Bright Sword: I built Italian cannons for Li Yunlong

Despite Li Yunlong's strong opposition, Zhou Zhen obtained the materials he needed in an unused courtyard in the logistics department.

However, Zhang Dabiao, who was extremely distrustful of him, arranged for a soldier to monitor him under the pretext of protecting his safety.

Zhou Zhen also had a lot of energy to burn.

The process of producing boric acid is not complicated, and since there are no glass containers, he can only use earthenware pots instead.

He first dissolved borax powder in hot water to make a saturated solution.

Then, very carefully, slowly drip concentrated sulfuric acid into the borax solution.

Immediately, a large number of bubbles were generated inside the can, and a white substance began to precipitate out.

By cooling and filtering, these white substances are purified, and finally pure boric acid is obtained.

Finally, he dissolved the boric acid crystals in sterile warm water in a certain proportion to make the desired boric acid solution.

As Zhou Zhen carried the first bowl of prepared boric acid solution toward the soldier with injured eyes, Zhang Dabiao and his men watched closely from the side.

Once it's discovered that Zhou Zhen is a fraud, even if it means breaking the rules, I will teach him a lesson.

The medic used cotton swabs dipped in boric acid solution to carefully wipe the area around the soldier's eyes and other abrasions on his face.

The soldier only hissed softly, without the expected cry of pain.

"How are you feeling?" Zhou Zhen asked with concern.

The soldier replied, "Hey! It's cool and refreshing, it doesn't hurt much!"

In the following days, the wounds of several injured people who tried the boric acid solution showed a significant reduction in redness and swelling, no new infections, and the healing speed seemed to be faster than before.

It is obvious that the boric acid solution produced by Zhou Zhen is extremely effective.

Upon hearing this news, Li Yunlong was overjoyed, patting Zhou Zhen on the shoulder: "Good lad! You really managed to pull this off, I've struck gold this time."

"I, Lao Li, have made another great contribution. The commander can't possibly dismiss me again."

Zhou Zhen was also unsure of the extent of the impact his butterfly effect would have.

Over the next few days, Zhou Zhen spent his time resting and instructing several soldiers with good practical skills on how to produce boric acid.

With his hands-on guidance, these soldiers managed to master all the techniques, albeit with some difficulty.

Zhou Zhen's selfless behavior completely won the trust of the entire regiment.

Everyone knows how valuable this technology is.

Li Yunlong praised it highly.

"This kid is a generous man, just my type, Old Li."

That day, Zhou Zhen led the young guard Wang Zhu out of their residence and immediately spotted Zhang Dabiao, who was shirtless and carrying thorns on his back.

"Zhang Dabiao, what are you doing? Trying to apologize with a bundle of thorns on your back?"

Zhang Dabiao was a straightforward person. After realizing he had wronged Zhou Zhen, he thought about how to apologize.

After much thought, he finally felt that this particular play in the opera was the most sincere.

"Mr. Zhou... I, Zhang Dabiao, misunderstood you before. I was short-sighted and almost delayed the important task of rescuing our comrades. I apologize to you."

"If you ever need anything from me, Zhang Dabiao, just let me know!" These words were spoken with conviction and came from the bottom of his heart.

Zhou Zhen stepped forward and removed the thorns from the other person's body.

"What wrong have you done?"

"Your suspicions were reasonable at the time; if I were in your shoes, I would have been just as wary."

He paused, then said, "We may have had disagreements, but it was all for the revolution, for fighting the Japanese. As long as we have this common goal, no matter how big the misunderstanding is, it doesn't matter."

These words brought tears to Zhang Dabiao's eyes. He gripped Zhou Zhen's hand tightly and said, "I, Zhang Dabiao, am a rough man and not good with words. But from now on, I consider you my brother. We'll fight the Japanese together in the future."

News of boric acid quickly reached headquarters.

The leaders attached great importance to this.

Office of the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Eighth Route Army.

The chief of staff took out a document and said to the deputy commander-in-chief, "We are still verifying Zhou Zhen's background. However, with the chaos of war, a lot of information is missing, and it will take time to investigate."

The deputy commander put down the report and said, "Investigate, continue the investigation. But Comrade Zhou Zhen's talent is genuine, and the hospitals at the front have a very high opinion of the boric acid solution he produced."

"As long as he is genuinely committed to resisting Japan, his identity is not that important."

The chief of staff nodded in agreement upon hearing this.

"Yes. That's precisely why we need to be even more cautious."

"My opinion is that, until the political context is fully clarified, he should not be allowed to access certain critical secrets and facilities."

The two then discussed the punishment for Li Yunlong. Even though Li Yunlong had made a great contribution by saving Zhou Zhen, the deputy commander-in-chief was still extremely angry about Li Yunlong's disobedience.

"So what if he has made merits? Hasn't Li Yunlong made enough merits? Go check his records in the Political Department. The number of merits he has made is almost the same as the number of punishments he has received."

"Moreover, merits are merits, and demerits are demerits! We can't let him develop the bad habit of disobeying orders."

However, how to arrange Li Yunlong next gave the deputy commander-in-chief a major headache.

He never expected that Li Yunlong, that rascal, had not only been a stable boy, but also carried a large pot in the mess hall.

After thinking it over, he finally said, "I think we should send him to the clothing factory to embroider for me for a few days, so he can reflect on his actions."

"Then... what about Comrade Zhou Zhen's arrangements? His injuries haven't fully healed yet, and he needs a stable environment."

"It seems that he and Li Yunlong get along quite well right now. Why don't we let Zhou Zhen go to the clothing factory with Li Yunlong?"

"It's relatively safe there, and it's also convenient for him to recuperate," the chief of staff asked.

The deputy commander pondered for a moment, then nodded.

"That's a good idea. Zhou Zhen will be treated as a regimental-level cadre in terms of living conditions."

"However, you must personally explain to Li Yunlong that Zhou Zhen's current work is limited to the medical and chemical fields. As it involves core military production and troop movements, strict confidentiality must be maintained! This is a matter of principle."

Chief of Staff: "Yes, I will issue the order right away."

The north wind was biting, and the swirling yellow dust lashed against the earthen walls of the new regiment's encampment.

All the soldiers of the New First Regiment stood in neat rows to bid farewell to their old regimental commander, Li Yunlong.

Zhou Zhen followed behind Li Yunlong and Ding Wei, listening to Li Yunlong's complaints with a sense of helplessness.

Ultimately, his butterfly wings did not affect Li Yunlong's fate.

"Disband them all. What's there to give away? It's not like you're going to be a live-in son-in-law."

"Old Li, that's a bit heartless of you. You're leaving, and your comrades want to see you off; it's just a token of their affection!" Ding Wei comforted him.

"Damn it, what kind of mess is this! All I did was fail to break through Yujialing, and instead of rewarding me for killing Sakata, I was demoted."