The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 295 The Biggest Problem (Bonus Chapter 910 for the Emergence of the Color Master)

"Stand firm, don't raise the gun so high, that's right! Just like that."

Press the butt of the gun firmly against the area slightly below the collarbone, in the shoulder socket on the inner side of the right upper arm deltoid muscle, with the right side of your body and the gun in a straight line, and your cheek naturally resting against it.

Well done! Keep that up, aim with the three points aligned..."

Amidst these patient voices, Hu Biao paced back and forth in an open space at the entrance of Zhangjiayu Village, correcting the non-standard aiming postures of the new recruits one by one.

The process was rather boring, but this guy's face was full of indescribable joy.

That's right! Hu Biao and Commander Hu were feeling extremely relaxed and happy at that moment.

Time flies, and a week is about to pass in the blink of an eye. Today is September 15th, which means eleven days have passed since then.

For him, the past week had been wonderful.

Firstly, regarding recruitment for the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment, ever since they pulled off a successful operation in Fanjiazhang Village and returned with a bountiful harvest...

Starting from the second day, every day, good young men from the surrounding villages and towns would come to join the army. On busy days, there would be as many as sixty or seventy people, and on slow days, there would still be as many as twenty or so.

Therefore, up to this day, not counting the group of time travelers and Zhao Zheng and the other nine people.

The total strength of the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment reached 331 men. Hu Biao organized them into an under-strength 3rd Infantry Battalion and began a month-long recruit training program.

With people still joining spontaneously every day, the Third Battalion should be fully staffed very soon.

As for why this newly formed infantry battalion is not the First Battalion or the Second Battalion?

Hu Biao was probably thinking that if outsiders heard the name "Third Battalion," they would assume that he, Hu Biao, had a full regiment of troops under his command.

Secondly, with money and supplies in hand, they recruited more people to help with the work.

The saying "many hands make light work" is absolutely true. By last night, the excavation of a newly dug well, which will be used as a living space and a workshop, was basically completed.

If those cave dwellings are to be used for living, a large earthen kang (heated brick bed) needs to be built, and it will take several more days before people can move in.

However, if it is used as a production workshop, it does not need to be so particular. Chaozi and the wizard have already led a group of blacksmiths, carpenters, leatherworkers and other craftsmen to work inside for two days.

There are even reports that the first batch of weapons could be produced in the next couple of days.

If there was anything Hu Biao was dissatisfied with, it was that the current weaponry was insufficient.

Only half of the soldiers in the Third Battalion received weapons, so they had to take turns during weapons training.

Furthermore, in the production workshop, we have only managed to obtain some blacksmith, carpenter, and leatherworker's hand tools; there are absolutely no machines or chemical materials available.

This will likely have a significant impact on the production and quality of weapons and equipment.

However, upon closer examination, these problems do not seem to be unsolvable.

Four days earlier, they had finally made contact with Annie and AT, and learned that the two were not only in Taiyuan, but had also opened a restaurant called Deyuelou to conceal their identities.

They even made contact with the Military Intelligence Bureau's Taiyuan station and Yan Xishan's undercover agents in Taiyuan.

Through the sale of medicine, the two parties established a preliminary cooperative relationship.

In this way, Annie and her friends could find a way to get their hands on machines and chemical materials in Taiyuan City and then smuggle them over little by little.

The quantity may not be large, but it can at least solve the problem of having or not having.

As for weapons, Super and Wizard are able to produce some.

The source of the other part of the weapons and equipment was, of course, solved by the bald principal.

You should know that the letter of appointment given to Hu Biao was published in many newspapers, big and small. It not only gave Hu Biao the right to recruit soldiers independently, but also included a clause promising to provide weapons and military pay.

Therefore, through Annie's contact, Boss Dai said that the National Government's Ordnance Department was already allocating ordnance from a Class B regiment, and some military funds were also being prepared for shipment.

The specific transportation route will first be through a section of the Longhai Railway controlled by the Nationalist Army, and then transported to the Zhongtiao Mountains.

Then, from the Zhongtiao Mountains, through the limited Nantongpu Railway controlled by Yan Xishan, the trains transported the goods for a distance, and finally through the areas controlled by the Jin-Sui Army and our Party, eventually reaching Pingding County.

Such a roundabout way is certainly troublesome, and it will take at least one or two months to deliver, but it can also solve a considerable problem for Hu Biao and his team.

However, the most crucial point was the intelligence shared with Annie by the Kuomintang's Military Intelligence Bureau and Yan Xishan's undercover agents. Currently, there is virtually no movement of Japanese troops from various parts of Shanxi Province towards Pingding County, indicating that there are no plans to attack the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment in the near future, giving them a valuable period for development.

Considering all of the above, Hu Biao's mood improved.

He reasoned that once the bald principal's equipment arrived in two months, he would have a fully equipped infantry regiment with a complete modern recruit training system.

At that time, even if the Japanese send a regiment to cause trouble, they can lead them in circles in the mountains first.

Once they show signs of fatigue, we can seize the opportunity to launch a counterattack and teach them a lesson they won't forget...

*****
Unfortunately, the tragedy of excessive joy soon befell Hu Biao.

Just as this guy was happily imagining how strong and well-equipped the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment would be in the future,

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mina appear at the edge of the training field, waving at him as if she had something to say.

Seeing this, Hu Biao quickly told the new recruits to continue training, while he walked over to Mina.

After walking up to Mina, before he could even greet his stepsister, she blurted out, "Brother-in-law! Something terrible has happened!"

"Don't talk nonsense! I'm perfectly fine." Hu Biao was displeased upon hearing this and quickly retorted.

I also wanted to explain that I'm great in every way.

Mina rolled her eyes at him, annoyed, and said, "What time is it? You still have the energy to talk to me about this? We're about to run out of food again. We only have enough food for two more days."

"How is that possible? We just brought back a lot of rice and flour from Fanjiazhang Village, how could it be finished so quickly?" Hu Biao said incredulously.

However, as she thought of something, her voice grew softer and softer.

The main thing was that he quickly did a quick mental calculation:
A week ago, they brought back seven truckloads of high-quality flour and rice from Fanjiazhang Village, which seemed like a lot.

In addition, with the continuous purchase of various agricultural products in the surrounding area using cash, it seems that the food supply is already quite abundant.

However, the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment now has nearly 400 members, plus many villagers hired to help.

Even if their food is relatively oily, it's easy for each person to eat two or three pounds of grain a day.

If you calculate it every day, the amount of food consumed is probably a terrifying number.

More importantly, the current size of the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment is not even a full-strength battalion. If it were to grow into a full regiment in the future, the amount of food it would need would be even more staggering.

Suddenly, Hu Biao involuntarily thought of something he had seen online, something he hadn't been sure was true at first, but now seemed unlikely to be false:

When our Party first established its base in the Taihang Mountains, during a period of transition when there was a shortage of capable leaders, the top leaders would hold meetings while lying on a heated brick bed.

It wasn't because they were lazy or didn't care about their appearance, but because they were so hungry that they had no energy.

It was only when the base areas carried out production and self-help in the later stages that the situation of hunger was initially resolved.

Therefore, the biggest problem they need to face on this journey is not how brutal the Japanese soldiers will be or how many troops they will send to besiege them.

Instead, it was to ensure that everyone in the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment had enough to eat, so that no one would suffer from hunger.

Thinking of this, Hu Biao was at a loss for words, but no matter how absurd reality was, he had to find a solution.

He immediately beckoned his new orderly, Fan Ergou, a half-grown boy who had followed him out of Fanjiazhang Village and insisted on joining the army.

He then gave instructions: "Go and inform all the officers, including Zanana and Chaozi, that there will be a meeting at the regimental headquarters in an hour."

Just as Fan Ergou was about to carry out the order, Hu Biao added, "Oh, right! Remember to call Deputy Chief of Staff Zhao along."

The so-called Deputy Chief of Staff Zhao is actually Zhao Zheng.

Hu Biao has now realized that they can no longer follow their old habits and exclude people other than time travelers when they hold meetings.

Otherwise, if this goes on for too long, it could lead to serious problems.

As for why Zhao Zheng is the deputy chief of staff instead of the chief, it's because Annie was given this position. Back in the later stages of the last time they traveled through time to Taierzhuang, the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment already had a female chief of staff...

(End of this chapter)