Chapter 38: The Deputy Chief's Surprise: News of Li Yunlong and the New First Regiment at Last! The Type 56 Semi-Automatic Rifle Stuns the Crowd

At the Eighth Route Army Frontline Headquarters, the Deputy Chief of Staff walked into the room and addressed the Deputy Commander, "Deputy Commander, we have received news regarding Li Yunlong and the New First Regiment."

"Oh?" The Deputy Commander was overjoyed and quickly urged, "Tell me, what is the news?"

The Deputy Chief of Staff replied immediately, "A few days ago, during a joint operation between our 711th Regiment and the Shanxi-Sui Army's 358th Regiment, we learned something from the 358th."

"When the New First Regiment was fighting the Sakata Regiment at Cangyun Ridge, the 358th happened to be stationed nearby. You could say they observed the entire battle!"

"According to the 358th, before Li Yunlong and the New First Regiment disappeared, they wiped out the command post of the Sakata Regiment and then took advantage of the chaos to break through from the front."

"There is no other news after that..."

"What happened next? How could it end there?" The Deputy Commander widened his eyes, looking puzzled. "Did Li Yunlong and the New First Regiment succeed in their breakout?"

"This... I don't know." The Deputy Chief of Staff shrugged helplessly. "According to the 358th, once the New First Regiment began their frontal breakout, they quickly moved beyond the 358th's forward observation range."

"Naturally, the 358th didn't dare to venture deep for reconnaissance, so they don't know where the New First Regiment went afterward."

Hearing this, the Deputy Commander sighed helplessly.

He then fell into deep thought, saying, "If that’s the case, in the Battle of Cangyun Ridge, not only was the New First Regiment not wiped out, but they actually destroyed the Sakata Regiment's command post?"

"If that is true, it would have been easy for Li Yunlong to lead the New First Regiment to break through from the front during the chaos."

"With the Sakata Regiment leaderless, could they really have stopped them?"

"It seems... it is very likely that Li Yunlong and the New First Regiment still exist and were not completely annihilated!"

"But where on earth did they go? How has there been no news for so long?"

"This..." Faced with the question, the Deputy Chief of Staff pursed his lips. "That is the biggest problem."

"Li Yunlong and his regiment destroyed the command post, which must have thoroughly enraged the Japanese of the Sakata Regiment."

"Perhaps because of this, it is very possible that the New First Regiment was wiped out under the Sakata Regiment's insane retaliation."

"Although the Sakata Regiment was leaderless... they are an elite force after all. If they truly went berserk, it is unlikely the New First Regiment could have withstood them."

Indeed. It was impossible for a single regiment to defeat a Japanese infantry regiment—especially the Sakata Regiment. There was a massive disparity in strength.

"No..." The Deputy Commander shook his head. "I still don't believe Li Yunlong would be sacrificed so easily."

"Now that we have news about Li Yunlong, let's continue to investigate along this lead."

"Although the 358th lost track of them, they at least know the direction the New First Regiment took during the breakout. Follow that direction."

"To be honest, with their command post destroyed, I truly do not believe Li Yunlong and the New First Regiment would be completely wiped out."

"Understood," the Deputy Chief of Staff replied.

Finally, there was news. Although it was still impossible to confirm if the regiment had been destroyed, it was a start. The Eighth Route Army would continue their search.

***

Three days later, at the Jin-Sui Arsenal, the first Type 56 semi-automatic rifle was finally developed by the weapons experts. Wang Chengwei immediately notified Li Yunlong.

Li Yunlong arrived at the arsenal with the battalion commanders of the New First Regiment. After all, this was the regiment's new rifle, and the commanders naturally wanted to witness it.

At the firing range, Li Yunlong held the Type 56 and aimed at a wooden target in the distance. Zhou Weiguo and the others watched with anticipation.

Li Yunlong pulled the trigger.

*Bang!*

The bullet cut through the air and pierced the wooden target with ease, leaving a clear hole.

Seeing this, everyone was stunned. Given the thickness of the target, even a Japanese Arisaka rifle would only leave a dent at this range, let alone penetrate it completely. The power was truly breathtaking.

Before they could recover, Li Yunlong fired again in rapid succession.

*Bang, bang, bang, bang...*

The Type 56 showed its ferocity. Nine bullets were fired in a matter of seconds, all striking the target. The sturdy wooden board was riddled with holes and shattered.

Zhou Weiguo and the others stared at Li Yunlong as if he were a deity.

Li Yunlong lowered his weapon and looked at the stunned crowd. "What's with the faces?"

"It's just a rifle with an automatic loading mechanism. A bit more power, a bit more fire rate—is that really enough to shock you like this?"

Zhou Weiguo and the others rolled their eyes.

"Regimental Commander, don't say that," Zhou Weiguo said, his eyes bright. "I dare say this rifle—in terms of power, firepower, and stability—is world-class."

"I've seen the American M1 Garand. Compared to this, they each have their merits, but the Garand might even fall short in power."

"If our New First Regiment were fully equipped with these, our combat effectiveness would increase several times over!"

The others were even more shocked, looking at the rifle as if it were a priceless treasure.

Wang Chengwei couldn't help but ask, "Commander, you gave me the blueprints. What kind of rifle is this?"

"This is called the Type 56 semi-automatic rifle..." Li Yunlong smiled. "As you just saw, it loads automatically, skipping the tedious process of working the bolt. The firepower is fierce!"

"Commander, when can we be equipped with these?" Zhang Dabiao asked, full of anticipation.

"This thing is a divine weapon! Compared to this, the Japanese Arisaka is just a fire poker!"

"Exactly," Shen Quan added impatiently. "I can't wait to use this to kill some Japanese!"

"The combat effectiveness of this rifle is unimaginable. We can finally suppress the Japanese in terms of firepower! Hahaha..."

"The firepower is indeed fierce," Zhou Weiguo said with a smile. "It's a good thing we have the ammunition production line, otherwise we wouldn't dare use it. The ammo consumption is too high."

"Thankfully, the Commander was prepared and solved the ammunition issue long ago."

Hearing this, everyone's admiration for Li Yunlong soared.

Li Yunlong ordered Wang Chengwei to begin mass production as soon as possible. Everyone—Zhang Dabiao, Shen Quan, Wang Huaibao, and Zhou Weiguo—was filled with excitement.

***

After testing the rifle, Li Yunlong returned to regimental headquarters.

"Now, it's time to consider expanding the New First Regiment," he muttered to himself, sitting on his stool. "With over 1,500 men, the regiment has reached a bottleneck in its growth..."