Courtyard House: Home Alone

He paused, then counted on his fingers: "As for equipment, it's even more shabby! We'd be lucky to have six or seven hundred rifles, and the models are all over the place, including Type 38 rifles, Type 24 rifles, and old-fashioned rifles. Bullets are even more precious, averaging only five or six rounds per person."

We only have nine light machine guns in total. As for heavy machine guns? Heh heh, those things consume too much ammunition, we can't afford to maintain them. We only have one, which was captured and we treat it like a precious gem.

There are two mortars, but... not a single shell.

Zhao Gang added from the side, "Comrade Lin Yifan, our Independent Regiment is indeed relatively weak, and we urgently need to replenish our personnel and equipment. However, the soldiers' morale is very high, and their fighting spirit is extremely tenacious, which is our greatest asset."

He looked at Lin Yifan with a hint of expectation in his eyes, "Brother Lin, you also come from a big city and have seen a lot. I wonder if you have any ideas?"

"Hehe! I wouldn't call myself knowledgeable, but I do have some ideas. Besides, I've eaten your Independent Regiment's food, so I have to reciprocate." Lin Yifan said with a smile.

Li Yunlong's eyes lit up, and he leaned forward, saying urgently, "Oh? Brother Yifan has an idea? Tell me quickly! As long as we can get men and guns, you tell me what to do, and I, Old Li, will do it!"

Zhao Gang also put down his water glass and looked intently at Lin Yifan, clearly also full of anticipation for his "ideas".

Lin Yifan calmly took a sip of water before slowly speaking: "Commander, Political Commissar, as the commander just said, what we lack most right now is weapons and ammunition, especially heavy firepower, such as mortars. Having cannons without ammunition is almost like having a fire poker."

Li Yunlong nodded vigorously, his face full of frustration: "That's right! Those two mortars were captured during the last battle at Sakata. We treasured them like the plague, but we didn't have any shells, so they were just for show. I was so envious!"

"To tell you the truth, the reason I came to your base this time is to deliver equipment to you."

However, I'm traveling separately from the transport team. My main task is to escort the convoy, and I think I can still get some weapons and ammunition from them for you."

Lin Yifan spoke in a calm tone, as if he were telling someone to go to the kitchen and get some soy sauce.

When Li Yunlong heard the words "delivering equipment," his eyes widened instantly like copper bells.

He slapped his thigh, almost jumping off his chair: "What?! Giving away equipment? Yifan, are you serious? Don't give us old Li empty promises!"

His voice trembled with excitement, and Zhao Gang beside him also looked shocked. Although he tried to remain calm, his clenched fists betrayed his inner turmoil.

Seeing their reactions, Lin Yifan smiled slightly and continued, "Don't worry, Commander, I, Lin Yifan, wouldn't joke about something like this."

The transport convoy, while I can't speak for everything else, does have some light and heavy machine guns, mortars, mountain guns, and all sorts of artillery shells—enough to arm your independent regiment to the teeth.

"A hillbilly?!"

Li Yunlong gasped, his eyes widening in disbelief. His greatest dream in life was to have a few decent cannons so that the Japanese devils could taste the pain of being bombed.

They treasured those two mortars they captured before, and now Lin Yifan is saying he has mountain guns? This is like a pie falling from the sky, no, it's like a mountain of gold and silver falling from the sky!

"Brother Yifan!" Li Yunlong's voice trembled as he grabbed Lin Yifan's arm with such force that it almost broke it. "You...you say it again? Mountain guns? You really have mountain guns? How many? How many shells?"

Zhao Gang also looked incredulous. Although he wasn't as excited as Li Yunlong, the light in his eyes was astonishing. Mountain guns! For the Eighth Route Army, which was severely lacking in heavy firepower, even a single mountain gun could change the course of a small to medium-sized battle, let alone "some" of them.

Lin Yifan was in pain from Li Yunlong's grip, and smiled helplessly: "Commander, please let go, you're about to break my arm. This time, we've sent not only mountain guns, but also field guns and 105mm howitzers, but..." Lin Yifan deliberately paused.

"What? There are field guns and howitzers too?" Li Yunlong quickly asked, "But what? Is there some kind of difficulty?"

Lin Yifan said with a smile, "There are no difficulties, but if I give you these cannons, can you keep them? Aren't you afraid your brigade commander will come and congratulate you on your fortune? It's better not to give them to you at all." After saying that, he looked at Li Yunlong with a mocking expression.

Upon hearing this, Li Yunlong's ecstatic expression froze instantly, as if he had been doused with a bucket of cold water. The fervent look in his eyes, which had just been burning with excitement for mountain guns, field guns, and howitzers, dimmed considerably.

He subconsciously released his grip on Lin Yifan's arm, paced a few steps, and muttered to himself, "Brigadier...that old fox..."

The thought that the valuable items he had worked so hard to acquire might be "borrowed" by the brigade commander under various pretexts, or even "recruited" directly, made Li Yunlong feel a pang of heartache. He could almost see those brand-new cannons being planted with the flags of other units.

Zhao Gang frowned as well. What Lin Yifan said was indeed a real problem. Although the Independent Regiment was not weak in combat, it was ultimately just a regimental-level unit in the Eighth Route Army's organizational structure. Moreover, Li Yunlong's tendency to attract unwanted attention once he became rich was already an open secret.

He looked at Lin Yifan and asked, "Brother Lin, what do you mean?"

Seeing that the two had calmed down, Lin Yifan slowly said, "What I mean is, don't even think about these heavy artillery pieces. As for light and heavy machine guns, mortars, and mountain guns, we can still equip you with them. I'll give you more bullets and shells later."

Moreover, and most importantly, you must quickly develop combat capability and make these artillery pieces truly effective, winning several impressive battles! Then, with your achievements on display, even if the brigade commander wants to "congratulate you on your fortune," he'll have to think twice. Weakening the Independent Regiment's combat strength is no good thing!

When Li Yunlong heard about "fighting a brilliant battle" and "forming combat capability," his eyes lit up again. He slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "That's right! Brother Yifan, you're right! Might makes right! As long as our Independent Regiment uses these cannons to show its might and achieve results that even headquarters has to take seriously, anyone who wants to touch our treasures will have to see if the weapons in my hands will allow it!"

Zhao Gang nodded, his eyes showing approval: "Comrade Lin Yifan's consideration is very thorough. Indeed, under the current circumstances, low-key development and rapid formation of combat capability are key. We cannot allow momentary excitement to create hidden dangers for the troops."

Li Yunlong rubbed his hands, his face regaining its excitement, but this time with a touch more composure: "Well... Brother Yifan, when will the transport team arrive? Where are all those weapons hidden? We need to send someone to meet them right away!"