Canteen System Assistance Notes

Compared to 28 years ago, the domestic situation, the environment of struggle and the construction of base areas have all kept pace with the times and changed with each passing day. It is time to unify our thoughts and rectify the atmosphere.

New tasks and work guidelines have been assigned.

Therefore, in early October 1939, the Seventh Congress of the Party Organization was formally held at Yangjialing, Fushe, a time and place that many history students in later generations will memorize.

The atmosphere of the entire meeting was friendly and the discussions were intense. At the meeting, the Chairman, Vice Chairman Zhou, General Zhu, Political Commissar Wang and others made reports, analyzed the current situation to party representatives from all over the country, reiterated the mission and tasks of the organization, listed the current problems and shortcomings in organizational construction and base work, and talked about some specific cases.

With reference to the organizational format of future large-scale conferences, this meeting, after the initial focused report, also held a number of group discussions based on different work focuses to discuss some very professional issues. In the form of "meeting minutes" and "memoranda", many details and key obstacles that may arise in the work were deployed and arranged in advance.

Of course, in the specific discussion process, contradictions and disagreements are inevitable. The party's style has always been to have reasonable and sufficient discussions. After experiencing some "throwing tea cups" and "rolling sleeves" and "I want to reserve my own opinion on this matter" in some group meetings, we follow the collective decision-making principle of minority obeying majority. Once the organization forms a resolution on this matter, all party members must put aside their personal prejudices and devote themselves to the work wholeheartedly.

"Oh, Chief of Staff Zuo, don't worry. I've replaced all the cups in the venue with plastic melamine ones. They're unbreakable, so don't worry."

---—---—

Liu Helian did not miss this meeting, but considering his special circumstances, he mostly acted as a human knowledge base, writing materials and internal references for the delegates.

Judging from later data, and acting as an officially designated hindsight expert, there is nothing wrong with Liu He even being a writer for a WeChat public account. However, his data refreshed the three views of many representatives and sparked considerable discussion.

For example, an article titled "The Devils Heading for War: An Analysis of Japan's Domestic Economic Situation" lists the pre-war operating conditions of various industries in Japan, Japan's import and export conditions, the sources of raw materials, and the markets for products. It analyzes the Japanese exploitative tactics of importing raw materials and high-value-added manufactured goods from Europe and the United States, plundering resources from Japan, and then dumping manufactured goods in China and Southeast Asia, thereby cruelly ruling both domestically and internationally. It also analyzes from an economic perspective why Japan had to wage foreign wars.

This rather novel perspective and the abundance of detailed statistical data gave many participants a sense that the Japanese devils themselves were not that great. However, just as this confidence was born, they immediately thought of the huge trauma that such poor and weak devils had still brought to our country, and the resentment that we were even worse than such a "poor imperialist country", which gave rise to a very unwilling feeling.

As a result, in the subsequent discussions, the representatives who participated in the economic meeting proposed economic struggle strategies that were more radical than each other. They vowed to cut off the economic claws of the Japanese on the domestic economic battlefield and throw away the dried fruits at the same time. As a result, Accountant Chen, who presided over the discussion, had to specially rectify the meeting discipline to make everyone calm down a little.

Finally, after a seven-day meeting cycle, this early congress held its final vote in Yangjialing. The resolutions that had been fully discussed will become the common will and mission objectives of the entire organization under the feedback of the bid counter, and will be broken down into countless specific detailed tasks and distributed to all comrades who are fighting for national liberation, national prosperity, and people's well-being.

Politically, we will strengthen discipline and organizational development, clarifying our understanding of the laws governing the international and domestic situation; militarily, we will advance the development of the field army and build a military system capable of liberating the entire country; economically, we will strengthen economic circulation in border areas, leveraging the advantages of statistical data and the leading role of top-level command... Under collective decision-making, various resolutions outline the Communist Party's spirit of self-reform in the new environment and under new conditions: "Where are we now, what do we need to do, and what do we want to achieve?"

Xiao Liu wasn't sitting in the delegates' seats. He stood on a commanding height behind the Yangjialing venue, using his phone as a disguised camera to act as a photographer. He controlled his surging emotions, panning the camera's field of view, steadily recording this moment, which had no history in his life.

Chapter 254: Field Army Construction

(This chapter involves some compilation issues)

During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, many things needed to be accommodated to the needs of military struggle. Even if the Eighth Route Army wanted to lay a solid foundation and develop in a balanced manner, the task of resisting the Japanese invasion and saving the nation remained an urgent need. Therefore, at this meeting, the issue of starting to form the Eighth Route Army Field Army was put on the agenda.

Mention the field armies, and anyone with even a passing familiarity with history will immediately think of the Liberation War. As the PLA's primary combat units, the four field armies undertook offensive operations and mobile warfare from their bases. They were the primary strategic and operational groups during the Liberation War, boasting the best equipment and personnel in the entire army.

In contrast, local troops are mainly responsible for local bandit suppression, defense of jurisdictions, and cooperation with field troops in combat. Although their equipment and training levels are slightly lacking, they can still perform their duties well and provide a strong and reliable rear base for the field army fighting in the front and behind enemy lines.

It can be said that the field army was a unit created by the Eighth Route Army in order to adapt to the needs of external operations and plains operations during the War of Liberation, and to engage in battles and strategic decisive battles with Chiang Kai-shek's army. This need was already an imminent construction goal for the Eighth Route Army at that time and space.

Guerrilla warfare accumulated small victories into large ones, greatly tying down the Japanese army's forces and destroying their effective forces, making it difficult for them to seize food and plunder supplies. This undermined the Japanese army's wishful thinking of fighting to support the war. It was one of our main means of destroying the enemy during the stalemate stage of the battle.

"However, no matter how weak the enemy is, they will not go away on their own. If we, the Eighth Route Army, don't give them a push, the devils will not disappear on their own."

General Zhu spoke at the meeting, summarizing the domestic anti-Japanese war situation in the past few years and proposing our next goal: "We must find a way to fight our way out. When the situation permits, we must find a way to cross the enemy's transportation.

"Only by mobilizing the enemy's forces and systematically destroying them in the process of movement can we strategically open up the situation."

The construction of all armies must have a clear goal. At this time, the national army had not yet undergone the great efforts of the Americans to reorganize the army, and its combat effectiveness was very poor. It was directly excluded by the representatives of many armies. Therefore, the construction of the Eighth Route Field Army

The target naturally fell on the main enemy of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression - the Japanese army.

Because the main force was not disbanded and localized to assist in the development of the base area as in history, the combat effectiveness of the 115th, 120th, 129th and the 165th Division, which is more than in history, is very good.

This combat unit carries out the task of mobile warfare. Therefore, the basic combat unit of the field army is also determined as the "regiment" based on the corresponding combat experience - in the three-level army building with field army (class A regiment), local forces (class B regiment) and militia armed guerrillas

On this basis, the Central Military Commission proposed a basic combat effectiveness target.

A-class regiments (field army units) should be able to defeat an ordinary regiment-level unit of the Japanese army with the support of the division headquarters in the battle mission, and can independently carry out the task of attacking and encircling the Japanese army entrenched in the counties around the base area; B-class regiments (local

The troops should be able to independently annihilate a Japanese battalion-level unit in the base defense operation, and complete the task of tying down a security regiment or even a brigade and cooperating with the field army in combat missions.

All regiments should take camel and horse as the main construction goal, and some key combat units of the first-class regiment, such as reconnaissance units, artillery units, logistics units, etc., can be motorized according to specific circumstances to improve the effectiveness of independent combat.

Yes. However, on the question of choosing between the "1st Division, 4th Regiment" or the "3rd Division, 3rd Regiment" familiar to the Eighth Route Army, to Liu Helian's surprise, the Military Commission unexpectedly chose the "1st Division, 3rd Regiment" model, which could only be responsible for two tactical directions and concentrate on supporting one direction.

As for the reason, it is naturally the bunch of "non-infantry units" that have to be stuffed into the division's direct units.

Although the old Eighth Route Army 4th Division, which was once transformed from the Red Army, has 4 infantry regiments under its jurisdiction, it has basically no other heavy weapons except for a few mortars. In order to ensure the combat effectiveness of the division-level units, it is natural to

Put in an extra infantry regiment.

Now, according to the Military Commission's plan for field armies, a Class A field division's subordinate units must include at least an artillery battalion with two companies and six guns; an engineering battalion equipped with engineer blasting and bridging equipment; a cavalry/motorized reconnaissance battalion responsible for divisional reconnaissance missions; a communications battalion capable of extending communications to every company; a logistics transport battalion using power-assisted carts; an anti-aircraft machine gun company equipped with both air-to-ground and anti-aircraft machine guns; a chemical defense platoon capable of performing decontamination and anti-gas operations; a guard company; and a support battalion that provides cooking, sanitation, veterinary, and maintenance services.

The direct subordinate units of the Class B divisions will be simplified compared to the Class A units. The equipment and personnel of their artillery, engineering, special reconnaissance, and logistics battalions have been weakened, and the anti-aircraft machine gun company has been cancelled. However, the communication battalion used to transmit orders has not been simplified. This also means that after strengthening these direct subordinate forces, these Class B divisions will be able to directly upgrade to the standards of Class A field units and take on tactical tasks at the campaign level.

This means that, in addition to the three infantry regiments at the division level, the field division headquarters itself possesses a sufficiently powerful multi-service force. These can serve as the division's direct force, carrying out fire preparation, artillery support, and search and reconnaissance missions in the direction of the campaign; units can also be decentralized to the regimental level to form key tactical support directions, greatly enhancing the infantry units' defense and breakthrough capabilities. Furthermore, the field division can even utilize its cavalry/motorized special forces battalions, using their rapid mobility to conduct flanking attacks and open up the situation for the regimental units' frontal offensive, thus possessing a high degree of tactical flexibility.

The Central Military Commission estimated that a Class A field division organized according to such standards could defeat a Japanese division head-on in a field battle, or, when organized into an army-level unit, could encircle and annihilate a fully organized Japanese division; while a Class B local force could afford to independently defeat three small Japanese divisions and destroy a Japanese security brigade in an internal battle in the base area. Such a field army

The initial goal of building an army given by the Eighth Route Army was 100 million people.

From this perspective, the current strategic stalemate will be broken by our army's growing strength in 42. By then, the Eighth Route Army will finally have the ability to launch a strategic counterattack.

----—-——

The Jinsui Field Army, the North China Field Army, the Central Plains Field Army, the Central China Field Army, the Shandong Field Army, the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Guard Corps, the Northwest Passage Railway Protection Army... The central government is still very cautious!

Looking at the long hypothetical organization table, Liu Helian, a time traveler, saw the field army construction goals that had been repeatedly discussed and deliberated, and referenced many materials.

I feel a little bit emotional.

It's not that he didn't want the Eighth Route Army soldiers to ride on trucks and build more powerful motorized and mechanized units, but any small change in the army's construction would become a major decision involving hundreds of thousands of people. Adhering to the principle of "small steps and quick progress", the Central Military Commission was obviously targeting the People's Liberation Army that was making great breakthroughs in North China and the Central Plains and rushing across the Yangtze River for thousands of miles to pursue and annihilate them, intending to reach the level of a million-strong army in another time and space a few years ahead of schedule.

The border region's foundation is already very good at home, but as for the grand goal of equipping every field division with tanks and armored vehicles, and promoting motorization and mechanization, well, it's all right to think about it, to dream about it, but forget about it in practice. Is it really just a forget-me-not?

Liu Helian was flipping through the materials and noticed an interesting statement in one of them:

Depending on the actual situation, a motorized field army unit will be formed as an exploration of a new combat force. It can be tentatively named the "Eighth Route Army Mobile Corps." It has been preliminarily determined that it will be based on the evacuation of key Anti-Japanese United Army personnel and establish a network...

ho!

Chapter 255 Spy Shadow (4) Successful Connection

"What are you selling, kid?"

"Oh! Sir, buy a pack of cigarettes! These are top-quality cigarettes with the latest American technology filters. I guarantee you'll smoke comfortably and healthily." "What's in this bottle?"

"Here! This is Vaseline lotion. Just apply a little bit and your hands won't hurt or your face won't wrinkle in the windy autumn and winter. It's so comfortable!"

The salesman rolled his eyes, checked to see if anyone was around, then stood on tiptoe and, like a clever sly ghost, whispered something into the buyer's ear. "Sir, these are all from the north, from the boss of the Eighth... Boss. High quality, low price!"

"Oh...oh! That's great. Come on, give me a bottle..."

The rich soil and water of the Guanzhong Basin once gave birth to the first feudal dynasty. The ancient capital of thirteen dynasties, Haojing City, was naturally the most important city in this land; and Chencang, in a sense, was even more prosperous than Haojing City at this time.

Because of the rampant "northern goods" from the Eighth Route Army, the import of materials from Europe, the United States and the Soviet Union, the relocation of industries from the southeast, and the convergence of trade from Sichuan and Chongqing, the bustling atmosphere of Chencang emerged lushly like willow buds bursting out in early spring.

Abundant trade and commerce are naturally fertile ground for intelligence work. Intelligence officer Zhou Fulin firmly believes this.

As an intelligence agent rebuilt within the commercial system, Zhou Fulin ran a pastry shop, selling egg cakes and leaf cakes on the Lizhou section of the Sichuan-Shaanxi transportation line. He had become quite famous, and in recent years, with more and more people transporting grain and cloth on the Chencang Road, his business had flourished, with drivers, passengers, and even soldiers visiting his shop to rest and eat.

To expand his business, the educated shopkeeper Zhou developed new delicacies such as "Sweet Fruit Black Pearl Milk Tea" and "Refreshing Sweet Beer Brewed in Bread", which were very popular. The shop assistants were eager to open branches at both ends of the Sichuan-Shaanxi Highway, in Chencang and Chengdu.

However, only "Boss Zhou" knew the "core secrets" of these two new foods. Every time, he would bring only a few core guys with him, ride a "cart" on the Sichuan-Shaanxi Highway, and travel thousands of miles to Chencang to purchase supplies - and this was also his way of regularly transmitting intelligence to the organization.

"Boss, why don't we take a long-distance bus? Why do we have to take that rickshaw?"

People from several other businesses in Lizhou also came with them. As soon as they got off the car, they couldn't wait to stretch their bodies, stretch their muscles, and complain to their shop owners.

As the main means of transportation on the Sichuan-Shaanxi Highway, the human-powered carts were extremely bumpy and relied entirely on women to pull them. Starting from Lizhou, the journey over mountains and hills took 10 days. If there was snowstorms or landslides, the journey would take even longer.

"Haha, it's obvious this is your first time walking on the road," Zhou Fulin's clerk dusted off his long gown and laughed heartily. "You know, although there are buses on the Sichuan-Shaanxi Road, they often run out of gas and have to break down for repairs. You often have to spend the night in the wilderness, and if you're not careful, you might even run into bandits!"

"Then why aren't these carts robbed? Do those bandits think it's easier to rob cars?"

"Nonsense! What's more valuable, the few banknotes in your pocket as a naked man, or the Yuan Datou coins scratched out by a group of people? You're just embarrassing me by not thinking before you speak!"

The shopkeeper finally spoke up, giving his servant a savage smack and dragging the choked idiot away, causing Zhou Fulin and the other two to burst into laughter. "It's okay, it's okay, the little one is ignorant. He'll learn a lot after a few more setbacks!"

After waving goodbye to his colleagues, Zhou Fulin took his two assistants and walked towards a shop on Chencang Street.

—-―-——―—

Single line of communication, keep confidentiality.

This was the principle of intelligence work. Zhou Fulin, with a smile like a businessman evading taxes, was playing his role well. According to his understanding, this single-line communication system should mean that he had only one superior and one subordinate, forming a series of line segments - however, apart from the two guys he developed, Zhou Fulin himself didn't even know who his subordinates were, or even who his superiors were. All he knew was that his superior was in this "supply and marketing company."

Walking into the familiar store, Zhou Fulin saw the wooden and glass-inlaid shelves that had been used for who knows how long and the salesperson wearing small round glasses. The store was quite noisy, with many people shopping in the lobby and under the shelves.

The wallet in his pocket gave a brief vibration, and he frowned, but his expression remained unchanged. "Shopkeeper Qian! How are you doing?" He clasped his fists and bowed. "Are the goods in the store selling well lately?"

"Thank you for your kindness. Business has been really good recently." The salesman raised his glasses, took a closer look at Zhou Fulin's slightly chubby face, and smiled. "Mr. Zhou, you haven't been here for a long time." "I'm here to see you again, aren't I? How about the goods I asked you to prepare last time? Are they ready?"

"Of course! I'll prepare it as soon as I get your letter! Are they the same two?" The shopkeeper called his assistant and turned to bring out several bags of various sizes from behind the curtain. Like an old scholar, he slowly chanted:

"The mountains in the northwest are scorching, the southeast is freezing cold, and the city is like ice... Look, the best cassava flour, finely ground, soaked several times, and dried quickly, is as soft as snow, as light as porridge, yet it can accommodate a variety of flavors.

"Press the hops, dry the lemon slices, and settle the seaweed mud. It's bitter with a hint of fragrance, sour with a hint of sweetness, clear with a hint of turbidity, fragrant with a rich, sweet, and refreshing taste... Lots of people buy these things, and they probably make something to your standard. In the entire southwest, I'm afraid your 'Jinniu Snow City' is the only place that can do it!"

"Thank you, thank you, Shopkeeper Qian, you are praising me too much!" Zhou Fulin checked the samples of the goods and nodded in agreement, "The quality of supply and marketing has always been guaranteed. As for the money, it's still the same old story - you can count it here!" The first and second clerks on the side spontaneously dispersed, and Zhou Fulin took off the wallet hanging in a hidden place on his waist and handed it over.

The wallet is embroidered with gold carvings, which looks very beautiful. The metal inside makes a dull sound, which obviously contains a lot of hard goods.

Just as the transaction was about to be completed, Zhou Fulin's wallet suddenly vibrated, and Qian, the shopkeeper in front of him, seemed to realize something, his expression sharp. In an instant, their eyes seemed to have exchanged countless times, and they quickly reached a tacit understanding: Zhou Fulin placed his wallet on the table, and one by one, he took out the silver coins and slowly placed them on the counter, allowing Qian, the shopkeeper, to carefully examine them with a magnifying glass.

There were chaotic footsteps and the voices of several people coming from the door.

"Sir, Sir! There's really no need to check here... There's really no need... This isn't an ordinary business..."

"Nonsense! If there are communists lurking here, how can you be worthy of the Party and the country?"

"Sir, this is the headquarters of Division Commander Wang Zuomin... You said there are Communist bandits here, but that doesn't mean Division Commander Wang is... Hey! Sir, Sir!"

A pair of leather boots clattered into the lobby of the Supply and Marketing Company. The leading man, wearing a windbreaker and a small German military uniform, shouted, "The Fifth Special Agent Regiment is here for inspection!"

Everyone in the hallway shuddered and looked fearfully at the majestic man at the door and his group of constipated followers.

"Brothers, don't be afraid! Don't be afraid! We are from the Unified Inspection Office of Land and Water Transportation. We are here for a routine inspection today. Our leader has just arrived..." The adjutant with a grim expression quickly lowered his tone, trying to ease the situation, but the leader was obviously not buying it.

"What can't be checked here? You, you, you! What are you holding? Put it down and check it!" "You! What are you looking at? Could it be a communist bandit?"

The Fifth Special Agent Regiment? Isn't that the Rangers Corps, the Military Control Commission's people?... They truly deserve the nickname "official road bullies." Their intelligence is so-so, but they're great at robbery. Really arrogant! Zhou Fulin cursed inwardly and stepped aside with a few of his men, waiting for the arrogant Rangers leader and his half-hearted team members to finish their investigation and leave.

If it were in Lizhou, this store would have suffered heavy losses, but here... Zhou Fulin glanced at the bespectacled shopkeeper Qian and found that the latter smiled and bowed to the commandos as usual as if he were treating ordinary customers.

The deputy captain was obviously an old acquaintance and immediately greeted him with a smile, but the leader was obviously not buying it. He frowned and raised his chin: "Ah? You, the shopkeeper, what are you laughing at?"

He rushed to the counter and stared at the smiling Qian and Zhou Fulin: "You! What are you doing? You're sneaking around, maybe you're a Communist!" As he spoke, he glanced at the silver coins on the table and immediately revealed a greedy expression. "Unless you confess honestly, I might consider..."

"You motherfucker! (Zhejiang curse) Who is this idiot who's messing around here and ruining your dad's business?" An angry shout came from deep inside the store. Under the dim light of the bulbs, a group of people in Nationalist army uniforms walked out from the shadows of the rows of shelves.

"What? The secret service team, the unified department, Anong brothers fought for their lives, it's good to return to the nest to rest, get some money, buy some good stuff and start anew (happy and happy)

Pah! The man who was speaking threw his hat to the ground and unbuttoned the collar of his military uniform. "I've been screwed by you, you idiot! Your eyes are so bad, you don't even know who Meng Meng and the others are."

The deputy captain of the special forces corps put on a mask of pain and closed his eyes in resignation. The captain of the special forces, on the other hand, laughed heartily and reached for his pistol nonchalantly—but the next second, his hand was on the pistol bag, and he couldn't unbutton it no matter how hard he tried. More and more Kuomintang soldiers came out from the shadows and stood in a row in front of them!

"Hai Ning Ke (call someone)! Hai brothers, come here!"

The leading officer among the Nationalist soldiers cleared his throat and addressed Shopkeeper Qian in broken northern Mandarin: "Shopkeeper Qian, please forgive me. I understand that Brother Anong has finally managed to earn some money and wants to spend it on some extra cash. From Shanghai to the Northwest, only Anong's goods are of the highest quality, inexpensive, and fair value."

"Today we're going to have a fight. No matter how small the money is, it's easy to deal with."

The soldier who lost his hat turned around, apologized to Shopkeeper Qian, spat on his palm, and rolled up his sleeves: "Brothers, torture him!!!"

The sounds of pushing and shoving, screams, and the thud of fists hitting bodies. In an instant, the entire lobby of the trading company was in chaos. Two groups raised their fists, picked up benches, and hit the heads of the people opposite them. The few cries of "Stop fighting!" in the chaos were like the screams of a child, completely ineffective.

Manager Qian and several assistants skillfully packed up the things on the shelves and hid in the back room; Zhou Fulin also took two of his assistants and quickly slipped into the back counter, taking refuge with a legitimate reason.

There, Zhou Fulin casually placed his wallet on a corner of Qian's desk. Then, he removed a small, shiny memory card from the embroidered flower stamens on the wallet and handed it to Qian. "This is... unexpectedly smooth."

Chapter 256: Spy Shadow (5) The Hotspot That Never Disappears

Heading east from Chencang is the ancient capital of Haojing, which served as the capital of 13 dynasties.

In this core support point for defending the Communist Party from moving south to Guanzhong and Hanzhong, even if you can buy Workers, Peasants and Soldiers cigarettes and Merlin soda as soon as you walk out of Huqinzhai's official residence, here, except for the Eighth Route Army Office in Gaojing set up for the overall situation of joint anti-Japanese resistance, the activities of the Communists are always a little "restrained".

However, aside from the Eighth Route Army and the Japanese, the underground intelligence community here wasn't entirely monolithic. The Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, the Military Bureau of Investigation, and even Yan Laoxi's men were present. Within these groups, the various factions often intertwined and aligned themselves with one another. For example, within the Central Bureau of Investigation, there were subdivisions such as the Zhu Pianxian faction and the CC faction. These factions lacked mutual communication and coordination, primarily focusing on roadblocks, robbery, corruption, and trade. Their work was even less dedicated than that of the Japanese intelligence operatives.

However, from another perspective, this situation, which was similar to a warlord melee, created conditions for the development of our party's underground organization work.

"Puleng" and "Mozi M" were two low-level intelligence officers of the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, or more bluntly, two lackeys. They belonged to the CC faction, and their usual task was to lurk along key locations in the city of Haojing, observing and reporting any anomalies.

These categories of anomalies are quite broad. For example, this person might be from the Military Control Commission, that person might be from Yan Xishan, or this person is a newcomer with a lot of information. Of course, if someone is clearly a Communist, things get more complicated—the higher-ups will demand a lot of "evidence" to prove their claims. Generally speaking, if they can actually catch a Communist, the bosses promise the highest rewards.

Of course, that danger is also the highest.

The Fluttering Moth duo generally avoided trouble with the Communists. Their area had previously had three surveillance teams, one of which reportedly checked a truck convoy heading to Fushe and discovered that items registered as "quilts" were actually boxes of artillery fuses. But before they could report this intelligence, another group of Central Bureau agents, the very same night the information was forwarded, immediately seized the two individuals, accusing them of collaborating with the Communists and attempting to smuggle arms to the Eighth Route Army. The evidence, naturally, came from the timed howitzer fuses seized from the two men's hideout by another group, said to be affiliated with Zhu Chixian's faction.