Chapter 005: Promoted to Senior Lieutenant and Special Task Force Commander
Dong Li Mao raised his eyes and looked at Yu Deputy Officer standing behind Zhu Yongsheng, who was a senior captain from the rank on his military uniform.
"Are you Dong Jiacheng, the commander of the newly formed 9th Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd Regiment, 200th Division, 5th Army?" asked Yu, his deputy officer, with a cold and icy expression.
Dong Li Mao was at a loss for words and hesitated, unable to utter a word.
"That's right, this is our Ninth Company's Commander Dong." Zhu Yongsheng stood up and answered on behalf of Dong Limao.
With a crisp salute, the deputy officer stood at attention and gave Dong Li Mao a standard military salute. "I have been entrusted by the Military Council to hand over this handwritten appointment letter to you," he said, pulling out a file bag from a brown leather satchel slung over his shoulder, squatting down and handing it to Dong Li Mao with both hands.
Dong Li Mao glanced at the file bag with the corner of his eye, it was an ordinary cowhide paper bag, but the mouth was sealed with bright red fire lacquer. He asked lightly: "What is the letter of appointment?"
The deputy officer was taken aback and immediately replied: "I don't know either, I'm just executing orders."
Dong Li Mao looked at Dao Lan Xiang, then at Zhu Yong Sheng. Both of them stared excitedly at the officer's hands holding the file bag, as if expecting a magical surprise to emerge from it.
"Zhu Pai Chang, open it and take a look." Dong Li Mao was not interested in the letter of appointment at all. This had nothing to do with him, it was for his great-grandfather, not for him.
"I..." Zhu Yongsheng hesitated for a moment, then stretched out his hand to take the file bag.
"No way! Colonel Jun said this warrant must be handed over to Commander Dong by me personally!" Yu, the deputy officer, withdrew his hand and refused to give it to Zhu Yongsheng.
Dong Li Mao propped himself up with both hands on the ground, wanting to sit up. Knife Lan Xiang hurriedly helped him and let him lean against the wall of the underground room. He coughed lightly twice, took over the file bag from Yu Deputy Officer's hand, and casually asked: "How did General Du know I woke up?"
"Yesterday I received a call from the hospital, it was the hospital director who called General Mu directly." replied Yu Fu Guan.
"Why is Commander Du so concerned about me, a low-ranking officer?" Dong Limao asked with furrowed eyebrows.
"Because you are the pride of our five armies, Comrade Dong Lianzhang, while you were unconscious, Commander Zhang personally came to this hospital to visit you. It was under your leadership that the 9th Company broke through the first line of defense of the Japanese army in Dongguan, and our army won its first major victory after entering Burma. Comrade Dong Lianzhang, you have now become a hero of the expeditionary force." Deputy Commander Yu stood up with a smile on his face.
He took the file bag, tore open the seal, and pulled out a sheet of rough paper. This kind of paper was something Dong Li Mao had never seen before. On it were written powerful brush strokes: "Hereby appointing Lieutenant Dong Jia Cheng, commander of the newly formed 9th company of the 1st battalion of the 3rd regiment of the 200th division of the National Revolutionary Army's 5th military district, as commander of a special task force in the Military Department's Guard Regiment. After recovery from injury, bring this decree and report for duty to Regiment Commander Kong Xue Li as soon as possible." The signature read: "Du Yuming, Commander of the National Revolutionary Army's 5th Military District". The date was: April 1st, 1932.
"Is today April 2nd?" Dong Li Mao asked Dao Lan Xiang.
Dolan Xiang nodded, but Yu Fu said: "This was written by the military commander yesterday afternoon after receiving a phone call. Because the military department moved forward to Donggua, I rushed overnight and arrived in Ruili early this morning. I didn't expect that this place would be bombed by Japanese planes, and I thought Commander Dong..."
"You thought I was blown up, didn't you?" Dong Li Mao cut in.
"Haha...... Fortunately, Dong Lianchang has a big life......" The officer said with an embarrassed smile.
Dong Li Mao interrupted him: "There are still eleven brothers left in the nine links, and they cannot be reorganized. I want to take them with me, please tell Du Jun Chang that my request is allowed." Dong Li Mao said this, feeling strange in his heart, this was not what he wanted to say, originally it was going to be a refusal, but for some reason, it came out very naturally, could this be the real experience of Tai Ye at that time?
"I will faithfully convey your request to General Zu." replied Yu Fu after a moment of hesitation.
Dong Li Mao continued to say: "Also, please inform Commander Du Jun that the Japanese army will launch a surprise attack from the direction of Laizhou, cutting off our retreat route. Please ask him to strengthen the defense on that side."
The deputy officer stared at him with a suspicious gaze and asked: "How did you know the intention of the Japanese army?"
Dong Li Mao casually said: "I saw it in a book."
"What you saw in the book?" Deputy officer didn't believe at all.
Dong Li Mao sighed bitterly and stopped talking, only then realizing that it was impossible to explain things clearly. They wouldn't believe him, and if they did, the history of the expeditionary army might have to be rewritten. Tai Gong might not have died heroically in the Songshan battle two years later. He let out a helpless sigh, knowing that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't change the ultimate fate of defeat for the expeditionary army, and that he himself was also inextricably linked to this damned war.
What will happen next? What will be the fate of Tai Gong in these remaining two years? And what about Diao Lanxiang? Thinking of this, Dong Limao turned his gaze towards Diao Lanxiang.
"Congratulations, Dong Lianchang, you've been promoted!" Dao Lanxiang said with a smile, congratulating Dong Limao.
Her interruption caused the deputy officer to stop pursuing what Dong Limao had just said.
"It's still the same, only the military rank has been promoted to upper lieutenant." Suddenly, Dong Li Mao realized that the photo left by Tai Ye Ye, wearing an upper lieutenant uniform, was promoted at this time.
"Captain Dong, the special operations company of the Guard Corps, is fully equipped with American gear. A company commander like you is more capable than any regular army battalion commander. With your outstanding military achievements, you will definitely be promoted and reused by the military leaders. If you take over the special operations company and achieve a few more victories, it's possible that by the end of this battle, the entire Guard Corps will be yours..." Deputy Officer Yu seemed to be starting to flatter Captain Dong Laimao.
"Bullshit achievements! If you, Deputy Officer, want to take credit for this achievement, then I'll let you be the company commander and charge into battle yourself. I'm not willing to use my brothers' lives to gain merit!" Dong Li Mao shouted loudly in agitation.
The deputy officer's hot face was stuck on the cold buttocks, and he awkwardly smiled a few times, saying: "I wish Director Dong a speedy recovery and return to duty, I should go back to the military department to report to the commander." Then he gave a military salute and turned around to leave.
"Commander, if Director Du doesn't agree to your request, are we really going to be reorganized? If that's the case, I'd rather lead the way and desert to go back home and sleep with my wife!" Zhu Yongsheng said after the deputy officer left.
"Don't worry, Tai Ye... " Dong Li Mao was originally going to say 'Tai Ye won't abandon you', but realizing his current role is Tai Ye, he immediately changed his words to: "I won't abandon you several brothers."
"Commander, wherever you go, I'll follow. If it weren't for your help in blocking the way, I would have been shot dead a year ago when I deserted. My life is yours to command, and I owe you one. This life of mine is yours to use as you see fit." Zhu Yongsheng said, patting his chest with his right hand.
(Favorite! Flowers! More exciting things are yet to come!)
