Chapter 2: Li Yunlong's Signalman

"What are you coughing for! I’ve said it before: a dog travels a thousand miles to find excrement, while a wolf travels a thousand miles to find meat!" Li Yunlong glared, his voice booming. "I was just telling the Commissar, I would rather have the soldiers get injured during training than lose their lives on the battlefield!"

At this point, the medic had finished his initial examination of Guan Shan. There were scrapes all over his head and body, but his left lower leg was clearly fractured, showing a prominent, swollen lump. The medic performed a simple reduction and applied a splint.

"It’s getting late, and with the mountain paths, it’s best to let Comrade Guan Shan observe for the night. First thing tomorrow morning, we’ll arrange a stretcher team to take him to the clinic in Zhang Village and ask Dr. Liu to take another look," the medic suggested.

After hearing the report, Li Yunlong exchanged a few whispered words with Zhao Gang. Looking at Guan Shan, who was grimacing in pain and covered in cold sweat, Li Yunlong turned and shouted, "Monk! Monk!"

"I’m here!" Monk Wei hurried over to answer.

"Monk," Li Yunlong instructed, "your room is a bit more spacious. Go tidy it up and have the stretcher team move Shanzi there for the night. And, don't you have some medicine for bruises and injuries? See if you can use it on him."

"You got it!" Monk Wei agreed. He walked over, squatted beside Guan Shan, and whispered with a grin, "Don't worry, brother. I’ve got some medicinal wine made from a secret Shaolin Temple recipe. It’s good for all sorts of minor aches and pains..."

"What are you mumbling about? You monk, why are you always thinking about drinking?" Li Yunlong scolded.

The soldiers burst into laughter.

Li Yunlong turned his face toward the surrounding soldiers and said, "The entire 1st Battalion is here, so I’ll lay it out for you all today! Even though this isn't combat but training, Comrade Xiaoshan—oh, Comrade Guan Shan—his injury will be treated as a combat injury. He gets the sick-bay ration; his nutrition must be kept up!"

The soldiers stood tall, their eyes filled with envy.

"No, no need... hss..." Guan Shan instinctively wanted to refuse, but as he moved slightly, a piercing pain shot through his left lower leg, sending cold sweat pouring down his forehead. He had no choice but to grit his teeth and, with the help of Monk Wei and his comrades, settle onto the stretcher.

"Alright, it's settled! Zhang Dabiao, take the 1st Battalion back and continue training!"

"Yes, sir!"

The soldiers of the 1st Battalion roared and threw themselves back into the heat of training.

(II)

"Brother, you've got some decent moves. Did you study martial arts?" Monk Wei asked beside the stretcher.

"No, no, not really. Nothing formal," Guan Shan replied, sitting on the stretcher and enduring the pain.

It was true—he hadn't studied anything, not in his previous life nor this one. A few interest classes in Taekwondo or Judo didn't count.

Guan Shan felt a pang of frustration. He had traveled through time without any "system" or "cheat code," retaining only the endurance of a marathon runner from his previous life, only to end up with a broken leg right at the start. How could it be this miserable?

He had no military experience in his previous life, and in this one, he had only participated in a few small-scale skirmishes, including the one where they took out the Japanese pillbox.

With no super system or military superpowers, only his long-distance running skills remained. Yet, here he was, having broken his leg during the climbing training of the "Great Drill."

Guan Shan felt as though his transmigration was a complete farce.

The "Great Drill"—that was the fourth episode of *Drawing Sword*.

What was the exact timeline?

He needed to sort this out.

(III)

Monk Wei lived in the room next to Li Yunlong’s. Compared to the living conditions in the company, where a dozen men squeezed onto a single large earthen kang, it was indeed much more spacious.

Wang Gensheng had also come over, bringing Guan Shan’s bedding and toiletries. He helped tidy up the kang before heading back.

Monk Wei handed over a canteen and the bruise pills he’d dug out, grinning. "Brother, you think this is just because my bed is big? Heh heh."

"Huh?" Guan Shan looked at Monk Wei, puzzled, as he took the pills and the canteen.

"Drink them down, don't chew, just swallow," Monk Wei signaled.

"Cough, cough, cough... ah, wow, this is liquor!" Caught off guard, Guan Shan was choked by the gulp of alcohol and started coughing uncontrollably.

"Hahaha! I knew you hadn't really practiced martial arts. Bruise medicine is always taken with liquor to help circulate the blood and disperse stasis. How is it? Let me get you some water. Here, here."

Monk Wei handed him a bowl of water. Guan Shan sniffed it cautiously before drinking, which made Monk Wei laugh heartily.

After finishing the water and wiping his mouth with his sleeve, Guan Shan asked, "Brother Monk, what did you mean earlier?"

(IV)

"Heh heh!" Monk Wei paused, listened to the sounds outside, and whispered, "I’m guessing the Commander wants to keep you by his side. Think about it: I’ve been the Commander’s bodyguard for how long now? Over half a year? With all the wounded soldiers we’ve had, have you ever seen the Commander let anyone else stay in my room?"

"Oh, now that you put it that way... but the Commander surely doesn't mean for me to be a bodyguard. That would mean..." Guan Shan pondered, following Monk Wei's logic.

"Alright, alright, brother, you get some rest! I’ll leave this wine on the kang for you. If it hurts too much, take a few sips, but make it last—don't drink it all!"

Monk Wei helped Guan Shan get comfortable on the kang, gave him a few more instructions, and turned to head out toward the training grounds.

(V)

Lying alone on the cold earthen kang, Guan Shan stared up at the rafters.

Even now, he was in a state of confusion, unable to fully grasp whether this was a dream or if he had truly traveled into the world of *Drawing Sword*.

He had just connected to the timeline of the show but had forgotten to ask about the specific time and location. Fortunately, he had watched the *Drawing Sword* TV series thirty or fifty times and had read the original novel cover to cover several times. By piecing it together, he could get a fairly accurate picture.

The battle where Li Yunlong broke through the encirclement and annihilated the Sakata Regiment at the beginning of *Drawing Sword* took place in February 1940 at Cangyun Ridge, where Li Yunlong was still the commander of the New First Regiment.

After that, Li Yunlong was demoted to run the clothing factory, and after the Independent Regiment was ambushed by Yamamoto Ichiki’s special forces, he was sent by the Brigade Commander to lead them...

The specific timing of these battles wasn't detailed in the book or the show. After all, it was a work of art, not a historical documentary of the War of Resistance.

Therefore, since he had traveled into *Drawing Sword*, he had to follow the timeline set by the work.

In the story, after Li Yunlong was transferred to the Independent Regiment, he established his reputation during the battle to annihilate the Yamazaki Battalion at Li Jia Po, where they used tunnel warfare and a barrage of grenades. The corresponding real-world battle, the Battle of Guanjia Nao, took place in October 1940.

After the battle at Li Jia Po, the Independent Regiment fought several skirmishes to secure winter clothing and grain. Among them, the original novel featured a brutal "Yelangyu Ambush," which was not depicted in the TV series—for what reason, he didn't know.