Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 337 How can one possibly pay for their own military service?
By 44, most of the fanatical Japanese soldiers from the early days had died on the battlefield.

Apart from the 4th Division, more than half of the remaining troops in the First Army were conscripts from within the country.

In addition, there are many traitors, namely the descendants of Japanese soldiers from North Korea and Frog Island.

As time went on, the Japanese soldiers faced increasing food shortages.

Even though everyone in the local area is cutting back on food and clothing to supply the front lines.

Food supplies to the front lines have also run out.

"Baka yarou! What's going on here?"

Looking at the food in their lunchboxes, the Japanese soldiers cursed angrily.

"Not only is the canned food unpalatable, but the quantity is also so small! There's not even enough chicken to go around!"

This situation has been going on for several days, and they are going hungry every day.

Just as the Japanese soldiers' conversation grew louder, Mori Tomoro slammed the door open and entered.

"Gentlemen, this matter is an order from the North China Expeditionary Army Headquarters!"

Mouri Tomoro first shifted the blame to Okamura Neiji, and then continued:
"The empire is currently in a period of decline, and food supplies are not very plentiful."

"In order to avoid losing combat power during wartime, the higher-ups require us to practice starving ourselves in peacetime!"

"Therefore, starting this month, the amount of grain distributed will be reduced by one-third."

"This is the 'diet reduction training method'!"

Due to insufficient food supply and the loss of control over large areas of rural areas, the Japanese had no choice but to reduce the rations of their soldiers.

However, Okamura Neiji wasn't that ruthless; he wouldn't dare to cut off a third of it all at once.

Instead, the amount is reduced by one-fifth to one-quarter depending on the unit.

The 4th Division, being a Class A division, only had its size reduced by one-fifth.

As for the rest, they were all done by Tomoro Mori himself.

The extra grain saved was naturally sold for money.

The soldiers were even angrier after hearing Mouri Tomoro's explanation.

They were already doing Tianhuang a favor by joining the army.

And now they're even cutting back on food? If we want to be full, we have to pay to eat out?
This is simply unreasonable!
When in this world has there ever been a case of paying to join the army?

Faced with the soldiers' resentment, Mouri Tomoro didn't waste any words and turned to leave.

Anyway, it was Okamura Neiji who did it, so what does it have to do with Mori Tomoro?
After finishing his meal, Kogoro Fukushima grumbled and prepared to go out to buy some more food.

The feeling of being hungry is unpleasant.

Just as he stepped out of the camp gate, Kogoro Fukushima heard someone calling him from the side.

"Fukushima-kun, Fukushima-kun!"

“Ando-kun?” Fukushima Kogoro turned around and saw that it was his fellow countryman, Ando Ken.

"Fukushima-kun, are you full?" Ando Ken asked.

"Isn't that obvious? How can you be full with so little food?"

“I’ve lost a pound in the last two days,” said Kogoro Fukushima.

"Hehe. I knew you weren't full. Come on, I'll take you somewhere."

Ken Ando grabbed Kogoro Fukushima and left.

Kogoro Fukushima was puzzled, but since they were in the city, there was no need to worry about anything going wrong.

Following behind Ken Ando, ​​Kogoro Fukushima followed him into a general store with some surprise.

If you want to buy something, there's no need to come here.

"Boss, the new soap, tooth powder, and snacks are ready!"

Ken Ando took something out of his pocket and placed it on the counter.

"no problem."

The grocer inspected it skillfully and then put it away.

Then he took some pastries from the pastry box next to him, wrapped them up, and handed them to Kogoro Fukushima.

Before Fukushima Kogoro could even react, Ando Ken's next words nearly made his eyes pop out of their sockets.

"Boss, get the light machine gun ready! And the pork, how much?"

"A crooked-handle?"

“That’s right, crooked handle!” Ando Ken nodded.

"According to the latest news, 500 jin of fresh pork," the shopkeeper said casually.

"500 jin? How come it's less again?" Ando Ken frowned.

"Sir, as you know, the pig breeding cycle is relatively long, and the price has risen recently."

"How about you switch to white flour? The price of white flour hasn't gone up," the shopkeeper explained.

"Use the phone for a moment." Ando Ken couldn't make the decision.

The grocery store owner didn't say anything, but took out a phone from under the counter.

Kogoro Fukushima immediately recognized it as the Locust Army's field telephone.

"Get me the 8th Company of the 3rd Battalion."

"Moshi Moshi, Company Commander, it's me, Ken Ando."

"The situation is as follows."

Kogoro Fukushima was dumbfounded.

I just watched as Ken Ando talked to his squadron leader on the phone about exchanging things.

A moment later, Ken Ando hung up the phone.

"Three days later, at the Lequan Manor stronghold."

"10 jin a day, delivered every other day, the rest is replaced with white flour, delivered the first time."

"no problem!"

The grocer took a piece of paper and quickly wrote down what Ken Ando had said.

"Goodbye, boss."

Ken Ando left the general store with Kogoro Fukushima.

"Anando-kun, what's this?"

Kogoro Fukushima still hadn't realized what was happening.

It's normal for the grocery store owner to change the soap; he can sell it.

But isn't a light machine gun a bit too advanced?

"Fukushima-kun, here are some snacks for you. I'm not hungry."

Ando Ken handed the sweets he had obtained in exchange to Fukushima Kogoro before explaining:
"This grocery store is owned by the Eighth Route Army. You can exchange food, cigarettes, and liquor here."

"Items like soap, toothpaste, socks, and military coats can be exchanged."

"Of course, you can also exchange bullets directly; those are hard currency." "I understand that, but what about the light machine gun just now?" Fukushima Kogoro pressed.

That's what he's most concerned about.

"Oh, you can use this place as an information hub. After the negotiations are completed, you can go outside the city to trade with the Eighth Route Army."

"You can exchange it for money, food, or anything else you want."

"Because our squadron will be going to Lequanzhuang for a rotation in a few days, we are preparing some supplies in advance."

"As you know, the food at the outpost is much worse than in Luyang."

Ken Ando gave a detailed account of the situation.

This general store was opened by Chen Chengxing specifically to facilitate the exchange of supplies with the Japanese.

In other areas, there are also all sorts of shops in the new Second Regiment.

Moreover, this model has even been promoted within the Eighth Route Army.

Some guerrilla groups even set up breakfast stalls right outside the Japanese strongholds.

Every day, Japanese soldiers would bring bullets in exchange for food.

The guerrillas would take bullets to rob the Japanese transport convoys, and then bring back supplies to exchange for bullets.

This has become an entire industry chain.

Of course, during the transaction, the Japanese soldiers needed to ensure that their weapons were intact, while the Eighth Route Army soldiers needed to ensure that the grain was not shortchanged.

The main focus is on honest business practices.

The guerrilla fighters especially praised the strongholds under the Fourth Division.

Buy their weapons, and they'll not only teach you how to use them, but they'll also provide after-sales service!

"This...this..." Kogoro Fukushima didn't know what to say.

In the Fourth Division, everyone from top to bottom knows how to do business.

But not everyone would think of such a wild business opportunity.

"Fukushima-kun, you guys are about to change shifts, right?" Ando Ken said.

"You can tell this to your company commander."

"A light machine gun can be exchanged for two months of peace, which is quite reasonable."

In addition to these supplies, the light machine gun also secured a guarantee that the Eighth Route Army would not attack the stronghold.

Of course, in subsequent battle reports, the Lequanzhuang stronghold was definitely attacked every now and then.

Otherwise, there would be no way to reimburse the cost of all those weapons and ammunition sold on the black market.

When Fukushima Kogoro, still half-asleep, went back to find their company commander...

Kenichi Ando turned around and went back to the general store.

"The usual, two bottles of shochu," Ando Ken said.

"it is good."

The shopkeeper took two bottles of newly brewed shochu from the shelf, handed them to Ando Ken, and smiled:

"Don't worry, Mr. Ando. As soon as the Sai Squadron starts trading, I'll send you two more bottles."

"Yoshi! A really great friend!" Ken Ando gave a thumbs up.

If there weren't benefits involved, Kenjiro Ando wouldn't proactively introduce clients.

"Oh dear, Old Chen, this is terrible."

Luo Ping was doing the accounting and laughing, his smile practically reaching his heels.

"The supplies that various units reported for their transactions this month are comparable to the loot from wiping out an entire Japanese battalion."

Who could have imagined that in just a few years, the Japanese would have fallen to this state?

This is even faster than a sudden, massive urination.

"Old Luo, don't you even look at what kind of people the new Japanese soldiers are? They're all old, weak, sick, and disabled!"

"Those defected puppet troops said that the first thing the newly arrived Japanese soldiers did was to eat and drink to their hearts' content in the restaurant for several days."

"It's like he's never eaten in his entire life," Chen Chengxing laughed.

"What does this mean?"

"The situation in Italy is probably that they are already facing a severe food shortage," Chen Chengxing said.

"Now, whether it's China or the Japanese, anyone with eyes can see the situation clearly."

"The Japanese devils are like grasshoppers in autumn; they won't be able to hop around for many more days."

The situation on the enemy-occupied battlefield has now been completely reversed.

Within China, besides the Kwantung Army and some second-line troops, there were other forces.

That is, the Central China Expeditionary Army. Because the Kuomintang army was relatively weak, it still had the ability to launch offensives.

The remaining North China Area Army and South China Area Army have basically lost their ability to fight in the field.

Currently, the only option is to defend the strongholds.

Of course, the Japanese also had an elite force in Shanxi, but no one wanted to use it.

"Sigh, even the Japanese are in such a state, I never thought that the hundreds of thousands of troops of the Central Army would still be defeated so badly."

Luo Ping put down his pen and shook his head helplessly.

The situation around the world is clearly improving rapidly.

From the radio, Luo Ping heard that the Allied forces had already landed in Normandy and were now advancing towards Germany.

As a result, the party member immediately defecated a large amount.

This incident not only damaged China's international image but also aroused the anger of the general public.

The prestige of the Kuomintang has plummeted.

“With a chairman like this around, anything is possible,” Chen Chengxing sighed.

"It's just a pity for the soldiers and civilians who were killed or wounded."

The soldiers and junior officers of the Kuomintang were basically all thinking about resisting Japan and saving the country.

However, the top brass of the Kuomintang have already turned saving the country into a business.

Moreover, as the situation improves, their appetite grows ever larger.

How could they not fail?

"Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore, there's nothing we can do about it."

Chen Chengxing waved his hand, feeling disheartened whenever the topic came up.

“From now on, our new Second Regiment should just focus on developing properly,” Chen Chengxing said.

Japan's surrender did not signify the end, but rather the beginning of a real war.

Despite Chiang Kai-shek's poor performance in foreign wars, he was quite adept at fighting civil wars.

(End of this chapter)