Bright Sword: I built Italian cannons for Li Yunlong

Zhou Zhen thought for a moment and realized that if Ding Wei could also exchange supplies, then there wouldn't be much of a problem.

Moreover, among the three elite groups in northwestern Shanxi, Ding Wei has the best strategic vision, and when it comes to side businesses, he is not much inferior to Li Yunlong.

Since Ding Wei has taken the initiative to come and work for him, it would seem ungrateful of him to refuse.

"If Commander Ding is willing to exchange supplies, that's not impossible. But let's be clear from the start, we won't be providing tools to the farmhands this time."

Upon hearing this, Li Yunlong's old face broke into a wide smile, realizing that he truly held a special place in Lao Zhou's heart.

"become!"

"But Lao Zhou, our brothers in the Independent Regiment are also short of bullets. Could you perhaps get me a few dozen more boxes?"

"Old Li, you're not asking for interest! Even landlords and rich people who lend money at exorbitant interest rates aren't this ruthless."

"However, I also have something I'd like you to help me with. If you get the stuff for me, I'll send you twenty boxes of bullets."

"That's great." Li Yunlong chuckled. "Go ahead, what do you need my help with? Just let me know."

Zhou Zhen got to the point.

"I want to get a relatively intact car engine, preferably from a Japanese truck. And bring me all the parts I had my comrades dismantle in Wanjia Town last time."

"An engine? This thing... okay, I'll take care of it." Li Yunlong's voice, patting his chest, seemed to come through the telephone line. "Perfect timing, we've recently spotted a small Japanese transport convoy, and they happen to have two trucks. I'll find a way to get them back for you, engine and all."

"That's great, but please be extremely careful and prioritize the safety of our comrades," Zhou Zhen instructed.

"Don't worry, when have I, Li Yunlong, ever suffered a loss in battle?" Li Yunlong said nonchalantly, then changed the subject and became a little more serious, "By the way, Lao Zhou, your arsenal is in the rear, so you have to be careful."

Recently, headquarters has required all frontline troops to conduct anti-toxic training.

Although it wasn't explicitly stated that the Japanese were going to use poison gas, I'm thinking, what kind of despicable things wouldn't those utterly heartless devils do? Have you heard anything over there? Are you making any preparations?

Li Yunlong's casual reminder struck Zhou Zhen like a bolt of lightning.

During this period, he devoted himself entirely to nitrocellulose and synthetic ammonia and paid no attention to news from the front-line troops.

At that moment, he learned from Li Yunlong that the entire front-line troops were conducting gas defense drills, which immediately made him sense a different kind of danger.

Previously, when he discovered those gas masks in Wanjia Town, he had a vague worry about this direction, but he never expected that his worries would eventually become a reality.

He remembered that there was no mention of poison gas in the Bright Sword storyline!

Could it be that my own butterfly flapping its wings haphazardly has created some kind of butterfly effect?

Zhou Zhen thought about it carefully and found that he really had no recollection of that.

He wasn't a history major after all. Even though this is a parallel universe to the original story, the trajectory of history, in the grand scheme of things, is actually quite similar to the original universe.

The Japanese used many kinds of poison gas on the battlefield, the most terrifying of which was mustard gas, known as the king of poisons. Once infected, it would cause erythema, edema, blistering, erosion, necrosis, and was prone to secondary infection, resulting in irreversible ulceration and even dissolution.

It has a devastating effect on the human body. It can spread throughout the body via the respiratory tract, causing systemic poisoning and leading to organ failure within an hour.

In its gaseous state, toxic gas can penetrate cotton clothing and enter the human body through the skin.

If it gets on the skin, the affected area will quickly become ulcerated, and the wound will never heal.

Once you get infected, it's like living hell. Even if you survive by sheer luck, you can only die slowly in disability and pain.

Zhou Zhen was unaware of this history, but he was well aware of the dangers of poison gas.

Given the nature of those Japanese devils, it's not surprising that they would do such a thing.

Thinking of this, Zhou Zhen's back instantly broke out in a cold sweat.

If the Japanese really did use chemical weapons on a large scale, and the frontline soldiers only relied on wet towels... the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Old Li, thank you, your reminder came at just the right time." Zhou Zhen's voice instantly turned serious. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down.

"I have to report this to my superiors immediately. I need to find a way to do something. I'm leaving the engine issue to you as soon as possible."

Even after hanging up the phone with Li Yunlong, Zhou Zhen's heart was still racing.

Without a moment's delay, he made a direct call to the headquarters of the 386th Brigade.

After the call was connected, Zhou Zhen eagerly inquired about official intelligence regarding the possibility that the Japanese army might use poison gas.

The brigade commander sighed, his originally calm tone becoming serious: "Comrade Zhou Zhen, you are very vigilant."

Currently, we do have some indications and scattered intelligence that the Japanese army is preparing to use chemical weapons, but we have not yet obtained their specific deployment time, location, and scale.

This matter is of great importance, and headquarters is conducting a full investigation.

The reason we haven't officially notified your arsenal is twofold: firstly, the intelligence hasn't been fully confirmed yet; and secondly, you are a key protected rear unit, so even in the worst-case scenario, there would be sufficient warning and evacuation time.

We hope you can focus your efforts on ensuring the production of weapons and ammunition and maintaining morale.

"Brigade Commander, I understand the organization's considerations."

Zhou Zhen first affirmed the headquarters' idea, but then changed his tone.

"But precisely because I am a chemist, I am more aware of the horrors of poisonous gases than the average person."

Ordinary protective measures are insufficient to prevent attacks with poison gas.

He quickly organized his thoughts and presented his request and preliminary plan to the brigade commander.

"Brigadier, I request headquarters' assistance in carrying out an urgent combat readiness operation."

I need headquarters to collect a large quantity of both items.

The first is discarded car tires, rubber hoses, or any rubber products that can be found.

Secondly, we need mica flakes. I recall there are mica mines in parts of Shanxi. Please mobilize the public to collect mica flakes with good transparency.

"What do you need these for?" the brigade commander asked, full of doubt.

"Make a simple gas mask," Zhou Zhen hurriedly explained.

"After processing, rubber can be used to make sealing components such as breathing tubes and face shields for masks."

Transparent mica sheets can be made into goggle lenses to protect the eyes.

Actually, glass would be better, but we don't know when the Japanese will attack, and I'm worried that it will be too late to make glass now.

I will lead the workers at the arsenal to figure out the manufacturing process of the core filtering component of the gas mask.

I will compile it into a manual, and headquarters will then distribute it to other arsenals for production. We aim to equip our soldiers with relatively effective protective gear before the enemy launches their attack.