Chapter Four: Captain, Captain Su, Hehe, from now on, Old Li will stick with you for good.
The hard-won stronghold and the grain seized there—Su Changqing didn’t hesitate for a moment and immediately distributed it to the local poor villagers.
If this had happened back in the old base areas, in the revolutionary zone, Li Yunlong wouldn’t have said a word.
After all, since joining the Rainbow Army in the Dabie Mountains, Li Yunlong had been drawn to it because it was an army of the poor, an army that stood up for the common people.
But things were different now.
The 24th Regiment, the entire Rainbow Army, was about to cross the vast grasslands.
No food.
Without these supplies, how could they cross the grasslands? Eat grass roots? Eat belts?
To send their brothers’ lives to be lost out there on the grassland?
Li Yunlong and Kong Jie were not afraid of death — no one in the Rainbow Army was.
But they could not bear to watch their comrades, their like-minded brothers, starve to death on the grassland.
So, when the guard relayed Su Changqing’s order to distribute the supplies seized from the wealthy stronghold to the local people, Li Yunlong’s eyes reddened, his cheeks trembling.
The man threw off his military cap, lips quivering beneath his flaming red eyes.
“Who do you think dares?”
“I want to see who dares. Who the hell dares distribute the supplies I seized. I’ll…”
“I’ll be damned before I let that happen.”
If this had been an enemy, Li Yunlong’s nature would have had him drawing his gun on the spot.
But these were his comrades. He simply could not bring himself to threaten them with a gun.
“Captain Li!”
“This is Captain Su’s order. Before, you did pillage and seize grain, and though it was aimed at the big landlords, the fire at the city gate spilled over, affecting innocent people. This has caused some damage to the Party and the Rainbow Army’s reputation.”
“Distributing these supplies will help regain the people’s forgiveness and trust…”
Seeing Li Yunlong so agitated, the guard quickly explained.
“To hell with reputation! I don’t give a damn about any fire or fish,” Li Yunlong shouted furiously. “These things were seized by me.”
“Even if the Heavenly King himself came, he wouldn’t be able to take these supplies from me today!”
A thunderous voice suddenly rang out, startling Li Yunlong.
“Li Yunlong!”
“Defying a military order? You really think you’re right?”
“Not even the Heavenly King could do that!”
“Do you have the nerve to summon celestial beings to your side?”
Everyone turned toward the voice and saw Su Changqing striding forward, holding a riding whip.
“Captain Su!”
“I don’t accept this, I, Li Yunlong, don’t accept it!” Li Yunlong stubbornly turned his head away.
“Li Yunlong!”
“Ha! Look at you, what a pitiful spirit,” Su Changqing laughed heartily at the stubborn mule before him.
“I’m offering a truckload of yak meat, 400,000 jin of highland barley flour, and 2,000 jin of salt in exchange for the supplies of this one stronghold. How about that?” Su Changqing smiled warmly at Li Yunlong.
The reason Su Changqing decided to take the supplies Li Yunlong seized was because he had successfully activated the entrepreneurial system.
The supplies instantly acquired through the system were enough to support the 24th Regiment, even more troops, across the vast grasslands.
Thus, the supplies from this stronghold meant little to Su Changqing.
Whether it was spreading the seeds of the Rainbow Army or preventing Li Yunlong from recklessly pillaging grain and damaging the people’s impression, distributing the wealthy landlords’ supplies to the local poor was the better choice.
“No way!”
“I…”
Li Yunlong was stunned, staring in disbelief at Su Changqing.
“Captain Su, what did you just say?”
“A truckload of yak meat, 400,000 jin of highland barley flour, and 2,000 jin of salt?”
“You’re not trying to fool me because I’m just a humble cooper, are you?”
Li Yunlong looked incredulous, asking cautiously.
“Captain Su, is this for real?”
Beside him, Kong Jie’s eyes were as wide as pigeon’s eggs.
A truckload of yak meat, 400,000 jin of barley flour, and 2,000 jin of salt!
Such an amount of supplies was truly a godsend for the Rainbow Army, especially now as they prepared to cross the grasslands.
“I, Su, always keep my word. Since I told you this…”
“Of course, I can get it.”
“In the Aba region, I have an old friend who is a local Tusi chieftain.”
“For him, a truckload of yak meat, 400,000 jin of highland barley flour, and 2,000 jin of salt is not a difficult matter.”
“Our Rainbow Army is the army of the people, the savior of the poor masses.”
“Li Yunlong, your reckless pillaging has left a bad impression. What if they refuse to supply us now?”
“Today, by having you distribute the supplies from these wealthy landlords to the poor locals, not only will we leave a good impression on the people here…”
“But also on those insightful individuals who hope the Rainbow Army will change this world.”
“Now, you son of a bitch, tell me honestly—do you still want to defy a military order?”
Su Changqing pointed his whip at Li Yunlong, grinning.
“Oh, Captain,” Li Yunlong said with a smile, “I am the most disciplined soldier. If you tell me to go east, I will never go west.”
“If you ask me to slaughter a pig, I won’t kill a chicken.”
“Heh, brothers!”
“Let’s fight the landlords, divide the land, give it all to the poor locals, so they can understand our Rainbow Army—that we are the army of the people, fighting for the poor.”
As Li Yunlong finished speaking, Kong Jie hurried over.
“Hey, Captain Su, I’m from the 26th Regiment of the Fourth Front Army. Our regiment is responsible for the rear guard, so we missed out…”
“Do you think maybe…”
“Second Fool Kong, are you aiming your schemes at our 24th Regiment now?”
“I’m telling you, no grain, just one life…”
“Hey, Li Yunlong, you son of a bitch, you’re probably stuck in the kitchen’s cooking detail as punishment, right? You’re lucky to be talking to me, a regiment commander…”
“Second Fool Kong, with your pig snout stuffed with scallions, what are you pretending? Our commander is a top graduate from the prestigious Whampoa Military Academy, fourth class. You can’t even read a large character, don’t know one from a two, you damn pig with glasses, pretending to be a college student…”
Hearing Li Yunlong’s familiar sharp tongue, Su Changqing couldn’t help but laugh.
This man was truly a wild warrior who made people both laugh and cry.
Meanwhile, after Su Changqing’s system acquisition, a large batch of supplies was being transported under the leadership of a local Tusi chieftain in Aba, heading toward the Rainbow Army’s location.
…