Chapter 40: The Mission of Gunpowder

  After returning to the guerrilla camp, Huoyao slept for a day and two nights. During his sleep, no matter how hard Zuo Caiyun tried to pull him out of bed, Huoyao refused to get up. Yanzi stuffed rice into Huoyao's mouth, and he could eat while still sleeping. Daniu and others admired Huoyao even more, as he didn't even open his eyes when going to the toilet. Huoyao kept talking in his sleep, saying something about combining work and rest.

  Liu Tao's first task after returning to the camp was to bring back all the wounded guerrilla fighters who had been hiding in the mountain cave. He also asked the old doctor to treat their wounds as soon as possible. The villagers rescued from Li Youcai came to the guerrilla camp on the second day and requested to join the guerrilla team. In the following days, dozens of people from nearby villages joined the guerrilla team one after another. The number of guerrillas increased to around 200 in just a few days. Seeing the unprecedented expansion of the guerrilla team, Liu Tao and Old Li couldn't stop smiling.

  The outstanding performance of the special warfare team members on Leopard Mountain made Liu Tao realize the importance of training. When Liu Tao and Lao Li went out to train with the special warfare team, they learned about explosives from Lao Li. Among the new recruits in the guerrilla team, he wanted to find a few outstanding ones to hand over to Lao Li for further training. He hoped that Lao Li could train some more powerful roles again. However, things did not go as planned, and after Liu Tao and Lao Li had been busy for several days, they still did not find anyone with great potential to cultivate.

  Liu Tao and Old Li were both feeling depressed, while others could easily pick up a few treasures with just a handful of gunpowder. The two of them had been busy for several days but hadn't found any. Later, when the person who knew about this matter found out, he patted Liu Tao and Old Li on the shoulder, shook his head seriously and said: "Well, there's nothing that can be done about it, I'm just too handsome and have a good personality."

  Everyone who heard the gunpowder speak at that time vomited profusely.

  While Huoyao and the special forces were training on the mountain, a monkey came to deliver a message. It said that Liu Tao wanted them to hurry back, as there was an important matter to discuss.

  Gunpowder and the special warfare team members returned to the guerrilla camp at a rapid pace. Liu Tao and Old Li had been waiting for them for a long time. Seeing Gunpowder and others return, Liu Tao hurriedly asked Gunpowder: "One good news, one bad news, which one do you want to hear first?"

  "First, let's hear the good news. If we have a good mood when hearing bad news, it won't be so urgent."

  Liu Tuo said: "The county party committee received instructions from the superior, saying that our guerrilla team has achieved great results in the battles with the enemy during this period. In order to expand the positive influence of our guerrilla team, the superior decided to reorganize our guerrilla team into a formal New Fourth Army. We were asked to establish a certain mountain base area here, and I was appointed as the commander."

  "Good thing, Captain Liu has been promoted and become rich, don't forget about us brothers who are under you."

  Liu Tao continued to say to Huo Yao: "The superior wants me to decide on the organizational members of the base area myself, and requires me to report the list as soon as possible. So, I want Old Li to be the deputy commander, and you to be the chief of staff of the base area..."

  "Hold on," Fireworks interrupted Liu Tao's words in a hurry, saying seriously: "I think I've said it before, I'm not leadership material. I won't agree to be the chief of staff."

  Liu Tao and Old Li exchanged a glance, hesitated for a moment before Liu Tao said: "We have always trusted you, never asked you why. But we all think you are the most suitable person."

  Liu Tao finished speaking and quietly watched the fireworks with Old Li.

  Gunpowder naturally understood what Liu Tao and the others were thinking. So Gunpowder looked at the people around him, all of whom were his sworn brothers through thick and thin. Moreover, after the special forces team members learned about Gunpowder's identity, they treated him like a close friend. Gunpowder suddenly smiled nonchalantly: "Alright, I'll tell you the reason. I'm actually not from this era, I come from the next century. So everything I do here may change history. Even I might disappear immediately because of changes to history."

  Liu Tao and Old Li were stunned for half a day, they believed that gunpowder wouldn't lie. After being silent for a long time, Liu Tao spoke again: "But you've overlooked one thing, what you're doing here is still too little. The guerrilla troops have been fighting here for several years, but there are only a few dozen people. It's because of your appearance that we have today's achievements. If history has really changed, shouldn't it have changed long ago?"

  Now the gunpowder thought seriously, thinking that what Liu Tao said was also right. If history had changed, China might not have developed like this in the future, and I might not have had that job, might not have known those friends, and I might not have traveled through time to this era... The gunpowder thought to himself "Is it really impossible to change history? Is what I'm doing now originally a part of history?"

  "Wait a minute" the gunpowder suddenly muttered, searching hard for memories in his mind, and kept whispering "certain mountain base area, Liu Tao, certain mountain base area..."

  "I remember!" Huo Yao suddenly shouted, his face filled with extreme excitement.

  "What?" everyone asked in unison.

  Huoyao smiled and said: "The heavenly machine must not be revealed."

  Originally, Huoyao remembered a historical document he had read before. The certain mountain base led by Liu Tao had over a thousand people when the Japanese army surrendered in China. Now it was already March 1945. The Japanese army would surrender in several months. Huoyao was thrilled to think that he hadn't changed history, and that he was here to help Liu Tao, which was his mission for crossing over. Moreover, Liu Tao later became a founding general and was awarded the rank of lieutenant general. No wonder Huoyao always felt that the name Liu Tao was so familiar. And he had never recalled Liu Tao's information because before, Liu Tao was just the captain of a guerrilla team, not the commander of a certain mountain base.

  Gunpowder didn't find any information about himself in that data. This also made gunpowder realize that if he became famous, he would really change history. After thinking everything through, gunpowder happily said: "Alright Commander Liu, as long as you don't report my information, I'll be your chief of staff."

  Liu Tao said with some difficulty: "This is not very good, how can I submit the registration form to the superior?"

  "Tell your superiors that you're holding both the Commander and Chief of Staff positions. As for the work of the Chief of Staff, I'll take care of it."

  Liu Tao said: "That's not too humiliating for you, having something without a name."

  "Come on, we're family, what's there to be unhappy about? Besides, if I ever don't feel like doing it anymore, that's when I'll have a reason to push all the work onto you."

  Liu Tao helplessly said: "Then it's like this for now."