Bright Sword: Infinite Logistics

The best house in Xihedi Village had been requisitioned as the temporary headquarters of the 8th Independent Brigade. Of course, it was the best house, but it was not luxurious at all. It was just like other houses nearby and looked a bit old.

The previous owner of the house was a landlord. After 1937, he responded to the call and donated money and grain every once in a while. After two years, he almost emptied his family's assets and his life became worse and worse. His four sons also joined the army one after another, and he held three funerals. Only one son was still in the new army, and he lost contact with him a few days ago.

The Eighth Route Army was relatively tolerant of enlightened landlords. As long as they were willing to reduce rent and interest and support the anti-Japanese war, they would receive some special care. This landlord, who was willing to sacrifice his family property to help others, was even more worthy of great efforts to protect.

But some people don't think so. The Jinsui Army is located in the west of Shanxi, so the donations from the landlords here will naturally not be sent all the way to the west of Shanxi, but directly to the hands of the Eighth Route Army. In their eyes, these people's behavior is not very loyal.

So a funny scene appeared: Tian Qiqing forcibly requisitioned the landlord's house and drove the people out; the landlord ignored his own class attributes and sought refuge from the Eighth Route Army, which represented the workers and peasants...

"Go and get my pipe."

Tian Qiqing took off his shoes and leaned on the kang, holding a small can of tobacco in his hand. He shook the can, and the half-pack of tobacco exuded an aroma that only an old smoker could identify.

In the early years, smoking opium was "fashionable". Many people in the ranks of warlords in various places had this bad habit, and Tian Qiqing was no exception. But as time went by, this behavior gradually became synonymous with shame in the army. In addition, after the full-scale war of resistance, the Sichuan Army took the lead in quitting smoking, which triggered a smoking cessation trend. Tian Qiqing followed the trend and quit smoking at that time.

But he felt uncomfortable after putting down the pipe and having nothing in his hands. He tried rolling cigarettes, but he was not used to it. He also tried the pipe bowl, but it was too ordinary. People who didn't know him would think he was Kong Jie. Finally, he bought a carved pipe from a merchant, who said that Chinese people rarely use it, but foreigners like it. Only then was he satisfied.

The pipe his guard brought at this moment was the one that "foreigners like to use".

"Commander, the sound of artillery fire outside is unusual. Are you smoking your pipe too leisurely now? Why don't we switch to cigarettes? It will only take a few minutes to satisfy your craving." As he said this, his guard took out another pack of cigarettes from his pocket.

It is very quick to smoke a cigarette, just a matter of minutes. If time is really tight, you can just take a few puffs and burn it all, which is perfect for satisfying your addiction. But it is different for pipes. If you smoke too fast, it is easy to burn the pipe. You need to savor a pipe of tobacco for at least half an hour.

Now there was a fierce battle a few miles away, with the sound of gunfire ringing in our ears. If something unexpected happened, we hadn't finished smoking our cigarettes yet. Losing the pipe tobacco was a minor matter, but if something unexpected happened to Tian Qiqing himself, that would be a big deal.

Tian Qiqing took the pipe from the guard, stuffed it with tobacco, and glanced at the box of cigarettes: "You've been with me for more than a year, and you haven't learned anything?"

"Captain, I don't have the patience. It takes me half a day to smoke a pipe of cigarette. It's a waste of time."

"It's like this with pipes. For cigarettes, you just need to know which brand is good, light it up and put it in your mouth to smoke, but for pipes, there are many things to consider." Tian Qiqing pressed the first layer of tobacco with his fingers and began to put the second layer of tobacco: "From the time of smoking to the choice of tobacco; from how to compact the tobacco to how hard to inhale, there are all particulars. After smoking, you must remember to clean and maintain it. Only by understanding these experiences can you smoke more elegantly."

As he spoke, Tian Qiqing had already compacted three layers of tobacco, then took out his treasured lighter and lit the tobacco several times. He took a few puffs, then leaned back on the kang, his face full of enjoyment. An upper-class "noble" atmosphere immediately filled the entire room, which was incompatible with the sound of gunfire outside.

"Ugh……"

The guard sighed quietly, turned around and walked out of the room, not disturbing him any more. The brigade commander can do whatever he wants. Anyway, this time it was our side that attacked first. Even if the battle was not going well, it was likely that several regiment commanders on the front line would come back and cry and receive punishment. It was good enough for the Eighth Route Army to resist the attack in such a hurry. Counterattack was really a pipe dream...

boom!
The sound of the shells exploding gave him a start. He shook his head and listened carefully to the sound of the gunfire. He didn't know if it was an illusion, but he always felt that the sound was approaching here. "Impossible."

He said it was impossible, but he was getting more and more uneasy. The assault platoon usually served as the guard platoon, and now they had been sent out. The entire village only had one company left by the 400th Regiment, and the brigade's guard force had never been so weak. If the Eighth Route Army came over at this time, maybe they would really give the brigade commander a big eye...

Just as he was thinking about it, he saw the remaining company commander and two soldiers running over: "Commander, Commander, something big has happened!"

"Captain Yang, don't be anxious. Tell me clearly what happened?" The guard stopped the man directly.

The company commander didn't care about anything else. He gestured with his hands as he spoke: "The Eighth Route Army, the Eighth Route Army is coming! The brothers in the new 13th and 14th regiments in front can't stop them at all. They will rush to the brigade headquarters soon! Take the brigade commander away quickly!"

"What? How many people are there in the Eighth Route Army?"

"I don't know! But the firepower of the Eighth Route Army is too strong. The brothers in front can't bear it at all and were quickly dispersed! I have gathered more than a dozen defeated soldiers here. If we wait any longer, we will be in danger!"

boom!
With a loud bang, Tian Qiqing kicked the door open. He held a pipe in his left hand and put his military cap on his head with his right hand: "What did you say? There are three regiments in front of me. What are they doing?"

The soundproofing of the room was really average. The company commander rushed in and yelled. Tian Qiqing naturally heard the general situation: "Communications squad! Leave two of you to tidy up the room and don't leave any information to the Eighth Route Army. Company Commander Yang, take your men and follow me. Head southeast immediately to Chengnan Village!"

Tian Qiqing made arrangements quickly and then returned to the room. He put his pipe on the table, put on his shoes and luggage as quickly as possible, then walked out of the room and started his escape tonight.

……

Twenty minutes later, Hu Sheng led hundreds of soldiers and charged directly into the village. Since Tian Qiqing led the garrison to withdraw, they did not encounter any effective resistance.

"Is this the house where your Brigade Commander Tian lives?"

Hu Sheng took the captured new 13th Regiment commander into the room and looked around. Since Tian Qiqing ordered the communications squad to clean the room, all the documents and maps were taken away, so Hu Sheng did not find any useful information. But Hu Sheng's eyes quickly turned to the only table.

He loosened his hand, letting the revolver hang on his chest, and picked up the pipe on the table.

Seeing the pipe, the captured regimental commander's eyes sparkled: "This is the pipe that the brigade commander often uses! He smokes for half an hour every time, just because he's bored..."

Hu Sheng smelled the scent of the pipe, felt the residual warmth with his fingers, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

"He hasn't gotten far yet!" Hu Sheng put his pipe back in place: "Order the Sixth Company to follow the original plan and move as quickly as possible!" (End of this chapter)