Chapter 28: An Unspeakable Secret

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Chapter 28: An Unspeakable Secret

(I)

Tian Daqing stammered, “It’s like this, Commander. We held a meeting to discuss the mission…”

Li Yunlong’s eyes shifted as he grasped what his subordinates were after. He waved a hand, cutting Tian Daqing off.

“Daqing, Guanshan, I know what you mean. I agree! But the things you’re asking for are too high-grade. I don’t have them here!”

Tian Daqing opened and closed his mouth, then turned to glance at Guanshan.

What the hell are these two up to? Li Yunlong wondered suspiciously.

“The Logistics Department and the ordnance factory are bound to have them. If you want those supplies, go ask Minister Zhang. Tell him I sent you!” Li Yunlong continued. “And as for the two militiamen Guanshan mentioned, I agree to that too. Go on, get moving!”

According to military regulations, anyone requesting special supplies had to submit a written application. Once the commander signed it, the Logistics Department would coordinate and distribute the supplies according to actual stock levels and the needs of each unit. Whether they could get what they asked for was another matter entirely.

Would Zhang Wanhe, that stingy old miser, really be willing to part with so much?

Li Yunlong found it hard to believe.

Back then, when he had gone to Zhang Wanhe asking for a few crates of grenades manufactured in the border region, the man had acted as though Li Yunlong were carving the flesh from his own body.

Li Yunlong looked at the words “required for the mission” on the application, then at the long list of supplies that followed. He thought to himself: As long as you can get the goods out of that miser’s hands, I don’t care whether you steal them or rob him for them. I’m more than happy to sign this thing.

He signed without the slightest hesitation, then handed the application to Guanshan.

“Push him to hurry up. And listen carefully: whether you get the supplies or not, you leave before nightfall. Don’t you dare let this mission be delayed!”

“Yes, sir!”

Guanshan took the signed application from Li Yunlong, beaming with delight.

Watching the two men walk away with smiles spreading across their faces, Li Yunlong narrowed his eyes and muttered, “This fellow is something else.”

(II)

“Uncle Zhang!” Ge Sang knocked on the door and greeted him warmly.

“Oh, what brings you here today? Haha! Come in, come in!”

“Minister Zhang, you carry on with your work. I’ll be going now.”

A staff officer rose to leave. As he reached the door, he exchanged a polite greeting with Ge Sang, then noticed Guanshan standing behind her with a ceramic jar in his arms.

“Comrade Guanshan! Here to see Minister Zhang? Come over to our office sometime when you’re free!”

“Of course, Officer Fang! I’ll come find you after I get back from this mission!”

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Seeing how familiar Guanshan was with Officer Fang, Ge Sang asked curiously, “Guanshan, are you two close?”

“Heh heh.” Guanshan only smiled and said nothing.

Officer Fang laughed as well. The expressions on the two men’s faces were exceedingly strange. Anyone could see that they shared some secret arrangement.

“Guanshan is here too? How did the two of you end up together?” Minister Zhang said with a smile, ushering them both inside.

“Guanshan, don’t tell me you and Officer Fang have some shady business going on?”

“Officer Ge, how can you put it so unpleasantly?”

As he spoke, Guanshan placed the ceramic jar he was carrying on Minister Zhang’s desk.

“The comrades at their office wanted to build up their strength, so I organized a few mountain cross-country exercises for them in their spare time. While we were at it, I taught them how to set snares and traps, and we caught a few wild rabbits to supplement our meals…”

“All right, all right. You can make catching rabbits for a snack sound this impressive—Guanshan, you really are something.” Minister Zhang laughed heartily. Then he pointed at the ceramic jar. “Did you happen to catch this wild rabbit too?”

“No, no, this isn’t a wild rabbit…”

Guanshan patted the ceramic jar.

“Minister Zhang, I happened to hear Officer Ge mention last time that you had asked her to look into ways of keeping land mines dry. I thought perhaps I might be able to help…”

As he spoke, Guanshan lifted the lid and fanned the air with his hand. A rich aroma of fish cooked with vinegar drifted out.

“Fish? Is this… fried?”

Minister Zhang immediately grew interested—not in the fish, but in the technical solution for preventing land mines from becoming damp, something he had been deeply concerned about.

“With Officer Ge’s guidance…”

Grinning, Guanshan took a stack of papers from his pocket and handed them to Minister Zhang.

“Nonmetallic materials such as ceramic jars and wooden boxes for the outer casing? Oh, of course!”

Minister Zhang opened the stack of “drawings” and studied them with keen interest, muttering to himself.

“Why do land mines have to be round? Why do they have to be made of iron? As long as they can explode and produce fragments capable of causing damage… Ah! That’s right!”

“Hey, Guanshan.”

Ge Sang tilted her head and looked at him with a mischievous smile.

“What is it?”

Guanshan looked up at her.

“You know perfectly well what it is!”

She held out her hand.

“Hand it over.”

“What? Didn’t we agree you’d get it after the mission was completed? Besides, this isn’t even…”

Guanshan lowered his voice and glanced toward Minister Zhang.

Minister Zhang was paying no attention to them at all. He had already become completely absorbed in the design concepts contained in the drawings, his eyes shining with excitement.

“Fine, then. I don’t want it.”

Ge Sang turned and pretended to walk toward the door.

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“Here! Here, here, here! I’ll give it to you right now!”

Guanshan hurried over and blocked the doorway. He quickly drew a Type 14 pistol from his waistband, hesitated for a moment, then removed the magazine and worked the action to eject the round from the chamber.

Minister Zhang was highly sensitive to the sounds of a magazine being removed and a bolt being worked. He abruptly raised his head and looked toward Guanshan and Ge Sang.

“Here, take it. You’d think I was the sort of man who never kept his word!”

Guanshan grumbled.

Ge Sang snatched the pistol from his hand, her eyes and brows filled with delight.

“Don’t point the muzzle at anyone!”

Guanshan pushed the muzzle aside and said in a low voice, “You need to make that a habit.”

“I know, I know. You’re so long-winded!”

Ge Sang handled the pistol with great care.

“Hey, hey, don’t play with that right now. You promised. Don’t forget!”

Guanshan reminded her in a whisper.

“I know, I know… Hmm? What did you call me? ‘A’? Is that my surname?”

“Officer Ge—oh… Teacher Ge…”

“What? What was that? I couldn’t hear you. What?”

“Teacher Ge!”

“Tch! I’m your teacher in the first place, and you still sound so reluctant. You have no manners at all! All right, all right. Where’s the requisition slip? Give it to me. What’s the big deal?”

Only then did Ge Sang take the requisition form from Guanshan.

“So that’s what this was all about!”

Minister Zhang pretended to be angry as he stroked his chin and gently shook his head.

“That’s enough, Uncle Zhang. You should be celebrating in secret! I looked over those drawings. They’ll be immensely useful to you! Besides, Guanshan is requisitioning supplies for a mission. You’ve come out far ahead on this deal!”

Ge Sang handed Minister Zhang the list of supplies to be issued.

“Ha! This girl…”

Minister Zhang accepted the requisition slip with a chuckle and glanced over it. He frowned, then looked up at Guanshan.

“With this much explosive, just what kind of battle are you planning to fight?”

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End of Chapter 28