Holding the original shares, they fought all the way to the Korean War!

The next morning, just as dawn broke.

The roosters in Lijia Yu haven't crowed yet.

The village was quiet.

Zhou Tianyang was awakened by the faint sound of voices outside the courtyard.

He sat up, got dressed, and walked out of the regimental headquarters.

He yawned, his gaze falling on the figure at the courtyard gate.

Brigade Commander Chen has already gotten up.

He was standing at the gate of the courtyard, adjusting his belt and stretching his shoulders.

He looked to be in good spirits, and apparently slept quite well last night.

Wang Xiuying came out from the neighboring courtyard.

He walked up to Brigade Commander Chen, carrying a cloth bag, and whispered something to him.

Brigade Commander Chen nodded and glanced towards the regimental headquarters, where his eyes met Zhou Tianyang's.

"Commander, you're awake so early?"

Zhou Tianyang strode over, his tone tinged with surprise.

"Why don't you sleep a little longer?"

Brigade Commander Chen waved his hand casually.

"I can't get used to sleeping there."

"I was fine at the brigade headquarters, but I can't sleep here."

He straightened his collar.

"Alright, I have to go."

"There's still a ton of stuff waiting to be dealt with at the brigade headquarters."

Zhou Tianyang mentally estimated the distance from Lijia Yu to the brigade headquarters, and frowned slightly.

Walking alone along a mountain path of over forty miles, although it shouldn't pose a major problem in broad daylight.

However, recently, small groups of Japanese troops have been more active than before.

The route passes through several sections where attacks are likely, so be prepared for any unexpected incidents.

Even if the brigade commander is highly skilled, he can't handle it alone.

"Brigade Commander, I'm worried about you going back alone."

Zhou Tianyang's tone carried an unwavering certainty that left no room for negotiation.

"I'll send ten soldiers to escort you, from the guard platoon."

"They're all veterans, good marksmen, and quick-witted."

Brigade Commander Chen glanced at him, seemingly wanting to say something to decline.

But his lips moved, and in the end he just nodded.

"Okay, you can arrange it."

Zhou Tianyang turned his head and called out to the outside of the courtyard.

"Correspondent!"

"arrive!"

A young soldier ran in from outside the courtyard and stood at attention.

"Go and call Zhao Wenlong, and have him send ten guards from his platoon to assemble at the regimental headquarters."

"Equip the brigade commander with all necessary gear and escort him back to brigade headquarters."

"yes!"

The correspondent turned and ran.

In less than fifteen minutes, ten soldiers had lined up in front of the regimental headquarters.

Each person carried an MP40 submachine gun, with magazines hanging from their waists.

Zhou Tianyang inspected the troops, then turned to look at Brigade Commander Chen.

"Brigadier, everyone's here."

Brigade Commander Chen's gaze swept over the ten soldiers.

He paused for a moment at the row of brand-new submachine guns, then looked away and turned to Zhou Tianyang.

He didn't say much, he just patted Zhou Tianyang on the shoulder.

"Alright, I'm leaving."

"You take good care of your troops here. If anything happens, send someone to the brigade headquarters to report."

"Yes, brigade commander."

Zhou Tianyang stood at attention and saluted.

Commander Chen glanced at Wang Xiuying standing at the gate of the courtyard. Their eyes met, but neither of them spoke.

Then he turned around and strode towards the village entrance.

Ten soldiers followed behind him in two columns, their steps light and alert.

Wang Xiuying stood at the gate of the courtyard, watching Brigade Commander Chen's back.

He didn't look away until the last soldier was out of sight.

She stood there in silence for a moment, then turned around and walked towards the regimental headquarters courtyard.

"Tianyang, what's the work schedule for today?"

Her tone had returned to its usual crispness.

It was as if that momentary pause had never happened.

Just as Zhou Tianyang was about to answer, a shout came from the direction of the threshing ground.

"Ouch!"

"Where is this?"

"Why does my head hurt so much?"

Zhou Tianyang's lips twitched involuntarily.

He and Wang Xiuying exchanged a glance, and almost simultaneously walked towards the direction from which the sound came.

The room next to the regimental headquarters that was assigned to Li Yunlong.

Li Yunlong was sitting on the edge of the bed, rubbing his temples with one hand and supporting himself on his knee with the other.

He was taken aback when he saw Zhou Tianyang and Wang Xiuying appear at the door.

Then, as if remembering something, his expression changed.

"Where is the brigade commander?"

"I'm gone."

Zhou Tianyang leaned against the door frame, arms crossed over his chest.

"I sent ten guard platoons to escort him back to the brigade headquarters, so you don't need to worry."

Li Yunlong let out a long sigh of relief, then collapsed back onto the bed, muttering to himself.

"That's good……"

He lay in bed with his hands behind his head.

His eyes were fixed on the roof, but he suddenly sat up and glared at Zhou Tianyang.

"By the way, did the brigade commander scold me last night?"

"Did I say anything I shouldn't have last night?"

Wang Xiuying stood at the door and couldn't help but chuckle.

"Li Yunlong, you fell asleep on the table halfway through your drink last night, what can you possibly say?"

Li Yunlong scratched the back of his head, his expression relaxing slightly.

He rolled out of bed, stood up, and stretched his shoulders.

"Damn, this sweet potato stew has a really strong aftereffect."

Zhou Tianyang turned and walked into the courtyard.

"You tidy up first, I'll go ask the cooks to get you something to eat to fill your stomach."

Li Yunlong followed him out of the house and sat down on the stone bench in the courtyard.

The cooks quickly brought two bowls of hot porridge and a dish of pickled vegetables.

Li Yunlong picked up the glass and slurped down two mouthfuls, and his complexion improved considerably.

He put down the bowl and wiped his mouth.

His gaze swept around the courtyard before settling on Zhou Tianyang, and he remained silent for a few seconds.

It was as if he was pondering how to say something.

"Zhou Xiaogui".

"Um?"

"There's something I'd like to discuss with you."

Zhou Tianyang sat down opposite him, slowly drinking his porridge while waiting for him to speak.

Li Yunlong tapped his fingers lightly on the table twice before carefully speaking.

"Could you spare some of the equipment in your unit, like the M1 Garand semi-automatic rifle and that... what's it called... submachine gun?"

Zhou Tianyang looked up at him, but didn't rush to answer.

Li Yunlong quickly added another sentence.

"I won't take yours for nothing. Name your price, and I'll exchange it for something."

Zhou Tianyang put down his bowl of porridge and looked at Li Yunlong's face.

He paused for a few seconds, then spoke.

"Old Li, how many people are in your group now?"

Li Yunlong thought for a moment, then stretched out one hand and gestured.

"Nearly five hundred people."

Zhou Tianyang nodded and quickly calculated in his mind.

A force of five hundred men, the size of a battalion.

Their equipment level was considered above average among the Eighth Route Army, but it was indeed much worse than that of the New Second Regiment.

He picked up the bowl of porridge and took a sip, his mind already racing.

He has points that he can redeem for equipment.

Li Yunlong knew he had connections, which was already quite evident when he visited the New Second Regiment during their uniform change.

If we can exchange equipment for personnel expansion, it's a win-win situation no matter how you look at it.

The new Second Regiment now has more than 1,400 people, but it is not yet fully equipped and staffed.

If we can exchange weapons for some soldiers from the New First Regiment.

This would both increase the manpower of the new Second Regiment and upgrade the equipment on Li Yunlong's side.