Double-Cut During the War of Resistance: My Wife Came from 1937

These leaders haven't eaten meat in a long time.

Despite talking non-stop, his hands were moving quickly, and a satisfied look appeared on his face.

But perhaps because Ma Hongwei and Xia Weiwei were there, or perhaps because they were mindful of their status, although they were not slow, they ate in a relatively refined manner.

The scene of a monk "drinking" peanuts only exists in movies and TV dramas.

However, Ma Hongwei noticed that the leaders had quietly loosened their belts, clearly enjoying their meal.

If someone isn't proactive in their work, there's something wrong with their head.

Since it's dry rice, it's not shameful!

They've never fought such a rich war before!

Only then did Ma Hongwei take the drinks out of the storage space.

Because he personally doesn't like drinking baijiu (Chinese liquor), he took out beer, some chilled Wusu beer.

"Gentlemen, how can we eat meat without some drinks?"

Ma Hongwei chuckled and said, "Come on, have a drink!"

Commander He shook his head and said, "Comrade Hongwei, you should drink it yourself. We have rules, so we won't drink it!"

"Commendations, sirs!"

Ma Hongwei said, "Isn't it said that it's okay to drink some alcohol when entertaining guests? Today you're treating me, so you can't just let me drink all the time, can you?"

"Um!"

Deputy Division Commander Xu nodded and said, "Comrade Hongwei has gone to great lengths to come all this way, we really can't spoil his fun!"

"Old Xu makes a good point, but we can't overindulge in alcohol!"

Although Commander Liu agreed, he did not want to drink much.

As a commander, one must keep a clear head.

Ma Hongwei took out disposable paper cups and poured chilled Wusu beer for everyone.

He raised his glass and addressed the assembled leaders, saying, "My lords, this first toast is for you. Without you and countless revolutionary predecessors who sacrificed themselves for us, we would not have the wonderful life we ​​enjoy today!"

After saying that, he gulped it down in one go.

Deputy Division Commander Nie and Deputy Division Commander Xu drank it all in one gulp.

Commander Liu also took a big gulp.

After taking a sip, Commander He couldn't help but frown and say, "What kind of wine is this? It's foamy, sour, and astringent. It tastes like horse piss!"

"This is called beer, and it's one of the alcoholic beverages invented by foreigners!"

Deputy Division Commander Nie said, "Back then, whether in France, Belgium, or the Soviet Union, quite a few people drank this stuff."

"Especially in the Soviet Union, it was a daily beverage enjoyed by the entire nation, second only to vodka in status."

"In order to control alcoholism, the government has even promoted beer, a low-alcohol beverage, to replace and reduce the market share and production capacity of spirits."

"Anyway, they advertise that beer is healthy, thirst-quenching, nutritious, and can relieve work stress."

"I remember my classmates would buy some Zhigulev beer and pair it with Wobra, which is a kind of dried salted herring, and toasted bread, and eat and drink at the same time."

"Some people who dislike beer because of its low alcohol content will mix it with vodka and drink it together. They call this way of drinking 'yosh'."

Commander He said, "Do those foreigners really like drinking beer that much? I find it tasteless, far inferior to the sweet potato wine or sorghum wine from the countryside."

"Even wealthy people in China love to drink it!"

At this moment, Deputy Division Commander Xu said, "Back in Huacheng, this beer was a high-end Western luxury beverage, because only five places in the whole country produced beer: Harbin, Qingdao, Shanghai, Beijing, and Huacheng."

"Back then, a bottle of liquor cost 0.5 yuan, which was equivalent to two or three days' wages for an average worker. It was even more expensive than pork!"

"And you have to order Western food to drink it; they won't sell you alcohol if you just buy it."

Commander He's eyes widened, and he exclaimed in astonishment, "0.5 silver dollars a bottle? That's too expensive!"

It should be noted that a pound of rice wine and sorghum liquor costs only 0.1 yuan.

On the black market, 0.5 silver dollars could be exchanged for 1 legal tender!

In other words, the price of one bottle of beer can buy ten kilograms of sorghum liquor.

For the Eighth Route Army, high-proof liquor was not just a beverage, but also a core consumable for keeping warm and preventing frostbite, simple battlefield disinfection, and medical emergency care, making it an important military supply.

Drinking is prohibited during combat, duty, guard duty, and normal times. However, if it is a forced march on a cold night or after a long period of lying in ambush in the snow, a small amount of alcohol may be allowed.

In damp and rainy conditions, they would use high-proof liquor to ignite the firearms or wipe off the oil stains to prevent parts from rusting and jamming.

Commander Liu then inquired, "Comrade Hongwei, I wonder what the prices of beer and liquor are like in your area...?"

"I brought Wusu beer, which is produced in the new province, so it's a bit more expensive, costing over 7 yuan a bottle. Qingdao beer would only cost 2.5 to 3 yuan a bottle!"

Ma Hongwei said, "As for baijiu, I remember a bottle of Niulanshan Erguotou was 15 or 16 yuan."

As he spoke, he said to Commander Liu, "What? Does the commander want to drink baijiu? Then I'll bring more baijiu next time."

Xia Weiwei saw through Commander Liu's thoughts and said to Ma Hongwei, "The commander isn't going to drink it himself, but plans to buy some for the hospital. They need a lot of strong liquor to treat the wounded."

"Using high-proof liquor in hospitals?"

Upon hearing this, Ma Hongwei was immediately taken aback.

But he immediately nodded and replied, "If the hospital needs it, I can buy some medical alcohol and iodine directly. I can also purchase large quantities of medical gauze, cotton swabs, and tweezers."

"That's wonderful!"

Upon hearing Ma Hongwei's words, the leaders immediately showed joy.

With these medical supplies, the casualties among the soldiers will be greatly reduced.

"By the way, sir!"

Ma Hongwei warned, "You absolutely, positively must not drink that medical alcohol!"

"That's all industrial ethanol, and it also contains some methanol and fusel oil, which are highly toxic substances. Ingesting a small amount can cause blindness, while ingesting too much can cause liver and kidney failure, central nervous system necrosis, and can also corrode the mucous membranes of the mouth, esophagus, and stomach, resulting in alcohol poisoning."

"Okay, I'll warn them!"

Commander Liu nodded seriously.

If drinking it can kill someone, that's no small matter and must be taken seriously.

However, the Eighth Route Army had strict discipline, so probably not many people would break the rules.

"Oh, right!"

Deputy Division Commander Nie took a sip of beer and said, "This might be my last time coming here this year. Next time, it will be someone else who comes to transport supplies."

"Um?"

Upon hearing this, Ma Hongwei asked in confusion, "Commander, what's going on? Could it be that the Japanese are fighting very fiercely now?"

"no!"

Commander He put down the half-eaten duck head he was holding, stuck out his tongue, and hissed, "You guys don't know yet, do you? Old Nie got promoted!"