A courtyard house; Li Yunlong, a subordinate of the deputy director of Harbin Military Engineering I

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye, and Brigade Commander Chen's health deteriorated further, especially his leg ailment, which remained untreated.

Every time Zhang Renfeng saw the old brigade commander come out of the house, his left hand would unconsciously press on his right knee, and his leg would drag as he walked, like he was plowing a field.

He knew in his heart that the old man had been stubbornly holding on in Vietnam, but when he returned to Beiping to report, he stood and spoke for a long time at the Military Commission before his legs gave out.

But if you try to persuade him to rest, he'll agree faster than anyone else, but then he'll go back to doing what he was doing, and you can't persuade him at all.

"Hey old brigade commander, if you keep dragging your leg like this, I'll have to carry you to meetings at the forward command post, let alone go to North Korea."

Zhang Renfeng leaned against the door frame with a teacup in his hand, watching Brigade Commander Chen wander around the courtyard again.

Commander Chen turned around and glared at him: "Bullshit! What haven't I seen? I crossed snow-capped mountains and grasslands during the Long March, what's a little leg pain?"

"You were only in your early thirties during the Long March, how old are you now? Don't you have any idea?"

Zhang Renfeng spoke in a relaxed tone, but his eyes were serious.

Commander Chen was taken aback by his retort. He opened his mouth, then finally snorted, "Fine, fine, you've grown wings and are starting to boss me around. I'm going back to my room to lie down; I won't get in your way."

He was cursing and swearing, but when he turned around and went back into the house, he didn't run outside again.

Zhang Renfeng watched his retreating figure and sighed inwardly.

He knew the old brigade commander's temperament; making him completely rest and do nothing would be worse than killing him.

So all we can do is take on the most demanding part of the work and let the old guy rest in the back, only showing up occasionally.

With his youth, Zhang Renfeng can handle any workload, no matter how demanding.

The leadership team of the Yunnan Provincial Military Region was basically in place. Except for a few key personnel who remained in the southwest to handle the final work of suppressing bandits, most of the original team members were transferred to Beiping with him.

To facilitate his work, he set up a temporary corps command post in an empty courtyard house near Lingjing Hutong.

This courtyard was originally the residence of an old merchant. It has three courtyards and is quite large.

The front yard served as a reception and transit area, the middle yard housed the operations room and conference room, and the back yard housed several key leaders and the guard platoon.

Zhang Renfeng walked around the courtyard, thinking to himself that the conditions were so much better than back in the Taihang Mountains. Back then, the command post was set up in a villager's earthen cave dwelling, and they had to use basins to catch the rainwater. Now, at least it was a brick and tile house, with a roof that didn't leak wind or rain.

Deputy Political Commissar Liu Youguang is a veteran political worker who had worked with Zhang Renfeng in the Taiyue Military Region. The two worked together seamlessly.

Chief of Staff Wang Yunrui was transferred from the Fourth Field Army. He was young, capable, and had in-depth knowledge of the operational characteristics of the US military.

The director of the political department was Zhao Gang, who was transferred from the General Staff Department. Zhang Renfeng was delighted when he mentioned this. He specifically mentioned Zhao Gang's name to his superiors, and Zhao Gang actually got the job.

The headquarters had departments for operations, reconnaissance, communications, military affairs, artillery, engineering, air defense, and logistics.

The heads of each department were already in place, their desks were set up, the telegraph machines were beeping, and the staff officers were walking briskly in and out, creating that tension and order unique to the pre-battle period.

As for the directly subordinate units, the guard battalion arranged for a platoon to be stationed in Beijing, and the communications regiment arranged for a communications company to be stationed in Beijing to ensure that the command headquarters could maintain smooth communication with all units at all times.

Zhang Renfeng gets up before dawn every day, first going to the operations room to look at a stack of telegrams, then to the logistics department to check the material dispatch orders, and in the evening he has to meet with the deputy political commissar and chief of staff to discuss the training plans of each army.

He was busy, but he felt at ease knowing that things were progressing one by one, which was better than just sitting around waiting.

Currently, in addition to Qin Jiwei's 15th Army, which has been incorporated into the Corps, the second to be incorporated is Zeng Shaoshan's 12th Army.

Both armies are currently moving northeast by rail, since one is in southern Sichuan and the other in the northwest, and transportation takes time.

Zhang Renfeng checks the transportation schedule every day, calculating when the goods will arrive and when training can begin.

So far, the commanders of the two armies have not yet reported to the temporary headquarters. After all, they have been traveling and will have to settle their troops when they arrive at their posts. It is estimated that they will not be able to get away for another half a month.

but.......

Zhang Renfeng was dozing off at the table. He had been checking the supplies list with the logistics department until the wee hours of the morning, and his eyelids were drooping so much that he couldn't keep his head up any longer.

At that moment, a loud voice boomed from the courtyard...

"Hey, Sun Bing, you son of a bitch, still a bodyguard? Wang Ritian, who was in the same cohort as you, is already a deputy platoon leader. You'd better work harder!"

Hearing this string of "son of a bitch," Zhang Renfeng knew it must be that bastard Li Yunlong.

It seems the injury has healed completely, otherwise the voice wouldn't be so loud.

Thanks to the help of Director Nie and Division Commander Liu, otherwise the 60th Army would never have been able to exchange garrisons with Li Yunlong's troops. It took a lot of favors to get this done.

Before Zhang Renfeng could speak, Zhao Gang jumped out first.

He was writing some reports in the next room when he heard the loud noise and immediately pushed the door open: "Hey, Old Li, what's with the noise? Did you eat shit? Can't you see the Commander is sleeping?"

Upon hearing the word "Commander," Li Yunlong's arrogance vanished instantly, and his eyes darted around nervously.

"Is it Zhang? Or Chen?"

Zhao Gang lowered his voice, a smug smile playing on his lips: "It's the one who said he'd shove your head in his pants."

"Holy crap!" Li Yunlong paused, took a few steps back, and turned to run away, moving faster than a rabbit.

Zhang Renfeng had already heard the commotion inside the office. He stood up, pulled out his sidearm, strode to the door, and pointed the gun at the sky: "If you fucking dare take another step, believe me, I'll break your legs. Always making a scene! Huh?"

Li Yunlong raised his hands in surrender, then turned around with a grin: "Commander, I know I was wrong."

Although his smile had a hint of roguishness, the admiration in his eyes was genuine.

To deal with Li Yunlong, you need not only to use his position to suppress him, but also unconventional methods and the blessing of someone who saved your life.

Zhang Renfeng put the gun away and looked Li Yunlong up and down.

This guy looks much stronger than he did in Huaihai. He's standing up straight, and his face is no longer pale and sickly. It seems his injuries have really healed well.

He stepped forward and patted Li Yunlong on the shoulder: "Xiao Tian didn't drill through you, did he?"

Li Yunlong chuckled, a mischievous glint in his eyes: "The way you're saying that makes it sound like I, Little Li, can't function without women."

He took a half step forward, lowered his voice, and changed the subject, "On another note, many people are saying that good things are about to happen to you, sir."

Upon hearing this, the people standing in the headquarters courtyard all laughed.

Deputy Political Commissar Liu Youguang, carrying a mug of tea, came out of the room and, upon hearing this, chimed in: "Of course! If it weren't for Commander Zhang, Li Yunlong, you'd still be eating clams in Fujian Province. You'd better live up to his reputation; our commander practically used his charms to get you here. Otherwise, would you even have had a chance to join the Third Army Corps?"

Li Yunlong knew, of course, that if it weren't for his old leader's intervention, he would never have been able to get a spot in the battle.

Moreover, it's said that even the teachers and principals personally intervened; that's incredibly impressive.

He thought to himself that he was owing more and more lives, and he had to put in a lot of effort on the Korean battlefield.

"Alright, alright!" Zhang Renfeng waved his hand. "Li Yunlong, you'd better live up to expectations this time. Where are the troops?"

Li Yunlong stopped smiling and began to report seriously.

The troops departed from Fujian Province and passed through Beiping, so he came here first to report for duty, while the main force followed behind on the train for transfer.

Because this army was known for its defensive warfare, it was not sent to Kinmen. Zhang Renfeng knew that the battle in Kinmen was a dismal one, and if his army were to go, it would probably get stuck there.

The current army commander is Li Yunlong, the political commissar is Sun Tai'an, the deputy army commander is Xing Zhiguo, and the chief of staff is still Zhang Dabiao. The core remains almost unchanged, except for the fact that it was a miscellaneous force in the early years.

"Did you bring the waterproof tarpaulin I asked you to make?" Zhang Renfeng asked.

Li Yunlong quickly turned around and shouted towards the outside of the courtyard, "Zhang Dabiao! Hurry up, bring that thing here!"

He has a loud voice; when he shouts, people in the next alley can hear him.

Zhang Dabiao rushed in, carrying a roll of dark gray tarpaulin. Seeing Zhang Renfeng standing in the middle of the courtyard, he snapped to attention and saluted, "Commander!"

He's much stronger than before, with broader shoulders and a darker complexion, clearly the result of leading troops over the past few years.

"Hmm." Zhang Renfeng raised an eyebrow and pointed to the large water tank in the yard. "Put it on top of that pond and see if it leaks."

Zhang Dabiao responded and quickly spread the tarpaulin over the mouth of the water vat, then placed several bricks on top of it.

A group of people gathered around, watching with great curiosity.

After an hour of quiet, the group held a short meeting in the conference room to review the upcoming training plan.

When he came out, Zhang Renfeng walked to the water tank, bent down to look at it, and reached out to touch the edge of the tarpaulin. It was very dry, without a trace of leakage.

He nodded in satisfaction.

Li Yunlong squatted down beside him, patted the tarpaulin, and asked with extreme curiosity, "What's this thing for? Is it waterproof? Are you going to issue one to every soldier in my unit?"

Zhang Renfeng glanced at him but didn't elaborate: "Bring these things with you when the time comes. They'll come in handy, and the soldiers won't die of thirst."

He was thinking that this thing could solve the drinking water problem for the garrison troops when they fought tunnel warfare in Korea.

Zhang Dabiao reacted quickly. After standing aside and pondering for a while, his eyes lit up: "Commander, is this something we're preparing to use the soldiers in the foxholes to fight a protracted war against the UN forces? With this, wouldn't we no longer have to worry about the water supply?"

Zhang Renfeng glanced at him and nodded. Zhang Dabiao was indeed quick-witted; no wonder he rose from platoon leader to chief of staff.

Finally, Zhang Renfeng waved to Li Yunlong: "Alright, you guys go first. The headquarters didn't leave you any food. Go to the Northeast for reorganization and training. Send me a telegram when you get to your post to let me know you're safe. Once the troops are settled, intensify your training."

Li Yunlong snapped to attention and saluted, his posture less than perfect, but still quite imposing: "Yes, sir!"

He turned to leave, but after a couple of steps he turned back, chuckling, "Commander, if you get engaged, remember to invite me to your wedding! I, Li Yunlong, may not have much else, but I can certainly afford a wedding gift!"

"Get lost!" Zhang Renfeng laughed and cursed. Only then did Li Yunlong lead Zhang Dabiao out of the courtyard gate, his voice shouting "Old Zhao, you didn't even see me off!" gradually fading into the distance.

After finishing his work here, Zhang Renfeng checked his watch. It was four o'clock in the afternoon, not yet time to get off work.

He gave a few instructions, turned and left the headquarters compound, driving the jeep towards the Heavy Industry Bureau.