Not enough Japanese devils to kill? 1.4 billion people volunteer for the Battle of Shanghai.

[7 hours and 21 minutes until the second crossing of the Songhu battlefield]

At that moment, the atmosphere in the conference room changed.

All those grand deductions and exciting ideas just now have now converged into a single concrete problem—

2 cubic meters.

2 people.

What can I bring?

Bian Yun took a deep breath and spoke first: "Commander, I would like to recommend someone to travel with me through time."

He turned to the corner of the conference room.

A young officer stood there, motionless as a pine tree ever since Bian Yun entered, almost blending into the shadows.

"Lu Bei," Bian Yun said, "I recommend him."

Lu Bei, whose name was called, shuddered and took half a step forward: "Reporting, Commander, Lu Bei from a special operations brigade in the Central Theater Command!"

Wang Kangmei sized him up.

The old general's gaze swept over him like a searchlight.

"I know you," Wang Kangmei said slowly. "Last year, you came in first place overall in the international special forces competition. You broke records in sniping, hand-to-hand combat, and demolition."

Lu Bei's voice tightened even more: "Yes!"

"Want to go to 1937?"

"Yes!" Lu Bei answered without hesitation. "Reporting to the commander! My great-grandfather... died in Shanghai. It was mentioned in his last letter home before the Battle of Nanjing. I want to go, I have to go."

Wang Kangmei was silent for two seconds, looked at Bian Yun, and nodded.

"Okay. I'm at ease with Lu Bei following you."

He turned to the people around the table, "Now, the most important thing—what should we put in those two cubic meters?"

Some people pulled out 3D modeling software, others quickly made lists on paper, and Academician Yuan An even took out an old-fashioned calculator, the keys clicking loudly.

"Let's establish the principles first." Wang Kangmei tapped the table. "First, saving lives is the priority. Second, it must be able to change the local battle situation. Third, it must be lightweight, durable, and easy to use."

Bian Yun raised his hand.

All eyes turned to them.

"I experienced it firsthand." Bian Yun's voice was somewhat hoarse. "Just a few hours ago, I was in that building in Baoshan County. In 1937, the Japanese industry was already quite advanced—"

He closed his eyes, and those images flooded back:

"On the ground, they have light mortars, Type 92 infantry guns, and tanks."

"At long range, large-caliber heavy artillery will bombard from across the Huangpu River, blasting a whole area in one go. At sea, the main guns of warships like the Izumo can destroy half a building with a single shot."

"From the sky..." Bian Yun opened his eyes, "Bombers come in shifts, almost non-stop. They fly low, and the machine gun fire is like cutting wheat."

The meeting room was eerily quiet.

Only Bian Yun's voice could be heard:

"And what did we have? The Type 24 rifle, the Hanyang rifle, the old-fashioned rifle. Most of our hand grenades were homemade, sometimes they would just smoke and not explode when thrown."

He paused:

"So I think we should deal with the ground forces first, especially the tanks."

"Anti-tank gun?" a major general asked. "The latest PF-98 120mm rocket launcher can take down a 1937 lightly armored tank like it's a can."

Lu Bei frowned slightly and said, "The PF-98 launcher plus rockets takes up two cubic meters of space. We can only bring one set at most, otherwise it will take up too much volume."

He walked to the whiteboard, picked up a pen, and wrote quickly and forcefully:

"I recommend this one, the latest anti-tank grenade, the DZJ-08, with a shaped charge that can penetrate 180mm of homogeneous steel."

"Okay." Wang Kangmei made the decision. "One set of individual rocket launchers, and one hundred anti-tank grenades."

Bian Yun added, "For hand grenades, drones can be used."

"Small multi-rotor drones, modified versions." Bian Yun quickened his pace. "We can bring four. We'll use the drones to carry grenades, fly low, and suddenly appear from behind rooftops or broken walls, hovering above tank turrets—unload the load."

He made a downward gesture:

"The grenade landed in the tank's open hatch, or got stuck near the tracks. Detonate it."

Someone in the conference room gasped.

"This fighting style..." Academician Yuan An murmured, "The Japanese army in 1937 simply couldn't understand it."

"That's exactly what we want—they can't understand it," Bian Yun said. "Besides, drones can also conduct reconnaissance. Japanese troop movements, command post locations, artillery positions—all can be seen from the air."

Lu Bei added, "Let's add two more new sniper rifles. Bian Yun, as a military blogger, will use this. As for me, I'll use this one, which I can aim at precisely and use to kill Japanese commanders, machine gunners, and artillerymen, slowing down their offensive and preparing for the next crossing."

Bian Yun nodded: "Bring plenty of bullets, at least five hundred rounds."

The list began to grow wildly.

Antibiotic injections, hemostatic powder, morphine, blood plasma bags—

The medical officer insisted on bringing these items. Pointing to the box, his eyes filled with tears, he said, "These medicines can save at least fifty wounded soldiers who would otherwise have died from infection."

A communications expert squeezed in: "And this too! A drone data link terminal. I've modified the signal receiver; it's self-contained and can be used even without a network. It's only the size of two cigarette boxes."

"And this too." Academician Yuan An carefully brought over a solar charging device. "When you get to 1937, turn this on, and maybe we can give it a try..."

"Cross-temporal and spatial communication".

Bian Yun took the box and gripped it tightly.

He knew what this meant—it meant the first real-time dialogue between two eras.

…………

The two-cubic-meter space was projected onto the large screen in the conference room.

General Wang Kangmei, who had been watching the screen the whole time, suddenly looked at Lu Bei and asked:

"If you were in 1937, with this equipment, leading a platoon of men to defend a building—how long could you hold out?"

Lu Beichen confidently reported, "Sir, if we have sufficient ammunition, adequate intelligence, and suitable terrain—"

He raised his head, his eyes revealing an almost cold clarity:

"I can hold out until the Japanese army questions the meaning of life."

………………

"What we brought was not just weapons, but a vow that still burns brightly eighty-eight years later."

——Lubei: Pre-Operation Diary