Chapter 128 The Moon Over the Past

Erniu watched the sun set and the crescent moon rise outside before she saw Xie Ning come out. She quickly went up to him and handed him the still-warm steamed bun.

"Sister Changning, you haven't eaten since noon. Eat something first, your body can't take it."

Xie Ning waved his hand, mounted his horse, but instead of heading towards his cave dwelling, he turned his horse around and went in another direction. Seeing this, Er Niu quickly mounted her horse and followed him.

Amidst the swirling dust, Erniu saw Xie Ning enter a heavily guarded courtyard. Unable to go in herself, she had no choice but to wait for Xie Ning outside, a wait that lasted until dawn.

Xie Ning, who came out of the courtyard, looked even paler, which made her red eyes stand out even more. Er Niu stared at her with wide eyes and asked cautiously, "Sister Changning, did the commander scold you?"

"No." Xie Ning shook her head gently, her voice hoarse.

She was in some pain, not physical, but mental.

Erniu was even more puzzled. Why did Sister Changning look like she had been crying, no longer the calm and composed person she usually was? Xiaoyang gently tugged at Erniu's sleeve, signaling her to let Xie Ning be quiet for a while.

Xie Ning stared blankly at the pale moon in the sky, which was almost gone. To be honest, she was a believer in an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. If someone hurt her, she would repay them a thousandfold. The phrase "repay evil with kindness" would never appear in her dictionary.

This is the third time she has mentioned ending the war, and it will be the last. Three times is the limit.

A virtuous person takes it upon themselves to practice benevolence and righteousness. She is not a virtuous person, but this country needs virtuous people. It is easy for rites and music to collapse, but it is difficult to rebuild order. She may indeed use inhumane weapons to quickly end the war, but this country must continue, and continue to shine.

Excessive transcendence can destroy an era, and so can excessive decay, not just for nations.

Taking a deep breath, Xie Ning said to the people behind him, "We're not going back. Let's go straight to the arsenal. Erniu, take some people back to get some things and make the arrangements. Let's go."

Against the Japanese army, their equipment was still too rudimentary. One aspect of this was the armored vehicles, or tanks. Destroying an armored vehicle was almost a matter of soldiers risking their lives.

Given the importance the Japanese army placed on the railway lines, they would definitely send a large number of armored vehicles to support them. Moreover, this breakthrough battle that our side decided to wage was a large-scale war that had never been fought before, with multiple attacks and a comprehensive offensive, directly revealing all our trump cards, which could easily put us on the defensive.

"These are the blueprints for the improved R11, the R12 cluster rocket launcher. Give the order to produce the R12 at full capacity and try to equip every regiment with the new armor-piercing weapon." Actually, she wanted to equip every battalion with it, but due to the blockade, even with the previous reserves, the arsenal was not enough.

Xie Ning's fingers twitched slightly. This blueprint was her newly improved version, which no other arsenal had. If she sent the blueprint over, the risk of leakage would be too great. However, if she didn't send it over, the Yan'an Arsenal's capabilities were insufficient to produce so many rocket launchers and rockets.

Seeing Xie Ning's hesitation, Xu He volunteered, "I'll deliver the blueprints. As long as I'm alive, the blueprints will be there; if I die, the blueprints will be destroyed."

Xu He is not only trustworthy, but also familiar with other arsenals, making him the most suitable candidate.

"good."

Since Xu He was going in person, it couldn't be as simple as just escorting a blueprint. Xie Ning also wrote down some of her ideas on two sheets of paper. Any student she sent down, or any experienced craftsman from the arsenal, could understand them and modify other weapons accordingly.

In addition to armor-piercing weapons, there are also equipment specifically designed for use on railway tracks.

Xu He accepted the order and left. Not long after, someone came in. Xie Ning glanced at him, signaled the others to continue the discussion, and then walked aside with the comrade.

"What's wrong?"

"The enemy agents lurking in Yan'an have made new moves... The commander said that we need to increase vigilance at the arsenal..."

"Okay, I'll be prepared."

After the messenger left, Xie Ning unfolded the map and examined it carefully. Then, his finger hovered over the location of Licheng Town, and he pondered the matter. He then walked behind the telegraph operator and telegraphed the Huangya Arsenal, ordering them to construct air defense fortifications on the spot and request at least one battalion's worth of protection. He told them it was his order.

The arsenal over there is even larger than this one; it absolutely cannot be damaged.

At this moment, at the Huangya Arsenal, the men looked at each other in bewilderment as they looked at the telegram sent by Xie Ning, all feeling that Xie Ning was being a bit of an overreaction.

Yun Ai'ai disagreed, and said very seriously, "I think Vice Minister Xie is right. Although the Huangya Arsenal is in a strategic location that is easy to defend and difficult to attack, the Japanese army is cunning. If the location of the arsenal is leaked and they send planes to bomb it... I agree to build air defense fortifications."

“I agree. There was a previous incident in Yan’an where spies leaked information about the fortifications. We can’t guarantee that all the workers in the arsenal are loyal, so we have to be careful.”

Although some people objected, arguing that the focus should be on completing the production tasks assigned by higher authorities to support the breakthrough operation, it was precisely because of this that the arsenal had to be wary of a surprise attack by the enemy in a fit of rage. So after discussion, a consensus was reached and the construction of air defense fortifications was immediately initiated.

After all, the arsenal had more than two thousand people, and if it were bombed by enemy planes, the consequences would be unimaginable.