Canteen System Assistance Notes

If the U.S. Army releases some supplies to the Eighth Route Army, there will definitely be hope.

After all, who told the War Department to bring in Chennault? And then Chennault caused trouble, causing the U.S. Army to get up early and arrive late?

The Army's original plan to establish a joint air force was preempted by the Navy. It's even said that the Army originally wanted to support the Eighth Route Army with a complete set of large-caliber anti-aircraft guns (they found that the Eighth Route Army had a small number of large-caliber anti-aircraft guns) and sent instructors to teach the Eighth Route Army how to use them. As a result, the Navy also included this thing in the package of memoranda - anyway, large-caliber anti-aircraft guns are mainly used for strategic defense, and our Navy also has them!

Finally, after much discussion, the memorandum reached between the Eighth Route Army and the US Army was as follows:

Because the maintenance and deployment of heavy bombers consumes a lot of resources, although the Communist-controlled areas have certain industries, they are still incomparable to the United States. Therefore, the home port of heavy bombers cannot be deployed in the liberated areas. The US Army needs to find a way to solve it on its own. Instead, the Eighth Route Army will select an area close to the front line and far away from residential areas in the controlled area to set up a forward base for bombers to refuel and load bombs for four-engine heavy bombers such as the B24.

To this end, the U.S. Army needed to promise that after the Eighth Route Army applied the Lend-Lease Act, the Eighth Route Army should be able to purchase materials, import equipment and purchase arms in the United States at a level not exceeding the Army's own procurement prices, and no additional terms and restrictions should be set (using the Soviet Union's receipt of U.S. aid as a rough comparison standard).

Finally, given the large number of troops the Army planned to deploy, the Eighth Route Army demanded that they submit to its jurisdiction within the Liberated Areas, abide by the laws and regulations of the Border Region government, and be supervised by the Eighth Route Army's military police. The US Army, however, expressed its disapproval of purely Chinese military police managing US troops. However, the two sides could establish a joint military police corps to enforce discipline, with the corps commander to be a mutually acceptable individual.

The Central Committee considered it and, based on the currently deciphered American telegrams and historical information, the candidate might be Joseph Stilwell, commander of the China-India-Burma Theater who was about to come to China, or Maxwell Taylor, commander of the airborne troops who was about to come to China due to historical changes, or Carlson could be promoted to a higher level and given the temporary rank of brigadier general to serve concurrently - among these, Stilwell and Carlson were both acceptable candidates - so they roughly agreed to this idea.

However, just like all stories have twists and turns, when the Eighth Route Army was dealing with foreign countries and striving for supplies and assistance, a "Cheng Yaojin" suddenly appeared.

Because the navy went directly to the liberated areas to discuss matters, while the army came from the Kuomintang-controlled areas to the border areas. So when Army military attaché John Magruder returned to Shancheng to report the situation and explain the plan to Special Envoy Laughlin Currie, Guo Su also got the relevant information.

Then, Chiang Kai-shek immediately jumped out. He and "Dear Ms. Merlin" bypassed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which was supposed to speak, and directly issued a communiqué to the US Navy and Army.

First, Chang and Song spoke impassionedly, occupying the moral high ground, and denounced the United States for its gross interference in China's internal affairs. They believed that its dispatch of air force into northern China was a gross aid to the Communist Party's separatist forces and its intention to undermine the current domestic peace in the allies.

Then, several major propaganda agencies went into full gear, spreading rumors and slandering the Eighth Route Army for signing a series of unequal treaties with the United States, which amounted to a loss of sovereignty and humiliation of the country, and committing heinous crimes. They also vigorously instigated young students to take to the streets for "strolls" and to surround the few remaining Eighth Route Army offices in the Kuomintang-controlled areas.

Then, Chiang Kai-shek loudly declared that, as an ally in the war against Japan, the Republic of China (R.O.C.) was the legitimate Chinese nation, capable of mobilizing the nation's manpower and resources to support the Allied offensive against Japan. Since the beginning of the war, China had constantly sought to contribute to the Allied counterattack against the Japanese invaders. Furthermore, the Republic of China could only adequately manage the numerous matters related to the deployment of bomber airfields, the stationing of personnel, and logistical support for the expeditionary forces already on the alert. For example, Chengdu, located in the rear of the war, was the most suitable base for bomber aircraft.

Finally, Chiang Kai-shek personally warned the U.S. Army, Navy, and White House: If Britain, the United States, and other nations continue to fail to fulfill their allies' obligations, fail to uphold the justice of international law, and ignore the sacrifices made by my country in its resolute resistance... then, soon, we will initiate peace negotiations with Japan!

Chapter 584: Finally, there must be a stick to beat the dog (1)

(This chapter is a setting inventory chapter)

Chiang Kai-shek's threat was naturally meant for the Americans to see.

Historically, this kind of PUA or strategic blackmail was very successful. Chiang Kai-shek used it not only to force out Brigadier General John Magruder, who advocated the rational and effective use of lend-lease materials, but also later forced out Joseph Stilwell. At the same time, it forced the US military to invest huge costs to maintain the dangerous Hump Route while tolerating Chiang Kai-shek's army's unbridled corruption.

As for the domestic public opinion being in an uproar? What a joke. Chiang Kai-shek didn't care at all. The basis of his rule was not the people, nor even the national bourgeoisie: what he was betting on was that the United States could not give up on him and could not take the risk of China falling into the Japanese camp.

In this time and space, Chiang Kai-shek was still gambling, but with one more reason: How could the United States, risking the peace between China and Japan, openly and vigorously support a local communist regime?

So, even though I've helped change so many things, and the situation in the domestic war of resistance is so different, some things are still terrifyingly stubborn, like a dump truck loaded with steel coils, rushing forward with the inertia of history. Why didn't I travel through time sooner?

Liu Helian thought that if he had traveled through time earlier, at least he wouldn't have to "indulge" these KMT reactionaries.

But what he brought with him was just a canteen after all. Although it was a very powerful thing, it was just a canteen after all, not the human base in its prototype "Blind Man's Battle". The Eighth Route Army could not defeat the Japanese invaders at the same time and quickly sweep across the southwest to replace the entire preserved fruit system.

Therefore, many things still have to follow history and objective laws - January 1942 is not the time yet - at least we have to wait until the dog-beating sticks in the hands of the Eighth Route Army are thick enough.

The Taiping War did not have a direct impact on the country. The grassroots officers and soldiers of the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army continued to train and fight as usual, but the already scarce rest time of the leaders at the central level became increasingly insufficient.

During this time, the Chairman repeatedly read the war history and historical records of the original time and space, pondered strategic issues, and had to write an article to rebut Guo Jian's shameless remarks; the Premier was also busy at home, coordinating the complex relations between the Kuomintang, the Communist Party, and third parties; the Commander-in-Chief was leading the team in the Soviet-German battlefield simulation, and Mr. Dong and Acting Political Commissar Deng had already left the country with the Eighth Route Army's delegation...

Fortunately, after sending criminal suspect Chen Moumou to detention and public trial, and seeing off the US observation team, everyone was able to take a brief break. Liu Helian, the "minister without a care," who had been helping out in the Black Technology and Industrial Departments and handling matters of the Central Logistics Committee, was finally given a "rest order" by his superior, Political Commissar Wang Da, ordering him to stop working and rest for a few days.

But lying dead in bed wasn't the proper posture for a time traveler. As soon as Chief of Staff Zuo left, Liu Helian started sneaking off to the shooting range again. Going to shoot "for fun" wasn't considered work, was it?

Anyway, in this test range hidden in the mountains, one can find all kinds of light and heavy weapons that the Eighth Route Army currently possesses, and can also give a direct understanding of the current level of equipment of the army. Not to mention that Liu Helian was involved in some of these projects.

Watching the equipment of the Eighth Route Army soldiers gradually evolve, this was indeed a kind of rest for Liu Helian.

The person that Liu Helian paid the most attention to was probably the "big boss" of the Eighth Route Army.

Aside from a limited number of super-heavy artillery imported from Poland, the mainstay of the PLA's "big guns" were the domestically produced M3o 122mm guns. While the Eighth Route Army's artillery had a small number of Schneider M1917s in the 1521155 caliber, these had a range of just over 10 kilometers, making them far from impressive.

Before the surrender of the MacArthur Empire, Liu Helian had ordered a batch of 155mm artillery barrels from the Schneider Artillery Company. After receiving the goods, he found that the barrels had become a mixed batch of 15/22/30.8 calibers due to Schneider's chaotic management during the war.

Now, the 15-fold barrel has been completely modified and turned into the Eighth Route Army version of the M1917 howitzer, and the 22-fold barrel is installed on the MRO gun mount. The "French 1929 Type 22-fold 155mm Howitzer Modified" modified with the "D1 Howitzer Concept" has completed experiments and finalized, and has officially entered the mass production stage.

This thing, which the soldiers simply called "Changyaowuwuliu", had a range of 15.3 kilometers, a deployment weight of 3.9 tons, a firing rate of 4 rounds per minute, and tires and suspension that were convenient for motorized traction. This hybrid 155mm howitzer was sufficient to undertake the fire preparation and support tasks at the battle level of the Eighth Route Army.

Using the Eighth Route Army's existing 155mm/22-magnum barrels, it should be possible to create two or three artillery regiments each with 24 guns. These regiments would then be organized into independent artillery divisions and distributed to army-level units for centralized use in wartime. Of course, if a command network is available, they would also be able to connect to the Eighth Route Army's "automatic command system."

Shifting his gaze away from the big guy on one side of the shooting range, Liu Helian turned his attention to the two machine guns placed in front of the light weapons target.

As the backbone of an infantry squad's firepower, machine guns offer far greater firepower than bolt-action and semi-automatic firearms. When Liu Helian first arrived in the border region, he prioritized the development of production capacity for both light and heavy machine guns and their corresponding ammunition. In 138, thanks to the dedicated efforts of the Eighth Route Army's military industry, the Maxim machine gun, featuring a modified lightweight mount, and the DPM machine gun, with its relocated recoil spring, were successfully mass-produced, becoming the backbone of the Eighth Route Army's automatic firepower to this day.

However, these two old comrades are not without problems - Maxim is, after all, an old man in his sixties, and his performance is not only beginning to lag behind,

The large empty gun mass is also a problem; although the DPM avoids the Soviet original

The problem of heat exhaustion of the recoil spring after continuous shooting, but the inconvenience of using the magazine and the simple bipod were still complained by the soldiers.

But it was wartime after all, and it was indeed not cost-effective to make a completely new gun, especially a gun with such a large distribution range. Therefore, based on the existing production line, the development of improved versions of Maxim and DPM was put on the agenda early on.

The Maxim retains the previously imported American-style frame, but the steel quality has improved, reducing the overall weight by 1 kg to 9 kg. The mechanism has been adapted from the British and Germans, with an inverted toggle action, reducing the overall weight. The new Maxim now weighs less than 12 kg, more than 8 kg lighter than before.

That means not counting the bullets, the gun and the gun frame weigh a little over 20 kilograms...

You removed the water tank and replaced it with an air-cooling jacket, so the weight of the cooling water is no longer needed. The barrel has also been replaced with a heavy barrel, right? This way, we can basically use the original production line."

This range is under the Ministry of Military Industry and is usually used for testing new and old weapons. It's somewhat secretive. Therefore, the staff there generally know some of the situation, and Liu Helian was able to find out some things. "Yes."

The young man said as he lowered the ammunition box and began to open it. Liu Helian noticed that inside the box were metal ammunition belts, still stained with gun oil. Upon closer inspection, they had a rainbow of colors. "Semi-dispersible belts, 25 rounds each. This box contains 12 belts, totaling 30 rounds. They're compatible with the belt-operated DP machine gun. There are two more boxes over there. This should be enough for Commissioner Liu."

The heavy machine gun feels very stable when operating, and the combination of small sandbags and light tripod complements each other. Anyway, Liu Helian feels that the soldiers will be happy to exchange the weight reduction of about 10 kilograms for the price of surpassing shooting.

The new DP machine gun is also a great experience. Ditching the magazine for a belt-fed version has made the overall center of gravity much more balanced. The three 25-round universal semi-dispensable belts sit comfortably in the underbody belt box, without the rattling noises of a magazine. However, perhaps due to cost considerations, the "Minimi" bipod and front-mounted angled grip I had previously proposed were not adopted. The entire gun is simply a minor modification of the original bipod, now mounted on top.

Even the old DP could be adapted to the new belt and feed system by adding a diverter and hook. Liu Helian had no complaints about the DP being made into a 'tactical RP46'. He aimed at the target and fired long bursts, hitting the half-body target with a ping-pong sound, until someone approached from behind him.

"Commissioner Liu! You're here!"

"Minister Kan!"

Liu Helian handed his gun to the security officer, removed his earplugs, and walked over. Compared to his own halo as a firearms designer, cultivated by plagiarizing future designs, Kan Sijun, a former intelligence officer and former Soviet-educated Minister of Military Industry, was truly a "light weapons expert."

The two men shook hands cordially and exchanged pleasantries. Liu Helian realized that while he had come here to "rest," Kan Sijun and the soldiers accompanying him had come to the test range with a serious mission. "Come to think of it, this thing is also your work—"

Minister Kan waved his hand, interrupting Liu Helian's self-deprecation. "Since 40, Commissioner Liu, you have not only helped us purchase and select so much ammunition from the United States, but when the project encountered difficulties, you also wrote to the Ministry of Military Industry to help guide the research team and solve the problem. It can be said that without your help, Commissioner Liu, our project would not have been so smooth."

"You're here today, so why don't we come and see if our 'fire sticks' actually work?"

Several accompanying soldiers brought a gun rack and placed it next to the target station. They removed several rifles from it, seemingly from a different era. They placed the rifles on the table in front of the target station. Under Liu Helian's slightly dazed gaze, they inspected each rifle's 18-inch barrel, gas piston, and chamber. After confirming they were intact, they removed a cardboard box of shotgun shells and a 20-round modified magazine, clearly a makeshift test magazine, from a nearby box and loaded them with bullets.

This bullet is obviously a whole circle smaller than all the current rifle bullets. "No, Minister Kan, I haven't come to check it out for the past year. You guys..."

Are you guys making a SCAR variant, or a CZ806 variant?

Liu Helian felt as if his eyes were about to be blinded by the ribbed handguard and extruded aluminum receiver—even though they were matte-painted—and he suddenly wanted to ask a question, but eventually changed his mind: "What kind of 'black technology' did you guys come up with?"

Chapter 585: Fine Workmanship Can Clear the Eyes Across a Thousand Miles (⑵)

With this future-oriented approach, Liu Helian could have purchased a variety of small and medium-caliber fox and deer hunting ammunition from the United States in advance for trial use in the border areas, selecting the most superior performers for military use. Furthermore, based on the selected ammunition, he could have chosen a suitable historical path for the Eighth Route Army's military industry, guiding comrades on the military industry front to develop assault rifles.

However, some things can't be solved simply by relying on future materials and supplementary textbooks. If they are simply satisfied with "reproducing historical models" without a round of formal, systematic training and learning, the research and development capabilities of the Eighth Route Army may never be fully developed.

Therefore, even though they had many advanced technologies and spare parts that were ahead of their time, many scientists, engineers and technicians in the liberated areas still had to follow their teachers and learn relevant knowledge scientifically. For example, in the field of radar, where the industry in the border areas had already achieved initial success, the Eighth Route Army still invited two professional teachers.

Two "Maozi".

If we were to discuss the vanguard of radar technology during World War II, it would naturally be Britain, the inventor of radar and builder of the "Home Key" air defense system. And if we were to discuss the champion in radar equipment production, it would undoubtedly be the capitalist superpower across the ocean, the United States. And the enormous role played by Allied radar during the war hardly needs elaboration—after all, after the war, there was even a saying that Allied radar was "the key to winning the war."

But in fact, the Soviet Union also made good achievements in the field of electronics.

As early as 1932, the Soviet Union began early research in the field of radio detection, and just two years later, it had the first domestically produced radar experiment.

Soviet radio research gradually advanced, and the RUS-1RUS-2 radars were developed, and the Soviet Union cultivated its own electronic industry team and technical worker team.

It wasn't all smooth sailing, but it was all done according to plan. The Soviet electronics industry had a relatively easy start, except that its primary research center was in Ukraine. Then the German-Soviet War broke out.

Now that place has been completely lost to the Germans, and the Soviet electronics industry, which was only established less than ten years ago, has become a floating duckweed with nowhere to settle. It has design, production capacity and R&D capabilities, but nowhere to use them...

Later, Vasily Ivanovich Chuikov brought back a "6 (electronic) tube brick radio" called Baofeng No. 1 from China.

Um....

So, when Major General Xiongsky came to China in 1941, two Soviet radio experts also came with him.

They were experts Victor V. Tikhomirov and Alexander Andreevich Raspletin. In their original time and space, the former led the research on the airborne radar of the renowned Soviet "White Rose" Marina Mikhailovna Raskova, while the latter's signature work, the SAM-2 surface-to-air missile, defended Soviet and Chinese airspace during the Cold War.

The Eighth Route Army's "Black Technology" department was delighted to have such a mentor and strong support. Ge Zhengquan, the expert in charge of Eighth Route Army radar development, was even more surprised to have such a colleague for academic exchange. Unexpectedly, the next day after arriving in the border area, these two Russians humbly took the initiative to visit them and showed an attitude of learning.

"No, no, no, my Chinese comrades, don't be too modest. Being too modest is another form of pride."

Victor V. Tikhomirov shook his head and finally put on some teacher-like demeanor.

But not much. His slightly reproachful tone contained only this one sentence: "At the end of November, your No. 2 early warning radar arrived at the Moscow Aviation University for testing. I was there, and it performed very well. On the night of December 3rd, it detected a Nazi aircraft formation of only eight aircraft, 445 kilometers away, intending to bomb Moscow at night, long before any other sentry posts."

"As far as I know, the Germans used the Junkers 88.

Moscow's anti-aircraft artillery group was able to enter combat readiness 45 minutes early. Aided by searchlights, the anti-aircraft gunners successfully shot down two of the eight planes. One was damaged and forced to land, and the Red Army captured the Nazis on board. Air Force women took off in Petrias, using searchlights to guide interceptors to intercept the Germans, and shot down another. Ultimately, the Nazis didn't hit anything... It can be said that the success of that defensive operation depended entirely on the No. 2 early warning radar.

what.....

Ge Zhengquan opened his mouth wide, but he suppressed the words that he wanted to blurt out and instead said a few flattering words, saying that this was actually the result of the joint efforts of Chinese and Soviet comrades.

What should I do? I can't just say that when this thing was tested in China, it weighed only 5 tons and had an effectiveness of 450 kilometers in detecting aircraft at an altitude of 000 meters; then, because the air combat environment in China is not so intense, when it was sent to the Russians, the back end was completely replaced with vacuum tubes, resulting in the entire system having an additional 2 tons of mass and 3Kw of power consumption. I had to arrange two special personnel to replace the tubes, and it took 2 minutes to warm up the tubes before starting up?

After all, the architecture of the No. 2 early warning radar has been thoroughly tested by history. If Liu Helian were here, he would definitely think so.

Building a basic air defense network for key locations requires, in addition to the mobile, flexible, and swift "No. 1 Warning Radar," an "early warning radar" with a longer detection range to provide overall control. Liu Helian selected the older "Jing-17" warning radar from the archive.

This device operates using meter-wave technology, transmitting radio waves through a large Yagi antenna. It can detect typical aerial targets (medium-to-large aircraft or small aircraft groups) at an altitude of 3000 meters at a distance of 450 kilometers, refreshing target information up to four times per minute. Limited by the meter-wave system, while extending detection range, it also loses some ability to accurately obtain target information, with a range error of approximately 800 meters and an azimuth error of 1. It also lacks corresponding altitude measurement capabilities.

However, this device's architecture is exceptionally reliable and holds great potential. In another time and space, after continuous improvements and modifications, it was deployed on the People's Navy's Type 051 and Type 053H1G warships. It operates reliably, consumes moderate amounts of energy, and is resistant to interference. An improved, improved, and improved version was even installed on the aft mast of the Type 052D destroyer, acting as an over-the-horizon surveillance radar to conserve the life of the phased array.

The prototype of this thing appeared in World War II, and it is probably enough for anything.

Of course, Ge Zhengquan didn't know all this.

He didn't even know that the hand-made No. 2 early warning radar's second prototype was being meticulously cared for by the faculty and students at Moscow Aviation University, enjoying "VIP service" far superior to its domestic counterparts. He simply grumbled inwardly and continued:

"However, since you two have arrived here, shall we work together to modify the fixed 'No. 2 Early Warning Radar' and No. 1 Warning Radar?

"To be honest, all of our current No. 1 and No. 2 products were developed by engineers at our Fushi Electronics and Shaotun plants. Next, we hope to develop the capacity to mass-produce radar-related equipment while continuing to develop radar."

"Davarishige, this is also my task. Comrade Stalin has already promoted the production of new radar equipment in the Defense Committee. However, a piece of equipment, when it moves from the laboratory to the production line, does face many unexpected difficulties. There are indeed many aspects that require experience, skills, and intuition."

Alexander Andreevich Raspletin patted his chest. Compared to Victor, who had come to collaborate on scientific research, Raspletin was more adept at systematic engineering. He said sincerely and confidently, "But this is also why I came here, and this is my strength."

"I will work with you to systematically optimize these two remarkable radars, balancing productivity and performance. At the same time, I will coordinate with a number of organizations and design bureaus to serve the project. For example, we need to coordinate with the armored vehicle factory to produce the rotating antenna ring, the motor factory to produce the service motors and generators, and the furniture factory to produce the radar antenna. Oh, and also coordinate with the workers we brought here to join your production..."

"Don't be afraid, Davarish. This is not an easy job, but it is also a necessary job. Once you learn this, all difficulties will disappear before you."

Chapter 586 Buy some "Valentine's Day Turtles" (3)

(Update)

There have been quite a few foreigners coming and going in the border area recently.

There were Americans who came and Americans who thought they were Republicans, and there were people who left like Alexander A. Morozov: He was really a busy man.

The Ural Plant took over the transfer of the Tagil Plant and had a lot of things to do.

The body already represents a considerable degree of attention.

However, his trip was indeed quite fruitful. Before leaving, Comrade "Magical Liu He" handed him a bilingual Chinese-Russian document bag, and the Huinong Factory of the Eighth Route Army also gave him a suitcase of steel samples. Mr. Morozov, with his assistant, took these things and hurried back to the Urals to work on his new medium tank chassis.

Oh, and Liu Helian even tucked a semi-automatic soda bottling machine onto his plane—it would be included in the trade bill between the two sides anyway—to be used to fill saltine soda for the workers in Ural-Nizhny Tagil. Of course, besides the Americans and Soviets, the British were also a natural target for offshore balancing. Ever since the Suiyuan Campaign, the British's attitude toward the Eighth Route Army, a Far Eastern power, had become increasingly nuanced.

Unlike the Americans who directly sent special envoy Carlson and had Fairbank visit regularly, the British picked out a position called "King's Messenger" from their various official positions. The post represented the "Royal Family of the Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland" and came to the Eighth Route Army every once in a while, under the euphemism of "providing confidential postal services."

Of course, the Eighth Route Army had no mail to deliver to Lady Elizabeth's father. The messenger was actually a representative of the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office stationed in China to communicate the relationship between Ambassador Carl of the British Embassy in China and the British diplomatic department and the Eighth Route Army.

After the relationship was established, the transmission of information and the purchase of materials became relatively regular, and it became more convenient to purchase things in the Commonwealth's "Imperial Trade Circle".

The Eighth Route Army's overseas front and Comrade Liu Helian's overseas businesses had been generating steady profits since their successful establishment. Considering the highly likely post-war situation, the Central Committee generally did not intend to retain too much foreign exchange for interest. Instead, it focused on purchasing only what was necessary, striving to spend the money wisely.

For example, tanks and armored vehicles, as a product whose production involves a large number of industrial sectors and consumes a lot of manpower and material resources, although the Eighth Route Army can strengthen its maintenance capabilities and extend the service life of existing equipment, the tanks themselves will probably need to be purchased from abroad before the end of the war.

After the Battle of Western Mengxi, the Eighth Route Army's existing stock of T-26E and BT-5 tanks began to dwindle due to a series of losses and attrition, and they were in urgent need of new vehicles. Initially, the Eighth Route Army considered the Russians, but the Soviet Union was engaged in a fierce battle with the Germans on the Soviet-German battlefield and was collecting all available armored vehicles for the front line, so they were unable to provide any.

Xiongski, the Soviet representative stationed in the border area, generously gave the Eighth Route Army a report on the current situation on the Soviet-German front, then spread his hands and said, "Sorry, comrade, we really don't have many tanks left. At most, can we go to the Far Eastern Front and exchange them for some BT-5s and BT-7Ms?"

In this regard, Liu Helian could only reluctantly turn the procurement direction to Britain and the United States. While collecting relevant quotations and information, he grumbled about things like "British and American tanks in World War II are basically big assholes" and "We can get some for free after the Lend-Lease Act". However, several leaders of the Eighth Route Army did not care. After much deliberation, considering that Liu Helian still had a lot of unspent pound sterling vouchers in his name, the Central Military Commission finally selected a British tank "Valentine".

The tank's performance needs no further explanation: It boasts a 17-ton weight, excellent protection for its weight class, and reliability praised by even the most skilled fighters. As a product of the British's split between cruiser and infantry tanks, the Valentine boasts solid armor and a relatively light weight, making it a capable infantry tank.

However, the price of all this is a movement speed that is not even as fast as running, and a less than satisfactory firepower configuration.

However, if it weren't required to continuously break through defenses and engage enemy armored units across the grasslands, but rather to be used in numerous domestic sieges, the Valentine's weak mobility would not be evident. Its sturdy front and side armor could actually help the infantry-based Eighth Route Army break through the Japanese firepower blockade, greatly reducing casualties among the attacking forces.