Bright Sword: The Flowers of War

Chapter 291 Dress Up
After traversing the bustling streets, the group finally arrived at the headquarters of the Shanxi militia.

This is a three-story cement building converted from the former county government building, heavily guarded by soldiers.

Upon entering the command post, a tense yet efficient atmosphere of war immediately hits you.

In the spacious and bright hall, a dozen officers who looked like staff officers were busy at their respective posts.

The telephones rang incessantly, the telegraph machines ticked crisply, and the staff officers were either issuing orders loudly over the phone, marking something rapidly on a huge map, or moving between desks with documents in hand. The entire command center was like a high-speed, precision machine, with everyone busy but orderly.

However, the moment Brigade Commander Chen and his entourage entered the hall, their attention was immediately drawn to a colossal object located in the very center.

It was a huge machine, much larger than a typical sand table.

The entire model is about six meters long and two meters wide, occupying almost one-third of the central area of ​​the hall.

It was placed on a waist-high wooden base, on which the topography of the entire SX province was meticulously reproduced.

Rolling mountains, winding rivers, scattered towns, transportation routes... everything is presented in miniature with astonishing precision. The direction of the mountains, the width of the rivers, and even the distribution of each forest area are all rendered with lifelike detail.

More importantly, the sand table was covered with countless small red and blue flags representing the troop deployments of both sides.

Judging from the style and markings of the flags, not only are there deployments at the regimental and brigade levels, but even the battalion and company levels of firing points and outposts are precisely marked.

The battlefield situation in Shanxi was clear at a glance, so clear it was appalling.

Almost instinctively, Brigade Commander Chen strode over, bent down, and stared intently at the sand table. From Taiyuan to Datong, and then to every corner of southern Shanxi, his eyes, which had seen countless maps, were now filled with awe.

After a long while, he slowly straightened up, as if detached from a miniature real world, and turned to Su Yaoyang and Bai Chongxi beside him, sincerely saying:
"What a wonderful thing! It's truly a wonderful thing! I, Chen, have served in the military for many years and commanded quite a few battles, large and small, but I have never seen such an exquisitely crafted and detailed sand table before."

"Having this will be of immense help to commanders in grasping the overall battlefield situation and formulating operational plans!"

The three regimental commanders, Li Yunlong, Kong Jie, and Ding Wei, who followed them into the command post, were also speechless with amazement at the enormous sand table.

"My goodness, this thing..."

Li Yunlong stepped forward, extending his rough fingers, wanting to touch it but not daring to. He could only circle the sand table, marveling at it. "This thing is so much better than our old, broken map hanging on the wall! It shows exactly where the mountains and gullies are. If we had this earlier, we wouldn't have had to go through so much trouble when we attacked the Yamazaki Brigade last time!"

Kong Jie and Ding Wei also gathered around, their faces full of admiration and envy.

Su Yaoyang explained, "Commander Chen, gentlemen, this sand table is no ordinary object."

It was our Chief of Staff Pi who, after arriving in Shanxi, personally led a surveying team for over a year, traversing the mountains and rivers of Shanxi to conduct on-site explorations of various terrains.

Then, with the help of thousands of aerial photographs taken by our Air Force reconnaissance aircraft, we compared and corrected them one by one before creating this 1:50000 military terrain sand table of the entire SX province.

At this point, Su Yaoyang joked, "You could say this thing is Chief of Staff Pi's painstaking creation. He treats this sand table better than his own wife; if anyone dares to damage it even a little bit, he'll fight them to the death!"

"Hahahahaha..."

Su Yaoyang's half-joking remark immediately drew laughter from everyone.

The initial awkwardness and tension caused by their first meeting were instantly dispelled by the laughter, creating a relaxed and harmonious atmosphere.

After a few lighthearted laughs, Su Yaoyang led everyone to a reception area on one side of the command post. There were several comfortable leather sofas and a large coffee table there.

Soon, several orderly soldiers came in carrying trays containing steaming hot tea, coffee (a rarity in China at that time), and several large plates of steamed buns and pastries.

After walking for two whole days on mountain roads, the generals of the 386th Brigade were already thirsty and exhausted.

Seeing this, they no longer stood on ceremony. Brigade Commander Chen and Zhao Gang, among others, picked up their teacups and savored their tea, while Li Yunlong unceremoniously grabbed a piece of cake and stuffed it into his mouth, muttering indistinctly as he ate, "Hey, this foreign stuff is pretty sweet!"

Seeing that everyone had eaten something and their spirits had recovered somewhat, Su Yaoyang cleared his throat, his smile fading and replaced with a serious expression. He went straight to the point and said to Brigade Commander Chen:

"Brigade Commander Chen, we're all soldiers, so let's get straight to the point."

He leaned forward slightly, his gaze sweeping over Brigade Commander Chen and Bai Chongxi.

"First of all, on behalf of the Shanxi militia and Commander Bai, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to your army for sending your troops to provide support at this critical moment."

He started with a polite remark, then immediately got to the point.

"Given that this is our first collaboration and the scale of the forces involved is quite large, I believe it is necessary to form a temporary joint command group to jointly command our participating troops in order to ensure unified and efficient command."

He held up three fingers.

"And I believe that this temporary command group should consist of myself, Commander Bai, and you, Brigade Commander Chen, the three of us."

At this point, he changed the subject, his tone becoming more serious.

"Of course, there are some things we must say upfront, in order to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings during wartime."

He looked directly at Brigade Commander Chen and said sincerely, "If you believe that our command or the combat orders we issue during the battle may cause unnecessary or significant losses to your unit, then you may refuse to carry them out."

"In other words, you can refuse orders that you deem unreasonable. In that case, we will respect your decision and dispatch other troops to carry out the mission."

But once an order is confirmed, it must be carried out. Commander Chen, what do you think of my suggestion?

Su Yaoyang's proposal was a great gesture of respect to the Eighth Route Army and demonstrated his sincerity.

Sharing command authority and granting each other veto power is extremely rare.

Upon hearing this, Brigade Commander Chen fell into a brief moment of contemplation. He tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest of the sofa, weighing the pros and cons.

Su Yaoyang's terms were indeed very generous, almost completely dispelling all his previous concerns about the allocation of command. After a moment, he raised his head, a decisive glint in his eyes, and nodded heavily. "Since Commander Su is so sincere, I, Chen, have no reason to refuse. I agree to this proposal!"

"Good! Commander Chen is a man of few words!" Su Yaoyang smiled with satisfaction.

However, in the harmonious atmosphere where the foundation for cooperation had just been laid, a voice suddenly broke in.

"Old Su... Commander Su, I have another question!"

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw Li Yunlong wiping the cake crumbs from his mouth, standing up with wide eyes staring straight at Su Yaoyang, asking in his signature loud voice:
"Then... how should the spoils of war be distributed?"

These words immediately created a somewhat awkward atmosphere in the command center.

Zhao Gang's face flushed red instantly, and he wished he could disappear into the ground. He lowered his voice and scolded, "Old Li... what nonsense are you talking about? Sit down right now!"

A hint of embarrassment flashed across Brigade Commander Chen's face, but he did not stop it immediately.

Su Yaoyang and Bai Chongxi were both stunned for a moment, and then a strange and amusing expression appeared on their faces.

Li Yunlong's startling question instantly froze the atmosphere that had just begun to warm up in the command post.

Zhao Gang's face turned bright red, almost red from the base of his neck to his hairline. He wished he could disappear on the spot.

Brigade Commander Chen's lips twitched; although he didn't say anything, his expression was quite awkward.

However, the expected unpleasantness did not occur. Su Yaoyang was taken aback at first, then looked at Li Yunlong, who was standing there with his neck stiff and a "that's all I care about" expression on his face, and couldn't help but burst out laughing.

His smile made Bai Chongxi, who was standing next to him, also chuckle, a playful smile curving his lips.

"Haha, Commander Li, that's a great question! A very insightful one!"

Su Yaoyang waved his hand, indicating that the embarrassed Zhao Gang didn't need to be nervous. He looked at Li Yunlong with great interest and said loudly, "Commander Li, don't worry, I can give you a definite answer right here."

"During this attack on Taiyuan, all the weapons, ammunition, and supplies captured in the battles will belong to your 386th Brigade—not a single bullet, not a single thread—from our Shanxi militia! That should put your minds at ease, right?"

"What?"

Li Yunlong's eyes widened instantly, he could hardly believe his ears, "All...all of them belong to us? Commander Su, you're not joking with me, are you?"

"My word is my bond!" Su Yaoyang confirmed with a smile.

"Great!"

Li Yunlong slapped his thigh, beaming with joy. His previous tension and antagonism vanished instantly. He plopped back down on the sofa, gave Su Yaoyang a thumbs-up, and exclaimed happily, "I'm all set, Commander Su! You're so generous... I, Old Li, am convinced!"

Looking at Li Yunlong, who was smug and seemed to have won a great victory, Zhao Gang covered his face with his hands in despair and silently moved to the side, wanting to get as far away from this shameful guy as possible.

Once the little incident with Li Yunlong was over, Su Yaoyang's smile remained unchanged. He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and continued, "Now that the problem of the spoils has been resolved, let's talk about logistics and equipment. This will also facilitate unified command and communication in the future."

He put down his teacup and dropped another bombshell.

"To facilitate communication, I will have someone provide each of your regiments with three radios and twenty American-made walkie-talkies shortly. My request is not high; I just want your communications to be deployed directly down to the company level."

Upon hearing this, Li Yunlong, who had just sat down, almost jumped up again.

Brigade Commander Chen and Ding Wei's expressions froze instantly. Communication down to the company level? What did that mean? This was a luxury they could never even dream of!
However, before they could recover from this huge surprise, Su Yaoyang's next words immediately caused their brains to freeze.

"In addition, I see that your unit's weapons are quite varied, including Hanyang rifles, Type 24 rifles, and many old-fashioned rifles. Ammunition supply must be a major problem. In that case, let's just get it right the first time."

Su Yaoyang's tone was as calm as if he were saying that the weather was nice today, "Starting tomorrow, we will uniformly change the uniforms of the 386th Brigade."

From rifles and machine guns to mortars, everything has been replaced with the standard-issue Japanese Type 38 rifles and Type 99 light machine guns that we captured. Ammunition is plentiful! What do you think?

"boom!"

This time, the entire reception area was completely silent.

All the Eighth Route Army generals, including Brigade Commander Chen, suddenly stood up, their faces filled with unbelievable joy and shock!
Li Yunlong's mouth gaped open wide enough to fit an egg. He pointed at Su Yaoyang, then at himself, and stammered, "Change...change uniforms? The whole brigade changes uniforms? And...and they're using Japanese weapons?"

Ammunition still plentiful? My goodness! Political Commissar, pinch me! Am I dreaming?!

Zhao Gang had completely forgotten his embarrassment. He stood there blankly, his lips moving, but he couldn't utter a single word.

Brigade Commander Chen took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart. He looked at Su Yaoyang, his voice trembling slightly: "Commander Su...you...what you said...is it all true?"

"Of course it's true. Although I, Su, dare not claim to be a man of integrity and a man of his word, I rarely break my promises."

"Good...good...I thank you on behalf of the more than 10,000 soldiers of the 386th Brigade." Brigade Commander Chen stood up, grasped Su Yaoyang's hand, and sincerely expressed his gratitude.

Su Yaoyang also said solemnly, "Commander Chen, you flatter me. We are all working together towards the same goal. As long as we can drive the Japanese invaders out of China, what is a little bit of supplies?"

"For our common goal!" Brigade Commander Chen nodded solemnly.

During wartime, soldiers are known for their concise and efficient style.

After agreeing on the command formation, Brigade Commander Chen and Political Commissar Wang left behind five or six staff officers and a few guards, and then sent Li Yunlong and the other six regimental commanders back to their respective units to complete the re-equipment of their troops within two days.

Li Yunlong, Ding Wei, and the others did not dare to delay and left the command post to return to their respective units outside the city. Su Yaoyang had just said that he would order the logistics department to send equipment and supplies to their units overnight, and all of these things required the commanders to be present to inspect and distribute them.

(End of this chapter)