Liang Jian: Commander, save some for me

"Then let's do it the day after tomorrow. Let a small number of veterans lead the new recruits and let as many of them as possible fight. Our target will be the Japanese checkpoints and bunkers." Li Jin said after thinking for a while.

Now that there are not so many bandits for them to train, they have to include killing the Japanese in the training goals.

Compared with most soldiers who went to the battlefield to fight the Japanese without any training, the new recruits of their special operations battalion had undergone several months of systematic training.

A woman's softness is not enough to manage so many soldiers, so Li Jin had to be ruthless and train his soldiers in this way.

"Well, then let's do as you say." Xu Qingfeng nodded in agreement.

The purpose of military training is to prevent soldiers from being too nervous during battle so that they can exert their due combat effectiveness.

"Old Xu, come with me to visit the graves." Li Jin stood up, went back into the house, and took out a wine glass and a few bottles of wine.

"Let's go." Li Jin said, and took Xu Qingfeng to the hill where the sacrificed soldiers were buried.

Soon, the two had reached the halfway point of the mountain. Looking around, there were dozens of earthen graves covered with white snow.

Each tombstone is engraved with their names and their achievements during their lifetime.

There is a pile of ashes in front of the tombstone, which is left after the paper money was burned.

"These soldiers are all around sixteen or seventeen years old. What a pity!" Li Jin sighed as he glanced at the graves.

At the prime of his life, he had to join the army because of the Japanese invasion and fight against the Japanese, and eventually died in the battle.

"Well, that's why we must be more determined in our beliefs and drive the Japanese out!" Xu Qingfeng nodded.

Li Jin squatted down in front of the first earth grave. He took out the wine glass and wine and poured three glasses of wine in front of the tombstone.

He took out some incense, lit it, and gave three sticks to Xu Qingfeng. The two of them bowed three times towards the grave.

"I hope your spirits in heaven can bless us to kill more Japanese invaders and have fewer comrades die." Li Jin murmured and lit the incense.

"You guys watch from the sky, we will take your share and kill more Japs!" Xu Qingfeng said with a serious face after lighting the incense.

They then burned incense and offered sacrifices to the remaining earth graves one after another. By the time they finished all this, it was already dark.

Li Jin and Xu Qingfeng then went down the mountain and left. As they left, a strong wind blew on the mountain, as if in response.

.........

At the headquarters of the new regiment, people from every family were pasting Spring Festival couplets with smiles on their faces, and children were running around happily. Some of them accidentally fell down, but they did not cry or make a fuss. They just laughed a few times, got up again, and continued to chase their friends.

Li Yunlong was also putting up Spring Festival couplets with Zhao Gang.

"Old Zhao, you really are a cultured person. Your handwriting is really beautiful." Li Yunlong praised repeatedly.

"Don't be ridiculous. If you put more effort into practicing calligraphy, your handwriting wouldn't be so ugly." Zhao Gang replied, "Move a little to the right. It seems a little crooked."

"Okay." It was rare for Li Yunlong to be so obedient. After all, it was New Year's Day and it was not suitable for quarreling.

After a busy work, the Spring Festival couplets were all pasted.

.........

At the brigade headquarters, the chief's residence, the chief and the political commissar were working together to put up Spring Festival couplets. The couplets were written by the chief himself, with strokes that were graceful and elegant.

"Commander, your handwriting is really good. If it were in ancient times, you would at least be a great calligrapher." The political commissar looked at the Spring Festival couplets that had been posted and couldn't help but praise.

"With my level of skill, I can't be called a master of calligraphy. If we talk about calligraphy, the commander-in-chief is the real master." The leader responded with a smile.

Although his handwriting is not bad, it depends on who you compare it with. If you compare it with Li Yunlong, he is far better than Li Yunlong. But if you compare it with the commander-in-chief, his level is not comparable at all.

"Of course, the commander's handwriting is indeed beautiful. By the way, I found his discarded manuscript in the trash can in the commander's room. I have to pass it down as a family heirloom." The political commissar said. He was not joking. The discarded manuscript he found was a poem written by the commander.

"Hey, kid, you are really cunning." The leader couldn't help laughing when he heard that.

"Commander, I remember you have several calligraphy and paintings of the commander-in-chief. Why don't you sell them to me?" The political commissar took notice of the calligraphy and paintings in the commander's hand.

"You wish!" The chief refused decisively. This was something he had requested from the commander-in-chief, and he would not complain no matter how much money he got.

"Come to think of it, tomorrow is New Year's Day, so what?" The political commissar changed the subject.

"What do you mean?!" The leader didn't understand for a moment.

"As for Li Jin being the head of the regiment, I think it's almost time to give them the letter of appointment," the political commissar reminded.

"Yes, yes, yes, I almost forgot. Let someone deliver the letter of appointment to Li Jin and Xu Qingfeng tomorrow." The chief then remembered that he had agreed to promote Li Jin's special operations battalion to the head of the regiment during the Chinese New Year.

"Come to think of it, it seems that no one in our brigade has ever been to Li Jin's base." The political commissar fell into deep thought when he said this.

Although they knew the location of the special operations battalion's base, they had not sent anyone there yet.

"This is easy. Just let Li Yunlong send someone to go over with the people from the brigade headquarters." The leader made the decision.

"Has Li Yunlong been to their base? It seems not." The political commissar replied.

"Ah?! Li Yunlong hasn't been there either?!" After hearing this, the leader was stunned for a moment. He thought Li Yunlong should have been there.

"It seems not. Li Yunlong hasn't been there since the special operations battalion's base moved to the mountains. The last time they cooperated and caused more than 20,000 casualties to the Japanese, Li Yunlong didn't seem to have gone to the base where Li Jin was." The political commissar explained.

"Then it's a good opportunity to let Li Yunlong go. They will have to cooperate to attack the Japanese airport later. So let Li Yunlong go to Li Jin's place in advance to take a look." said the leader.

"That's perfect." The political commissar nodded.

"I suddenly realized that I trusted Li Jin too much, so much so that I didn't even send anyone to him to find out the situation." The chief couldn't help but sigh.

If it were any other troop, after changing their base the day before, he would have to send someone over the next day to check out the situation, to avoid being unable to contact them in the first place if something happened.

The only thing that made him feel relieved was Li Jin, because he didn't think anything would happen to Li Jin, so he subconsciously ignored it.

"Doesn't this just prove that Li Jin is capable and makes us feel at ease!" the political commissar said with a smile.

"Well, it would be nice if there were more people like Li Jin who are so easy to worry about." The leader also laughed.

"That might be difficult to find." The political commissar felt that it was almost impossible to find someone like Li Jin.

Li Jin is good at fighting, training soldiers, and developing new weapons. Except for not being able to have children, he is almost omnipotent. It is impossible to find another one.

"Li Jin is probably also putting up Spring Festival couplets right now," the chief said. "He may have already put them up," the political commissar responded, "Since the chief is the one delivering the letter of appointment, why don't I go over there and do it myself?"

"How can this be possible? It's too dangerous!" The leader refused decisively upon hearing this.

"Commander, I mainly want to see what's going on over at Li Jin's place. I've basically listened to Li Jin's reports but never seen it with my own eyes. I also want to see what the situation is at Li Jin's arsenal." The political commissar explained.

What they knew was basically what they heard from Li Jin, but they had never seen it with their own eyes or even sent anyone to find out.

"Okay then, I'll send another platoon of soldiers to protect you." The leader hesitated for a moment, felt that what the political commissar said made sense, and then he agreed.

But we need to bring a few more soldiers. The soldiers in the brigade are all experienced in battles, and their combat effectiveness is only slightly weaker than that of the original special operations company.

A platoon of soldiers, with good coordination, can wipe out a squadron of Japanese invaders. With them around, the political commissar's safety is also guaranteed.

"Commander, that's not necessary. Just send me a squad of soldiers. Besides, Li Yunlong has a team of soldiers from the Gray Wolf Squad. They are very powerful. With them around, my safety will not be a problem!" The political commissar decisively refused and mentioned the Gray Wolf Squad trained by Li Yunlong.

This Grey Wolf Squad is also battle-hardened and very strong. Although there are only fifty or sixty people, their combat effectiveness is no worse than that of the soldiers of the brigade.

So, in this situation, he didn't need the leader to send so many people to protect him. On the contrary, he was more worried about the leader's safety.

"Yeah." The leader thought about it and finally nodded in agreement.

.........

At twelve o'clock in the morning, firecrackers were set off in the residences of each company.

The sound of firecrackers popped, smoke filled the air, and the soldiers were watching the firecrackers explode.

Li Jin sent a New Year's greeting telegram to the leader in the communications room, and then sent another one to Li Yunlong!
Not long after the message was sent, the leader sent a reply telegram, which first contained a few words of blessing, and then told Li Jin that he would send someone here the day after tomorrow to give him a surprise.

"Surprise?! What other surprise could there be? Could it be my letter of appointment as the regiment leader?!" Li Jin immediately guessed what the surprise the leader was talking about. Apart from this, he couldn't think of anything else.

It's impossible for the leader to send someone to bring his parents here. This process is too risky. If something happens, the surprise will turn into a shock. So, this is unlikely to be the case. The only option is the letter of appointment.

After Li Jin replied that he had received it, he received a telegram of congratulations from Li Yunlong.
"What's going on?" Xu Qingfeng walked in at this time.

"The chief said he wanted to give me a surprise. I guess it's about the letter of appointment." Li Jin replied.

"So soon?!" Xu Qingfeng was stunned when he heard this. He thought they would talk about it after the New Year.

"Old Xu, it's almost time for you to change your words now." Li Jin said with a smile.

"Hello, Captain!" Xu Qingfeng saluted Li Jin cooperatively.

"Hello, Political Commissar!" Li Jin also stood up and saluted Xu Qingfeng, and both of them couldn't help laughing.

"I never thought that two years later, we would be promoted to this position in the blink of an eye. It's really fast." Li Jin put down his hands, feeling a little emotional. Two years ago, he was just a platoon leader, and now he is about to become a regiment commander.

"Yes, it's been two years, and my previous experiences are still vivid in my mind." Xu Qingfeng also felt a little emotional. They also had a difficult time back then.

The soldiers had a hard life, with insufficient food and clothing, until Li Jin led them to fight the landlords and seized guns and ammunition, and only then did they begin to develop.

"Let's not talk about this anymore. Let's go out and set off some firecrackers." Li Jin stood up and left the meeting room. After they returned to their residence, they started lighting firecrackers.

After setting off the firecrackers, Li Jin and Xu Qingfeng went to check the post. There couldn't be any mistakes in this position.

.........

In the early morning, the temperature was still a little low, and the cold wind was like a sharp blade, scratching my face and causing pain. The ground was covered with red firecracker paper, and it was not time to clean it up yet.

The soldiers wanted to sleep in today because they didn't have to train, but they were woken up one by one by the squad leader.

"Hurry up and get up. Don't sleep in on the first day of the new year!"

"Squad leader, let me sleep for two more minutes."

"Stop talking nonsense and get up!" The squad leader directly pulled their quilts away, and the cold wind blew on them, making them feel refreshed instantly.

They had no choice but to get up and wash. This situation reminded them that in the past, their parents also did not allow them to sleep in on the first day of the New Year.

Li Yunlong got up very early today. Just as he got dressed, he received a phone call from the table next to him.

"Hello, Commander, Happy New Year!" Li Yunlong quickly answered the call. He knew who was calling without having to guess.

"You woke up so early." The chief's voice came from the phone.

"I won't sleep in on the first day of the new year." Li Yunlong responded with a smile.

"Commander, why did you call me to wish me a happy new year? If anyone should wish, it should be me who wishes you a happy new year." Li Yunlong was half joking.

"Damn it, who is wishing you a happy new year? I'm calling you because I have something to tell you!" The leader was so angry.

"So that's how it is. That's what I said, Chief. Just tell me if you have anything to say. I promise to complete the task." Li Yunlong stood up straight and said.

He knew that when the leader called him, it was definitely not to wish him a happy new year or to assign him some task, or he called him on the first day of the new year.

"The political commissar will go to Li Jin's place tomorrow and will arrive at the New 1st Regiment. You will lead the Gray Wolf Squad to protect the political commissar. Do you understand?" The chief explained the situation.

"Yes!" Li Yunlong responded seriously.

"Listen to me, protect the political commissar, otherwise... you know the consequences!" The leader said slowly, his tone carrying a hint of murderous intent, which made Li Yunlong on the other end of the phone shudder.

"Don't worry, Chief! I will definitely protect the political commissar!" Li Yunlong was so scared that his scalp went numb. He quickly made the promise, fearing that the chief would come through the phone line and beat him.

"Well, Happy New Year." The leader said this and then hung up the phone. No matter what, you can't curse on the first day of the new year.

Li Yunlong heaved a sigh of relief and put down the phone. Wait a minute, did the leader just wish him a Happy New Year?

"Haha, now I can brag to Kong Erlangzi again." Li Yunlong laughed.

"Old Li, Happy New Year!" Zhao Gang's voice came from outside, and he soon walked in. Chief of Staff Zhong and Deputy Commander Qian also came over.

"Happy New Year, Lao Li." Chief of Staff Zhong and Deputy Regiment Commander Qian also wished a happy new year.

"Happy New Year, everyone." Li Yunlong responded with a smile and a fist.

(End of this chapter)