Courtyard Houses: Starting with Li Yunlong's Comrades-in-Arms

On the morning of the third day, before dawn, Liu Yuheng got up.

Xiao Sun was already waiting outside the door. He was carrying a canvas backpack containing Liu Yuheng's change of clothes and personal belongings, while his own things were just a small cloth bag.

"Let's go." Liu Yuheng patted Xiao Sun on the shoulder, and the two went out the door.

The jeep drove through the streets of Beijing in the early morning, passing through the still-sleeping hutongs and streets with few pedestrians.

The train station was already bustling in the morning light. Long queues formed at the entrance, with ordinary people carrying luggage, women with children, and cadres in military uniforms huddled together in twos and threes. Liu Yuheng didn't use the regular passage; Xiao Sun showed his ID to the staff, and the two entered the platform through a side door.

At 9:25, the sound of a train whistle could be heard in the distance.

The sound grew louder as it approached from afar, echoing across the platform.

A black military train approached from a distance, its locomotives billowing white steam, the wheels rumbling over the rails.

The military train slowly came to a stop.

The carriage door was pushed open from the inside, and three officers in military uniforms jumped off the train.

The three people quickened their pace when they saw Liu Yuheng standing on the platform.

Liu Yuheng also went to greet them. The four of them stood face to face, glanced at each other, and then smiled at the same time.

"Old Liu!"

"Old Li! Old Wu! Old Zheng!"

The four men saluted each other, then Old Li grabbed Liu Yuheng's hand, shook it vigorously, looked him up and down, and exclaimed, "It's been over a year since I last saw you, you've gotten so fat! Being a high-ranking official in the capital, you must be eating and drinking well, getting all plump and healthy!"

Liu Yuheng laughed and punched his chest: "Fat? What do you mean fat? I'm strong! Look at me, all muscle!"

Old Wu leaned over to take a look, touched his chin, and said, "He seems to have gained a little weight; his face is rounder."

Liu Yuheng wasn't angry at their teasing, and just waved his hand with a smile: "Alright, alright, stop making fun of me. It's been over a year since we last met, don't you miss me? The first thing you do when we meet is to make fun of me, are you even comrades-in-arms?"

Several people burst into laughter. The laughter echoed on the platform, drawing the attention of several people who turned to look.

After laughing, Liu Yuheng stopped laughing, looked at Lao Li, and said in a serious tone, "Lao Li, tell me about the situation in the army first."

Old Li took a brown paper envelope out of his uniform pocket, pulled out a document, and handed it to Liu Yuheng: "Old Liu, the military appointment has been officially issued."

Liu Yuheng took the document and glanced at it. 45th Army, Commander Liu Yuheng, Political Commissar Li Huaiyuan, Deputy Commander Wu Dazhuang, Chief of Staff Zheng Mingyuan.

"Great." Liu Yuheng handed the documents back to Lao Li, a slight smile playing on his lips. His gaze swept over Lao Li, Lao Wu, and Lao Zheng. "We can fight side by side again."

"Old Li, how's the equipment in the army? Give me a straight answer."

Old Li's expression changed, as if he had made a great decision, and he spoke.

"Commander, you'd better be prepared."

Liu Yuheng remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

"The troops came north this time with minimal equipment. They brought mortars and mountain guns, and there were enough of them. Each division was equipped with a mountain artillery battalion, and the company and platoon levels were also fully equipped with mortars."

He paused, his voice lowering slightly: "But those two American howitzer regiments... were all transferred to other units. Not a single cannon was brought over."

Liu Yuheng remained silent for a few seconds, then slowly nodded, his expression remaining largely unchanged.

"I had already thought of that."

He took a cigarette out of his pocket, lit it, took a drag, and slowly exhaled the smoke.

"That stuff has to be transported by road. Once you cross the border, it's all mountainous terrain with few roads and many mountain trails, so heavy artillery simply can't be hauled up there. If the tractor can't get through, the shells can't be transported, and once they get there, they're just a pile of scrap metal."

He paused, took another drag of his cigarette, and said, "Besides, we don't have air superiority yet. The enemy planes aren't to be trifled with; those things are huge targets, so pulling them up would make us sitting ducks. Before we even fire, the enemy planes will be here first. At that point, we won't be able to fight anyone else, and we'll be the ones who get caught."

"So handing it over to other units is the right thing to do. Besides, we can still capture more on the battlefield, right?"

Old Li was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"Good! Just because you said that, I'm relieved! The commander is still the same commander, nothing has changed!"

Liu Yuheng steadied himself, stubbed out his cigarette on a pillar on the platform, smiled, but quickly put it away. He put his hands in his pockets, straightened up, and said to the group, "Let's leave the equipment aside for now. I have something else to tell you."

He waved to Xiao Sun.

"Go and have someone move the things over here," Liu Yuheng said.

Xiao Sun responded and turned to run towards the platform entrance. A moment later, a group of soldiers in neat uniforms, about twenty in number, jogged over. Leading them was a young platoon leader who stood at attention and saluted Liu Yuheng: "Reporting, Commander Liu! The 3rd Platoon of the 2nd Company of the Garrison Command's Guard Battalion has been ordered to deliver supplies. Please give instructions!"

Liu Yuheng returned the greeting and said, "Move all your things over here."

"Yes, sir!" The platoon leader turned and waved his hand. "Comrades, follow me!"

The soldiers of the garrison moved swiftly, working in pairs, some pushing carts, some carrying sacks, and some carrying cardboard boxes, transporting supplies from the platform entrance in an orderly manner.

Old Li, Old Wu, Old Zheng, and several others gathered around. Old Li reached out and lifted a corner of a burlap sack, revealing a dark green cotton coat inside.

"This..." Old Li's eyes lit up immediately. "Commander, where did this come from?"

"It was transferred from the garrison area."

"Great stuff! This cotton coat is much thicker than the ones we're issued. With the fur collar and the inside, it'll definitely keep you warm."

"Old Wu, go and get someone to load it onto the train." Liu Yuheng waved to Old Wu.

Without a word, Old Wu turned and ran towards the carriage: "Third Battalion! Everyone get down! Move the stuff! Hurry up!"

A commotion broke out in the carriage as the soldiers jumped off and, under Old Wu's direction, lined up to begin unloading the cotton-padded coats. The platform suddenly became lively as the soldiers carried the coats onto the train one by one, like passing bricks.

Old Li stood next to Liu Yuheng, but his brows were slightly furrowed.

"Commander, I have a question for you, please don't be angry."

"explain."

Old Li rubbed the cotton coat in his hands, carefully choosing his words: "You...didn't do anything wrong, did you?"

Liu Yuheng was stunned for a moment.

Seeing that he didn't immediately refute, Old Li quickly added, "I'm not just guessing. I was just thinking back to those days in Northwest Shanxi, when that blockhead Li Yunlong was assigned by the old brigade commander to be the factory director of a clothing factory. He managed to produce two hundred sets of military uniforms in just two months. You've been the commander of the garrison for over a year, don't end up doing the same thing..."

"Alright, alright, alright!" Liu Yuheng waved his hand.

He looked at Old Li's serious face, feeling both annoyed and amused: "You're comparing me to Li Yunlong?"

Old Li chuckled twice.

"How can I be compared to that idiot?"

"Let me tell you, I reported this batch of cotton-padded clothes to the Central Military Commission a long time ago. Right now, all supplies are being prioritized for troops going abroad. This is the general policy, and it applies to everyone."

"I've requested the garrison to send a batch of supplies to support the front lines. This is an act of revolutionary camaraderie, a show of support from the garrison for our brother units about to join the war. It's perfectly legitimate and aboveboard; I'm not afraid of anything, not even the Emperor himself!"

Hearing this, Old Li's worry completely disappeared. He chuckled twice and patted Liu Yuheng on the shoulder: "Alright, alright, I was too nosy. You're aboveboard, Li Yunlong is sneaky. You're much more sophisticated than him."

"What do you mean 'much more advanced'? Can't you even speak properly!"

"Hurry up and have someone move your things away, don't let them get in my way."

The supplies were quickly loaded onto the trucks. The soldiers reloaded, leaving only Liu Yuheng, Xiao Sun, and a few officers conducting the final inspection on the platform.

Old Li stood at the carriage door and waved to Liu Yuheng: "Commander, get on the train! We're departing!"

Liu Yuheng glanced at his watch; it was almost 10:30. He took out the pack of cigarettes from his pocket, lit one, took the last puff, then stubbed it out on a pillar on the platform and threw the cigarette butt into the trash can.

"Let's go!" Liu Yuheng said.

The train carriage was already full of soldiers. They were wearing brand-new military uniforms, cotton caps, and backpacks, with rifles on their knees, their faces displaying a youthful vigor and tension. They didn't know what awaited them ahead, but their eyes held no fear, only a eager gleam.

Liu Yuheng walked through the middle of the carriage, and the soldiers automatically made way for him. Someone shouted, "Greetings, Commander!" and then more people joined in, their voices echoing throughout the carriage.

"Greetings, Commander!"

"Greetings, Commander!"

Liu Yuheng nodded as he walked, occasionally patting a soldier on the shoulder and saying, "Do a good job." He walked to the end of the carriage and sat down in the innermost seat. Xiao Sun sat next to him, placing his pack on the overhead luggage rack.

Outside the window, the platform bell rang.