You are ordered to support the War of Resistance against Japan; China enters Level 1 combat readines

"How do you like your older sister to call you? Baby, Darling, Little One, or...?"

Qin Ran, with one foot bare and the other in a pair of shiny red-soled stilettos, gently lifted Shen Wang's chin.

She leaned slightly forward, her white silk shirt cascading down, outlining a breathtaking curve.

Shen Wang reached out and grasped her slender ankle, his fingertips tracing the cool patent leather surface of her shoes.

He looked up at the woman before him, her eyes sparkling and her cheeks flushed, and his Adam's apple bobbed.

"I don't like being called 'sister,' I only like it when 'sister' calls me..."

. . .

1941.

The headquarters of the Eighth Route Army at the foot of the Taihang Mountains.

Smoke swirled inside the simple mud-brick house.

Several CEOs sat around a worn-out octagonal table, on which lay a yellowed map covered with numerous symbols marked in red ink.

"Reporting to all the executives!"

A staff officer strode in, saluted, and announced in a loud voice, "Urgent telegram from Jiaodong City! The batch of weapons and supplies that Mr. Shen sent last time has been safely transported and distributed to all units!"

"Great! That's wonderful!"

"This batch of weapons arrived just in time!"

"Now, the troops in Jiaodong City have been completely upgraded from ragtag guns to artillery!"

"The core personnel transferred from southeastern Shanxi have also arrived and are now teaching the new soldiers how to use their weapons."

The chief of staff pointed to the location of Jiaodong City on the map and said, "At the current pace, these new equipment will be combat-ready in ten to fifteen days at most."

"Even if all the Japanese troops in North China attack at once, Jiaodong City can be held firmly!"

Everyone nodded, their faces showing relief.

The security problem in Jiaodong City that had plagued them for so long has finally been completely resolved.

"Now that the security issue is resolved, it's time to get to construction."

The vice president tapped the table, bringing the topic back on track: "Mr. Shen specifically instructed that the shipyard and airport are of paramount importance."

"I've already made plans."

The logistics manager took over: "I plan to recruit 100,000 laborers from the eastern Shandong region to concentrate our efforts on comprehensive infrastructure construction in Jiaodong City. Priority will be given to the construction of large shipyards and military airfields, aiming to complete their initial construction and put them into use within three months."

"One hundred thousand migrant workers..." The boss frowned. "How are their food and wages calculated?"

"I've already calculated that."

The logistics chief took out a small notebook, flipped through it, and said, "With the current chaos and war, I suggest we directly implement work relief, with each person receiving three catties of rice per day."

As soon as the words were spoken, the CEOs gasped in shock.

"Three catties per person per day?"

"One hundred thousand migrant workers, that's three hundred thousand catties of rice a day!"

"Now the price of grain is soaring, one silver dollar can only buy about ten catties of rice."

"That means these 100,000 migrant workers would be paid 30,000 silver dollars a day!"

The logistics chief sighed: "If this were in the past, we wouldn't have even dared to dream of it."

"But things are different now."

He changed the subject, a smile spreading across his face: "We're not short of money right now! Don't forget, Mr. Shen gave us 1,500 tons of gold in one go last time!"

Mentioning gold brought a look of wistful emotion to everyone's faces.

"Mr. Shen is so generous!"

"Yes, 1,500 tons of gold!"

"I did the math," the logistics chief continued. "The current exchange rate for gold to silver dollars is roughly one tael (a Republic of China tael, 31 grams) of gold can be exchanged for thirty-five silver dollars, which is about one gram of gold for one silver dollar."

"Thirty thousand silver dollars a day, which is equivalent to consuming thirty kilograms of gold every day, and in a month, that's only one ton of gold."

"Just one meal..."

The chief of staff clicked his tongue in amazement: "In the past, this would have been an astronomical figure."

"However, with the 1,500 tons of gold given by Mr. Shen, it's nothing."

Everyone laughed.

But at that moment, the logistics manager's face darkened again.

"However, gentlemen, there is now an even more serious problem."

He paused, his tone heavy: "It's not that we don't have money, it's that even if we did, we couldn't buy food!"

The laughter stopped abruptly.

Everyone's expression turned serious.

"Why?" the boss asked in a deep voice.

Three reasons.

The logistics commander held up three fingers: "First, the Japanese are tightening their blockade against us; they've cut off all our food supply routes."

"Secondly, three years ago, the Huayuankou Pass was breached in the mountain city area, causing the Yellow River to change its course. Large areas of fertile farmland in Henan Province were flooded, resulting in a significant reduction in grain production."

"Third, this year's weather has been particularly dry, and many places in the north have suffered from complete crop failure."

"Now, even if the Japanese had opened up the market to us, let alone imposed a blockade, there wouldn't be much grain circulating in the market, and panic buying of grain has already started in many places."

After the logistics chief finished speaking, the executives looked at each other in dismay, not expecting the food problem to be so serious.

"That's absolutely outrageous!"

A boss slammed his fist on the table and roared, "I don't know which genius came up with this terrible idea, actually blowing up Huayuankou!"

"Prioritizing immediate needs while ignoring long-term consequences—isn't this pushing ordinary people to their deaths?"

"alright."

The vice president waved his hand: "This matter will be judged by history. There's no point in saying more now. Let's talk about the problem at hand."

"Natural disasters and man-made calamities have come together."

The chief of staff frowned and said, "According to our information, this year's national grain output has decreased to an appalling level."

"If this continues, by next year at the latest, large-scale famine will occur in Henan Province and southern Shandong."

The mud-brick house was deathly silent.

Everyone was sighing and looking worried.

In the past, we didn't have money; we couldn't afford weapons or food.

Now, Mr. Shen has sent weapons and gold, but they can't buy food.

What kind of nonsense is this?!

"Don't panic, everyone. There's always a way."

The vice president tapped the table, breaking the silence: "The construction of the shipyard and airport must not stop. Here's what we'll do: first, allocate five tons of gold from headquarters' reserves to Jiaodong City, and have them do everything they can to buy as much grain as possible."

"No matter the cost or the means, we must prioritize ensuring food supplies for the 100,000 laborers and guaranteeing the construction of the shipyard!"

"yes!"

The crowd responded in unison.

That's all we can do for now.

. . .

at the same time.

Beiping, the headquarters of the North China Army.

Gangcun stood with his hands behind his back in front of a huge military map, his fingers lightly tapping the location of Jiaodong City.

Since his failed assassination attempt on Shen Wang, he has not launched any large-scale attacks.

The two sides remained locked in a standoff.

The Eighth Route Army is indeed very strong now!

But it's not particularly strong. Excluding those armored units, the other units can at best fight it to a draw.

This made Okamura feel much better.

Just then, the communications officer rushed in: "Commander! Urgent telegram! News from the Shandong front: Jiaodong City is conscripting laborers on a large scale!"