Canteen System Assistance Notes

"Earth...Earth 164...Calling the Stars...Please answer..."

For a brief moment, a vague call echoed through the seemingly endless background noise. But even this fleeting sound sent a flash of lightning and thunder through Tang Rang Lingyun's mind. He ripped off his headphones and shouted into the microphone at the top of his lungs:

"Here are the stars! Here are the stars! Earth! Earth! Call received, call received!" What's the point of choosing between the two? I want them all!

...I hear...an echo! Tune...the antenna...right!"

A fierce glissando and a cacophony of noises echoed through the air, as if someone were actively adjusting the sound. The white noise instantly faded considerably, and the clamor from the other end of the headset came through the distorted radio waves: "Keep the antenna...angle! This is Earth! Stars! I've received your call!"

"You are twenty degrees west of our north, distance unknown! Please adjust course, we have lit the campfire! I repeat, you are twenty degrees west of our north, we have lit the campfire, over!" "Stars received! About to turn to 340, will turn on the navigation lights, please pay attention!"

A huge weight lifted off his chest, and Tang Lingyun almost wanted to cheer loudly. However, he calmly put on his headphones and said, "Everyone, prepare to turn to 340. The Earth has been set on fire. Keep an eye out!" "Don't keep our comrades waiting too long!"

Chapter 158 Patriotic Health Campaign

"Okay! Hold your breath! Nod when you're done!" Xu Duo adjusted his cotton mask and said to the person in front of him.

In the tent, a soldier took off all his clothes, holding up his clothes, and stood in a large mosquito net. Beside him stood three strong men wearing raincoats and masks. He took a deep breath, covered his mouth and nose with a cotton mask, then closed his eyes and nodded vigorously.

"coming!"

Xu Duo and three other strong men simultaneously raised a steel can of spray and sprayed the soldier, his marching blanket, and his underwear with cypermethrin insecticide. The effect was remarkable!

Suddenly, numerous fleas leaped out of the bedding and clothes, then collapsed to the ground and died under the active ingredients of the future insecticide. "So many! Damn fleas, you're sucking my blood!"

Surprised and delighted, the soldier hurriedly took off his mask, walked out of the mosquito net as previously arranged, and went to the next tent to take a shower - the clothes and bedding would be cleaned and disinfected again, and then exposed to the sun before being returned to him.

Otherwise, the flea control work will be in vain.

As acting platoon leader Wang Tiechui's deputy, Xu Duo's actual duties had experienced a significant leap in a short period of time. He went from being a skilled marksman to independently leading an entire squad, and then to assisting in handling various platoon affairs. Now, with Wang Tiechui recently transferred by division order, this uneducated deputy was tasked with assisting the new platoon leader in handling a suspected biological warfare malaria incident.

Fortunately, the new platoon leader had undergone relatively systematic training at the grassroots military academy in the Taihang region. He understood many things as soon as they were introduced to him and took over the work quickly. What's more, that night, four shining parachutes fell from the sky and brought the quinine and rescue medicines that the 344th Brigade and the 689th Regiment most needed, which suppressed everyone's illness and put a stop to the situation that was rapidly moving towards an uncontrollable situation.

"Commander, the military sub-district has sent an investigation team down here to conduct a further investigation into this outbreak." Xu Duo and the platoon leader walked out. "Although no one in our platoon is sick, we must not slack off on our sanitation efforts: we're killing bedbugs, fleas, and mosquitoes. If anyone gets sick, we need to isolate them immediately and report it."

"Hey, why call me Chief? Just call me Old An. If you don't mind, just call me Brother An."

The platoon leader also took off his mask. "Platoon Leader Tiechui said, 'You didn't have any education before, so why are you talking so pretentiously now? If he hadn't told me that, I would have thought you were a clerk, haha!'"

"That's all thanks to the training at company headquarters, Brother An," Xu Duo replied, handing him a form with a roster of every member of the platoon and the progress of pest control efforts. "Right now, the division is calling for 'every soldier to strive to master weapons below the company level.' So, it's not a big deal for a rough guy like me to learn some clerical skills."

"Of course I do. It's always good to have many skills! Learning and progress, like the health campaign, are essential."

Taking over the platoon's roster, the two began to check the progress of the platoon's "Patriotic Health Campaign" - according to the arrangements of the 129th and 115th Divisions, and referring to the infectious disease prevention and control program that had a mature system as early as the Soviet era, this "Patriotic Health Campaign" added the killing of fleas, bedbugs and mosquitoes to the 1933 version of killing flies and rats; the diseases to be controlled also expanded to include malaria and typhoid fever in addition to the two "A" diseases of cholera and plague in the Soviet era.

In response to this, Xu Duo and the team leader received some spray insecticides and mosquito coils "produced" in the border area, as well as some imported pesticides. These materials were transported by land transport teams across the Japanese-occupied areas and through the blockade along the basically fixed transportation lines. Together with the subsequent treatment drugs, they were handed over to them.

Of course, the scope of the Patriotic Health Campaign is very broad. Pesticides and drugs are only part of it. Many measures are reflected in daily life habits.

It does not mean that with these "panacea drugs", all infectious diseases can be cured.

Expel them immediately and make everyone immune to all poisons - these two comrades still have a lot to do.

"The stuff is correct, but… after reviewing the forms and discussing the various details, the dispatch leader turned his head and looked off into the distance. "Now that Hebi has been reoccupied by the Japanese, the city is under martial law, and the urban construction teams have had to suspend operations for a while. Even the military sub-district won't be able to reclaim that flour warehouse."

"Yes." Hearing this sentiment, Xu Duo was speechless. Even if he wanted to find evidence and clarify the whole story, it was now impossible. After much thought, he could only offer consolation, "But it's impossible for malaria to break out in March without someone playing dirty tricks. It's probably the Japanese doing it."

"That's right! The son of a bitch! Damn it..."

The head of the arrangement said angrily, taking off his hat and wanting to throw it to the ground, but when he thought about the breathable and sturdy bennies he was given, he finally stopped. "If we catch the Japanese who poisoned me, humph! I will definitely hang him from the street lamp!"

"Brother An, this isn't Fushi, there are no streetlights to hang here."

Xu Duo held it in for a long time before coldly complaining, his words revealing a hint of regret, "I guess he can only be shot, alas."

On one side of the garrison, soldiers, freshly showered, emerged from tents and bungalows, their faces flushed with fresh steam, as they chatted and laughed as they headed towards the assembly point. Someone had climbed onto the roof to check how much water was left in the large, blackened cylinder to see if it was enough for the next group. This large, slightly warped aluminum can was a Japanese aircraft fuel tank salvaged from a derailed train. Placing it on the roof and adding water to it, it gave everyone a fancy "shower"—quite fashionable.

Xu Duo and the arrangement leader walked slowly. From far to near, another group of soldiers, led by the squad leader, came over, carrying their bedding and military uniforms, and began to line up to enter the tents and bungalows for physical examinations, pest control, and showers.

"Brother An."

Xu Duo suddenly spoke, "There's something I want to tell you."

"Hmm?" The commander turned around and looked at Xu Duo in surprise. "Is there anything you can't tell me? Come on, tell me." As he spoke, he pulled Xu Duo to a rock and sat down. "Brother An, after we finish this, the troops will be moving out as a whole and returning to Fushi for training. The camp has already issued a notice, right?"

"Hmm." The commander was a bit puzzled. A few days ago, at the meeting to plan the Patriotic Health Campaign, the battalion commander had already communicated this to everyone: the 344th Brigade needed new recruits, and the 699th Regiment needed to return to the rear for a period of recuperation due to malaria. Coincidentally, the new batch of recruits from the border region had valuable spots available, so the brigade decided to withdraw the entire 689th Regiment for retraining and rest, bringing back a new batch of recruits.

Isn't this a good thing? "Normally, at this time, the troops would get new weapons and new clothes. The commander thought: When it comes to getting new equipment, most squad leaders and platoon leaders would be very happy, but why did Xu Duo look so worried?

"That's not the point," Xu Duo stammered, "It's just that the regiment said a few days ago that they were recruiting volunteers to send an advance team to Jiangsu Province to support the New Fourth Army comrades. The regiment's secretary came to ask me... "Organizational orders should be obeyed... but I can't bear to leave my comrades in the 689th Regiment," he asked bewilderedly, "Brother An, should I go?"

Chapter 159: A Little Psychological Counseling

By March 1939, the "Three Swords to the South" campaign by Zhou Gong, Minister Deng and Mr. Li Zetian had yielded results.

After clearing up a series of problems, clarifying the direction, and integrating resources from all over the country, the New Fourth Army's development set a "first north, then south" route - now gaining a foothold north of the Yangtze River where the enemy is weaker and has a better mass base, and then developing and expanding south of the Yangtze River.

But now, because the New Fourth Army's combat areas are scattered, it does not have the conditions to set up military sub-districts and use advanced communication and command systems to conduct centralized command and training like the Eighth Route Army in North China. After sufficient communication and discussion with comrades such as Ye Xiyi, Xiang Delong, and Chen Shijun, the Central Committee decided to draw capable personnel from various military sub-districts to go to bases such as northern Jiangsu, Hubei, Henan, and Anhui to support the development and construction of the New Fourth Army. One of the team leaders was Xu Yuanqing, who had been well fed and well fed in the border areas for a whole year and finally eradicated malnutrition and restored his ability to work.

What Xu Duo encountered was such a volunteer recruitment.

"The instructor asked me about it. My ancestors were from Henan Province—although that was during my grandfather's time—but I can still speak Henan Mandarin."

Sitting on a large rock, Xu Duo twirled the pen in his hand, speaking slowly with long pauses. "If you ask me if I'm not suitable, I think I am. After all, I've lived there before, and the instructor really wants me to go. He said it's an honor for us to have one more person selected. But the regiment also has instructions. This isn't an order; it all depends on my personal preference."

"If you're going, what's it about?" The director paused to consider. After a moment's thought, he decided to change the subject. "You mentioned this a few days ago, right? I don't know anything about it yet."

"Well, I've been dealing with malaria these past few days, so I'll put this aside for now."

Xu Duo's tone brightened. He never hesitated to talk about work matters like this: "The brigade is selecting support forces for the New Fourth Army. Those with local work experience and who can speak and understand the southern dialect will be given priority. In addition, those who have ridden a horse or driven a car before will also be given priority."

"Wei, are you going to bring cavalry?"

"I heard it's to the guerrilla detachment?" Xu Duo was a little unsure about this. He thought for a moment and said, "But it's not certain. I guess when the time comes, I'll go wherever the higher-ups assign me."

"The New Fourth Army's guerrilla detachment? Isn't that the famous Peng Xiudao's side? Hey, Xiao Xu, did you join the Long March?" As if suddenly remembering something, the commander became interested. "Oh, you joined the army in 36, and I joined a few years earlier than you. I probably didn't complete the entire journey... Let me tell you, this commander is an extraordinary person!"

"Thinking back to the past, Chairman Mao and Bai Gouzi went around in circles and led our army back to Bozhou to conquer the natural barrier of Taiping Pass again. Although that group of Guizhou soldiers were double-gun soldiers smoking opium,

But it’s a really dangerous place.”

The commander of the platoons began to tell a story, gesturing up and down with his hands. "That mountain was so high, and the road so steep! Chiang Kai-shek's troops were chasing us so hard, we had to take this pass as soon as possible. Commander Peng Xiudao, with his 13th Regiment, spearheaded the attack on the commanding heights! It was a bloody battle, the sky darkening, the mountains and rivers changing color..."

The Guizhou Army officers offered official titles and promises, dispatched supervisory teams, and forced the two-pistol soldiers to charge us at gunpoint. It was a huge crowd. The atmosphere began to liven up. The heroic deeds and classic battle examples of the Long March were an integral part of the training courses for grassroots commanders and fighters. The commander recalled the course's "Capture of Taiping Pass" and recounted it vividly, like a parent coaxing a child. Although he hadn't experienced it himself, this didn't stop him from describing it vividly.

Xu Duo was clearly captivated, listening attentively like a chick pecking at rice, no longer hesitant as before. It was as if the capture of Taiping Pass was happening right before his eyes. "In the end, the 13th Regiment not only captured the commanding heights, but also firmly held off four or five waves of the Guizhou Army's assault, holding out until the main force attacked head-on, and the battle was concluded."

"Though our conditions aren't as difficult now as they were during the Long March, Commander Peng Xiudao is still considered a hero in our ranks. Our teacher mentioned him in class earlier, saying that besides being a skilled warrior and expert in cavalry, he's also a master of teaching. His unit has its own school. Hey, if you go there and learn a bit, you might even become a cavalry squad leader!"

The story of the Long March was finished. The soldiers who had just entered the tents were lining up to go into the shower room. Someone climbed onto the roof to check how much water was left in the large, blackened tank that served as the aircraft's auxiliary fuel tank. The man was waving and shouting something at the officers on the ground.

Perhaps there wasn't enough water, and I needed to boil more. The sun couldn't heat that much water in such a short time—it was like a constantly replenishing force, which definitely couldn't generate its own blood in a short period of time. "I've clearly seen your work ability over time. If it weren't for your help, how could I have taken over our scheduling work so quickly, and how could everyone have cooperated with me so readily?"

Hearing this, Xu Duo felt a little embarrassed: "I just feel a little reluctant to leave my comrades in the platoon..."

The platoon leader patted him on the shoulder vigorously. "Even though you didn't say it, I can still tell that the previous platoon leader, Comrade Wang Tiechui, was also a good man. Even if it's me, it's not very pleasant to send our platoon leader away for training and replace him with a completely new one I don't know."

As for his own thoughts... the platoon leader could only chuckle bitterly. He was also a leader, a meticulous, capable, and highly motivated member of the team. Which commander would be willing to let him go? Deng Duo understood the platoon's situation and the individual soldiers' situations. If he could stay with him, he would be qualified, not only as a temporary assistant platoon leader, but even as a deputy company commander in the company headquarters.

"For us revolutionary soldiers, obeying orders is our primary duty. Look, the area surrounding the New Fourth Army is not like North China. Besides the Japanese invaders, there are also many stubborn and puppet troops! And many of them are former bandits. If we want to develop, we will face many more obstacles than in the North China base area. After all, we are here, so what are you worried about?"

"Brother An, actually I..."

"You can't do this, Xiao Xu!" The deployment leader raised his chin, feigning anger. "I'm so happy to have been chosen as the top candidate to support our brother unit. It's such an honor. Fighting alongside Commander Peng Xiudao, don't you think you're at a disadvantage?"

"Or do you think that things in this platoon can't be done without you?"

"No, no, no!" Xu Duo had never seen such a scene before. He immediately panicked and denied it hastily, "I don't even have such an idea!"

"Then think it over. Go, go! Go and make a name for yourself in the New Fourth Army. Don't bring shame to us when the time comes. If you succeed, you can say you're from the 689th Regiment, and we'll be proud of you. Even if you don't get selected, there's a spot reserved for you in the platoon!"

The head of the arrangement department stood up, pulled him up, and pushed him outside, like a father kicking out a married son: "You are so indecisive. Why are you becoming more and more nagging, like a grown-up girl?"

Chapter 160: Each Goes His Own Way, Each Goes His Own Mission

When the Eighth Route Army's troops needed to re-equip themselves as a whole, there was a custom: a part of the troops were drawn out to form an advance team to receive training and re-equipment first. Afterwards, these people would serve as "temporary instructors" for the troops' re-equipment, playing a role in mentoring and helping the troops become familiar with the new equipment as quickly as possible.

This process was even more crucial for the 699th Regiment, which was about to bring back an additional regiment of recruits. After all, for the 689th Regiment, a descendant of the R15, resting and familiarizing the incoming recruits from Shanxi Province with Soviet weapons was not a difficult task. However, taking another regiment of recruits who had undergone "June Orientation" and further training them into qualified soldiers was a more arduous task.

On the training grounds in the border region, Wang Tiechui recalled his experiences while fiddling with the soldier before him, who was acting as a human clothes hanger. However, the soldier was clearly unaccustomed to a grown man's manipulations, twisting and turning uncomfortably like a goose.

"Stand still!"

Tiechui roared, forcing the latter to stand still. The soldiers sitting on the small stools in front of them chuckled softly. Despite repeated instructions not to whisper while the instructor was lecturing, this scene was still too easy to laugh. A year ago, I was the squad leader of the new recruits in training. Now it was my turn to be the instructor. However, the new recruits in front of me were different, but the problems were still the same.

"Comrades, everyone has seen machine guns, Borg-Gun, submachine guns, and so on."

While recalling the past, Wang Tiechui fastened the soldier's "big bellyband" and turned to the front. "The gun is a good gun. It is fully automatic. Just pull the trigger and the 32-round box will be empty in a few seconds." He picked up a wood-metal submachine gun from the table, pulled the bolt with a click, put an empty box under the gun, and held it up to show the soldiers.

"The gun weighs 9 kilograms and can fire about 500 rounds of ammunition per minute."

Then, he changed the subject: "Now, we can build it ourselves!"

Ohhhhh!

Build your own submachine gun!

The soldiers clapped their hands happily. This was just like the "water beads" we talked about before. We could make it ourselves!

As a close relative of the German-made Borgward submachine gun widely used in China, the MP2X8Im submachine gun purchased by the Eighth Route Army has a side-mounted magazine and an uncommon rate-of-fire selector. It is equipped with a double-row 32-round or old-fashioned straight-board 2-round magazine and uses 9mm bullets that are easy to produce.

However, when arranging self-production, for cost-saving reasons, the "Eighth Route Army version" of the MP2L8f removed the newly added rate selector, retaining only the fully automatic shooting function, and also deleted the submachine gun bayonet; at the same time, taking into account tactical actions and ease of use, they followed the model of the Qingdao and Dagu factories and changed the side-mounted magazine to a bottom-insertion installation; at the same time, the heat dissipation cover that required drilling holes in the steel plate and rolling it up, as well as the sight that could be placed at a range of 100 meters, were also simplified.

More than a year later, thanks to the efforts of numerous military personnel, the Eighth Route Army MP, temporarily known as the "Type 38 Submachine Gun," along with the modified "Carbine-type Mogan" with a curved bolt handle and spliced ​​stock, finally went into mass production. Finally, the Military Industry Department's phone was no longer flooded with calls from commanders inquiring about the progress.

This clearly demonstrates the Eighth Route Army's desire for it: compared to the bolt-action, automatic-fire rifle, no matter who comes, they all prefer it. Wang Tiechui had just handed the submachine gun to the soldier acting as a human clothes hanger, and the soldier, who had been hesitant just now, immediately stood at attention, his stomach in, chest held high, and looked at his envious comrades below with a proud look on his face, as if a little tail was sticking out of his pants and sticking up to the sky.

"Stand still!"

"Yes!"

The soldier was so happy that his shouts were particularly loud. Wang Tiechui chuckled and continued to explain: "To make it easier for submachine gunners in battle, our military girls have sewed magazine chest pockets for everyone." He picked up a straight magazine with a counterweight from the table and stuffed it into the clothes hanger guy's chest one by one.

"This thing fits snugly, unlike the cowhide ones. It won't look cool when I run." Wang Tiechui pointed to the same type of ammunition rack on his body, stuffed six weighted magazines into the chest rack next to it, and patted it vigorously. "Come on! Charge forward, crawl forward, and show us some tactical moves!"

Because the Eighth Route Army's uniforms had switched to American-style twill denim provided by the canteen system, the Fushi bedding factory no longer produced uniforms. However, new orders soon arrived, and the women began producing rifle and submachine gun mountings based on designs from strange sources. The carrying gear Dachui wore was a replica of the highly acclaimed "3+4" magazine pouch for the Type 56 submachine gun.

"There's a chest magazine pocket with three large bags that can hold six magazines. All told, including the one on the gun, I can carry nearly two hundred rounds of ammunition. But with so many magazines, you can't throw them away after you're done. You have to put them back into their packaging."

"This bag can hold four of our newly issued grenades, two smoke bombs, and some small items like a whistle, flashlight, and compass." Looking at the cheerful soldier, Wang Tiechui pointed to the large and small bags on his chest. "Your squad leaders will teach you how to use these things later, but generally speaking, the left bag is for combat ammunition, and the right is for small daily necessities."

The new recruit who served as a makeshift clothes hanger was running excitedly on the training ground. He crossed deep pits, climbed over low walls, and crawled under barbed wire, getting covered in dust. However, he was full of excitement and energy. He had a strong body and firm muscles. He wore a chest mount filled with magazines and training grenades, but he still ran briskly without slowing down.

Not bad. These new guys should be good soldiers after some training on the battlefield. Wang Tiechui nodded with some satisfaction.

They were sent from their respective families to join the army. In the six-month recruit camp, they were physically reconditioned and trained, and many of their lax habits were changed. They were forged into a brand new person. The factories and bases of the Eighth Route Army fed them, armed them, and sent them to the front line to fight against the Japanese invaders and the stubborn troops. They were like sparks that would burn an even more vigorous flame on this land that was already full of fire - this would be their mission.

And what about me?

Wang Tiechui couldn't help but think of the thought-provoking incident a few days ago: just as he was about to explain the details of the uniform change to his old comrades and new recruits, an officer from the Eighth Route Army headquarters came to him. "Comrade Tiechui, are you from Jilin Province?"

The officer asked in a routine manner, as if asking a very common question: "Have you ever thought about going back to your hometown?"

Chapter 161: Ending of Majiagang

While comrades in the border areas were reorganizing their troops and strengthening their training and preparations for war, Liu Helian's overseas mission finally came to an end.

From 38 to 39, a team centered around Zhou Bin, Cheng Enshu, and the other three, with the assistance of the Overseas Bureau, jointly established a factory in the United States, sought out contract manufacturing in Canada, and recruited workers for oil drilling in the United Kingdom. They spent most of their newly acquired foreign exchange, successfully purchasing much-needed supplies for the country and establishing a number of sustainable cash cows, exceeding all organizational mandates.

Of course, the most important of these is the discovery of the "House Mountain Oil Field" in Majiagang with recoverable reserves of more than 6 million tons.

According to the commonly used discounted cash flow method for natural resource valuation, the rough estimated value of the Majiagang Oilfield is more than 200 million US dollars, or 4 million pounds. Taking into account Liu Helian's 51% stake and the payment of corresponding taxes, he can obtain nearly 20 million pounds from the sale of Majiagang.

After the central government decided not to hold back and to sell as soon as possible to avoid complications, Liu Helian negotiated with the British government, AP and Shell Oil on the transfer of ownership of the oil field.

However, in an era where $50 can make a person wealthy, £2000 million is a truly enormous sum. While AP and Shell wouldn't be unable to come up with such a large sum all at once, it wouldn't be easy. Even for the UK, still in the grip of an economic crisis, injecting such a large amount of liquidity in a short period of time would be enough to shake the market—it would require months of parliamentary wrangling.

Taking into account his own bargaining chips and the actual situation, after a period of "friendly exchanges" with the British side, Liu Helian came up with a very futuristic plan: AP and Shell Oil would not pay the price for the Majialan Oilfield in cash, but Shell and AP Oil would issue a one-year interest-free bond at a discount with automatic renewal within ten years as the transaction consideration to "Cynopac" controlled by Liu Helian and Hammer.

As the transferor, Liu Helian and the Eighth Route Army behind him received 2000 million pounds of bearer bonds issued by the Bank of England, which were guaranteed and redeemed by AP and Shell Oil. These bonds will serve as the equivalent of pounds, allowing Liu Helian and "Cynopac" and even "China Resources" companies to purchase supplies within the Commonwealth's "Imperial Trade Circle".

Simply put—this was a massive shopping card with a denomination of 20 million pounds, valid for 10 years, allowing the Eighth Route Army to purchase goods within the Commonwealth's trading system at prices no higher than the unified purchasing price. As for what would happen 10 years later... that was a joke. The Eighth Route Army had no idea they would still have 20 million pounds to spend after World War II: it was bound to be spent during World War II, while all parties were still in the Allied camp.

-――---―—

"This transaction plan is basically flawless. It's a fairly standard and established large-asset transaction model. We gave up the interest income and went purely for the purchase, so the British side didn't make too much trouble. They were just a little narrow-minded about the scope of availability, limiting our purchases to systems within the Imperial Trade Circle."

In the eMule-turned-business car, Liu Helian discussed the relevant details again with Zhou Bin and Cheng Enshu. "AP and Shell have been profitable almost every year, and they will undoubtedly continue to be profitable within the next ten years. The one-year bonds they're responsible for repaying are essentially equivalent to British pounds in the commodity purchasing market."

"In other words, if we use these bonds to buy something, the seller just needs to ask AP and Shell for the money on the annual redemption date... I see..." Zhou Bin rested his chin in thought, quickly grasping the key point of Liu Helian's words. "Chamberlain might be using this money from Majiagang to implement his New Deal. The money we spend could probably stimulate economic development. No wonder they don't allow us to buy things outside the pound zone. We should keep the money within the family!"