Canteen System Assistance Notes

"I just came from Scotland a few days ago, and I want to have a drink first - it's been a damn tiring journey - well, what's good here, man? Merlin, Merlin

Sit down quickly!"

The lord took off his hat and threw it to his orderly Merlin like a frisbee.

We have everything here, from whiskey on the rocks to our own gin. "The bartender is one of the few girls in the bar, a dark-red-haired dragoon with big breasts and a round bottom, who looks like a worker's family," she said. "If you're reporting in tonight, I suggest a glass of 'Iron Man Brew' soda. If you have tomorrow off, you can try our homemade 'Ale'."

She pointed to the menu on the table: "The food is here, you can choose it yourself!"

"That's it." Lovat didn't spend too much time on the order. He snapped his fingers and said, "Two glasses of 'Ale' for Merlin and me first..." "Large or small?"

"A big cup! Shouldn't you use a big cup to drink beer?" In such a noisy environment, Lovat felt angry and his voice became louder.

I'll give you the best dish here!"

"Okay! Two jugs of ale, on the rocks!" The bartender's voice penetrated the curtain and blasted towards the kitchen, "And a serving of green turtle pie!" Then, with two thuds, two large jugs of golden ale with turbid bubbles landed on the table.

“Cheers to a good life!”

The Lord took a long swig from the glass. He felt the cold liquid, frost-coated, rush down his throat, stirring up a rich, complex aroma like beer foam. The strong hop aroma was like a bomb suit exploding around him, mixed with a bitter and sweet taste, which made Lovat shudder. For a moment, he even felt his brain tremble like pudding under the bombardment of such a vivid taste bud.

"Man! I never thought I could drink such authentic Indian-style ale here!" he exclaimed. "Did you buy this from that 'supply and marketing supermarket'?"

"No! It's not!" someone shouted loudly, "Can the stuff in the supply and marketing cooperative be called beer? It's more like horse urine! My God! Chinese comrades have only such boring light beer!" "Simon! The supply and marketing cooperative is good, but the beer is not good - this is our own brew!

"Fermentation vats, thermostats, and a steamer. We asked the supply and marketing cooperative to get us hops, and we used our overtime allowance to buy wheat... This is beer we grind, brew, and bottle ourselves!"

The man turned around, pointed at the bar built against the backdrop of the cave, and proudly said, "Not only that, this cave was built by us and our students ourselves. We also laid the circuits ourselves, and the ice in your beer was made with an ice-making machine we modified ourselves!"

"The compressor for the ice machine was bought with everyone's subsidies!" "The heat dissipation copper pipes were bent by me and the Chinese students together!"

"The density meter used for winemaking was blown by the comrades in the glass workshop!"

The workers present were chattering about it, as if showing off a treasured heirloom. Then the big man put his hands down, and the scene quieted down a bit: "Comrade Simon, Comrade Merlin, you see, we workers can create everything!"

Warm, open and energetic, Lord Lovat, who had emerged from the pile of civil servants and was tired of bickering and beating around the bush, sat at the bar and enjoyed the moment's noise.

Or in another sense, it was peaceful—he really liked this atmosphere.

Especially when you can drink refreshing ale while eating the "Green Turtle" pie filled with turtle meat, potatoes and thyme, which is put into the oven together with the pie crust and baked until golden.

So, while the entire British delegation was searching for someone, this Scottish "barbarian aristocrat" brought his orderly and a group of workers to enjoy a feast and a few drinks. Afterward, they sang "The Brave Scotsman" and "The Internationale" together on a record player under the night sky of northern Shaanxi.

"Gentlemen and comrades, leave all expenses for tonight to me!"

"Hey! Comrade Simon, how can I ask a newcomer like you to pay for this? We will be colleagues from now on..."

"Don't worry, my friend." The delighted Lord took out a blank checkbook and waved it vigorously, "I'm RICH."

Chapter 316: A British Gentleman's Trip to the Border (Part 2) Volunteer Lovat

"So, Your Excellency, if you want to go out for a drink next time, it would be better to tell us."

Standing on the hills of northern Shaanxi, local guide Shi Zhiyi, with a bitter face, quietly advised the head of the delegation, Sir Simon Christopher Joseph Fraser Lovat, "Drinking and singing in a place like that is really not in keeping with your demeanor."

"Here, manners are bullshit. They're for the English," Lord Lovat shrugged. "I didn't cause any trouble to the delegation. This was just Merlin and I. Do you think having a drink with the Scottish workers here is anything to worry about?"

"Actually, personally, I wouldn't say so." Shi Zhiyi shook his head. "Having a few drinks with a communist isn't a big deal. I even had dinner with the communist vice chairman. But if this news gets out, there's bound to be people who will jump up and down—like, have you done anything detrimental to national interests, or have you misrepresented the British Empire, blah blah blah."

*Well, in fact, according to this argument, wouldn't it be better for me to hide this matter from you? "Lovat was a little puzzled. "If others don't know what I did in the bar, won't no one suspect that I did anything wrong? " "You... Lord, I'm afraid only a member of the House of Commons would talk nonsense like this."

Shi Zhiyi turned around, surprised. But then he touched his chin and said, "Well, but... to some extent, you're not wrong to say that." He and the Lord smiled at each other.

Compared to Calcutta and Kabul, I actually feel like this place is closer to civilization. Looking at the chimneys and smoke billowing from the guesthouses, Lord Lovat gazed at the fiery sunset in the distance. "Sedgwick, you've been to the capital city at this time. How do you think it compares to here?"

"In terms of city size, Fushi might not be able to see the shoulders and spine of the mountain city in a race. But in terms of urban development and the cultural outlook of its citizens, if you want the mountain city to reach Fushi's level, it will take a ruler unprecedented in history and unparalleled in history to work hard for a hundred years.

"I don't particularly want to praise communists, but this is one of the most vibrant places I've ever seen in China."

"So do we need to continue our investigation and submit a 'comparative report'? I assume you and Ambassador Karl have already reported the differences between Communist and Kuomintang areas to Downing Street, right?"

Lovat had just asked the question when he suddenly clapped his hands and said, "Oh! I forgot. It is indeed like this - if your report is sent to No. 10 Downing Street, maybe in three days, the Germans will know more about the situation in Fushe than we do."

"Your Excellency, although Downing Street is trying to appease Japan and at the same time trying to get us to cause trouble for Germany's Far Eastern partner, if George and the others heard you say this, they would definitely be unhappy again."

In 1940, British policy in the Far East was a schizophrenic struggle, largely defined by the fall of France and the US's announcement that the US-Japan Treaty of Commerce and Trade would not be renewed. Around these two points, the British temporarily closed the Burma Road and transferred river and sea tariffs to the puppet Japanese government, tacitly condoning Japan's actions. Meanwhile, they were very assertive regarding the transfer of silver deposits in Tianjin, even deploying warships to intercept Japanese ships, boarding and arresting German sailors, demonstrating a hawkish stance.

In this time and space, they've also added the "offshore balancing" they're known for, using the Eighth Route Army to try to get them to cause trouble for Japan. After hearing Shi Zhiyi's teasing, Lord Lovat seemed prepared. He pulled out his pen and a rolled-up blank check:

"That's all right, Sedgewick. They've been ordering a lot of turtle soup and bananas in the Communist mess hall these past few days. They've eaten up all the food budget, and I'm still paying for it!"

Lovat, in control of the delegation's finances, was at ease as he led Meilin and Shi Zhiyi down the mountain. On a summer evening, night fell slowly in Fushe. The Yanhe River valley lingered in the sunset, reluctant to be lost in the northwest night. To prevent Japanese air raids, a curfew was in effect. Even with electricity, lights could not be turned on.

A group of soldiers, rifles slung over their shoulders, patrolled the streets. Looking at the group of Eighth Route Army soldiers who looked like cowboys, Lovat suddenly stopped and said, "Sedgewick, I want to ask you a favor." "Your Lordship, please speak."

"I plan to go to the front line where the Communists and the Japanese are fighting to see for myself. Well, what do you think of volunteering as a soldier?" "Okay, that's a good idea..."

Shi Zhiyi paused, stumbling on the dirt mountain road and nearly falling. The British office worker finally lost his composure and asked in shock:

"Oh, no, absolutely not. Where did you get such a ridiculous idea?"

He had a bitter face. The so-called humble public facilities must always be the result of the careful consideration of the bosses.

"You must be aware that this is northern China, at war with Japan, and Britain has not yet declared war on Japan. If a British lord were captured by the Japanese while on the battlefield in China, what a major diplomatic incident that would be."

Of course I know that, you see. Look," Lord Lovat flexed his arms, flexing his muscles. "I'm still young and strong. At the age of 19, I joined the Royal Scots Guards and underwent rigorous training. Now, I've been re-enlisted, and after this mission is over, I'm going to join the Royal Commandos and punish the Germans!"

"Look, why can't such a well-trained, skilled, and accurate volunteer soldier go to the Far East battlefield and fight against Mr. Mustache's Eastern allies?" "Then you can't go! It's a disaster for the Japanese to capture a lord who drank too much beer, and it's even more of a disaster if they capture a British Army officer who is about to serve!"

“No, Sedgewick.”

Lord Lovat smiled a slightly mischievous smile, outwitting Shi Zhiyi: "Japan has signed an alliance treaty with Germany, and the world is under the threat of fascism. Britain and the Chinese Communist Party are comrades fighting the same enemy. Well, more importantly, I remember that American journalist Edgar Snow and US Marine Carlson also fought with the Eighth Route Army and nothing happened to them.

“Sedgewick, do you think I’m even worse than those guys who don’t speak English?”

Chapter 317: Lishi City Huang Jun (Part 1)

Luliang Mountain is a mountain range located on the east bank of the Yellow River. It is located on the west side of Shanxi Province, separating the Yellow River and the Jinzhong Basin, and also forming the geographical concept of Lishi area.

The terrain here is relatively closed and hilly, with only two roads connecting the Yellow River to Jinyang City from east to west. Historically, the Japanese army relied on these two roads to construct a series of artillery towers and strongholds, allowing them to control the area with a small force. However, precisely because of these two roads, even though this area is so close to the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region, our army struggled to defeat the rapidly arriving Japanese reinforcements and transform this area into a stable base. We could only establish guerrilla zones around it, constantly harassing and exhausting the Japanese army, until we could launch a true counterattack in 1944.

Of course, in this time and space, the situation is reversed.

Starting in 138, the Eighth Route Army, having undergone training and equipment replenishment, had sufficient combat power and a significantly improved ability to support its troops. The Japanese army's rule in the Lishi area was like arteriosclerosis and blood vessel congestion, starting from the areas near the border and the northwestern Shanxi base area and spreading in the opposite direction along the highway.

During these two years, our army took advantage of the Japanese army's mobilization to encircle and suppress our other bases, with the main force as the leader and local forces and guerrillas as the auxiliary.

Along the way, they conquered Lanxian, Loufan, Linxian, Fangshan, Liu

Lin, Shilou and Zhongyang areas pushed the Japanese army back to the east side of the Luliang Mountains.

Later, if our army went down the mountain to attack, the speed of the Japanese main force's mobilization would be greatly accelerated, entering the "N home defense combat" mode, and its combat power would be rapidly enhanced. After all, the Gujiao, Jiaocheng and Xiaoyi areas would be the western gate of Jinyang City. If this area was lost again, the Eighth Route Army would have to go to the mountains outside Jinyang City every few days to shit on the Japanese army.

The two sides were deadlocked, and on this jagged confrontation line, the Japanese stronghold closest to our base was the small "Lishi City". The Japanese army deployed a lot of troops here, struggling to maintain control of the surrounding area.

However, the recent situation here seems to have changed suddenly.

Lord Lovat changed into the dark green denim uniform of the Eighth Route Army and sat at the stern of the flat-bottomed boat, holding on to the side of the boat tightly.

For this trip, the Eighth Route Army finally approved four British personnel to come - Lovatt and his bagpiper Merlin were naturally going to accompany him, and Ian Fleming from the Naval Intelligence Department also volunteered to come and protect the lord. All three of them had experience in navy or army service and had undergone corresponding military training to keep up with the marching and movement speed of the troops.

The most unfortunate among them was Shi Zhiyi, a civil servant who had been forcibly brought in due to the lack of an excellent translator. He was now sitting opposite the lord, tightly grasping a cane and trembling.

This flat-bottomed boat, a replica of the S50-ton powered transport vessels later promoted by the Shanxi Province shipping section, was used for shallow water transport. It had a heavy load capacity, capable of transporting even a truck or tank, and was the primary means of transporting large cargo on the Yellow River. At this moment, it was towing a string of unpowered wooden boats across the Yellow River from the Wubaojun Ferry in Suide.

The current here was relatively stable, much better than the hydrological conditions near Wan Chai Island. Shi Zhiyi was unsure why he felt so uncomfortable, even experiencing seasickness. Meanwhile, at the bow, a tall man in a long-sleeved PE suit and a boonie hat was completely oblivious, muttering to himself:

"This shouldn't be the case. Where did the devil get so many troops? They're not just planting leeks, they can just come whenever they want..."

"Sedgwick, what is Commander General Young saying?" Lovat, seeing his translator so nervous, decided to give him something to do. "The general seems a little confused."

"As Ning wishes, my Lord."

Shi Zhiyi's face was pale, but he still tried to maintain a calm expression. He turned around and consulted with several staff officers at the bow.

Finally, he returned, holding onto the side of the boat, and explained, "General Yang Jisheng was considering the Japanese military strength issue. His staff explained to me that our destination, Lishi, is only a county town. Recently, the Communist army and militia gathered their forces and launched an attack on Lishi. They weakened the Japanese by cutting off their logistics, then concentrated their firepower to launch an assault and successfully captured the city."

But now, according to intelligence, there are more than 500, close to 600 Japanese troops heading there - this is about the strength of a Japanese regiment. About half of them are Japanese troops, and half are puppet troops controlled by the Japanese.

"That's almost a brigade of the British Army." The Lord had done his homework and knew about the Japanese army's previous battles in the Far East. "With so many people, are they planning a major offensive?"

Scouts conducting manpower reconnaissance in the Jinyang direction confirmed this intelligence: indeed, a column stretching for several miles was advancing westward, more than half of them wearing the khaki uniforms of the Japanese. Technical investigators monitoring the telephone lines also reported the same situation, and puppet army operators relayed similar information over the line: "Three thousand 'Imperial Army' and three thousand Jin Province Security Forces are advancing toward Lishi."

Yes, you are right. Here, this force is enough to capture a large city. It is very rare to send such a large force just to retake such a small county.

"General Yang's staff is wondering if such a large-scale troop movement could be the beginning of another major operation."

General Yang Jisheng’s concerns are not unreasonable, or perhaps this is also the concern of the central government.

After the local troops and militia in the Luliang base area worked together to encircle and annihilate or defeat and drive out a large number of Japanese and puppet troops from Lishui, it was expected that the Japanese army would gather its forces and wait for an opportunity to retaliate. This was a situation that had been anticipated long ago.

But the base could never have anticipated that the Japanese would directly dispatch an entire regiment, and arrive so quickly. Considering the 600 Japanese and puppet troops, even if half were puppet troops, that would still be two battalions. A Japanese force of this size would undoubtedly be supported by mountain and field artillery dispatched from divisional headquarters, cavalry reconnaissance and surveillance from the search regiment, and even air support. After reorganizing with the puppet troops to compensate for the shortage, a direct attack would likely force them to retreat to preserve their manpower, even if they were to tie up the entire Luliang area.

Therefore, the speed of reinforcement became very important. After everyone got off the motorboat, they began a tense march.

As an important mobile force in the field army being organized in the border area, the troops led by General Yang Jisheng can be said to be strong in men and horses. However, when faced with such a large battle, this veteran who had fought in the Northeast for many years did not dare to drag it out. On the one hand, he went to support according to the order of the Central Committee, and on the other hand, he personally went out to prepare to set up a front-line command post to coordinate the troops of the Northwest Shanxi, Jinsui Base Area and other military sub-districts to fight together.

The 20-plus kilometers, while not a problem for the Eighth Route Army soldiers—a mere half a day's work—provided considerable difficulty for the "British Four." Lord Lovat and Bill Merlin, both Army veterans, were relatively fit and could generally keep up. Major Ian Fleming, a Navy officer, had received special agent training and was also quite strong. However, Shi Zhiyi, the team's translator and a British socialite, was unable to walk after the fifth kilometer mark. He had no choice but to report to the Eighth Route Army and board a Jialing tricycle carrying artillery ammunition to catch up with the main force.

By the time they reached their destination, Liulin County, Yang Jisheng's troops had already connected with the previously arrived "Child Brigade Commander" Wang Yachen and established a command post. "The Japanese have reached Lishi and entered the city. There's been no further movement for now. Local comrades have already covered the civilian population as they retreated towards Liulin and Zhongyang."

Wang Yachen is a young man born in 11, and he is reporting the situation to Yang Jisheng.

The troops have been deployed. Yes, three regiments. I've deployed the reconnaissance platoons, all brought along by local comrades. Each platoon was given three radios, all bicycle platoons. They were specifically instructed not to engage in a prolonged battle, but to focus on reconnaissance and not to engage in a head-on confrontation.

"Okay, report back immediately if anything happens. Have the radio frequency bands and handshake keys been sent out?"

"That was already distributed a long time ago. It's so useful. Without it, this advanced radio wouldn't be half as useful..."

"Commander Yang, I'm so sorry we're late." Shi Zhiyi squatted outside the door tactfully, and only informed the sentry at Jinmen after the two men had almost finished talking.

Seeing that this troublesome little tail had finally caught up, Wang Yachen did not hide his disdain for this British "Prince". However, Yang Jisheng, who was kind-hearted, still controlled his temper and gave orders to the translator Shi Zhiyi.

"Mr. Shi Zhiyi, now that you have entered the war zone, all subsequent actions must be under command," he said in a gentle tone, but his attitude was unyielding. "Running around on the battlefield will cost you your life. The Japanese invaders are coming with great force and strength, and they will surely be difficult to deal with. I cannot grant Mr. Lovat's request to observe the front lines."

"I understand, Commander Yang. Thank you very much for your concern. I will tell His Excellency the truth and will not let him risk his life on the battlefield." Shi Zhiyi nodded repeatedly as if he had found a lifeline. He did not want to go to the front line where bullets were flying. "Actually, I personally don't want His Excellency to take any risks either. I will definitely talk to him."

"Your Excellency, although I fully understand your thoughts and concerns, this is indeed not an appropriate occasion..."

Shi Zhiyi returned to the group of four and began explaining the current situation to the others. His description described a large and well-equipped Japanese force, with the front lines turning into a hail of flying shells and stray bullets. Even with escorts, observing the battle from the front lines would be extremely dangerous.

He hoped to use this to persuade this reckless lord, whether a Scottish noble or a British social animal, to cherish his life: "You are not a real communist, can't you just take a look at the headquarters?" But Lovat was not so easily persuaded. He immediately expressed his objection: "Aren't the Americans also on the front line? Why can't I? Not only will I go, but I will also take Merlin with me to play the bagpipes for the attacking Eighth Route Army!" "Your Lordship! After all, this is an order from Commander Yang. When we get to Rome, we must act according to the Roman way. Let's just obey his command!"

Shi Zhiyi was filled with grievances, but he had nowhere to appeal. He could only bring up Yang Jisheng, the great Buddha, hoping it would be of some use. But just then, a combat staff officer from the headquarters approached and asked, "Are you the British prince and his followers who are going to observe the battlefield?"

"Oh! Hello, I'm actually a lord, not a prince." Shi Zhiyi asked as if he had found an ally, "Are you here to convey the commander's orders?

"Yes, that's right. Commander Yang said that you can go to the frontline battlefield under the protection of the guard platoon."

"What? This? How could this happen? Didn't they say the Japanese had a lot of troops?"

"Hey! I'm so angry just talking about this!" The staff officer suddenly became furious, as if he had been fooled: "We agreed that a large force of the Imperial Army would come and beat up those little devils in an open and honest way, but who knew that they were fake devils, just second-rate devils! This is the fucking 'Xingya Yellow Army' that came. It sounds similar, but it's actually far from it!"

The staff officer spoke faster and faster, extremely angry.

"They're not the 'Imperial Army'! Damn it! It was a wasted trip, give me back my gas money!" "Huh?"

Chapter 318: Victory Celebration at Lüliang Mountain (Part 2)

The Xingya Yellow Army, also known as the East Asian Imperial Army, was a puppet Japanese force founded by Wu Jinying, the former commander of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army's supply corps, who defected to the enemy. Historically, they served the Japanese invaders in Shanxi Province. Former Shanxi-Suiyuan Army officers Cai Xiongfei and Guo Yuan each led a detachment. Starting with 800 men in 40, they quickly expanded to 3000 in 41, a rapid expansion.

In this historical moment, they spearheaded Japan's "Sino-Japanese friendship" campaign. By 40 years, they had absorbed a large number of former Shanxi troops who had surrendered to Japan following the fall of Yan Laoxi. Because the North China puppet army had not yet been fully established, they, along with other defeated troops, local armed forces, and stubborn resistance, were incorporated into the desperately needed Japanese army, becoming the Shanxi Provincial Imperial Army.

Soon, this group of puppet troops took the weapons of the National Army captured by the Japanese army in Jinyang City and started to do business as a traitor.

As the most powerful faction, and especially a "model puppet army" born from the surrender of the regular Nationalist Army, the Xingya Yellow Army naturally received special treatment. In addition to the usual distribution of domestically produced and Shanxi-made weapons, they also received 3,000 sets of "gaji cloth" Japanese-style uniforms, ear-curtain military caps and military shoes, as well as 500 sets of rifle equipment used by ordinary Japanese soldiers.

Now, good news! As the saying goes, clothes make the man, and saddles make the horse. These two thousand or so former Jin army soldiers, dressed in this Japanese-style attire, marched in formation along the mountain roads, giving off a truly powerful demeanor. The guerrillas conducting reconnaissance from a distance found it difficult to distinguish them from the two or three hundred Japanese troops leading the support. Add to that the confusion between the characters "Huang" and "Huang" in the wiretap, and it's no wonder the "Three Thousand Huang Army" narrative caused misperception throughout the Lüliang base area.

Today is indeed a happy day for the more than 2,000 Xingya Yellow Army, more than 200 Japanese troops and more than 3,000 miscellaneous puppet troops.

A small part of this mixed force had suffered a defeat a few days ago and was in a very bad state.

The Eighth Route Army's siege of Lishi was fierce. From the outset, the Eighth Route Army launched a ferocious attack, with the puppet army first engaging the enemy from fire points built in residential areas outside the city. They opened fire on enemy troops lingering on the periphery, but were quickly defeated by the approaching Eighth Route Army using handheld artillery.

Seeing the appearance of the Eighth Route Army's "heavy firepower unit", the Taijuns on the city walls turned their guns around and prepared to fire with the Taisho 37 infantry guns to suppress the shooters: this was the experience learned by the Japanese garrison squadron. With four of these guns squatting on the city walls, it could effectively reduce the probability of the city gate exploding inexplicably and knock down the Eighth Route Army shooters who fired "large grenades".

But this time, they failed to get what they wanted.

The Eighth Route Army's artillery units were nowhere to be seen, but he himself was flying high in the sky. The guerrillas outside the city began to have more firepower such as mortars, and they were targeting these small direct-fire cannons. The 37 rifle gun had just fired two rounds before it was declared useless.

Next came the Eighth Route Army's classic "one-stop city-breaking" service.