Liang Jian: Commander, save some for me

"Alright." Blind Cheng nodded, and then they went to the warehouse.

"Good heavens, Old Li is really rolling in money. He actually built such a huge warehouse." When Blind Cheng arrived at the warehouse and looked at the warehouse of the New First Regiment, he couldn't help but exclaim.

"Yes, his warehouse is at least seven or eight times bigger than ours," the political commissar chimed in. The warehouse built by the new regiment was far larger than theirs.

After a moment of reflection, Blind Cheng went to the gate, took out the key given to him by Li Yunlong, and unlocked the door.

The group entered the warehouse, where many items had already been moved. Originally, the warehouse contained a lot of supplies, but to prevent the 772nd Regiment from being unable to defend it later, Li Yunlong ordered the supplies to be moved into the deep mountains and hidden in a relatively deep cave.

At this point, only a portion of the supplies remained in the warehouse.

"Light and heavy machine guns, grenade launchers, mortars, and two Type 92 infantry guns—Commander Li actually left us so many good things!" Political Commissar He's eyes widened, his face full of shock.

With just a quick glance, Political Commissar He had already spotted the guns and cannons, especially the two Type 92 infantry guns, whose power was far greater than that of ordinary mortars.

"Quickly count the quantity so we can distribute them to the troops later," Blind Cheng instructed, his eyes brimming with undisguised joy.

"Yes." Political Commissar He didn't waste any time and immediately led his men to take stock of the supplies.

Blind Cheng wasn't idle either. He immediately went to the two Type 92 infantry guns, reached out and touched the barrels of the Type 92 infantry guns. The cold, metallic feel of the guns made him smile involuntarily.

Then Blind Cheng went to look at other weapons: the Type 92 heavy machine gun, the Type 191 light machine gun, and the Type 191 mortar.

Compared to other weapons, Blind Cheng preferred the Type 92 infantry gun. It was said that a Japanese regiment was only equipped with two of these.

"Commander, Commander Li has really left us some good stuff." Not long after, Political Commissar He also came over, holding a list in his hand.

"Have the numbers been tallied yet?" Blind Cheng asked.

"Twelve light machine guns, six heavy machine guns, thirteen grenade launchers, five mortars, and two infantry guns. In addition, there are 100,000 rounds of machine gun ammunition and about fifty boxes of artillery shells."

"Adding to the ones from our regiment, and those approved by the brigade headquarters, our regiment's firepower is unprecedentedly strong!" Political Commissar He spoke with a hint of excitement; when had their regiment ever been so wealthy?

Although their regiment was still quite weaker than a Japanese regiment in terms of firepower, they were already very strong.

He estimated that, apart from the Special Operations Regiment, the New First Regiment, and the Independent Regiment, their 772nd Regiment currently had the most formidable firepower.

"Yes, the commander and Old Li left us so many good things, so we can't let them down. We must kill as many Japanese devils as possible in this battle! Otherwise, Old Li will laugh at us." Blind Cheng nodded and then said with a serious expression.

What he said was indeed true. The lack of firepower had been made up for now. If they still couldn't kill more Japanese soldiers, Li Yunlong would definitely mock them when he found out.

"That's for sure. Actually, I was a little worried beforehand that this operation might be very stressful for us, but I didn't expect to receive so much assistance."
"We must fight the Japanese devils no matter what!" Political Commissar He said, a smile appearing on his face.

When he received orders from his superiors to relieve the New First Regiment and help them withstand the pressure, he knew that this mission was by no means simple. If they were to take on this mission with their previous firepower, it would indeed be quite difficult.

However, the commander was aware of their difficulties, so he provided them with a lot of assistance. Even Li Yunlong helped them, making their firepower even stronger.

Now, he is confident that he can withstand the pressure and even kill more Japanese soldiers.

"It's a pity that these weapons will have to be returned later!" Political Commissar He sighed. He wished these weapons really belonged to them.

"There's nothing to regret. With such strong firepower this time, we can take this opportunity to get more guns and shells to make up for our lack of firepower. Sooner or later, we will have such strong firepower." Blind Cheng was very optimistic and thought that his regiment could use these weapons to capture more weapons from the Japanese.

"That's right!" Political Commissar He nodded in agreement. Borrowed things must eventually be returned; only what belongs to oneself truly belongs to them.

"Keep the list safe. We'll have to return it to Old Li later, and he'll most likely still want us to pay some interest," said Blind Cheng.

"Huh?! Interest?! That can't be right, we're fighting the Japanese here." Political Commissar He was stunned, wondering if the regimental commander was underestimating Li Yunlong.

"That's because you don't understand Li Yunlong. He's helpful, but he still has to pay interest. Didn't you see he left us weapons, but no inventory list?"
"This is an implication that I should pay him back more as interest after the war," Blind Cheng said with certainty. He and Li Yunlong had been comrades-in-arms for many years, so he knew exactly what Li Yunlong was thinking.

"Um, then the interest he's asking for won't be very high, will it?!" Upon hearing this, Political Commissar He also felt a little worried, wondering if it was going to be a high interest rate.

"No, that won't happen. At most, they'll ask us to return one or two more heavy machine guns, and a few light machine guns," said Blind Cheng.

"What?! We're going to return a heavy machine gun to Commander Li?! And the interest rate is so low!" Political Commissar He was shocked. This was a heavy machine gun; their company only had one, not some rifle.

"That's more than enough. Don't forget the bullets and shells he left us; we'll definitely use a lot of them. The interest is already very cheap for heavy machine guns." Blind Cheng said calmly.

The supplies Li Yunlong left them were life-saving. With these weapons, their soldiers could suffer fewer casualties. So compared to these, the interest on the heavy machine guns was really nothing.

"That makes sense," Political Commissar He nodded in agreement, realizing that he hadn't considered this enough.

"Besides, with such fierce firepower, how could we not capture more guns and cannons?! Li Yunlong would really be laughing at us if we did," Blind Cheng added.

"We'll definitely be able to capture more guns and cannons." Political Commissar He was also full of confidence, because all his fear stemmed from the lack of firepower.

Although their firepower is still somewhat insufficient, compared to two years ago when a regiment was considered a main force with only three heavy machine guns, their firepower has increased many times over.

"Immediately contact the battalion commanders via walkie-talkie and have them come to the regimental headquarters meeting room for a meeting. We can discuss the follow-up combat situation and distribute weapons to them as well." Blind Cheng was as efficient as ever.

Now that we've accepted this task, we have to do it well.

"Commander, it's getting dark now. By the time they arrive, it will probably be completely dark," Political Commissar He said, looking at the sun that was already setting.

Their battalion base was quite a distance from the regimental headquarters, and by the time they arrived, it would be almost dark. "That's true. Then forget it. Just tell them they need to come over for a meeting first thing tomorrow morning." Upon hearing this, Blind Cheng changed his mind.

.........

Around six o'clock in the evening, Li Yunlong and his men found a grove of trees to rest.

"Old Zhao, hurry, hurry, bring those tear gas canisters and test their power!" Li Yunlong urged Zhao Gang impatiently. He had been itching to get them going all the way here, and now he could finally rest.

"Old Li, I don't think now is the time for testing. Didn't Commander Cheng say that these tear gas canisters are suitable for attacking Japanese pillboxes? That means..."

Tear gas is most effective in confined spaces. How about we try it when we get to the headquarters of the 772nd Regiment?!" Zhao Gang suggested.

"Damn it, who cares about the size of the space? We're just testing it to see its power. We're not really fighting the Japanese. Stop talking nonsense and try it out!" Li Yunlong urged. He didn't care about anything else; he just wanted to know how this thing worked and how it could be used to attack Japanese pillboxes.

"Political Commissar, what Lao Li said is indeed correct." Chief of Staff Zhong also chimed in, agreeing that Li Yunlong was right.

"Alright then, but let's look around and see if there are any caves or anything like that. That way we can better test its power." Zhao Gang nodded helplessly.

"Don't bother with all that, just give it to me." Li Yunlong was too lazy to waste any more time. It was getting dark soon, so he grabbed the tear gas canisters and quickly ran out of the woods.

Seeing this, several people quickly followed, and many soldiers also went after them.

Li Yunlong stopped, weighed the tear gas canister in his hand, and then, under the watchful eyes of Zhao Gang and the others, threw it out. It flew nearly fifty meters away.

Soon, the tear gas canisters emitted billowing white smoke, enveloping an area of ​​several meters in radius.

"It looks like it doesn't have much power. Can this thing really take down a pillbox?!" Li Yunlong couldn't help but be a little skeptical.

"Old Li, there must be something wrong with this white smoke. We need to test it. We probably won't be able to tell anything from here." Zhao Gang, being a college student, guessed that the secret of the tear gas must lie in the white smoke.

“That makes sense, I’ll give it a try.” Li Yunlong nodded and before Zhao Gang could react, Li Yunlong ran quickly toward the white smoke.

This thing won't kill anyone, which is why Li Yunlong dared to give it a try.

"Old Li!" Zhao Gang exclaimed in surprise and quickly chased after him.

Before Li Yunlong even ran into the white smoke, he smelled a pungent odor that made him cough. He already sensed something was wrong, but he still wanted to test its power.

He stepped into the area of ​​white smoke and immediately coughed several times. His eyes felt like they had been scalded with chili peppers, and tears welled up in them.

She even felt a suffocating sensation in her throat and immediately took more than ten steps back, bumping right into Zhao Gang.

"Old Li, how are you?!" Zhao Gang asked hurriedly upon seeing this, fearing that something might have happened to Li Yunlong.

"It's alright, it's alright. This thing is a bit strong, though. It's very choking. If we threw two or three of these into the Japanese pillboxes, the Japanese soldiers inside wouldn't have gas masks, they would definitely be choked to death!" Li Yunlong coughed twice after saying this and wiped away his tears with his hand.

He finally understood why this thing was said to be able to destroy pillboxes. The thick smoke from tear gas was not the simple, irritating smell that made people uncomfortable just by smelling it, especially since he was using it in an open area.

It would be even more frightening if used in a small space.

"Really?!" Zhao Gang looked at the plume of white smoke, which had already begun to dissipate in the wind.

Upon hearing this, Chief of Staff Zhong and Deputy Regiment Commander Qian immediately became interested and ran over to see what was going on.

They had known Li Yunlong for a long time, but this was the first time they had seen him in such a disheveled state, and tears welled up in their eyes.

Soon, the two of them were also choking and quickly retreated from the area of ​​the white smoke.

"Old Li, you're not exaggerating, this thing is really powerful! Cough cough cough..." Chief of Staff Zhong coughed before he could finish speaking.

"Haha, you two are really stubborn! I told you this thing is amazing, but you didn't believe me!" Li Yunlong couldn't help but laugh when he saw the two of them looking so disheveled.

"That kid Li Jin really came up with something good, impressive!" Deputy Regiment Commander Qian praised.
“Indeed, only Li Jin could come up with such a solution. He even managed to build something like this. Now, the Japanese soldiers guarding the bunker are in deep trouble!” Chief of Staff Zhong said.

He was certain that if this thing were thrown into a Japanese pillbox, the Japanese soldiers inside would not be able to withstand it. They would either be suffocated or die from the suffocation, or they would have no choice but to run out of the pillbox to breathe fresh air.

Because these tear gas canisters almost challenge the physiological limits of the human body, no one can withstand them unless the Japanese soldiers are equipped with gas masks, but gas masks are not something that can be provided casually.

Those were basically only available to Japanese troops who possessed poison gas; ordinary soldiers would never have them.

“Indeed, the Japanese pillboxes are very difficult to attack. Even if they are suppressed by firepower, as long as they hide in the pillboxes, other units will have to pay a greater price to take them out!” Zhao Gang also said.

Even if the Japanese soldiers were few in number, they could still inflict heavy casualties when they hid in the pillboxes. Therefore, many people would be sacrificed when attacking Japanese pillboxes.

The advent of tear gas can solve this problem. Crucially, it's somewhat similar to a hand grenade; even if the Japanese soldiers see it, they won't immediately think of throwing it away, but will instead take cover.

By the time they realized what was happening, they were already enveloped in smoke and couldn't see anything, let alone throw away the tear gas canisters.

"The Japanese have really suffered in this major operation, but why didn't the commander give us any?!" Li Yunlong frowned, feeling a bit resentful. Cheng the Blind had some, so why didn't he?

"Of course! It's obvious that the commander thinks we'll be working with Li Jin. With Li Jin around, would we lack this stuff if we wanted it?!" Zhao Gang explained.

(End of this chapter)