Bright Sword: I built Italian cannons for Li Yunlong

Zhang Dabiao was standing in front of Li Yunlong at this moment, reporting with a serious expression: "Regimental Commander, Zhou Zhen has been hanging around the logistics and wounded soldiers' quarters these past two days, asking all sorts of questions, especially about what medicines and supplies we have."

"I'm worried...could he be a spy sent by the enemy?"

Upon hearing this, Li Yunlong frowned, holding a cigarette in his hand, and silently took two puffs.

"Da Biao, I understand your concerns."

Zhang Dabiao said anxiously, "Commander, what are we waiting for? Things could get complicated if we wait too long!"

Li Yunlong stubbed out his cigarette on the sole of his shoe, then looked up at Zhang Dabiao, his tone unusually serious:

"Da Biao, have you forgotten the discipline of the Eighth Route Army!"

He stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the soldiers and civilians outside.

"This Zhou Zhen isn't an enemy now; he's just a wounded civilian! What kind of army is our Eighth Route Army? It's the people's army! If we drive away a seriously wounded civilian today because of a little suspicion, what if he dies in the ravine? What will the people think of us if word gets out?"

"Besides," Li Yunlong turned around, a shrewd glint in his eyes, "if he's a spy, even if we drive him away, he'll just cause trouble somewhere else. Keeping him under our noses, we can see what he's really made of! I want to see what tricks he can pull."

Zhou Zhen, who was completely unaware of this, happened to see the medic cleaning the wound of a soldier with an eye injury.

Since alcohol cannot be used for disinfection, the sanitation workers can only rinse with some salt water.

Although salt water has some disinfection and sterilization effects, its effect is not as good as that of alcohol, and it is also quite irritating.

This scene finally reminded him of a substance with very low irritation that can be used to disinfect both the eyes and other wounds—boric acid.

Instead of going directly to Li Yunlong, Zhou Zhen spent two days helping out in the wounded soldiers' camp and carefully recording the conditions of the wounded soldiers whose infections had worsened due to improper disinfection.

After obtaining useful data, he approached Li Yunlong and said bluntly, "Commander Li, I've been helping out in the wounded soldiers' camp these past few days, and I've discovered that many comrades have died from wound infections."

"The disinfectant we are using now is alcohol, but the alcohol in the wounded soldiers' camp is obviously not pure enough and its effect is limited."

Li Yunlong was already full of doubts when Zhou Zhen suddenly came to talk to him.

Upon hearing this, he finally realized what was going on, and slapped his thigh, interjecting, "Good lad, I didn't save you for nothing after all. Do you know how to get me, Old Li, some high-purity alcohol?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhen knew that Li Yunlong had misunderstood, so he quickly explained, "Commander Li, you've misunderstood me."

"Please let me finish explaining."

"What I mean is that our alcohol is not pure enough, so it's not effective. Also, alcohol is not suitable for disinfecting large wounds at all. It's too irritating and will affect wound healing."

"But I have a way to make a milder disinfectant—'boric acid solution'."

Li Yunlong squinted, puffing on his cigarette. His thoughts were racing. As a regimental commander on the front lines of battle, he was inevitably injured. He knew how strong the effects of alcohol were. But given the conditions in the base area, what else could they use besides alcohol?

When he heard Zhou Zhen mention boric acid, his first reaction was disbelief. After all, a young kid like him didn't seem like someone who could make such a thing. But what if he could?

"Boric acid solution? I've never even heard of it. How am I supposed to know if you're telling the truth?"

"That's easy, I'll make one and see."

"Actually, the production principle of boric acid is very simple," Zhou Zhen said excitedly, picking up a stick and drawing a chemical reaction formula on the ground when Li Yunlong did not refuse directly.

"The main raw materials are borax and sulfuric acid. Borax can be bought at Chinese medicine shops, and I think our arsenal should have sulfuric acid."

"By reacting them in the correct proportions, we can obtain boric acid crystals, which, when dissolved, become boric acid solution."

"It is far less irritating to the eyes, mouth, and nasal mucosa than alcohol. Although it is a weak disinfectant, it is undoubtedly the best choice at present when there is no way to synthesize other better disinfectants. Moreover, it can be used in combination with alcohol, which can greatly reduce the pain of the wounded and reduce the risk of infection."

Li Yunlong stared at Zhou Zhen's scribbles. Although he couldn't understand them, he felt that the other party didn't seem to be writing them randomly.

They were especially tempted after hearing that this disinfectant could be used to disinfect the eyes.

Zhang Dabiao, who had been silent all along, could no longer hold back. He had already suspected Zhou Zhen's identity, and now that he heard him instigating the regimental commander to take things from the arsenal, the alarm bells in his heart finally went off.

He stared sharply at Zhou Zhen: "Commander, this is too risky! He's a foreign student of unknown origin, and we've never heard of these things he's saying. What if he's sent by the Japanese to fabricate this to extract information from our arsenal?"

"And even if he wasn't sent by the Japanese, what if he's just a blabbermouth who wastes our precious resources without producing what he claims?"

"As the saying goes, 'A young man with no experience is unreliable.' I can't stand by and watch some unknown person squander the group's valuable resources!"

Although Zhang Dabiao's words were full of prejudice against Zhou Zhen, they were all reasonable.

This put Li Yunlong in a somewhat difficult position.

Zhou Zhenke was not intimidated by Zhang Dabiao's imposing manner. He looked directly at Zhang Dabiao and said, "Battalion Commander Zhang, I understand your suspicions. But let me ask you, would the Japanese send a spy to use the technology that can save your wounded to extract intelligence? Isn't that too high a price to pay?"

"I don't need much sulfuric acid and borax right now. Is it not worth it to pay such a small price for a chance to save the lives of hundreds or thousands of soldiers?"

"Battalion Commander Zhang cannot disregard the lives of millions of soldiers just because he is prejudiced against me because of my age. Besides, I have a proverb to give to Battalion Commander Zhang: 'Where there's a will, there's a way.'"

Looking at the determination and sincerity in Zhou Zhen's eyes, and recalling the tragic state of the wounded soldiers' camp, Li Yunlong slammed his fist on the table: "Damn it! Let's do it! I bet you're not a coward. Da Biao, your worries are valid, but we can't skip meals just because we're afraid of choking."

"Since I'm going to be dismissed anyway, I'm not afraid of taking on more responsibility."

Zhou Zhen was also shocked to hear this. He hadn't expected that news of Li Yunlong's punishment from his superiors had already come down.

I was secretly glad that I had made the decision in advance.

Although Zhang Dabiao did not trust Zhou Zhen's words, Li Yunlong had already made the decision, so he did not say anything more.

Before leaving, Li Yunlong patted Zhou Zhen on the shoulder and whispered, "You kid, get this out of here properly, don't embarrass me, Old Li."