Chapter Thirteen: The Outburst—The Reason Behind the Curse: The First Love Ran Away with Someone Else

“Kill! Kill!”
“Charge inward! Break through!”

Li Yunlong was not only a strategist but also a fearless fighter.

As a military commander, most would remain at the command post, adapting to the shifting tides of battle.

But Li Yunlong was different; his favorite thing was to lead his troops in the front lines of an assault.

He even formed an elite strike force, leading it with unexpected tactics to launch fierce attacks on the enemy’s command center.

At this moment, Li Yunlong had yet to encounter the special operations units of the Eastern invaders, nor had he learned from their methods.

Yet, from his very nature, he was a fierce warrior.

In ancient times, he would have been a bold general, the first to charge into battle, cutting down enemy commanders and capturing their banners.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

Mauser rifles fired with precision; horses reared high, turning into lethal arrows piercing forward.

As they closed in, the Mausers were holstered, and great machetes were raised high.

The enemy forces clashed with the cavalry battalion and shattered at the first touch.

The senior officers of a certain Northeast Army unit were utterly terrified by this fierce cavalry.

“Hold the line! Hold your ground!”
“Hold it for me!”

The guard platoon was dispatched by these senior officers, yet the panicked officers themselves fled in disorder.

“Send a telegram to the Young Marshal: the Eighth Division has been ambushed.”
“Our command post will relocate immediately.”

With that, the commander of the Northeast Army’s Eighth Division, surrounded by guards, began to retreat.

But before he had gone far, gunfire erupted behind him again.

“Bang!”
“Bang!”
“Bang!”

Several shots rang out, and a number of officers fell headlong from their horses.

A bullet even whizzed past the forehead of Liu Duoquan, commander of the Eighth Division, startling him greatly.

“Stop!”
“If you run again, we won’t show mercy.”

Li Yunlong’s voice rang out.

Liu Duoquan forced a bitter smile.

He knew there was no chance of escape now.

As a proud division commander of the Northeast Army, well-equipped and with a capable fighting force, to suffer such a crushing defeat in Zhiluozhen was humiliating.

They had been beaten by the Hong Army, whose soldiers wore straw sandals and had been driven on a 25,000-li Long March by the Blue Sky Party.

Who exactly were these people who defeated him?

At this moment, Liu Duoquan’s curiosity was intense.

“I am Liu Duoquan, commander of the Northeast Army’s Eighth Division,” he declared.
“I am willing to surrender.”

“But I have one condition.”
“I want to meet your commander.”

Liu Duoquan dismounted from his horse and looked at Li Yunlong, who sat astride his steed, unassuming and with the rustic air of a countryman.

He removed his command saber.

“This is my command saber, from a defeated general.”
“I hope to hand it personally to the general who has bested me.”

Seeing Liu’s sincere gesture, Li Yunlong merely waved his hand.

“Take him away.”
“Yes!”

Elsewhere, in a certain part of Shaanxi Province,

Zhang Xiaoshuai, clad in uniform, stared grimly at the newly delivered newspapers.

Since the September 18 Incident, the Northeast Army had withdrawn from the four provinces of Northern Fengtian.

From the papers, Zhang Xiaoshuai often read scathing criticisms directed at him.

Being called a “black sheep” and a “coward” was hardly a pleasant experience.

What was worse, Zhang Xiaoshuai hoped to find even the slightest positive mention of himself.

So, despite the psychological abuse, he sought some recognition, twisting his mind painfully.

“Commander!”
“The Northeast Army’s Eighth Division at Zhiluozhen—”

Before his aide could finish, Zhang Xiaoshuai folded the newspaper.

“So much time has passed.”
“Zhiluozhen should have been taken by now; the Eighth Division is one of my elite units.”
“These days, my sworn brother has been pressing me even harder.”
“If I don’t produce results, I won’t be able to explain things to Jinling...”

In Zhang Xiaoshuai’s eyes, the Eighth Division was his trump card at Zhiluozhen.

This unit was armed to the teeth: Liao Type 13 bolt-action rifles, imported German MP-18 submachine guns, Czech ZB-26 light machine guns, Liao Type 13 heavy machine guns, and Maxim heavy machine guns.

They also possessed various artillery pieces, including Liao-manufactured 82mm mortars, French Schneider M1929 105mm howitzers, Liao Type 13 75mm field guns, Liao Type 14 100mm howitzers, and Czech Skoda VZ75 mountain guns.

To seize the strategic position at Zhiluozhen in one fell swoop, Zhang even deployed French Renault FT-17 light tanks.

As for the Hong Army?

This force had just crossed snow mountains and grasslands; even with iron-like fighting spirit, how could they withstand the Northeast Army’s steel artillery?

Just as Zhang Xiaoshuai brimmed with confidence, his aide delivered the awkward news:

“Commander, just now we received battle reports.”
“The Eighth Division’s command post was ambushed; the division's front has completely collapsed...”
“The situation is extremely unfavorable for our forces...”

“What!”

Zhang Xiaoshuai’s eyes widened; he slumped weakly into his chair.

His gaze lost all light, as though drained of every ounce of spirit.

“How is this possible?”
“How can this be?”
“This is my Eighth Division, the Northeast Army’s Eighth Division...”
“Manpower, weapons, logistics...”
“We had the advantage in all aspects...”

“How could we lose? How could we lose?”

“Damn it, who?”
“Who is the commander of the opposing Hong Army?”

At this moment, the highest commander of the Northeast Army was struck by an indescribable mix of shock, frustration, and despair.

“Reportedly, it was the Hong 20th Regiment, originally part of the Hong Fourth Army Group.”

“The Hong Fourth Army Group hasn’t even arrived in Shaanxi yet?” The commander frowned.

“While crossing the grasslands, the Hong headquarters air-dropped a general from the fourth class of the Whampoa Military Academy into the Hong 24th Regiment.”

“Since then, the 24th Regiment has followed the Hong First Army Group across the grasslands and into Shaanxi...”

“This Whampoa-trained officer performed remarkably during the Northern Warlord Wars, praised as the ‘Dragon of Whampoa.’”

“But he disagreed with the Jinling faction and joined a different camp.”

“This man’s name is Su Changqing, a formidable figure.”

“Su Changqing!”
“Su Changqing!”

The shattered Northeast Army commander muttered the name, a strange feeling welling up inside him.

A whole division defeated by a single regiment—despite superior equipment, manpower, and logistics—had lost everything down to their last shred of dignity.

This battle felt like a crushing blow, one the highest commander of the Northeast Army could barely accept.

Elsewhere, Jinling’s anger was no less fierce.

“Bastards!”
“A whole division can’t take down a single regiment—what the hell is Commander Zhang doing?”
“What the hell are these Northeast Army troops even for?”

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

Fingers slammed hard on the desk as curses erupted from an office.

Senior officers of the Blue Sky Party stood silently before him, afraid to speak.

Outside the office:

“What’s going on? As soon as Commandant Hu walked in, I heard yelling from inside.”
“Shh, keep your voice down.”
“I heard they suffered another defeat in Shaanxi.”
“It’s not just Commandant Hu; officers below division level don’t even have the right to be scolded.”
“They say a Whampoa fourth-class officer from the Hong Army turned over a fully equipped Northeast Army division with just one regiment...”
“Is that true?”
“Shh, quiet, don’t spread rumors.”
“Don’t worry, you said officers below division level aren’t even allowed to be scolded, right?”
“Hmm, that makes some sense. Come on, let’s hear more. I heard that Whampoa fourth-class officer is quite a heartthrob...”
“Really?”
“Of course! Don’t you know what I do? I’m well-informed about these rumors...”
“We have quite a few heartthrobs over here. That officer once turned down the command of the elite Training Division One — you know, the cream of the crop. If he’d stayed, he’d have been our first German-equipped division commander...”
“Oh, that explains the fury inside. The heartthrob ran off with someone else...”

...