Courtyard House: Home Alone

Li Yunlong's spirits lifted, and he stood up abruptly: "Here we are! Old Zhao, get your gear ready!" Lin Yifan's figure quickly emerged from the darkness and waved to them.

Li Yunlong waved his hand and shouted, "Brothers, follow me! Be careful and move quietly, don't bump into those treasures!"

Five hundred soldiers immediately followed Li Yunlong and Zhao Gang, like ghosts in the night, silently creeping towards the mountain valley.

As soon as they entered the mountain valley, everyone was stunned by the sight before them.

Under the moonlight, various weapons and ammunition were piled up like mountains: brand-new Type 38 rifles were neatly stacked, light and heavy machine guns gleamed with a cold metallic luster under the moonlight, mortars and mountain guns stood silently, next to which were boxes of artillery shells neatly stacked, as well as small mountains of rice, flour and bundled quilts.

The soldiers' breathing instantly became heavy, and their eyes almost shone with light. If it weren't for their strict discipline, they probably would have cheered long ago.

Li Yunlong strode to a mountain gun, stretched out his rough, calloused hand, and gently stroked the cold barrel. His gaze was as if he were looking at his own son, and he murmured, "Good heavens... really good heavens..."

Zhao Gang walked up to the pile of rifles, picked one up, pulled the bolt back, making a crisp "click" sound, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

Lin Yifan walked over to the two men and said, "Commander, Political Commissar, time is of the essence. Quickly organize manpower to move them. Let the soldiers carry the rifles and machine guns. Use mules or horse-drawn carts to pull the mortars and mountain guns if possible. If that's not possible, have several people carry them in groups. Be careful to handle the ammunition boxes with care and avoid any bumps or knocks."

Li Yunlong snapped out of his daze and patted his chest forcefully: "Don't worry, Brother Yifan! I guarantee I'll complete the mission!"

He then turned around and shouted at the soldiers, "Look carefully! Each person carries four rifles! One light machine gun per person! Four heavy machine guns per group!"

Grenade launchers... Damn it, so many grenade launchers! Two for each squad! Mortars and mountain guns, those with mules and horses, use them; those without, find sturdy poles to carry them!

"Distribute the food and bedding equally among yourselves! Hurry up, but be careful. If anyone breaks a single one of these treasures, I'll skin them alive!"

"yes!"

Five hundred soldiers responded in unison, their voices not loud, but full of power. Then, following Li Yunlong's orders, they began to move the supplies in an orderly manner.

Some soldiers carried four rifles on their backs and even kissed the rifles; some worked together to lift a heavy machine gun, their faces beaming with excitement.

The soldiers responsible for carrying the cannons were even more careful, their steps steady, for fear of disturbing these "precious gems".

Apart from the occasional low-pitched commands and the slight clattering of objects, no other sounds could be heard in the entire valley.

Li Yunlong and Zhao Gang patrolled back and forth, occasionally offering a few words of advice, their faces beaming with barely suppressed joy. Lin Yifan, watching this bustling yet orderly scene, also smiled slightly.

He knew that with these supplies, the Independent Regiment would soon be transformed and would play a greater role in the future anti-Japanese battlefield.

At this moment, Battalion Commander Zhang Dabiao came up to the group and said to Li Yunlong, "Regimental Commander, there's too much stuff. Even two trips wouldn't be enough to move it all."

Li Yunlong frowned and cursed, "Damn it, I forgot about that! With so much good stuff, five hundred men really won't be enough to handle it!" He turned to Lin Yifan, a troubled look on his face, "Brother Yifan, what do you think... how about I have someone transfer some more men from the regiment?"

Lin Yifan thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "No, too much noise will expose us. Here's what we'll do: have some soldiers transport the first batch of supplies back first, unload them, and then immediately come back to continue moving them. Tell them the road is difficult to travel, so they must be careful and stay hidden."

"Yes! That's it!" Li Yunlong slapped his thigh and immediately roared at Zhang Dabiao, "Zhang Dabiao! You take the men of the first battalion and carry back the lighter weapons and ammunition first, rifles, light machine guns, and grenade launchers! Tell them to run fast and come back as soon as they're done unloading! The rest of you, move the heavy machine guns and rations first!"

"Yes, Commander!" Zhang Dabiao responded loudly and turned to organize the men.

Zhao Gang added, "I'm staying here with a group of people to provide support and security, ensuring the safety of subsequent supplies."

Li Yunlong nodded: "Alright! Old Zhao, you're meticulous, I'll leave this to you! Da Biao and I will take the first batch of supplies back first, and once we've settled them in, we'll lead the team back immediately!"

Under the cover of night, the soldiers moved silently toward Zhaojiayu, carrying, lifting, and pulling various supplies like ants carrying food.

The moonlight shone on their burdened backs, and each step was filled with strength and hope.

Li Yunlong personally brought up the rear, urging them in a low voice from time to time: "Hurry up! All of you hurry up! What are you dawdling for!" But his tone was full of undisguised excitement.

Lin Yifan stood at the entrance of the mountain pass, watching the first team disappear into the night, and then looked at the supplies still piled up like a mountain in the mountain pass, and breathed a sigh of relief.

Ever since the team left Zhao Jia Yu, he had been focusing his mental energy on the furthest point, constantly monitoring the surrounding movements to prevent being ambushed by the Japanese.

He knew that tonight was destined to be a sleepless night, but for the Independent Regiment, it would be a brand new beginning.

It wasn't until 3 a.m. that they moved all the weapons, ammunition, and supplies back to Zhao Jia Yu, where Zhao Gang led his men to inventory and store them overnight. Lin Yifan, on the other hand, went back to his villager's house to sleep.

The next morning, before Wei Heshang could call him, Lin Yifan arrived at the regimental headquarters. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw Li Yunlong wandering around inside.

"Commander Li, what's wrong with you?" Lin Yifan asked with a puzzled look.

"Ugh! What a worry! When we had no weapons, we worried about the lack of guns and ammunition. Now that we have weapons, we worry about the lack of soldiers. What a mess!"

Li Yunlong took a deep drag on his pipe, the smoke rings swirling in the morning mist. He pointed to the overflowing weapons crates in the room, a look of "happy trouble" on his face: "Look at this, Brother Yifan, two thousand rifles, one hundred light machine guns, fifty heavy machine guns, and those dozens of cannons!"

Our Independent Regiment only has about a thousand men at most. Good heavens, we could give each of them two guns and still have plenty to spare! The rest of them are piled up here and almost overflowing. If we don't lift them up, they're just a pile of scrap metal!" He got more and more excited as he spoke, tapping his pipe on the sole of his shoe.

"No, then recruit soldiers and expand the regiment! The Independent Regiment is an independent regiment, and your superiors haven't specified the number of soldiers you need." Lin Yifan looked at Li Yunlong with disdain.