Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 364 Giving birth to a child
A few days later, Chen Chengxing returned to Taiyuan with the spoils and prisoners.

The Second Independent Detachment is no longer developing independently, and it can no longer make its own decisions regarding the supplies it has captured.

Chen Chengxing instructed Xu Wu to hand the list over to the commander-in-chief.

As is customary, the General Headquarters will coordinate all captured items based on the situation of each unit.

However, to Chen Chengxing's surprise, the General Headquarters did not ask him to hand over the 19th Army's supplies this time.

Instead, he was instructed to leave behind the supplies needed for the reorganization of the Second Independent Detachment, and hand over the rest that was not needed.

"That's strange, why is he always so easy to talk to?" Chen Chengxing was a little confused.

All the columns and independent divisions are now desperately in need of supplies.

"Old Chen, you were out chasing the 19th Army, so you don't know."

"After this battle, the military region can be said to have gone from using homemade cannons to using modern guns," Luo Ping explained from the side.

Luo Ping did not participate in the encirclement and annihilation of the reinforcements and the pursuit of the 19th Army.

He took Chu Yunfei back to Taiyuan ahead of schedule to take charge of the training of new recruits in the Second Independent Detachment.

Therefore, Luo Ping witnessed the return of the main forces of each column.

"What kinds of things are there?" Chen Chengxing asked curiously.

When the Second Independent Detachment returned, all the other columns had already left, so he saw nothing.

"Not counting the 19th Army from Chongqing, the reinforcements sent by Yan Xishan alone consisted of eight divisions plus an artillery regiment."

"The total number of people was more than 34,000, of whom at least 30,000 were taken prisoner."

"Not to mention the captured rifles and machine guns, there were 36 Japanese mountain guns, hundreds of mortars of various sizes, and millions of rounds of ammunition."

"Columns A, B, and C received the majority of the supplies, while Column D received relatively little."

"As for us, we have nothing. I didn't understand it at the time, but now it seems that the higher-ups probably planned this all along."

Luo Ping told him everything he knew.

"I see." Chen Chengxing nodded.

"Xu Wu, I'm leaving the supplies to you."

"Although the 19th Army of the Jin-Sui Army did not have mountain guns, it did have some infantry guns and mortars."

"Distribute them directly to each regiment, but be careful to distribute the 81mm and 82mm mortars in a unified manner."

"As for rifles, each battalion and company should try to use the same caliber."

Chen Chengxing casually dumped these miscellaneous tasks on Xu Wu, which was something he, as the chief of staff, should have been doing anyway.

"yes!".
Xu Wu took the list to the logistics department. The weapons needed to be allocated, and the quality of the weapons needed to be confirmed first.

Not all weapons could remain with the Second Independent Division.

Just as Luo Ping was about to discuss the training issues of the Second Independent Division with Chen Chengxing, he suddenly saw Wen Ying walk in from outside.

Luo Ping immediately shut his mouth, stood up, and took his leave.

"Political Commissar," Wen Ying said very politely.

"Ah, Director Wen, you're here to see Old Chen, right? I have something to attend to, you two talk."

Luo Ping said something casually, then walked away without looking back.

After Luo Ping left, Wen Ying turned around and slammed the blueprints she had brought onto the table with a bang.

The force was so great that it startled Chen Chengxing.

"Have you invented another new weapon?" Chen Chengxing asked knowingly.

"The Soviet Union had a weapon called the Katyusha rocket launcher, which I thought was pretty good, so I developed one myself."

“However, we don’t have trucks, and we can’t use heavy-duty ones, so I got the 107 caliber ones,” Wen Ying explained.

"Really? Let me see." Chen Chengxing casually picked up the blueprints and glanced at them.

"Have you shown it to your superiors?" Chen Chengxing asked.

"President Liu attaches great importance to this, but he doesn't want to start production right now," Wen Ying said with a sigh of relief.

Anyone who knows about the power of Soviet/Russian rocket artillery would want it.

Historically, research on rocket artillery began in 48.

The A3 6-tube 102mm rocket launcher was demonstrated on the third day after the founding of the People's Republic of China.

In the early stages of the Korean War, they even beat up the Americans.

However, Taiyuan currently lacks sufficient resources.

We can't even get the seamless steel pipes out.

If steel columns were used for processing, the cost would be too high.

Furthermore, the double-base propellant of rockets requires nitrocellulose and nitroglycerin.

These things are also needed for the production of bullets and shells.

Although we now control Taiyuan and have obtained a large amount of Japanese stockpiled supplies, resources are still too scarce.

Chen Chengxing stroked his chin and said, "If it's just experimental small-batch production, we don't need too much dual-base propellant."

"As for the gun barrel, the base plate of the rail can be split into strips, then heated and forged into a spiral round tube, then forged into a seamless round tube suitable for the caliber, and finally machined."

"What kind of method is this?" Wen Ying asked, puzzled.

"The headquarters arsenal used this method to produce cannon barrels when it was producing 50mm cannons before."

“The rocket launcher is connected from front to back, so the barrel doesn’t need to bear much chamber pressure. This method should work,” Chen Chengxing explained.

The lifespan of gun barrels made in this way is certainly not as long as that of cold-drawn seamless steel pipes, but it is sufficient for current use.

After all, some Middle Eastern guerrillas even use cast cannon barrels.

“Then I’ll give it a try.” Wen Ying nodded.

It's easier said than done; it requires multiple trials.

However, apart from the cannon barrel, the other parts are easy to solve.

"There's one more thing I need your help with," Wen Ying said again after rolling up the blueprints.

"Go ahead and say it, as long as I can do it," Chen Chengxing said, patting his chest.

"Okay, I want you to have a child with me."

Chen Chengxing, who was drinking water from a cup, sprayed it all over the floor.

"Cough cough... cough cough."
"What did you say?"

After catching his breath, Chen Chengxing immediately asked, "I don't believe you didn't hear me." Wen Ying replied expressionlessly.

"Why do you have this idea?" Chen Chengxing asked.

“I’m not young anymore.” Wen Ying looked at Chen Chengxing with some anger.

Upon hearing Wen Ying's words, Chen Chengxing finally realized what was happening.

She was already 18 when we first met, and now, eight years later, she's 26.

In later generations, someone who is forty years old would be considered outstanding.

But nowadays, if you're 26 and still not married, you'll be the subject of gossip and criticism.

Chen Chengxing was at a loss for words.

It wasn't that he was unwilling, it was just that it was too sudden.

Besides, he's a man, how can a woman be the one to bring this up?
"You don't need to think about it anymore, I've already thought it all out for you," Wen Ying said, pulling out a piece of paper.

"I have already submitted a report, and this is the approval document from the higher authorities."

Chen Chengxing was stunned when he saw the word "Agreed" on the document.

He was still fighting a war abroad when he signed the document.

He really got a wife?
"The political commissar has already signed it, and you don't acknowledge it?"

Seeing Chen Chengxing's dumbfounded expression, Wen Ying smiled.

She didn't believe Chen Chengxing would dare to say no.

"I'm the head of the technical department at the Taiyuan Arsenal. You're talking about these experimental weapons."

"Tomorrow, it's tomorrow!" Chen Chengxing grabbed Wen Ying's hand.

Regardless of whether Wen Yingxiang smells good or not, if you could equip yourself with a few 107mm rocket launchers, that would be truly wonderful.

While Luo Ping was making arrangements for Chen Chengxing, Yan Xishan's telegram requesting assistance had already been sent to Chongqing.

"The G Party has such strong fighting power?" Chiang Kai-shek was somewhat surprised.

In his view, the G army was only capable of laying landmines, dismantling railways, and waging guerrilla warfare.

Now they've actually managed to capture the heavily fortified city of Chongqing.

"Chairman, the Jin-Sui Army may have many designations, but in terms of combat effectiveness, a division of it is not as good as a regiment of the Central Army."

Chief of Staff Chen Chengbo, who was standing to the side, looked down on the Jin-Sui Army.

Chiang Kai-shek wholeheartedly agreed with Chen Chengbo's statement.

The reason for the defeat in the Chongqing Campaign was that the Jin-Sui Army was too incompetent.

If their own American-equipped Central Army were to take the field, it would be a piece of cake, a sure thing.

"Lord Cheng, the Jin-Sui Army's defeat in this battle is actually a great thing for us," Chiang Kai-shek said with a smile.

"Yan Xishan has lost all his capital and now can only ask the Central Army for help, which gives us an excuse to intervene in Shanxi."

In the past, Yan Xishan regarded Shanxi as his lifeline, and no one was allowed to touch it.

Now that's great, they've taken the initiative to invite me.

When the time is right, they can easily oust Yan Xishan from power.

Let him join He Jian, Wang Jialie, Long Yun, and the others to play mahjong together.

Thinking of this, Chiang Kai-shek was in a great mood.

Chiang Kai-shek decided to make this first move on the Tongpu Railway.

"Chengbo, if we want to attack the G army in Shanxi, logistical support is of paramount importance."

"You should communicate with Yan Xishan and make sure that before sending troops, we can gain control of the southern part of the Tongpu Railway."

The most important sections of the southern part of the Tongpu Railway are Anyi, Xintian, and Pingyang.

These places were not only strategic military locations, but also densely populated, serving as Yan Xishan's money bags.

Once they control this area, the Central Army will be able to move freely in southern Shanxi.

At that time, it can threaten the G army to the east and north, and support the battles on the Ping-Sui Railway and Ping-Han Railway.

If we go west, we can also seize Yan Xishan's vitals and lay a good foundation for kicking him out.

This can be described as a win-win situation.

After much back and forth, Yan Xishan finally agreed to open up the Tongpu Railway.

He had no choice but to let go of this matter.

The Communist Party in Shanxi is growing rapidly, and the land revolution has stirred up the hearts of the people in southwestern Shanxi.

Although the actions of the G Party made officials at all levels of the Jin-Sui Army grit their teeth.

But the ordinary soldiers below were eagerly waiting; they were all beneficiaries of the system.

However, although Yan Xishan opened up the southern route of the Tongpu Railway, his intentions were completely different from Chiang Kai-shek's.
Upon learning that he had gained control of the Tongpu Railway, Chiang Kai-shek was overjoyed and immediately called Xi'an.

"Shou Shan, I'm entrusting you with the task of attacking southern Shanxi and opening up the southern section of the Tongpu Railway."

"Please rest assured, Principal!"

Hu Shoushan looked confident; they were just a mere G Army soldier.

Chiang Kai-shek gave Hu Shoushan a few more instructions and told him all his operational ideas before hanging up the phone.

Hu Shoushan, the commander of the First War Zone, was Chiang Kai-shek's prized student.

Since Chiang Kai-shek seized military and political power, he basically used three criteria for selecting personnel: obedience, Whampoa Military Academy diploma, and fellow townsman.

Hu Shoushan perfectly fits these three requirements.

In terms of ancestral home, Hu Shoushan's hometown is only about a hundred miles away from Chiang Kai-shek's hometown.

In terms of background, Hu Shoushan was a graduate of the first class of the Whampoa Military Academy, with impeccable revolutionary credentials.

Hu Shoushan was always obedient and followed orders without question, always looking out for Chiang Kai-shek.

Otherwise, given his record, he couldn't have risen so rapidly and eventually become the commander-in-chief with 45 troops under his command.

However, Chiang Kai-shek's favor also fostered Hu Shoushan's arrogance and conceit.

Therefore, even though Chiang Kai-shek personally instructed him, Hu Shoushan only mobilized six divisions to be stationed in the Anyi area.

He himself remained in Xi'an and did not move.

In Hu Shoushan's view, the strength of these six divisions was enough to sweep through Shanxi.

(End of this chapter)