Wei Zhengmin and Yang Jingyu were in the southeast mountainous area of Huadian, hundreds of kilometers away from the Xingshan fortress. When discussing who Yang Zhen was, he didn't know that at this moment, accompanied by Zhang Zhenhua, Yang Zhen, who was inspecting the production status of the arsenal and the aid materials that had been transported to Jiangbei in advance, had a gloomy face.

After receiving this batch of equipment, the former director of the 11th Army Arsenal, who is now the director of the Arsenal, bluntly told Yang Zhen and Zhang Zhenhua, who came to inspect the installation and commissioning of the equipment, that all of these equipment were second-hand, and none of them were newly manufactured products.

Although the maintenance is not bad, the service life is definitely not short. Many of these machines and equipment were imported from the United States or Germany by Tsarist Russia at the beginning of this century. There are even several of them with the words "Dragon Flag" and "Tianjin" and "Beiyang Machinery Bureau" clearly engraved on the nameplates.

According to the inference of the factory director, it is very likely that these German-made nitrate drenching machines engraved with the dragon flag and the word Tianjin were plundered by Tsarist Russia from the Beiyang Machinery Bureau, the largest military factory set up by the Qing government in North China, when the Eight-Nation Coalition invaded China during the Gengzi Incident of the former Qing Dynasty.

Although he knew that it was not too easy to mobilize the military equipment he needed in such a short period of time, Yang Zhen, who had already prepared to receive second-hand goods, did not expect that he would actually get back a batch of old antiques. When I learned that the equipment had arrived, I was very excited and suddenly became extremely bad.

If he saw these second-hand equipment, Yang Zhen could still hold back the anger in his heart. When he saw that Jiangbei's always stingy big brother had transported weapons and equipment that greatly exceeded his requirements, Yang Zhen's already gloomy face could almost wring out water.

Although the amount of this equipment has exceeded the amount required by the commander-in-chief of the Third Route Army who crossed the river to ask for help. But its quality is absolutely inferior, and it is not to be complimented. If it were said that it was not a batch of munitions but a pile of foreign rags, I am afraid that no one would object.

Among this batch of weapons and equipment, in addition to the 150 Deshka anti-aircraft machine guns, which are 80% new, the 300 Mosinagan sniper rifles that he asked for are still new. As for the rest of the equipment, it is all antiques produced during the First World War.

The calibers of these weapons are miscellaneous and the age is beyond Yang Zhen's imagination. Weapons produced by the major countries participating in the World War I can be found here.

British Enfield 77 caliber rifles, bulky Lewis light machine guns, Vickers heavy machine guns. The French M-1916 Lebor rifle, known as the most Shosha light machine gun in history, the M-1909 light machine gun, and the Hatch Chase heavy machine gun that is almost worn out.

Mauser Type 98 and Type 88 rifles and Maxine heavy machine guns produced in Germany during World War I. The Austrian Manlicia rifle, the American Springfield rifle, and the French machine gun produced by the Americans with more advanced performance after changing to the American 7.62 mm caliber, and of course, the Browning heavy machine gun.

Among these weapons, Yang Zhen even found the repeating Murata rifle produced by Japan during or before World War I, as well as the predecessor of the Type 38 rifle, the Meiji 30-Year Rifle, which was known as the Golden Hook Rifle. And some of Murata's eight-millimeter repeater guns have inscriptions that clearly engrave the date of production during the Russo-Japanese War.

The number of these rifles is more than 2,000 rifles, such as the French-made Lebor rifle, and the few Austrian-made Manlicia rifles are less than 200. There are even some varieties of weapons, such as the German Type 88 rifle, and the number is less than 100.

And some weapons, such as those Japanese-made Murata rifles, although there are quite a few of them, reaching hundreds, but there is not even a single bullet. In addition to those who do not have bullets, even those who have provided bullets, there are also many who on average do not even reach five rounds per gun.

It is those weapons that are equipped with more bullets, not to mention the quality of the guns themselves. Most of the bullets they are equipped with are also close to being scrapped or have been scrapped due to poor storage. What's more, a considerable number of these weapons are so rusty that they can't even pull the bolt open. Only half of the rifles were equipped with bayonets, and many did not even have a gun strap.

Yang Zhen calculated that among this batch of light weapons, there were bullets and no bullets, and those that could be used and those who could not be used were added together, and there were nearly eight calibers that could not be used with each other.

Compared with the chaotic light weapons, the number of small arms brought together was quite large, there were sixty-four, but the caliber reached six kinds of mountain artillery. Yang Zhen directly gave a definition, all of which are waste products that can only be recycled.

Among the 64 mountain artillery guns, there are 75 mm French and American calibers. There are also German calibers of 77 mm and 88 mm. As well as French, Austro-Hungarian calibers of sixty-nine mm. In addition, the standard 76.2 mm mountain artillery equipped with the Soviet Union is naturally indispensable.

However, the production date of 16 of the Soviet-caliber guns is shown to be produced in Tsarist Russia during the First World War. There are even a few that are shoddy during the Civil War in Soviet Russia. Due to the long-term high intensity, the rifling in the barrel of the gun is polished. There are thousands of people in an artillery regiment directly under Yang Zhen, and they are stunned that they have not singled out anyone who dares to use these artillery.

Even Ma Qichang, who has always been known for his boldness and claimed to have no artillery that he dared not use, shook his head and did not dare to use it after looking at it. The shells did not go out of the shells, but they blew up first. Cannons aren't like rifles, they blow up and they blow up. This cannon exploded, and it was not one person who died, and it was difficult to catch a group of people.

Not only are these guns not only compared to light weapons, but also the ratio of caliber to quantity is even more insignificant, and many of them are now relegated artillery pieces that are in a fight with garbage. And ammunition, like light weapons, is often with guns and without ammunition. Like the seven Austro-Hungarian 69-mm mountain guns, there was not even a single shell.

These are weapons and equipment, that is, some people believe that Jiangbei stocks and garbage are wholesaled. These rags are just throwing the most poorly equipped troops, and I'm afraid no one will want them. Who wants a rifle with an inflated barrel that shoots without pulling the trigger, and the bullet slides out of the barrel along the cartridge case, or even a rifle with no bullets at all?

Those equipment, even if they are a head, can't be so tricky. Can these weapons go to war?

Together with those machines and equipment, I paid for the three weapons drawings that were ahead of the times and the price of a whole ton of gold, but I bought a bunch of rags. This really made Yang Zhen's mood almost extremely bad.

Forget about these garbage-like equipment, Yang Zhen didn't think about it at all. But he was really angry at the extremes of those second-hand military production machines and equipment that he didn't even know how many hands they were.

Looking at Yang Zhen's gloomy face, Lieutenant Colonel Kovalev, a staff officer of the Logistics and Quartermaster Department of the Headquarters of the Far Eastern Military District of the Soviet Army, who was responsible for escorting this batch of weapons and equipment, naturally knew it. The equipment transferred to the Chinese comrades was the equipment of the Far Eastern Military District during the Civil War, which was stored in warehouses and captured from the White Russian or foreign intervention forces.

After a long period of use and poor maintenance in the later stage, these weapons have basically reached the standard of scrapping. Moreover, most of the weapons, the ammunition that needs to be imported is scarce, or even non-existent.

In fact, the commander of the military district, General Abanasek, and the political commissar of the military district, Ivanov, also did not approve of the transfer of this batch of weapons and ammunition, which had actually been scrapped, to the Chinese comrades.

They were on the front line of the confrontation with the Kwantung Army, and naturally they knew very well what the Chinese comrades really needed. The role of this group of Chinese comrades in the Far Eastern Military District is even clearer. But this is an order from Moscow, and they do not dare to veto it either.

It is said that these weapons, which were practically worthless, were discounted by the NKVD for a full 400 kilograms of gold. It was also said that this was the price after the discount. And the drawings of the weapons provided by these Chinese comrades, which had already been tested at the shooting range of the Far Eastern Military District, were a whole era ahead of the time, and were loved by the top brass of the Military Region, were only discounted by 100 kilograms of gold.

Undoubtedly, these weapons were used by the NKVD to give the Chinese comrades a ton of gold that, according to Comrade Stalin's opinion, was more than enough to buy the designated production line.

Originally, in accordance with the will of the commander of the military region and in accordance with the order of Comrade Stalin, the old weapons stockpiled in the military district were selected and handed over to the Chinese comrades free of charge after they were selected and maintained, and the ammunition was relatively sufficient. However, two days before the transfer, the NKVD suddenly intervened.

The NKVD not only used aircraft to transport to the Far Eastern Military District a large number of previously collected and scrapped weapons and equipment, such as the Austro-Victorious Manlicia rifles captured by the Russian army in World War I. The Far Eastern Military District was also forced to replenish all its stocks of scrapped weapons.

Not only did they disobey Stalin's order to hand over without compensation, but they checked all of these rifles one by one. Every rifle is scrapped, even if it is scrapped, it must participate in the discount. After accounting for all the weapons, the NKVD took more than half of the gold that had been brought in by the Chinese comrades and was supposed to be handed over to the Central Committee as a cost.

The Murata-style rifles, which had not yet been destroyed because there were no similar bullets, had already been scrapped, but had not yet been destroyed, were personally brought out from the munitions depot by the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Far Eastern Military District.

The NKVD has been an extremely terrifying institution these days. How many high-ranking officers have been taken away by him, and they have either died unexplained or never returned.

Even if Comrade Stalin trusted him, General Abanasek, who spoke no two words in the military district, was extremely suspicious of him. If he does not want to repeat the mistakes of his predecessors, Field Marshal Blyukhel and Admiral Stron, he can only be silent on the matter.

It's just that Lieutenant Colonel Kovalev can't say clearly, the NKVD's eyeliner is too powerful, and the nose is more sensitive than a military dog. Who knows if there are any of their informants among these Chinese comrades. Lieutenant Colonel Kovalev did not want to be invited to tea by the NKVD as soon as he returned home. How many marshals and generals with great military achievements have been shot, not to mention a small lieutenant colonel himself.

Although some of the words cannot be said explicitly, there are some necessary explanations that need to be done. After accompanying Yang Zhen on the inspection, Lieutenant Colonel Kovalev, who was proficient in Chinese, took a lot of trouble and used the reception banquet to fill up the personnel of the Ministry of Internal Affairs around him. took advantage of the opportunity to pretend to be drunk and found an opportunity to have a private conversation with Yang Zhen, who did not attend the welcome banquet because he was in a low mood.

After the private meeting, Kovalev, who was also the personal representative of General Abanasek, first apologized for the trouble caused to the Chinese comrades by these incidents. He hoped that Yang Zhen would not let this kind of thing affect the cooperation that had in fact been established with the Far Eastern Military Region.

Looking at Kovalev with a sincere face, the anger in Yang Zhen's heart decreased slightly, but he still said in a stiff tone: "Comrade Kovalev, you also saw it today. These weapons either had guns but no bullets, or they were so rusted that they couldn't even pull the bolts. ”

"You're going to let us take such weapons and fight bloody battles against the Japanese puppet army armed to the teeth?"

"Well, even if we are begging, we have paid a considerable price. Tens of thousands of commanders and fighters in the army cut down on food and clothing, and even when they were hungry, they did not use even a tael of gold. But that's what you do? Swapping such a pile of rags for our gold and new weapons? ”

"Comrade Kovalev, we are poor, but we are not collecting rags. Forget about the weapons, we didn't apply for those weapons, you took the initiative to give them. Okay, since you are called Hanako, don't be hungry. We don't have to count the weapons thing. But those machines and equipment, said that the second-hand goods are new. ”

"How can a ton of gold be worth just a pile of rags? You're too dark, aren't you? Or do you think of us as stupid hats that can be fooled around with a little bit of shabby? We are not a foolish, hungry and hungry national government, as long as we can get our hands on it, we can cover up the past by giving a little tatters. We can be self-reliant, and we can't live without you. There was not even a penny of foreign aid before, and we still won the battle? ”

Speaking of this, Yang Zhen was a little angry and said, "We treat your trusted friends on duty like big brothers." But that's how you treat us? Just fool us with such a pile of rags, you really fucking treat us as food, as two people. ”

"I tell you, this pile of rags you love to digest it, and you can give it to whoever you love. Lao Tzu is not a garbage collector, there is no place to pile up this garbage. ”