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

at the same time.

The Eighth Route Army's forward command post.

Commander Chen rode his horse and turned into the village along the mountain road.

He dismounted, tossed the reins to the approaching guard, and strode toward the command post.

There were already people in the courtyard.

The deputy chief of staff had an unlit cigarette dangling from his mouth, squinting at the gradually brightening sky in the distance.

Hearing footsteps, he turned around.

He paused slightly when he saw it was Brigade Commander Chen.

"Old Chen, what brings you here so early in the morning?"

Brigade Commander Chen walked up to him, and without exchanging pleasantries, asked directly:

"Is the boss in?"

"Yes, I'm looking at a map inside."

The deputy chief of staff's gaze lingered on Brigade Commander Chen's face for a moment.

"What happened?"

"You don't look well."

Brigade Commander Chen waved his hand.

"Great news, fantastic news!"

After he finished speaking, he strode towards the main room.

The deputy chief of staff followed behind him, his expression shifting from doubt to curiosity.

The door to the main room was ajar, and Brigade Commander Chen raised his hand and knocked twice on the door.

"Come in."

A steady voice came from inside.

Brigade Commander Chen pushed open the door and went inside.

The deputy commander-in-chief was sitting at the table.

He held a pencil in his hand, and a battle map was spread out on the table in front of him.

He looked up, saw it was Brigade Commander Chen, put down his pencil, and leaned back in his chair.

"Old Chen, what brings you here so early?"

Brigade Commander Chen walked to the table and stood still, without rushing to sit down.

He first took the oil paper package out of his pocket and placed it on the table.

"Boss, there's something I need to report to you."

The deputy commander's gaze fell on the package of oil paper, then he looked up at Brigade Commander Chen.

"What is it?"

"money."

Brigade Commander Chen spoke calmly, but every word carried a sense of certainty.

"Three hundred and fifty thousand silver dollars."

The room fell silent for a moment.

The deputy commander's brow twitched slightly.

He didn't touch the package of oil paper immediately, but leaned back in his chair, his gaze still fixed on Commander Chen's face.

"Where did you get this?"

"I didn't get it; it was given to me by Zhou Tianyang's father, the commander of the new Second Regiment."

The deputy commander's finger paused on the table for a moment.

He reached out and picked up the package of oil paper, revealing two silver notes inside.

He looked at it for a moment, then rewrapped it in oil paper and placed it on the table.

"Sit down and speak slowly."

Brigade Commander Chen sat down in the chair at the table.

He recounted the whole story from beginning to end.

Let's start with Zhou Tianyang's journey home through Suzhou.

He talked about how his father sold his shops and land to raise the money, and how Zhou Tianyang brought the banknotes back to the army.

As he spoke, he observed the changes in the deputy commander's expression.

By the time he finished speaking, there were two more people in the room.

The deputy chief of staff walked in at some point and stood by the door.

Division Commander Liu also rushed over from the next room and sat down on a chair nearby.

Three people, six pairs of eyes, all fell on the package of oil paper.

The room remained silent for a long while.

The deputy commander spoke first, his voice not loud.

But it carries a certainty that comes only after repeated reflection.

"The 350,000 silver dollars was actually raised by a merchant family by selling their property."

He paused, his gaze falling on Brigade Commander Chen's face.

"Old Chen, what was your answer?"

"I said the organization can't take this money for nothing; consider it a loan."

Brigade Commander Chen spoke with certainty.

"After the war of resistance is won, we will pay it back with interest."

After listening, the deputy commander-in-chief did not immediately express his opinion.

He lowered his head, his gaze fixed on the package of oil paper on the table, and remained silent for a long time.

"You did the right thing."

He raised his head, his tone unusually gentle.

"Our Eighth Route Army's discipline is to not take a single needle or thread from the masses. This is an ironclad rule that cannot be broken."

"350,000 silver dollars is no small sum. For a merchant family to be able to contribute this amount of money to support the war effort is an immense act of kindness."

He paused, then tapped the table twice lightly, as if organizing his thoughts.

"The organization really needs this money."

"That chairman is wary of us, and hasn't allocated us any military pay for a long time."

"Our Eighth Route Army's logistics are in dire straits right now, with all units facing shortages of food, ammunition, and medicine."

He paused, his tone becoming more serious.

"This money can definitely solve our immediate problem."

The deputy chief of staff took a step forward from the doorway.

"Boss, how should this money be allocated?"

The deputy commander-in-chief did not rush to answer.

His gaze fell on the package of oil paper, then he looked up and swept it over the three people in the room.

"Half of this money should be allocated to the central headquarters to address the most pressing supply issues."

"The remaining half is for our logistics."

The room fell silent for a moment.

The deputy chief of staff walked to the table, reached out and picked up the package of oil paper, weighing it in his hand.

"Boss, this money was raised by Comrade Zhou Tianyang's father by selling his family property."

"This is different from the supplies we captured during the war; this is what the people saved from their own mouths."

"Once we've received this money, we need to give their family a formal receipt."

The deputy commander nodded.

"you're right."

"The matter of the IOU cannot be dealt with perfunctorily."

"This is not just a matter of money, but also a matter of attitude."

"The fact that Zhou Tianyang's father was able to donate 350,000 silver dollars to support the Eighth Route Army shows that this sentiment is more important than the money itself."

He paused for a moment, as if weighing something.

Then he looked up and his gaze fell on the three people in the room.

"The IOU that Old Chen mentioned wouldn't carry enough weight if I wrote it myself."

"If we're going to do this, we should do it properly. We can't let people think that we, the Eighth Route Army, took the money and then went back on our word."

He turned around and called out towards the door.

"Correspondent!"

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

"Send an encrypted telegram to the Central Headquarters in Northern Shaanxi."

"The contents of the telegram..."

He hesitated for a moment, then said, word by word:

"First, Comrade Zhou Tianyang's father sold his family property and donated 350,000 silver dollars to the Eighth Route Army to support the War of Resistance against Japan."

"Secondly, please have the leaders of the Central Headquarters issue an IOU to show that it is a serious matter."

"That's all, send it out."

After hearing this, the messenger stood at attention, saluted, and ran out.

The footsteps quickly disappeared outside the courtyard.

The deputy commander leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh of relief.

He glanced at the package of oil paper on the table, then at Commander Chen.

"Old Chen, the more I look at Comrade Zhou Tianyang, the more I admire him."

"Young people have courage, strategy, and a sense of responsibility."

"They were able to mobilize so much money from their families to support the troops."

"It's a blessing for our Eighth Route Army to have such cadres."

Brigade Commander Chen sat in his chair, and upon hearing this, the corners of his mouth curved slightly.

"Boss, I'm pleased to hear that."

"Tianyang is the regimental commander of my 386th Brigade. He does a good job, and I, as the brigade commander, am proud of him."

The deputy commander chuckled, picked up the teacup on the table, and took a sip of water.

Then he put down the teacup and his gaze became serious again.

"Old Chen, when you get back, please pass on a message to Zhou Tianyang for me."

Brigade Commander Chen straightened his back and waited for him to continue.

"Just say that headquarters is very satisfied with his performance."

"Headquarters is at ease entrusting the Second New Regiment to him."

"Let him continue to do his job well, without any worries."

Commander Chen stood up and stood at attention.

"Don't worry, boss, I will definitely convey your message."

The deputy commander waved his hand.

"Alright, you've been traveling all morning, be careful on your way back."

Commander Chen saluted, then turned and strode out of the room.

As he crossed the courtyard, the deputy chief of staff followed him out.

"Old Chen."

The deputy chief of staff nodded, his eyes filled with emotion.

"Those of you from the 772nd Regiment are all quite formidable."

"Li Yunlong and Zhou Tianyang are both capable of shouldering heavy responsibilities."

Brigade Commander Chen smiled.

"One is good at fighting, and the other is good at getting things done; each has their own strengths."

The deputy chief of staff didn't say anything more, he just patted him on the shoulder.

Commander Chen strode out of the village and mounted his horse.

We rode our horses along the mountain road toward the 386th Brigade's headquarters.