Bright Sword: I built Italian cannons for Li Yunlong

Zhou Zhen followed behind the two, listening to Li Yunlong's loud complaints, but in his heart he was thinking: "I didn't expect that you, Old Li, with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, would know how to downplay the important things when you speak. You kid, disobeying orders on the battlefield is just a passing mention. If you were under Chiang Kai-shek, you might have gotten shot."

Ding Wei continued to persuade him, "Old Li, just take a good rest in the rear. Don't worry, the leaders at headquarters will definitely not forget you. Everyone knows that you, Old Li, are a master of fighting. Maybe one day you will be reinstated."

Li Yunlong glanced sideways at Ding Wei and said, "Old Ding! It's easy for you to talk when you're not the one suffering. Being demoted isn't so bad, the real problem is making me a factory manager, is that the job a man should be doing?"

"Isn't this forcing Zhang Fei to do embroidery?"

"Old Li, calm down." Ding Wei stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder. "You can do revolutionary work anywhere."

Compared to Li Yunlong's "exile", Zhou Zhen's situation was much better.

Headquarters officially issued instructions, in view of his contributions and special status, to grant him the title of "Technical Advisor" and the treatment of a regimental-level cadre.

Although the Eighth Route Army's resources were extremely limited at the time, this "regimental-level treatment" was nothing more than a couple more steamed buns and the occasional taste of meat. However, it represented an attitude from the higher-ups and a preliminary recognition from the organization.

The most obvious change was that the way the soldiers looked at him was completely different from before.

Even though Zhou Zhen had already synthesized boric acid solution, there was still a subtle barrier between him and the soldiers. Now, that last barrier has completely disappeared, replaced by heartfelt warmth and respect.

Wherever he went, the soldiers would greet him warmly with, "Hello, Advisor Zhou!"

Even Li Yunlong would call him "Advisor Zhou" a few times to tease him.

As the saying goes, "Even a thousand-mile journey must come to an end," Ding Wei said earnestly to Zhou Zhen before leaving, "Advisor Zhou, Old Li's clothing factory can't fully utilize your talents. Why don't you stay in the New First Regiment?"

Before Zhou Zhen could speak, Li Yunlong shouted unhappily, "Old Ding, that's not fair of you. I've given you my new regiment, and you're still eyeing the people around me."

Seeing Li Yunlong's somewhat agitated state, Ding Wei quickly said, "Old Li, don't get angry. I'm just telling the truth. Isn't it a waste to keep Consultant Zhou's abilities in the rear?"

Li Yunlong fell silent upon hearing this, and looked at Zhou Zhen, wanting to hear his own opinion.

Zhou Zhen, who was just watching the drama unfold, never expected that the fire would suddenly spread to him.

Feeling the intense gazes of Ding Wei and Li Yunlong, Zhou Zhen could only bite the bullet and say, "The commander's order to me is to find ways to improve medical supplies and people's livelihoods in the war zone as much as possible."

"I didn't study medicine, so there's not much I can do in this area. A while ago, I saw that the soldiers' cotton-padded clothes were not only worn out, but also didn't keep them warm. So I thought I'd go to the clothing factory to see if I could think of a solution, and also..."

Zhou Zhen paused for a moment, looked at Li Yunlong, and then said with a smile, "I don't have Commander Li's guts to disobey orders from my superiors."

Upon hearing this, Li Yunlong and Ding Wei both burst into laughter.

Seeing that Zhou Zhen was determined, Ding Wei did not try to stop him.

Zhou Zhen's words were not actually a spur-of-the-moment decision.

This can be seen from the orders he received from his superiors.

Although the organization has initially recognized his identity, it has not yet reached the point of complete trust.

If he wants to achieve his goals, he must make more contributions to prove his worth and loyalty.

He wanted the organization to see that his heart was as red as the revolutionary flag.

Only in this way can he make those "explosive art" ideas that transcend this era resound throughout China.

Offense is the best form of defense.

Then, let those Japanese bastards taste what real firepower coverage is all about.

……

The clothing factory was located in a remote village, with a few dilapidated mud-brick houses serving as workshops and warehouses.

The air was filled with the smell of cotton wool and dust.

Li Yunlong, newly appointed to his post, was seething with anger and was far from idle.

He has never been one to give up easily; even though he was "exiled" here, he was determined to make a difference in this small area.

Besides getting familiar with the personnel and supplies a couple of days ago, Director Li actually managed to put aside his pride and learn how to operate a sewing machine from the female comrades at the clothing factory.

His hands, accustomed to holding guns and wielding broadswords, moved clumsily with the stitches, muttering to himself from time to time, completely forgetting that he had just complained to Ding Wei not long ago.

"Is this the kind of work a man should be doing?"

After a few days, Director Li had become quite adept at using the sewing machine.

Zhou Zhen then began to conduct on-site inspections of the quality of cotton-padded clothing produced by the clothing factory.

He picked up a newly made cotton-padded jacket at random, and upon looking up, he noticed that all these cotton-padded jackets had rough homespun cloth as the outer layer.

These homespun cloths, limited by the weaving process, had insufficient weave count and were completely ineffective at preventing wind damage.

As he squeezed it and felt the thickness of the filling inside, his heart sank to the bottom.

In general, winter coats in northern regions need to weigh at least six kilograms to provide good warmth.

The cotton-padded coat in his hand weighed only about three pounds, which was half the weight of the original coat.

Moreover, due to the limited quality of the cotton, the warmth of these cotton-padded clothes is reduced by at least two layers.

The thought of the soldiers fighting in the freezing winter wearing such thin cotton-padded clothes made Zhou Zhen's heart clench.

So, during a meal, he found Li Yunlong and said with a serious expression, "Commander Li, there's a big problem with our cotton-padded clothes."

Li Yunlong didn't say anything upon hearing this, but instead gestured for Zhou Zhen to continue.

"The cotton we use for filling is not only short in fiber and contains many impurities, but more importantly, the weight of filling in each cotton coat is also insufficient, which makes it impossible to provide good warmth."

Li Yunlong put down the bowl and chopsticks in his hands, his brows furrowed.

"Damn it, do you think I want this? What can I do?"

"We, the Eighth Route Army, are like children without a mother's love."

He pointed to the Taihang Mountains all around.

"In northwestern Shanxi, the wind is like a knife in winter; it stings your face, and even your excrement freezes!"

"Old Chiang Kai-shek talks about uniting against Japan," Li Yunlong sneered, his tone full of contempt, "but he doesn't give us any military pay, ammunition, or clothing. He's just waiting to see us make a fool of ourselves, hoping we'll be worn down by the Japanese and the harsh winter!"

"The soldiers, wearing these ineffective cotton-padded coats, would lie prone in the snow for half a day at a time. Many fine young men didn't die from the Japanese guns, but froze to death on the battlefield..."