noffsinger Chapter 247 Letter of Appointment
Chapter 247 Letter of Appointment
Li Yunlong and Chu Yunfei were chatting animatedly in the conference room when a man with protruding ears walked in quickly.
"Commander Li, I am your special envoy, Chen Xunen."
"Mr. Bray, I have heard of your great name for a long time! Please take a seat!"
As soon as Chen Bulei sat down, he saw Chu Yunfei sitting on the other side.
"Commander Li, I didn't expect you to have a guest. May I ask which officer of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army this is?"
"Mr. Bray, I am Chu Yunfei, the commander of the 358th Regiment of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army, and a subordinate of Commander Yan of the Second War Zone."
Chen Burei seemed to be thinking about something and stopped talking.
Chu Yunfei, sensing that the atmosphere was not right, stood up and picked up the white gloves on the table.
"Commander Li, Mr. Bray, since you two have important matters to discuss, I will not disturb you any more. I heard that the food here is good. I wonder if Brother Yunlong is interested in treating me to a good meal?"
Li Yunlong also stood up and pulled out the stool.
"Of course!"
Li Yunlong sent Chu Yunfei to the door of the conference room, and then shouted loudly outside.
"Guard, take Captain Chu to our student cafeteria for dinner. Don't charge him! It's my treat!"
After seeing Chu Yunfei off, Li Yunlong returned to the conference room again and looked at Chen Bulei who had an expressionless face.
"Mr. Bray, you came all the way here, aren't you here to have dinner like Chu Yunfei?"
"Commander Li, you are joking! Sir, I heard that your unit broke away from the Eighth Route Army and the 386th Brigade a few days ago, and later had a conflict with the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army, so you sent me here to express your condolences."
Chen Bulei's meaning was very clear. Your independent column has a grudge against the Japanese, was kicked out by the Eighth Route Army, and has unpleasantness with the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army. Now there is only one way before you: cooperate with Chongqing!
"Mr. Bray, I, Old Li, have a miserable life! I finally made a name for myself by following the Eighth Route Army, but ended up doing hard labor all my life and was kicked out in the end. Now that I have no one to back me up, anyone can bully me! Who can I talk to?"
Chen Bulei had never dealt with such a senior military officer before. Was he ready to cry before the talk even started?
It seems that the national justice and legitimate government he had prepared are of no use.
"Commander Li, I feel very sorry for your plight. I was asked to bring 20,000 dollars in cash to help you improve your life."
Chen Bulei waved his hand and several large boxes of cash were brought up.
"Commander Li, please accept it!"
Li Yunlong's eyes lit up and he immediately took the cash, saying again: Don't miss it!
"Oh, sir, you still care about us. If you need any help in the future, just let me know!"
Chen Bulei looked down on Li Yunlong, who "loved money like his life", in his heart.
This commander who has won many battles is just like this, no different from those officers in Chongqing.
"Commander Li, if that's the case, then I'll get straight to the point. Since your unit has separated from the Eighth Route Army, have you ever thought about finding another backer? After all, fighting alone in troubled times is a bit risky, and only by sticking together can you survive longer."
Chen Bulei's words were half temptation and half threat, and Li Yunlong's smile widened.
"Mr. Bray, what price is the gentleman from Chongqing willing to offer to buy me off?"
When the upper class speak, they always say half and hide the other half; no one ever speaks so directly.
This left Chen Bulei speechless for a moment, and he didn't know how to respond.
"Commander Li is indeed a man of quick words. He speaks just like he leads his troops in battle, swift and decisive. No wonder he wins every battle! I admire you!"
After Chen Bulei finished speaking, he took a calfskin briefcase from his secretary and pulled out a thick piece of paper.
Chen Bulei solemnly pushed the paper in front of Li Yunlong.
"Commander Li, this is your sincerity."
Li Yunlong looked at Chen Bulei suspiciously, then took the paper in front of him and read it carefully.
The more Li Yunlong watched, the more interesting his expression became.
"Oh, sir, you are so generous. The head of the Taiyuan camp, in charge of the military and political affairs of Shanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, and Mongolia, lieutenant general of the army!"
Chen Bulei was very satisfied with Li Yunlong's expression.
After all, ordinary camp chiefs can only be in charge of military affairs, while this so-called Taiyuan camp chief can also be in charge of local military and political affairs. Just like the previous pacification office, he is a self-appointed king in the local area.
"Commander Li, you can see your sincerity, right? You will still lead this independent column, and the government of this land will still be under your control. Everything will remain the same!"
"Mr. Bray, there is something I don't understand. Please clarify."
"please say."
Li Yunlong walked to the front of the battle map and drew smooth lines around it with his hands.
"Of the vast tracts of land you gave us, only the palm-sized area of Pingshun is in our hands. The rest is either in the hands of the devils or the Eighth Route Army. As the camp director, I am like a county magistrate!"
Now it was Chen Bulei's turn to be embarrassed. Usually no one would point out such empty promises. He found it difficult to respond to Li Yunlong's words that he didn't follow the rules.
"Commander Li, with your fighting power, you will be able to recover these places very quickly, so your worries are completely unnecessary!"
Li Yunlong tilted his head, seemingly thinking for a long time.
"Mr. Bray, there is one thing I don't understand."
"Please continue!"
"Since our independent column can conquer these territories, why do we need your appointment? Is Chongqing going to provide us with personnel, or weapons and ammunition?"
Chen Bulei cursed in his heart, isn't Li Yunlong pretending to be ignorant even though he knows the truth?
Chongqing can't offer anything but a status to you, Li Yunlong.
"Commander Li, Chongqing has appointed you as the head of the camp. Your and the independent column's identities have been recognized. In the future, whether you fight the Japanese or do other things, you will have a legitimate reason and it will be much more convenient."
"Is it just an empty title? Then you have to give me some time to think about it. I am an honest man. When I was young, I worked for landlords and was always owed wages. Some were so unscrupulous that they simply refused to pay me! Later, I learned to be smart and paid first and then worked!"
Chen Bulei was very upset. It seemed that Li Yunlong treated them from Chongqing as landlords and rich people. In three words: distrust.
"Commander Li, don't worry. This letter of appointment is a real guarantee. If you can't fulfill your promise one day, you can take this letter of appointment to the Second Attendant's Room to find Chen. I will never deny my debt!"
Li Yunlong pushed the letter of appointment back to Chen Bulei and shook his head.
"Mr. Bray, it's not that I don't trust you, but the current situation is turbulent. Who knows, in a few days, there might be another director who will directly supervise me."
Chen Bulei also had a bitter look on his face. Li Yunlong was indeed right about this matter. There were so many official positions in Chongqing now that even he sometimes couldn't figure them out.