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

Chapter 49 Not a chance

"Get up, everyone, hurry up and get up."

As dawn broke, Kong Jie urged the soldiers to get up. "Hurry up and eat breakfast. Today's coal mining output must be more than yesterday's. Our goal is to mine more coal every day than the day before!"

The soldiers of the New Second Regiment didn't dawdle; they quickly got up and dressed.

After a quick rinse of my mouth, I started eating breakfast.

Breakfast was plentiful, including cornbread made from whole grains, steamed buns made from white flour, white rice, and pickled vegetables...

The soldiers of the New Second Regiment wolfed down their food, desperately trying to replenish their energy.

Upon seeing Li Yunlong and Ding Wei arrive, Kong Jie was momentarily stunned: "Old Li, Old Ding, what brings you here too?"

Immediately afterward, Kong Jie couldn't help but ask, "You two aren't also coming here to mine coal for the arsenal, are you?"

The sky was just beginning to lighten, and if these two hadn't been notified in advance, how could they have come here for breakfast?

and!

Not everyone can eat breakfast here.

Kong Jie overheard Logistics Minister Lao Zhang complaining to Li Muzhi that the New Second Regiment was a bunch of livestock, eating too much and too well, and the logistics department couldn't afford to support them.

Fortunately, Li Muzhi managed to subdue Lao Zhang, saying that military production was of paramount importance.

How can you do your job well if you don't eat your fill and eat well?

Old Zhang could only suppress his complaints.

This strengthened Kong Jie's resolve: no matter what, he had to dig this coal well.

No matter what, we can't easily give up this job of coal mining.

Li Yunlong and Ding Wei bringing their troops here for breakfast would definitely not be allowed without Lao Zhang's permission.

Before Ding Wei could speak, Li Yunlong said from the side, "Hey Kong Erlengzi, which eye of yours saw me and Lao Ding as coal miners! Only you, Kong Erlengzi, would actually consider coal mining your main job!"

Ding Wei explained from the side, "Old Kong, Li Yunlong and I delivered a batch of supplies to the arsenal, and Li Muzhi invited us to stay for dinner."

"What supplies did you send?" Kong Jie was still very curious.

Li Yunlong and Ding Wei's troops are quite large, and feeding over a thousand people for breakfast is no small feat.

If the supplies weren't valuable, Old Zhang would have exploded.

"It's nothing valuable, just a little over ten thousand liters of oil." Li Yunlong said casually, showing off in front of Kong Jie. "Li Muzhi said he'd give me twenty shells. Old Kong, those twenty shells are enough for me to mine coal for two months."

"More than 10,000 liters of oil! My God, you've struck it rich!" Kong Jie exclaimed in shock.

"No big deal," Li Yunlong said casually, looking at Kong Jie. "Old Kong, soon Old Ding will also have his own Hell Cannon. We're the three brothers, the only one without a Hell Cannon is you. How about it, do you want to consider quitting your coal mining job here, and Old Ding and I will take you..."

Before Li Yunlong could finish speaking, Kong Jie interrupted him firmly: "Li Yunlong, don't try to poison my mind! The Hell Cannon isn't so easy to get. I'm doing just fine mining coal, I'm not going anywhere! You want to take my place? Let me tell you, no way!"

In Kong Jie's opinion, Li Yunlong was probably just bragging.

Do you really think the Hell Cannon is so easy to get?

Li Yunlong is just jealous of my coal mining job and wants to take it over. I, Kong Jie, am not stupid.

No matter how much you talk, I won't move my position.

"Haha." Ding Wei laughed and said to Li Yunlong, "Old Li, look how firm Old Kong's mind is. You should save your breath." Originally, Ding Wei had planned to secretly remind Kong Jie that he shouldn't quit the coal mining job so easily.

Now it seems that although Old Kong was a bit slow-witted, he wasn't stupid.

"Old Kong, do you really not want the Hell Cannon anymore?" Li Yunlong asked.

"Of course I want it." Kong Jie couldn't say something against his conscience. Although he hadn't witnessed its power firsthand, who wouldn't be envious of a cannon that could take down more than a hundred Japanese soldiers?

But Kong Jie is a man who knows his own limitations.

According to Li Muzhi, there were only eleven of these Hell Cannons produced in total.

There are too many monks and too little porridge.

Kong Jie should just stick to mining coal.

"If you want the Hell Cannon, then you'll have to work with me and Lao Ding, and I'll protect you..." Li Yunlong didn't finish his sentence.

Kong Jie waved his hand: "Let's stop talking about this."

Kong Jiecai didn't believe Li Yunlong's nonsense.
This kid always tries to hoard any benefits he gets.

If he could really get another cannon, would he give it to himself? Forget it.

I went to Wanjia Town and ran errands to get equipment for a cavalry battalion, but in the end, I didn't get a single piece; this kid swindled me out of everything.

If even the cavalry battalion was treated so unfairly by that kid Li Yunlong, then the Hell Cannons are even more unforgivable.

Immediately afterward, Kong Jie also reminded Ding Wei: "Old Ding, you know what kind of person Li Yunlong is. Don't believe too much of what he says, or you'll suffer the consequences."

"Damn it, you good-natured fool, how could you take my kindness for granted..." Li Yunlong roared, "I gave you a chance, and you fucking talk about me like that."

"Alright, alright, Lao Li, if Lao Kong wants to mine coal, let him mine it," Ding Wei said, acting as a peacemaker.

"You stubborn fool, you narrow-minded guy, then just be a good coal miner and pretend I never said anything." Li Yunlong also gave up on that idea.

Although Li Yunlong's decision to bring Kong Jie along caused some trouble, it did not affect the relationship between the three brothers.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Ding Wei and Li Yunlong left Kong Jie a batch of equipment, instructing him, "Old Kong, we're going back now. Keep these guns and ammunition. Old Zhang is really stingy; he won't give you any weapons or ammunition. He's treating you like a coal miner. When you're mining coal, don't just bury your head in it. You still need to be careful about the safety of the arsenal, especially our Li Muzhi. Not a single hair on his head can be lost, otherwise, all these years of brotherhood will fall apart."

The newly formed Second Regiment of Kong Jie was in dire need of weapons and ammunition.

Seeing that the batch of weapons and ammunition included five light machine guns, two grenade launchers, and one mortar, Kong Jie understood that Li Yunlong and Ding Wei were giving so much not because of their long-standing friendship, but because of Li Muzhi.

If there's any enemy activity at the arsenal, Kong Jie, being his personal bodyguard, would certainly be ineffective if his weapon wasn't up to par.

Kong Jie accepted it without hesitation, his face beaming with joy: "Old Li and Old Ding, don't worry. As long as I, Kong Jie, am alive, I will never let anyone touch a hair on Li Muzhi's head."

"You idiot Kong Erlengzi, why do you always say such ominous things!" Li Yunlong cursed. "Old Ding and I gave you so many weapons and ammunition so that you could beat the enemy to a pulp, not so that you could get beaten down by others. If you fight like you did in Yangcun, you'll never be able to turn your life around."

"Don't worry, don't worry, it will never happen again." Kong Jie nodded emphatically.

"Brother Li, Lao Ding and I will head back now. Thank you for breakfast."

After saying goodbye to Kong Jie, Li Yunlong and Ding Wei also bid farewell to Li Muzhi.

"Commander Li, Commander Ding, take care. I won't see you off." Li Muzhi said to the two men.

"No need to see us off, don't bother. Your time is the most precious thing, we can't afford to waste it." Li Yunlong and Ding Wei waved their hands and led their team back.

(End of this chapter)