The War of Resistance Against Japan: Starting with a Calm View of Life and Death

After listening to Watanabe Kota's report, Okada Tomohisa's tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed.

He paused on the table, holding the unsmoked cigarette in his hand, as if he had made a decision.

"Yoshi." Okada Tomohisa snorted, leaning back in his leather chair with a creak. "Since that kid Yudai is so energetic, I, as his uncle, naturally can't hold him back. Fujita, that coward, is really not suited to commanding this kind of surprise attack."

The huge weight lifted from Zhou Jindong's heart, but he dared not show the slightest relief on his face. Instead, he bowed even lower, putting on a look of overwhelming gratitude: "Commander, you are wise! If Lieutenant Okada knew that you supported him so much, he would definitely repay the Emperor with his life and repay the Commander's kindness!"

"Hmph, no need for vows of loyalty to the death, I want him to come back alive." Okada Tomohisa waved his hand.

He opened the drawer, took out a piece of official paper stamped with the brigade headquarters' bright red seal, grabbed a pen and quickly signed his name, then took out his personal seal from his pocket and stamped it heavily.

"This is the approval slip." Okada Tomohisa pushed the paper to the edge of the table. "Besides the ten boxes of grenades, twenty thousand rounds of ammunition, and fifty rifles that Fujita approved for you..."

I'll give you five extra cartloads of grain, all freshly transported from the rear—refined rice and flour—and two cartloads of winter clothing. In this freezing weather, we can't let the Empire's warriors get cold.

Zhou Jindong quickly took the approval slip with both hands, carefully tucked it into his pocket, and said repeatedly, "The battalion commander is so considerate of his subordinates; he's truly a model soldier of the Empire! Lieutenant Okada is incredibly lucky to have an uncle like you!"

Tomohisa Okada stood up, walked around the desk, and stood in front of Zhou Jindong.

This old Japanese soldier wasn't tall, but his years of military service gave him an imposing presence.

He stretched out a calloused hand and patted Zhou Jindong heavily on the shoulder.

"Su Hao, right?" Okada Tomohisa stared into Zhou Jindong's eyes.

"Hi! Your subordinate Su Hao!" Zhou Jindong stood at attention, chest puffed out, and answered loudly.

"You're quite good." Okada Tomohisa nodded, his tone carrying a hint of admiration. "You dared to risk your life for Yudai at a time like this. I've seen your loyalty."

"Our Okada family has always been generous to our friends. If Yudai can achieve great success this time, I wouldn't mind giving you a formal position, even a job in the military police wouldn't be impossible."

This is both empty promises and a test.

Zhou Jindong knew exactly what was going on, but his face showed a fanatical expression of being flattered and eager to immediately reveal his true intentions: "Captain, you think too highly of me!"

Lieutenant Okada and I have a life-or-death bond! To be honest, the lieutenant's life is my life. For the lieutenant, I would gladly face death, even if it meant being boiled in oil!

"What does my worthless life matter as long as it helps the lieutenant achieve merit!"

Yes, everything was said by Su Hao, it has nothing to do with Zhou Jindong.

Moreover, Su Hao and Okada Yuta truly had a life-or-death bond.

The only difference is that the former is responsible for getting by, while the latter is responsible for paying with their lives.

Tomohisa Okada was clearly satisfied with the answer; this was exactly the kind of loyal dog he wanted.

He patted Zhou Jindong on the shoulder again and laughed heartily: "Good! What a life-or-death friendship! I'm relieved that Xiongda has a friend like you. It's getting late, so you can rest at the military camp's guesthouse tonight and head back with the transport team early tomorrow morning."

"Hai!" Zhou Jindong bowed respectfully.

Just as Okada Tomohisa turned around to return to his seat, Zhou Jindong's mind raced.

We can walk now, but we must pave the way for what follows.

He immediately adopted a hesitant expression and cautiously began, "Your Excellency, Captain, I have another request."

Tomohisa Okada stopped and turned to look at him: "Speak."

"Um... Lieutenant Okada specifically instructed me to buy some good wine and food in the county town to bring back to encourage the brave soldiers of the squad."

Zhou Jindong forced a smile. "The lieutenant said that this trip to Dongzhai Town is a tough one, and the soldiers need to be well-fed and watered so they have the strength to serve the Empire. However... I don't have enough money on me, what do you think..."

Okada Tomohisa paused for a moment, then shook his head with a wry smile: "This Yudai really knows how to enjoy himself. But it's not easy for this kid to have learned to be considerate of his subordinates!"

Okay, go ahead. Just say it was me who said it, and have logistics give you some money. But don't let it interfere with tomorrow's schedule.

"Thank you, Captain! Thank you, Captain!" Zhou Jindong bowed and scraped, pulling Su Zhan and Watanabe Kota out of the office step by step.

It wasn't until he stepped out of the main building of the brigade headquarters and was hit by the cold wind that Zhou Jindong realized his back was completely soaked.

Su Zhan and Watanabe Kota's legs were so weak they felt like noodles, and they stumbled as they walked.

"Don't look back, keep going." Zhou Jindong lowered his voice and said in a volume that only the three of them could hear, "Let's go straight to the warehouse."

"Oh, right, when we get there, Su Zhan, you need to say this and that, understand?"

After hearing this, Su Zhan was still a little scared, but he gritted his teeth and agreed.

The three men arrived at the logistics warehouse with the permit. The guard at the warehouse entrance checked the permit and Okada Tomohisa's warrant and immediately let them through.

The warehouse was brightly lit, and several Japanese logistics soldiers were dozing off against boxes.

Hearing the commotion, a fat officer with the rank of second lieutenant came out. This man was Inoue Takeshi, the captain in charge of the escort.

He had clearly learned about tomorrow's escort mission over the phone.

Takeshi Inoue took the approval slip, glanced at it, then looked at Kota Watanabe standing behind Zhou Jindong, before lazily saying, "Oh, it's Lieutenant Okada's men. Why are you so late?"

Zhou Jindong immediately put on a smile and moved closer: "Lieutenant Inoue, thank you for your hard work! This is a small token of Lieutenant Okada's appreciation."

As he spoke, he took out two packs of cigarettes from his pocket and handed them over.

Anyway, I'll just leave it with the Japanese for half a day and then take it back later. They might even add some interest.

Inoue Takeshi's eyes lit up. He took the cigarette and stuffed it into his pocket, his attitude immediately improving: "Hmm, you're very efficient. The supplies are all over there—five truckloads of grain, two truckloads of clothing, and the ammunition allocated by Company Commander Fujita. Would you like to take inventory?"

"No need, no need. How could we not trust the captain and Lieutenant Inoue to handle things?" Zhou Jindong said, while giving Su Zhan a wink.

Su Zhan had recovered by then and quickly stepped forward to say in Japanese, "Mr. Inoue, our lieutenant has specially asked Su Hao to book a table at a restaurant in the city, 'Zui Xian Lou,' which is not far ahead, to thank everyone for their hard work tomorrow."

"Sir, you and all the brothers escorting the wagon must do us the honor of coming, otherwise we can't afford the consequences if the lieutenant blames us."