Chapter One: The Rising Star of Huangpu—Subduing Li Yunlong at the Outset

Page 1 of 3

(This story is set in an alternate universe inspired by various film and television works. Any resemblance to reality is purely coincidental. Readers are kindly reminded not to take it too seriously—thank you. This novel draws from several different screen adaptations.)

August, 1935.

“Commander, do you mean to send Su Changqing to the 24th Regiment of the 30th Hong Army—Li Yunlong’s unit?”

A bespectacled staff officer looked at his superior in disbelief as he asked.

“What’s wrong?” the commander replied, setting down his pencil with a hint of curiosity. “Do you lack confidence in your junior?”

Su Changqing—a distinguished graduate from the fourth class of the Whampoa Military Academy, lauded as the ‘Dragon of the Fourth Class.’ After graduating, he had participated in the Northern Expedition and won the admiration of the headmaster. Yet later, he fell out with the headmaster and suffered a grave injury during a military operation. He was then dispatched to the great northern nation, where he successfully enrolled in the Frunze Military Academy.

It wasn’t until around 1935 that he returned to the Grand Xia. Immediately, he joined the army’s Long March.

As a rising star from Whampoa and a top student of the Frunze Academy, Su Changqing was, by all accounts, more than qualified to serve as a staff officer at headquarters. Yet, citing his limited seniority and the fact that he had been away from frontline combat for too long, Su Changqing politely declined the offer. Instead, he earnestly requested to be transferred to a frontline combat unit, eager to command and hone his skills.

Nobody at headquarters doubted Su Changqing’s loyalty. After all, forsaking the relative safety and stability of his studies in the northern nation, he had taken three bullets at Chishui while covering for the organization and the main force. He was, through and through, a comrade worthy of trust.

It just so happened that, as they were crossing the Songpan Grasslands, the 24th Regiment’s commander, Li Yunlong, was preparing to enter the grasslands. Since the units ahead had already bought up most of the available grain and the local landlords refused to sell any to the troops, Li Yunlong, pressed for time, gave the order to seize supplies by force.

This infuriated headquarters, and Li Yunlong was demoted to cook. Thus, the position of regimental commander in the 24th Regiment was left vacant. The first person the commander thought of was, naturally, Su Changqing—the high-achiever who had studied at both Whampoa and Frunze.

Upon hearing this, the chief of staff could only smile wryly. “Commander, you don’t know Su Changqing well enough,” he said. “He’s courageous in battle and has a unique way with troops—a rare military talent! No, more than that, he’s a born leader.”

Page 2 of 3

“But!” the chief of staff continued, “that fellow is like the Monkey King himself—utterly wild! Li Yunlong is already notorious for his wildness, leading his men to seize grain. Yet Su Changqing is even wilder. Sending him to the 24th Regiment is like letting the Monkey King escape from the Buddha’s Five Finger Mountain!”

The commander was momentarily stunned, then burst into hearty laughter. “So, as you say, Su Changqing really is a Monkey King? Seems I’ve misjudged that thick-browed, honest-looking fellow! Who would’ve guessed he’s so untamed?”

“But the appointment has already been made. I won’t go back on my word. Su Changqing’s devotion to the cause is beyond question. As for Li Yunlong, he’s nothing but a troublemaker. If this keeps up, the whole unit might fall apart. Since Li Yunlong is a scoundrel, I’ll fight fire with fire—one troublemaker against another! If Su Changqing, the star of Whampoa and Frunze’s top student, can’t handle Li Yunlong, the king of chaos, I’ll have him sent back to headquarters to feed horses and do embroidery! No more clamoring for frontline command!”

The entire headquarters erupted in laughter at the commander’s declaration.

…

24th Regiment, 30th Hong Army.

“I won’t accept this! Even if the Jade Emperor himself came, I still wouldn’t accept it!” Li Yunlong, now demoted to cook, bellowed in outrage. “Why should Blind Cheng get to take all that grain into the grasslands, but when it’s my turn to cover the main force and I fall behind, I can’t even get a bite to eat? What’s wrong with me taking some grain? Those damned landlords not only refused to sell to us, they even injured my brothers! If I didn’t skin them alive, I’d be letting them off easy. How dare they strip me of my command?”

Given his fiery temperament, it was already restraint enough that he hadn’t lined up those landlords for execution. These were comrades who had followed him through thick and thin, through life and death. Now, not wounded by the enemy, but gravely injured by these wretched local tyrants—no wonder Li Yunlong was beside himself with anger and indignation.

Now, with his brother’s life hanging by a thread, the men had to carry him on a stretcher into the grasslands. With current medical conditions, all they could do was hope for a miracle. Whether he would survive was up to fate.

Page 3 of 3

No wonder Li Yunlong was so furious and unwilling to accept his fate.

Elsewhere, Su Changqing sat astride his warhorse, flanked by two bodyguards, galloping towards the current encampment of the 24th Regiment.

“Commander, I hear the previous commanders and political officers of the 24th Regiment never saw eye to eye with Li Yunlong. Eventually, all had to be reassigned. Now that Li Yunlong has been demoted to cook, I reckon the whole regiment is simmering with resentment. We’re bound to face hostility once we get there,” one of the guards remarked.

“The 24th Regiment is his creation, after all. And there was a reason for the grain seizure,” Su Changqing replied cheerfully. “Think about it—if someone occupied the land you’d been working for years, would you just accept it?”

He knew Li Yunlong all too well. As one of the youngest rising stars in Grand Xia’s military in the twenty-first century, Su Changqing had never been a fan of TV dramas or novels. But he’d watched and read series like “Drawing the Sword,” “Snow Leopard,” and “My Regiment” several times. To outsiders, Li Yunlong might seem like a troublemaker, but to Su Changqing, he was a man of genuine emotion and loyalty—far more worthwhile than those who hid daggers behind their smiles.

At this point, with the path ahead still uncertain, Su Changqing had no desire to get involved in any power struggles. His only goal was to build a truly formidable fighting force. Then, to repay the invaders who dared set foot in Grand Xia, tooth for tooth, blood for blood—destroying them so utterly that even their mothers wouldn’t recognize them.

Before long, the three arrived at the 24th Regiment’s camp. Aside from the deputy commander, no one came out to greet the “air-dropped” new regimental commander. Clearly, Li Yunlong’s standing in the regiment was unshakable.

Su Changqing wasn’t the least bit angered. He simply dismounted and strode toward the regimental command post. At that moment, a mechanical voice sounded in his ear.

At last, the system he had been longing for was activated.

“Entrepreneur System pending activation. Activation mission issued: Subdue Li Yunlong and take command of the 24th Regiment of the 30th Hong Army. Success will activate the Entrepreneur System. Failure will result in system lockout.”

…