Canteen System Assistance Notes

Shirai was thinking when suddenly the wall clock made a clanging sound.

It was already four in the afternoon. He turned on the radio beside him and tuned it to the Fushi Japan Broadcasting Station. It was the time slot for the broadcast of the drama "Azuma Kagami: The Immortal One-Armed Ninja" to finish, and the next was the news broadcast. According to central government instructions, the station was currently broadcasting news that basically followed the Japanese script, along with subtitles and music popular with Japanese soldiers, in order to gain wider acceptance and recognition, thus preparing for the subsequent release of anti-war, disintegration, and surrender-inciting messages.

Shirai Yukiyuki naturally had motives for personally "monitoring enemy radio stations," having reported this to his superiors. The reasoning was, of course, that 80% of B's ​​intelligence came from publicly available sources. Soon, with the melodious strains of "Castle in the Sky," the news broadcast ended in the sweet voice of the announcer. The civilian soldier also delivered the transcribed news report. Why would the spy chief need to listen to the broadcast himself? Surely someone would do it for him.

"Ah, thank you."

"Sir, this is what I should do." The civilian soldier stood at attention and bowed, saying respectfully, "According to your request, a car will be waiting for you at the entrance of the alley in about 30 minutes.

Take you to the headquarters to attend the evening meeting between General Sakagami and Commander Okamura

Please be punctual for the banquet."

"Well, no problem, go and do your thing first."

The office door was closed, and he was alone. "It's 'Castle in the Sky', so the corresponding reading method is...?"

Shirai Yukiyuki closed his eyes and recalled the situation, searching through his memory. His excellent memory, like a well-functioning search engine, quickly selected a method of interpretation known only to him and his superiors. His gaze grew sharp, like a hawk's, darting up and down the news transcript in his hand, completely losing his earlier gentleness and humility.

The broken Chinese characters quickly combined to form a message that only he knew.

"Wuyou will take over. 'Teacher' and 'Young Master' have already made arrangements. They are comrades."

Oh... Shirai's expression remained unchanged, but a smile had already appeared on his face. He routinely wrote his comments on the "Enemy Station News Transcript" and then tossed it into the briefcase by the door. Finally, he flipped through the transfer orders on the desk and, as expected, saw a familiar name.

"Ozaki Shotaro Staircase"

If that's true, then I don't have to worry about anything when I go south.

Chapter 363: World Macro

1940 was an extraordinary year for the Chinese battlefield and indeed for the entire world. During this year, the European battlefield underwent earth-shaking changes.

The Germans drove their tanks, enduring a huge breakdown rate, and raced through the Ardennes Mountains, which was considered an insurmountable barrier. They defeated the British, French and Belgian forces and forced a number of Western European countries to surrender at a speed that astonished the world - Denmark, the Netherlands... and even France, once a powerful European country.

To preserve their manpower, Britain was forced to mobilize the masses, marshal ships, and, despite heavy losses, evacuate the remaining Allied troops from Dunkirk, ensuring they would be unavailable for a future counterattack. Immediately afterwards, the ambitious Frenchman launched Operation Sea Lion, intending to suppress the British Air Force, gain air superiority, and then land in Britain, seizing the European island.

General Göring, whose ambition matched his girth, took on the task. Berlin hadn't been bombed yet, and he didn't need to change his name. He assembled approximately 300 aircraft of various types and launched a massive air offensive against Britain across the Channel. The British, supported by Field Marshal Dowding and the home air defense chain, bravely fought back with Spitfires, Hurricanes, and Tornadoes, barely holding their ground.

Among them, London and the Majiagang Oil Field in south London became important targets of the German attack.

Perhaps because they still maintained their initial strategic goal of landing in Britain and seizing the British Isles, the Germans deliberately avoided this crucial oil field near Gatwick Airfield during the initial stages of Operation Sea Lion, when they could still organize a powerful daytime bombing raid, instead attempting to bomb only the unprotected pumping station. This reserved attack prevented the British oil field, in which Liu Helian held a mere 5% stake, from suffering a devastating blow.

After more than a year of large-scale development, AP Oil and Shell Oil Company worked hard to maintain production under the protection of the British army's high-altitude anti-aircraft guns, and soon increased the oil field's production to 1200 tons of crude oil per day, accounting for about 7% of Britain's total oil production capacity in 40 years. According to geologists' estimates, under the current war environment and technical conditions, the Majiagang Oilfield has limited potential for capacity expansion due to its rich shale oil and natural gas structure. However, it can also increase its production capacity to more than 3500 tons per day after further construction.

My God, this is a huge oil field right here in the UK. After expansion, it can provide about 15% of the UK's total oil production capacity, without having to go through the dangerous Atlantic shipping routes!

The British immediately strengthened their defenses of the oil fields. After the announcement in September that Operation Sea Lion had been "postponed indefinitely," Mr. Mustache, adhering to the principle that if I can't get it, you can't have it either," ordered General Goering to prioritize the Majiagang oil fields.

By this time, the powerful Luftwaffe had "struck hard, then failed, and finally exhausted," unable to conduct large-scale daytime bombing raids. They could only attack Majiagang using small formations of high-speed fighters and night raids, with limited success. Meanwhile, the British mobilized more day and night fighters to meet the invading Germans.

According to the China Resources Group's Majiagang office, "Planes from both sides rained down like fireballs day and night, and the air raid sirens never stopped blaring. I've never seen such a large-scale aerial battle!"

Looking eastward, on the other side of the Soviet-German border, the Soviet Union was carrying out its own equipment replacement plan step by step.

After essentially completing domestic restructuring, fighting the humiliating Soviet-Finnish War, and deploying troops into the Baltic states, the Soviets, drawing on their combat experience, massively expanded their forces from over 9 divisions to over 300. According to Soviet plans, by around 1943, the Soviets would have completed the organizational restructuring, equipment replacement, and personnel training of the newly created divisions.

一系列诸如PPL-40冲锋枪、RPG-1式"手持式反坦克榴弹发射器"和SVT半自动步枪等新式装备被下发至新编的单位里;T-35这样的杂货铺坦克开始退出现役，被保留了附加装甲的T-34(即原时空的T-34E)和加了一圈侧后格栅甲的KV-1等先进坦克取代。这一切，都在推动着苏军这个体量庞大的军队进行改革工作。

Moreover, because friendly parties in the Far East complained that a large number of 45mm anti-aircraft gun armor-piercing shells were unqualified, the Soviet army took the initiative to purge counter-revolutionaries after investigation. They sent the factory director and military representative involved to meet Marx, and then sent the relevant responsible persons to a labor camp to grow potatoes. Finally, all the 45 gun armor-piercing shells were collected and prepared to be replaced with new qualified products.

However, like a programmer fixing a bug, fixing one problem always exposes more, even impacting the program's operation. The aftereffects of the Soviet Army's rapid 200% expansion remained a familiar story, spreading across nearly every unit at the same pace: delayed equipment delivery, inadequate training, chaotic supply chains, a shortage of officers, poor communications... even the deployment of troops presented significant problems.

Perhaps if the Soviet Union were given a stable and peaceful environment, after a few years, the Soviet army could indeed complete all training plans and gradually make up for these fatal shortcomings. But now, the German Nazis, who were secretly deploying troops, did not seem to intend to give Stalin such an opportunity.

In the Far East and Pacific directions, superficial calm is maintained.

The Japanese Army in the Chinese battlefield has reached the far end of its attack and can no longer advance. Even a poor chess player like Guosu can now, with the assistance of the Japanese army's logistics, force the Japanese army to retreat at the Xingcheng line and form a standoff. In the North China battlefield, which had entered the strategic stalemate stage earlier, the Eighth Route Army firmly tied down most of the Japanese army's mobile forces on the front line and forced them to withdraw troops from the Central China battlefield.

Fill in the big hole of the security war.

Encouraged by Germany's rapid offensive against France and dealt a crushing blow at the Battle of Nomonhan, the Japanese high command no longer debated whether to advance north or south. Growing weary of the deteriorating situation on the mainland, they withdrew their forces into French Indochina, encroaching on France's Asian colonies. They attempted to seize the interests of established imperialist powers in Asia like a wallet, constructing their dream of an "East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere" to reap even greater benefits.

However, this action led to the US embargo on scrap steel against Japan in September 1940, and in December, oil was added to the embargo. Japan, severely stimulated, seemed to have quieted down. They withdrew the royal family members serving in the army and seemed to be planning something big.

As for the Eighth Route Army, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China made a resolution at the Second Plenary Session of the Seventh Central Committee, deciding to use the canteen system to add two branches in Hai'an, northern Jiangsu and Dadian, Junan, in addition to the Fushe and Huinong headquarters, and to add six new branches in Tanggou, Yumen, Yutai, Bohai, Daqingshan, and Yingshan (Yingshan and Pianguan branches have not yet been upgraded) to support the continued development of major bases.

At the same time, in the safe rear of Shaanxi, Gansu and Ningxia and the core control areas of major bases, the continuous advancement of industrial construction is providing a solid material foundation for the construction of various field armies, and the continuous expansion of literacy and professional education is providing talent resources for the commanders who are eager for talents.

All of this is thriving and overall good news, but even the best conditions require labor, wisdom and sweat to become sufficient changes to reality.

In this way, the world began to move towards a gradually deviating historical line through such little changes.

Of course, because of a future man who liked to stir up trouble, one day in December 1940, when the British were fighting in the air, the Soviets were carrying out military reforms, the Eighth Route Army was farming, and the Japanese were getting frustrated, the famous warmongerer came to the coast of the Heligoland Bight in northern Germany with a full team including Hess, Goering, Todt, Himmler, Goebbels and Krupp Jr.

In the distance, at the end of an artificial seawall formed by artificial land reclamation, a large number of machines gathered and many workers were busy around a tall drilling rig.

The man with a small mustache watched them with great interest. He faced the dark bay with his chin slightly raised, and listened to the project leader of Feba Energy and Farben Chemie introducing the test drilling of the oil well to him.

"My Lord, according to our current test drilling and sampling, we have indeed found traces of oil... Although the oil here is very thick, IG Farben is willing to go all out to develop refining additives and oil recovery additives..." "Very good, this is indeed very good,"

He nodded and praised, "Germany will never forget your contribution."

Not long after, a burning flame erupted from the top of the drilling platform in the distance - a sign of initial success. Oh, this world seemed to be heading towards an extremely familiar yet unfamiliar war.

Chapter 364: A Little Story () Yumen Dream

Oil! Oil! Oil!

It is a noose around the necks of Italy, Japan and Germany. Countless factories need oil, and the rolling armies need oil. This black liquid, which was deified along with the internal combustion engine in the Second Industrial Revolution, is pumped out from the ground, transmitting the energy of the sun tens of millions of years ago, driving today's human society towards the abyss of war.

Or a bright and shining future.

The Eighth Route Army was also short of oil. This was not only because China was an oil-poor country in a macro sense, but also because the communist regime in the Far East was undergoing a rapid industrialization as a make-up lesson. New factories, fleets, armored vehicles and aircraft were all crying out for barrels of industrial blood.

"Without oil, airplanes, tanks, and self-propelled artillery are all toothless tigers, no better than dog-beating sticks." Since 1940, this catchphrase originated from Chairman Mao, swept through the entire Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army like wildfire, and quickly evolved into a series of slogans.

"Frying and deep-frying rely on animal oil, while revolutionary construction requires petroleum." "We must develop the oil industry with the same spirit as we would find bugs in programming."

There is no other way. We can't always rely on "foreign planes" to deliver oil like Chiang Kai-shek did!

Therefore, the Communists began to mobilize from top to bottom. In addition to trying to siphon off oil from the canteen's supplier system, they also invested in developing the existing Yanchang and Yumen oil fields.

"Well, all right—open the gate!"

A new driver, only a few months into his apprenticeship, squatted beside his auxiliary fuel tank, gripping a refueling hose and inserting one end of the tube into the fuel nozzle. Meanwhile, on the artificially raised dirt platform on the other side, a gas station employee turned the valve, adding diesel from the fuel depot into the truck's tank.

"Wang) Shunfeng! Are you sure your truck is running on diesel? Last time, that guy from Team 12, Group 3, put diesel in a big Ford. Wow! The engine rumbled, shook like a sieve, and then black smoke filled the ground. The spark plugs blew!"

"Of course! Didn't you see the words on the tank? Diesel truck, add diesel, add diesel, oil!" the new driver, Wang Shunfeng, shouted, but it was like a mosquito's buzz in the northwest Gobi Desert. "And you better open your eyes. What big Ford? Look at our stuff! Our car is not that annoying big Ford, but the 'Blue Plate Iron General'!"

He patted the Jiangling Blue Brand Light Truck that had been modified into a khaki pattern and said proudly: "The fully enclosed driver's seat and the corrugated steel cargo bed, you can't see an inch of wood on it.

Although it looks small, this car can pull 5 tons and run faster than

That bulldog is still fast.

"You know, you have to be an activist to drive this car!"

"Hey, Fu Sechao, you stinky boy! Get out of here, drive your precious car and go get the goods!"

The tank is full, and the station attendant waves me off, preparing to fill up the next "blue-plate truck." Filling up my car in Yumen, I've seen all sorts of trucks: Russian GAZs, American Fords and Dodges, Canadian DND/CMPs, and even British Bedfords and Bulldogs.

He was thinking to himself as he turned the valve to fill the next car with diesel.

Hey, I've even seen Delmont and AEC from the heavy-duty transport fleet, but don't even mention your little 'blue-plate light truck'... Well, I don't think I've ever seen this car before.

Pretty handsome...

A "blue-plate light truck" from the future, driven by Wang Shunfeng, humming a little tune, left a long trail of dust as it drove out of the gas station. He passed the towering distillation towers, the tangled web of oil and gas pipelines, the gleaming silver oil tanks, and the airfield of the Soviet Air Force aiding China, where numerous fighter jets were parked.

"Hello, Davarishi!"

He waved to the Russian pilot inside, and the other party saluted him with a beer bottle.

Over the past two years, over a hundred pumping rigs have been erected in this Gobi Desert, once home to fewer than a hundred households, and dozens of oil wells have been sunk (historically, 40 wells were drilled between 39 and 49). This has boosted the monthly production capacity of the "Old Well" from 300 tons to over 10 tons combined in the Baiyanghe and Laojunmiao production areas, reaching the peak production before liberation. Furthermore, after "Nationalist Government Representative" Hou Xianglin and his chemical corps arrived at the Yumen Refinery, the Yumen mining area's oil refining capacity was significantly strengthened through improvements, additions, and expansions to existing equipment.

Now, the Yumen Oilfield can produce 70# gasoline and # diesel at a ratio of 17% to 532% through American standard tower distillation. It can also produce higher-grade aviation gasoline or lower-grade anti-freeze wood, as well as various other petroleum industry by-products, such as naphtha for the production of energy materials, liquid paraffin for the storage of pyrotechnics, heavy hydrocarbons for the preparation of lubricating oils... and many other petrochemical by-products that cannot be named but can always play a role in various places.

Recently, a grand "Material Distribution Center" has been built in the mining area. All convoys coming here can get luxurious supplies, including fresh fruits and vegetables.

You have to know that this is the Northwest, where fresh vegetables are much more expensive than meat.

方!

Wang Shunfeng has witnessed all these changes. He can proudly say that he is one of those who have watched this oil industry zone grow and has made significant contributions to it: he brought in much of the equipment and staff.

He drove into the loading area. Over two hundred trucks of various types were arranged in a square formation, following markings on the ground. From a distance, it looked like a classical army on parade. As Wang Shunfeng parked his car, two men approached to copy his license plate and hand him a list of goods to be loaded, asking the newly appointed "comrade truck leader" to sign and confirm.

"Our convoy is carrying so much extra fuel this time!" Glancing at the cargo from other companies on the manifest, Wang Shunfeng looked over at several Dongfeng trucks and LAECs, which were even larger than the Blue Card trucks. Their backs were no longer cargo beds, but steel fuel tanks with long tails. "Our company... um... why are they carrying so many vegetables? Turnips, cabbages, fruits, and even so many pickles, kimchi, and ketchup? Are we going to be carrying so many vegetables on this return trip?"

"We're planning to take the Hexi Road and go directly back to Huinong from Zhongwei. Going that way will save us half the mileage!"

Several electric forklifts drove up, carrying pallets of goods, and began loading and unloading the trucks. A tall, dark-skinned man was tethered to one of the forklifts. He held down his boonie and hopped off. "Go that way. After Guzang, you'll have to walk along the sandy edge for seventy or eighty kilometers. After Jingtai, you'll reach Zhongwei before there's any human habitation. You'll have to bring plenty of food and drink. Any other questions, Comrade Xiao Wang?"

(Guzang, a prefecture-level city in Gansu Province, license plate Gan H)

-―--―-―-

"Captain Qiu! Hello, Commander!" Wang Shunfeng quickly stood at attention and saluted.

The man who arrived was actually "Old Qiu," the truck regiment's commander. Without his "Ma Sihuan" and iron machine gun, and with his beanie obscuring his face, Wang Shunfeng didn't recognize him at first glance. "Sir, no problem! I just don't really want to eat stir-fried orange slices with ketchup... but I'm definitely not being picky!"

The convoys in the northwest are like the fleets of the Age of Exploration. When they just leave the port (supply point), everyone can eat something fresh, and then the food will become more and more weird. If a certain uninhabited area transportation section encounters bad weather and the vehicle is delayed for a few days, and it happens to be the end of the journey, then the food of the entire convoy will start to become very weird.

"You have food but you still refuse it, Wei. I think the Party Central Committee has made you picky eaters."

Captain Qiu placed his hands on his hips and deliberately put on airs for a few seconds. "You, a freshly minted brat, better behave next time... Come, let me introduce you to someone!" He sifted through the crowd behind him and pulled out an even smaller "brat." "Wang Shijin, come here! Meet your master! You two have the same surname, so maybe you were from the same family eight hundred years ago... Wang Shijin, Wang Shijin, come here!"

The brat known as "Wang Shijin" was considerably shorter than Old Qiu. He was tiptoeing towards Wang Shunfeng's blue-plate light truck when Captain Qiu grabbed him by the back of his collar and dragged him over like a chicken.

He struggled for a while, but in the end he was afraid that his new clothes would be torn, so he had to give up.

"Come here, Shi Jin! This is your master this time, Brother Shun Feng! Don't be fooled by the fact that he's a few years older than you. He's a well-known activist in our team, a disciple of Master Yu, and one of the first people to pass the blue license and repair stamp exams. He can knock down 10 people with 10 bullets with a single rower.

Shunfeng, this is Wang Shijin, the kid from Chijinbao. He may be young, but he's been working as an oil scooper for almost 10 years. He's currently studying at Yumen Petrochemical School, part of the Anti-Japanese University. He's a very good student and even class monitor. This time, he's going to Huinong to represent the whole class in visiting our industrial zone.

Team leader Qiu introduced them to each other with his rich experience. "Kid! This time when we go to Huinong for a visit, you will be his apprentice. You must behave yourself!"

Chapter 365: A Little Story (⑵) Tears of the Shawo

Starting from Yumen and heading southeast, after passing Suzhou, Ganzhou, and Gujian, Wang Shunfeng's convoy began to turn. Instead of following the usual route through Gulang, Yongdeng, Jincheng, and then over the mountains into Guanzhong, they turned eastward, following the southern edge of the vast Tengger Desert.

This route, similar to the current Dingwu-Wuma Expressway, would have saved the convoy more than half the mileage needed to reach the Huiyi Industrial Zone. After the February Incident, with Ma Shaoyun's forces nearly wiped out and his whereabouts unknown, the Eighth Route Army had already expanded the Huinong Industrial Zone southward all the way to Qingtongxia. Furthermore, Ma Ziyin announced his cooperation with the Eighth Route Army, allowing them to travel north through his base camp, Zhongwei. This finally freed the Northwest Railway Protection Army from the tedious detours through Guanzhong, northern Shaanxi, and Dingyan regions before reaching Huinong and Wuhai.

However, at that time, there were no two-way, four-lane G-type highways in China, not even national highways. Wang Shunfeng and his team had to cross a total of approximately 160 kilometers of Gobi Desert along a dirt road with only traces of wheels and footsteps. Driving along the northern channel was particularly difficult in winter.

On the arid southern edge of the Tengger Desert, if snow begins to fall, the temperature plummets within a day, reaching -15°C (-15°F) by the time the snow melts. Furthermore, due to the constant northwest winds, the perceived temperature can drop far below this level. Without adequate warm clothing, standing outside for just half an hour can cause a dangerous drop in body temperature.

The fleet generally avoids such "white-haired days" with wind and snow.

But even on the mostly sunny days, the climate here remains harsh. It inherits the Gobi Desert's sharp diurnal temperature swings, which can reach as much as 20 degrees Celsius in a single day, perfectly embodying the saying, "Wear fur coats in the morning, gauze in the afternoon, and eat watermelon around the stove."

Fortunately, Wang Shunfeng's "blue-plate light truck" has the latest in cabin environmental control technology, an enclosed cab, and engine heater air intake, allowing him to take off his coat and drive comfortably - however, this comfortable environment does not seem to change the dull atmosphere in the cab.

"Uncle Wang, the road ahead says to turn left. From that sign, about a mile away, there's another sign. Turn left along a row of wooden stakes.

"Oh!" Wang Shunfeng replied immediately, gripping the steering wheel. "Ten pounds! See?" He pointed to the low wooden stakes and concrete road signs on both sides of the road, trying to liven up the atmosphere. "These were left for us by the surveyors of the exploration team. Without them, not only would we not be able to produce a road book, but the team would also be lost in the desert!"

"Ah."

"Ten pounds, let me tell you, there's a saying about the Jingtai River: 'There's a wind every year, from spring to winter.' The wind we're experiencing today isn't so bad. You know, when it's strong, like the monstrous winds I encountered in the Dabancheng wind zone, it could flip your car over!"

"Ah."

"If you're riding with a convoy in the future, be careful of the wind! When the bike is hit by a crosswind, make sure you hold on to the handlebars firmly and don't let go. But if the wind is too strong and the bike is slipping, don't hold on too tightly either."

"Oh, I see."

Upon hearing this, Shi Jin didn't react with the emotion he'd expected. He simply glanced at it, then tucked the road booklet, still attached to its safety lanyard, back into the glove box next to the car door and huddled back in the driver's seat. Silence returned to the cabin.

What's wrong with this kid? Why is he suddenly so quiet? Wang Shunfeng recalled that when his car first left Yumen, this little guy was an incredibly lively and social person. First, he chatted with him and the passenger seats of other cars, asking questions about everything from driving to roads and local customs. But after passing Guzang, he suddenly became silent. Now, if it weren't for the black seatbelt, he would look like an oversized cat.

What happened?

Wang Shunfeng thought to himself, glanced at Wang Shijin who was staring blankly at the front window of the car, and could only shake his head in his heart and put his attention back on driving - normally, when driving in the Northwest Passage, it is normal for the driver and the co-driver to chat with each other. The continuous Gobi Desert is very consistent, which can easily make people feel tired while driving.

The radio in the car buzzed, signaling instructions from the lead car ahead. Another hour's journey and the convoy would reach Jingtai River, their rest stop for the day.

运输7团的编制在"西北通道公路保安团"正名为"西北护路军的时候经历了一次重组，全团的卡车被全部分流，并且换装了新式的车辆。全团3营9连的卡车车组中有6个运输连各自搭配了270台卡车，其余3个运输连则为担任轮换、护卫和训练任务的"徒手司机"们。

Together with the regimental command and communication vehicle, the four-seater training truck of the training team and the "Dongfeng" rescue vehicle of the repair company, the entire 7th Regiment had about 320 vehicles and a staff of about 1600 people. Such a large scale was tantamount to a "large army" for Jingtai, which had about 4000 households and a population of only 20000 at that time, and far exceeded the local support capacity.