Chapter 3 Who is the Commander-in-Chief

  "This is our Thirteen Heroes' leader, Feng Zhongliang, also known as the Mountain Tiger. We brothers all like to call him Big Brother Mountain Tiger." The brother nicknamed Second Brother pointed to the rugged-looking man beside him and said, "I'm Guo Zhonglin, second in line among the Thirteen Heroes. I've read a few years of books, but have always been poor and down on my luck, so friends all call me Poor Scholar."

  Kuo Chung-lin introduced him, and the bearded man stood up and gave Zhang Luo-hui a fist bump as a greeting.

  "Our old three, nicknamed Blind Bear Xiong Zhongren, and next to him is old four, White-eyed Wolf Li Zhongyun." Guo Zhonglin pointed one by one, "Old five, Sky Cannon Luo Zhonggang, Old six, Bald Eagle Xiao Zhonghe, Old seven, Iron Rooster Liu Zhonghai, Old nine, Fat Monkey Xiang Zhonggui, Old ten, Flat Sparrow Xiang Zhongju, Old twelve, Drunken Ghost Lian Zhongjian, Old thirteen, Iron Deaf Wei Zhongyue."

  Kuo Chung-lin introduced one by one, and the brothers took turns to stand up and greet Chang Lo-hui. After the introduction was finished, Chang Lo-hui clasped his hands together in a salute and returned the courtesy, saying: "Today I have the good fortune of meeting all of you heroes, which is an honor for me, Chang Lo-hui. Tomorrow in battle, we will certainly display the prestige of the national army and the spirit of the heroes of Er Lang Mountain."

  Zhang Luohui's loud and boastful words failed to stir up the emotions of the crowd, but instead, once again, brought about a burst of laughter from everyone.

  Kuo Chung-lin had not yet sat down when he was already laughing so hard that his waist was bent. He pointed at Chang Lo-hui and said to Yeh Tzu-fei with a smile: "Sixth Master, you've been proven right again! This Commander Chang is indeed a blockhead!"

  Zhang Luohui was bewildered and asked Guo Zhonglin: "Second Brother Guo, what makes you say that?"

  Lao Wu Luo Zhong Gang laughed enough, and hurriedly replied: "Our thirteen Arhats are lined up from Lao Da to Lao Thirteen, but there are only eleven of us sitting here now. Why don't you ask who's missing?"

  Zhang Luohui was so focused on memorizing everyone's surname that he neglected the number and size of the lineup, and being pointed out by Luo Zhonggang made him somewhat embarrassed.

  At this time, Xiaoshan Hu Feng Zhongliang knocked on the table and said: "You few don't have to play jokes with Captain Zhang anymore. The words we say behind Sixth Master's back, repeating them again isn't too good."

  Kuo Chung-lin was born with a personality that didn't mince words. He turned his head to look at Feng Chung-liang, protesting: "What's wrong with making a joke? If Sixth Brother can give Team Leader Chang an evaluation, it means he looks up to him, what do you think, Team Leader Chang?"

  Feng Zhongliang ignored Guo Zhonglin's nonsense and turned to Ye Tufei, saying: "Sixth Master, you say something. After all, we don't have much time, every minute counts."

  Ye Tu Fei had been watching the crowd argue with interest, and upon hearing Feng Zhong Liang's suggestion, seemed somewhat unwilling. After pausing for a few seconds, he finally spoke up. "Oh, right, Old Feng said something reasonable. We really don't have much time, let's get down to business!"

  After everyone quieted down, Ye Tu Fei said to Zhang Luo Hui: "Then please ask Captain Zhang to share his thoughts first!"

  Zhang Luohui had been waiting for this opportunity for a long time, and he couldn't hold back his inner excitement. He took a big step forward and said loudly: "The Little Japanese launched a surprise attack on Jiajiawan from the east bank of the Shiwenshui River, and their latest route is to take the mountain pass through Erlang Mountain. The terrain of Erlang Mountain must be much clearer to everyone than me, Zhang Luohui. The mountain pass is sandwiched between many peaks in Erlang Mountain, which is a great place for an ambush."

  After a slight cough, Zhang Luo Hui took out a map from his pocket and spread it on the table, pointing to the marks on the map and continued: "We can set up two defensive positions along the mountain valley pass between Fenghuangling and Sanshanwa, my 258th regiment will guard one, your Zhongyitang will guard one, Sixth Master, you have more people, you can leave some as a reserve team. In this way, we can support each other on both sides and form a defensive depth in front and back, can the Japanese easily pass through?"

  After listening to Zhang Luo Hui's battle plan, Ye Tu Fei smiled but didn't speak in a hurry.

  Feng Zhongliang spoke up first: "Commander Zhang, according to your idea, when our two armies fight together, shouldn't there be a commander-in-chief?"

  Zhang Luohui looked at Feng Zhongliang and nodded secretly, saying: "Shan Hu's brother raised a good question. In military operations, the most important thing is to achieve unified command, and this commander-in-chief is indispensable."

  Kuo Chung-lin took off his gold-rimmed glasses and threw them onto the desk, shouting at Feng Chung-liang: "Aren't you talking nonsense? With Sixth Master sitting there, of course it's up to Sixth Master to give orders! Isn't that right, Commander Chang?"

  Zhang Luohui smiled slightly and said: "The most suitable person for this commander-in-chief is me."

  The words had barely fallen when Lao Wu Luo Zhong jumped up and said, "We, the people of Zhongyitang, outnumber you and have more guns than you. Why should we listen to your command?"

  Zhang Luohui was very patient and explained: "Old Fifth Brother, we are fighting against the Japanese, not competing for territory on Erlang Mountain. The Japanese have extremely strong combat power. To win this battle, we must unify our commands and strictly execute our battle plan. I'm not saying this because I look down on the brothers of Zhongyitang, but to be honest, you haven't received strict military training, which is a fact. If you don't listen to my unified command again, I'm afraid we will suffer greatly in this battle."

  Lao Wu was not convinced and wanted to say something, but Ye Tufei stopped him. He instructed: "Lao Wu, everyone has been tossing and turning for half the night, they're all hungry. Why don't you make an effort? Call up the brothers from the kitchen team and get them to prepare some hot food?"

  Lao Wu grumbled a few times, but ultimately listened to Ye Tufei's orders and turned around to walk out the door. Just as he reached the entrance, Ye Tufei called him back: "Oh right, Lao Wu, have the brothers from the kitchen bring out all our savings, let everyone including Zhang Tuanzhang's men eat a hearty meal tomorrow morning. After all, tomorrow's meal is the last one for us brothers, so we should eat our fill before hitting the road."

  Everyone present looked at each other in dismay, unable to guess the underlying meaning of Ye Tu Fei's words.

  Zhang Luohui couldn't help but ask: "Sixth Master, what is the reason for saying this?"

  Ye Tufei replied, "According to Captain Zhang's tactics, within an hour, our brothers on both sides will be slaughtered by the Japanese. What I mean is that we won't even make it to lunch, and we'll all be dead."

  Zhang Luohui's face turned red with anger, and he forgot about etiquette, countering: "And how did Sixth Master decide that we can't hold on for an hour?"

  Ye Tufei smiled faintly and asked: "How many men are under Captain Zhang's command? What kind of equipment do they have?"

  "Except for the porters and litter bearers, there are 242 soldiers available for battle..."

  "How many light machine guns? How many heavy machine guns? How many grenade launchers? Are there any artillery pieces? Alright, you don't have to answer me, I probably know your situation better than you do. Our combined forces only have a dozen or so light machine guns, and we do have a few heavy machine guns, but not many bullets. As for artillery, let's just forget about it. You, Commander Zhang, only have three to five mortars with dozens of shells. On the other hand, what does Commander Zhang know about this rapid assault unit of the Japanese?"

  Zhang Luo Hui said unclearly, mumbling something like "seven seven eight eight".

  Ye Tu shook his head, sighed and said: "Alright, I'll tell you. The number of this Japanese unit is at least 700 people, plus eight tanks, fourteen armored vehicles, an artillery battalion with twenty-four mortars, and as for light and heavy machine guns, there are about forty or fifty."

  Zhang Luohui took a deep breath and asked reluctantly: "How did Sixth Master obtain this intelligence?"

  Guo Zhonglin pointed to the window and interjected: "The little Japanese in the east, the government army in the west, our people have been keeping an eye on them all along!"

  Following Guo Zhonglin's pointing direction, Zhang Luohui saw two carrier pigeons.

  At this time, Ye Tufei continued: "According to Captain Zhang's combat plan, the two positions on both sides of the Yan Mountain Valley passage seem to be able to support each other, with depth and strategy. However, Captain Zhang should know that this defensive tactic relies on solid defensive fortifications. We have at most three more hours, or six hours in your usual foreign term. What kind of defensive fortifications can we build in such a short time? When the time comes, the Japanese won't need to think much. Five hundred meters away, 24 howitzers will be lined up, dozens of light and heavy machine guns will be set up in a cross pattern, eight tanks will lead the way, 14 armored cars will follow, and an infantry company will chase after them. After a barrage of artillery fire, the light and heavy machine guns will open fire at the same time, forming a dense firepower blockade network. The flat-shooting cannons of the eight tanks, the full-strength assault of the 14 armored cars, and the point-blank charge of an infantry company - this is not combat, it's simply slaughter! Captain Zhang, how long do you think we can hold out in this situation?"

  Zhang Luohui suddenly felt a chill down his spine, and Ye Tufei's analysis was correct, which he had also overlooked. In such a firepower comparison, it was like a child holding a small wooden stick facing off against an adult wielding a large machete.

  "What's good?" Zhang Luohui asked without concealing his panic.

  Guo Zhonglin couldn't help but interrupt again, saying: "Listen to Liu Ye's words, Liu Ye has his own way."

  Zhang Luohui looked at Ye Tufei with a pleading gaze and said: "Please, Sixth Master, enlighten me."

  Before Ye Tufei could respond, Guo Zhonglin seized the conversation again and said: "Now, according to Commander Zhang's meaning, who should be the commander-in-chief?"

  As soon as the words fell, Luo Zhonggang rushed in with a loud shout: "Sixth Master, of course it's Sixth Master, do we still need to discuss this with our wives?" By the time he finished speaking, he was already standing in front of Zhang Luohui. "Commander Zhang, are you still not convinced?"

  Zhang Luohui's face turned red with embarrassment, and he refused to speak up.

  Feng Zhongliang banged on the table and said: "Alright, alright, no need to argue anymore. Let's just listen to Liu Ye's tactical arrangements!"

  Ye Tu Fei waved his hand and said, "No rush! You guys play for a while longer, let's talk after we've eaten our fill. Oh right, Captain Zhang, call your brothers up the mountain too, looking at this weather, I reckon we can't avoid a big rain."

  Zhang Luohui agreed, wanting to personally go down the mountain to welcome his brother, but was stopped by Feng Zhongliang: "Commander Zhang is not good at walking in the mountains, it's better to arrange for one of our brothers to take a trip. Commander Zhang, you can just write a note and give it to our brother."

  Zhang Luohui took over the pen and paper, just as he was about to start writing, a brother came in to report that there was news from Gengji Town in the east.

  Ye Tu Fei took the note handed over by his brother, on which was written: At the hour of the Ox, the Japanese army entered Gengzhuang Town and has already taken a rest.