When An Yi went to Central Asia to meet with Lyushenkov, Chairman of the Far Eastern Soviet Republic, Ou Chuer took the Lins to visit various cities and industrial areas in South China. Wherever they went, sisters Lin Xiaotong and Lin Xiaoran were captured.
I was deeply shocked by the urbanization and industrialization process that occurred in this hot land.
The sisters saw that in almost all the cities they visited, there were wide and clean cement roads with constant traffic on them. On both sides of the streets stood neatly planned houses and buildings, and the streets were bustling with people.
To facilitate the flow of people, green belts are set up on the main arterial roads, traffic lights are set up at intersections, traffic police are on duty to direct traffic, and there are garbage cans and wooden benches for pedestrians to rest on both sides of all roads at certain distances, giving a rich cultural atmosphere.
The only thing that puzzled the two sisters was that there were no street lights on the streets. Ou Chuer explained that it was during the war and lights were blacked out at night, so there was no need to waste steel to build such things for the time being. However, the underground had been prepared.
Once the pipe network is set up, the future will be peaceful, and all that is needed is to complete the wiring and erect lamp posts.
Since Nanhua has now entered the wartime system, more shops on the streets are closed than open. Most of the shops that are open are selling handicrafts or providing public services such as postal, communications, audio and video, movies, catering, etc. The commercial atmosphere is not very strong, but everyone
The huge industrial areas that can be seen in the city left a deep impression on the two sisters:
The roar of machines in the production workshop, huge trailers transport various parts and semi-finished products from numerous downstream processing plants of single parts to the upstream assembly production workshop, everything is done with high efficiency, low energy consumption and high standards.
Quickly complete the request.
At the Taiyuan Automobile Manufacturing Plant, the two sisters learned that Nanhua has now opened up its authority and technology for the processing and production of various auto parts to many private investors. This allows many auto parts to be processed in a relatively simple way.
Produced and processed in factories, the tens of thousands of parts that make up automobiles are continuously processed and produced from thousands of large and small factories, and then sent to the assembly workshop production line of Taiyuan Automobile Manufacturing Plant for final assembly, including military trucks, jeeps, and off-road vehicles.
That's how it's made.
Ou Chuer proudly said that this not only greatly reduced production costs, but also greatly increased output and enhanced the overall industrial level of Nanhua.
You must know that with the influx of Jews and a large number of overseas Chinese into South China, they brought huge funds and urgently needed investment in production. This single-specialized processing method requires less technology and can be completed very quickly. In this way
Although the investment is low-profit, it is guaranteed to make a profit, and single processing can also promote factories to improve processing accuracy and innovate processing techniques, so that they can stand out in terms of product quality and reduce costs in innovative processing techniques.
What surprised the two sisters even more was the way Nanhua trained junior, middle and senior skilled workers in the process of industrial development.
Today, Syfu Polytechnic University has established branch campuses in 49 cities in South China, Japan, Siberia and Central Asia, and a large number of overseas students have returned to China, forming a huge scientific research force. Today, in addition to Xufu University,
In addition to recruiting high-end talents in the research institute, various factories and enterprises have also begun to establish their own scientific research institutions, which has greatly improved the scientific and technological content of Nanhua Industry.
However, these scientific researchers only convert various ideas into drawings, but they lack the skills to specifically convert the drawings into parts. They greatly need the cooperation of many middle- and senior-level technical production personnel in the production process.
We rely on the superb craftsmanship of skilled workers and the practical ability in the front-line production process to realize the designer's intentions.
Similarly, in production, machines are operated by humans, and the technical level of the operators directly affects the quality of the product and the increase or decrease in the defective rate.
As early as the economic crisis broke out in 2009, a large number of European and American skilled workers came to Syria, and they brought advanced production technology. After that, Jews, French and skilled workers from the Far East began to be hired one after another to serve in various fields.
Teachers from vocational and technical schools guide the practical skills of workers who receive training. The group of junior, intermediate and senior skilled workers in Nanhua is constantly expanding.
Today, managers of major groups and enterprises have almost all recognized this reality: a senior skilled worker can process five times the number of parts in a day as a junior skilled worker, and the defective rate is only that of a junior skilled worker.
One-tenth that of skilled workers.
Because of this, since 1938, in mid-July every year, the Nam Hwa government has held competitions in various technical trades in Saigon. It has specially produced trophies, medals and certificates, and allocated two million Chinese dollars as bonuses to reward the winners.
Workers are rewarded to stimulate workers to continuously forge ahead, strive for excellence, constantly hone their skills, and have the courage to climb to the top of the industry.
The reason why Saigon was chosen as the venue for the competition was that the industrial atmosphere in southern South China was not strong at that time. An Yi very much hoped to stimulate the industrial development of the south through such an excellent professional skills competition. In fact, with the development of Siam
Restoration, and the South China Sea at the end of 1938
With the large influx of overseas Chinese, the industry in the south finally took off. The completion of the north-south railway last year greatly stimulated the development of the industry in the south. The second technical competition held in July last year caused a sensation.
This year is already the third time.
On July 14, Ou Chuer hosted the opening ceremony on behalf of An Yi, the National Democratic Party and the South China Central Government, and then took the Lin sisters to and from various competition venues.
The three wives of An Yi received a great welcome, and there were thunderous cheers wherever they went. The Lin sisters also confirmed one thing. Eight thousand and four people were sent by major factories and companies to participate in this event.
Almost all of the one hundred and sixty-two contestants have unique skills.
For example, in the preliminary round of the fitter competition, because many people completed the required accuracy and speed tests within the specified time, they entered the semi-finals calmly. In order to kill the extra time and show their own strength, they also put psychological pressure on others.
, more than a dozen masters put the hands on their wrists
Take off the watch, put it on the bench, apply some lubricating butter on the glass case, then swing the large bench hammer towards the case, and use the bench hammer to hammer the glass case.
The butter on it started to stick away bit by bit, which made Sister Lin's eyes widen in surprise.
I have to say that this kind of competition is very entertaining. If the fitter's hammer falls off and high, it will not be stained with butter. If it falls too low, the glass watch case will be broken. There is no such thing as hammering out millions of times in actual work.
It is impossible to achieve such millimeter-level control accuracy through exercise. At the same time, without absolute trust in the flexibility and feeling of your own arms and wrists, it is impossible to achieve such a hammer release.
The Lin sisters themselves are managers of the company. They know very well that reaching such a level is not just for good looks. It means that these skilled workers already have a very high technical level. This training on hammering is enough.
Represents their fitter strength.
The subsequent competition confirmed the judgment of the two women. These workers even blindfolded themselves and carved out a uniform and light-transmitting horizontal line from a piece of iron block ten millimeters thick. This meant that in actual production, they could be faster.
Produce the parts you need better and more accurately.
During their stay in Saigon, the Lin sisters once again felt the power of Nam Hwa. In industry competitions, such as the forklift opening bottle caps, the crane lifting needles to poke targets, the female workers in the garment factory quickly folding clothes, the postmen sorting letters, etc., all impressed the two girls.
I am deeply aware that Nanhua is rapidly becoming a large industrial country and a powerful country. The man I have entrusted to my life is indeed a man of great talent. Otherwise, how can we explain all the things we see before us?
...
On July 15th, a sudden heavy rain hit the entire Huanghuai region and the Qilu land. Flash floods occurred and rivers swelled. The originally tense situation between China and Japan eased slightly.
However, due to consecutive days of rainfall, the water level of the Xue River surged, with the water level rising by three to four meters. In addition, the debris flow broke out on Longtou Mountain and Xiaonan Mountain.
All the defensive positions built were destroyed by the flood.
Xia Wei, the commander of the 41st Group Army, was horrified after receiving the report. He ordered the officers and soldiers of the two divisions to rush to repair the defenses overnight. For a while, he was in a panic.
Due to the heavy rain, the Japanese army's assembly operations were also very difficult, and the date for the army's forced crossing was repeatedly postponed.
After unremitting efforts, the 68th Division and the 12th independent mixed brigade that cooperated with the operation, and all the artillery of the 13th Puppet Army Division, a total of 200 light and heavy artillery, were concentrated to the north of the Xue River, and the Japanese 57th Brigade boarded the ship
Before departure, the engineers crossing the river stood by the bank in the rain, always ready to build a bridge to allow the equipped chariot convoy to pass.
On July 20, the officers and soldiers of the 131st Division of the 84th Guangxi Army were still struggling to repair the fortifications. Because the progress did not meet the requirements, they were scolded by the division general who came down to inspect. In desperation, the grassroots
The company and platoon commanders could only scold the exhausted soldiers with dark faces.
“***Grandma’s!”
A short soldier wiped the muddy water from his face and yelled back at the scolding officer standing under the tree: "Company Commander Gu, you are a bitch who knows how to scold people. Since you think the progress is slow, why don't you come down and talk to us?"
Doing it together? What does it mean to just talk?"
The officer who cursed was the company commander Gu Zhengtao. He was staring sadly at the dense rain curtain in front of him, wondering whether the repair work could be completed by night.
Due to the continuous rain, the Central Air Force has stopped reconnaissance. Now the Eighty-fourth Army, from top to bottom, is not clear about the situation of the Japanese troops on the north bank. Suddenly, they heard shouting and cursing, and turned around to see a soldier stopped there, motionless.
He had long been unhappy and yelled angrily:
"Skinny monkey bitch, don't you want to sleep tonight? Ah!? Building fortifications is not for me, but to save your dog lives! No one knows how many cannons the little devil has brought, no
How can we hold on to a trench that can safely block artillery barrages?"
"Skinny monkey, work quickly! If you use more force now, you may not be able to save your boy's life during the battle!" The squad leader next to the skinny soldier hurriedly ordered in a low voice.
"Hmph! We only know how to defend. We only learned the basics of how An's army fought. If it were replaced by General An's command, we might not be able to reach Tengxian at this time. Even if it doesn't work, we will reach Guanqiao. How can we use this?
Are you unlucky enough to be caught in the rain? You keep passively defending, but I don’t know what kind of counterattack this is?”
The thin soldier scolded back while obediently digging up the muddy soil.
"Don't blame sir!"
The squad leader, who was in his early thirties, wiped the water droplets from his face, continued to wave the engineer shovel, and said: "The Central Army is following us. It is a full four or five days' journey from here. The various fronts of our group army are also uneven.
, what should we do if we go deep alone and are made dumplings by the Japanese army?
"An encounter is not as good as a defensive battle. If you lose, you may be swallowed up by the little devils without even a bite left. It's better to use the terrain to defend and counterattack! According to the commander's opinion, some Japanese troops will be consumed in Xue River first, and then wait for the center
The army caught up with them and joined together to cross the river and launch a counterattack! The strategy of this all-out offensive was personally formulated by Chairman Chiang Kai-shek. We can’t always ask our Guangxi Army to take the lead, right? The Central Army has been training for several years. Whether it is a mule or a horse, it should be
Take it out for a walk!"
As he spoke, a serpentine trench more than one meter wide was slowly taking shape thanks to the soldiers' continuous efforts, and at this time, the sky was gradually getting dark.
Seeing that the trenches were almost in compliance with the requirements, the company commander Gu Zhengtao shook his wet head, water splashed everywhere, and was about to announce the assembly, when suddenly there was an earth-shattering explosion not far away, and a huge fireball carried the entire group of people.
Mud
It rose into the air. After the explosion sounded violently, the whistling sound of artillery shells passing through the air was heard. These were heavy artillery shells flying faster than the speed of sound. Explosions and huge orange fireballs were also heard from the surrounding positions.
The order rises!
"No, the enemy's shelling! Take cover, take cover quickly!"
Gu Zhengtao, who rushed to the trench when he heard the first explosion, saw some recruits holding engineer shovels standing stupidly on the edge of the trench, looking around in panic, not knowing how to respond, and couldn't help but think again
He was so angry and funny that he kept shouting: "Quick, pull them down!"
Those who reacted immediately were all veterans from Guangxi. They knew that this was a calibrated artillery shell fired by the Japanese army. After adjusting the shooting angle, the Japanese artillery was about to start a large-scale artillery bombardment. And most of those new soldiers were in the Central Plains.
Although the regional recruits have undergone relatively rigorous training, they have no combat experience, which is why they have performed so poorly.
Under the urging of the company platoon leader and veterans, the recruits finally reacted and quickly jumped into the trenches. Due to the continuous rain in the sky, the originally built anti-gun holes had long been filled with water, so all the officers and soldiers had no choice but to hide in the trenches.
The trenches, which were more than one meter deep and filled with muddy water at the bottom, were waiting for the Japanese artillery bombardment to arrive.
Thirty seconds later, the Japanese artillery force, more than 200 large and small artillery pieces including 75mm infantry guns, 105mm mountain guns, 120mm cannons, 150mm mountain guns and field guns, and 240mm heavy howitzers, fired at the opposite side of the Xue River.
The Gui army's position fired fiercely.
Almost every second, dozens of artillery shells would hit the muddy trenches, and in the sky, rain mixed with dark red bullet marks like migratory locusts roared from the north bank of the Xue River.
The shells with a sharp whistling sound crazily hit the ground. In an instant, the whole earth began to tremble violently as if a violent earthquake had occurred. With waves of dull roars, clusters of black and red
The flames shot straight into the sky with wisps of rain. Amidst the firelight and thick smoke, the mud balls that flew into the air quickly turned into a shower of mud rain, and fell to the ground.
The Japanese artillery unit, which had been fired in advance, accurately hit the positions of the Gui Army soldiers. The trenches were buried by the falling soil. Some trenches that were unfortunately directly hit by large-caliber artillery shells collapsed suddenly, and countless soldiers were killed.
The flesh and blood of the officers and soldiers lying at the bottom of the tunnel quickly merged with the soil.
Artillery shells of various calibers fell densely on the ground, and no more "boom" explosions could be heard. The only thing that could be heard was a series of huge roars like rolling thunder.
The flames soaring in the heavy rain made a "chichi" sound of water and fire, and formed walls of fire on the ground. The raging air waves were mixed with wind and rain, flying in all directions, and the wet stones, sand, and flesh were mixed with each other.
The broken bones and limbs were mixed together and quickly rolled into the air. When they landed on the ground, only bursts of sand and gravel that could be crushed into powder were left.
In this rainy night, the Japanese artillery of various calibers covered the Chinese defenders' positions over and over again. Every trench and every painstakingly constructed fortification was blown to pieces in the flames that shot up into the sky.
The Japanese bombardment came suddenly and ended quickly.
Just as the garrison officers and soldiers opened their mouths, endured the torment of the sound, and silently recited the blessings of Bodhisattva in their hearts, the thunderous explosion suddenly disappeared.
The first to wake up were the officers, who desperately crawled out of the muddy water, followed by the veterans, and the recruits who were pale and shaking all over.
The entire position was in a mess, with large and small potholes everywhere. Since the rain had not stopped, the craters were now filled with water. The serpentine trenches were blown to pieces, and the jagged parts that blocked the splash of shrapnel were
Many of them were blown down, and the position became strangely wider.
Although the rain was heavy, it still could not hide the traces of the baptism of war. The air was filled with the choking smell of gunpowder smoke and the pungent smell of blood, and human limbs and broken arms were everywhere on the battlefield.
It is strange to say that the big tree where Gu Zhengtao took shelter from the rain just now somehow escaped such intensive bombing. But what is shocking is that several bloody broken arms were hanging on the branches, shaking non-stop.
As he stood, blood dripped from his horribly white fingertips to the ground...
The surviving officers and soldiers of one regiment each of the 131st Division and the 188th Division stationed on the beach on the south bank of the Xue River and on the Longtoushan and Xiaonanshan positions behind it were nervously lying on the ruins-like positions, preparing to face the crazy Japanese attack.
Troops from the rear are continuously coming up through the communication trenches with reinforcements.
However, there was no movement at the Japanese positions on the north bank of the Xue River. The officers and soldiers of the 131st Division and the 188th Division, who speculated that this large-scale shelling might just be a test of Japanese firepower, immediately moved into the treatment of the wounded and emergency repair positions.
I went to work.
When Xia Wei, commander of the 41st Group Army, who was in Lincheng County and received a telegram from the Japanese army's large-scale shelling of the south bank of the Xue River and the Longtoushan and Xiaonanshan positions, his first reaction was that the Japanese army could not wait to launch a counterattack.
Previously, the military commander had also received news of the Kwantung Army's entry into the Pass. However, due to heavy rains in North China, it was not yet clear the specific number of Japanese troops entering the Pass to fight, let alone whether the reinforcements would go south along Jinpu Road or take a boat to Qingdao and then rush there.
Frontline position. In Xia Wei's view, it is better to attack late than to attack early. First, eat the Japanese troops in Shandong, and then collect the Japanese reinforcements. The next battle will be much easier. If the Japanese troops are allowed to complete their assembly, they will be in big trouble!
Unfortunately, the Central Army moved slowly and stayed in Hanzhuang and Yicheng counties for several days on the pretext of heavy rain. As a result, the counterattack has not yet been completed and they have to defend passively.
Just when Xia Wei was restless and wondering whether to urge Li Shusen's 90th Army of the Central Army, which was still stranded in Hanzhuang, to quickly go north for reinforcements, he received another telegram that the Japanese troops on the front line had not launched an attack.
Confused, Xia Wei held a combat meeting overnight. The participating generals and staff all believed that even if the Japanese army did not attack tonight, they would launch an attack tomorrow, and a war was imminent.
Lin Cixi, the commander of the 131st Division, and Liu Ren, the commander of the 188th Division, who came overnight to report the battle situation, immediately reported the losses in the frontline positions. The combined casualties of the two regiments were nearly a thousand, which made all the officers stunned.
I took a breath of cold air. Nearly three battalions of troops were just gone. This was just a test bombing by the Japanese army. If they really launched an attack, how many people in the two regiments on the front line would survive?
Lin Cixi, who looked helpless, said: "Commander, judging from the scale of the Japanese artillery bombardment, we can definitely judge that the main direction of attack is the Xuehe defense line facing Longtoushan and Xiaonanshan! And we only have two divisions.
It may be difficult to complete the commander’s long-term defense and then gather the main force and counterattack across the board to destroy the enemy’s order!”
Lin Cixi's words suddenly made the atmosphere in the conference room tense, and Xia Wei's face became terrifyingly gloomy.
Lin Cixi and Liu Ren looked at each other, and the latter walked to the map to explain the situation of the Xuehe defense line.
"The Xuehe defense line we defended was 25 kilometers long, of which the key defense line was 10 kilometers. Our two divisions had to devote all their troops to position defense without leaving any reserves, which resulted in the entire front being extremely weak.
Once the Japanese army breaks through at one point, it will lead to the collapse of the entire line!"
Liu Ren's analysis made all the officers think deeply.
Seeing that Xia Wei's expression had softened, Liu Ren struck while the iron was hot: "So, Commander Lin and I hope that the commander will consider sending an additional division to reinforce the Xuehe defense line!"
Deng Longguang, the deputy commander of the group army, saw that Xia Wei was silent in thought and took over the conversation: "Commander Liu's analysis is very reasonable, but all the forces of our group army have been deployed. The 1st *** Division is defending Weishan Town, and General Liu Shiyi's 2nd
The Thirty-first Army needs to defend the Panlong River and Xulugu line north of Zaozhuang, and there is no way to mobilize any troops!"
Xia Wei waved his hand: "There is not much pressure on Liu Shiyi. Since the Japanese army bombarded the Longtoushan and Xiaonanshan defensive positions tonight, it proves that the enemy's main attack direction is still on Jinpu Road."
Having said this, Xia Wei glanced at Lin Cixi and Liu Ren with sharp eyes and asked: "If I transfer the 173rd Division again, are you sure you can hold Xuehe for four days? This is between us and the 26th Division
The group army’s agreed time to counterattack!”
Lin Cixi and Liu Ren looked happy, saluted respectfully, and replied loudly: "As long as the military orders can be unified, we guarantee to complete the mission!"
"good!"
Xia Wei nodded: "Okay, I will transfer the commander of the 173rd Division He Weizhen to the headquarters. His three regiments will serve as your reserve team and be distributed evenly. I will step in at critical moments! Remember, as long as you stick to the four regiments
God, no matter whether the Central Army arrives or not, you can all withdraw, and then the counterattack fails and it will not be our Gui Army’s responsibility!"