PFC Chapter 354 Logistics Support
Chapter 354 Logistics Support
When the night came, a grand welcome ceremony was held on Mount Mengshan, which was actually just a table of good wine and delicious food. The three Americans were very satisfied with this trip to Mount Mengshan. Except that the two beauties' request to take photos was not met, Chen Feng did not retain anything else he wanted to know.
Chen Feng knew very well that it didn't matter whether the tunnel defense system was exposed or not. If the Japanese army really attacked, it would mean that the troops at the foot of the mountain were crippled. This situation was possible, but he didn't know if the Japanese army had that much courage. Besides, unless the commander was crazy, he would never command his troops to charge up the mountain mindlessly.
The welcome banquet was also a farewell banquet. Joanna and her party would leave tomorrow morning. There would be a cruise ship departing from Shanghai for home the day after tomorrow at noon, so there was no time to waste. Joanna and Chen Feng exchanged contact information and promised to let her brother contact Chen Feng when she returned, and she would help negotiate any business.
Wang Linsen was in a good mood as well. During the morning, he took the opportunity to observe the tunnels and talked with many soldiers. They didn't even know whose team the Lunan Detachment belonged to, and they knew nothing about the policies over there. Judging from the overall situation, there was no problem with the Yimeng guerrillas, and he would have an explanation when he returned. The top brass were too suspicious, with the Nightingale Communications Team and Lin Chuan, they really didn't know what they were worried about.
After seeing off the press delegation, Wang Hansheng summoned Yan Jiaming, who was in charge of logistics.
Yan Jiaming walked with a limp, leaning on a cane made of Chinese toon wood. When annihilating the Hata Detachment, Yan Jiaming was hit in the knee by a bullet from a Type 38 rifle. After treatment, he became disabled and could no longer fight, so Chen Feng arranged for him to manage logistics.
"Old Yan, please sit down."
Chen Feng poured a cup of tea for Yan Jiaming, picked up the cane and looked at it for a few seconds.
"How is it? Are there any logistical difficulties?"
Yan Jiaming was about to stand up to report when Chen Feng pushed him back on the chair.
"Old Yan, sit down and talk. There's no need to be polite between us."
"Captain, there is no problem with supplies. There is no shortage of food, meat and canned food. The Japanese haven't been here for a long time. The nearby villages have grown vegetables, which are brought back in truckloads every day. The soldiers eat different kinds of food every day. This is because the training volume is large, otherwise they would have become a group of fat people."
"Don't bargain when buying vegetables and meat. We don't need that little money. The local people have suffered a lot because of us, so we deserve some compensation."
"Don't worry, Captain! We purchase everything at the county price. This year's cabbages and radishes have also been reserved. You don't know that the people in the nearby villages have planted cabbages and radishes in all their paddy fields. I've calculated that for the more than 3,000 people in Mengshan, we have enough cabbages and radishes to eat until next year's Spring Festival."
"Isn't it spoiled?"
"Pickled sauerkraut! All the big jars and small basins are ready, and two large caves have been specially cleared out, which can handle more than half of the cabbage and radishes. I have sent someone to notify them, and they dare not plant like this in the future. Next year, each family can harvest a maximum of 100 kilograms of cabbage and radishes. If they don't seal the holes, by this time next year, the cabbage and radishes will be piled up into mountains, which is much more profitable than growing grain."
"Are there any other difficulties?"
"No, you know about the ammunition. We can never use it up. Many Japanese weapons are piled up in the caves and need maintenance. It's very troublesome. We have no shortage of bullets and grenades, but we don't have enough mortar shells. The consumption in recent months has exceeded the captures. But it is enough to fight a few major battles."
"Let's talk about seafood! When I went to Lanshantou to pick up the people, I found out that your business is quite big."
Yan Jiaming was a little worried.
"Captain, isn't it against the rules to do this?"
"What are you thinking about? I called you to praise you for doing a good job. You know me. I don't pay much attention to the economy and people's livelihood. It's just that there is no suitable candidate. I will give you the power now. You can intervene in all the occupied areas. You can give us people and money. My requirements are not high. I just want to ensure the circulation of the people's scarce daily necessities. If you have any difficulties, please find the local garrison commander. I will say hello to them."
Yan Jiaming was a little excited and looked at the captain with gratitude.
"Captain, there is no need for us to interfere with ordinary daily necessities. However, if there is a premium on things like grain, salt and cloth, we have to intervene. It is also simple to deal with. If there is a serious premium in a certain place, we can transport a batch of goods in to bring it down and then sell it at a fair price. We should set rules for merchants who hoard goods. It's okay to make money, but they can't be too greedy."
"Then what kind of goods do we mainly deal in? Can we only sell seafood?"
Yan Jiaming became interested when talking about business and drank his tea leisurely.
"Captain, selling seafood is just a side job. The soil in many areas of the Yimeng Mountains is poor, and we can only grow sweet potatoes and fruit trees. There is no shortage of dried sweet potatoes everywhere, but the fish along the coastal areas are inconvenient to transport and cannot be sold. They have no shortage of fish but food, and seafood is not easy to transport. In fact, these areas far from the seaside actually like salted fish the most. One truckload of dried melons can be exchanged for two truckloads of salted fish at the seaside, and vice versa, one truckload of salted fish can be exchanged for three truckloads of dried melons."
"In addition, some fruits grown in the mountains and herbs collected by farmers can all make huge profits from trading."
"Okay, you have the final say on everything, but you also have to pay attention to one thing. Be it a caravan, or opening a business or store, don't get too deeply involved in any place. We are now on the defensive. Who knows when the Japanese may launch a large-scale siege, and the industries we earn will be taken away by them. Also, try to make use of the brothers in the mountains who are injured and cannot participate in the battle, and give them the opportunity to shine. I talked to them a few days ago. They have been staying in the mountains all day and their mental state is not very good."
After chatting with Yan Jiaming for more than an hour, Chen Feng felt that he benefited a lot. In that era, transportation was extremely inconvenient. The railways were controlled by the Japanese, there were numerous bandits on the roads, and supplies were in short supply. It was sometimes inconvenient for ordinary people to weigh salt. One day when they ran out of food and wanted to buy some, they suddenly found that the price of food had risen, and they could not buy much with the money they had.
Just after Yan Jiaming left, Li Yunyan came with an envelope.
"Captain, here's an urgent message from Commander Shen of the New Fourth Division."
Chen Feng pulled out the telegram, which was a report from the Special Operations Team of the Third Regiment of the New Fourth Division, regarding the Japanese troops’ deployment and factory conditions in Qingdao.
Ever since Liu Kuang used a simple blacksmith's furnace and two machine tools to make German equipment parts, Chen Feng began to be keen on military manufacturing. Although Qingdao did not have an arsenal, there were many other factories, including a cotton mill, a rubber factory, and a machinery factory. At the beginning of last year, Shen Honglie led the Marines to bomb all Japanese companies in Qingdao. In a year and a half, the Japanese opened a large number of factories and restored the prosperity of Qingdao's manufacturing industry.