Chapter 156: Get Ready
Ever since hearing that the Japanese were going to launch an attack on Wutaixian, the atmosphere in Wutaixian had become exceptionally tense.
There were far fewer pedestrians on the streets, and many common people were fleeing to the countryside with their families in tow. Facing this situation, Su Yaoyang did not stop them; instead, he ordered the troops below to organize traffic clearance to help the common people leave.
To cope with this attack, Su Yaoyang spent most of his time materializing supplies. Every day, large quantities of supplies were materialized and then distributed to the warehouses and various troops.
The consequence of doing this was the consumption of a massive amount of mental energy, leaving him listless every day with dark circles under his eyes. This frightened Song Mei, who wondered if it was because they had been too frequent these days. She quickly notified Xiao Lu to temporarily stop pestering Su Yaoyang and let him rest properly, then prepared a pile of tonic foods for her man to eat.
But there were benefits to doing this as well. After more than a week of ascetic-like practice, Su Yaoyang’s mental energy had greatly improved. Besides becoming more closely connected to the necklace, materializing items also became easier, with greater quantities.
On the square at the garrison of Cannon Regiment One, more than ten li outside Wutaixian, dozens of M1 155mm howitzers gleaming with a bluish sheen were neatly arrayed.
Whether new recruits who had just joined the army or veteran soldiers, all gathered around these cannons, staring at the shiny new artillery with shocked looks in their eyes.
Zhang Zhihao silently paced around the gun position, the soles of his boots crushing a few pebbles underfoot.
When his slightly rough palm pressed on the hydraulic spade, his callused hand formed a stark contrast with the brand-new paint.
A newly arrived captain suddenly bent down to examine it closely, recognizing the distinctive curved locking lugs of American weaponry on the breech.
His Adam’s apple bobbed violently twice as he couldn’t help asking, “Regiment seat… this… this is the new 155mm howitzer allocated to us?”
Zhang Zhihao glanced at him and countered, “What’s this… can’t you see for yourself? Or do you not dare believe it?”
“No, no…” The captain gave an embarrassed smile: “I’ve only heard that the Central Army has a few German-made 150mm howitzers, treated like treasures on normal days. Supposedly, without orders from Chongqing, no one is allowed to touch them. Who would’ve thought we’d even have 155mm howitzers? If word gets out, those Central Army guys will be green with envy.”
“Exactly, I’ve said it long ago—follow the Commander, and you’re guaranteed to be set!”
Zhang Zhihao smiled proudly and patted the colonel insignia on his shoulder. “Back when we were in Nanjing, I was just a captain company commander in the 48th Division. Now look.”
In less than a year, bro became a regiment commander, with a full eighty big ocean dollars every month. This pay—not to mention the miscellaneous armies elsewhere—even the Central Army can’t match it; it’s one of a kind.
The captain wanted to retort but couldn’t say a word; everything he said was the plain truth.
Don’t think that just because the Nationalist Government issued the 《Army Provisional Pay Regulations》 in 1933, stipulating that even the lowest-ranking second-class soldier（private） gets seven dollars a month in pay, but due to inflation, the money soldiers actually received couldn’t buy much.
Plus, officers at all levels falsifying headcounts to “eat empty pay” was rampant, so the pay actually distributed to soldiers was often less than half, leading to widespread grumbling among the troops. In 1937, seven dollars could still buy 160 jin of rice, but by 1938, it only bought 60 jin.
This was no longer mere inflation; it was hyperinflation.
By comparison, the pay in the Shanxi Militia was much better. They issued proper silver dollars, not that dog-rejected legal tender. Just this alone outclassed most troops in the country.
Good equipment, good pay, and salaries never delayed—even in case of death or disability, their pensions were paid in full. Who wouldn’t be dazzled by that?
“Beep beep…”
A sharp whistle sounded urgently. Accompanied by the duty officer blowing the whistle, the troops began to assemble, and soldiers started new training under the orders of their respective officers.
Meanwhile, at the garrison of First Regiment, dozens of li away from the artillery regiment.
The sweltering sun scorched the training ground, and the back of Company Commander Li Qingxiang’s gray uniform was soaked with dark sweat stains.
He was surrounded by a group of machine gunners.
He knelt on one knee on the sandy ground, his rough fingers brushing over the cooling holes of the M1919A4 machine gun, the metal surface hot enough to redden his fingertips.
“See clearly—this thing doesn’t need water cooling.”
His voice was hoarse as he tapped the empty jacket with the barrel. The machine gunners gathered in a semicircle gasped; who among them hadn’t carried a leaky M1917 heavy machine gun?
Almost everyone had burn scars on the backs of their hands.
Li Qingxiang suddenly pulled the bolt, and with a dull burst of gunfire, a dense stream of bullets poured toward the target ahead, stopping only after the entire belt was expended.
He picked up a clip and lifted the entire machine gun with one hand. “Twenty-eight jin—it’s a full twenty jin lighter than that old M1917 beast.
With this weight, any one of us can carry it and run anywhere!”
“Hahaha…”
Perhaps thinking of the past misery of several machine gunners struggling to carry the 78-jin water-cooled heavy machine gun on the march, the machine gunners all burst out laughing.
“What the hell are you laughing at!”
Li Qingxiang glared at the laughing machine gunners and yanked open the receiver cover with a clatter. “The M1917 needs water to depressurize when changing barrels, but now…”
He donned asbestos gloves and yanked out the glowing red-hot barrel, tossing it to the ground where blue smoke billowed up.
“Three seconds—just three seconds! We can give this machine gun a brand-new barrel.”
“Clatter…”
In just a few seconds, the barrel was changed.
He looked up, his icy gaze like a warning or a deterrent. “Remember, the air-cooled machine gun’s advantage over water-cooled is its lightness, but unlike water-cooled, it can’t fire continuously for six or seven hours.
After firing two belts with this baby, you must pause for a few minutes or change the barrel, or its accuracy will drop, it will jam, or even the barrel will warp or burst.”
And not far from there, by another range, Wang Shouxin crouched beside an M2HB 12.7mm heavy machine gun, loudly telling the surrounding machine gunners:
“This thing is indeed very heavy—116 jin including the tripod—but you have to know, this beast can penetrate a brick wall three kilometers away.
And with it, we’ll never have to fear the little devils’ runt tanks again. Load AP rounds, and you can easily blow up their thin-skinned tanks from two li away.”
In the Wutaixian barracks, scenes like this were plentiful. Countless officers and veterans tirelessly and patiently imparted battlefield survival rules and weapon performance to the recruits, preparing for the coming great battle…
