Liang Jian: Commander, save some for me

"Well, it's good that you understand the commander." Commander Zhang nodded in satisfaction upon hearing this.

"I'll help you figure out your promotion. Everyone has seen your contributions. After this battle, I'll go and persuade the commander," Commander Zhang continued.

"Commander, there's no need for that. If I can get promoted, great; if not, so be it. At least I can still fight the Japanese." Chu Yunfei was no longer so concerned about promotions.

"That won't do. You deserve a reward for your service. Come on, come with me to see the commander and tell him what you talked about with Mu Jin." Commander Zhang led Chu Yunfei to the commander's office.

Soon, they arrived at Commander Yan's office.

"Commander!" Chu Yunfei saluted Commander Yan as soon as he entered.

"Yunfei, how have you been lately?" Commander Yan asked with concern. In truth, he felt a little guilty about not promoting Chu Yunfei.

After all, Chu Yunfei had made significant contributions. If it were anyone else, they would probably have been promoted long ago, at least to brigade commander or deputy division commander, and possibly even division commander.

"Thank you for your concern, Commander. Commander, are you feeling better? You are the backbone of our Jin-Sui Army, you must take good care of yourself." Chu Yunfei also turned around and showed concern for Commander Yan.

As Commander Yan grew older, his health also began to suffer from problems with his cultivation.

"It's nothing serious. By the way, you came with Mu Jin. Did he say anything to you?!" Commander Yan asked, mainly to find out Mu Jin's general battle plan.

"Actually, Mu Jin didn't say much..." Chu Yunfei then recounted everything he had heard from Li Jin.

"He still wants to attack the Japanese command post. This kid has some nerve." Commander Yan was somewhat surprised to hear this.

The last time he succeeded because Mu Jin made many preparations and the Japanese were caught off guard. This time it will be different. The Japanese will definitely be on guard against Mu Jin's attack.

They might even set up several fake command posts to deceive the enemy. If Mu Jin chooses the wrong command post, the consequence could be that he gets bogged down by the enemy and eventually surrounded.

"I also think he's quite bold, but Mu Jin is a very cautious person when it comes to warfare. Since he dared to do this, he must have made various preparations."
So even if the attack on the command post fails, I reckon the Japanese won't be able to stop him if he wants to leave." Chu Yunfei had quite a bit of confidence in Mu Jin.

Or rather, they had confidence in the Northeast Army under Mu Jin's command.

"Yes, if he wants to fight, that's his business, it has nothing to do with us," Commander Yan nodded, then said nonchalantly.

Attacking the Japanese command post was extremely dangerous, and he didn't want to waste so much effort only to capture some weapons in the end.

"By the way, Mu Jin also said that the Eighth Route Army's operation this time involves a large number of people, and their strength is much greater than before."
"If we can cooperate, we can definitely expand our gains." Chu Yunfei thought of this and quickly said it.

"It's normal that the Eighth Route Army has become stronger in the past two years, but what's the use of just being a little stronger?" Commander Yan shook his head.

More than two years have passed, and the Jin-Sui Army has become much stronger, but it is still incomparable to the Japanese. Therefore, he did not think that the Eighth Route Army's operation this time could achieve anything significant.

Don't let the situation turn out badly, with no achievements to show for it, and instead result in heavy casualties for your troops.

“If it weren’t for Mu Jin’s cooperation with them, I wouldn’t even have considered talking to them,” Commander Yan added.

“Commander, but I think that since Mu Jin said so, the Eighth Route Army’s strength shouldn’t be any worse than ours,” Chu Yunfei said, as he knew Mu Jin to some extent.

The other party must have witnessed the strength of other Eighth Route Army units before saying this, so it is quite credible.

"That's not necessarily true. Maybe Mu Jin is just saying this to get us to cooperate. If we really get involved..."
"Then we might be the ones drawing the Japanese fire, since we're much stronger than the Eighth Route Army." Commander Yan dismissed this, thinking it was just something Mu Jin said to get them to cooperate.

Chu Yunfei fell into deep thought. Commander Yan's words made some sense. He didn't quite believe that the Eighth Route Army was stronger than their Jin-Sui Army, but was Mu Jin's statement really just to get them to cooperate? He felt that it was still uncertain.

"Is that all Mu Jin said?!" Commander Yan changed the subject.

"Oh, right, there's also the matter of Mu Jin saying that the 358th Regiment should cooperate with them. If you don't agree to the cooperation, then send us over." Chu Yunfei said this.

"That's all?! Does he really think I won't agree?!" Commander Yan exclaimed. Had Mu Jin guessed his thoughts?! So he wanted to get at least a few people from him before leaving?!
"It should be." Chu Yunfei nodded. After talking with Commander Yan, he could guess that the commander's intention to cooperate was indeed not very strong.

"This kid, I'm waiting for him to come up with a plan that satisfies me. If the risk is too great, why agree to it?" Commander Yan replied. He was able to get to where he is today because of his caution and prudence, which allowed him to defeat many opponents and achieve his current success.

The opponents he defeated were all taken down because they were too reckless.

"The commander is right, but sometimes it's not a bad thing to take a risk. There's a saying that the greater the risk, the greater the reward," Chu Yunfei said, first affirming, then refuting.

"The premise is that there can really be a reward. If you give everything and end up with nothing, what's the difference between you and a gambler?!"
Have you ever seen a gambler who, after losing everything, manage to win back what they've lost?! Don't have that gambler's mentality when fighting a war.

"Once this mentality takes hold, failure is inevitable. Even if you win once by chance, you shouldn't try again." Commander Yan lectured with a serious expression.

In his view, the subsequent cooperation was similar to the gambler's mentality, so as long as he didn't participate, there wouldn't be any unexpected events.

“If I don’t agree then, and Mu Jin asks your 358th Regiment to help, do you think I should agree or refuse?!” Commander Yan changed the subject, his expression turning blank towards the end.

"Yunfei will obey the commander. If the commander tells me to go, I will go; if he tells me not to, I won't go," Chu Yunfei replied.

"So, do you want to go?!" Commander Yan asked slowly, staring at Chu Yunfei.

“This…” Chu Yunfei hesitated. He didn’t know what Commander Yan meant and was worried that if he didn’t answer well, Commander Yan might get angry.

“You don’t need to worry, just say it,” Commander Yan said.

"Commander, Yunfei still wants to go. After all, this battle against the Japanese is likely to be a major one, and following Mu Jin will allow me to kill even more Japanese soldiers. If I miss this opportunity, I might not get another chance." Chu Yunfei spoke his mind.

He chose to believe Mu Jin; the other party hadn't lied to him. This was definitely a rare and important battle, and being able to participate would surely be a good thing.

"Okay, you should go and rest too." Commander Yan waved his hand, signaling Chu Yunfei to leave the office. "Yes!" Chu Yunfei turned and left, unsure if Commander Yan was angry.

"Xiao Zhang, what do you think?! Do you think what Mu Jin said to Chu Yunfei is credible?!" After Chu Yunfei left, Commander Yan asked Division Commander Zhang.

"I can't be sure about that, but I can assure you that Mu Jin never fights a battle he's not confident of winning. As for cooperation, let's see what Mu Jin has to say. We can't guess right now," Commander Zhang said after a moment's hesitation.

He still somewhat believed what Mu Jin said, but Commander Yan felt that the risk was great and that what he said was reasonable and well-founded.

"Alright, alright, you can go now." Commander Yan said irritably, dismissing Division Commander Zhang from the office as well, his brow furrowed.

What Chu Yunfei and Xiao Zhang said seemed to make sense, so was he the one who was wrong?! Is being overly cautious really a problem?!
“It shouldn’t be like this.” Commander Yan shook his head and got up to leave the office.

.........

After leaving the office, Chu Yunfei returned to the residence arranged by Commander Zhang, where Fang Ligong was already waiting.

"How's the situation?! Does the commander have any intention of cooperating with Mu Jin?!" Fang Ligong immediately asked. Chu Yunfei being called away must be related to cooperation.

"I don't think there's much hope. Mu Jin might not be able to persuade Commander Yan." Chu Yunfei sighed. Although he also hoped that Commander Yan would cooperate with Mu Jin, Commander Yan was too cautious.

"Just as I expected." Fang Ligong had also guessed this outcome.

"Should we tell Mu Jin?!" Fang Ligong said.

"Forget it, there's no need for that. Let's see what Mu Jin says tomorrow. Besides, there are people watching Mu Jin. If I go over there and get seen, it might cause me trouble," Chu Yunfei said.

The things he talked about with Commander Yan should not be told to Mu Jin directly, lest Commander Yan become suspicious of him again.

"That's true, Commander. I'll go back and rest then." Fang Ligong said and left the room.

Chu Yunfei lay down on the bed, feeling inexplicably exhausted, even more so than when he was fighting a war.

.........

The next morning, after eating the breakfast prepared by Commander Zhang and his men, Li Jin was taken to Commander Yan's place.

"Commander Yan, have you eaten?!" Li Jin saluted the other party and greeted him with a smile.

"Yes, I've eaten." Commander Yan nodded, a smile appearing on his face. "I already know why you came. To be honest, from a risk perspective, I don't want to cooperate."
But since you've come in person, I want to hear your plan. If you can convince me, then cooperation isn't impossible.

Commander Yan made his stance clear from the start: if he wanted Mu Jin to cooperate, Mu Jin would have to show sincerity.

"Commander Yan, I won't say much, but this time my cooperation with them involves a lot, one of which is to eliminate the commander of the Sixth Division."

Then we'll destroy all those Japanese divisions. I know what Commander Yan is worried about. He's afraid that after we cooperate, the Japanese main firepower won't be drawn to us, but instead will be drawn to us. Right?" Li Jin voiced Commander Yan's concerns.

After all, the Japanese are still quite strong. If their main firepower is not drawn away, the Jin-Sui Army will be in trouble. Not only will they not get what they want, but they may also suffer heavy losses. Given this situation, it is understandable that Commander Yan would be worried.

“You’re right, I really don’t believe that they have the ability to draw the enemy’s main firepower.” Commander Yan readily admitted.

“Commander Yan’s impression of the Eighth Route Army is probably still based on what it was two years ago,” Li Jin said with a smile.

"So what?! Not only are they facing a blockade by the Japanese, but the Central Army is also trying every means to curb their development."

Under these circumstances, how can anything develop?! Even with your support behind the scenes, it will only be slightly better than before.

"Among their troops, the only ones capable of fighting are probably the New 1st Regiment and the Independent Regiment. How formidable can the other units be?" Commander Yan responded.

"That just shows that Commander Yan doesn't know enough. I've been there and seen many things with my own eyes, but I can't go into the specifics."
But I want to say that if Commander Yan cooperates, he will definitely not let you down. This major battle has been prepared for a long time.

"Just to show the Japanese devils what's what! At the same time, it's also to set an example for the people of China!" Li Jin said with a serious expression.

"Some high-ranking officers within the National Revolutionary Army were considering surrendering to the Japanese, believing that the Japanese were too difficult to defeat and that continuing the fight would be futile."

But the Eighth Route Army's attitude was very clear: to use this great battle to tell the Japanese devils, and to those high-ranking KMT officers who wanted to surrender, that if they didn't want to fight the Japanese devils, they would fight them! Li Jin said firmly.

This major battle is a must, and we must thoroughly inflict pain on the Japanese, even if it means facing even more severe retaliation from them.

"Mu Jin, you seem to have quite a few grievances against us." Commander Yan sighed after hearing this. In fact, he knew what Mu Jin was talking about.

“There’s nothing we can do. The troops with worse equipment are all fighting the Japanese, but some of them are thinking about surrendering. Do you think I should have any goodwill towards them?!” Li Jin replied.

"Are you confident that you can cripple the other Japanese divisions, as you said before?!" Commander Yan appropriately changed the subject.

“Of course, there is a 80-90% chance, but I can’t reveal the specific plan right now, since there’s a risk of leaking it to outsiders,” Li Jin said.

"If you don't tell me the plan, how can I judge how great the risks are after cooperation?!" Commander Yan said helplessly.

He just wanted to know what Mu Jin's plan was, to assess the risks, and to see if there was any need for cooperation.

He's only hearing Mu Jin say he's 80-90% confident, but he doesn't know the specifics of how the plan will be implemented. Who knows if Mu Jin is lying to him?!
If he agrees to send people over and then finds out it's a trap, it will be too late to escape. That would be terrible luck.

(End of this chapter)