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

Zhang Renfeng selected a group of soldiers from various armies entering Korea, and those who received the Special Merit Award were naturally entitled to participate in the military parade.

As for the rest, he figured that the country's current conditions were limited, and it was impossible to imagine a future where everyone was over 1.8 meters tall and had excellent looks and temperament.

A height of around 1.75 meters is acceptable and already quite good.

Each army selected about a hundred people to form a square formation. The plan, organized by army, was submitted to the Central Military Commission. After receiving preliminary approval, the soldiers set off to return home in batches.

Zhang Renfeng, as the first deputy commander of the Volunteer Army Headquarters, was not in a hurry and left a few days later.

He arrived at the border in early August with Li Yunlong, Zhao Gang, Kong Jie, and the entire engineering team.

As for the subsequent leadership of the Third Army Corps, it was decided that Qin Jiwei would take over as deputy commander and Cheng Xiazi would serve as deputy political commissar.

Li Yunlong initially had some complaints, muttering curses and saying things like "That blind recruit Cheng doesn't deserve it." But somehow he changed his mind and insisted on following Zhang Renfeng all the way back to Beiping, leaving Xing Zhiguo to temporarily take over at the military headquarters.

We rested in Sinuiju that night in a temporary requisitioned house. The conditions were simple, with straw on the heated floor, but it was clean.

Zhang Renfeng was leaning against the kang (a heated brick bed) flipping through a telegram summary when Pei Shiqiang hurriedly pushed the door open and came in, clutching a telegram in his hand, his expression a mixture of amusement and helplessness.

"Reporting to the Commander, it's a telegram from Political Commissar Chen!"

Li Yunlong, who was squatting on the threshold picking at the mud on the soles of his shoes, slapped his thigh upon hearing this and almost lost his balance.

"That old Chen! He's a real jerk! It's only been a few days since we decided to set off, and this is already the umpteenth letter he's sent?"

Zhao Gang roughly counted them, then looked at Pei Shiqiang, "Little Pei, this is the twelfth letter, right?"

Pei Shiqiang nodded. "If you include the first telegram of condolence, this should be the thirteenth."

Kong Jie, pipe in mouth, stood up from the corner and joined Li Yunlong in cursing.

"Hmph! A general in the field may disobey the emperor's orders! Besides, Political Commissar Chen is not the emperor; he is merely the second-in-command of the corps! He can't treat our commander like a beast of burden, can he?"

"How long has the battle been over? Huh? It's like a relentless race against time! Xiao Pei, bring me the telegram!"

He cursed fiercely, but his hands moved swiftly.

Seeing how eager Kong Jie was, Li Yunlong naturally didn't want to fall behind. He snatched the telegram, glanced at it, cleared his throat, and began to read it aloud.

"My dear brother Renfeng, after crossing the Yalu River, you must not head west. Come to Harbin immediately for a visit. The Harbin military fortifications are urgent, and preliminary work is underway..."

After reading it aloud, Li Yunlong slammed the telegram on the table. Seeing Zhang Renfeng leaning against the headboard unmoved, he stamped his feet in frustration. He then turned to Pei Shiqiang and said...

"Secretary Pei, just tell him that it was Old Li who said it! You can't be so selfish!"

"Oh, if you ask me, Old Chen is just like Qin Hui, treating our Commander Zhang like Yue Fei! He even went so far as to fabricate thirteen gold medals!"

He spoke with great enthusiasm, spitting as he went, becoming more and more agitated. He took half a step forward, lowering his voice...

"Sir, you can easily start your own organization! Why stay subordinate to others for so long? The Weapons Commission offers a wide range of opportunities!"

After these words were spoken, the room fell silent for a short while.

Zhang Renfeng leaned against the headboard, his gaze sweeping over Li Yunlong's flushed face, then over Zhao Gang and Kong Jie.

These three bastards are all incredibly cunning; they've gone to any lengths to prove their loyalty.

If he really dared to let Pei Shiqiang send the telegram as Li Yunlong said, Li Yunlong would probably be the first to jump up, snatch the telegram back, and swallow it whole.

Or should we set up a separate operation?

Would Li Yunlong dare to do that?

He wouldn't dare even if you gave him ten lives.

Zhang Renfeng waved his hand and said in a calm tone, "Xiao Pei, broadcast it exactly as it is, without changing a single word."

Pei Shiqiang paused for a moment, saluted, and turned to leave.

Li Yunlong nearly lost his balance with a "thud," leaping forward to block Pei Shiqiang, then turning back with a grin, rubbing his hands together.

"Oh, sir, I'm just furious that Old Chen treats you like a beast of burden!"

"You've made such great contributions, why are you only appointed as political commissar? Old Chen is frail and sickly, how did he become the hospital director? This doesn't make sense!"

Zhao Gang chimed in, "Yes, Commander, Political Commissar Chen is pushing you too hard. You just finished a battle, you haven't even had a chance to catch your breath, shouldn't you go back and check on your children? This is too much..."

Kong Jie snorted and tapped the table with his pipe.

"In my opinion, you should just go back to Beiping and let Old Chen wait in Harbin. What's the rush? Harbin Military Engineering Institute isn't going to grow legs and run away."

Several people chimed in, each one speaking out in defense of Zhang Renfeng.

Who wouldn't be confused by this scene?

If Old Chen found out about this, he'd probably vomit blood on the spot. His subordinates are all traitors; the soldiers he painstakingly raised have all turned against him.

Just as everyone was getting more and more into their conversation, a loud voice came from the doorway, carrying an barely suppressed anger.

"You little rascal! You lot, taking advantage of Old Chen's absence, are spreading rumors about him. Are you trying to rebel?"

Upon recognizing the person by their voice, Kong Jie and Li Yunlong almost knelt down in gratitude.

The man who arrived was none other than Xu, the former deputy brigade commander of the 386th Brigade. He looked travel-worn, as if he had traveled a long way, and his bodyguard was carrying a burlap sack.

He stood at the door, hands on his hips, eyes wide like saucers. His imposing presence made Li Yunlong's legs go weak.

"Oh! Old Brigade Commander! It's Brigade Commander Xu!"

Li Yunlong quickly put on a smile and pulled Zhao Gang and Kong Jie toward the door, saying, "Sit down, sit down! We'll go out first, you two chat!"

After he finished speaking, he grabbed the two of them and slipped out as if their lives depended on it, without even closing the door behind them.

Before leaving, Kong Jie turned back and grinned at Brigade Commander Xu, a smile that looked more like a grimace.

Once they were out of sight, Zhang Renfeng couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Brigade Commander Xu walked in, closed the door, and looked Zhang Renfeng up and down, his anger still simmering. "No, Renfeng, you can't tolerate them! You were so ruthless to me and to Old Chen, how come you're so cruel to your subordinates..."

Zhang Renfeng stood up, sized up the former deputy brigade commander of the 386th Brigade, laughed heartily, and reached out to pull him into a hug.

"Old Xu! I've suffered so much! These past few years have been fucking miserable! Ever since you left the 386th Brigade, I haven't had a single good day..."

Commander Xu was taken aback by the hug, and then reached out and patted him on the back.

He was known for being fiercely protective of his own and extremely loyal. Listening to Zhang Renfeng's complaints, his anger flared up again.

Zhang Renfeng put his arm around his shoulder and sighed as he recounted how Old Chen had exploited him over the years, how he had sent him one telegram after another, and how he had treated him like a beast of burden. He described it in a very pitiful way.

Commander Xu grew increasingly angry as he listened, slamming his fist on the table. "That old Chen! He's gone too far! You just fought such a huge battle, and he won't even let you catch your breath?"

Zhang Renfeng nodded with a bitter face, "That's right. You know Lao Xu, he's taken all my skills. The Harbin Military Engineering Institute is urgent, don't you think I'm not tired? I'm a human being, after all."

He looked aggrieved when he said this, but he was secretly calculating his own little scheme.

Old Xu is the kind of person who responds better to gentleness than force. If you confront him head-on, he'll be even tougher than you. But if you show weakness and complain, he'll stand up for you to the point of tearing the sky apart.

As expected, Brigade Commander Xu took the bait, patting Zhang Renfeng on the shoulder. "Don't worry! When I see Old Chen later, I'll give him a piece of my mind! How can he treat people like that? You're not his farmhand!"

Zhang Renfeng grasped Commander Xu's hand with emotion, "Old Xu, you're so loyal. If Old Chen were half as good as you, I wouldn't be in such a difficult situation."

Outside, Zhao Gang was about to turn back to retrieve the documents he had left behind when he saw this scene through the crack in the door, and he immediately stopped in his tracks.

He paused for a moment, pondering the thought in his mind. "Wait, is the leader really that manipulative?"

This is nothing like the decisive and ruthless commander who said "do whatever you want".

This is clearly a young wife who has suffered a great injustice and is going to her family to complain!

He was wondering whether he should go back when Li Yunlong grabbed his arm.

"Old Zhao, stop looking! Come with us to take a dump! We'll talk while we do it!"

Li Yunlong dragged Zhao Gang toward the outhouse in the corner of the yard, with Kong Jie following behind, a pipe in his mouth. The three of them squatted in a row.

Li Yunlong squatted down and started rambling, "You came to Taihang Mountain late. By then, Brigade Commander Xu had already been transferred away. You didn't know that. Old Zhang was in charge of the engineering corps and also served as the commander of the 772nd Regiment. Old Chen relied on the fact that he had learned some kung fu from Han Muxia at Huangpu Military Academy. Old Xu was a Shaolin monk. The three of them often sparred."

Oh dear, Old Chen and Old Xu don't know the details. They think they can bully Old Zhang because he's young and boastful.

But Old Zhang is a legitimate successor of Xingyi Quan. The two of them were badly beaten. Old Zhang's ability to subdue people with virtue is very impressive!

Zhao Gang listened with great interest, forgetting even the smell of the outhouse, and exclaimed, "Is that so?"

"you do not say!"

Li Yunlong spoke with great enthusiasm, "Old Xu respected the chivalrous Old Zhang, while Old Chen was glib and liked to play tricks on people. Every time Old Zhang clearly got the better of someone, he would still go to Old Xu and complain, and then Old Xu would stand up for Old Zhang! Old Chen would get a severe scolding from the instructor, and after the scolding, he would be punished by the old political commissar to copy texts."

"So the old brigade commander often privately criticized his two superiors, saying that one was blind and the other short, and all they knew how to do was bully a cripple..."

You know what, the 386th Brigade is full of fierce generals, including Blind Wang, Bold Zhou, Monk Xu, Desperate Daoist, Ye Mengzi... Old Zhang is the youngest and holds a high position. If he wants to survive in this environment, how can he not be a green tea b*tch?

Don't let his young age fool you; he's a master manipulator of people, always on the receiving end, his moves perfectly executed, everyone under his thumb... Ugh, he's filthy. Though he has a fiery temper, he's incredibly loyal to us ragtag troops. The old brigade commander, always broke, would empty our coffers with a simple "Congratulations on your fortune," but Old Zhang never did that...

(Zhang Renfeng: Li Datou, Kong Erlengzi, is it possible that I, the commander, don't even need to get involved? I'm the idea king...)

Zhao Gang laughed and said, "Is it possible that Old Zhang was the one who came up with the bad idea behind the scenes?"

Li Yunlong said confidently, "That's impossible. Every time the brigade commander takes advantage of us, Lao Zhang always comes to our rescue... In short, Lao Zhang is the best commander! He's the one who leads us to wealth!"

Kong Jie chimed in, pointing his pipe at Li Yunlong, "That's not all! Old Zhang's drinking capacity is unparalleled in the entire army, he can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk! Old Xu has always liked Moutai, you just wait, after a few cups, he'll definitely start acting up..."

Li Yunlong chuckled, wiped his bottom, stood up, and covered his mouth to stifle his laughter. Completely unaware that he was still clutching the straw he'd used to wipe his bottom, he so gleefully wiped it near his mouth, the smell of the straw hitting him right in the face.

"Ugh! Damn it! Ugh!!"

Zhao Gang and Kong Jie squatted down beside him, laughing so hard they couldn't stand up straight. The sounds of the three laughing and vomiting echoed in the outhouse, making them look like three lunatics.