Brigade Commander's Report Stuns the Divisional Commander and the Chief; The High Expectations of the Two Veterans

Commander Liu took the letters and books and began to examine them.

"The Barefoot Doctor's Manual?"

"What kind of book is this?"

He casually flipped through the pages, a look of utter astonishment crossing his face.

A medical book?

Where on earth did the brigade commander manage to get a medical book?

Immediately afterward, he opened the letters.

As he read on, Commander Liu's expression filled with a complex mixture of astonishment, disbelief, and joy.

This left the Deputy Commander-in-Chief, who had just taken up the *Barefoot Doctor's Manual* to inspect it, quite puzzled.

What on earth could have caused Commander Liu to display such a colorful array of expressions?

At that moment, Commander Liu, having finished reading the letter, sighed with emotion. "Old Chief, there is something here you would never, ever have guessed."

"Who do you think authored the *Militia Military Training Manual*?"

Upon hearing the commander's inquiry after reading the letter, the Deputy Commander-in-Chief made an uncertain and speculative guess. "Could it possibly be that rascal Li Yunlong?"

"Uh... Old Chief, nothing can ever be hidden from you!" Commander Liu nodded in astonishment.

"That's right, the manual was indeed penned by Li Yunlong."

"The brigade commander reports that Li Yunlong has undergone a massive transformation. Not only has he initiated cultural studies, but he also leads his soldiers and the local populace in studying together, and has established study classes within his base area..."

"His troops' development, training, and management are quite exceptional, and military discipline is strict..."

"The brigade commander states that entrusting the outer perimeter security of the arsenal to the New First Regiment will not be a problem at all..."

He then proceeded to list the various scenes the brigade commander had witnessed.

The entire report was filled with evaluations of the New First Regiment's base area and of Li Yunlong—spanning several full pages.

No wonder it had to be delivered by a courier.

Trying to send a report of this length via telegram would take until the Year of the Monkey.

Accepting the letter and reading it while listening to the commander's narration, the Deputy Commander-in-Chief was also profoundly shocked.

It was safe to say that this report completely refreshed both men's perceptions of Li Yunlong.

This was practically a commendation letter written for Li Yunlong.

Li Yunlong had built up a main force regiment in just three months!

He had established a base area!

His management was sound, political awareness had improved, and he had promoted education...

Could this really be the same Li Yunlong who constantly made mistakes and caused trouble?

Or had Li Yunlong genuinely changed?

***

The Deputy Commander-in-Chief and Commander Liu exchanged glances, seeing pure disbelief in each other's eyes.

"Old Chief, judging by what the letter says, Li Yunlong's transformation is truly substantial!"

"Indeed," the Deputy Commander-in-Chief said with a smile. "Since the brigade commander has spoken thus, it must be true nine times out of ten."

"However... based on past patterns, every time he receives praise, he inevitably stirs up some trouble shortly after. We still need to observe him for a while longer."

Commander Liu chuckled and nodded. "Quite right!"

"If Comrade Li Yunlong has truly changed for the better, that would be a wonderful thing. His military acumen is strong, and he is a veteran comrade who has walked a long road. His political stance is firm; although he occasionally makes mistakes, he has never crossed the bottom line, and largely, his actions were driven by unavoidable circumstances."

"Li Yunlong's weaknesses lie in his inadequate cultural education, a political awareness that still needs raising, and a somewhat impulsive temperament. If he can correct these faults, he will be a tremendously rare and valuable talent."

"Ha-ha-ha... I never expected your evaluation of Li Yunlong to be so high," the Deputy Commander-in-Chief smiled and nodded.

"Still, your summary is objective and aligns with the facts."

"This kid frequently erred during the Red Army period; practically every time he accomplished a meritorious deed, he would follow it up with a blunder—his merits and demerits always balanced out."

"Otherwise, he wouldn't still be merely a regimental commander today."

"By giving him a free hand to develop this time, the brigade commander apparently wanted to give Li Yunlong an opportunity to mature."

"His performance so far seems rather commendable—within a little over three months, he has developed a main force regiment with superior equipment. However... as the brigade commander noted, we still need to observe him further."

"There is no telling when this rascal might stir up some fresh trouble."

Hearing this, Commander Liu smiled and shook his head.

"Then let us wait and see!"

"Our army is developing rapidly right now, and there is an acute shortage of military talent, especially senior commanders. If Li Yunlong can truly grow into his role, it will be all for the better."

The Deputy Commander-in-Chief nodded slightly and said, "The fact that Li Yunlong was able to compile the *Militia Military Training Manual* is sufficient proof that his mastery in this field is profound and his foundations are solid. The army is in dire need of such talent."

"As for this *Barefoot Doctor's Manual*, the brigade commander has already had people inspect it and praised it so highly. If it can truly be put into circulation, it will be of immense help in elevating our army's medical standards."

"Have the doctors at the division's field hospital examine it. If there are no issues, hand it over to headquarters so we can have it printed, distributed, and used to encourage everyone to study."

"Understood!" Commander Liu nodded in acknowledgment.

***

After the *Militia Military Training Manual* was reviewed by numerous individuals, everyone offered high praise for its contents.

Consequently, headquarters officially promoted the *Militia Military Training Manual*.

It began to be implemented on the ground to guide the training of new recruits.

Within just a few days, Commander Liu received a flurry of favorable reviews regarding the manual.

This was especially true among grassroots commanders.

Many of them possessed sound military capabilities, but when it came to instructing others, their methods were disorganized and chaotic—often teaching whatever came to mind at the moment.

Ever since the *Militia Military Training Manual* was distributed, the work of training new recruits became standardized. They no longer had to worry about missing crucial points, and their instructional duties became much easier.

Both the commander and the Deputy Commander-in-Chief were exceedingly pleased by this.

This success earned Li Yunlong a greater degree of respect and anticipation from them.

***

First Battalion Base Area.

Following Li Yunlong's orders, Zhang Dabiao immediately adjusted the First Battalion's training regimen, reducing the training intensity to preserve the soldiers' physical stamina.

They then transitioned into pre-battle preparations, awaiting further orders.

When Li Yunlong arrived with the artillery company, Zhang Dabiao understood instantly that a battle was imminent—and likely one of considerable scale.

Upon his arrival, Li Yunlong promptly convened a meeting for all company-level officers.

He outlined the mission and objectives for this operation and issued specific deployments.

After listening to the briefing, Zhang Dabiao and the various company commanders were thrilled.

For quite some time, the First Battalion had focused primarily on intensive military training to enhance combat capabilities, and even their practical exercises had been relatively minor skirmishes.

Now that the regimental commander had personally come forward, the enemy transport convoy they were tasked with ambushing was bound to be significant.

Finally, an opportunity to distinguish themselves had arrived.

At that moment, every company commander silently resolved within himself:

They must perform brilliantly before the regimental commander this time!

After all, opportunities like this were exceedingly rare!

Receiving their orders, the company commanders swiftly returned to their units to whip the troops into shape.

One day.

Just as Li Yunlong was inspecting the First Battalion's base area, a communications soldier came running up to him and reported:

"Regimental Commander, the forward observation post has sent word that the enemy transport convoy has arrived at Liaoxian. However, they are transporting the supplies via train and are currently heading toward Wuxiang County."

Hearing this, Li Yunlong started in surprise. He quickly unfolded a map and measured the distance.

"Damn it, those Japanese devils are truly crafty!"

"Notify the troops immediately: we must reach the Mengjia Village area at top speed!"

"Yes!"