Canteen System Assistance Notes

"Look, Director," Staff Officer Zuo said, looking at the folder. "After all, the place Xiao Liu brought this to is just a shopping mall where ordinary people, students, and teachers shop, not a place for military procurement. They don't sell any military uniforms. The only item in the inventory that seems remotely related to the military is the clothing these university students wear during military training."

He pointed to a set of three-color camouflage uniforms placed on the corner of the table. "They're very cheap, only 40 yuan a set. But the quality is a bit... terrible." Staff Officer Zuo turned the crotch of the military training camouflage uniform inside out. The thread had broken, and the fabric had torn into a large tear. "It's only been used by the troops for two weeks... and it's already completely crotchless. I asked Comrade Xiao Liu, and he said that the intensity of their military training back then was certainly not as high as the war now, and the duration was not long. This camouflage uniform is not used by the troops... so the quality is really not good. He strongly does not recommend it."

"And after that?"

Wang Dazheng held his chin in his hands, looking at the various clothing items lined up on the table. "Have you organized the troops to try on various samples? Have you widely solicited the opinions of commanders and soldiers? Have you consulted the experts at the clothing factory?" Minister Deng nodded. "We organized a try-out before, which lasted for a month. We selected ten troops, divided into companies, two companies in a group, and tried five types of clothing. Now we have a lot of things finalized." After Staff Officer Zuo handed the folder to Political Commissar Wang Dazheng, Minister Deng briefly explained without any reference to any other materials. "The underwear has been finalized. It's pure cotton sweatshirts from the supermarket, men's large shorts, and knitted socks. We will also issue a round-neck long-sleeved shirt. The soldiers all like it and have no other opinions."

Political Commissar Wang Da looked at the underwear spread out on the table and tried the weight - this future textile has a strong advantage just from the weight of a single piece of material.

Its comfort and firmness are definitely better than the popular "20

"Muslin" is much better.

"The price is right, too. Xiao Liu's system allows us to freely choose the colors and patterns within the product category, and we can even get discounts if we buy in bulk." Minister Deng pointed to the patterned fabric on the other side of the table. "The problem is with the military uniforms, specifically the jackets."

"what is the problem?"

"Everyone's opinions are deadlocked, and each has their own reasons." Minister Deng frowned. "The first thing we ruled out was jackets made of pure chemical fibers. According to the information in the procurement system, these are not flame-resistant and will catch fire easily. So, although they are cheap and comfortable, they cannot be used as military uniforms."

He picked up another piece of clothing and said with a hint of regret, "After eliminating the military training camouflage uniforms, there were three other items that made it to the second round. This one—called the outdoor jacket—received the most positive reviews. It's lightweight, breathable, and provides some protection from rain. It also comes in a pattern called 'fallen leaves.' Almost all the troops who tried it on gave it positive reviews, but... after some discussion, we ultimately eliminated it."

"Ah?" Political Commissar Wang Da picked up the jacket and rubbed it on the outside. "Oh, this is made of chemical fiber, is it also for fireproof reasons?" No, according to the instructions, this thing is flame retardant. It has some flame retardant chemical ingredients added. We found a damaged one for testing, and it was indeed

Without open flames, the flames on the clothes will automatically go out... "Staff Officer Zuo added, pointing to a note on the document to Political Commissar Wang, "One reason is that some soldiers hung the clothes over the stove to smoke away fleas, and then found that the whole clothes shrank. Moreover, after washing, the clothes will lose a lot of their waterproof properties. Another reason..."

"It's too expensive," he added helplessly. "Just one piece of clothing costs nearly two hundred... and a pair of pants is a hundred, and that's for the unbranded kind. Branded, rainproof ones are just that expensive, and they're going up like crazy..."

#Although our income has increased a lot with the canteen, it is still too difficult to equip the entire army with this thing...

Chapter 81 Buying Clothes (Part 2)

If it were you today, you could probably use a fairly popular word to explain the current state of the Eighth Route Army: poor!

Oh! It’s so good to have money!

A jacket is undoubtedly a very good option. Even if it can't be used as a military uniform due to its inability to withstand smoke and fire, it's still a very good option to give soldiers a "raincoat" to protect them from the wind and cold. However, although the Eighth Route Army has a sufficient daily cash flow, it still can't afford to purchase additional jackets and distribute them to the entire army in a short period of time.

"But, after all, this isn't a military uniform. Back in Xiao Liu's time, it was for people working outdoors, not soldiers!" Political Commissar Wang tried to persuade the two disheartened comrades. "No matter what, it's better than the uniforms we used to make from cotton cloth that wasn't even cleaned out of the seeds, right?"

"Is there any other choice?"

After comparing several items, we primarily searched the 'work attire' section of the inventory. Following Staff Officer Zuo's instructions, Political Commissar Wang flipped to the back pages of the document. "After selecting several options, we ultimately settled on two work uniforms."

"The first type is called professional auto mechanic clothing. It's made of a blend of cotton and chemical fibers. Half of the fabric is cotton, and the other half is nylon. They say it uses a futuristic double-strand manufacturing technology called warp and weft. Even the guys in Shanghai who specialize in making high-end shirts haven't heard of this weaving technique."

Minister Deng picked up a rather thick work suit from the table. "It was originally dark blue, but we changed it to a dark green. We also removed the automotive professional design and the GMC logo on the back, but kept the space on the chest for an ID badge." He pointed to a rough area on the chest of the suit. "We can sew an identification badge directly on it to easily identify commanders and combatants without giving away our targets."

"The second type is called 'twill internship overalls'."

Minister Deng pointed to a blue-gray garment displayed on the other side. "This is the future version of denim I've seen. According to the information, the fabric is made of 35% cotton, over 60% chemical fiber polyester, and some stretch yarn—honestly, I've never heard of this fiber before—and compared to current denim, it's more elastic, softer, and more comfortable, while also being just as wear- and stain-resistant. This garment has two extra pockets on the chest for small items."

"Finally, both garments have futuristic zippers inside, allowing you to install a polar fleece lining for warmth. This transforms a spring/autumn military uniform into a winter jacket."

"What's the difference between the two? What's the reaction of the troops who tried them out?"

Political Commissar Wang Da looked at the two suits, but couldn't tell the difference. Honestly, in his opinion, both were far superior to the current military uniforms. But the Eighth Route Army had never been one to "make do" under certain circumstances; doing things as well as possible was always their primary goal.

For the second round of testing, we selected four company-level units and issued them two types of uniforms. Two of these units were engaged in frontline combat, while the other two were deployed in the rear for garrison and retraining.

Staff Officer Zuo explained that military affairs and staff planning were his forte, handling everything from major matters like planning marches and troop supplies to attacking and defending hilltops and positions, and even small matters like the key points of the troops' recent rural deployments. When it came to things like testing uniforms, Staff Officer Zuo had a complete routine.

With the help of a branch office located at the company headquarters, the testing unit measured the height and weight of each soldier, selected the appropriate size, and then placed an order through the supermarket's ordering system. During a month-long test, these uniforms accompanied the soldiers in working in the fields, marching over mountains, and even experiencing the rigors of battle, earning unanimous praise.

Among them, the "Automotive Professional Mechanic Clothes" have been particularly praised for their excellent damage resistance and tear resistance. The double-strand warp and weft manufacturing technology can prevent the spread of cracks. Soldiers reported that the tears in their clothes will not be "torn into a big piece" and can be completely mended with just a patch.

The "twill internship uniform" was a hit due to its soft, comfortable, breathable, and lightweight properties. Soldiers commented that it was much lighter than their previous heavy cotton jackets, like each person carrying one less small sandbag. "But precisely because the reviews of the two were so close, each with its own advantages and disadvantages, the soldiers weren't picky. Both options were excellent, which made the decision difficult."

Staff Officer Zuo showed the compiled statistical table and threw up his hands helplessly. "If you really want to say, the mechanic's uniform is rated higher. After all, during marches and battles, snags and rubs are inevitable, and it's common for clothes to wear and tear." "That's it, isn't it?"

Political Commissar Wang Da took the report, glanced at the conclusion, then went back to review the detailed process. "Back then, when we were crossing the snowy mountains, it was hard to find a coat this warm. Everyone's clothes were almost patched, patch upon patch, until you couldn't tell if it was a new piece or the same old one. Even so, many people couldn't get warm, let alone well-dressed.

"Now that we can provide every soldier with good clothes, we naturally want to make sure everyone is comfortable. What are we still fussing about? Has anyone stipulated that the Red Army must be hungry and cold? Now that we have the conditions, we will definitely ensure everyone is well fed and clothed."

Political Commissar Wang Da put his clothes down and looked up at the wall clock, as if recalling the scenes of crossing snow-capped mountains and grasslands in the past. He sighed a little, "Now our clothes are better than those of other officers."

"Director Wang, mechanic clothes are more than 30% more expensive than work clothes. We buy a lot, so at wholesale price, a set of work clothes, without the fleece lining, is only about 70 yuan, while a set of mechanic clothes is a little over 100 yuan." Minister Deng pointed to the price list and reminded.

"oh.…"

Oh! It’s so good to have money!

No matter what, the Eighth Route Army is still a reality.

After discovering that the performance of the two types of work clothes was similar, and that even the slightly less damage-resistant twill blended denim was far superior to the current cotton fabric, while the price difference was over 30%, the Logistics Committee decisively chose the more cost-effective one.

Therefore, after the central government discussed and decided, the uniform replacement plan that began in 38 would equip the Eighth Route Army soldiers with a set of cowboy-style dark green military uniforms, with a fleece lining and "cotton pants", as well as a complete set of underwear, shirts, shorts and socks. The familiar octagonal military cap will also become the widely used benny hat in the future. By the way, after consulting Xiao Liu who stayed in the UK, the Eighth Route Army replaced the knitted labor protection gloves that were scheduled to be distributed with a certain type of "foaming king rubber coated gloves" that the US military would praise in the future.

The Eighth Route Army's original clothing factories will, based on future data, switch production to producing weapon belts, grenade pouches, and ammunition belts, among other equipment and carrying supplies that can't be found in cafeterias and supermarkets. By the time this uniform change is complete, the familiar "blue-clad Red Army" and "yellow-clad Eighth Route Army" will have become "denim-clad Eighth Route Army."

Chapter 82 A brief philosophical thought

"Okay, stand still... Hey! I told you to stand still, why are you twisting around? Did you not get rid of the lice?" "No... Acting Platoon Leader, you're making me itchy..."

"Alright, alright, just hold on for a while, it will be fine in a moment..."

As several soldiers in the platoon couldn't help but laugh, Wang Tiechui finally "took care of" this soldier. He put away a piece of wooden board with a right angle, looked at the ruler drawn on the wall, and shouted to the officer behind him: "157! Extra small!"

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Everyone around started laughing. Wang Tiechui grabbed the soldier who was trying to hide and pushed him to the back of the line. "Why are you running? There are people shorter than you. If your uniform doesn't fit, you'll be miserable in the end. Go, line up over there. You have a small shoe size, don't get in the wrong line."

"Yes!"

The warrior saluted, turned around and ran away, joining the army of people who were lined up in three columns to get their shoes. Wang Tiechui glanced at the black rubber shoes in the basket, then looked down at his own "Double Star" rubber shoes, feeling extremely comfortable.

"These are much more comfortable than straw sandals, and they even have big rubber studs on the soles...Okay, next up, Team Three, hurry up!"

After a few months, Comrade Wang Tiechui became acting platoon leader. After the new recruit regiment was disbanded and transferred to the 115th Division, although Comrade Wang Tiechui and his old squad leader Wu Jin were not assigned to the same machine gun platoon, they remained in the same regiment. Their 687th Regiment was reorganized, and the platoon was rotated into the newly formed 689th Regiment. Wang Tiechui remained as squad leader, while Wu Jin was assigned to install new mortars and form a new mortar company.

Wang Tiechui's platoon was assigned to a region to mobilize the masses. After the platoon leader returned to Fushi for further training, squad leader Wang Tiechui was temporarily assigned to the position of acting platoon leader for further training, while his squad was temporarily commanded by the former deputy squad leader.

Commanding a platoon wasn't easy. Even though he was only acting as a deputy, Wang Tiechui felt a great deal of pressure. He had to double-check everything in the platoon to avoid any mistakes.

During this period, Wang Tiechui thought he would be most concerned about things like training new recruits, maintaining the unit's combat effectiveness, and how to fight the Japanese. As it turned out, none of these things happened. There were actually quite a few trivial matters within the platoon. For example, today the work group that went to the village to mobilize the masses was turned away, causing a stir, and someone had to be called in to do some ideological work; tomorrow, in the defense zone, Village A dug up the stalks of Village B's fields, and the two villages were arguing and even threatened to come to blows, so someone had to mediate and reason things out; the day after tomorrow, residents of a certain village secretly tried to take salt from the saltpeter pond, and several of them were poisoned, requiring emergency treatment...

Today's task of distributing shoes is considered an easy job.

"Lao Xu, Lao Xu! Come and help take a look!"

Wang Tiechui called his former deputy squad leader, who was now the acting squad leader, and the two officers from the communications squad to re-check the situation of the shoes.

"Let's check if anyone hasn't received any, or has received more than they deserve.

Down. "

Everyone then began to check the forms. So far, the soldiers' literacy work seemed to be done very well. Although their handwriting was crooked, everyone could write their own names. If a soldier did not have a name, the organization would find a way to determine his surname and then give him a name with revolutionary connotations, just like the Soviet army's "Damirov" and "Lenatov", which meant "world revolution" and revolution, science and labor.

"Everyone gets two pairs of shoes, Double Star rubber boots with large spikes. Each squad has 24 pairs. Including the communications squad and the health center, we have a total of 84 pairs. The platoon leader and a few sick patients will lead them and put them on the communications squad's donkey cart. Don't forget theirs. These shoes are very durable, don't lose them, we're relying on them all year long."

After Wang Tiechui finished his instructions, he carefully reviewed the 42 names on the form. After confirming that they were correct, he signed and sealed the form with several logistics comrades from the company headquarters, confirming that he had completed the task of "receiving the goods" and handed in the physical measurement data for the soldiers. Finally, he asked Xu Bandai to bring a few soldiers to see off the comrades from the company headquarters who had come with mules.

"Alright, alright, there's no need to be so arrogant!"

The two soldiers from the company headquarters and several militiamen driving the cart declined Wang Tiechui's offer. "We're in a hurry to get to our next destination! It's a full 20 miles away, and we want to get there before dark!" "There are so many rubber shoes in the cart! This pair of rubber shoes would sell for one or two yuan in the city!" Wang Tiechui insisted, "That's hundreds of yuan in foreign currency in your cart! What if something goes wrong..."

"Mei! Platoon Leader Wang!" The other party put his hands on his hips and teased, "Don't you believe in the grassroots support of our company's defense area? Which of the bandits in this area dares to rob people in broad daylight?" They tightened their rifles on their backs and raised their chins. "If someone really has no eyes, they should ask our guns first if they agree!"

"Ah! Look at the young people nowadays! They really don't know how high the heavens are and how deep the earth is, ha!"

The two veteran signalmen nearby laughed. They were veterans who had joined the Red Army long ago. "Back in the day...we had to be very careful when we encountered bandits. Even if they couldn't beat us, we still had to fire three or five bullets each—bullets were much more valuable back then! The young people these days are really a bit cocky! When the time comes, we'll definitely make them suffer a little, so they'll realize their limitations!"

"That's true, but it's a good thing. Now each of us has 10 new bullets and 2 old ones. I heard that once the bullet factory in the border area is sorted out, there will be more new bullets! Young men who have trained under such circumstances are different from old bones like us!"

Listening to the two men's exchange and watching the mule cart gradually recede, Wang Tiechui smiled. As an Eighth Route Army soldier who had joined the army after the Long March, Wang Tiechui lamented the Red Army's former poverty but was also amazed at its quality. As the former R1 Corps, now reorganized into the 115th Division, nearly every soldier who had come here from the Soviet area was as capable as a company or platoon leader in their former Fengtian Army.

They possessed a keen sense of the battlefield, simple yet solid combat skills, and a fearless, flexible, and adaptable fighting style. As a machine gunner, Wang Tiechui even witnessed how, during a break in enemy fire when his own machine gun crew was forced to relocate, the veteran Red Army soldiers, led by their squad leader, could employ volleys of fire, a kind of sustained, "point-of-fall range-finding" suppression, helping them gain time to relocate. All of this was honed with less than ten rounds of ammunition per battle.

The new recruits now have been specially cared for by these "old hands" since they joined the team. They can eat "Chinese New Year's Eve" during the 6-month training period, starting from live-fire training.

-General" food, shoot at least 50 rounds of reloaded ammunition, exercise, and temper

Tactics, coupled with political training and R1 Corps military history education: all of this has given these recruits a strong physique, qualified tactical skills, and almost overflowing self-confidence and pride -

We are the descendants of the R1 Legion, the heirs to its glorious history. We are the successors who will drive out the invaders, defeat the reactionaries, and let our fellow countrymen live a better life!

This is a good thing for the most part, but in some cases, does it cause them to instantly become desperate cowards when faced with setbacks?

Tiechui decided to be a nagging old man again and give the company instructor some feedback during the company meeting - should they pay more attention to this aspect in the upcoming political work? As he was thinking, two figures suddenly appeared at the end of the road. Then, the figures grew larger and larger. Everyone present took a closer look and realized that it was the company logistics officer who had just left.

With a whoosh, Wang Tiechui stood up, gripping the box gun at his waist. Xu Bandai was stunned for half a second, then picked up the whistle and prepared to blow the assembly order! The other squad leaders around him also started to move, preparing to gather their forces - this sudden turn back might have caused trouble for the robbers!

"Platoon Leader Wang! Platoon Leader Wang!"

The logistics soldier who ran over was out of breath. He tried to keep his words coherent and said quickly: "Help me! Help me! Help me send a few people..." "Okay! No problem. How many robbers are there? What equipment do you have? Where did you rob? Where are you going now?"

"Scare, scare, scare! What?"

The logistics soldier spat and shook his head. "What robbers? We just encountered guerrillas!" They brought news that the Japanese in the city were gathering! They might be going out of the city to fight! "We have to report this situation quickly!"

Chapter 83: Nine-way Siege

What Wang Tiechui encountered was the "Nine-Way Siege" in history.

This was a battle in which the Japanese army intended to capture the main forces of the 129th and 115th Divisions, and then control the southeastern part of Shanxi Province and eliminate our army's resistance forces. This siege can also be said to be the last attempt by the Japanese army in history to actively seek out our main forces for a "decisive battle in the field." After this battle, the entire battlefield in North China fell into a protracted war in the true sense, which was a confrontation and collision between guerrilla warfare and the so-called "security war."

Therefore, in this battle, the Japanese army will try to deal with our army in the same way as they deal with regular troops.

But who says that just because you plan to fight in the way of a regular army, I have to fight you in the way of a regular army?

A lot of intelligence, including from Wang Tiechui, was gathered in the hands of Han Xuanfeng, the commander of the 689th Regiment. Combined with the information exchanged with several other regiments of the 129th Division, the situation has gradually become clear: the Japanese army is gathering more than 5 regiments and 5 battalions, nearly 3 troops, preparing to form an encirclement from the four directions of east, west, south and north, gradually compressing and surrounding them layer by layer, and then annihilating the Nationalist and Communist troops in this area.

Han Xuanfeng possessed a classified document that detailed the Japanese army's assembly speed: from two days for a full deployment of automatic vehicles to 15 days to gather small units from various counties. While there was no precise standard for the speed of Japanese mobilization, it varied according to the battlefield situation. Based on this information and combined with practical experience, Han Xuanfeng, along with General Zhu and General Peng, who commanded the entire battle, concluded that the Japanese would launch a full-scale offensive in approximately five days.

In other words, our army had less than five days to complete the deployment of blocking positions, the mobilization of troops, and the evacuation of civilians.

Because the radio station had been decentralized to the regimental level and the base had a strong mass base, the Eighth Route Army responded quickly. The two regiments of the 129th and 115th Divisions stationed there were already moving rapidly.

Since Yan Laoxi had retreated to Kenanpo to serve as his "Quanshui Commander", General Zhu was now the de facto supreme commander of the entire Shanxi War Zone and could command several Nationalist troops to assist him. Even if the Nationalist troops would pretend to obey and implement the orders at a discounted rate, they could still carry out the task of defending their positions when the Japanese came to attack their garrison areas.

Furthermore, the Nationalist troops present included the 17th Route Army, the 169th Division, the 4th Cavalry Division, and the Shanxi Province Death Column, all of which had strong ties with the Eighth Route Army. These troops were highly motivated to resist the Japanese, and many of them were members of the Shanxi Province Sacrifice Alliance—a group run by Yan Laoxi, which was effectively controlled by our Party. Therefore, General Zhu's orders flowed smoothly, and although the Nationalist troops were a bit slow to act, they nonetheless began to move.

On April 10, 1938, six days after the intelligence was released, the Japanese army finally assembled and launched an attack on our base area in nine routes along a nearly rectangular traffic line from the Handang Highway in the south, the Zhengtai Road in the north, the Tongpu Road in the west, and the Pinghan Road in the east, with the idea of ​​"dispersing, compressing space, seeking the main force, and fighting a decisive battle in the field".

"So, I'm a little confused about what the Japanese are thinking."

Wang Tiechui, his Mauser pistol slung over his shoulder, led his entire platoon on a march through the mountains. First Squad member Xu Bandai led the soldiers to the front, acting as a guard. Following closely behind were the second squad and the platoon's communications corps and medical personnel. Third Squad pulled donkey carts across the valley's flatlands. The battle was already in full swing, and on some nights, Wang Tiechui's 689th Regiment could even hear the distant roar of gunfire.

"If they united as one, we'd be a little scared. But with 30,000 people, it's like sprinkling pepper on a surface. Dividing them into nine groups and launching an all-out attack is ridiculous, isn't it?"

While marching, Wang Tiechui's mind was unfolding a rough map of the southeastern Shanxi base. On it were nine arrows representing the Japanese army, advancing towards the center of the base. However, as of now, according to the information reported at the company meeting, a total of six arrows have been blocked by our army and friendly forces, or have been delayed and killed by the guerrillas, making it difficult to advance.

The remaining three Japanese troops were advancing along the river valleys and roads towards the center of the base.

"Yeah, what's that saying? Lost the watermelon, picked up sesame, then there was no sesame, and no watermelon either." The second squad leader was staring at the literacy board on the back of the front row soldier.

There are a few crooked triangles on it, and it says "right triangle,

"Acute triangle, obtuse triangle," "If the Japanese bastards were a little more dispersed, this math problem wouldn't be that difficult."

The veteran signalman walking ahead was stretching his fingers, reciting Morse code, and was afraid he couldn't join in the casual conversation. Wang Tiechui reached out to support a soldier who had nearly sprained his ankle: "Deputy General Peng said that even if we beat back all the Japanese, it's not good enough. We should just wipe them out one or two at a time. Previously at Shentouling, the comrades from the T1 and 772nd Regiments fought just like that. They wiped out a squadron and two squads in one go, and also took out a squadron that came to rescue them. They killed about five or six hundred Japanese in one fell swoop, and captured nearly a thousand puppet army baggage soldiers—and they weren't even speaking Japanese, they were speaking some kind of Korean dialect that I couldn't understand."

I can’t do my work.”

Wang Tiechui scratched his head. This language barrier was quite troublesome. In the battle reports, Japanese prisoners would always find a way to kill one or two of our soldiers with grenades. The superiors had specifically instructed that they be tied to stretchers with ropes. And with these puppet soldiers who spoke neither Chinese nor Japanese, there was really no way to deal with them. The general advice was to surrender their weapons and send them back.

"The square of the hypotenuse of a right triangle is equal to the sum of the squares of the sides... The sum of squares, squared, is itself multiplied by itself... Oh, isn't this Korean soldier from the Peninsula? Acting Platoon Leader."

Aren’t you from Northeast China? Have you ever seen it?”

"I've seen it at the Jiapigou gold mine, but I didn't learn Korean. Only a few Koreans and the accountant at the mine could speak it. Anyway, I heard from the 711th Regiment that the Japanese were hard to fight. They were cunning and difficult to deal with, and you had to use artillery. The Korean soldiers weren't any good. They'd retreat to the side of the carts when the guns started. The Japanese didn't even give them guns, so they'd run away when they started firing. They were cowards."

The second squad leader burst out laughing, and the soldiers who heard him laughed too. Finally, he stroked his chin and thought for a moment: "So, will we encounter Korean soldiers when we go to block the enemy this time?"

"I'm afraid not. This is the main event."

Wang Tiechui shook his head. During the pre-battle assignments, the company commander had relayed the order from Regimental Commander Han Xuanfeng: All units of the 689th Regiment needed to advance quickly to Daijia La Heights west of Changle Village and establish a position. If they were fast enough, their position would face west, blocking the enemy forces advancing from Wuxiang and sealing the route. If they were slow, their position would have to be two-sided—one to deal with enemy forces attempting to break through the encirclement, and the other to deal with any forces that escaped and launched a surprise attack.

"Now that the Japs have been surrounded by us, they'll definitely fight to the death. We'll definitely not encounter your Korean baggage train that's fallen behind." "The regimental commander said, the strength of our encirclement depends on whether we can seal the lid in time and securely!"

Chapter 84: Pre-War Democratic Association