While Leitao led his small unit in tense operations at the front, a stifling, restless atmosphere hung over the National Security Military Division Headquarters. The men the Division Commander had dispatched to the Eighth Route Army’s base to stir up trouble had expected to return in triumph; instead, they had been humiliated and sent packing, their faces left in the dust.
When the Division Commander heard of their disgraceful performance, his face turned as dark as ink. He vented his simmering rage entirely upon these incompetent subordinates. With eyes bulging and veins throbbing on his forehead, he roared at the top of his lungs, "You bunch of useless trash! You spend your days living in luxury, and when the crucial moment comes, you bungle such a trivial task and turn yourselves into a laughingstock! I’ve wasted my resources raising the likes of you!" With that, he whipped his sleeve and shouted to his orderly, "You! Go and find that sissy of a Colonel Staff Officer for me!" The orderly, terrified, snapped a salute and scrambled off, fearing that a moment’s delay would draw the commander's ire upon himself. Back in the room, the Division Commander continued to pace, cursing incessantly. His subordinates dared not even breathe, praying only that the wretched Colonel Staff Officer would arrive soon to divert some of this volcanic fury.
Before long, the Colonel Staff Officer hurried in. He clicked his heels, snapped a sharp salute, and announced, "Division Commander, I am …
Chapter 192