The Heroic Age of the Late Qing Dynasty

"Chairman, we have already started two literacy classes and are also teaching pinyin, addition, subtraction, multiplication and division."

“Are there many people taking literacy classes?”

"It's free, and there are quite a lot of people attending. Some workers even bring their children to attend the class."

"Oh, that's a good thing. Let the kids listen if they want to."

"But Comrade Liu Xinsheng wants to set up a separate class for these children so they can study."

"Well, that's fine. You guys can do whatever you want. It's always good to let these kids learn more."

"Chairman Zhang, you're looking for me?"

"Oh, yes, Director Yu is here. Please sit down and have a cup of tea." "What's the urgent matter that calls me here?"

Upon hearing that they were going to discuss something, the comrade who had been carrying the guns and ammunition immediately drank his tea in one gulp and said, "Chairman, let's go outside and check the numbers before we go back."

"Okay, thank you for your hard work, comrades." "We are all serving the people."

After escorting them out the door and closing it, Zhang Yinghao pulled a Mauser pistol from a drawer and said, "Director Yu, what do you think of this Mauser pistol?"

"Not very good. This gun is powerful and has a long range, but it's too large and heavy, poorly balanced, and inaccurate. It's also complex and difficult to manufacture. It's too expensive for us."

"Well, you're right. But what if we attach a buttstock to the back? That way we can shoot from the shoulder, which greatly increases the effective range and becomes equivalent to a semi-automatic rifle."

"That's a great idea. You called me here to solve this problem? Is it this batch of pistols?"

"Whether these guns can be fitted with stocks is irrelevant, but future Mauser pistols we produce must have this design. With the stock removed, it can be used as a pistol, and with it installed, it can be used as a short-range semi-automatic rifle."

Zhang Yinghao had learned this method from watching the TV series "Snow Leopard" in his previous life, so it shouldn't be wrong. A Mauser pistol with a buttstock was definitely better than just using it as a pistol.

"That's no problem. I'll start designing it when I get back. Is there anything else?"

"Director Yu, the general trend of the world is unstoppable. Those who follow it will prosper, while those who go against it will perish. The Qing Dynasty has ruled China for over two hundred years. We must not forget its early achievements in expanding our territory, but what harm has it done to China now? The Qing Dynasty is bound to perish, and no one can stop it. What we need to do now is not to go against this trend, but to do our utmost to preserve more vitality for our country. The American Indians were slaughtered to the point of near extinction, and we may now be on the verge of national extinction."

Yu Qingao looked at Zhang Yinghao deeply, turned around and left without saying anything.

"Chairman, this old man doesn't know what's good for him."

"Haha, after all, the way we 'invited' him here wasn't exactly glorious. And he's a Qing official, well-off and wealthy. Now he's willing to help us rebels, Comrade Yiwei deserves credit for that."

"Yes, I heard that after this old man came, the production efficiency of the arsenal has increased significantly."

"Well, don't call me old man. Respect the elderly and love the young, okay? Call me Director Yu."

"it is good."

"Okay, let's not talk about him anymore. It would be great if he could change his mindset, but if he can't, there's nothing we can do. Without Butcher Zhang, we wouldn't eat hairy pigs. I called you here this time to assign you a task, but I don't know if you dare to take it."

"Haha, Chairman, if there are conditions, we must go ahead. If there are no conditions, we must create them and go ahead. That's what you said."

"Okay, your suggestion last time to form a vanguard unit to infiltrate Guang'an Prefecture gave me great inspiration. So I plan to form a vanguard unit. They have the best weapons and are familiar with using any weapon we have seen. They are the most rigorously trained and the strongest in combat."

"Chairman, how many people are there in this unit?"

"We don't need too many troops right now, and they all need to be trained as officers. For now, just focus on training a few hundred or a thousand men. Only the best survive the storm. Even if they don't, at least they've learned something. This unit's mission is to bypass the enemy's front lines during combat and attack their rear, logistics, headquarters, ammunition depots, and so on. This unit needs to react quickly and seize opportunities. Its attack power is so strong that the enemy doesn't have time to react."

"Is this the legendary suicide squad?"

"They're not a suicide squad, but an elite unit. These people are able to independently seek out opportunities to fight without any logistical support. They are like a sharp knife, ready to appear at the enemy's most vulnerable point and deliver a severe blow."

"I roughly understand what it means, and I also know how to train."

"That's good."

Zhang Yinghao's Quotes: Freedom without foundation is just a helpless cry!

Chapter 64

Zhang Yinghao continued, "Any advanced weapons we have will be provided to you first. We will also give you priority in testing any weapons and equipment we develop. You can choose any soldier from the entire army. I will temporarily assign you 500 soldiers. Train an elite force as quickly as possible. What do you think? Do you have confidence?"

"have."

"Do you have any requests?"

"Hey, Chairman, everyone should have a pistol at the door, right?"

"No problem, anything else?"

"Ammunition must be replenished first, and meat must be supplied in sufficient quantities."

"I can agree to all of these, but for now you all have to pay for them."

"Chairman, military training always costs money, so how can we make money? Where do we get the money?"

“Humph, if training soldiers costs money, I can’t afford to support so many soldiers.

There are so many bandits, and you are not new recruits. If you don't go to suppress them, who will? Some strongholds are easy to defend but difficult to attack. If you don't take on the tough ones, who will?"

"Just treat it as training, okay? Then we can eat meat every day." "That's wishful thinking. Whether it can be realized depends on your ability."

Zhang Yinghao is not planning to build a special forces unit.

In fact, special forces are not as incompetent as they appear on TV. They are also a group of ordinary people, but their fighting methods are different from those of other troops. Of course, these special forces are united, each of them is a master in all aspects, and each of them is a master of soldiers. Quantitative change leads to qualitative change.

Able to complete tasks that countless people dare not even think about.

Of course, if a special forces soldier encounters a large force, he can only fire two shots. Otherwise, he will die without a burial place and will not be able to escape. Even those snipers who are so skilled on TV can only live in the dark.

move.

Once discovered by the main force, snipers would be the first targets. Artillery shells and bullets would be fired upon, and even the most formidable sniper would be blasted to pieces. They existed only to carry out special missions. Zhang Yinghao was currently forming a vanguard unit, from which he would later select and form a full-fledged special forces unit.

At this time, special operations is still a new field, and everyone is very unfamiliar with it.

It only appeared in 1940 during World War II, so once Zhang Yinghao formed this unit and put it into real combat, it would definitely have unexpected results. It might even hit the target with one strike, completing the feat of taking the head of a general amidst thousands of troops.

"Chairman, can you give this unit a name?"

Zhang Yinghao recalled the TV series "I Am a Special Forces Soldier" and said, "It's called the 007 Logistics Warehouse Protection Unit, or 007 or Warehouse Protection Unit for short. The soldiers in it are collectively called Logistics Warehouse Keepers."

"Chairman, what does this mean?"

"Does it sound confusing?" Hu Songhui nodded.

"It's right to be inexplicable. Keep it secret, understand? The enemy—I heard you have a special forces team, finished, what is a special forces team? Just think about it and you will know what it means. Our unit is directly under the leadership of the Central Military Commission. Except for relevant personnel, no one can disclose it. He is our secret weapon, he is our logistics warehouse management unit. Understand?"

"clear."

"Therefore, all soldiers must sign a confidentiality agreement. Violators will be charged with treason. This unit must forever live in darkness, in mystery, in legend, and never reveal it to the world."

"Ok."

"Come on, now that we've finished our business, let's go practice our shooting skills."

"Chairman, to be honest, this Mauser pistol is not very useful.

The Mauser's most common criticism is its poor accuracy. Furthermore, the Mauser lacks a handguard beneath the barrel, preventing a direct grip on the barrel for stability. Those without wrist strength simply cannot properly fire the Mauser.

"Haha, that's because you haven't mastered the correct method."

In the past, China was subject to an arms embargo imposed on foreign countries, but handguns were not included. Consequently, China imported and produced a large number of handguns, the most common of which was the Mauser pistol. Over time, the ingenious and imaginative Chinese people employed uniquely Chinese "home-made" methods to overcome the Mauser pistol's inherent shortcomings.

When Zhang Yinghao and Hu Songhui arrived at the shooting range, they heard Zhang Yinghao say:

There is no handguard under the barrel of the shell gun, so it is impossible to hold the gun body. I came up with a very simple method, which not only solved the problem

It solves the problem of muzzle rise and turns it into a rapid-fire advantage in full-auto fire."

As he spoke, Zhang Yinghao held the gun in his right hand, pulled the bolt to the rapid-fire position, raised the gun with his palm facing up, and stretched it toward the left front.

"You see, this way, with the palm facing up, the problem of no handguard under the barrel is solved. If you pull the trigger now, the muzzle will jump up and the shell will

The gun sweeps from the gunner's left front to the right front; when the gun is held with the palm down, it sweeps from the right front to the left front; when the gun is held with the left hand, it is exactly the opposite. This way, he is in full automatic sweep mode."

"Haha, Chairman, this move is really turning stone into gold and turning decay into magic.

A stroke of genius! A simple wrist flip

This work solved several problems with the Mauser pistol."

"Besides, you see, this Mauser pistol is too heavy, and the center of gravity is too close to the

Before, it is very difficult to aim accurately with one hand.

The pistol is tilted sideways at a fixed angle, allowing the muzzle to naturally point to the target.

After roughly aiming, fire decisively, which is what we usually call "fling your hands and shoot".

A gunman who has been trained for a long time can use this method to obtain

Amazing single-shot accuracy."

Zhang Yinghao told a soldier to throw bricks into the sky.

He shot with his revolver and every shot hit the target.

"Chairman, it's great, but do you think the sight of this gun affects

Gun speed?"

“Yes, so the front sight can be sawed off and it won’t have any effect.

Songhui, let me ask you a question. Do you need to aim after you draw your gun?

The enemy fired again?"

“Definitely aim.

"Haha, Songhui, you think we are so far away when we use pistols to shoot.

Is the enemy close or far?

"It certainly can't be very far."

"That's right. Since the enemy isn't particularly far away, speed is paramount at this point. When you see the enemy, draw your gun and shoot. Of course, that doesn't mean you don't need to aim, but if you keep your eyes on the enemy while you draw your gun, that counts as aiming. In other words, draw your gun and shoot. Because at this point, there's really not much difference between hitting the enemy's head and hitting them in the chest, abdomen, or even an arm or thigh. The most important thing is that our guns fire continuously, so you can adjust your position mid-fire. Let me ask you a question: if you heard someone firing, what would be your first reaction?"

"Get down immediately and take cover. Chairman, I know."

"Got it? That's what we mean when we talk about liberating our minds. As long as you fire first, you're safe for that split second, buying time for yourself and your teammates. In a gunfight, life and death, victory or defeat, all happen in a split second. I've already made arrangements with the logistics department. Find 600 people to train first, and eliminate 100."

"Okay, Chairman."

"Come on, try your new shooting method by firing a few shots."

At this time, Zhou Weiren was drinking tea at home, awaiting the response from the Forward Party. He thought that if he took the initiative to surrender, the Forward Party would surely pay him a huge price and treat him well, at least without having to go through labor reform. If the Forward Party did not accept his surrender, then they would have lost their minds and would be a rabbit's tail that would not last long. Zhou Weiren would immediately lead his men to quietly leave through the tunnel at home and return later to reclaim his land. Just as he was daydreaming, the housekeeper walked in.

"Master, a large group of soldiers are coming outside, saying they want to see you." Hearing this, Zhou Weiren breathed a sigh of relief, then frowned again. It seemed that this Forward Party was not easy to deal with. He sighed and said softly: "Let's go, lead the way, I will go to greet them personally."

When Zhou Weiren was still a long distance away from the gate, he saw the revolutionary army soldiers scattered on both sides of the courtyard wall. Even though Zhou Weiren had no experience in leading troops in battle, he could see that this was an offensive posture. It seemed that the revolutionary army generals were very cautious.

"Haha, welcome, welcome. Welcome all the officers to our humble abode."

Liu Dagui sneered in his heart. Zhou Weiren was a man who knew how to deal with current affairs, but it was impossible for him not to feel pain in his heart. He said one thing in public and another in private.

"Haha, Mr. Zhou, if this is your humble abode, then the place we live in is a pigsty."

"Haha, just kidding, just kidding. Please come in, please come in."

"Mr. Zhou, I won't go in. Your family has a good tradition, a family of scholars, and poetry and literature are passed down from generation to generation. However, with such a large family and business, it is inevitable that there will be a few termites. Take a look at this."

After saying that, Liu Dagui took out a recent investigation report on the Zhou family from his arms. It contained information about two members of the Zhou family who had robbed women and committed crimes. It also recorded the time, place, process, and results of the incident.

Zhou Weiren took the paper and began to read it. One of the people on the list was the one who had encouraged him to fight the revolutionary army. No wonder they jumped out to oppose him after hearing about his land donation. It turned out he had a dirty hand. However, he had already sent these two people to Chongqing, so he couldn't hand them over to the revolutionary army even if he wanted to.

"Ah, well, comrade, these two men are no longer at home. They may have escaped."

Hearing this, Liu Dagui sneered inwardly, "Hmph, do you think these two can get away? Your family has already set up surveillance, where can they escape to? They're already in prison, and after interrogation, it wasn't you, an old bastard, who let them go?"

"Oh, really? Then could you please call everyone to the open space in front so we can identify it together?"

"Comrade, what about the women?"

"We have female soldiers, call them all out."

"And could you also bring out your family's land deeds, house deeds, and previous IOUs from the people?"

"Comrade, we've already donated the land, so giving you the land deed is fine, but there's also an IOU for the house deed, right?"

"All the property deeds and land deeds from the Qing Dynasty are invalid. We need to issue you new ones. Your family needs to get a new household registration, so your family must be divided up and the rooms assigned to individuals. Otherwise, with so many people in your family, it's impossible to register your household. We'll review those IOUs again. If they're reasonable and legal, we'll recognize them. If the annual interest rate exceeds 30%, it's usury, and the amount above that will be invalid. Do you understand?"

"This, this, this, separation?"

Zhou Weiren was a thousand times against the idea of ​​splitting up the family. As the head of the Zhou family, his word was law. Once the family split up, the prestige of the Zhou family would be gone, and it would be impossible for the Zhou family to return to its current state.

"What? You're still not giving up, still thinking of making a comeback? You want to strike back? Come on, bring the people up here."