Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Changjin Lake, a Hundred Battles, a Hundred Victories

Chapter 150 The Development of the Arsenal!

After undergoing multiple checks, the Japanese major was brought before Chen Ming.

Chen Ming's personal safety is no small matter now; as a senior commander, he cannot easily get involved.

Any suspicious individuals appearing around Chen Ming must be checked to ensure that there is no situation that could threaten Chen Ming's personal safety.

Chen Ming would always have several bodyguards around him, plus Wang Dabiao, his close agent, who could take bullets for him at any time.

It can be said that Chen Ming's life no longer belongs to him alone.

After being led there by the Japanese major, Chen Ming met the Japanese soldier who looked to be in his twenties.

"Hello, Commander of your forces. My name is Kobayashi Hayato, and I am in charge of negotiating this transaction."

The Japanese major showed no fear and spoke.

Chen Ming couldn't understand Japanese, so Zhou Weiguo from the Special Operations Brigade was responsible for translating for him.

"Hello, is this the only person from your 4th Division? You dare to come to our headquarters alone, you've got some nerve!" Chen Ming said.

"In business, there are always risks involved. I believe that your army's integrity will protect me."

"You seem quite nonchalant."

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Chen Ming, and I am in full charge of this transaction," Chen Ming said.

"You're Chen Ming?"

Upon hearing Chen Ming's self-introduction, the Japanese major became agitated and his eyes involuntarily turned to Chen Ming's head.

"Do you know that your head is worth half a million silver dollars now!"

Upon hearing the Japanese major's words, Zhou Weiguo gripped his gun tightly while translating, ready to shoot the enemy at the slightest provocation.

Upon hearing Zhou Weiguo's translation, the other guards also looked at the Japanese major with extremely dangerous eyes.

To dare to think about Chen Ming's head in front of them is simply provoking their bottom line.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense.

The Japanese major sensed that something was wrong and knew that if he said the wrong thing again, he might not be able to leave today.

"I think your offer is unreasonable," Chen Ming said, then stretched and looked at the price.

The Japanese major was very angry; he couldn't make the decision on the price.

“If you can’t make the decision, you can go back and report to your superiors that the Independent Detachment is penniless and can only afford this much money.”

Chen Ming said with a smile.

"Hmph, this is not a fair business practice. I will report this to Colonel."

The Japanese major was a simpleton; he had originally been a small-time merchant and couldn't understand the hidden meaning in Chen Ming's words.

In his mind, the platoon leader would absolutely not agree to this price.

"It's alright. After you get back, report everything. I believe we'll meet again," Chen Ming said confidently.

"Absolutely impossible! The regimental commander will surely condemn your shameless behavior!" the Japanese major said angrily.

"Wei Guo, see the guest out," Chen Ming said.

Under the watchful eye of the special forces, the Japanese major was blindfolded and led out of the base.

After everyone left, the officers of the Independent Detachment who had been listening in the inner room came out.

"Old Chen, won't it be hard to explain if we just drive them away like this?" Political Commissar Zhang Zhengze asked.

“Hey, Political Commissar, you don’t understand. It’s normal to bargain in business. Those production lines were stolen by the Japanese. To them, the production lines belong to the country, but the money they earn is theirs.”

"This is a business with no initial investment. As long as the costs of bribing and transporting are covered, any additional sales are profits."

Chief of Staff Wang Dafei spoke first.

The political commissar was not from Shanxi Province. He was very good at politics, but not so good at business.

“That’s right, Political Commissar. Based on my family’s experience in business, the Japanese are very likely to agree to this deal.”

“If the Japanese transport this production line back to their country, it will have little to do with the Osaka Division. But if they sell it, no matter how much money they get, it will end up in the pocket of the Osaka Division and become their own money.”

"That was the situation when our detachment bought those two mountain guns."

Zhou Weiguo also spoke up.

If we were to name the person most knowledgeable about business present, it would undoubtedly be Zhou Weiguo.

Zhou Weiguo comes from a prestigious family in Jiangnan. His father in the drama is a wealthy merchant in Jiangnan who is extremely skilled in business.

Although Zhou Weiguo wasn't keen on doing business, he still learned a lot from what he saw and heard.

"That's right, this Japanese soldier is from the Osaka Division, one of the seventeen standing divisions of the Japanese army. Although he is very strong in combat, he is keen on doing business."

"The Osaka Division was composed of Kansai people, but the Japanese army was dominated by Kanto people. The Osaka Division was not well-liked, and its members did not put in much effort. Their loyalty to the Japanese army was not very high."

"However, even if they like doing business, we cannot let our guard down on the battlefield. The Japanese devils are no good people, and we must beat these sons of bitches hard on the battlefield."

After listening to the explanations given to the political commissar by others, Chen Ming agreed.

Although the Osaka Division of the Japanese army was unpopular among the Japanese soldiers and was the object of ridicule, it was still a Japanese army and an invader after all.

Chen Ming had no good feelings towards them; it was just a matter of mutual exploitation.

He bought the production line to fight the Japanese. If he encountered them on the battlefield, he would show absolutely no mercy.

"I see." The political commissar nodded.

He really didn't know much about these situations.

"Alright, we can wait for news about this matter now. But we also need to get the arsenal ready and accelerate the copper mining at Black Cloud Mountain to increase production capacity and prepare the necessary supplies."

"We must also speed up the production of smokeless gunpowder, and at the same time, accelerate the reclamation of land unsuitable for growing grain, increase the cotton planting area, and improve cotton production in the base areas."

"First, to ensure that the soldiers can wear warm cotton-padded clothes; second, to provide raw materials for the production of smokeless gunpowder."

Chen Ming spoke up.

Among the talents who joined the independent detachment at that time were several high-level talents who had returned from studying abroad; they were indeed quite capable.

Despite the harsh conditions in the base area, sulfuric acid was produced in large quantities from chalcopyrite (chemical formula CuFeS2), and nitrocellulose, a smokeless gunpowder, was also developed.

Nitrocellulose, a smokeless gunpowder, is far more powerful than black powder.

With this explosive, there's no longer any need to worry about dud grenades made in the border region or grenades that only manage to explode in two and splatter the enemy's face.

With the technology of smokeless gunpowder, production naturally had to be accelerated. As a result, the Fourth Division Production and Construction Detachment not only cultivated land for growing grain, but also cultivated land that could not be used for growing grain.

They signed cotton purchase agreements with the villagers, allowing them to grow cotton on land that was not suitable for growing grain.

This ensured the supply of raw materials for smokeless gunpowder and clothing factories, and also increased the income and enthusiasm of ordinary people.

“Yes, I will take care of these tasks,” Zhang Zhengze nodded.

"Let's leave the Japanese side to Comrade Weiguo. His family is in business, so he's quite good at this," Chen Ming continued.

"Yes."

Zhou Weiguo nodded.

He personally disliked doing business and believed that a good man should join the army to fight the Japanese invaders.

However, Chen Ming has now entrusted him with this task, which is also a different way of fighting the Japanese, so Zhou Weiguo gladly accepted the task.

Zhou Weiguo was willing to do anything, no matter the method, as long as it helped fight the Japanese.

After discussing work, Chen Ming took out a pack of cigarettes, distributed them to everyone, and began to talk about other things.

Wang Dabiao breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Chen Ming take out a lighter this time, instead of taking his lighter as before.

It wasn't easy for him to capture the Japanese lighters, and Chen Ming often stole them.

Even having his own name engraved on it wouldn't work, because every time Chen Ming asked him for a lighter, he was thinking about something important.

Da Biao didn't dare to disturb Chen Ming at that time, lest it affect Chen Ming's thinking.

"Why are you staring at me with those eyes like bull's balls?"

Chen Ming noticed Da Biao's expression and spoke up.

This time, he didn't bring Shun Dabiao's lighter, because the lighter he took out was the one he casually took from his pocket when he put on the brigade commander's leather jacket.

What Chen Ming didn't know was that when the brigade commander returned and happily counted the weapons and ammunition, he was about to reach into his pocket for a shot.

I reached into my pocket and found that my lighter and cigarettes were gone!

My mood immediately soured.

After returning, the Japanese major immediately sought out his superior.

"This price is absolutely unacceptable; we cannot agree to the Eighth Route Army's offer."

"That's what I said too. The Eighth Route Army said they were only willing to quote 150,000 silver dollars, but they could actually give 200,000. Whether it's 150,000 or 200,000, it's still far from 300,000 silver dollars."

"The Japanese major said angrily."

"What? Say it again?"

The Japanese colonel, like the Japanese major, originally disagreed with the Eighth Route Army's offer. However, after hearing what the Japanese major said, he changed his mind.

"The Eighth Route Army said they were willing to offer 150,000 silver dollars, but could actually offer 200,000 silver dollars. Such an offer was dishonest and did not match the offer given to us by the Chief of Staff."

The Japanese major repeated it.

After confirming that he hadn't misheard, the Japanese colonel quickly calculated in his mind.

After a long silence, he said, "You don't need to worry about this matter. I will take full responsibility. You should go back and rest."

"Hay."

After the Japanese major left, the Japanese colonel had someone re-contact the liaison officer, wanting to speak with the Independent Detachment in person.

According to the original offer, he would have received 8000 dollars from this transaction.

But after hearing Chen Ming's offer, the Japanese colonel had an idea.

If he can close this deal, although his share will be less, he can still get a kickback of 50,000 yuan.

Even if this money has to be shared with others, it will still be much more than 8000 silver dollars.

So, the Japanese colonel quickly and secretly went to the Independent Detachment through a contact person to meet Zhou Weiguo.

Chen Ming reported the matter.

This money was originally a reward, it was unexpected, so I didn't have to tighten my belt and raise the funds myself, and I didn't feel bad about spending it.

With this bullet production line, plus the reloaded bullets they produced themselves, and the bullets they captured, they had enough to meet their daily combat needs.

Because the Fourth Division had a small copper mine and a large-scale gunpowder production workshop, and its base was stable, the Japanese dared not raid it at will.

After consideration, once the production line is in place, the bullet production line will be located in Zone 4, and Zone 4 will be responsible for production.

After Yamashita Hōichi left, he immediately went to see the chief of staff.

"Sir, the Independent Detachment was only willing to offer 100,000 silver dollars, but through my tireless efforts, I managed to raise the price to 120,000 silver dollars and also secured an order for 20,000 silver dollars worth of bullets, at a price of 20 bullets per silver dollar."

Yamashita Hōichi said to the Japanese chief of staff.

"Good, Yamashita-kun, you've worked hard. Your share will be just as good as yours." The Japanese chief of staff nodded.

This production line was originally stolen by them, and its price on the black market is around 80,000.

The Japanese chief of staff had only ever asked for 100,000 silver dollars.

Yamashita Hōichi was able to negotiate the price down to 120,000 yen, which is 50% higher than the black market price, so it's already quite good.

Moreover, they also secured a bullet order worth 20,000 silver dollars.

Neither the bullets nor the production line belonged to him; they were originally worthless to him.

But now, through this transaction, these things can be turned into dollars and put into their own pockets, becoming their own money.

The Japanese chief of staff was very satisfied.

Those idiots in the navy actually broke the army's promise and launched the Pacific War on their own, pushing a powerful industrial nation to the opposite side.

Having fought on the mainland battlefield and participated in numerous battles, the Japanese chief of staff was well aware of the immense impact that the gap in industrial strength between nations could have.

Their country has been able to win so many battles precisely because of its industrial strength, which is even stronger than that of agricultural countries.

But now the navy has foolishly provoked a powerful industrial nation, and their army only learned of this news from the newspapers.

Coupled with the defeat in the Third Battle of Changsha, the mainland battlefield fell into a stalemate, which worried the Japanese chief of staff.

The Japanese chief of staff was very clear-headed and understood that the future situation had become uncontrollable, and he had to consider his own future.

"Thank you, sir." Yamashita Hōichi smiled, and the Japanese chief of staff smiled as well.

"Well, you'll be in charge of maintaining this line with the Independent Detachment. It's rare to find such a generous client; they're someone worth keeping in touch with long-term."

"Also, you'll be in charge of handling that bullet production line."

"Hai!"

In the Independent Detachment, Chen Ming inspected various affairs within the detachment's base, with a focus on the detachment's talent training program.

This talent training program has, to date, cultivated numerous talents in various fields.

It includes courses for medics, artillerymen, communications soldiers, reconnaissance soldiers, motor transport soldiers, etc., encompassing both military and professional skills.

Based on the students' strengths, we provide targeted training to help them develop their talents.

With the added support of Chen Ming and his badge group, the students in the talent training program made rapid progress, and could basically reach the graduation standards set by Chen Ming within two or three months.

After another month of practical experience, one can become an outstanding talent who combines theory and practice.

Once they are properly trained, they can be transferred to other units.

The instructors are usually outstanding technical personnel within the brigade.

There are also some outstanding veterans who were wounded on the battlefield and could no longer go to the battlefield, so they are kept in the talent training class to teach.

By passing on their skills from generation to generation, they were able to continue their work and fight the Japanese invaders more effectively.

In addition, there are also students who traveled thousands of miles to join the army.

This group of people has a high level of cultural knowledge and is a rare group of intellectuals.

A number of highly educated individuals with valuable professional knowledge were sent to headquarters by Chen Ming for further arrangements.

Another group of students with average cultural knowledge were kept by Chen Ming to receive cultural lessons in the talent training class.

These individuals have all been tested by Chen Ming's enemy-friend assessment map; there are no spies or opportunists among them.

The three-dimensional combat map in Chen Ming's mind is not only useful for commanding operations, but also for identifying friend from foe.

In other words, Chen Ming is currently a military commander; otherwise, if he were to engage in counter-espionage work, he would be able to catch them all without a doubt.

As for those who were Japanese spies and some mixed in, Chen Ming's approach was to first have the comrades in the Enemy Work Department conduct background checks.

First, exclude those individuals who may have issues.

The second step is to use some important false information to lure out some impatient spies.

If this doesn't work, then it's no ordinary spy; we must strike hard!
In short, after Chen Ming's investigation confirmed that these people who came from various places to fight the Japanese were safe, he would assign them to important positions.

In addition to the talent training program, Chen Ming also inspected the arsenal to learn about its production situation.

Currently, the arsenal in the fourth division mainly produces explosives, landmines, grenades, and reloaded bullets, while some experienced craftsmen are responsible for the production of mortar shells.

When reloading bullets, a portion is usually handed over to higher authorities, and the remainder is distributed to local troops and guerrillas. The main force of the independent detachment itself will not use them.

It wasn't that Chen Ming looked down on reloaded bullets, but rather that reloaded bullets had significant problems and were unsuitable for use by the main force of the independent detachment.

The main force of the independent detachment usually undertakes the task of fighting the Japanese head-on, which requires a very high level of continuous and dense combat capability.

The fact that reloaded bullets are inaccurate and prone to jamming has a significant impact on the independent detachment.

Imagine a brave soldier charging forward, firing bullet after bullet from his gun, relentlessly suppressing the enemy.

But then it suddenly stalled, and losing suppressive firepower would be fatal.

Local armed forces and militias are mainly tasked with containing the enemy, and their usual mode of warfare is guerrilla warfare and mobile warfare.

If a bullet jams, you can just replace it while guerrilla warfare is underway; it won't affect the operation too much.

This is a reasonable ammunition allocation model, prioritizing the combat effectiveness of the main force.

Local armed groups and militias really like this kind of bullet.

It's not a problem if you can't hit the target. Even with good bullets, it's usually difficult to hit the target accurately because of a lack of extensive live-fire training.

As for the issue of getting stuck, it's good enough that it's still usable.

Think about what kind of life we ​​used to live: a guerrilla squad with only four or five guns and a dozen or so bullets.

Unlike now, not only are there more guns, but there are also more bullets.

It's just a jam. As long as it doesn't jam with every bullet, they're making a profit.

However, compared to the bullets issued by independent detachments, local armed forces and guerrillas preferred the grenades and landmines produced by arsenals.

This thing is powerful, but it doesn't require the same level of skill as firing a gun.

As long as you have hands, you can use it to fight the Japanese and their puppet troops.

After learning about the production situation at the arsenal, Chen Ming instructed the logistics department to increase the supply of materials to the arsenal.

Many of the jobs in the arsenal are physically demanding, so you can't do without good food.

People aren't made of iron anymore. If they suffer from long-term malnutrition and do heavy physical work, their bodies won't be able to take it.

Although the independent detachment is not well-off now, having suffered from natural disasters and man-made calamities, supplies are also very scarce.

However, tightening their belts to support the production of an arsenal is still achievable.

A few days later, Zhou Weiguo returned.

P.S.: The Osaka Division was transferred to the Philippines in March 42, so it's possible that some of its troops were present in Hebei Province in North China at that time; this isn't a plot hole. Also, I have an idea. They say three men together can create a genius idea. With so many readers, feel free to leave any good ideas in the book reviews, and I'll carefully consider incorporating them.

(End of this chapter)