Bright Sword: I built Italian cannons for Li Yunlong

Amidst the banter, Zhou Zhen led Li Yunlong to the sketch, pointed at it, and earnestly explained: "Old Li, relying solely on you guys to engage in side businesses in enemy-occupied areas is ultimately not a long-term solution."

"I'm currently leading everyone in a concerted effort to develop a method for synthesizing sulfuric acid, and we want to build a lead chamber."

"What exactly is this lead room?" Li Yunlong couldn't understand the blueprints on the table, and after hearing what Zhou Zhen said, he couldn't help but ask the question that had been bothering him.

"A lead room is a small house built with lead. Old Li, don't underestimate this thing."

"If we succeed, we will be able to produce sulfuric acid stably on our own, and with sulfuric acid, we can use the saltpeter from our base to produce nitric acid ourselves."

"By then, not only will we no longer be dependent on others for the raw materials of bullet primers, but we will also have hope for the propellant needed to manufacture artillery shells in the future."

Speaking of this, Zhou Zhen himself felt a surge of excitement.

"You can even...make your own shells?!" Upon hearing this, Li Yunlong's breathing quickened, as if he could already see his precious mortars, no longer having to "sting around" because of a lack of shells.

Just thinking about it makes me feel wonderful.

So he slapped his thigh and roared with boundless pride, "No doubt about it! Old Zhou, you need this lead, don't you? I, Old Li, will take care of it."

"Even if I lead my men to turn every Japanese stronghold along the Zhengtai Railway upside down, I'll still get you the lead."

"Haha, Lao Li, that's exactly what I've been waiting to hear."

Zhou Zhen's lips curled up slightly, feeling much more at ease. He said, half-jokingly and half-seriously, "That's great. But we're brothers, so we need to keep things clear. We can't always let you and the comrades from the Independent Regiment work for free."

"From now on, we can set some rules."

"If you, Lao Li, get me the equipment and raw materials, I'll trade you the corresponding ammunition and weapons."

"A fair trade, mutually beneficial, how about it?"

"Change? What do you mean by change!" Li Yunlong glared, looking heartbroken.

"Old Zhou, you're being too polite by saying that."

"What we call mutual help and reciprocity among revolutionary comrades is something you call mercenary."

"You support me in fighting the Japanese, and I support you in manufacturing guns and cannons. The goal is the same: to drive the Japanese out of China as soon as possible. Why make such a big difference?"

Zhou Zhen was thoroughly amused by his nonsensical and absurd reasoning, and laughed, "So, all those bullets and incendiary bombs I promised you earlier were considered a 'gift' I gave you first?"

"Of course!" Li Yunlong said matter-of-factly, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"I, Commander Li, am personally here to solve your problems. If you don't offer some 'gift' first to show your sincerity, how could I so readily agree to run errands for you?"

"This is called social etiquette; you, who studied abroad, don't understand this."

"This is a very broad subject; you'll have to study it carefully in the future."

The two looked at each other for a moment, then burst into unspoken laughter.

Zhou Zhen kept his promise and packed up the more than one hundred boxes of reloaded bullets and more than a dozen boxes of new incendiary bombs that he had promised to give to Li Yunlong. When they set off, the two shook hands tightly again.

On the ancient road, a west wind blows. Outside Huangya Cave, the morning breeze stirs up dust that swirls around the ground, lingering for a long time.

"Old Zhou, go back now! I'll stop here. You still have so much to do."

Li Yunlong, leading his horse, turned around and waved to Zhou Zhen beside him.

"Alright, I'll leave you here. Get the materials if you can, but don't try to be a hero. The Japanese aren't exactly known for their weapons."

Li Yunlong nodded: "I'm not stupid, I never do anything that would make me lose money. Goodbye, take care."

"Take care!" Zhou Zhen said.

A simple "Take care" is the greatest blessing they can give each other.

Li Yunlong returned to the Independent Regiment headquarters with a sense of satisfaction, as if he had won a battle.

Zhao Gang stared at the pile of ammunition, utterly astonished by Li Yunlong's ability to beg for alms.

"Commander, the way you've managed to 'arrange' things is truly..." Zhao Gang clicked his tongue, unable to find the right words, and finally let out a wry smile, "I hope Consultant Zhou wasn't scared by you?"

"Hehe, this is called 'you can't catch a wolf without risking your cub,' no, it's 'you can't get raw materials without risking your bullets!'" Li Yunlong proudly raised his chin, then his expression turned serious.

"But Lao Zhao, jokes aside, how's your intelligence gathering going? Any leads?"

When serious matters were mentioned, Zhao Gang's expression immediately turned serious.

He walked to the map and moved his finger over several marked locations.

"We've made some progress. According to information gathered from a large number of militia members and local comrades around our defense zone, there are quite a few supplies we need in Huanggubao, near the Zhengtai Railway."

Li Yunlong and Kong Jie, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, immediately gathered around the map, their eyes fixed on the black dot that Zhao Gang had pointed to.

"Huanggubao, located about 15 li east of the Shouyang section of the Zhengtai Railway, was an important stronghold for the Japanese to protect the flank of the railway and control several coal-producing villages in the surrounding area."

Intelligence indicates that approximately five days ago, a sizable Japanese transport convoy unloaded a large quantity of supplies at this outpost. These supplies were reportedly destined for a Japanese arsenal, and included the raw materials we needed.

Li Yunlong's eyes were intense, and his breathing was heavy: "Where are the garrison forces?"

"That's precisely the difficulty." Zhao Gang's pen touched the map of Huanggu Fort, and his brows furrowed at that moment.

"The core of the stronghold is this fortress built on top of a mound. Intelligence indicates that it is a typical Japanese reinforced concrete three-story circular bunker, which is very sturdy."

"On each of the four sides of the fortress, there is a large firing port equipped with a heavy machine gun."

The firepower from these four firing ports can cover the entire hillside surrounding the bunker without any blind spots, leaving virtually no blind spots for attack.

Any troops attempting to approach from the ground would be exposed to crossfire from at least two heavy machine guns.

A direct assault would come at an extremely high cost, and might even prevent us from getting close.

Kong Jie stared at the map and gasped, "Four directions, crossfire... This is a damn tough nut to crack, it's not going to be easy to crack."

Zhao Gang continued, "Although the Japanese troops stationed at this Huanggubao outpost numbered only a little over a hundred, there were more than six hundred puppet troops."

Although their total strength is less than a regiment, their superior weaponry and fortifications mean that if they wanted to launch a head-on assault... even if we brought two of our main regiments, it would probably be difficult."

Li Yunlong didn't say a word from beginning to end, but just squinted and stared intently at Huanggu Fort on the map.

His fingers tapped lightly on the table unconsciously, making a rhythmic "tap, tap" sound.

After a while, Li Yunlong stopped knocking and looked up at Zhao Gang.

"Old Zhao, besides this, is there any other intelligence?"