Canteen System Assistance Notes

If we had ten or eight of these giant machines, our railway would truly be making great strides. "Every time I see one of your giant machines, I realize how short-sighted I was before, how little I've seen! Team Leader Yao, the young are truly formidable, truly formidable!"

"If we had used the traditional flatbed truck method of loading and unloading tracks manually, our construction progress would definitely not have been so fast," Team Leader Yao explained, watching the track-laying station move toward the work area. "A 12.5-meter standard gauge weighs 43 kilograms, which means each track weighs over a thousand pounds. It would take seven or eight people to carry it all."

He didn't continue. Even if the number of people carrying rails was increased to 10, a group of soldiers would become tired after carrying more than a dozen rails. If they weren't careful, they could easily drop the rails and fall, and the rails could hit their feet or toes, causing injuries.

"Now it's great! This thing has a 7-meter gantry boom, and with one lift, it can lift a 12.5-meter track panel, putting sleepers and rails in place all at once! Our team, working two 16-hour shifts a day, can lay 500 to 600 meters of track. It's just a pity they're so valuable and there are so few of them," Team Leader Yao lamented. "There are only four gantry cranes in the entire border area right now, working at four locations, and we can only lay four miles a day. It'll take us almost a year to finish laying all the track for this phase of the project."

The humming sound of tamping rods could be heard from the work area in the distance. It was the roadbed work team solidifying the gravel roadbed laid yesterday to facilitate subsequent operations, while the workers on the track flat car were combining the concrete sleepers and rails together, installing them with fasteners, and preparing to scrape them onto the gantry crane's skyhook - at that time, they only needed to lower the rail track from the cart, place it on the rails and fix it, and the 12.5-meter progress would be achieved.

"That's not slow. To be honest, when the Jixi Railway was being built, the laborers still relied on people carrying things on their shoulders. I was hauling sleepers on the construction site back then, and I've seen how hard the laborers worked. There were many more people, but they couldn't move as fast as we do." Yu Weifu is a veteran Northwester, having been driving since the 1920s. He's well-informed. "Now, Team Leader Yao, you guys are using 86 kilograms per meter of rails, and you're using cement sleepers instead, instead of hardwood sleepers. Cement is so expensive, and you still think it's not enough?"

"Hey, don't we have the Fuxian Cement Plant, and the Yaoxian Cement Plant is under construction? Railway sleepers require fine wood from the Qinling Mountains. Last year's political study session taught us that it takes decades or even centuries for large trees in the mountains to mature. We're not like the US or the Soviet Union, where there are so many trees. Look at Shaanxi Province; there aren't many trees left. If we cut them all down, will we be passing on poverty and desolation to our descendants?"

Yao Liang scratched his head. "When it comes to these important matters, the leaders are the ones who see clearly. Cement rebar is more durable and convenient, and it's truly better than wood. Later, when the Yao County Cement Plant is completed, maybe the driveway will be paved with cement as well. By then, if you drive on Northwest Road again, you might not be able to get used to the dirt roads there!"

Hearing the familiar term "Northwest Road", the 43-year-old driver shook his head and said with a smile: "I'm old now, too old to drive on the Northwest Road! I've been driving for so many years, and I'm getting old too!"

"In the past, crossing the Northwest Road was a 50-50 risk of life and death. Many of my brothers and colleagues died on the road. But what were we hauling? The officers were reselling mineral ingots, which were not enough to feed the disaster victims. But taking that elegant foreigner and the Peking student on a scientific expedition did have some meaning."

"And now, alongside you young men, I'm working for the common people. What a pity! If it were ten years ago, I could have been working the Northwest Road with those guys again, or driving a railway car here and putting my experience in thermal power to use. Now, the work is handed over to my apprentice and Captain Qiu and the others. I've filed a report and returned here to work the interior route."

He stamped the gravel under his feet and said with satisfaction:

Our border region has paved gravel roads, and there's even hard-surfaced roads in the city. A single trip for me to deliver something to you only takes two or three days, so it's easy. Once you finish building the railway, maybe I can go home and retire—for the rest of my life, I'll still be relying on you young people!"

Chapter 346: Communist Party Project (IV) Phase II of the Agricultural Benefit Consortium

(This chapter covers technical details)

Thanks to the tireless efforts of the most creative workers, the steel gantry of the Yumenkou Bridge was erected on schedule, the long-span lightweight steel roof of the Liyang Airport was successfully installed, and the first phase of the border region's railway network was laid out according to the construction schedule. All of this unfolding, one after another, on this loess land seemingly untouched by industry and modernization, gave all who witnessed it a dreamlike feeling, yet also a sense of urgency.

Among them, the solid, reliable, silent and powerful black metal played an indispensable role.

After the supplier system was launched, in theory the Eighth Route Army could obtain all the steel materials needed for modern construction, from rebar to steel structures, from ordinary carbon steel to modulated alloy steel to weather-resistant stainless steel. However, as an organization that always relies on self-reliance, the Eighth Route Army did not indulge in "throwing in a piece of mahogany furniture and getting out a bunch of rebar", but instead firmly promoted the construction of its own steel industry through fiscal transfer payments.

As of now, there are three steel centers in the entire border area. Although the scale is still small in the international context, it can be regarded as a "production center" in China.

The smallest Fushi Special Steel Company primarily operated a "processing-on-commission" model, relying on secondary smelting of cast iron from Kuomintang-controlled areas and steel from suppliers. This provided crucial tool steel and cutting steel to border regions, and also produced vast quantities of inferior "recycled" steel for use in military-grade steel balls and arrows, which were distributed to various military factories.

Tuocheng Iron and Steel, far to the north of the border region, relied on the Shenfu Coal Mine and Fugu Iron Mine, and built a steel complex in cooperation with private enterprises such as the relocated Shanxi Province steel enterprise Fujin Iron Works (historically known as Baojin Iron Works). The steel production here was closer to the domestic average at the time. Under the guidance of the Eighth Route Army, the Fujin Iron Works erected fat, short, and thick blast furnaces, working at full capacity to produce large quantities of cast iron, which were made into iron farm tools, iron spokes, and other civilian products for the market. They also exported molten iron to the Eighth Route Army's refining furnaces to produce steel that they were unable to produce in large quantities.

As the Huinong Iron and Steel Plant with the highest comprehensive technological level and the largest integrated scale in the rear area of ​​the Anti-Japanese War at that time, its second phase of expansion and production increase project is nearing completion. In the domestic steel circle, visiting the Huinong Iron and Steel Plant has even become a pilgrimage.

Since the No. 1 blast furnace was ignited in 1939, this mini steel complex with an initial production capacity of 100,000 tons/year and a reserved capacity of 300,000 tons/year has been built through "global procurement

By building blocks, a 200-cubic-meter molten iron blast furnace and a

A twin-bed oxygen-blown open-hearth furnace and an air separation plant enable efficient production of grey cast iron and carbon steel.

With these two devices alone, her production capacity already exceeds the total steel output of the Nationalist government during the eight years of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. After completing the initial operation in 39, she expects to produce 40 tons of cast iron in 28, using some of this as raw material to produce 14 tons of carbon steel. Even accounting for the loss of finished products (i.e., substandard steel with critical defects), her steel production capacity will reach 9.8 tons per year.

Once you have steel, many things become simpler.

With the help of nearly 100,000 workers rescued by the Shanxi Provincial Workers' Group and the Jidong Uprising, as well as equipment and supplies imported through the Northwest Corridor, the Huinong Steel Plant added an alloy mixing furnace, completing the first phase of construction. Combined with a small acid converter, this "alloy recycling plant" can contribute approximately 20,000 tons of high-alloy production annually to the Eighth Route Army, used in the production of key components such as bearings, wear-resistant steel balls, and turning tool files.

Then, the Eighth Route Army discovered a very embarrassing thing - the production capacity, especially the cast iron production capacity, seemed to be insufficient.

Even if Tuocheng Steel put a large number of iron farm tools on the market, the demand for cast iron products within the base area, the northwest, Guanzhong and southwest regions was like John Khan eating potato chips, like a bottomless black hole: apart from the military-first military demand, just to meet the civilian market, the remaining cast iron production capacity of Huinong Iron Plant was like a potato chip bag with a hole in it, which deflated directly.

Not enough, not enough, absolutely not enough! We need more cast iron, more steel!

Increase production and add product categories.

The construction of the second phase of Huinong started under such a tone.

During the planned two-year construction period, the Huinong Steel Plant will abandon its previously modest 200-cubic-meter blast furnace design and increase the capacity of its cast iron blast furnace to 500 cubic meters. With Ning Pingyuan now effectively under control, Ma Shaoyun has been evicted and his fate unknown. Ma Ziyin, whom Chiang Kai-shek had tapped to succeed him as Ning Provincial Governor, refused to accept the position, claiming, "The recent weather is unfavorable for a provincial governor, and I fear I'll be expelled or even killed." He remained in Guyuan, a remote command. This allowed the Eighth Route Army to happily exploit Ning Ping's numerous mineral deposits to address Huinong Steel Plant's raw material needs.

According to the design, after completing a one-year trial operation and entering the smooth operation period, this thing will be able to increase the Huinong cast iron production capacity to more than 90 tons/year - after all, the 30-ton production capacity cap designed by the later Ferrous Metals Research Institute is for steel production capacity, not for cast iron.

Should this be enough? The experienced Eighth Route Army steelmakers thought confidently. After all, conditions in Huinong District weren't as good as those of later Baotou Steel. This heavy industrial construction, aiming for a million tons of iron production capacity, had practically exhausted the entire industrial complex's design margins. After completing this single blast furnace, the Huinong Iron and Steel Complex couldn't increase its cast iron production capacity. So, they began to steadily expand their steel product offerings.

After consulting highly confidential "special" information, they decided to use argon, a byproduct of separating oxygen and nitrogen at the Huinong Air Separation Plant.

Currently, only products from Germany and the United States have the ability to separate rare gases other than oxygen and nitrogen, and they are unable to further separate these gases. Argon, the most common of these rare gases, has previously been purified and canned as a shielding gas for eight-way welding, used for shielded welding of aluminum alloys and stainless steel.

By combining the circulating water cooler, heating furnace, and molten steel gas lance, all of which were off-the-shelf products, the Eighth Route Army acquired a 70s steel refining technology: the LF argon-shielded refining furnace. When combined with the LD oxygen top-blown converter and thermal power generation plant, this timeless "building block" could produce steel at a rate of 150 minutes per furnace.

It is nearly 40% faster than the fastest 4 hours/furnace of a double-bed open hearth furnace, and can

This can significantly reduce the coal consumption (including power generation) required to produce one ton of steel, thereby improving efficiency. The most important thing is that the steel produced by this equipment has been deeply deoxidized and desulfurized.

It is a high-quality "calm steel": it can even be made of ordinary steel.

points, and to some extent replace those expensive high alloy steels!

Although the LF furnace can also directly produce some high-quality alloy steel, the Eighth Route Army is not a Russian that is not short of rare metals after all, so they try to save as much as possible.

"So, Old Lu, after this second phase is finished, can you change the name back from 'Lu Gangtie'?"

Du Youlin, now the blast furnace master, stood in front of the Huinong No. 2 blast furnace, which had just been ignited, and chatted with Lu Gangtie, who was standing next to him. "After we finish building the LD and LF converter production lines, we should be on par with Anshan Iron and Steel. We'll definitely be able to produce 300,000 tons of steel a year."

"Well, in terms of level and technology, it's a bit higher than Anshan Iron and Steel, but it's still not as large as Huinong. There's still a limit. 30 tons of steel is basically the upper limit."

The distant roar had faded from here. The steel expert, who had studied in Germany, stood in the wind, thinking to himself, "We should be able to complete the LD-LF combined furnace this year, along with the double-rolling diesel and three-stage Mannesmann hot rolling mills. That way, we can produce 100mm mortar tubes in seamless form, and we won't have to drill them anymore. Hmm... Next, I'll monitor the progress of that industrial vacuum chamber. The large excess capacity in our power plant is to prepare for the electroslag, arc, and VD vacuum furnaces later on..."

Lu Gangtie talked to himself, as if he was immersed in his own world, and Du Youlin did not bother him any more - this big guy was the kind of person who could get into work mode anytime and anywhere. The cooperation over the past few years had made the two sides develop a tacit understanding and become good friends.

This Lu Gangtie, whose name means "steel," is indeed made of iron. Du Youlin thought so and looked at the construction site in the distance.

"Oh, by the way, Lao Du," Lu Gangtie suddenly asked, startling him, "Can you assign another batch of young workers from your furnace team? I've thought about it, and there are still too many people... Du Youlin's face immediately fell,

"Hey! Expert Lu, Mr. Lu, Grandpa Lu! Sheep shearing only happens once a year! I only have so many skilled workers, you can't always pick on the ones you know!"

(Dismissed: Henan Provincial Chairman Wei Huang, Shaanxi Provincial Chairman Jiang Wen. Expelled: Ning Provincial Chairman Ma Kui, Hebei Provincial Chairman Lu Lin, Shandong Provincial Chairman Shen Lie. Arrested: Shanxi Provincial Chairman Yan Shan. Executed: Rehe Provincial Chairman Miao Liu)

Chapter 347: Regular Soldiers' Notes (8) Soldier Fragments

If you were to "visually assess" the combat effectiveness of an infantryman in this time and space, there's always a strange "meme"—a soldier wearing MC camouflage, a high-cut helmet, four-lens night vision goggles, and various odds and ends strapped to his PC vest always gives the impression of being incredibly powerful and impressive. If this person also holds a rifle as large as a Christmas tree, coupled with sophisticated photography and post-processing techniques, you might just be able to make some people exclaim, "Master Wang, that's awesome!"

However, this does make sense to a certain extent: a soldier with more gadgets may not necessarily be more powerful, but all those gadgets must have cost a lot of money - his set is quite expensive, so he should be more powerful." - Perhaps this idea is the source of this stereotype.

After all, much of the equipment here is useful under specific conditions. As a futurist, Liu Helian, after the canteen system was implemented, naturally thought of providing the soldiers with some "odds and ends" to facilitate training, improve their lives, and enhance their combat effectiveness.

Because even including the suppliers in the cafeteria system, there was really no military supplies. The closest thing to military combat was probably the transparent shields, stab-proof vests, and large steel forks in the small security stations. There were no real military products. Therefore, these "odds and ends" could only be selected from the civilian products sold in the cafeteria, supermarkets, and suppliers.

Despite his disdain for piling spare parts onto soldiers, Liu Helian was nonetheless somewhat influenced by the future military propaganda. During the initial landing at the mess hall, before the supplier system was even launched, his proposal to the Central Military Commission detailed the typical infantry equipment of the future, listing its various functions and including items with similar functions found in mess hall and supermarket supply lists. In total, there were dozens of gadgets, large and small, each with its own important purpose.

Before Liu Helian's report could be submitted to the Central Military Commission, it was intercepted by Political Commissar Wang. This commissar, known for his ruthless criticism, sought out Liu Helian, who had consciously done a good deed, and gave him a heartfelt and kind word of advice.

The specific process is roughly like this:

Oh, my dear Comrade Liu He, Liu Helian, your tiny head, like that of a sales manager at the Quanyechang, perhaps contains a 250-milligram miniature brain. It's probably only with this tiny, dust-like brain capacity that you could have imagined asking the Eighth Route Army soldiers to take off their uniforms and put on this needlework brain, like the Daxin Department Store in Shanghai. Oh, yes, are you planning to turn the soldiers into peddlers, selling goods from door to door on the battlefield?

Look, these socks have to be antibacterial and deodorizing, one pair is worth five pairs; the battlefield is bright and dazzling, everyone has to wear big bulletproof sunglasses; and by the way, you have to prepare a shoe polish brush to polish those big boots to a shiny shine - Oh, Marx and Lenin, you are trying to put a laser in every soldier's bag, are you planning to strap one to the bolt-action rifle?

"My dear Comrade Xiao Liu, even a donkey can't carry so much messy debris up the mountain. The loads we soldiers carry can't compare to the soldiers who fought in vehicles back then... Right now, I really want to push your head into the toilet and drown you!"

After being criticized, Liu Helian finally changed some bad habits in the future. That is, when proposing plans, he no longer kept some perfect but basically unfeasible proposals: after all, until the 20s of the 21st century, our military expenditure was still far behind that of the United States, let alone now.

Cheap, easy to use and in line with actual conditions are the reasonable ideas for adding odds and ends to the Eighth Route Army fighters.

The first to go was Comrade Xiao Liu's deluxe "single-person first aid kit." The original plan's comprehensive medical kit, complete with wound dressings, iodine disinfectant, and antibiotics, was replaced with an extremely simple package—so simple it contained only a sterilized triangular bandage, a folded piece of sterile gauze, a tourniquet, a marker, and a user guide.

Considering that even with the army's active literacy campaign, the army's cultural level still couldn't support the full complement of part-time medical personnel, doctors like Fu Rixin and Bethune decided to focus on promoting the use of triangular bandages and tourniquets. These basic portable first aid kits allowed soldiers to perform simple self-help and mutual aid, slowing the rate of bleeding and allowing them to hold out until medical personnel arrived.

As for things like sulfa antibacterial powder, zeolite hemostatic powder, elastic bandages and safety scissors, they are all classified as equipment for medical staff or rescue soldiers.

In order to stop bleeding, clean and disinfect the wounds, and apply pressure bandages to the wounded soldiers

Waiting for further treatment.

Subsequently, the equipment plans for squad leaders of each unit were also subject to drastic cuts and cost controls.

By employing a "subtractive" approach, the heavily armed Eighth Route Army squad leaders depicted in Liu Helian's plan finally became somewhat more contemporary. Aside from daily necessities, a whistle, command flag, compass, watch, flashlight, and even a reticle-less telescope from a toy cabinet constituted the primary combat equipment of most squad leaders, enabling them to carry out battlefield command, determine attack times, and conduct simple reconnaissance.

In addition, troops such as scouts and engineers would acquire additional gadgets when performing specific tasks. For example, among the hundreds of goods on the canteen and supermarket lists, various modern tapes and strapping tapes quickly became popular with these "special forces."

Scouts often carry tough cloth-based tape and double-ended lashing tape. During infiltration and capture operations, these gadgets can achieve control and silence of prisoners, and can even temporarily repair damaged equipment, and they don't take up much space. Engineers, on the other hand, favor electrical tape and high-temperature tape, which can be used in various environments. These readily available tools allow them to easily combine various explosive charges or warheads, smoothly sending enemy vehicles and fortifications to the ground.

However, these "odds and ends" that may not have much design life under the originally intended conditions of use have shown a completely different fate in this time and space.

These soldiers who came from old China and lived in the new army were almost all

Treat these distributed "odds and ends" as you would durable goods.

For a soldier at a certain station, they would find a hook to untie the strapping tape they were issued, use the last bit of their duct tape, store their medical kit like a treasure, and patch their issued shoes, socks, and clothing over and over again. Even small items that might have been disposable, like work gloves or plastic bags, might accompany them for a year or two until they were completely worn out, or even accompany them through the entire war, becoming souvenirs they could later display, talk about, or reminisce about in their old age.

Or, sleep with him in a familiar or unfamiliar land, and sacrifice together on the road to liberation and independence.

In this time and space, "odds and ends" not only allowed an Eighth Route Army soldier to show a "Wang Shifan" style that transcended the times, but also gradually engraved a unique mark of the times.

Chapter 348 Roosevelt and Carlson

Franklin Roosevelt emerged from behind his desk in the Oval Office in a wheelchair.

The president, in his shirtsleeves, was as muscular as a boxer, while his thin gray linen trousers hung like tattered rags, clinging loosely to his bony hips and limp calves. He was admiring a painting. Next to him stood Admiral Harold Stark, Chief of Naval Operations, one of the Navy's most senior officers. Carlson knew him well, so he nodded gently as a greeting.

"Long time no see, Mr. Carlson. Oh, you are Major Carlson now, right?"

"Yes, Mr. President."

The president shook Carlson's hand warmly, his hand warm and damp. Washington's summer weather was hot and muggy, and even though the windows of the Oval Office were all open, the air inside was still stiflingly thick. The elderly Admiral Stark even loosened the collar of his white uniform.

"You must know Major Carlson, General? He just came back from China. Major, what do you think of this painting?" In the center of the painting is a Chinese-style pagoda that looks very ancient.

"It's a very nice painting, Mr. President." Carlson paused, then continued, "However, there are several details wrong in this Portuguese missionary's painting." The President laughed.

"Well, General? Do you think the major is up to the job?"

Admiral Stark had been staring at Carlson with a frown on his face, like a battleship's main gun director. A few years earlier, Carlson had been a notorious troublemaker, having resigned in anger after offending his superiors in the Asiatic Fleet by promoting ideas like China's resistance to Japanese aggression and equality between officers and men.

However, he was the foremost expert on China in the entire Navy and Marine Corps, and had brought back a wealth of invaluable information from Fushe, forcing Admiral Stark to consider the matter. "If you wish Mr. Evans Carlson to teach Chinese in Annapolis, Mr. President..."

The admiral replied in a nasal voice, and gave Carlson another unfriendly look.

"That might be a waste of talent. I think it might be better to find some talented people from the Yangtze River gunboats of the Asiatic Fleet, but..." The admiral shrugged and agreed helplessly.

"That's good."

Roosevelt glanced at Admiral Stark, effectively giving him an order. The Admiral picked up his white wide-brimmed hat and briefcase from the couch. "Major, come to my office tomorrow."

"Yes, yes, sir."

Carlson and President Roosevelt were the only two people left in the Oval Office. The president sighed and gently scratched his thin layer of messy, gray hair with his hand.

"Oh, the sun has set, but the weather is still so hot." The president put down the documents in his hand, and his voice suddenly became a little tired, "Would you like something to drink, Major? How about a martini?" "It can't be better, Mr. President." Carlson replied with a smile.

The president pressed the bell, and a tall, gray-haired black man in a gray twill jacket walked in and deftly gathered the papers and folders from the various boxes. "Let's go, George; you come too, Evans."

The president continued to work in his wheelchair, pulling out crumpled documents and writing on them with a pencil. He puffed on a long cigarette holder, doing the work of a chain smoker. Despite the dark circles under his eyes and the occasional cough, he continued to work diligently.

He walked down a long hall, took an elevator, and walked down another long hall, the president reviewing documents and quickly adding his comments. Finally, he handed all the documents to his butler, George, who pushed a chrome-plated four-wheeled wine cabinet to the side of the wheelchair and walked away.

The president took soda water, ice, vermouth, and gin from the liquor cabinet and poured them into the cocktail shaker. He mixed them like a skilled pharmacist, and asked about Carlson's family in a very friendly manner. At this moment, a tall woman in blue and white clothes walked in, followed by a black Scottish terrier.

Ha, you're just in time. Hello, puppy. "The little black dog ran over to the president and put his front paws on the wheelchair. The president put down the prepared martini.

, constantly stroking the puppy's head and back with his hands.

"Ah, Major Carlson, long time no see."

"Long time no see, Mrs. Roosevelt. You look beautiful again."

Strictly speaking, beautiful wasn't the right word for Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt. She was a dragoon-like, protruding-teethed, and rather unattractive woman. But Carlson had long mastered the art of saying what was best for everyone and what was worst for everyone, and such simple compliments were as common as food and water.

Mrs. Roosevelt shook Carlson's hand firmly and looked him over with the alert, calm gaze of an admiral.

"The Secret Service gave my dog ​​a nasty code name," the president said, handing his wife a martini. "They called him the Snitch. Like there's only one black Scottish terrier in the world, right, Farah?" "Woof."

Farah stuck out her tongue and cried out in response.

"What do you think of the war in China, Major?"

Mrs. Roosevelt, sitting in an armchair, drinking a glass of wine, asked bluntly. "To be honest, the situation is very bad, ma'am."

Carlson took a sip of his martini and answered slowly.

The Japanese have already occupied most of China's major cities, including Shanghai, Nanjing... practically following in my footsteps. Even Peking and Guangzhou have fallen to them, and Chiang's army has been crushed. Recently, the Japanese defeated Chiang's army in a place called Zhongtiao Mountain in Shanxi Province, forcing them to retreat across the Yellow River. It's said that the Japanese are gathering strength to attack Xingcheng, the capital of Hunan Province...

"But their rule over China is limited to major cities and transportation routes in most places..."

"I heard that a few months ago, a conflict broke out between the Eighth Route Army and Chiang's army? Does this mean that the CCP may completely break with Chiang? Will the previous civil war break out again?