Bright Sword: From Border Region Manufacturing to Major National Heavy Industry

Chapter 175 The Brigade Commander's Wisdom
When asked by the brigade commander, Ding Wei answered truthfully: "Director Li gave each of me, Li Yunlong, and Kong Jie a Hell Cannon and thirty rocket launchers."

"Hmm, not bad," the brigade commander said with a smile. "That makes a total of three Hellfire cannons and ninety rocket launchers. By the way, are these rocket launchers any good?"

"It's very useful, especially for striking tactical targets." Ding Wei gave it high praise, then changed the subject and said, "Li Yunlong and I discussed it and decided to hand over the Hell Cannons that we obtained as an extra to the brigade headquarters."

Hand over the extra Hellfire Cannons you acquired to the brigade headquarters?

The brigade commander was naturally very pleased to hear this.

Look at Ding Wei, he has a good sense of awareness and knows to take the initiative to hand over his money.

Unlike that scoundrel Li Yunlong, who always tries to keep everything for himself.

However, Ding Wei's words also included Li Yunlong. Was that scoundrel Li Yunlong willing to hand over to the brigade headquarters?
The brigade commander didn't believe that Li Yunlong, that bastard, was willing. He turned to look at Li Yunlong and said, "Li Yunlong, you're not pretending with me, are you?"

"Brigade Commander, how could I dare to play dumb in front of you?" Li Yunlong quickly said with a smile. "Your brigade commander is empty-handed, without any Hell Cannons. It wouldn't be appropriate for a whole regiment to carry two Hell Cannons."

"This isn't like you, Li Yunlong," the brigade commander said, still unconvinced.

Ding Wei said to the brigade commander, "Brigade commander, you definitely won't confiscate Kong Jie's Hellfire Cannon. That means your three main regiments all have Hellfire Cannons, but your main force regiments don't. I've been persuading Li Yunlong for a long time to consider the bigger picture. The 772nd and 771st Regiments also have Hellfire Cannons now. When everyone's artillery is more balanced, the unit can develop better. After all, fighting the Japanese isn't about individuals, it's about everyone working together."

After hearing Ding Wei's explanation, the brigade commander naturally had no doubts.

The brigade commander believed that Ding Wei had a broad perspective.

But can that scoundrel Li Yunlong really listen to Ding Wei's advice?
Does Li Yunlong understand the importance of uniting everyone?

He's always been indulging in personal heroism.

In many battles, instead of staying in the command position, he would lead the assault team to charge.

With goods like this, how could he possibly have a concept of unity?
If he really did that, he wouldn't have given the 772nd Regiment Commander a derogatory nickname, "Blind Cheng."

Then the brigade commander turned to look at Li Yunlong and asked, "Li Yunlong, are you sure you're not pretending?"

"Brigade Commander, no matter what, the 772nd and 771st Regiments are the face of our brigade, we can't be too shabby," Li Yunlong said with a smile.

"This is quite rare. You, Li Yunlong, have never gotten along with those two regiments. It's surprising that you've suddenly become enlightened today." The brigade commander smiled and stretched out his hand. "Then bring me this Hell Cannon."

"The Hell Cannon hasn't been produced at the arsenal yet. Brother Li said that once it's produced, he'll send it over to us," Li Yunlong explained.

"That's fine then." The brigade commander nodded, satisfied. "Considering your good intentions in handing over the Hell Cannon, I'll let it go this time. If you do it behind my back again next time, I'll settle all the old scores together."

Then, the brigade commander smiled and said to Ding Wei, "Ding Wei, you've made such a great contribution this time, how should I reward you?"

In the brigade commander's view, Ding Wei's ability to persuade Li Yunlong to voluntarily hand over the Hell Cannon was a very good omen.

Li Yunlong has quite a few bad habits. If Ding Wei can gradually help Li Yunlong to change them, then Ding Wei himself can... live a few more years.

Little did the brigade commander know that this was exactly what Ding Wei wanted.

The most effective way to negotiate with someone is not to propose the conditions yourself, but to entice them to bring them up first.

“Brigade Commander, although Li Yunlong’s and my troops have been reinforced with our own veteran soldiers, we still have too few of our own veterans. Do you think we could get some more?” Ding Wei said seizing the opportunity.

After listening to this, the brigade commander also looked at Li Yunlong and Ding Wei's troops and found that there were indeed fewer Eighth Route Army veterans in them.

The brigade commander pondered for a moment, then said, "No problem, I'll transfer some veterans from the 772nd and 771st Regiments to you."

Upon hearing this, Li Yunlong was overjoyed: "Brigadier, really?"

Old Ding is really good at talking; he got the brigade commander to say it himself, not us.

If the 772nd and 771st Regiments come after us for an explanation, we can also pin the blame on the brigade commander.

Seeing Li Yunlong's joy, the brigade commander solemnly said, "The 772nd and 771st Regiments have always wanted the Hell Cannon, haven't they? Since they want the Hell Cannon, they should show some appreciation. Let them send some veterans. If they're unwilling, then they can forget about getting the Hell Cannon."

"Thank you so much, Brigade Commander! Thank you so much for supporting the work of my Independent Regiment!" Li Yunlong was overjoyed.

The two hell cannons were doomed to fail, and Ding Wei's actions, replacing them with veterans, were a losing proposition.

The brigade commander's expression was serious: "Li Yunlong, stop with the joking around. You should know the value of these veterans better than I do. I've given them to you, so don't squander them."

"Don't worry, Brigade Commander, they're here. They're my brothers, my own flesh and blood. I'll definitely take good care of them." Li Yunlong nodded emphatically.

"Alright, let's not dwell on this anymore." The brigade commander picked up on the topic, pointed at the military horses that Li Yunlong and Ding Wei had brought back, and said with a grin, "You guys have brought back so many military horses. I was just thinking about whether to form a cavalry regiment. Haha, here they come."

Ding Wei stepped forward: "Brigade Commander, Li Yunlong and I have also discussed this, and we will hand over these military horses as well."

Did the military horses also voluntarily surrender?
Upon hearing this, the brigade commander paused, looking at Ding Wei: "Ding Wei, are you sure?"

These warhorses aren't hell cannons, because you already have hell cannons in your hands.

These thousands of warhorses are no small number.

Even Ding Wei probably wouldn't be entirely willing.

Ding Wei explained, "Li Yunlong and I have discussed it, and we actually wanted to keep these horses to form our own cavalry battalion. But we can't afford to support so many horses with the resources of our two regiments. So, we'll hand these horses over to the brigade headquarters."

Military horses are not the ordinary horses that people keep at home. They eat the best grass, which is mixed with beans and other nutrients.

Otherwise, if the warhorses are not well-fed, they will lack the strength to run, which will affect the battlefield at crucial moments.

Previously, Li Yunlong had set up a cavalry battalion in Wanjia Town, but it was robbed by the brigade commander, who only left Li Yunlong with a company's worth of horses and equipment.

On the surface, the brigade commander was robbing people, but in reality, the independent regiment simply couldn't afford to support the cavalry battalion.

They could barely support a cavalry company, which is why the brigade commander left one for Li Yunlong.

The brigade commander's situation wasn't good either. The military horses he got from Li Yunlong were too expensive for the brigade headquarters to maintain, so half of them were sent to the division headquarters. In short, the cost of maintaining military horses was high.

Most military units simply can't afford to support them.

Upon hearing Ding Wei's words, the brigade commander immediately slapped his forehead and exclaimed, "Oh dear, I've been tricked by Lao Zhang!"

Previously, Li Yunlong went to Ping'an County and robbed the Kuroshima Morita Cavalry Regiment of hay.

The fodder was given to the brigade commander on the first day, but was taken away by logistics officer Lao Zhang on the second day.

Now that Li Yunlong and Ding Wei have brought back so many military horses, and Old Zhang has taken the fodder, what will we use to feed them if we want to take them back?

Seeing the brigade commander's attitude, Ding Wei pretended to say, "Brigade commander, since you can't afford to support him either, why not just send him to the division headquarters? And it seems the division headquarters can't afford to support him either, so let's send him to the logistics department..."

"That won't do!" The brigade commander immediately glared and said, "Old Zhang has already swindled the fodder, are you going to swindle my thousands of horses too? Besides, these are military horses, not the low-grade horses used for logistics. Giving them to Old Zhang would be a waste."

Li Yunlong pretended to cooperate with Ding Wei, saying, "Brigade Commander, to be honest, I really don't want to hand over these horses either. It's just that my abilities are limited, and I can't afford to support them."

"Li Yunlong, you son of a bitch, where did all your former confidence go!" the brigade commander immediately cursed. "You were always so arrogant, weren't you? You tell me, you can't afford to support a mere thousand or so military horses!!!"

“Brigade Commander, these military horses are precious, and the food they eat is also precious. My Independent Regiment has meager resources…” Li Yunlong didn’t finish his sentence.

The brigade commander abruptly interrupted, "Li Yunlong, Ding Wei, listen to my orders!"

Li Yunlong and Ding Wei immediately straightened their posture and became serious.

"I don't care what methods you two use to give me this military horse. You two should set up the cavalry battalion as soon as possible." The brigade commander's tone was extremely serious. "If you can't keep these military horses alive and the cavalry battalion can't be established, don't blame me for dealing with you two seriously."

Upon hearing the brigade commander's order, Li Yunlong's admiration for Ding Wei immediately soared.

Damn it, Old Ding, that cunning strategist, really knows how to do things.

These two hundred warhorses I gave you were well worth it!
Of course, Li Yunlong still has to put on an act.

Li Yunlong feigned a bitter expression: "Brigade Commander, you can't even support so many military horses yourself, and you expect me and Lao Ding to support them? You're just..."

The brigade commander kicked Li Yunlong and cursed, "I asked you for horses and equipment before, and you were crying and wailing. Now that I'm giving you the horses and equipment, what are you pretending for! I know you too well; you pretend to be miserable on the surface, but you're laughing inside. Get your men and horses back and rest. The railway at Zhangjia Village will be repaired and open by noon tomorrow, and we'll have to get back to work. Take some time to rest and get out of here."

"Yes, Brigade Commander." Li Yunlong dropped the pretense and led his men and horses away from the brigade headquarters with great enthusiasm.

Fearing the brigade commander might change his mind, Li ran incredibly fast, disappearing in a flash.

"Brigade Commander, I'm leaving now too." Ding Wei also took his leave.

"Ding Wei, get some rest. You figure out how to feed these horses with Li Yunlong." The brigade commander patted Ding Wei on the shoulder. "I believe you can manage to feed them."

"Rest assured, Brigade Commander, I guarantee the mission will be completed." Ding Wei saluted and followed in Li Yunlong's footsteps.

Watching Ding Wei and Li Yunlong leave, someone approached the brigade commander and asked, "Brigade commander, can those two really support so many military horses?"

This isn't just one or two hundred horses from Li Yunlong's cavalry company; this is over a thousand military horses.

The brigade headquarters can't even afford to support them.

"If they couldn't keep the horses alive, why were they so happy to take them away, and why were they running so fast! Do you think I don't know that these two are actually acting?" the brigade commander said wisely.

They clearly wanted to keep the military horses, but they insisted they couldn't afford to raise them—that's just faking it!

It puts pressure on the brigade headquarters, because the brigade headquarters can't afford to support itself either.

If the brigade headquarters can't afford to support them, then they have to be sent to the division headquarters or logistics department.

With so many military horses, how could the brigade commander bear to part with them?

These two guys are trying to manipulate me.

Even the brigade commander has now realized what's happening.

These two guys probably knew all along that the Hell Cannon couldn't be saved, which is why they planned to have the 772nd and 771st Regiments exchange veterans for it.

These two guys, one cunning and shrewd, the other treacherous and cunning, are truly a perfect match... cough cough, a match made in heaven!

"If Li Yunlong and Ding Wei can afford to raise military horses, what will happen if the division headquarters asks for help?" someone nearby said.

"The military horses are in Li Yunlong and Ding Wei's hands, so aren't they also part of the division headquarters?" The brigade commander said calmly. "With Li Yunlong and Ding Wei helping to raise the military horses, why would the division commander be stupid enough to come and raise them himself? How would he raise them?"

"That's true, that's true."

……

"Old Li, slow down, slow down!" Ding Wei caught up with Li Yunlong and said, "Don't worry, the brigade commander isn't chasing us."

Li Yunlong stopped and glanced behind him twice. After confirming that he didn't see the brigade commander, he laughed and said, "Haha, Lao Ding, you're really something! You actually got the brigade commander on your side. Our cavalry battalion has a chance now."

"Old Li, we've kept the military horses, but how to feed them is a big problem," Ding Wei said.

"Old Ding, how come you're so smart all your life but so foolish this time?" Li Yunlong was very arrogant. "Why should we have to find a way to feed these military horses ourselves?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm asking you, where did we get these military horses?" Li Yunlong asked.

"It's from Kuroshima Morita..." Ding Wei didn't finish his sentence before slapping his forehead and laughing, "Right, right, right! Old Li, you're the one with the most clever ideas. We snatched the military horses from Kuroshima Morita, and we can continue to snatch the horse feed from him. After we finish our work tomorrow, we'll go to Kuroshima Morita's camp and steal the feed."

"Hahaha, that's right."

(End of this chapter)