Liang Jian: Commander, save some for me

Around 7 p.m. the following day, Chu Yunfei's military vehicle finally entered the headquarters after passing through layers of checkpoints.

Upon learning the news, Commander Yan, to show his respect for Li Jin, sent Division Commander Zhang to personally greet him at the entrance of the headquarters.

As soon as Li Jin got out of the car, he saw Commander Zhang approaching.

"Commander Mu, it's been a long time." Division Commander Zhang greeted him with a big smile.

“Commander Zhang, we may be acquaintances, so there’s no need for formalities. Please take me to see Commander Yan.” Li Jin said with a smile.

"No rush. You've had a long journey, so have something to eat first, and then meet with Commander Yan again tomorrow morning," Commander Zhang replied.

He had already prepared food and drinks for the other party and was just waiting for them to arrive.

"Actually, it's mainly because Commander Yan doesn't like to talk about official business at night, unless it's something important," Commander Zhang added.

“Okay, let’s talk about it tomorrow.” Li Jin understood what this meant. In fact, Commander Yan was not very keen on discussing cooperation, or rather, the possibility of cooperation was slim.

However, Commander Yan did give him a chance to talk; otherwise, Li Jin wouldn't have even had the chance to come to the headquarters.

Ultimately, if it weren't for the power Li Jin wielded, Commander Yan probably wouldn't have even considered talking to him.

"Commander Mu, come with me." Division Commander Zhang gestured for him to follow and led the way.

"Commander Yan has a good eye for choosing headquarters; it's easy to defend and difficult to attack," Li Jin said as they walked, his tone full of praise.

"Of course, Commander Yan is a veteran of countless battles. If he couldn't even choose his position, how could he have defeated so many opponents?" Commander Zhang said, a hint of pride appearing on his face.

“Indeed, compared to Commander Yan, someone like me who doesn’t even have a large force is just a nobody,” Li Jin said with a smile.

"Commander Mu is joking. You've driven the Japanese to the point where you had to bring in troops from other war zones to support them several times. If that's a small fry, then the others probably wouldn't even be considered human." Division Commander Zhang said with some helplessness.

When it comes to boasting, Mu Jin is far superior. Although the number of soldiers the other side has is no match for theirs, they are incredibly skilled. They can defeat the Japanese as easily as cutting melons and vegetables, without any pressure whatsoever.

Before long, Li Jin was led by Commander Zhang to a large hall, where a huge round table was placed in the center, and people had already begun serving dishes.

"Commander Mu, the dishes are all served, so I won't disturb your meal any longer," Commander Zhang said.

"Have you eaten yet? Why don't you eat with us?" Li Jin politely invited him to stay.

"I've already eaten," Commander Zhang replied, then turned and left.

Li Jin sat down with Chu Yunfei and the others. The dishes on the table were all from other provinces, a rich variety of cuisines, with plenty of fish and meat.

"Brother Yunfei, I won't stand on ceremony. I'm quite hungry." Li Jin picked up his chopsticks, grabbed a piece of meat, and was about to put it in his mouth.

"Commander, why don't I eat first?" Lu Changgong said quickly upon seeing this, worried that the food might be poisoned.

"You're overthinking it." Li Jin stuffed the meat into his mouth and then called to the other soldiers, "Everyone, eat up. Don't waste Commander Yan's good intentions."

Upon hearing Li Jin's order, the soldiers finally began to eat, as they had indeed been eating rather bland food for the past two days.

"Brother Yunfei, this cooperation negotiation might not go so smoothly," Li Jin said to Chu Yunfei, who was drinking soup, after finishing his meal.

"Brother Mu, surely not." Chu Yunfei put down his bowl upon hearing this, somewhat doubtfully. He felt that Commander Yan still had some intention to cooperate, otherwise he wouldn't have sent Mu Jin over.

"Just wait and see, this matter won't be that simple." Li Jin didn't say much. He could tell from the fact that Commander Yan didn't see him immediately and from what Division Commander Zhang said about not discussing important matters at night.

The matter of cooperating with him was not important to Commander Yan, or rather, the other party was not very willing to cooperate and only met with him out of fear.

Chu Yunfei frowned, recalling what Commander Zhang had said. Thinking of what the other man had said, he realized what was going on.

"Brother Mu, I will do my best to help make this cooperation happen," Chu Yunfei assured him. Although Commander Yan was not very willing to cooperate, he still hoped that the two sides could work together.

The key point is that Mu Jin was involved in this major battle, and he felt that if the Jin-Sui Army were to participate, the benefits would be significant.

"If it works out, great; if not, forget it." Li Jin shook his head. Regardless of whether the other party agreed to cooperate, he would proceed with the plan.

.........

After leaving the hall, Commander Zhang went straight to Commander Yan's office.

"The commander has already made all the arrangements," Division Commander Zhang respectfully reported to Commander Yan.

"Hmm, what was Mu Jin's reaction when he heard I wanted to see him tomorrow?!" Commander Yan nodded calmly, then asked.

In fact, this was also a way of showing Mu Jin his attitude: he wasn't very interested in the cooperation. Otherwise, he would have had someone bring him to him the moment Mu Jin arrived.

"Mu Jin didn't react much, saying, 'Let's talk again tomorrow,' as if he wouldn't give up until he got what he wanted," Commander Zhang recalled the conversation.

"Fine, let's hear what he has to say then. If it's truly beneficial for us, then cooperating isn't out of the question."
"Our Jin-Sui Army has fought many battles and annihilated quite a few Japanese soldiers. However, due to the fighting, the Jin-Sui Army's development has been somewhat slow." Commander Yan sighed, as he had originally hoped that the troops could develop faster.

Although his cooperation with Mu Jin had improved the soldiers' combat effectiveness a lot after several collaborations, the number of soldiers had also decreased, and he still wanted to develop the troops in a more peaceful manner.

"Commander, our development isn't slow, is it?! We've also acquired quite a bit of supplies. If we have time later, our development will take off like a rocket," Commander Zhang said.

The Jin-Sui Army obtained a lot of supplies from that person, and the troops are now much richer than before. However, judging from Commander Yan's words, it seems that he feels their development can be accelerated.

"We just don't have time, and Mu Jin keeps coming to talk about cooperation, giving us no time to develop," Commander Yan said helplessly.

We can't keep fighting all the time. The army also needs to develop. What if the Jin-Sui Army collapses one day while we're fighting? How will we deal with the dangers that may arise in the future?

"The commander is right." Division Commander Zhang nodded. "By the way, what's the situation with Chu Yunfei?! I didn't promote him, is he dissatisfied with me?!" Commander Yan changed the subject.

"No, that's not true. According to Fang Ligong, Chu Yunfei not only wasn't dissatisfied, but felt he wasn't qualified enough, which is why the commander didn't promote him," Commander Zhang replied. In fact, he knew as soon as he heard Fang Ligong say that Fang Ligong himself had said it.

"Did he really say that?!" Commander Yan fell silent after speaking. Could it be that he was being too cautious, and that Chu Yunfei was actually on his side?

If that's the case, Chu Yunfei has made a great contribution, but it's somewhat inappropriate for him not to reward him for it.

“Absolutely true. So, Commander, how about we promote Chu Yunfei to brigade commander after a while?” Division Commander Zhang tentatively suggested.

He still hoped that Commander Yan would pay more attention to Chu Yunfei, lest such a talented person end up in that other person's hands.

Commander Yan remained silent and did not respond. After a while, he said, "Let's wait and see. There's no rush. We need to observe further to see if he's one of our own."

"Yes!" Commander Zhang nodded.

"Mu Jin and the others have probably finished eating. Take them to rest. Remember, have someone keep an eye on them and don't let them wander off," Commander Yan instructed.

Don't be fooled by the fact that Mu Jin only brought twenty soldiers. Those who could be brought by Mu Jin must be the best of the best. If the other side had any ulterior motives, he felt that the soldiers at headquarters might not be able to stop them.

"Don't worry, Commander, I'll make the arrangements right away." Only then did Division Commander Zhang leave the office.

Soon, Commander Zhang returned to the hall, where Li Jin and the others had already eaten and drunk their fill.

"Commander Mu, have you all eaten your fill?!" Division Commander Zhang approached with a smile.

"I'm full, thank you for your hospitality, Commander Yan," Li Jin replied politely.

"That's good. In that case, I'll take you to rest." Commander Zhang nodded and then led the way for Li Jin and the others.

A few minutes later, Commander Zhang led Li Jin and the others to a courtyard.

"Commander Mu, this is your room to rest in. The rest of you will have to make do with other rooms," Commander Zhang said as he pushed open a door.
No matter what, Mu Jin is a commander, and it's really unreasonable for him to share a room with soldiers.

"It's alright, this is already very good. Back when I was training soldiers, they slept under the open sky," Li Jin said with a smile.

"That's good. No wonder Commander Mu's soldiers are so capable. It turns out that you, as the commander, set a good example." Division Commander Zhang also flattered him appropriately.

"I won't bother you any longer, I'll be going now. Yunfei, come with me." Commander Zhang called Chu Yunfei as they left the courtyard.

"Commander, there are quite a few soldiers guarding outside this courtyard. It seems they're worried we might cause trouble," Lü Changgong said as he approached. He had noticed that the defenses near the courtyard had become much tighter, with more soldiers patrolling and a sentry every three or five steps.

"Calm down. Commander Yan wouldn't go so far as to attack us. He can't afford the consequences of offending us to the death."

He was actually a little worried that we might harm him. He said to have people take turns standing guard at night to be on the lookout. Li Jin patted Lü Changgong on the shoulder to reassure him.

It's not them we're afraid of, but Commander Yan's side.

There aren't actually that many soldiers at headquarters, and if they really wanted to take action, they were quite confident they could kill the other side.

Of course, this is their territory after all. Once they start fighting, it will be difficult for them to run away. They are short-handed, and no matter how good they are at fighting, they can't withstand a human wave tactic.

.........

"Yunfei, on the way here, did Mu Jin explain the battle plan to you in detail?!" Commander Zhang asked impatiently as soon as he stepped out of the courtyard.

"He didn't have a detailed battle plan, but I heard him mention it in detail. His main objective was the Japanese command post, or more precisely, the command post of the Sixth Division," Chu Yunfei explained.

"What?! He's still thinking of attacking the 6th Division's command post?!" Commander Zhang exclaimed in shock.

Even he could see that the Japanese command post was not to be attacked; it was definitely a trap set by the Japanese. Yet Mu Jin still wanted to continue fighting. He couldn't believe that Mu Jin couldn't see the problem.

“Yes, I reminded him too, but he said he had already made thorough preparations, and even if it didn’t succeed, nothing bad would happen,” Chu Yunfei said.

"Mu Jin is indeed quite skilled in warfare; he might actually have a solution," Commander Zhang said after a moment of silence.

Since Mu Jin saw that there was a problem, but still took action, he must have made sufficient preparations, so they don't need to worry about these things!

"I think so too, Division Commander. Does the Commander not intend to cooperate with Mu Jin?!" Chu Yunfei suddenly changed the subject and asked.

"It's not fair to say that. It mainly depends on whether Mu Jin can persuade the commander. If not, then cooperation is unlikely," said Commander Zhang. Commander Yan was unwilling to take the risk if the Jin-Sui Army couldn't gain enough benefits.

“Actually, I think we’ve gained quite a lot since we started cooperating with Mu Jin, and this time will probably be no exception. It’s just that the scope of the operation may be a bit larger, requiring more people to participate.” Chu Yunfei began to talk about the benefits they had gained since cooperating with Mu Jin.

The goal was still to get the division commander to put in a good word for them, hoping that Commander Yan might agree to cooperate.

"It's not up to me to decide; it's up to the commander. But I'll try my best to persuade him." Commander Zhang shook his head; he certainly didn't have the ability to make the decision.

"Well, speaking of which, regardless of whether we cooperate or not, Mu Jin probably wants Commander Yan to send our 358th Regiment to fight alongside them." Chu Yunfei nodded and continued.

"If it's just sending your 358th Regiment to cooperate with Mu Jin, the probability of the commander agreeing is still very high," Commander Zhang said upon hearing this. After all, if something happens to the 358th Regiment, it won't affect the situation of the Jin-Sui Army.

Therefore, if Commander Yan does not agree to cooperate, there is still a high possibility that he will send the 358th Regiment to Mu Jin!
"Speaking of which, you didn't get promoted, are you holding a grudge against the commander?!" Commander Zhang asked sternly.

"Commander, I have no complaints. In truth, it's my fault, so don't blame the Commander."
"Besides, what I'm thinking about right now is fighting the Japanese, not getting promoted or making money, so whether I get promoted or not isn't a big problem," Chu Yunfei quickly said.

Recalling what Mu Jin had said, he could indeed understand what Commander Yan was thinking, so he didn't blame Commander Yan.

(End of this chapter)