Canteen System Assistance Notes

Suddenly, a widespread and vigorous campaign began in the Huinong base area. Numerous troops were divided into work teams, which penetrated the villages of the Helan Mountain area and began their work in the countryside. Led by local people of all ethnic groups, they took advantage of the precious time before spring plowing to persuade families who had occupied canals, dredge clogged waterways, and repair many long-defunct sluice gates.

Driven by the propaganda team and baked naan pancakes, local people were very enthusiastic about repairing water conservancy projects. The Eighth Route Army's method of paying with grain as wages was also very popular. In old China, grain was hard to buy and its price often fluctuated. For most farmers at that time, having stored grain meant having an intuitively perceptible "risk resistance."

Of course, as a red team, the Eighth Route Army also sent some stubborn guys to heaven.

After all, those who are willing to cooperate can cooperate, and those who are unwilling to cooperate can talk about reason and truth!

However, just as Xu Xiangqian was personally deploying various units to launch the production campaign, while also deploying troops to maintain a standoff with the Ma faction warlords in the south and safeguard the newly established Huinong base area, the 165th Division received a new order from the Central Committee: The newly formed Engineering Construction Corps, led by Commander Xiao Wuyi, will be dispatched to your unit to carry out preliminary construction of the mining and industrial zones. Please provide your full assistance and support.

Mining? Huinong wants to build an industrial zone? Engineering construction troops sent from the border area?

After just a few months without face-to-face communication with the Central Committee, he actually felt a little unfamiliar with the border region. With a series of questions in hand, Xu Xiangqian rushed to Pingle, a small town near the Yellow River ferry. Here, he finally met Xiao Wuyi, the man who had once captured the KMT brigade commander alive.

"Comrade Xiao, what is the Central Committee planning to do with Huinong?"

"A lot, a lot. If I must use an analogy," Xiao Wuyi thought of what the Central Committee had reported to him, "this place will probably become our Urals and Kuzbass in the future."

Chapter 26: Hammering the Squad Leader (I) Naan and Running

Canteen System Assistance

By Forgotten Maple X

2323 words

2020-09-27 12: 00: 00

At six in the morning, the wake-up call is sounded and the quilt is folded and the person gets up.

At 6:10, we gathered and started the equipment training.

At seven o'clock, tidy up the house and clean up

At 7:30, we gather for dinner

7:45, breakfast is over, cleaning up

At eight o'clock sharp, we started assigning tasks and singing.

At 8:10, I start my day of study, training, and work.

11:30, assembly and disbandment

At twelve o'clock, we sing and eat.

At first glance, this looks like the morning schedule of a certain country's army. Some more experienced people may be able to see that it is a rustic routine. However, when this thing appeared in the border area in March 1937, it seemed a bit like time travel.

For Wang Tiechui, this was a real existence. It was posted on the earthen wall of the dormitory. The characters were big and round, written with some black pen that didn't look like a brush. When the clerk came to write, he always smelled a strange smell of alcohol.

But that’s good, this word is not afraid of water.

Wang Tiechui and several other squad leaders stood in the open space in front of the mud house, watching the new recruits running out of the house one by one, like sweet potatoes rolling out of the cellar.

Why am I thinking about food again?

After Wang Tiechui recovered from his injury, he participated in several "tasting sessions" organized by the logistics department. After putting forward many opinions, he felt that he was eating too much, so he applied to the organization, hoping that he could go to a place where he was more needed.

This was not only because Comrade Tiechui had a high revolutionary consciousness, but also, to some extent, because he always thought of some strange plots in his dreams: the Central Committee always fed him well, and the staff were not happy if he ate less. They always asked him to finish his portion, and then came up to ask some strange questions. Finally, he had to climb stairs, run with a stopwatch, and weigh himself.

Why does it feel like raising pigs?

You can't do that! If you eat too much, you'll get eaten!

Fortunately, Comrade Tiechui's application was quickly responded to. The Central Committee was selecting experienced soldiers to lead the new recruits in the newly established supplementary corps. Wang Tiechui, the former assistant machine gunner, was thus gloriously "promoted" to become a squad leader of new recruits.

"All right! Everyone, turn right, run—go!" He blew his whistle, arranging everyone to form a single file and head to the other side of the drill ground. The new recruits he led weren't quite as quick at getting their quilts and housekeeping done after getting up, but they weren't the slowest in the new recruit camp. If a squad that slept in was slow to assemble after the reveille, they would be the last to get their food at breakfast later.

By then, the steamed buns were cold and only a few side dishes were left.

The pre-breakfast exercise consisted of "gymnastics exercises," requiring everyone to stand at equal distances and perform various movements while listening to music played from a large metal box. Wang Tiechui had never known a radio could produce such loud sound without being connected to wires, let alone play music. Even the experienced battalion commander remarked that he had never seen such a small electric phonograph.

"Second section, punching exercise..."

Gymnastics, with their bouncing and jumping movements, are a real test of coordination. Tiechui blew his whistle, following the men's calls in the music, punching left and right in front of his squad. I remember at the beginning, hardly any of these new recruits from the northern grasslands could tell left from right. They couldn't even do a march, let alone a punch. Whenever they got to the "body rotation" exercises, the field was filled with people stumbling and falling.

Now, looking at the new recruit who was obviously trying hard to perform the movements correctly but just couldn't keep up with the rhythm, he could only comfort himself that this was at least much better than before. It would take some time to master this.

As the "stretching exercises" and "exercise gymnastics" came to an end, Wang Tiechui felt his body warm up slightly and entered the exercise state. He shouted loudly, asking several people in the class if they felt dizzy or weak.

"How could that be! Squad Leader Hammer, everyone is fine!"

Most of the new recruits in this batch came from Gansu and Inner Mongolia provinces, mostly herders or tenant farmers. Those from Gansu were slightly better off, as those from the grasslands were generally weaker. Initially, some even fainted from hypoglycemia after morning exercises. To cope, Wang Tiechui and several other squad leaders had to shell out money for some sugar, mix it into a syrup, and set it aside to sober up the unfortunate recruits. Files shared via Baidu Netdisk: "500 Historical Military Books, etc."

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Extraction code: j3ut Copy this content to open

In the recruit camp, the requirements of the syllabus are relaxed at the beginning, and then gradually raised back to the level of the training syllabus as nutrition is replenished and the body recovers.

After a period of adjustment, most people have started to gain weight, and the newly issued military uniforms are starting to hold up better. They are no longer like before, with the heavy weight of a bamboo pole holding up a huge flag.

"Okay, then when we run around later, shout louder. Don't be so fussy and act like a grown-up girl." Wang Dachui patted the person at the front of the group, "At least shout louder than the class in front!"

The days of training new recruits were tough. Tiechui knew how difficult it was to turn a new recruit who couldn't read a single word into a soldier who knew how to obey orders. Back in the Fengtian Army, the so-called new recruit training lasted only seven days. They would bring a group of young men together, teach them how to hold a gun, pull the trigger, and load a bullet, and then rush them into the battlefield, under the pretext of learning to fight.

The result is a large number of deaths, and only those who survive can grow - this method of raising insects will not train any elites who kill without blinking an eye. Based on my own experience, most of the survivors are those who are fast enough to run away.

There is no such thing as sending new recruits directly to be cannon fodder.

Wang Tiechui shouted "one, two, one" and led a group of new recruits to run around the playground several times. Soon, a fragrant smell wafted from the bungalow that served as the canteen.

It's white flour!

To be more precise, it's baking naan! Wang Tiechui had seen the kitchen staff heating naan. They would often stack the naan flatbreads diagonally into rows, like tiles on a roof, and then heat them in a smokeless stove dug out of the loess. On top of the stove, there was often a pot of noodle soup or a bucket of rice porridge stewing.

The salty baked naan with sesame oil will burst with fragrance again under the hot wind and smoke, and the chopped green onions and sesame seeds sprinkled on the surface will convey a dizzying freshness. It seems that when you take a bite in the next second, accompanied by the tough chewing feeling, the happy oil and flour will occupy the whole body, stimulating vitality for the whole day.

When I was in the Fengtian Army, I only had two meals a day!

He felt his own gluttony, like rice seedlings soaked in paddy fields in spring and summer, leaping upwards in the sunlight, gliding down his throat and teasing his nerves. This divine power, like the magically warm kang in the morning when he should be getting up and working in the fields, almost made him lose control.

But I'm the squad leader! Wang Tiechui felt he had to pull up these gluttonous seedlings and replant them in the field to keep them quiet for a while. However, compared to veterans like Dachui, even after more than a month, the circling new recruits could still hear whispers of discussion, and the formation suddenly became slightly disorganized.

The squad leaders immediately stood up, blew their whistles, and stopped the new recruits who were about to turn into hungry ghosts.

"Stop arguing! Virtue! Isn't it just an extra breakfast? When have you been missing out these days?"

"It's not even dinner time yet. You'll have food to eat when the time comes. Why are you in such a hurry?"

"You're not even a bride yet, and you're already trying to get her into bed! Run!"

Chapter 27: Hammering the Squad Leader (Part 2) Digging a Trap for the Eighth Route Army

Canteen System Assistance

By Forgotten Maple X

2067 words

2020-09-28 12: 00: 00

After breakfast, it’s time for early morning training.

Wang Tiechui explained that while serving as a security guard, he had already witnessed the classic three-part physical training: cross-country running, track running, and tactical maneuvers. To spice things up, they sometimes organize sports competitions. Baseball and football are popular in the border areas, and basketball is also popular, but balls can be difficult to find, and sometimes homemade balls lack bounce and are difficult to hit.

By the time I became the hammer squad leader, the three typical physical fitness items began to become a little more formalized - a 5,000-meter cross-country run. If a recruit couldn't handle it, he would start with a 3,000-meter run; a 400-meter obstacle course, with everything from single-plank bridges to artillery pits and barbed wire; as for specific strength training, there was a whole range of exercises that "you can do the same thing for more than ten days in a row", including sit-ups, push-ups, and duck jumps on the horizontal and parallel bars.

But even so, even now that the food quality has greatly improved, there are always some troublemakers who shout loudly:

"Squad leader! When can we touch our guns?"

Wang Tiechui has his own way of dealing with these new recruits: Come on, have you passed the 3,000-meter race? Tired of the 400-meter obstacle course? Not feeling up to your sit-ups and push-ups? Or perhaps you just want to hop to the cafeteria for dinner?

Usually after this round of training, there are no more thorns or over-energized psychos. What, you still want to touch the gun?

Let's go! Grab a shovel and dig a hole!

"Sweat more in peacetime and bleed less in wartime."

The huge words painted on the low wall at the foot of the mountain are something that everyone is tired of seeing, while the people who are wielding shovels like the wind on the mountain hear the most: "Digging soil requires more sweat, while firing cannons requires less blood."

Huh? Something's wrong with you.

As a former machine gunner, Wang Tiechui understood the value of earthwork. In China, where bolt-action rifles dominated the battlefield, a machine gun capable of continuously firing full-power rifle ammunition was like a scythe, capable of supporting a defensive position or leading a charge. Therefore, whenever possible, the enemy would attempt to neutralize a machine gun fire point.

In such cases, digging a pit can effectively protect the machine gunner who cannot move while shooting.

Tiechui wielded his newly issued "red stick shovel" and quickly dug a one-man foxhole. Unlike others who simply scattered dirt around the perimeter, he expertly placed dirt on one side of the hole, creating a protective wall. Then, he brought along two nearby recruits, expanded the hole, and built a circular mound of dirt beneath the wall. When firing from this direction, the heavy machine gun could be set up on this raised surface, allowing the shooter to fire with only their head exposed.

This simple machine gun bunker was a very basic earthwork, capable of defending against most direct fire, but not mortars and grenade launchers. Iron Hammer was quite wary of the indirect fire from the very person who had taken his first lead gunner. If there were any trees nearby, he would have cut some, built a wooden shed on top, and covered it with sacks and dirt. This way, the machine gun bunker became a "shelter," sufficient to protect against mortar shells.

As for larger caliber artillery fire, Wang Tiechui couldn't think about it. This kind of wooden shed and soil thing can only block the indirect fire of the 75 mountain cannon. If he encounters the "15-meter cannon" mentioned in the picture album, there would probably be no way to deal with it.

Most of the new recruits were digging their own foxholes. This was much simpler. As long as you could curl up and hide in it, you were qualified. If you could lift your gun while kneeling, you were pretty good. If you could shoot from a standing position, you were basically perfect. If you could do this, then you didn't need to improve anything else. What you needed was to connect your foxhole to the one next to it with a trench.

Once enough foxholes are connected, a trench or earthwork will take shape. Next, it is time to build various "functional areas".

However, even the simplest job like digging the ground is not done well by many unlucky people.

"Stop, stop, stop! What are you digging? Are you threshing or digging?"

Wang Tiechui stopped a guy who was sweating profusely and stopped his useless work: there was obviously something wrong with the location he chose. Half of the dug out soil would roll back in the interval between the next shovelful of digging.

"You don't even compact the soil, it's so loose and lumpy, this potato is better for growing peanuts!"

The man finally stopped and looked at the falling earth fragments, his head covered in dust and dirt, and the soft, fluffy pile of soil. He smiled shyly, "Hey, squad leader, this shovel is so useful. I was so busy digging that I got digged."

"puff."

The people around laughed good-naturedly, "That's true, our new shovel really works!"

The honest young man also smiled. He picked up the red shovel in his hand and looked at it again and again, just like an old farmer examining a newly bought calf, with the tenderness that only an old father could have when looking at his daughter.

"Well, I've seen Lao Xi's soldier shovel before. Wow, it's made of wood, not even covered with iron." Wang Tiechui continued, "As for the shovels used by our Red Army, not only the shovel itself, but even the handle is made of fine steel."

Indeed, the pile of newly distributed shovels was truly a fine industrial product. When Wang Tiechui and several squad leaders arrived at the company to collect them, they saw this pile of large iron shovels, oiled red and black. Unlike the wooden and iron-clad farm implements of the day, these were made entirely of steel, with a small triangular ring welded to the end for a handrail. The shovel blades were sharp and durable. With one foot strike, the shovels sunk completely into the soil, easily dislodging a large mass of mud.

Not to mention soldiers, even any farmer would love this thing.

"But I only have such a good shovel to throw away the dirt for you!"

He turned and poked the new recruit on the head: "Have you forgotten everything we showed you before about how to clean a foxhole?"

"Get out of the way! Let me show you how to do this. Watch me carefully this time. I don't want to teach you again!"

Several soldiers gathered around and watched Wang Dachui drive the guy away, then stood in the middle of the pit and wielded the shovel himself.

"When digging a hole, throw the soil far away first, then near!"

"First, build a ridge on the side facing the enemy, and then shovel the soil to the sides and back."

"Once you've reached the right depth, we'll make some more work so you can stand comfortably, turn around, and jump out when the charge is sounded! So, here, dig some footholes, and here, dig out a cat's ear. When the enemy fires, you can hide in it and avoid getting blown up."

Wang Tiechui wiped his sweat and said solemnly to the new recruits around him:

"Remember, digging is more sweat, fighting is less blood!"

Chapter 28 Hammering the Squad Leader (Part 3) The Gun is Your Wife

Canteen System Assistance

By Forgotten Maple X

2299 words

2020-09-29 12: 00: 00

The Red Army's rifles were a chaotic collection.

In the armories of various legions, one can find Hanyang rifles whose ancestors were German, the Czech Vz-24 "Ma Sihuan" rifle donated by Hu Qinzhai, and the German-made "Type 98" rifle wrapped in oil paper. Even if someone collects carefully, they can get a lot of "Thirteen Taibao" - Winchester M92, an antique that fought from the Qing Dynasty to the Beiyang and then to the present.

As for the Mauser M1871 "Nine-son Mauser", which was so rotten that it still used paper shell black powder bullets and was even despised by the Red Army, it gloriously served as firewood on the Long March and boiled water for the soldiers.

The inability to produce armaments on their own and purchase them in bulk became the root cause of the Red Army's equipment with international brands. For this reason, the Eighth Route Army's newly compiled battle tactics textbooks even included a special "pre-battle organization and chambering" process to check whether the large number of bullets were distributed to the right places.

Unlike warlords whose logistics were in a more quantum-cloud state, the Red Army would strive to centralize weapons with standardized ammunition under specific organizational units. During the Long March, this was only possible at the company and platoon level. Now, with the Northwest Passage about to open and Liu He's company serving as flight pilots, the approximately 20,000 newly purchased rifles were sufficient to complete the replacement of the Red Army's four "main" units with 54r ammunition. These replaced rifles were carefully sorted and concentrated, then distributed to the newly formed units on a regimental basis.

Squad Leader Chui's new recruits were given a batch of Japanese Type 38 rifles, a "friendly gift" from a warlord in the west. Before the full-scale outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, these "Type 38 rifles," so famous in countless literary and artistic works, found their way into the hands of the Eighth Route Army, a testament to the remarkable development and progress of the global logistics industry.

Wang Tiechui had seen Japanese rifles with large dust caps, but honestly, he had never fired one. As a former machine gunner, he didn't have his own rifle. While in the Fengtian Army, his only weapon was a "Xia Manli" rifle, for which he had no bullets. Even so, he had found it next to the corpse of an unknown soldier after the machine gun he was serving on was blown into the sky.

He was a little envious of the new recruits who could now use the "five-round" Japanese rifles - how could these new recruits use such things? Back then, I had to find my own rifle!