r18novel Chapter 209 Invitation to Join the Party
Chapter 209 Invitation to Join the Party
Yan Shuo was silent for a moment, then tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, his tone tinged with helplessness: "I can consider it, but you have to make it clear first, what do you want me to be careful about? You can't expect me to stop killing people in the future, can you? I have over a thousand men under my command, and to keep order and deal with Japanese spies and traitors, I have to be ruthless."
"It's not that I don't want you to kill, it's that you should be careful!" Wang Li quickly explained, his tone sincere. "You must be careful. Some people are not inherently evil, they are just confused for a moment, or they are coerced. Such people can be reformed. Try to win them over as much as possible. There is no need to exterminate them. Every extra person means an extra force in the fight against Japan."
Yan Shuo raised an eyebrow and pressed further, "What about those who colluded with Japanese spies and wholeheartedly betrayed their country? Are they also kept for reformation?"
"Kill them! Keeping these kinds of people alive is a disaster, they must be killed!" Wang Li's tone instantly hardened, then softened, adding, "But there's a condition: before you kill them, try to let us know. What if those people are people we've planted with cover identities, or people we're trying to win over? If you kill them by mistake, it would be a huge waste and cause trouble for both sides. Just be careful."
Yan Shuo shrugged, his tone a mix of amusement and exasperation: "Brother, I'm the head of the Military Intelligence Bureau's Shanghai station, with over a thousand men under my command. Every day, I have mountains of things to deal with. There are Japanese spies and traitors everywhere. How can I possibly have the time to check on each one and communicate with you all? All I can say is, try your best to be careful. If you really can't keep up, don't blame me."
Upon hearing this, Wang Li realized that his demands were somewhat harsh. He scratched his head and softened his tone considerably: "Well, that's true. I didn't think it through. Just do your best! We'll check what we can, and we can understand if there's really no time."
Looking at his earnest expression, and recalling his own years of frustration during the War of Resistance against Japan, as well as his dissatisfaction with certain compromises within the Kuomintang, Yan Shuo remained silent for a moment before slowly nodding: "Alright, I agree, I'm willing to give it a try. But let me make this clear from the start: my identity in the Military Intelligence Bureau is too complicated. If it's revealed that I want to join your party, not only will I die, but it will also implicate you. You have to help me maintain secrecy. During the investigation period, my identity must not be exposed."
"Don't worry, don't worry!" Wang Li was overjoyed and quickly got up to find paper and pen, saying as he searched, "You can rest assured about this; I'll definitely keep it a secret for you! According to the procedure, you first need to write an application to join the Party by hand, and then I'll write a recommendation based on your situation. We'll send both to Yan'an for the organization to review. After the review is approved, someone will come to talk to you and investigate you. Only if you pass the investigation can you officially join."
He paused, then remembered something else, and his tone softened considerably: "There's another small matter. Our Party has discipline, and you must be discreet about your private life. I know you have several women around you. I'm not asking you to throw them away; after all, it hasn't been easy for them to be with you. I just hope you can behave yourself in the future and stop messing around with other women. More importantly, you must carefully screen them and not let those who are loyal to the Military Intelligence Bureau or have impure intentions find out about your application to join the Party. Otherwise, it would be a huge risk for both you and us."
Yan Shuo nodded, picked up a pen and paper, and said in a more serious tone, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. I'll be careful in my private life and discern the people around me. I won't cause you or your organization any trouble. After I finish writing the application, you can explain your party's program and system to me in detail. Don't let the organization send someone to talk to me and I be clueless, which would embarrass you and delay your own affairs."
"Haha, don't worry!" Wang Li sat down with a smile, holding a pen and paper in his hand, his eyes full of satisfaction. "I promise I'll explain everything to you clearly and thoroughly, so you can not only pass the test but also truly understand our Party's propositions. To be honest, having someone like you willing to join, regardless of whether it ultimately succeeds or not, is a blessing for our anti-Japanese forces."
Yan Shuo didn't say anything more. He lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then picked up his pen and slowly wrote his application to join the Party on the paper. His handwriting was strong and powerful, and every stroke conveyed a sense of solemnity.
He didn't know if he had chosen the right path, but he knew that everything he did was for the sake of resisting Japan and driving the Japanese away, and that was enough.
Yan Shuo pondered for a moment, picked up his pen, and wrote down his strong and powerful handwriting in his application to join the Party, expressing his heartfelt intentions and determination.
After writing the last word, he put down his pen, picked up the inkpad beside him, dipped his fingertip in it, and pressed his fingerprint heavily onto the signature page of the application. The clear red fingerprint conveyed an unquestionable solemnity.
He pushed the application form in front of Wang Li, his previous solemnity vanishing, replaced by his usual casual demeanor. He said, "Here's the application form, and you've put your fingerprint on it. The rest is up to you. Oh, and there are some supplies I forgot to tell you about; I'll report them to you as well."
Wang Li was carefully reviewing the application when he heard this. His eyes lit up, and he quickly put down the paper, leaning forward slightly. "There are more supplies? Okay, okay, tell me, I'll remember!"
Yan Shuo leaned back in his chair and calmly reported the items one by one, as if it were a trivial matter: "There are also some guns, 1800 rifles and 400 pistols. Most of them have been used, but they are still in good condition. I'll use new guns to round it up for you, so it's easier to calculate. In addition, there is ammunition, aerial bombs, heavy artillery shells, 1800 tons of shipping fuel oil, 180 tons of thermal coal, and 100 pieces of 10mm thick Japanese bulletproof steel plates."
He paused, then continued, speaking at a measured pace, listing each item clearly: "14 Type 98 75mm anti-aircraft guns, 58 Type 93 13.2mm anti-aircraft machine guns, approximately 30 Type 98 88mm and Type 89 127mm anti-aircraft guns in total, and approximately 30 Type 93 13.2mm anti-aircraft machine guns. All the accompanying ammunition and maintenance tools will also be provided to you."
"My goodness, this thing is so heavy!" Wang Li's eyes widened in surprise, and he almost dropped his pen. He quickly bent down to take notes, muttering to himself, "I've got it, I've got it, go on!"
Yan Shuo nodded calmly and continued, "Yes, there are also 22 sets of medical surgical equipment, and related tools, various forceps, tweezers, and so on. I won't list them all, I'll give them all to you. In addition, there is a batch of medicines. Let's put it all at a total price of 5 silver dollars. All these medical-related items will be packaged and given to you, and we won't charge for them separately."
"Okay, okay, 5 silver dollars, what a bargain!" Wang Li nodded repeatedly, his face full of joy. "Anything else? Just tell me, the more the better!"
"Yes." Yan Shuo looked up at him, his tone casual. "Bullets, rifle bullets. We seized quite a lot this time from Qianjiang Airport, plus the stock I brought over before. How many do you need? Is 100 million rounds enough?"
"A million rounds?" Wang Li looked up abruptly, his face filled with disbelief, his voice rising several decibels. "Really that many? That's no small amount. Did you empty the Japanese ammunition depot?"