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

Chapter 236 The Great Development of the Base! A Surge in Strength!
Chen Ming was very pleased to hear Zhang Zhengze's answer.

For Chen Ming, being a soldier means protecting the country and its people.

"Do we have enough food?" Chen Ming asked.

"It seems sufficient for now. In addition to settling some of the people who flocked to the base areas in our base areas, some were also settled in other base areas."

"Although this year's harvest is poor and the crops are not plentiful, we have cultivated a lot of land in the past, so the grain production can still support us."

"This autumn harvest, the Japanese were much more well-behaved, unlike before when they would rush to steal grain during the harvest."

Zhang Zheng then answered.

"Yes, Not Bad."

After returning to headquarters, the group's commanders reported to Chen Ming on the organization of their respective units.

You wouldn't know unless you reported it, and when you did, even Chen Ming was stunned.

"Report, Independent Detachment Reinforced First Battalion reports: The First Battalion currently has nine infantry battalions, two artillery battalions, one cavalry battalion, and one supply battalion."

"The battalion's directly subordinate units consist of three machine gun companies, one special service company, one guard company, one communications company, one engineer company, and one maintenance company."

"Well-equipped and well-trained, our First Battalion can become a sharp knife to pierce the chest of the Japanese devils at any time, as long as the leader gives the order."

He Jianxin stood up and said with a firm and confident voice.

He has become quite wealthy since the end of the Datong Campaign.

The unit not only replenished its personnel but also expanded by nearly 30%, making it the strongest independent detachment!

If we only look at the data on paper and disregard the Japanese air power, he could rival a Japanese division.

Upon hearing He Jianxin's report, Chen Ming nodded knowingly.

From the large influx of refugees into the base area, Chen Ming knew that some of them would definitely choose to join the army.

The troop expansion of 30% was somewhat unexpected for Chen Ming, but it was still understandable.

"With such a large expansion, can the combat effectiveness of the troops be guaranteed?"

Chen Ming asked the question that concerned him most.

Chen Ming adhered to a policy of elite troops, emphasizing quality over quantity in his forces.

On the battlefield, the combat effectiveness of a battalion of elite soldiers far surpasses that of three battalions of ordinary soldiers.

At the same time, streamlining the military and administration can reduce logistical pressure and make the troops more combat-ready.

If He Jianxin's First Battalion is expanded, its combat effectiveness will decline significantly.

In order to maintain the combat effectiveness of the troops, Chen Ming will begin to make adjustments to the troops.

Weak units were transferred to local forces, while the elite troops of the main field forces were preserved to maintain their combat effectiveness.

"Reporting to the commander, reinforce the First Battalion and await your inspection at any time!"

He Jianxin saluted and said firmly.

"Good, very energetic. Sit down first, the rest of you continue reporting on the unit's organization," Chen Ming said with a smile.

If He Jianxin, a former subordinate whom he had personally trained, dared to make such a guarantee, what else could Chen Ming worry about?
Next, the commanders reported on the organization of their troops in turn.

As expected, the expansion of the military was quite significant.

Ding Wei's Independent First Battalion is currently composed of eight infantry battalions, one artillery battalion, and one cavalry battalion, which is one less than He Jianxin's unit in terms of an infantry battalion and an artillery battalion.

Kong Jiede reinforced the Second Battalion, which currently consists of eight infantrymen and one artillery unit, and is one cavalry battalion less than Ding Wei.

Xu Desheng's cavalry detachment currently consists of four cavalry battalions, an increase of one cavalry battalion compared to before the Battle of Datong.

Although each unit may seem to have only increased by a few people, when all of them are added together to form a fourth division, that is a terrifying number.

After understanding the current troop strength, Chen Ming was filled with heroic spirit and boundless pride.

The independent detachment is currently capable of independently supporting offensive and defensive operations for a large base area.

Having the ability to lead a war in a strategic direction (such as North China or Central China) is the core pillar for persisting in the resistance behind enemy lines.

With such a powerful force, his confidence in the upcoming battles grew even stronger.

At that point, it won't be about containing the Japanese Kwantung Army, but about finding a way to wipe out one or two divisions of the Japanese Kwantung Army.

After the military officers finished their reports, it was time for other non-combat units to report.

The first to report was the director of the Fourth Military Sub-district's arsenal.

The arsenals of our army are vertically managed by the military industry department of the headquarters, and the arsenals of the Fourth Military Sub-district are no exception.

However, the officer went to headquarters to report on his work, so the factory director of the arsenal was responsible for the report.

"Report: Arsenal 417 has now fully processed the spoils captured in Datong."

"We are now able to produce rifles independently. In the months since the commander left the base area, the arsenal has produced more than 1600 rifles."

"Of these, 1400 are copies of the German Mauser rifle (similar to the Type 24 rifle)."

"The 200 rifles are a semi-automatic rifle produced by combining the advantages of the American M1 Garand rifle and the Soviet SVT-40 rifle."

"It is still under testing and has not been named yet. It will be named after the leader's inspection."

"More than 360 grenade launchers and more than 70 82mm mortars were produced."

"More than 4700 mortar shells and more than 700 mountain gun shells have been produced so far."

"More than 200 88mm rockets and more than 430 107mm rockets were produced."

"In terms of other ammunition, more than 1.03 million bullets, 200,000 hand grenades, and 120,000 landmines were produced."

"The remaining explosives and other ammunition are also present."

The director of the 417th Arsenal reported.

Factory 417 was the code name for the Fourth Military Sub-district's arsenal, named after the day it was completed.

Upon hearing about the weapons produced by the arsenal during this period, Chen Ming was even happier than if he were entering his wedding night, although he had never actually entered his wedding night before; it was just a metaphor.

Chen Ming focused his strategic efforts on northern Shanxi precisely for these reasons.

Today, apart from Datong itself, the area surrounding Datong is basically under the control of the Independent Detachment. Many mineral resources in the Datong area, as well as in Suiyuan and Chahar, are all controlled by the Fourth Military Sub-district.

The abundant resources produced by these minerals supplied the arsenals for production and research, providing a continuous supply of weapons and ammunition for the troops.

The days of relying on guerrilla warfare and lacking weapons and ammunition will be gone forever.

The soldiers no longer had to fire two shots before charging into battle with broadswords and spears, shedding their blood.

This is why Chen Ming focused his strategic efforts on northern Shanxi and the areas beyond the Great Wall.

With our own badge set, while eliminating the Japanese invaders, we can also utilize the region's rich mineral resources to maximize our own military production capacity.

It's not a big deal if one unit is good at fighting, because no matter how strong they are, they can only play a role in a local area.

It has cultivated a powerful capability for the logistical production of weapons and ammunition, which can have a significant impact on the overall situation.

The essence of war is actually a contest of logistics.

It's better to have your own than to have your own parents; self-reliance leads to abundance.

Only products you produce yourself can give you confidence.

Today, Factory 417 has the capability to supply the entire system with resources and provide continuous support to other units.

This made Chen Ming extremely happy.

"Okay, after this is over, let's go take a look at our arsenal together."

Chen Ming said happily.

Besides the arsenal, other logistics units were also reported by Logistics Minister Li Zhu.

A report was given on everything from the production of medical supplies, the stockpiling of medicines, the production of cotton-padded clothing, to the storage of grain.

It can be said that the current base is like a vigorous young man, bursting with vitality at every moment.

"It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the base area is developing rapidly, changing every day!"

After listening to all the reports, Chen Ming couldn't help but sigh.

When the Chinese people unite, their power can astound the world.

What other nation in the world could develop to this extent in the enemy-occupied battlefields where our army is surrounded by powerful enemies?

Finally, Chen Ming stood up and delivered the final concluding remarks for the meeting:

"Sitting in this conference room today, listening to the reports from various units, I feel very warm inside."

From being "poor and blank" when a small district team first settled down a few years ago, we have now become a strong and well-equipped force with abundant resources.

Every step we took was hard-won, and every achievement was soaked in the blood and sweat of us and the people. I must first say "thank you for your hard work" to everyone here, and to all the soldiers and civilians in the base area!
Do you remember what it was like when we first arrived?
Back then, the Japanese pillboxes stood right under our noses, and the puppet troops came to plunder every few days. The people didn't know where their next meal would come from, and many wore tattered cotton-padded coats with exposed cotton, shivering from the cold in the winter.

What about our troops? Their guns were "made in all countries," and some soldiers couldn't even scrape together two complete guns for three men. Bullets were even more precious, and they had to use them sparingly even when shooting targets. When on guard duty at night, they would even share a thick overcoat.

But we were never afraid back then. Why? Because we knew that as long as we were of one mind with the people, there was no hardship we couldn't endure or a battle we couldn't win!

Now let's take a look at our base.

First, let's talk about food. This year's harvest was not good, but we reclaimed more wasteland. During the autumn harvest, the Japanese didn't dare to rob us. The people's granaries were full, and even the villagers who fled famine were able to eat hot porridge and stay in warm houses.

Comrade Li Zhu just said that our war reserve grain is enough to last for half a year. What does that mean?
This is the source of confidence that ordinary people can live their lives with peace of mind, and the support that allows our troops to fight with peace of mind!

Looking at the troops, He Jianxin's reinforced first battalion had expanded to two battalions, and Ding Wei and Kong Jie's troops were all strong and well-equipped. Xu Desheng's cavalry detachment had gained an additional battalion, and their warhorses were running even more merrily than before.

Our soldiers aren't just there to fill quotas; they're elite troops capable of going out and fighting the Japanese head-on!
In the past, when we fought against the Japanese, we had to rely on terrain and strategy. Now we have artillery, machine guns, tanks, and rockets. We dare to challenge the Japanese armored vehicles in our charge.

This is our strength, the confidence we've built through victory after victory!

And our arsenal, the comrades of Arsenal 417 are even more remarkable!
More than 1,600 rifles, including semi-automatic rifles, have been produced in the past few months.

Several hundred grenade launchers and mortars were built, and more than a million bullets were produced.

Comrades, over a million bullets!
When I led the district squad, we only had seventeen bullets in total, three of which were obtained by Comrade Erdan at the cost of his life.

Those three bullets were the precious lives of one of our soldiers!
What now?
Our soldiers can fight freely and let the Japanese devils taste how tough our bullets are!

And those grenades and landmines, if the Japanese come to "mop up" again, we can make sure they never come back!
Logistics, medical care, and people's lives—everything is improving steadily.

Our medical teams can now manufacture their own medicines, and people can see doctors when they are sick.
Our clothing factory rushed to produce more than 30,000 sets of cotton-padded clothes, so no one will be cold this winter.
The Farmers' Salvation Association organized villagers to help each other with farming, the Women's Salvation Association's sisters spun thread and wove cloth, and even the children knew to help stand guard and keep watch.

This is our base, the home that we all built together brick by brick!
Comrades, the achievements we have made did not fall from the sky. They were earned by our own guns and bullets, by the help of the people, and by the hard work of every comrade here!

The Japanese devils haven't been driven away yet, and the Kwantung Army is still watching us on the grasslands. Our mission is still very important.

But I want to say that with our current resources, the support of the people, and our army that can fight and win battles, there are no difficulties we cannot overcome and no enemies we cannot defeat!
Going forward, we must continue to expand the arsenal so that our soldiers have more good guns and cannons.

We must continue to grow more grain in the base areas so that the people can live a more prosperous life.

We must continue to train our troops to be even more elite, so that the Japanese will be terrified at the mere mention of our Fourth Military Sub-district!
We must not only take over northern Shanxi, but also expand our base to more distant places, to the northeast, so that more people can live a peaceful life and our red flag can be planted in more places!
Comrades, we are the Eighth Route Army, the people's army. Our roots are in the hearts of the people, and our strength is in the hands of the people.

As long as we always stand with the people and continue to work toward the goal of "driving out the Japanese invaders and enabling the people to live a good life," nothing can stop us!
I believe that it won't be long before we drive the Japanese out of China and make our base areas and our country better and better!

"Are you confident?"

Chen Ming's voice echoed throughout the conference room.

"Have!"

Inside the meeting room, cheers and applause resounded continuously.

All the officers of the Independent Detachment and the Fourth Division were filled with enthusiasm after listening to Chen Ming's speech.

Especially for the cadres who came from the district teams at the beginning, such as He Jianxin, Wang Dafei, Li Zhu, and Wang Gui, their hearts were filled with endless emotion.

They witnessed how a small district squad of a dozen people, with fewer bullets than personnel, grew to its current size under Chen Ming's leadership.

Their respect for their leader, Chen Ming, was as firm as a rock.

It can be said that Chen Ming is the soul of this unit, and his prestige within the unit is unmatched.

"Good! With this confidence, there's nothing we can't accomplish! Meeting adjourned!"

P.S.: Hehe, today's content was really brain-draining; I calculated a ton of data and my brain is practically knotted up. So I wrote a 1000-word rambling speech to get the perfect attendance award, so please don't scold me, dear readers.

(End of this chapter)