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

Upon hearing this, Brigade Commander Chen's smile froze for half a second, then he quickly regained it and patted Zhang Renfeng on the shoulder:

"Hey, look at you, getting impatient again. We're old partners who've been through thick and thin together, treating each other with complete honesty, this is a bit much..."

"Call me Dad."

Seeing that Zhang Renfeng was completely unreasonable and didn't care about anything, Commander Chen thought, "Oh, you want to play the war game with me? No matter how many routes you come from, I'll just go one."

He then took out another letter, a kraft paper envelope sealed with red paint, on which were written the words "To my beloved husband, Renfeng".

"This is a photo taken by Xiyue, along with a letter from her. It's bitterly cold in Korea, so I hope this photo will ease your longing. Comrade Xiao Fu said that Xiyue has been taken care of by her for the past few months, and her belly is getting bigger every day, though she has gained some weight."

"I haven't even settled the bill with you yet, and you... now you're holding a grudge about a joke from the past. A dignified army commander, so petty!"

"Okay, call me Dad."

Seeing that there was no other way, Brigade Commander Chen peeked into the tunnel entrance to make sure no one was outside. Then he took two steps closer to Zhang Renfeng, moved his lips slightly, and whispered in a voice barely audible, "Dad..."

"Speak louder!"

"Last time, the cannon fire made me deaf!"

Brigade Commander Chen was so angry he wanted to punch someone.

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and, as if throwing caution to the wind, roared at the top of his lungs, "Dad!"

Zhang Renfeng nodded in satisfaction and reached out to pick up the letter from home.

Commander Chen finally breathed a sigh of relief, but he still couldn't help but peek into the tunnel entrance again.

It's quiet outside.

What he didn't know was that in the shadows beside the tunnel entrance, Li Yunlong had been listening intently against the wall for quite some time, and almost couldn't help but burst out laughing.

He covered his mouth, his shoulders shaking like a leaf, his mind in turmoil—was this still the same brigade commander who was more powerful than the King of Heaven?

That's not right! If that's the case, then why should I, Old Li, be afraid of Brigade Commander Chen? I'll just follow Commander Zhang's lead.

He crouched low and slipped away a dozen steps, running to a secluded corner. He pulled a small notebook from his pocket, opened the hardcover, drew his pen, and scribbled a few lines in a flourish: "The sky is clear today, but for me, Old Li, the sky has fallen. The Emperor himself actually called Commander Zhang 'father'! This is more bizarre than eating melon seeds. From now on, remember one thing: in the Third Army Corps, there's only Zhang, not Chen. As for Old Chen? Hmph, he's Commander Zhang's son! From now on, when I, Old Li, see him, if I'm in a good mood, I'll call him 'Old Chen,' and if I'm in a bad mood, I'll call him 'Nephew!'"

On the other side, Zhao Gang did not leave after withdrawing from the command post.

He was standing at the corner of the tunnel, intending to wait for Li Yunlong to leave together, but when he heard a loud "Dad" coming from inside, he froze on the spot.

His worldview was completely shattered, and it took him a long time to come back to his senses.

As a veteran political worker, he had always emphasized organizational discipline and the authority of his superiors. But this scene completely overturned his perception of Brigade Commander Chen's "I'm not afraid of anyone" face.

He leaned against the tunnel wall, remaining silent for a long while, before taking out his notebook, opening it to the first page, and writing a few lines in his neat cursive script:

[I never would have imagined this! Commander Chen, with his formidable reputation, dares to bow down to Commander Zhang? From now on, I, Old Zhao, will only acknowledge Zhang, not Chen, and will hold Commander Chen in deep contempt. This record must be kept strictly confidential; if it gets out, Commander Chen's illustrious name will be completely ruined.]

After finishing writing, he glanced at the line again, hesitated for a moment, and added a sentence at the end:

[However, to be fair, Brigade Commander Chen's ability to be flexible and adaptable does have a bit of... the air of a great general? Never mind, I'll stop writing. This old Chen, with his level of awareness, can become a political commissar; surely I, Old Zhao, can't replace him?]

These two are writing furiously, treating their diaries like diaries. When they return to China and hand in their notebooks to the Corps Headquarters, they'll probably regret it.