The Courtyard House: The Little Red Devil Returning from the Peninsula

The banner of the Baima Railway Brigade was hung in the cave dwelling on the third day.

Zhao Weiguo was actually prepared for Li Yunlong's arrival.

Old Zhao returned and said that according to recent news, Li Yunlong couldn't sit still in the New First Regiment and wanted to make a trip to Baimaling. Zhao Weiguo nodded upon hearing this and didn't ask any further questions.

But he didn't expect Li Yunlong to arrive so early.

As the sound of horses' hooves thundered down the mountain path, Zhao Weiguo squatted at the entrance of the regimental headquarters, cleaning his rifle. The rifle had been disassembled, its parts laid out in a row on a cloth. Without looking up, he listened intently first.

Several horses. Running fast and closely together.

"Zhao Weiguo!"

The sound boomed from the mountain road, rough and wild.

"Zhao Weiguo, you think you're so tough, huh? The White Horse Iron Brigade? You've raised your flag and you're not even going to invite me for a drink?"

Zhao Weiguo reloaded the gun barrel, stood up, and dusted off his knees.

Li Yunlong rode a black horse, followed by Zhang Dabiao and two guards. Before the horse had even come to a complete stop, he jumped off, his boots crunching on the gravel.

He strode into the courtyard, not looking at Zhao Weiguo, but first looking up at the entrance of the regimental headquarters cave dwelling.

A corner of the White Horse Iron Brigade's flag peeked out from under the door.

Li Yunlong stared at the flag for several seconds.

He took two steps forward, stood at the doorway, stared at the flag, and said nothing.

Zhao Weiguo stood behind him without saying a word.

"Oh shit."

Li Yunlong cursed, but his voice wasn't loud.

Zhao Weiguo waited.

Li Yunlong looked at him for a few more seconds, then turned around and sized Zhao Weiguo up and down.

"You've lost weight."

Zhao Weiguo didn't respond to that. He looked down at his wrist, then raised it again.

"The same to you."

Li Yunlong waved his hand: "Don't be so polite with me. Come on, let's go inside."

He took two steps inside, just as Zhao Gang came out of the cave dwelling. Zhao Gang saw Li Yunlong and smiled.

"Commander Li has arrived."

"Um."

Li Yunlong nodded to him, but didn't stop walking. When he lifted the curtain of the cave dwelling, his finger paused on the curtain for a moment, glancing in the direction of the hanging flag.

He reached out and touched the corner of the flag.

The red velvet slipped down his fingers.

He pursed his lips, said nothing, and went into the cave.

Li Yunlong stood in the cave dwelling, staring at that wall for a long time.

The flag of the White Horse Iron Brigade is in the middle, with Yamada's sword on the left and the list of the fallen on the right.

He first drew the knife, weighed it in his hand, glanced at the blade in the light, and then put it back in.

Then he looked at the list. He read through the names, row after row.

"Those who were meant to leave have already left here."

He said his voice was low, as if he were talking to the list, not to Zhao Weiguo.

Zhao Weiguo stood two steps behind him and didn't respond to that sentence.

Li Yunlong turned around and glanced around the cave dwelling. Then he sat down on a stool, which creaked as it did so.

He leaned back on the table, placing both hands on the edge.

"Okay, I'm sitting down. Do you know I ask for something as soon as I sit down?"

Zhao Weiguo walked to the other side of the table, sat down, and moved the teacup on the table closer to himself.

"Know."

So, are you going to give it to me or not?

"It depends on what you want."

Li Yunlong slapped his thigh.

"Artillery shells. Mortar shells produced by your arsenal."

Zhao Weiguo picked up his teacup and took a sip of water.

Li Yunlong glared at him and said, "What are you hiding? Zhao Tieshan is with you, you definitely have reloaded artillery shells. The New First Regiment doesn't even dare to fire its mortars freely now, every shell fired is one less available. In the battle of Baimagou, the sound of your artillery could be heard throughout the entire valley."

"Twenty-three shots," Zhao Weiguo said.

"Three shots go unanswered, twenty shots are effective."

"Listen to this. You can fire twenty-three shots."

Li Yunlong leaned forward and tapped his finger on the table.

"Give me a hundred rounds, I don't need any more."

Zhao Weiguo shook his head.

"Not a hundred."

"eighty."

"No, not either."

Li Yunlong's eyebrows shot up.

Sixty. No less than that.

Zhao Weiguo didn't answer immediately. He picked up a gun-cleaning cloth from the table, wiped the oil off his fingers, rubbed them a couple of times, and then tossed the cloth back onto the table.

"The arsenal can now reload two hundred mortars a month. The independent regiment's two mortar squads, with a month's training and combat consumption, have a base stock of forty to fifty mortars. And we still need to maintain a reserve."

Li Yunlong stared at him, his fingers remaining motionless on the table.

"Are you telling me you don't?"

"I'm talking to you about the accounts."

Li Yunlong was silent for a few seconds, then leaned back in his chair, which creaked again.

"Then give me a number."

"sixty."

Zhao Weiguo said.

Li Yunlong paused for a moment, then smiled.

"You little rascal. Weren't you just making excuses a moment ago?"

"I said 100 is not an option. 60 is acceptable."

Li Yunlong smiled and pointed at him.

"Slippery."

Zhang Dabiao stood at the door, chuckled, then quickly stifled it. Li Yunlong turned and glared at him, then looked at Zhao Weiguo and said:

"But there's one more condition."

Zhao Weiguo looked at him.

"Lend me Zhao Tieshan for three days."

"What are you doing?"

"The new regiment is going to build an armory."

Li Yunlong said, "I don't even have a decent repair team right now. When the guns break, they're just lying around. Lend me Zhao Tieshan for three days so he can help me set up the gun rack and teach a few people how to repair the barrels and how to align the rifling."

Zhao Weiguo thought for a moment.

"Three days is fine. But there's a condition."

Li Yunlong's eyes widened: "You still have conditions?"

"You must assign him a bodyguard. Zhao Tieshan cannot be allowed to get into trouble. He is the Independent Regiment's treasure, and the entire 386th Brigade's treasure."

Upon hearing this, Li Yunlong's expression changed for a moment, but he quickly reverted to his usual roguish demeanor.

"Fine, I'll personally act as the guard, okay?"

"besides."

Li Yunlong glared at him: "Isn't this over yet?"

"After the repair shop was set up, guns that the new regiment couldn't repair were sent to Baimaling."

Zhao Weiguo said, "Don't let the guns rot in the warehouse."

Li Yunlong glanced at him.

Then he slammed his hand on the table.

"Good. I like someone like you who's neither stingy nor wasteful."

He stood up, walked to the entrance of the cave dwelling, and looked back at the flag once more.

"Thirty-eight. The accounts are balanced."

As Zhao Weiguo squatted in the yard reloading his gun, Li Yunlong came out and leaned against the doorframe, watching him.

"You apply this stuff every morning?"

Li Yunlong asked, taking out a cigarette from his pocket and putting it in his mouth.

"Um."

"How many years have you been wiping it?"

"From the day I went to the battlefield."

Li Yunlong lit a cigarette, took a puff, and exhaled smoke from his nose.

"No wonder you're such a good shot."

He didn't leave; he stood by the doorframe smoking. After taking two puffs, he took the cigarette down and flicked off the ash.

"How is Lao Kong?" Zhao Weiguo asked.

Li Yunlong looked at the distant mountains and remained silent for a while.

"His injuries are almost healed. He's recuperating in the New Third Regiment. He's always thinking about the Independent Regiment. He doesn't say it, but I can tell he's upset. It's the regiment he led, and now they have a new commander; he can't get over it."

Zhao Weiguo is tightening the bolt on the gun.

Li Yunlong flicked his cigarette ash, which was then scattered by the wind.

"Go visit him when you have time."

Li Yunlong said, his voice a little lower than before, "You don't need to bring anything, just show up. He'll know you haven't forgotten him."

Zhao Weiguo loaded the gun and pulled the bolt to test it.

"I'll go."

Li Yunlong glanced at the gun in his hand and took another drag of his cigarette.

"That's fine then."

He threw the cigarette butt on the ground, stomped it out, and ground his boot over the broken cigarette butt.

"I'll send someone to collect the shells in three days."

"I can't forget it."

Li Yunlong mounted his horse and glanced at Zhao Weiguo from the horse. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then didn't say anything.

He smiled briefly, then pulled on the reins, and the black horse galloped down the mountain path.

The sound of horses' hooves faded into the distance on the mountain road, and disappeared around a bend.

Zhao Weiguo stood at the door for a while, then looked down at the gun in his hand.

He slung the gun over his shoulder and turned back to the cave dwelling.

The next day, just as dawn broke, the fog on Baimaling had not yet dissipated.

Zhao Weiguo had just gotten up and was washing up, his mouth full of toothpaste. A sentry ran over and said someone was looking for him.

"who?"

"Commander Ding of the New Second Regiment."

Zhao Weiguo was stunned for a moment, then quickly rinsed his mouth, wiped his face with his sleeve, and walked out.

Ding Wei stood at the door, wearing a gray cloth jacket and leading a gray mule.

The mule was carrying a cloth bag on its back; it was unclear what was inside.

He stood in the fog, looking less like a regimental commander and more like a farmer visiting a market.

As Zhao Weiguo walked out, Ding Wei glanced at him.

"Haven't eaten yet?"

"No."

"I didn't eat either."

Ding Wei handed the mule reins to a sentry and dusted off his hands.

"That's perfect. Let's eat together."

The two men sat down on a rock opposite the regimental headquarters, each holding a bowl of porridge and half a cornbread in their hands.

Ding Wei took a sip of porridge but didn't speak immediately. He chewed on his cornbread, his eyes fixed on the distant mountains shrouded in mist, and smacked his lips.

"Your porridge is thick."

"Zhao Gang gave the order that everyone must drink thick soup in the morning."

Zhao Weiguo took a bite of his cornbread. "They say a day's work isn't enough to last until noon with thin porridge."

Ding Wei nodded.

After drinking two more mouthfuls of porridge, Ding Wei put the bowl down, took out a cigarette from his pocket, and put it in his mouth without lighting it.

"How much did Li Yunlong take yesterday?"

"Sixty shells, one mechanic."

Ding Wei nodded, took the cigarette from his mouth, and twirled it between his fingers twice.

"I'm not here to compete with him."

Zhao Weiguo waited for him to continue.

"I want a radio."

Zhao Weiguo paused for a moment while drinking his porridge.

"One unit."

Ding Wei said, "You guys used radio to fight that battle at Zhao Jia Yu. I heard it from Erdaogou."

When he said "I heard it," he meant radio interception. Zhao Weiguo didn't ask.

"Borrow or take?"

"Borrow. For one month."

Ding Wei said, "I'll learn how to use it myself. I'll return it to you when I'm done."

Zhao Weiguo didn't reply immediately. He finished the last mouthful of porridge and placed the bowl on his lap.

"I won't lend it for nothing."

Ding Wei said, "A month from now, you'll be able to send a message here, and someone on my end will be able to respond. When the three regiments are fighting in coordination, we can't keep relying on messengers running around on foot."

Zhao Weiguo glanced at him.

"Don't you want the shells?"

"We need the shells too. Forty rounds will be enough; we won't fight him for them."

"So what you really want is radio."

Ding Wei did not deny it.

"The shells are used up today, but once you learn radio, you can use it forever. I'll still keep track of this."

Zhao Weiguo squatted on the rock, holding the empty bowl and turning it around twice, without saying a word.

Finally he said:

"You can borrow the radio for a month. After you learn how to use it, write down your experience in writing, and each regiment will receive a copy."

Ding Wei remained silent.

"Frequency unification. From now on, the radios of the three regiments will share the same frequency."

Ding Wei's eyes lit up when he heard this.

"You're already thinking about this."

"I am the commander."

Zhao Weiguo said, "We can't just focus on our own little plot of land."

Ding Wei took the cigarette out of his hand, put it back in his pocket, stood up, and dusted off his pants.

"Li Yunlong is right."

"What did you say?"

He said you don't care who benefits or who suffers. What you care about is whether the bullets hit the Japanese soldiers.

Zhao Weiguo didn't respond to that. He took the bowl the sentry offered and stood up.

"Come here for a moment."

The two sat down in the cave dwelling, and Zhao Weiguo explained the radio's battery and charging method to Ding Wei. Ding Wei listened carefully and asked detailed questions.

After finishing his conversation, Ding Wei went to check out the arsenal.

Zhao Weiguo led him to the workshop converted from the blacksmith's shop, where Zhao Tieshan was working at his workstation, leaning on his cane. When he saw the regimental commander arrive, he put down his work.

Ding Wei walked around the workshop, carefully examining the reassembly line, the shell assembly table, and the several semi-finished gun barrels on the shelf.

He pointed to the unfinished product and asked, "Did you rifling it yourself?"

Zhao Tieshan responded.

What kind of knife did you use?

Zhao Tieshan suggested a method using modified secondhand blades. Ding Wei listened in silence for a moment, then said:

"Where did you find this Zhao Tieshan?"

Zhao Weiguo said two words: "Found it."

Ding Wei smiled.

Before leaving, Ding Wei pulled Zhao Weiguo aside. The fog had mostly dissipated, revealing the ridgeline.

"Did Li Yunlong tell you about Lao Kong's matter?"

"I said so."

"Go see him. He was shot in the leg; the wound has healed, but he's left with a slight limp. He doesn't want us to talk about it."

"I'll go tomorrow."

Ding Wei nodded.

"Bring Lao Zhou along."

Zhao Weiguo looked at him.

"Old Zhou's presence is more useful than him sitting there alone thinking about the old regimental commander."

Ding Wei said, "The Iron Quadrangle can't function without any one of them. Li Yunlong is a troublemaker, I'm good at strategizing, and Lao Kong is loyal. You have to keep these guys together."

Zhao Weiguo didn't speak, but glanced at the distant mountains.

Ding Wei climbed onto the mule and patted its neck.

The gray mule walked slowly, its hooves making a clattering sound on the stone pavement.

Zhao Gang came out of the cave dwelling with a notebook in his hand and stood next to Zhao Weiguo.

"Two lists. Li Yunlong has sixty rounds plus a mentor; Ding Wei has forty rounds plus a radio."

"A total of one hundred shots," Zhao Weiguo said.

Zhao Gang tucked the notebook under his armpit.

"Now the three groups are connected."

Zhao Weiguo did not respond.

He sat on the steps by the door, picked up the gun, pulled the bolt, and cocked it.

Zhao Gang sat down next to him and placed the notebook in his hand on his knee.

"Shall we go see Kong Jie tomorrow?"

"Um."

"Who should I bring?"

"Old Zhou. Two guards."

Zhao Gang thought about it.

"Bring Lao Zhou along."

Zhao Weiguo rested the gun on his shoulder.

"A promise made must be kept."

Zhao Gang didn't say anything more.

The two of them sat on the steps, watching the mist on the mountain path disperse and gather again.

The sun rose from behind the mountain ridge and shone on the curtain at the entrance of the cave dwelling.

A corner of the White Horse Iron Brigade's flag peeked out from under the curtain.

There was no wind. The flag drooped, motionless.