Chapter 152 Undermining the Foundation

Li Wen gazed at Gao Yuan for a while, then he nodded and said, "State your demand."

Gao Yuan thought for a moment and said, "The weaponry will definitely be satisfactory, and I need to prepare more food. I know these are not a problem, so I only have one request, you have to give me a title. Our Fierce Tiger Brigade..."

Li Wen took a deep breath, chuckled bitterly, and then he said in a low voice, "I knew you would say that, Xiao Gao, this is a tough problem you've presented us with."

Confused, Gao Yuan said in a soft voice, "How is this presenting a tough problem? The Fierce Tiger Brigade is a heroic unit, isn't it normal and right to rebuild it?"

Li Wen said gravely, "The Fierce Tiger Brigade is a brigade, not just a squad. Do you know what it means to rebuild a brigade under the current conditions?"

Gao Yuan truly did not understand what it meant to rebuild a brigade under the current conditions and circumstances; in his view, wasn't it just a matter of recruiting a bunch of people and changing the unit number?

Seeing Gao Yuan's puzzled expression, Li Wen continued, "Forming a brigade is not a simple matter. Personnel, equipment, combat objectives, these are not things that can be resolved with a few words. So, while I understand your ideas, now is not the time to rebuild the Fierce Tiger Brigade. There are more important tasks at hand."

Speaking softly, Gao Yuan said, "Commander, I understand. Then what about this, could I start as a squad leader? If you think I can't handle that, then I'll remain a raw recruit. Just authorize me to recruit new soldiers and form a squad. You can just assign a squad leader for me!"

Li Wen smiled and looked towards General Luo beside him; then General Luo said from the side, "Nonsense, how could we possibly let you independently recruit new soldiers?"

Gao Yuan knew he should not have made such a request, but he also knew that opportunity knocks but once.

"Commander, are we just going to leave the Fierce Tiger Brigade hanging in limbo? That doesn't seem right either. Since I am a seed of the Fierce Tiger Brigade, then I should blossom and bear fruit. You see I've been assigned a mission, right? I can't possibly go it alone."

General Luo's face turned stern as he said, "Xiao Gao, carrying out a mission is not something you can negotiate over. However, I can understand your thoughts. Let's do it this way, you can be a squad leader. I will find a way to allocate a squad to you. From now on, they will be your Da Hong Third Company and will follow you on this mission."

Gao Yuan got what he wanted, but his satisfaction was not due to the small advantage he gained; he knew he couldn't let short-term benefits cloud his vision.

Now he has a squad, but what then? Is the 33258 Brigade just left with this one squad?

Gao Yuan was very ambitious; he knew that giving him a squad now meant just this one squad. There was no chance of getting a full Da Hong Third Company, let alone the Fierce Tiger Brigade returned to him.

Proceeding carefully, Gao Yuan said in a low voice, "That's the case, Commander. You are all aware of my physical condition, and my tactics have greatly changed from before. Since I'm the squad leader, could I be allowed to select my own people? If our combat strength is good and we can expand the unit, then let's do so, shall we?"

Seeing the look General Luo gave him, Gao Yuan hurriedly added, "I'm not looking to create my own fiefdom. I just feel that if we can expand, naturally we should. Of course, military appointments and recruitment have to follow the proper procedures. I'm thinking of rebuilding the Fierce Tiger Brigade, not aiming to be its commander."

Li Wen and General Luo exchanged glances once again and then both smiled.

Li Wen nodded, while General Luo seriously said, "You want to recruit people yourself? Fine, we'll grant you that right. Some special units do have the privilege of selecting their own members, which is as it should be. But if you're thinking of poaching from other units, I suggest you drop that idea right now."

Confident, Gao Yuan said with a smile, "No poaching, absolutely no corner-cutting. So, does this mean you agree?"

Li Wen said indifferently, "It's just a squad-level unit. Granting you authority is no issue. As long as you perform well, even granting you a company won't be a problem. But that depends on your performance."

Gao Yuan promptly said, "No problem, since I dare to undertake this task, naturally I'm confident. In fact, I've worked in Ji City before, so if I have to infiltrate Ji City, terrain won't be a big issue."

Li Wen said in a low voice, "You need to undergo emergency training. When can you start?"

"Anytime, but before the training, I need to sort out my weapons first."

"Of course, you'll move out after all your preparations are ready. General Luo, Gao Yuan's operation is your responsibility."

After finishing, Li Wen stood up and extended his hand to Gao Yuan with a serious face, "Comrade Gao Yuan, the task on your shoulders is heavy. We count on you!"

Gao Yuan saluted and said, "Rest assured, Commander, I guarantee the mission will be completed!"

Li Wen left, and Gao Yuan followed General Luo to a small meeting room near the operations command room.

Two people were waiting in the small meeting room, one was a major general and the other was a colonel.

"This is Brigade Commander Zhao Hui of the Sharp Sword Special Combat Brigade, and this is Captain Shi Lei of the Sharp Sword Special Combat Brigade. They will cooperate with you to complete the mission. Now let's have a brief meeting first. Xiao Gao, share any thoughts you have."

A salute from Gao Yuan was unquestioned, but his status was awkward—was he a private? Or maybe a lance corporal or a sergeant?

Right now Gao Yuan was nothing; in theory, he was just a raw recruit of the Da Hong Third Company who hadn't officially enlisted yet since he didn't even have a soldier's ID.

But this was certainly not the time to fuss over such details.

Zhao Hui nodded towards Gao Yuan and said, "Xiao Gao, we know your physical condition has surpassed that of ordinary people, and according to your requirements, you'll be using cold weapons. So, besides the standard issue, do you have any other requests for your weaponry? And what about your personnel arrangements?"

Gao Yuan said, "I need a knife, but not the ones you're issuing now; they're not suitable for me. With my strength now, I no longer need a knife that has to be wielded with both hands, so I'd like to have a knife specifically tailored for me."

Zhao Hui immediately said, "That's no problem, anything else?"

"No, I don't have any other requests."

"What about personnel arrangements then? You can be told now that Li Jingang and Panxin, whom you are familiar with, are both from our brigade. If you think they are suitable, they can join you to complete this mission. Of course, we will send elite troops; you can rest assured about that."

Gao Yuan cautiously asked, "Can they be permanently transferred to my squad? Not temporarily, but permanently?"

Zhao Hui and Shi Lei exchanged glances, then Zhao Hui said with a smile, "You can absolutely poach people. I'll turn a blind eye as long as they agree, and I can transfer them to you."