Canteen System Assistance Notes

At close range, a barrage of 9mm rounds could have been like a torrential downpour, instantly sweeping away all the resistance. But in the hands of the veterans of the New Fourth Army, already accustomed to this new gadget, the fire was like a parrot pecking at water, unusually restrained and rhythmic. In the front yard of No. 76 Jessfield Road, several unfortunate patrolmen, shot multiple times, collapsed to the ground, twitching.

And those curious kids who stuck their heads out of the window on the second floor to observe were not in a good situation either: they were quickly caught in the aiming circle of the injected light by the security team.

, a man was hit by two 792 peanuts and fell from the building.

"Open attack! Open attack! Red deer savage, quickly get your gun!"

According to investigations, Hall 76 is often filled with people "working overtime" every night - the current time period is probably when a group of spies who had a great time playing "Grand Theft Auto" during the day, feasting and gambling, is the time when the crowds are the densest, but the defenses are the most lax.

The Fifth Detachment of the New Fourth Army Special Forces Battalion had originally intended to take advantage of this period of time to "catch all" these Wang Puppet spies, but they never expected that the Japanese military police who were slacking off next to No. 76 would actually come over today.

Their reaction was much faster than that of the Wang Puppet regime, a bunch of fools who were good at bullying the citizens but not good at regular combat. They reacted as soon as the two sides exchanged fire - several Japanese military police drew their pistols and kicked the two puppet spies who were fleeing in panic on the spot, kicking each of them in the face.

"You, go turn off the lights!"

They quickly took over the command of the scene. "You guys, block the door with tables and chairs! You guys, quickly call for backup!" "Hi! Taijun!"

A chaotic cacophony of noises erupted from the building. Under pressure from the Japanese army, the spies in the two-and-a-half-story Western-style building finally took action. Some fired indiscriminately, others frantically turned off lights and drew curtains, and some tremblingly tried to block the door—there were more than twenty of them, after all. Their combined efforts had actually temporarily stopped the attackers from "daring to attack."

The Japanese military police turned off the lights and blocked the door with tables and chairs, which made it more difficult for the assault team to identify the target and make a breakthrough. However, as member No. 76 took out four "heavy firepower" from the armory in the building - Thompson submachine guns with large drum magazines - everyone's panic calmed down a little.

Although we don't know how many people are outside, or what faction they belong to, we have all our elite soldiers gathered here, and we have the Japanese lady to help us!

As long as you are not an invulnerable Daluo Jinxian or the Buddha Ksitigarbha, you want to

If they rush in through the door, I'm afraid they will lose a few lives!

But, did the mysterious attackers really "dare not attack"?

Because of the division of responsibilities, the Fifth Detachment of the New Fourth Army, which had fought the Japanese army for a long time, was very good at inter-city and inter-village firefights. Therefore, everyone in the Fifth Detachment, from the leader to the team members, knew that unless the situation was special, they should not attack a building that had been operated by the enemy for a long time.

During this precious period of time when the enemy was in a panic, they quickly cleared out the sentries, walls, and a watchtower around No. 76. They also sent a few people to sweep the Japanese garrison stationed on the other side of the wall from No. 76, eliminating several Japanese military police on duty there, and even cut No. 76's external telephone lines. However, they put aside the task of attacking the two-and-a-half-story main building, which would consume the most manpower, cause the most casualties, and waste the most time.

Anyway, according to investigation, the prison for various types of people is in the basement of the annex building on the other side. Why should we attack the building? Why fight an indoor battle to clear out the prisoners room by room?

"The military police cleared the area, killing three enemies and leaving one of our men lightly wounded. No casualties!"

"Tower No. 2 killed two enemies. Our side suffered no casualties. Cleared!"

"The compound has been cleared, four enemies killed, no casualties on our side! The dog spies are all in the 'Rocket Building'!"

Several small teams' reports were brief over the headsets. Now, the surrounding dangers had been eliminated, and the enemy's positions were clearly identified. Condensed within this small house with only a small basement, they relied on a few submachine guns and hoped to hold out until reinforcements arrived.

To deal with such a cowardly situation, the squad leader had many options: he could throw smoke bombs to suffocate the enemy, he could launch a stun grenade before breaking in, or he could breach the walls and enter the house from multiple directions. But now, Squad 5 had no hostages or crowds to be wary of, nor were there any buildings too close to the enemy that could be affected by the fighting, so they could act with ease.

He pressed the thin tube intercom on his throat and asked the comrades left outside, "Artillery, are you ready?"

"Ready!"

"No friendly forces within range, target 'Rocket Tower', fire when ready!"

The operation team, comprised of the New Fourth Army's Fifth Special Forces Battalion and members of the Puxi Guerrillas, naturally lacked artillery, making it extremely difficult to transport such a device into Shanghai without being discovered. However, the notoriety of Unit 76 and the panic and turmoil they caused in Shanghai created numerous loopholes and opportunities, along with some deliberate and unintentional preparations, making it possible to smuggle another device into Shanghai.

Archway construction requires bamboo, which is hollow inside. Pure Zhejiang bamboo wouldn't weigh down the rubber wheels, even with metal supports—their weight is far below the load-bearing capacity of a wooden trailer. But what if you added an 82mm caliber, a warhead and fuse at the front, a rocket propellant and electronic igniter at the back, and aluminum folding tail fins?

After all, in the arsenals of the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army, there was only one item that required a metal bracket for salvo firing.

"Yes! Target 'Rocket Tower', rockets ready!"

"Rockets ready!"

"emission!"

In an instant, orange light shone, flames rose, and light smoke filled the air. The bamboo tubes exploded, and the iconic roar and explosion of the 24-round 82mm land-based missiles echoed almost simultaneously. Beneath the swirling stream of flames, the small building of Jesfir 76 resembled a star on the verge of exhaustion, blazing in its final moments like a supernova, a blazing star in the universe.

It was so dazzling that it even overshadowed the ever-burning neon lights on the Bund and Jinling Road.

Chapter 546: Rainbow in West Shanghai

The New Fourth Army liked the AR-1 submachine gun produced by Armalite very much. This "small assault rifle" was called MP5 at that time. It had fierce firepower and a moderate rate of fire.

The only problem is that it is a bit expensive and cannot compete with the cheaper ones.

Just like the "August 1st" and "Red October", we should deploy the equipment.

So, when the production cost of this batch of guns was paid by the Dutch in US dollars and gold, and the New Fourth Army just used them "on the safari", it did not have any major shortcomings.

Similarly, the New Fourth Army favored the Hangjian-82, a rocket often used by the Air Force. Derived from the Soviet-made RS82, this rocket, thoroughly modernized by the Eighth Route Army's military industry department, boasted a straight trajectory, ease of launch, and affordability. Its only drawback was its somewhat limited power. While the land-based version of the Hangjian had a larger warhead, it only weighed 3.5 kg, meaning a single round was ineffective.

But this time, these "small rockets," weighing less than 15 kilograms, had barely traveled five meters when they impacted the target. At that moment, the high-energy propellant produced by the Fushi Chemical System burned only a fraction before it, along with the warhead charge, exploded, spreading high temperatures high enough to instantly carbonize a human body, greatly increasing its power.

To make an inappropriate analogy, the power of the 24 rockets exploding on the small garden building No. 76 was roughly equivalent to a salvo from two batteries of 120mm artillery. Therefore, the problem of insufficient power this time was still "tolerable."

Boom boom boom boom!

The front yard of No. 76 was reduced to ruins in the roar. Even if the people in the small building were still alive, they would be "roasted" by the flames of the solid rocket fuel layer. There was absolutely no way for them to survive.

Because of this series of huge explosions, another small-scale explosion could no longer be noticed.

Because the courtyard, watchtower and wall had long been cleared out by the New Fourth Army's commandos, the second protagonist of this operation, the rescue team from the Magic City Action Team, had already rushed into the backyard of No. 76 through the open back door - their goal was clear, and they went straight to another one-story small bungalow in addition to the two-and-a-half-story main building.

According to intelligence, this single-story bungalow is the entrance to the No. 76 underground prison. Once you break in here, you can use the stairs to enter the underground prison where the prisoners are held.

Rescue the kidnapped Comrade "Wen San"!

"Sai, Liang, Yi!"

One comrade pressed against the blue brick wall and pressed the detonator button in his hand. A flash of fire appeared on the non-load-bearing wall, and the blue bricks were immediately reduced to broken brick chips under the detonation of the strips of explosives. Another comrade pulled the bolt and used the bullet of the grenade gun to smash the chain on the door.

The unfortunate wooden door was immediately kicked into the house by someone from behind.

"Dog, dog!"

It wasn't just someone shouting loudly in Yangbangjing English. As two "double-bang" flash grenades were thrown into the bungalow, the Magic City Underground Action Team, who were highly skilled in urban indoor combat, broke into the house from two directions at the same time under the exploding magnesium light.

Time seemed to slow down at this moment. They held their fully automatic "Big 77" pistols (referring to the Beyond Ruby, which is a size larger than the Self-Defense Ruby) and their Stig submachine guns ("stick" in Pidgin refers to a Scorpion equipped with a stick-shaped silencer) using the same ammunition, firing in bursts.

The few remaining pseudo-spies in the house were already blind, deaf, and unable to stand steadily, making it difficult for them to resist. Under the rapid close combat firepower, they were immediately swept to the ground.

Amidst the thick smoke, any resistance within the ground-floor bungalow quickly vanished. The action team secured the entrance, while the branch officers quickly rushed to the basement cells and interrogation rooms. Using the same routine of breaking down doors and suppressing them with flash grenades, the commandos, without hesitation, successfully penetrated the deepest reaches of Unit 76.

The lighting here is poor, dark and damp. The long corridor is flanked by cells, and at the end is an interrogation room filled with torture instruments.

Cell No. 76 was unusually empty, with only five people: two were imprisoned in the cell.

There were two people in the room, one was tied up in the interrogation room, and two were standing with their hands behind their backs in the interrogation room - with such a "scarcity" of "hostages", it's no wonder they've been causing trouble and kidnapping people everywhere lately!

Only one of the two interrogators reacted, pulling out his pistol and firing back, while the other screamed and fell to the side. Amidst the continuous gunfire, the pseudo-spy who had drawn his pistol quickly became a twitching corpse, while the leading action team member felt only a jolt, as if he had been punched in the chest.

They had no time to deal with these trivial matters. While No. 76 was still in complete chaos and disability, they quickly destroyed the prison door, controlled the remaining three prisoners and one interrogator, and began to quickly clean up the scene and prepare to evacuate.

"Zizizizizi--Rainbow report, the goods have been received, over." "Zizizizizizi... Rocket received, Zizizizizi..."

The underground radio signal was poor, and the leading action team leader had to shout several times before he could get through to the New Fourth Army commandos responsible for the front yard assault. They seemed to be making good progress there, the leader thought. Next, rescue a few prisoners, then hold down the interrogator's head and kick his ass to evacuate from the backyard of No. 76, and the action team's mission would be accomplished.

As long as we reach the Huangpu River or the railway, someone will pick us up and the operation will be completed safely!

But this also had another meaning: turning No. 76 into a molten ball and rescuing all the personnel was only the first half of this night operation. It was not an easy task to escape in a city with Japanese garrisons.

After all, the volcanic roar of the 24 rockets and the thunderous roar of the warheads had already completely awakened the Demon City. Even if the external telephone line to No. 76 had been cut long ago, the Huxi Special Police Station at No. 92 on the same street would have witnessed this apocalyptic scene.

"Rainbow, attention! Rainbow, attention! Outpost reporting in! Zizizizizi... Hold steady for now! Don't take the main road. Repeat! About 50 enemy troops are coming from the west side of the road... As expected, enemy reinforcements have arrived."

all

The fake police officers at the fake police station at 92 Jessfield Road lacked vigilance, but the Japanese propaganda team at 92 still maintained basic military ethics. After hearing the gunshots, they quickly called the military police station next to 76 to confirm. After hearing the gunshots and finding that the call was unreachable, they led their men to kick down the door of the fake police station chief and ordered these idiots to move out immediately.

Then, after No. 76 was blasted by a rocket, sending a massive fireball and roaring waves soaring, the puppet police officers of No. 92 erupted in 120% efficiency, finally completing their collective mobilization. They collected all the rifles from the weapons room, and even brought a Madsen machine gun, which was only deployed in major operations. Led by the Japanese propaganda squad and the director, they rushed towards the hellish No. 76.

Running, running, running through the narrow streets. Amidst the noisy background noise, the pseudo-police officers of No. 92 in the Magic City saw the flames rising into the sky, saw the debris scattered on the ground, and saw that No. 76, which they had often passed by, had "disappeared" and turned into a pile of burning rubble.

Fortunately, the attackers didn't appear to be numerous, only about a dozen in total. They appeared to be dragging sandbags and barricades from the entrance to Number 76, piling them into the middle of the road, heading in their direction. It was just that from a distance, and at night, it was difficult to see what they were wearing.

The pseudo-police chief blew the whistle and, following a tactic he'd used countless times before, had everyone line up in a horizontal formation, occupy the entire street, and press forward. Meanwhile, the machine gun crew, led by Madsen, climbed onto the streetside sentry box, preparing to set up their machine guns from their commanding heights and suppress the entire street front.

After all, that's all they do.

The Long Gun Squad at 92 Jessfield Road was composed primarily of members of the Pudong militia recruited by Wu Shibao. Previously, they had experienced the fiercest battles, likely suppressing peasants resisting tyranny, workers, students, and patriots demonstrating. In the meager memories of these pseudo-policemen, a single volley of machine gun fire would succumb to the sheer force, no matter how loudly the crowds chanted or how skilled the armed agents were.

"Baga! You guys are all going to die if you line up like this..."

Before the Japanese officer from the propaganda squad could rush over to stop them, a spark seemed to flash across the street. Before the sound could reach them, the machine gunner, clutching his machine gun, fell from his streetside post like a broken sack. Immediately afterwards, the propaganda officer, holding his pistol, was struck hard, a bullet hole appearing in his chest.

On the chaotic battlefield, the sound of dense and continuous gunfire was heard again.

Da da da da!

Chapter 547: A Spoon of Chaos, a Spoon of Embarrassment

The Magic City in December 1941 was destined to be chaotic.

After the Japanese air raid on Pearl Harbor and the declaration of war on Britain and the United States, the isolation effect originally achieved by the distorted status of "a country within a country" was completely destroyed. The Japanese garrison was about to enter the concessions, plundering and causing unrest and destruction. At this time, both the Communist Party and the preserved fruit intelligence organizations needed to evacuate and lay dormant.

Even though the Japanese army maintained a relentless, almost stringent, secrecy surrounding this plan, Shanghai, a major financial and economic hub in East Asia, could sense the oppression it posed before its implementation. On the night of December 5th, beneath Shanghai's calm surface, a host of frenzied forces had already been accumulating, like that moment when water is about to boil, but the noise gradually subsides, waiting for its final eruption.

So, when it became clear that the Japanese were about to attack Pearl Harbor, declare all-out war against Britain and the United States, and attack the concessions, the underground operations group planning the operation in Shanghai no longer had to worry about anything and helped maintain the surface of peace. They even had a bit of a desperate attitude: chaos was going to happen anyway, so why not make it even more chaotic? Especially the chaos caused by removing No. 76, a poisonous fang of the Wang Puppet regime, would actually allow them to fish in troubled waters and protect themselves.

Therefore, the commando team of more than ten people even brought an MG13 machine gun that had been modified through the military industrial system as suppressive firepower for the entire team.

However, this old comrade, stripped from a Nationalist armored vehicle and modified with a belt-fed ammunition feed, never got a chance to use it: a simple burst of AR-1 submachine gun fire shattered the tightly packed formation, a classic example of the era of line executions. Several soldiers even pursued the enemy for a while, completely disintegrating their formation before withdrawing.

"Rainbow Rainbow, I'm Rocket. The road is clear. Evacuate according to Plan A!"

The retreat was dangerous but uneventful.

Several members of the action team brought the three rescued people and one captured person, while the commando members who had been waiting for a long time had already abandoned the burning rocket launch trailer, started the rented Chinese fire truck, rushed to the evacuation point next to the Magic City Girls' Middle School, and picked up the people.

They took off their gear and helmets and began putting on their fire brigade uniforms and helmets. Then, the driver stepped on the accelerator and rang the bell, and the entire operation team instantly became a fire brigade legally dispatched at night. The land was now in chaos!

The violent explosions and gunshots aroused people's fear and induced their greed. In the dark night of the Demon City and South City, roaming ruffians took advantage of the chaos to start looting;

Gangs with guns started fighting with others; gamblers who lost money started fighting with casino guns.

The rebels fought a war and then clashed with outposts and police stations; those latent spies even sent out strange telegrams such as "Minister Zhou Fuhai has rebelled again."

But none of this had anything to do with the New Fourth Army and the operatives of the Magic City Underground Party. In such a chaotic situation, wasn't it the right thing for the fire brigade to put out the fire?

With sirens blaring, the Chinese fire trucks stepped on the accelerator and sped south, swiftly passing numerous intersections and checkpoints without a single obstacle. The only effective barrier to the convoy was the Japanese sentries stationed on the Jessfield Road bridge. However, with only seven men and six rifles, they posed no threat to the heavily armed convoy. Amidst the crackle of Type 38 rifles and the thud of automatic firearms, the New Fourth Army and the underground action team pushed aside the barricades in the center of the road and sped away.

The widespread fires made their actions seem more rational, and the already nearly dysfunctional Wang Puppet regime's urban management system was riddled with loopholes. As the densely packed streets receded and the dim headlights of the cars illuminated the shimmering water, the group finally arrived at the Huangpu River.

Here, a motorized ferry controlled by the Shanghai Pudong guerrillas had been waiting for a long time. After the two teams exchanged signals and confirmed that no one was left behind, they quickly transferred their uniforms, weapons, and personnel onto the boat. Finally, with its back turned toward the chaotic city, the small ferry whistled loudly as it pulled away from the riverbank and sailed into the night on the other side.

"So the country's fire trucks were just left there?"

"Well, the car has already been dealt with. If they want to investigate again, they can only find the French Concession Fire Department and our company. Well, our company, everyone is here, what are we afraid of?"

As long as they crossed the Huangpu River and entered the Pudong guerrilla zone, the safety of the operation team would be greatly guaranteed. Everyone couldn't help but relax a little. The two captains stood at the stern, glanced at the truck burning on the wasteland, checked the soldiers' injuries, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"No one died, but three were injured. That's great."

"Comrade Wen San, did they torture you?"

"It's okay, just a few beatings. The main thing they need to do is write a letter to the company and ask them to pay to redeem me." "Wen San," the secretary of Moyu Company, has received simple medical treatment. He washed his face, took some painkillers, and is feeling much better.

He glanced at the other two rescued "prisoners" and said, "The others weren't tortured too much—I'm not some high-ranking official or wealthy businessman, so I guess they didn't bother with me. But Mr. Xu, people from Unit 76 come to talk to him every day, asking him to serve in Wang Jingwei's puppet government."

"Xu Xuying, a native of Zou, is the president of the Second Branch of the Su Province High Court. He has been detained here by the Wang Puppet regime's spies since March 1942. Gentlemen, when you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. We were forced by the situation to feign co-operation with the puppet spies..." The elderly man mentioned spoke tremblingly. Although it was generally confirmed that these mysterious armed men were neither seeking wealth nor life, but were a special force of a certain political power, coming to rescue people, this information did not relax him in the slightest, but instead made him even more nervous.

Because just a few days ago, he finally couldn't stand the long-term imprisonment and intimidation of the Japanese and the Wang Puppet regime, and was ready to submit to the tyranny of the Wang Puppet government, abandon his official position in the Republic of China, and go to work in the Wang Puppet judicial system. For this purpose, he even wrote things like "Confession" and "Notification Letter" under the coercion of Agent No. 76.

If these people were the special forces of the Military Control Commission... Xu Xuying had heard many horrific rumors about the Military Control Commission's methods. Regardless of his status, he swore and said:

"If you can escort me back to the Soviet Union, I will immediately resign from Chairman Han and will never have any further dealings with the Wang Puppet regime again!"

Forehead.....

Now the New Fourth Army understood. This Mr. Xu was probably a Supreme Court Justice or Court President who, unable to endure the long-term imprisonment and punishment of the Wang Puppet regime, was about to surrender to the enemy but had not yet done so.

If this were someone from our Party organization, he would have been taken back for trial, punishment, or even execution; but this was someone else's official who defected to the Wang Puppet regime, so it was someone else's family affair. "Our New Fourth Army is a reasonable army, and we can't just kill people indiscriminately in this situation."

After much deliberation, the representatives of the underground party organization in Shanghai met with the representatives of the Fifth Detachment of the New Fourth Army Special Forces Battalion and decided to first house the old man in a safe house in the Puxi area for a few days, and then report the matter to their superiors and ask them to negotiate with Guo Su first.

They consoled him, "Mr. Xu, please calm down. We're not completely out of danger yet. Brother Nuo will find a way to get you safely back to the rear. If your situation is truly forced upon you, as you claim, I believe the Party and the National Assembly will give you justice."

"My dear colleagues, we are all in this together now, and I will speak frankly. This man was previously one of the Four Great Commanders of the Military Control Commission, often carrying out assassinations and assassinations. He was instrumental in planning, capturing, and killing Mr. Ji Hengli. Now that he has defected to the Wang Puppet regime, he is a national criminal and a scum of the nation, and everyone must punish him."

At that moment, loud shouting erupted from the other end of the cabin. The third prisoner, freed from his ropes and now only handcuffed, sat quietly on the deck, recounting his story. Meanwhile, the other captive interrogator, feeling as if a branding iron had burned his bottom, nearly jumped up.

"Ah? You're always talking about patriotism and national justice, but how much better can you be, Wen?"

The man was quickly apprehended by the New Fourth Army in the cabin, but he continued to howl loudly, "I denounce, I report! It's him, it's him! He defected from your side before. Once, twice, three times. You embezzled state funds in the Magic City, misappropriated public funds, and secretly opened an exchange to speculate in foreign exchange. What good have you done?"

"If he wasn't so greedy, how could he have been caught by No. 76? He might have surrendered to the Japanese at any time!" Another prisoner sneered.