A courtyard house; Li Yunlong, a subordinate of the deputy director of Harbin Military Engineering I

Hearing the commotion outside the canteen, Li Yunlong strode out with a cigarette dangling from his lips.

"Old Zhao, what's going on here?"

Zhao Gang gave him a wink, grabbed his arm, and pulled him two steps to the side, then said in a low voice:

"Old Li, the commander seems to really like Chef He's cooking. How about... we go all in..."

Upon hearing this, Li Yunlong's eyes lit up. He looked up and sized up Zhao Gang, who had thick eyebrows and big eyes, and clicked his tongue:

"You, Old Zhao! You've got some nerve! When did you learn to read people and flatter them?"

"Old Li, isn't that a rather harsh thing to say?"

Zhao Gang's face darkened. "I'm just asking you, is it up to you? If the commander doesn't eat well on the spot, he can't give good orders, and if he doesn't give good orders, he can't fight well."

Didn't you hear what the commander said? This battle will directly determine whether we get to add a star!

Even if you only think of yourself, you should think of Zhang Dabiao too!

Li Yunlong's worldview was suddenly shaken, and he cursed inwardly, "When did Old Zhao's bottom line become so low?"

This isn't right!

His mind raced, reflecting on his ups and downs over the years, the tough battles he'd fought, the mistakes he'd made—his merits and faults were evenly split. If it weren't for his old commander's constant support, Li Yunlong would be two meters tall on his grave by now.

Solving Commander Zhang's food problem right now, is that considered flattery?

In Lao Xing's words, that's called logistical support!

He stubbed out the cigarette with his foot, straightened his back, and said:

"Alright, later I, Old Li, will use coercion, and you, Old Zhao, will use bribery to take down this beast who abandoned his family! Throw him into the army for proper reformation!"

Zhao Gang smiled slightly and patted Li Yunlong on the shoulder: "Old Li, it seems that the period of dormancy in Fujian Province has been useful."

Li Yunlong snorted and glared at He Daqing, making He Daqing's legs go weak again.

......

In the evening, the group returned to the military headquarters.

Zhang Renfeng invited Sha Zhu and He Yushui, a brother and sister, to dinner at the military headquarters.

After Sha Zhu and He Yushui sat down, their mouths were covered in grease.

Seeing the brother and sister's condition, Zhang Renfeng sighed inwardly and said to the orderly beside him, "Get them some water, so they don't choke."

The orderly brought over two bowls of hot water. Sha Zhu took one bowl and gulped down more than half of it. He wiped his mouth, looked up at Zhang Renfeng, and said:

"Grandpa, thank you."

He Yushui also whispered, "Thank you, Second Grandpa."

Zhang Renfeng waved his hand, ignoring the remark.

He stood up and dusted off his clothes. "Alright, that's enough for today. We're going somewhere else tonight."

He turned to look at Li Yunlong.

"Later, you can send the two siblings back to Beiping. And while you're at it, please pass on a message to my elder brother, telling him that I'm doing well."

Li Yunlong rubbed his hands together with a smile: "Yes, sir. I've arranged a cook for you at the corps headquarters. Would you like to meet him?"

Zhang Renfeng turned to look at Zhao Gang, a smirk playing on his lips: "Gangzi, look, look! I knew it! Eating too many sea cucumbers has made your brain sharper!"

Zhao Gang smiled ingratiatingly and quickly gave Li Yunlong a wink.

Li Yunlong immediately turned around and yelled at the door, "Bring him in!"

The side door of the canteen opened, and a middle-aged man with a bruised and swollen face, wearing a brand-new military uniform, walked in with his head down. He took small, careful steps and stopped three steps away from Zhang Renfeng. He didn't know where to put his hands, so he finally put them on the seams of his trousers.

Li Yunlong glared and roared, "Soldier He Daqing, aren't you going to salute?"

He Daqing shuddered, then abruptly raised his right hand and snapped to attention in a salute.

Although the posture was a bit awkward, with the hand raised too high and the elbow bent, at least a salute was given!

Zhang Renfeng looked at the bruises on his face, the swelling around his eyes, and the cut on his lip. He knew without guessing who did it—that bastard Li Yunlong, whose fists always beat his words.

How could he not know that this was a case of vigilante justice?

But he knew perfectly well that there was no need to say anything about his subordinates' good intentions.

Sometimes, being a leader has its troubles. When it comes to a critical moment, even if you don't leave, your subordinates will try every means to push you forward!

How many such things have happened throughout history?

He took two steps forward, stopped in front of He Daqing, reached out to straighten his crooked collar, then pressed down He Daqing's hand, which was raised above his head, to a proper position. He then took two steps back, glanced at He Daqing from head to toe, and nodded.

"Clothes make the man, and a saddle makes the horse. Comrade Qing, you look so spirited in your military uniform."

He Daqing lowered his head, his throat tight: "Second Uncle, I won't..."

"Shut up!" Li Yunlong interrupted He Daqing sharply before he could finish speaking. "Use your job title when you're at work!"

He Daqing's legs twitched from the shout, and he quickly corrected himself, "Yes, yes, Commander!"

Zhang Renfeng turned his head and glared at Li Yunlong: "Tsk, Li Yunlong, don't scare the new recruits."

Li Yunlong chuckled and took a half step back, but his eyes were still piercing He Daqing like knives.

Zhang Renfeng ignored him and turned to point at Sha Zhu and He Yushui beside him: "Say goodbye to your son and daughter."

He paused for a moment, then, as if remembering something, added, "As for that Bai something..."

"Commander, it's the White Widow!"

Zhao Gang quickly added, "Bai Widow's two brothers were suspected of colluding with the enemy during the liberation of Baoding City, and the police have ordered their arrest. Bai Widow is also suspected of colluding with them and has been detained."

Upon hearing this, He Daqing's face drained of all color, his legs went weak, and he knelt on the ground with a thud, his knees hitting the concrete floor with a dull thud.

His lips trembled, he seemed to want to say something but couldn't, his face showing a mixture of shock and fear.

Zhang Renfeng ignored his kneeling gesture, and simply patted He Daqing's shoulder gently, "Go and say goodbye to your children."

Zhang Renfeng didn't say anything more and stepped out of the cafeteria.

Zhao Gang followed behind, and when they reached the door, he waved to Li Yunlong: "Old Li, you handle the aftermath. I'll go to the car with the Commander first."

Zhang Renfeng took a couple of steps, then waved, "Li Datou, come here for a second."

Without a second thought, Li Yunlong strode forward, his devout little eyes blinking, his lips practically curling into a wide smile.

Zhang Renfeng patted his head. "Your head is made of iron! Even a bullet would miss if it went in!"

"Well done! You're starting to get smarter!" Zhang Renfeng said before leaving, feeling quite gratified. As a general, there's no need to be so straightforward; being flexible and adaptable means you won't be tempted to commit suicide just because you've been wronged, like Old Zhao.

Isn't this a good thing?

After Zhang Renfeng left, Li Yunlong walked up to He Daqing and yanked him up from the ground:

"Get up! Stop embarrassing yourself here! If you're a man, go to the army and do a good job, don't let people look down on you!"

He Daqing was grabbed by the back of his neck and stood up. He staggered a couple of steps and turned to look at Sha Zhu and He Yushui.

Sha Zhu stood there, staring straight at him, his eyes red-rimmed and his lips turned down, but he stubbornly refused to let any tears fall.

He Yushui hid behind her brother, only showing half of her face, her eyes watery.

He Daqing opened his mouth, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down a few times, and finally managed to squeeze out only one sentence: "Zhuzi... Yushui... Dad is sorry."

Sha Zhu didn't answer, and kept his head down, looking at the ground.

After a long while, he said in a muffled voice, "Then fight well and don't be a deserter."

Li Yunlong stepped forward and patted Sha Zhu on the shoulder:

"The little guy still has some backbone. Damn it, if you weren't an only child, I would have dragged you into the army. Your dad's a scoundrel, you'd better take good care of your little sister."

The deputy army commander, Xing Zhiguo, shook his head, leaned over, and said with a smile, "Old Li, why don't you know how to comfort people?"

Li Yunlong's face hardened: "You son of a bitch, you think you can do it? You try!"

Xing Zhiguo smiled, squatted down, and looked Sha Zhu in the eye, his tone much gentler:

"Silly boy, let me analyze this for you. Your father abandoned you, but now he's reformed and joined the army, which is a good thing."

You should think of it this way: if you go to the battlefield and sacrifice your lives, you are the families of martyrs; if you don't sacrifice your lives and make meritorious contributions, oh my, that's incredible, you are the children of heroes.

"No matter how you look at it, you siblings have won twice, that's a win-win situation."

Li Yunlong was delighted and took out his notebook to jot it down. This was one of Zhang Renfeng's unique training exercises for the Independent Regiment: writing a diary! They say a bad pen is worse than a good memory.

[For the past few days, our troops have been stationed in Baoding. Today, we discovered the despicable deeds of the neighbor of the Commander's elder brother. Old Zhao and I, filled with righteous indignation, took action. The Commander was pleased and praised me, Li Datou, for my stubbornness. How fortunate! Even more fortunate, the Commander did not mention the wedding gift. On the day of the wedding, I, Old Li, was stationed in Baoding when the old brigade commander called to congratulate me on my fortune. He then demanded that I send ten cartons of cigarettes and ten bottles of Fenjiu liquor to cover the cost of the banquet, which could also be exchanged for 500,000 yuan in cash. This shows how despicable the old brigade commander was and how wise and magnanimous Commander Zhang was.]