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

Chapter 332 The Brigade Commander Denies His Responsibility

Looking at Fujita Ichiji's expression, the brigade commander knew perfectly well what this fool was thinking.

The brigade commander smiled to himself: That's exactly what I was planning, I was just afraid you wouldn't run away.

Of course, on the surface, the brigade commander still had to intimidate him a bit, solemnly saying, "Fujita Ichiji, let me tell you, you better do this task at the natural gas plant well. Don't forget, there are my men all outside the natural gas plant, you can't escape."

"I won't run, I won't run, whoever runs is a coward!" Fujita Ichiji, his thoughts exposed by the brigade commander, quickly swore an oath.

"Hmm." The brigade commander nodded and continued, "When you make contact with Hojo Keiji, what will you do..."

Upon hearing the brigade commander's plan, Fujita Ichiji's eyes widened instantly: "This, this, if we do this, won't I have no way out?"

Fujita Ichiji couldn't tell that the Eighth Route Army officer in front of him was wearing glasses and didn't seem like a good person.

But I never expected his scheme to be so vicious.

If I did this for him, and Yoshio Shinotsuka found out, I would definitely have to commit seppuku immediately.

"Don't worry, I promise I won't tell anyone," the brigade commander reassured him.

"Do you think I would believe you?" Fujita Ichiji questioned.

"What do you think?" The brigade commander casually touched the pistol at his waist.

"I believe you, I believe you, I didn't say I didn't believe you." Fujita Ichiji nodded his head vigorously, like a chick pecking at rice.

Fujita Ichiji became increasingly convinced that joining the Eighth Route Army was the worst decision he had ever made in his life.

They threaten their own lives at the drop of a hat; their so-called humane treatment of prisoners is all a lie.

"Brigade Commander, Li Yunlong is here." At this moment, someone came over to tell the brigade commander.

"Get this bastard over here right now," the brigade commander said through gritted teeth as he heard that Li Yunlong had come looking for him.

That bastard took over the Taiyuan Arsenal, and I didn't even get to be happy for two seconds.

Immediately afterwards, he received a call from the head of headquarters, who gave him a thorough dressing-down.

After being scolded for a long time, he finally found out that Li Yunlong had actually instigated his elite troops to fight the Japanese.

Even if their elite troops have ulterior motives, and you do something so underhanded, I'll definitely give you a good compliment.

"Yes." The person left.

"Take Fujita Ichiji and make the arrangements according to my instructions," the brigade commander instructed a staff officer.

"Yes, brigade commander." The staff officer led Fujita Ichiji away.

As soon as Fujita Ichiji left, before Li Yunlong even came in, his voice arrived first: "Brigade Commander, Brigade Commander, look what I brought you."

The next moment, Li Yunlong appeared in front of the brigade commander, presented the general's sword with both hands, and said with a grin: "Brigade commander, look, this is the Japanese general's sword, a good thing."

The brigade commander didn't answer, his face stern: "Li Yunlong, don't try to shut me up with this. You're getting bolder and bolder, daring to provoke the elite troops. Tell me, how are we going to handle this mess?"

"Brigade Commander, what would you do if you were in that situation?" Li Yunlong asked in return.

"I'm asking you a question, and you're asking me this instead." The brigade commander kicked Li Yunlong. Of course, the brigade commander wouldn't say, "I'll do something even more outrageous than you, Li Yunlong."

I'll deliberately block their retreat route, blow up the bridge, and leave those bastards with nowhere to escape. I'll force them to continue fighting the Japanese, let the Japanese beat them until they cry, and see if those grandsons dare to stab me in the back again.

Li Yunlong pretended to retract his officer's sword, saying, "It seems I'm going to get scolded and punished anyway, so I'll keep the officer's sword for myself..."

"Give it to me." Before Li Yunlong could finish his act, the brigade commander grabbed it and looked at it with a smug look.

Previously, Li Yunlong had taken over the observation group. Hattori Naotomi's officer's sword, which he hadn't even had a chance to use before his division commander took it away.

Now, with the general's sword in hand, the division commander won't be so shameless anymore.

"Hehe, Brigade Commander, that's right." Seeing the Brigade Commander admiring the officer's saber, Li Yunlong grinned and moved closer to him: "This time, I caused trouble outside, not to mention tying down the Japanese troops' mopping-up operations, we also captured equipment from the Taiyuan Arsenal. You've certainly made a good impression on me, haven't you? Brigade Commander, how do you plan to reward our Independent Regiment?"

"What kind of reward do you want?" The brigade commander glanced at Li Yunlong sideways.

"I'm afraid if I tell you, Brigade Commander, you'll get angry."

"There's nothing in this world that you, Li Yunlong, wouldn't dare to do. If you dare to do it, what wouldn't you dare to say?" The brigade commander looked at Li Yunlong with an attitude that said, "Stop pretending, you son of a bitch."

"Hehe, actually, we don't really want anything." Li Yunlong chuckled again and said, "When Brother Li finishes making the radar, if I can get it from him, Brigade Commander, you can't just keep thinking about it."

"Radar? What radar?" The brigade commander had been busy outside and hadn't been to the border region's arsenal, so he didn't know about the radar.

Few people knew about the radar; the workers at the arsenal didn't discuss it, so Kong Jie couldn't provide the brigade commander with any inside information.

"What's wrong? Didn't Kong Erlengzi tell you, Brigade Commander?" Li Yunlong was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but curse, "Is that Erlengzi too engrossed in mining coal every day?"

"Tell me, what exactly is this radar?" The brigade commander was still a little annoyed.

Just from the name, this radar doesn't look like an ordinary thing.

Kong Jie managed to miss such important news again!

"Brother Li said that once this thing is made, it can provide early warning of Japanese planes," Li Yunlong said hurriedly. "When the time comes, as soon as the Japanese planes take off from the airport, the radar will be able to detect them, and it will also be able to tell how fast the planes are flying and where they are coming from."

Upon hearing this, the brigade commander's expression instantly became extremely serious: "Li Yunlong, are you sure that's the purpose of the radar?"

The brigade commander was naturally deeply shocked.

Unexpectedly, Li Muzhi of the border region's arsenal was able to create such a treasure.

The Japanese planes were truly hateful. Whether it was the logistics or the combat troops, or even the Jin-Sui Army and its elite forces, they were all severely bullied by the Japanese planes because they lacked anti-aircraft weapons.

The fact that radar could provide early warning of enemy aircraft was of immense significance.

It's definitely a lie for the brigade commander to say he's not envious.

That brat Li Yunlong wants to take it all for himself, I definitely can't agree to that.

"Brigade Commander, would I joke about this? It's definitely true," Li Yunlong said solemnly. "Besides, Brother Li's ability to build the radar is largely thanks to me. You know, I've helped him so much, so it's not unreasonable for him to give me a radar in return, is it?"

"What kind of help did you give Factory Director Li?" the brigade commander asked suspiciously. "What did you transport to him?"

The brigade commander knew about it. As soon as Li Yunlong, Ding Wei, and Gao Liujin returned with their troops, Gao Liujin immediately went back to rest.

Ding Wei also led his team back to the New First Regiment's base quickly.

Only Li Yunlong took some things with him and went to the border region's arsenal first.

That's why I asked someone to stop him from coming over.

“Brother Li told me that this is a radio wave direction finding device,” Li Yunlong replied.

Radio wave direction finding equipment?

Upon hearing this, the brigade commander paused immediately: "This radio direction finding equipment is also a very important treasure for us." With this equipment, we can find and locate the Japanese radio station on the battlefield, and thus find their command post.

Striking the enemy's command center is always the most effective way to attack on the battlefield.

In the Battle of Cangyunling, Li Yunlong was able to defeat the Sakata Regiment head-on mainly because he destroyed the Sakata Regiment's command post with artillery shells.

Unexpectedly, Li Yunlong's luck is truly incredible; he even managed to capture the telegraph direction finding equipment.

"Of course it's a treasure, Brigade Commander. Don't worry, once I've rested up, I'll definitely scramble some radio wave direction finding equipment for you," Li Yunlong said quickly.

"Compared to this radio wave direction finding equipment, the latter is more important for early warning of Japanese aircraft." The brigade commander pondered for a moment and said, "If we can seize another radio wave direction finding device, we should send it to Director Li first."

These radio direction finding devices are even rarer and harder to seize than radio stations.

Although the brigade commander was envious, he also understood that the significance of providing early warning of Japanese aircraft was even greater.

When the anti-aircraft weapon is completed, its combat effectiveness will definitely increase greatly if it is equipped with radar.

"I can steal more radio wave direction finding equipment," Li Yunlong boasted.

"Look at how capable you are," the brigade commander scolded. "Do you really think this radio direction finding equipment is a grenade launcher from the Japanese army, something you can just steal at will?"

"Haha." Li Yunlong chuckled smugly, "Who knows, maybe one day my luck will be on my side and I'll snatch a dozen of them at once."

“Okay, I’ll wait.” The brigade commander stated directly, “When did you manage to seize so much radio direction finding equipment? No problem. If Director Li gives you the radar, I won’t be interested.”

"Brigade Commander, you said it yourself, you can't go back on your word later," Li Yunlong said happily.

"When did I ever deny it?" the brigade commander glared at him.

"You've denied it countless times," Li Yunlong thought to himself, though of course he wouldn't dare say it out loud. He nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, brigade commander, your word is law, you've never denied it."

"So, before you manage to seize so many radio direction finding devices, if you get your hands on the radar, you'd better put it in my brigade headquarters, understand?" The brigade commander then changed the subject.

"Haha, brigade commander, I'm so tired. Is there nothing else going on here? If not, I'll go back and rest." Li Yunlong laughed it off without replying.

"Get lost." The brigade commander waved his hand, and Li immediately slipped away.

After carefully examining the officer's sword left behind by Li Yunlong, the brigade commander showed no intention of pursuing the matter against Kong Jie.

It was Li Yunlong who brought over the radio wave direction finding equipment, which enabled Li Muzhi to develop radar.

This means that probably very few people know about this, not even the workers at the arsenal, so it's understandable that Kong Jie wouldn't know either.

Next, we still need to hurry up and prepare.

If Fujita Ichiji's operation succeeds, he should take advantage of the absence of the Japanese sweeping army and quickly transport the equipment from the natural gas plant back.

……

natural gas plant

"Director Hojo, I just received a telegram from the brigade commander. Please take a look." The Japanese battalion commander left behind by Kawashima handed a telegram to Hojo Keiji.

Hojo Keiji ignored the telegram and asked directly, "Just tell me what your brigade commander said inside."

"Our brigade commander ordered me to lead my troops to reinforce him," the Japanese battalion commander replied.

“Since it’s your brigade commander who’s in trouble, then you should take your troops over there.” Hojo Keiji didn’t try to stop him.

When Kawashima led his team away, he took a lot of supplies with him.

The natural gas plant is now surrounded by the Eighth Route Army guerrillas, preventing the delivery of supplies from outside.

The factory's supplies are running low.

If this brigade leaves, then the remaining supplies can last for a while longer.

"The Eighth Route Army guerrillas are surrounding this place now, they must have their eyes on it. If I take my troops there, what will happen to you?" The Japanese captain was still worried.

“The Eighth Route Army has surrounded the area for so many days without launching an attack. It’s obvious they know this place is unsuitable for firing guns. As long as they don’t dare to launch a direct assault, it doesn’t matter whether you stay here or not,” Hojo Keiji said. “The manpower I have here is sufficient. However, when you leave with your troops, the Eighth Route Army guerrillas will certainly not let you leave easily.”

"You don't need to worry about that. I've figured out this guerrilla force. Apart from causing some sabotage, they're just a bunch of rabble. They can't stop me," the Japanese battalion commander said confidently.

If this is the main force of the Eighth Route Army, equipped with something like the Hellfire Cannon, then we really can't be too complacent.

But they only had some simple light weapons and no artillery, so they were completely insignificant.

"You still need to be careful," Hojo Keiji instructed. "What if the Eighth Route Army is hiding its strength and deliberately not showing its heavy weapons? If you sense something is wrong, retreat immediately, understand?"

"Thank you for the reminder, Director Hojo. I'll be going now." The Japanese battalion commander nodded.

Soon, the Japanese battalion commander led his troops out of the natural gas plant.

The guerrillas on the perimeter were eager for the number of Japanese soldiers guarding the natural gas plant to decrease, so that they could drive the Japanese back into the natural gas plant, which would increase the plant's defenses.

Therefore, the guerrillas only fired a few symbolic shots before letting the Japanese battalion leave.

"Factory manager, something's strange," a Japanese officer said to Hojo Keiji. "When this large unit left, the Eighth Route Army guerrillas didn't attack much. Could it be that they really didn't have any heavy weapons?"

“The Eighth Route Army isn’t stupid. If they drive the main force back, wouldn’t that increase our defensive strength here?” Hojo Keiji pointed out. “Actually, if the Eighth Route Army forces them back, it will be more difficult for me to handle things here, because our supplies are running out and we can’t support too many people.”

"Yes, fortunately the Eighth Route Army is unaware of our internal situation." The Japanese officer nodded.

Snapped!
Snapped!
Snapped!
Just then, gunshots rang out again.

Not long after, a Japanese soldier came to report to Hojo Keiji: "Factory manager, there's bad news."

"What bad news?" Hojo Keiji's heart tightened immediately upon hearing the word "bad news."

The natural gas plant is too important; he has already sworn to Yoshio Shinotsuka with his life that there would be absolutely no mistakes.

"Fujita Ichiji was being hunted down by the Eighth Route Army. He fled to our place, claiming he has important clues about the Eighth Route Army and insists on seeing you. What do you think?" The visitor looked at Hojo Keiji.

When Hojo Keiji heard that there was no problem with the natural gas plant, he immediately felt relieved.

However, the fact that that idiot Fujita Ichiji has returned is indeed bad news.

"Let him come over." Hojo Keiji thought for a moment and then agreed.

Let's first hear what important clues about the Eighth Route Army that Fujita Ichiji brought back.

After all, the Eighth Route Army's rabble had been surrounding the natural gas plant for so many days without making a move, and Hojo Keiji was also very curious about what the Eighth Route Army was up to.

Fujita Ichiji was being hunted down, most likely because he had stumbled upon a secret of the Eighth Route Army.

"Yes."

(End of this chapter)