Canteen System Assistance Notes

To this end, Chen Zhenxia asked people to count the weapons inventory of the oil mine: because of the British infiltration in Tibet, there are many British weapons in the Northwest Passage. 132 SMLE rifles in different conditions were found in the armory. It is estimated that they have been used for a long time.

There are also those "Old Li"s who fought in the battle, 5 Lewis mortars, 1 "Vickers" that came from nowhere, and a "Valero" mortar brought by the comrades of the International Brigade. It should be no problem to arm a company.

Secondly, all members of the various teams in the factory must have a unified understanding, especially in key areas such as drilling, mining, transportation and refining. They must build a strong defense line to prevent the preserved fruit from being taken over by controlling a certain link after failing to control the factory area.

In this regard, the drilling and mining processes are firmly under the control of the three scientists and Chen Zhenxia, ​​while transportation is ensured by the regular arrival of the road protection team, power generation, propeller distribution, and gas supply.

There are also many groups supporting the auxiliary links. The only relatively weak link may be the refining aspect. Here, the Eighth Route Army really lacks real professional expert guidance and progress is slow.

Finally, after summarizing and sorting out various situations, Director Chen organized the details of the incident into a telegram, reported it to the central government, reported the basic disposal plan, and waited for the central government's advice and approval.

"Director Chen, the central government has called back."

Who knew that, less than half an hour later, the reply from Fushe arrived, signed jointly by the Industrial Committee and the Ministry of Enemy Work. Chen Zhenxia picked up the telegram suspiciously. Compared to the long telegram of over 400 words he had typed, the central government's reply was only a short sentence:

"Be confident, fearless of difficulties, and without overthinking, the primary goal is to maintain normal oil field production."

Um?

Time passed like this, and several weeks passed.

Finally one day, news came from Jincheng that a convoy of preserved fruits had arrived in the city. The convoy consisted of about a dozen trucks, carrying some equipment and supplies, as well as some soldiers. But the leader of the convoy was a

The Taiwanese-American-made "Stupunk" cruisers were quite impressive. After arriving in the city, the convoy made quite a commotion before slowly exiting the city and heading towards Yumen.

This must be the convoy of that preserved fruit official!

Soon, new news came: those sitting in the trucks were the elite chemical soldiers training team, about a platoon of soldiers; and those sitting in the cars were a senior official named Chen and an instructor named Hou, probably

He was the main character this time, and even Sun Yuqi, the representative of the Investment Committee stationed in Jincheng, came along to accompany him.

The atmosphere in the oil field was tense. Everyone calculated their arrival time, practiced the planned battle several times, and prepared to shock those self-righteous show-offs. Finally, after more than a week, the oil field was located.

Finally, the small convoy of preserved fruits drove up to the earthen dam.

A senior doctor stepped out of the car, dressed in a suit, shirt, and tie. He looked tidy and neat in the sandy northwest weather. He glanced at the oil well workers and saw they were in good spirits. However, their eyes were clearly a little...

"I, Chen Jiesheng, hereby present...

There was a burst of applause. A group of strong men in short shirts and long pants, wearing rattan helmets, lined up in front of him, holding various tools in their hands and clapping rhythmically. Two of them raised their hands reluctantly to cheer.

A large sign with the word "welcome" was displayed, and a path was cleared; and from a little further away, the rhythmic beats of drums and brass music were heard. A row of soldiers wearing curly-brimmed hats and carrying short rifles were marching in formation, humming an equally rhythmic tune.

Feeling of the tone.

.... Salute to the rows and rows of heroic people throwing grenades..."

What the hell are they singing? Chen Jiesheng first looked at Sun Yuqi and found that the latter had a strange expression of holding back something and didn't say a word. He then looked at Hou Xianglin next to him and saw that he also had a strange expression of holding back something and didn't say a word.

words.

Chen Jiesheng looked embarrassed. He was sent by Minister Zhu to interfere with the management of the oil mine. It was not easy to grab something from the foreigners' plate. The only force he could rely on was the one that Instructor Hou brought with him.

The chemical soldiers in the platoon said, "These guys in front of me are obviously not easy to deal with. If we start a fight, how can we avoid "surprising our allies"?

"Don't worry, Director Chen.

Instructor Hou smiled and nodded at him, then stood with his hands behind his back. Behind him, a group of elite chemical soldiers stood in line, and the other side "confronted" each other.

Seeing the elite party and country pillars standing in a row behind him, Chen Jiesheng inexplicably felt courage. Instructor Hou, in addition to being a chemical soldier instructor, was also an expert in fuel research in the southwest region, perhaps the country's leading oil

As an expert in refining, there's no way they can do anything to me!

He raised his chin, adjusted his tie, and asked slowly:

"Thank you for your hard work, leaders and employees present here. I wonder if you have been tired and exhausted recently?"

There was no response. Just when Chen Jiesheng was about to burst out of embarrassment, Instructor Hou beside him very considerately handed him a large metal loudspeaker: "Director Chen, maybe the northwest wind is too loud. You can try this.

"Okay, okay... ahem, ah! You pillars of the nation!

He stood tall and raised his voice, like a proud supervisor inspecting the front-line workshop: "I am here on the orders of Commander Zhu Liuxian to express my condolences to you all! You have been able to extract oil in such a short time and under such difficult conditions.

Yes, that’s very good!”

"The current war situation is deteriorating. Only by focusing on industry can we serve the country! Increased oil production is a great thing and a vital part of the controlled economy! The Party and the country are very pleased!"

"On behalf of Chairman Chiang and Commander Zhu, I commend everyone's contributions and encourage you to achieve even greater success!"

Chen Jiesheng finally got into the groove, and this highly educated Party and government talent began to talk non-stop:

"The fighting is fierce now. No matter where you are, no matter how old you are, you all have the responsibility to defend your land and fight the war, and the oil mines are no exception.

"We should focus on personnel matters and agree with the Chairman's proposals; we should join the war of resistance to boost national spirit; we should work hard to produce and support the soldiers on the front lines; we should support the gentry, prevent communism, and ensure long-term peace and stability in the region..."

He habitually recited, "Everyone, if you have any difficulties or needs, please feel free to speak up. I will report to the superiors and help everyone coordinate and resolve them."

"Commander Chen! I'm the director of the oil mine. Setting aside other matters, I can now report to you on matters concerning the prevention of the Communists."

"Oh?" Looking at the burly man who walked out of the crowd, Chen Jiesheng showed the magnanimity of a high-ranking official and waved his hand, "Go ahead and say it!

The workers' guard team in the back row finally finished singing the classic "Grenadiers' March". The two former members of the International Brigade who could play musical instruments looked at each other and played "The Internationale" just right.

With this background music playing, Chen Zhenxia smiled the same way as Sun Yuqi and Hou Xianglin and replied, "There's a long row of people standing in front of you."

“They’re all Communists.”

Chapter 243: Receiving the Goods (Part 1)

We must deal with reliable allies, but also with unreliable allies, this is what Stalin said.

Therefore, although Afghanistan is actively building a small but complete industrial system and developing a supply chain based on itself to meet the various needs of economic, social and military construction, even under the premise of highly emphasizing independence, it is inevitable to purchase some things from other advanced industrial countries in the world and import some key materials and equipment.

Starting in 1938, the once desolate Northwest Passage gradually became bustling with activity. Thanks to the protective guards, the Border Region's access to overseas supplies became relatively smooth. Over the past three years, thanks to the efforts of the Overseas Bureau, the Border Region had completed its basic overseas deployment and purchased a significant amount of critical supplies.

As another batch of vehicles returned to the border area, the Eighth Route Army began the standardized work of receiving goods.

Several distribution yards were located along the main transportation routes in various directions of the border region. These were bustling with activity for several days a week. Transport groups from the Northwest Passage, as well as horse and camel caravans from Guanzhong, Sichuan Province, and even other Kuomintang-controlled areas, gathered here, forming several important distribution centers for Fushi's foreign trade.

The most prosperous of these distribution centers were the private trades. Most large-scale transactions were completed at the venues. After payment was made, the goods were distributed to transshipment units within the border areas, who then carried out detailed distribution to various factories, shops, workshops, and laboratories.

As for the military cargo distribution yards dedicated to transport corps like Fuxian, the scene seemed even more strange.

"The Fourth Regiment, starting from No. 11 to No. 35, will unload all the goods in Area A9 - yes, the raw material area. You have large nickel plates and electrolytic plates, just stack them up - 36-55,

You too, go together, chrome sand, right? Yes, yes, OK.

Please scan the code for me....”

The sorters hold a "pistol" with a flashing red light, carry a huge battery and a tall antenna on their backs, and use electric horns as they shuttle back and forth between vehicles.

"Come on? Come on in the back, and fill up once you're out! No turning around in the distribution yard! You're new here, so just follow your regiment's lead!" He scanned the black and white barcode on a Ford truck, glanced at the displayed number, and his eyes widened. He couldn't help but glance curiously at the large, canvas-wrapped object on the carriage. "Oh! Ammunition, heavy ammunition. Heading to Area D 1! Hello? Area D? I'm from Group 2's distribution unit. Call the military representative, it's time to pack up the guns!"

Compared with the chaotic state of rifles during the Long March, the Eighth Route Army's artillery was not very chaotic at the beginning - the reason was very simple, because there was no artillery.

During the Long March, aside from mortars, the Red Army's only artillery piece came from the Second and Sixth Front Armies, led by General He. It was a Shanghai-made 75L mountain cannon, a copy of a Krupp cannon of the same caliber. It weighed 386 kilograms and had a range of 4.3 kilometers. By today's standards, it was considered utterly useless.

But in those days, this only child, missing wheels and sights, was considered a virgin of the Red Army, playing a vital role in the Long March of the Second and Sixth Front Armies. So even without ammunition, General He still managed to bring her to the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region.

In 1937, after a series of battles with Chiang Kai-shek's and Yan's armies, the Red Army finally captured several similar Shanghai-made 75mm and Shanxi-imitation Japanese mountain cannons. These were ceremoniously organized into the Eighth Route Army Artillery Column, and the Eighth Route Army Artillery School, headed by Huang Nianzhuo, was established to train its own artillerymen. This marked the beginning of the Eighth Route Army's formalized barreled artillery.

Later, Comrade Xiao Liu obtained a complete set of technical documentation and tooling for the American-made M1 mountain gun from overseas and began experimenting with assembling it, gradually transitioning to domestic production of this compact gun. Weighing 63 kilograms, it could be disassembled into nine pieces, carried by 12 men or six mules, and capable of firing a 7-kilogram grenade up to 9 kilometers. By the end of 1939, thanks to the combined efforts of importing and assembling the M1, the Eighth Route Army was finally able to equip two three-gun M1 batteries within its divisional and brigade-level units, using its maximum range of 9 kilometers to suppress the Japanese mountain guns of the same caliber.

Next comes the very famous Stalin test question in the history of this time and space. Under the administrative order of Comrade Steel, the Mso model 12mm howitzer, which had just completed the final design, will be produced on a production line in the border area controlled by the Eighth Route Army, simultaneously with the Gorky 92 Arsenal, in order to test the industrial capacity of the Eighth Route Army.

According to the progress of the accompanying Huinong Phase II project, experts from the Eighth Route Army and the Soviet Union estimated that this artillery piece could be put into low-speed mass production in the artillery factory in the border area around 1941, which would be only about a year later than the Soviet side.

This was already a very good achievement. However, the Eighth Route Army needed to consider not only the "best answer" for the future, but also the immediate threat. Prior to this, the Eighth Route Army urgently needed a more powerful artillery piece with a range of approximately 10 kilometers to serve as a transitional piece before the 122mm howitzer began mass production.

There was no need for too many of this type of artillery, just enough for the troops to use until 42 or 43; the border region had no plans to imitate it, but only to maintain repairs and shell production until it was consumed. Considering the pound vouchers obtained in exchange for the Majiagang Oilfield, General Zhu suggested that Comrade Xiao Liu could look for it on the shopping list in the UK.

There was no other way. This was the central government's demand, and Liu Helian, who had always disliked British artillery, could only try to find something that could meet the central government's requirements. Now, these large guns carried in the cargo beds of trucks due to long-distance transportation were his achievements.

25-pounder gun (Vickers mount)!

The British engineered the 25-pounder with a surprisingly effective combination of design and manufacture, from the odd caliber of the heavy shell to the inexplicable use of medium-caliber semi-fixed ammunition to the cost-saving use of the old 18-pounder carriage that couldn't handle the recoil of the 25-pounder.

The only thing that was barely commendable about this thing was the rate of fire advantage brought by the circular firing base and semi-automatic gun port that was convenient for anti-artillery, but the cartridge and warhead separate packaging of the shells made this advantage not very obvious: it was no wonder that Liu Helian disliked British artillery very much.

But after all, the demand was there, and the design of the main components of his favorite Zis3 had not yet been completed. He could only hold his nose and place an order with Vickers for two 24-gun orders to equip two domestic artillery regiments; then he bought an additional 10 training models with external-bore guns for artillery training.

However, as a time traveler, Liu Helian played a small role in this regard: he very considerately requested that Vickers not occupy the valuable production capacity of the British Army, but instead use the "gun carriage of the Vickers 105 howitzer originally used for foreign trade" to assemble it with the 25-pound gun body, in order to integrate a new style of 25-pound Vickers gun carriage.

As for why they did this, it was naturally because Comrade Xiao Liu knew that the MK2 reinforced gun mount that could be used with No. 4 propellant for the 25-pounder was actually the gun mount of the Vickers 105 gun. Vickers had completed the finalization of the new gun mount in December 2018, but the British army was reluctant to build a new one in order to save money. By simply combining the two, the Eighth Route Army could equip the MK2 25-pounder gun before the British Army.

"The gun is new from Vickers, from the Arsenal factory in England. The shells have all been defused and assembled at Armstrong in India, with everything intact. The gun weighs 1.8 tons and has a range of 13.5. Hmm, not bad..."

The military representative in charge of receiving the artillery exclaimed with emotion as he examined the accompanying technical manual and nameplate. As a native of this time and space, he didn't have to go through the same hoops as Liu Helian. A howitzer capable of bombarding the Japanese from over twenty-six miles away at a rate of eight rounds per minute was already quite satisfying to him, and he had no other aspirations.

"How many are there in this batch?" He looked up and asked the driver.

"This batch? There are 24 guns, great stuff, it takes up two of our squadrons!" "Great! We have these, English guns, auspicious!"

The military representative's repertoire of adjectives was clearly limited; beyond this simple, unadorned compliment, he couldn't think of anything else to say. Next, he needed to unload the artillery, ammunition, and other accessories from the truck. Then, according to the previous arrangements, they would be delivered to the Artillery School and the Artillery Retraining Office. There, a group of artillery academy students, thoroughly versed in the literature and trained on wooden gun carriages for hours, were already "waiting for their equipment," eager to handle a real gun.

However, even at this time, a new line of trucks had entered the "Ding" area where the munitions were stored. These trucks were tall and large, larger than the average Ford or Gas, and were the very rare flat-top trucks of the time. They all came with a trailer, and each trailer had a tall vehicle covered in tarpaulin.

"Walking a cattle dog? What's this guy doing here? Aren't they supposed to be towing large industrial equipment?" the military representative asked in confusion. The phone next to him rang, and he picked it up. It was someone from the distribution office calling him. "What?"

Hearing the voice on the phone, the military representative stood up straight. "What? Say it again? Tanks? Our tanks?

"Oh, yes, yes, this is a tractor. A tractor is used to plow the land. Yes, yes, yes..."

Chapter 244: Harvesting the Turtle (Part 2)

Jin-Cha-Ji Base Area, Beiyue First Military Sub-district.

In a small ravine marked on the map as "Dengjiayu," a troop of more than 200 people was advancing. They were driving some horse-drawn carriages and were slowly moving along the narrow path in the ravine.

This was not a combat mission, so they were not in a hurry - following the request of their superiors, they were transporting supplies to friendly troops, preparing to cross the blockade lines set up by the Japanese army along the Yixian, Luanyuan, Lingqiu and Yunzhongcheng highways, and then reach the Pingxi base across the highway to help the brother troops fight against the Japanese invaders there.

Although this road was accessible to cars and was under Japanese control, the soldiers of the First Military Division were not overly nervous. They were separated from the Japanese route by a mountain range that ran east-west, and the terrain was complex, with hills one after another. The Japanese were generally unable to pass through, so they could only occupy commanding heights to observe and guard the area before speeding through the hills where guerrillas could emerge at any time.

"The Japanese can't hold their ground on this hilltop! Those are the Japanese from the Mongolian Army. They ordered those puppet Mongolian soldiers to repair the guardhouse, but before they were even finished, our guerrilla comrades discovered it!"

The guerrilla fighter who served as the guide described it vividly, "The guerrillas sneaked over at night, chopped two pieces of firewood, tied them tightly with ropes, and mounted two cannons on them. Then, they connected the batteries and fired. Two shells hit the Japanese guard tower. One exploded outside, and the other penetrated their doorway. My goodness, the entire guard tower collapsed, burying all the puppet Mongolian soldiers!"

"If we had this cannon barrel back then, it would have been so exciting!"

The troops were filled with a cheerful atmosphere, even the escorting military district troops and artillery companies broke into laughter. The frequency of counter-raids and harassment raids in Beiyue and Pingxi was relatively high, and the guerrillas, always active on the front lines, had endless stories to tell. Although some were true and some were false, they were genuinely amusing and joyful, relieving everyone's fatigue.

"I say, how far can this cannon barrel fire?"

Seeing the artillery pieces broken into three parts and carried on the backs of mules and horses and on power carts, as well as boxes of artillery shells, the guerrilla fighters who did not have large-caliber artillery were indeed a little curious.

Comrade, to be honest with you," the artillery commander held up ten fingers, proudly spreading them out in front of him, "Ten miles, it can hit ten miles! Each shell weighs 16 pounds, and the explosion can cover more than seven mu of ground!" "Wei, it's so powerful, whose artillery is this!"

"We made it ourselves! When I was learning about cannons at Fushi, the teacher always said this was our latest product and we could already make it! There aren't many now, but I'm sure we'll have as many as we need in the future!"

The 100mm mortar that had been disassembled and carried on the horse's back was the newly completed mortar of the border area.

After referring to some purchased samples and future data, the Central Committee surprisingly did not choose the 120mm mortar caliber commonly used in later generations, but chose to imitate the 100mm mortar mainly used by airborne troops, mountain troops and other units - after all, for example, the PM38's weight of more than 200 kilograms and a 16.6-kilogram ammunition must be transported by mules, horses or motorcycles; and the 100-mm mortar weighing less than 10 kilograms and a grenade weighing 8 kilograms would put much less pressure on mule- and horse-drawn units and logistics. At the cost of range and power, it allowed the Eighth Route Army to carry out manpower transportation when necessary.

The 100mm mortar, which was finally finalized in 39, was given the unremarkable name of the Type 39 100mm mortar. Despite its 82kg weight, it boasted a maximum range of 5000 meters and the ability to be disassembled into three parts weighing no more than 30kg each for portability. This flexibility allowed it to deploy on any slightly flat surface, unleash a burst of 80 rounds at the enemy at a rate of 20 rounds per minute, and then quickly withdraw.

Although the 100mm mortar cannot be manufactured directly from seamless steel pipes like the 82mm and 60mm mortars due to the progress of the Huinong Phase II project, but must be manufactured using the drilling method from the blank, this artillery unit, capable of suppressing artillery fire from a distance of 5 kilometers, has already played a significant role in actual operations at various bases. According to our military intelligence system, some Japanese units were considering revising their marching drill manuals because they often deployed combat formations at distances considered "absolutely safe" but were inexplicably bombed while assembled.

Therefore, the artillery company commander could already imagine what kind of tricks the Pingxi base could perform after obtaining these four artillery pieces.

Because the base area was relatively secure, and the guerrilla war was raging, Japanese troops, even at the level of a small unit, were unable to leave their homes, the troops were able to march during the day, even within 10 kilometers of enemy-controlled territory. Leaving the mountain road, they pushed their horses up a hill and then descended along a well-trodden path. After resting in a village at the foot of the mountain, the squad traded kerosene with the locals and bought some freshly baked pancakes. They munched on pancakes wrapped in veggies and spicy radish as they set off.

The guerrilla fighters and artillery reconnaissance squads responsible for security had already set out, marching along the hills in front of and to the sides of the column, providing security. The artillery company and escort, driving horse-drawn carts and mules, followed behind, carrying artillery shells and artillery. Following the pre-planned route, they would reach the crossing point tonight, then cross the highway and reach the Pingxi base.

"Company commander, captain, please take a look."

The communications squad set up their antennas and received a Jin-Cha-Ji radio broadcast about the enemy situation. "The report said the Japs from Yuancheng had gone out and were gathering outside the city. Could they be going on a mop-up operation?"

The captain of the county brigade came over and looked at the printed telegram, on which the time of the intelligence was marked - the intelligence was received early this morning, and now it has been half a day, the Japanese should have set off.

The situation began to become a little tense. The squad's actions should not be leaked, and these devils were most likely not coming for them - but even if it was a normal mopping-up operation, it would not be a wise move if only half a county battalion and an artillery company's transport detachment ran into them.

"Which group of devils are occupying Moyuan City?"

"They're from the 51st Division," the captain thought for a moment and said, "A few months ago, they, along with the Japanese from the south, led a force to invade our base and were ambushed. We even killed their commander. There was a commendation ceremony at the time. I remember it clearly."

The artillery company commander frowned in thought. The 51st Division's predecessor was the recently formed Japanese 3nd Independent Mixed Brigade. Perhaps because one independent mixed brigade was completely wiped out and another was completely depleted and disorganized during the massive sweep of the southeastern Shanxi and Jin-Cha-Ji base areas, the remaining Japanese independent mixed brigades seemed to be expanding. For example, the 51st Division had added a battalion to its original three, supplementing its artillery and reconnaissance companies, transforming it into a "mini-division" of two brigades.

So, after the 51st Division completed its restructuring, it was estimated that there would be new officers taking office and they would start a new round, right?

The communications squad standing in the front carried an "advanced radio" on their backs. The green light on the buzzing machine flashed, and new news came - the reconnaissance team, about 5 miles ahead of the squad, sent back a voice message saying that they had seen a group of Japanese troops marching on the road from the top of the hill.

"There are 10 trucks and about 200 Japanese infantrymen, marching in two columns from east to west. There's also smoke rising from the east, suggesting there may be more Japanese soldiers."

"West, west, along the road, isn't that Lingqiu?"