Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 318 So you call yourself Zheng Qianyi?
"Mr. Zheng, this is a letter I wrote to Qian Bojun. Thank you for your help."

Hirata Ichiro, the commander of the Heyuan County city defense and captain of the military police, took a letter from the table and handed it to Zheng Qianyi.

"Don't worry, sir, I will definitely complete the mission," Zheng Qianyi said confidently.

Zheng Qianyi had some understanding of Qian Bojun; he was the kind of person who would follow whoever offered him the most benefits.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have recommended Hirata Ichiro and made him his primary target.

“I know about Zheng Sang’s abilities.” Hirata Ichiro patted Zheng Qianyi on the shoulder.

Since becoming the commander of Heyuan County, Zheng Qianyi has given him a lot of ideas.

"Thank you, sir!"

"If there's nothing else, I'll set off," Zheng Qianyi said.

"Yes, go ahead. I hope Zheng-san will have a successful start." Hirata Ichiro nodded.

"An old friend of mine?"

Qian Bojun was somewhat puzzled after hearing the sentry's report.

The town of Lijia, where I am located, is not a major transportation hub, so it's impossible for me to visit it on my way.

But if they came specifically for this purpose, why didn't they send a letter in advance? What if they came all this way for nothing?
“Check him over and bring him in,” Qian Bojun said.

With two thousand men protecting him, he wasn't afraid even if his enemies came.

As long as the person who comes isn't strapped with explosives, everything will be fine.

"yes!".
A few minutes later, Qian Bojun looked at Zheng Qianyi, who had been brought in by the sentry, and glanced at Battalion Deputy Commander Sun Fugui.

Sun Fugui shook his head, indicating that he didn't know either.

"You can go down now," Qian Bojun waved to the sentry.

This person, whom I clearly do not know, claims to be an old friend.

There's probably something shady going on there.

However, even without weapons, I am not afraid at all.

After the sentry left and closed the door, Qian Bojun asked directly:
"Who are you?"

"Hehe. I have a letter here. Battalion Commander Qian will understand as soon as he sees it."

Zheng Qian smiled and took out a letter from his pocket, handing it to Qian Bojun.

Qian Bojun took it with some doubt, glanced at it twice, then immediately folded it, staring intently at Zheng Qianyi.

But after a moment, Qian Bojun withdrew his gaze from Zheng Qianyi and reopened the letter.
A moment later, Qian Bojun lit the letter with a match and burned it to ashes in the ashtray.

No matter what the outcome, this letter must not be kept.

As the flame in the ashtray gradually died out, Qian Bojun raised his head again.

"So, you're Zheng Qianyi?"

“That’s right, I am now the special envoy of Captain Hirata Ichiro of the Heyuan County Military Police.” Zheng Qian sat very upright.

Now he represents Hirata Ichiro, and he can't lose face in front of Qian Bojun and Sun Fugui.

“Mr. Zheng, let’s be frank. The Japanese want us to turn against them, and that’s not something we can’t consider.”

“But that depends on what price the Japanese are willing to pay,” Sun Fugui said first.

In the current situation, although Italy does not have the upper hand in the Pacific, it still holds the initiative in China.

Moreover, according to Sun Fugui's understanding, even if he became a puppet soldier, the Japanese were ultimately defeated.

But if they switch sides again at a crucial moment, they can return to the Nationalist government.

Chairman Chang has always been tolerant of those who seek to achieve their goals through indirect means.

And who knows, you might even be able to use this back-and-forth jumping to climb even higher.

Even if you can't become a confidant, getting a minor official position is certainly within your reach.

"Please rest assured, Captain Hirata already stated in his letter that your battalion will be counted as a full regiment."

"Battalion Commander Qian will serve as Colonel Regiment Commander, and Deputy Battalion Commander Zhang will serve as Lieutenant Colonel Deputy Regiment Commander."

"After your reorganization, you will be placed under the combat order of the Peace and National Construction Army and under the jurisdiction of the Nanjing government."

"Shouldn't you two be satisfied with this price?" Zheng Qian said with a smile.

Hearing Zheng Qianyi's words, Qian Bojun and Zhang Fugui exchanged a glance.

"Hahahaha." Qian Bojun and Zhang Fugui both laughed.

"Reorganize them into a regiment? Hirata Ichiro is actually giving me face."

“Hirata isn’t stupid, does he think he can treat me like one?” Qian Bojun said with displeasure.

"You should know that the 358th Regiment is a reinforced regiment, consisting of four infantry battalions and one artillery battalion, totaling five thousand men."

"My battalion is the main force of the 358th Regiment, with nearly two thousand men!"

"Why don't you go and find out how many people are in a regiment of the Eighth Route Army?"

"My battalion is worth two regiments of the Eighth Route Army!"

"Don't let my current position as a battalion commander fool you; I'm living the life of a regimental commander."

"Why would I give up a perfectly good life to become some kind of traitorous regimental commander for a mere honorary title?"

Qian Bojun became increasingly angry as he spoke.

The Japanese usually reap great benefits from recruiting traitors.

How come when it came to me, all I got was a letter of appointment and nothing else?

Who the hell would become a traitor? Do they think they're some kind of idiot?

At this time, Japan's decline was already evident. He had previously wanted to use Japanese resources to expand his military force so that he could jump over to the Kuomintang government.

Become a regimental commander? That's practically serving the Japanese!

"The battalion commander is right. Chu Yunfei has treated us very well. Why would we betray our commander if there were no benefits for us?"

If the Japanese want them to turn against them, then they must offer them sufficient benefits.

Otherwise, Zhang Fugui and Qian Bojun would also be patriotic.

“I understand. If the price offered by the Japanese does not meet your requirements, you two will not betray your superior.” “On the contrary, as long as the price offered by the Japanese is right, you two will be willing to reorganize into the Peace and National Reconstruction Army.”

"Can I understand it that way?" Zheng Qianyi asked with a smile.

As long as you're willing to betray us, it's just an official position; there are plenty of those.

"Hehe. Mr. Zheng's understanding is also fine." Qian Bojun sat down with a smile.

We're all sensible people; now it's time to negotiate.

"It's like doing business. We're talking about business, and since it's business, both sides have to make a profit."

"Good! Battalion Commander Qian is indeed a soldier, speaking his mind quickly."

"What are Battalion Commander Qian's conditions? Feel free to mention them," Zheng Qianyi said.

Instigating Qian Bojun to turn against him would also be a way for him to advance his career.

"As far as I know, whether it is the North China Security Army, the Peace and National Construction Army, or the Shanxi Anti-Communist Army."

"A regiment can have anywhere from a thousand to seven or eight hundred soldiers."

"Even a division only has four or five thousand people, and a brigade has only two or three thousand people."

"Mr. Zheng also knows that this is a reinforced battalion. If the brothers under my command don't get something out of them, they won't listen to me."

"If we want to satisfy the brothers, we should at least give them a brigade-level position, if not a division-level one."

Qian Bojun had nearly two thousand men under his command, including artillery and machine gun companies, as well as a large number of infantry companies.

You can't just promote yourself, can you?
What if the people below start running away?
“Okay, I’ll report to Captain Hirata right away.” Zheng Qianyi nodded.

The Japanese still possess a considerable number of weapons captured from them.

Let alone a brigade or a division, it's easy to pull out an army of tens of thousands of people.

As for the soldiers, Qian Bojun and his team can recruit them themselves.

“Wait, I haven’t finished speaking yet,” Qian Bojun said, reaching out his hand.

“Whether it’s a mixed brigade or an infantry division, the Japanese must provide heavy weapons,” Qian Bojun said.

"As far as I know, the Japanese captured quite a few mountain guns during the Battle of Taiyuan. I think they should be able to easily produce the equipment for an artillery battalion, right?"

Artillery is an extremely valuable asset for any army.

If I could have an artillery battalion, my status would rise dramatically.

Why did Chu Yunfei hold such a prominent position in the Jin-Sui Army?

It's all because Chairman Chang assigned us 12 American-made mountain guns.

"Hehe. Battalion Commander Qian is really asking for an exorbitant amount. That's probably impossible." Zheng Qian shook his head.

The Japanese themselves are short of artillery, so why would they give it to Qian Bojun?

“Mountain guns are unlikely, but 82mm mortars are possible,” Zheng Qianyi added.

The 82mm mortar is not compatible with the Japanese mortar caliber, so every shell fired is one less available.

Therefore, it is not currently used in the Japanese army.

"A mortar will do!" Qian Bojun gritted his teeth.

He only had one artillery battery, consisting of four 82mm mortars.

If a battalion could be added, the artillery fire would be quite effective.

“Okay, it’s settled then,” Zheng Qianyi said.

"Captain Hirata has long admired you two, and I believe he will seriously consider your request. I estimate there won't be any major problems."

“Mr. Zheng, please convey to Captain Hirata that this matter is of utmost importance; one wrong move and the whole game will be lost,” Zhang Fugui said.

"The situation in Lijia Town is very complex."

"The Japanese, the Central Army, the Jin-Sui Army, and the Eighth Route Army each have their own intelligence networks; none of them are idle."

"Everyone must be careful and cautious in what they do," Zhang Fugui reminded them.

“Deputy Battalion Commander Zhang is right, and I’m also very worried about this,” Qian Bojun said.

"To the west, the territory under the jurisdiction of Li Yunlong of the Eighth Route Army is about ten miles away from here."

"To the east, Chen Chengxing's New Second Brigade's guerrilla zone is only about twenty miles away."

“Normally we keep to ourselves, but if there’s any trouble, the consequences could be unimaginable,” Qian Bojun said earnestly.

Li Yunlong's Independent Regiment was alright, but Chen Chengxing's New Second Brigade had a notorious reputation.

Once he notices you, you'll be lucky to escape with your life.

The First Battalion is his future asset, and he absolutely cannot afford to lose it.

"Don't worry, officers, Captain Hirata knows what he's doing!"

"Besides, there's still the careless Locust Army behind us," Zheng Qianyi said confidently.

In Shanxi, the Locust Army is the strongest.

Do you think the Eighth Route Army worthy of appearing before me?
"So you're called Zheng Qianyi?"

Wei Dayong lifted the person in front of him up and asked.

"Yes, yes, my name is indeed Zheng Qianyi."

Zheng Qianyi was cursing under his breath.

Who would have thought that as soon as he left Lijia Town, he would be pinned down by a dozen strange Eighth Route Army soldiers?

"Okay, it seems we didn't arrest the wrong person." Wei Dayong nodded.

Now that he knew about Qian Bojun's situation in Lijia Town, Chen Chengxing couldn't just sit idly by.

Chu Yunfei was his brother!
Therefore, Chen Chengxing had already sent people to find out the truth.

As soon as Zheng Qianyi left Heyuan County, Wei Dayong and his men lay in ambush in Lijia Town.

This is the moment I've been waiting for.

(End of this chapter)