.

One-Eyed Jack laughed so hard he almost fell over, spilling the whiskey in his glass.

Tom, who had just kissed Anna, was laughing and rubbing his buttocks exaggeratedly, as if he had been kicked.

They certainly knew that Doolittle was telling the truth.

Their boss is as generous as God when it comes to paying money, but he's more picky than the devil when it comes to inspecting work.

No amount of negligence or laziness escaped his sharp eyes. It was this combination of kindness and severity that made these unruly war hyenas both love and fear him.

"Alright, stop laughing!"

Doolittle put on a stern face, but he couldn't hide the smile in his eyes.

He put down his wine glass, put his hands on his hips, and looked just like a worried foreman.

"Once the boss gets back, he'll definitely be inspecting the airport and checking on the troops right away! So, you guys, make sure your combat readiness is up to standard! The P-47s must be fully fueled and armed, ready to take off at any moment! And for the ground crew, every maintenance record must be crystal clear!"

His fingers moved in and out of the air, as if he were calling out each person's name.

"And there's the flight school stuff! Get all the training progress and exam results for those rookie trainees sorted out! Don't let the boss see a bunch of incompetent reports! I don't want to have to clean up your messes later..."

Doolittle went on and on, talking about everything from the cleanliness of the hangar to the personal appearance of the pilots, down to the smallest detail.

The meaning is actually the same: do everything perfectly so that the boss won't be upset when he comes back, otherwise no one will have a good outcome.

(End of this chapter)