Chapter 206 I Went Mad During the Republic of China 22
Upon hearing the phrase "to repel external aggression, we must first pacify internal strife," Commander Yang's eyes instantly sharpened like knives. He glanced at Commander Cheng, whose face had turned deathly pale, and the atmosphere in the room instantly soared.
Commander Cheng's legs went weak, and he almost lost his balance. Several officers around him instinctively distanced themselves from him, their eyes filled with shock and suspicion.
Commander Yang did not react on the spot, but solemnly said to Zhou Jue, "Comrade Xinghuo, this matter is of great importance. Please come with me to the command post for a detailed discussion."
He immediately ordered his guards to "invite" Commander Cheng to come over as well, and secretly gave them a look. The guards immediately understood and "supported" Commander Cheng from both sides.
Inside the simple tent were only Commander Yang and a few close confidants (none of whom were on the list).
Commander Yang's hands trembled as he thought of the clear map and the densely packed list on the screen.
When he thought of Commander Cheng's name, and the note that followed "has wavered and is in contact with the Kwantung Army Special Higher Police," he slammed his fist on the table, his eyes filled with tears: "Old Cheng... we're brothers who crawled out of piles of corpses together!"
"Tell me, why?!" He roared, pointing towards the mountain hollow outside, "Just for that little bit of money? For that damn official position? Is it worth it?!"
When Commander Cheng was brought in, he completely broke down upon hearing Commander Yang's words and knelt on the ground with a thud.
"No! Commander!" Division Commander Cheng cried, tears streaming down his face. "I never intended to betray you! I just... I just couldn't hold on any longer..."
He looked up, his face filled with despair: "People in the unit are starving to death every day, the wounded have no medicine and are in so much pain they're banging their heads against the wall. It hurts me to see my brothers fall one by one! The Japanese came to me and said that if I... they would give me food and medicine..."
“I did consider it, I admit it! I think you're crazy, risking everyone's lives to fill a dream that has no end! But I didn't agree to it! I really didn't agree! I'm still hesitating, I'm still thinking…”
"How could I become a traitor! My father was killed by the Japanese devils! How could I become a dog for my enemy!"
Commander Cheng spoke incoherently, tearfully explaining and pouring out all the struggles and pain in his heart.
Zhou Jue listened quietly without interrupting.
This is Commander Yang's team, these are his brothers. Commander Yang will decide how to handle this.
The crying inside the tent gradually subsided, leaving only suppressed sobs.
Commander Yang closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the pain and struggle in his eyes were gone, leaving only a cold resolve.
He slowly drew his sidearm from his waist, and with a click, the bullet was chambered.
The dark muzzle of the gun was pointed at Commander Cheng's forehead.
He didn't roar or question; he just looked at me, and the look in his eyes was more powerful than any rebuke.
The air inside the tent instantly froze.
Commander Cheng stopped crying. He looked at the familiar gun muzzle, and a look of relief appeared on his face. He slowly closed his eyes.
"Commander, do it, I deserve to die."
Commander Yang's finger was on the trigger, his arm taut.
Time passed second by second.
In the end, he lowered the gun.
“Killing you now would only make the Japanese laugh at us and cause panic in the ranks.” Commander Yang’s voice was terribly hoarse: “Your life will be spared for now.”
Division Commander Cheng suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Commander Yang in disbelief.
At this moment, Zhou Jue, who had been silent all along, spoke up.
"Commander Yang, since the Japanese want to plant a spy among us, why don't we play along?"
Commander Yang and Division Commander Cheng were both stunned and looked at her.
Zhou Jue walked to the table, swiped his finger across the tablet, and brought up another document.
"This is what I obtained: the Kwantung Army's recent operational plans. They are preparing to launch a large-scale 'autumn encirclement and suppression' against you in half a month."
She pointed to a point on the map: "They thought your main force was still lurking in the Laoheishan area and were preparing to set up an encirclement there."
“We can use Commander Cheng to give him a fake intelligence report on troop movements and have him ‘leak’ it to Kenji Kobayashi.”
A cold smile curled at the corner of Zhou Jue's lips: "Have them transfer their main forces to Laoheishan, and then we can..."
Her finger pressed heavily on another location on the map.
"Strike straight at their rear supply base!"
Commander Yang's eyes lit up instantly. He stared at the map, his breathing quickening.
This plan is too audacious! But it's also too tempting!
If successful, it will not only crush the Japanese encirclement and suppression, but also capture more supplies and completely turn the tide of the war!
He looked at Commander Cheng, his eyes becoming complicated.
Commander Cheng understood Zhou Jue's meaning. He looked at Zhou Jue, then at Commander Yang, his face flushed, and he suddenly kowtowed three times on the ground.
"Commander! Comrade Xinghuo! Let me go! Let me redeem myself through merit! Even if I die, I'll accept it! I, Cheng, will die on the front lines, and I will never be a coward again!"
Commander Yang pondered for a long time before finally nodding.
"Okay, this plan is settled."
He looked at Zhou Jue and solemnly saluted: "Comrade Xinghuo, on behalf of all the anti-Japanese brothers in Northeast China, thank you!"
“These are all things I should do.”
The crisis was temporarily averted, and the atmosphere inside the tent eased.
Commander Yang looked at the mountain of supplies on the table and finally a long-lost smile appeared on his face. But as he smiled, he sighed again.
With so many supplies, our First Army has no worries about food and clothing. But Old Wang's Second Army, Old Zhao's Third Army... they're still starving.
[Once the statistics are complete, we'll distribute the profits to our brother units, so everyone can share in the joy.]
Zhou Jue heard his thoughts and asked, "Commander Yang, are you worried about the other brother units?"
Commander Yang was taken aback, then nodded with a wry smile: "Yes. Our Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army has more than just our First Army; there are several other units, large and small, scattered throughout the forests of Changbai Mountain. Life is hard for everyone."
"It's alright, I'm leaving soon. I'll see the other units off one by one."
"What?" Commander Yang thought he had misheard. "You...you have more?"
“Yes.” Zhou Jue nodded: “The Fengtian Arsenal is so big, it has more than just this much stuff.”
Commander Yang was completely speechless. He paced back and forth in the tent several times, trying to calm himself down.
"Great! Excellent!" He rubbed his hands together, walked to the map, and his eyes blazed with renewed fervor.
He looked at the map, but the joy on his face slowly faded.
He pulled out an even more tattered map, carefully wrapped in tarpaulin, from under a box.
He spread the map out on the table, pointed to several areas circled in red but already somewhat blurred, and his voice became heavy.
"Comrade Xinghuo, these teams... we haven't heard from them for a long time."
His finger stopped at a place called "Majia Gou".
"This is the Seventh Army, led by Commander Li. The last message they sent back was three months ago, saying they were surrounded by the Japanese and were preparing to break out."
"There has been no news of them since then."
Commander Yang's voice trembled slightly: "They...maybe already..."
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