Sky Curtain: My Great Qin must have an aircraft carrier!

"Damn it! Corruption! Incompetence! Insolence!"

"Everyone has let me down after all the hard work I put into nurturing them!"

Chiang Kai-shek cursed loudly and slammed his fist heavily on the desk.

I don't know!

We had clearly provided enough supplies, with logistical allocation documents piling up, and American aid was being sent over continuously.

As a result, the generals at the front lines suffered a crushing defeat in the Henan-Hunan-Guangxi campaign, losing all face.

When this news reached the international community, Master Luo and Big Beard held a meeting, both considering whether to allow China to join the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.

Chiang Kai-shek grew angrier the more he thought about it, feeling extremely wronged.

Why should he take the blame when everyone below him is skimming off the top and lining their own pockets?

He works more than ten hours a day and only drinks plain water. He has devoted himself to the country and the people. Who can understand him?

"Yu Nong!" Chiang Kai-shek shouted.

Dai Li strode in, stood at attention, and saluted.

Chiang Kai-shek placed his hands on the desk, his eyes filled with anger. "How are the preparations for suppressing the bandits going? Once the Japanese surrender, we will launch a full-scale attack on the liberated areas."

"This time, I will achieve my goal in one fell swoop!"

Dai Li stood there, his expression somewhat strange.

Chiang Kai-shek frowned: "Speak."

"Principal, the troops may have arrived."

What does "possible" mean?

Dai Li opened his mouth, seemingly considering his words, but finally forced himself to speak.

"Recently, generals from various regions have been frequently reporting that there has been a significant reduction in the number of troops under their command."

"Moreover, according to intelligence from the Military Intelligence Bureau, those missing soldiers never returned to their hometowns."

Chiang Kai-shek stared at Dai Li for a long time without saying a word.

As for where they went, both of them knew perfectly well.

After a long silence, Chiang Kai-shek suddenly laughed in fury: "Fine, fine, run away!"

"Pass down my order: anyone who defectes to the Communists, along with their family, will be dealt with according to military law without exception!"

He sat back down in his chair, panting, still feeling a lump in his throat.

Just then, Tianmu continued in a humorous tone.

The food standards that the National Revolutionary Army had on paper were never actually implemented even for a single day.

At that time, the rations of most Nationalist soldiers consisted of sunshine, air, and water.

Just how corrupt was the Nationalist army?

Huang Wei had a big argument with his superiors in an attempt to improve the food for his soldiers, which resulted in him being demoted to a teaching position.

To ensure that Nationalist soldiers took vitamins, US inspectors had to wait 10 minutes after the soldiers took them before leaving; otherwise, officers would snatch the vitamin pills from their mouths and sell them on the black market.

In response, General MacArthur commented: "Following the bald man, you'll go hungry nine times out of three days. You can't overlook his major mistakes because of his minor ones."

Everyone under the canopy was stunned, then burst into laughter.

"My goodness, these Nationalist generals are truly talented; no wonder they lost the country later."

"Although we don't eat well, at least we can eat our fill. So the Nationalist army isn't even as strong as our ancestors."

"Our generals may be drawing salaries without actually working, but they're not so unethical as to let their men fight on empty stomachs."

The instructor, holding a cigarette, leaned against the earthen wall of the cave dwelling, his shoulders shaking with laughter.

It took him a while to recover, and he wiped the corner of his eye with the back of his hand.

"Later generations are truly sharp-tongued, but their words, though crude, are not without merit."

"In the eyes of the bureaucrats in the National Revolutionary Army, being a soldier is just like crops in the field, which can survive by photosynthesis."

The leader next to him shook his head and sighed.

"The Kuomintang reactionaries are rotten from top to bottom, it's really tough on those soldiers... We must hurry up!"

"It'll be soon. The people all over the country are eagerly awaiting the crossing of the royal army."

The instructor suppressed his smile and said in a calm tone, "However, the team is growing rapidly, and with so many people, their hearts are not united. We need to focus on discipline recently."

The people present exchanged glances and nodded in unison.

After looking at the Nationalist Army, let's look at the situation of our army. Overall, the conditions were also very difficult.

Limited by the loss of territory and the enemy's blockade, transportation capacity was greatly reduced, and food shortages were common.

Even after the founding of the People's Republic of China, during the Korean War, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army's staple food was mainly fried noodles due to limited logistical transportation capabilities.

This is a powder made by grinding wheat and corn, adding salt, and then stir-frying it. As for the taste, no one in modern times would like it.

But the Chinese People's Volunteer Army, with its unwavering will, fought a war that would establish the nation against the American-led coalition forces, who ate luncheon meat and drank coffee every day.

"So, the later Chinese armies weren't even as well-fed as our Ming Dynasty soldiers?"

Zhu Yuanzhang stared at the sky, a strong sense of disbelief welling up in his eyes.

He wasn't exaggerating the Ming Dynasty's food; his shock came from the bottom of his heart.

At least the Ming Dynasty had a military settlement system, where soldiers cultivated their own land and received a share of meat during festivals.

But the Volunteer Army in later generations really only had fried noodles and potatoes.

Comparing this stuff to our competitors' canned meat and coffee? That's impossible!

"Does such an army really exist in the world? Eating food worse than pigs and dogs, fighting battles with a nine-out-of-ten chance of death, yet still advancing fearlessly?"

"What are they after? Salaries? Rewards? Or are they afraid of military law?"

Zhu Yuanzhang muttered to himself. He had risen from the bottom and knew all too well the character of those common soldiers.

Eating meat in large mouthfuls, drinking wine in large bowls, dividing up land, women, and everything else – that's the norm.

To expect them to fight a well-fed and prosperous enemy on an empty stomach is simply a pipe dream.

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly realized that the Volunteer Army and the army he knew were not the same species at all.

Zhu Yuanzhang pointed at Xu Da and asked, "Tiande, if it were your troops, could you have won?"

Xu Da shook his head without any hesitation.

He had no unrealistic expectations of his subordinates.

"Your Majesty, after eating fried noodles for half a month, and facing a powerful enemy without paying the soldiers, it's already a favor that the soldiers under my command didn't riot on the spot."

The military officers present looked at each other, and none of them refuted it.

They knew their soldiers all too well; they were just there to make a living and could get rewards for their merits.

But the Chinese People's Volunteer Army did the opposite.

They have nothing, yet they dare to gamble on anything.

Zhu Yuanzhang sighed deeply and slumped back onto the dragon throne.

"If we had three thousand volunteer soldiers, let alone the mere Northern Yuan, what difficulty would there be in sweeping across the entire country?"

During the Zhenguan era, Li Shimin and the veteran generals discussed for a long time but still couldn't figure out how they had won the battle.

The disparity in food alone is enough to drive people to despair.

Not to mention the terrifying trans-hemispheric transportation capabilities that the United States has demonstrated before.

How exactly did the United States lose?

When the Tang Dynasty faced the Turks, Li Shimin could only temporarily avoid their sharp edge and wait until his army was strong and powerful before he could avenge his previous defeat.

But the Chinese People's Volunteer Army never got to have a strong and well-equipped force.

With a touch of sarcasm, Tianmu continued his explanation.

Ironically, even though our army was in such harsh conditions at the time, our food was still much better than that of the Nationalist army.

First, the full amount is paid; whatever we say we'll give you, that's exactly what we'll give you, without ever offering a discount.

Second, officers and soldiers ate in the same kitchen. Whatever the division commander ate, the privates ate too. No one was allowed to get special treatment.

Therefore, it's perfectly normal for our army to be the army of the new era, capable of brutally killing feudal warlords like Chiang Kai-shek.

"Officers and soldiers sharing the same kitchen? What a wonderful idea!"

Upon hearing this, Yue Fei was initially incredulous, but then a look of satisfaction appeared on his face.

He recalled his days leading troops, the motto "We'd rather freeze to death than dismantle a house, we'd rather starve to death than plunder," and the scene of him sharing a meal with his soldiers.

"If generals and commanders can share weal and woe with their soldiers, the soldiers will naturally be willing to die for them."

With the army's morale high, what is there to fear even if a powerful enemy lies ahead?

"These Nationalist troops look like nothing more than slightly better-equipped Jin dogs; it's normal that they can't win."

At this moment, the comments slowly began to appear.

(While reflecting in his diary, Chiang Kai-shek also indulged in extravagant lifestyles in reality; truly a man whose faults outweigh his faults.)

(Just look at the Chinese Expeditionary Force in India. With ample food and weapons, they were able to easily defeat the Japanese. It can only be said that the National Revolutionary Army followed the wrong leader.)

(Jiang: Guess why I went to the island?)

(We're so much better off now. We have self-heating hot pot, meat, eggs, and milk all available. We can even eat fresh vegetables at our high-altitude outpost. This prosperous era is just as you wished!)