Chapter 101 The Moon Over the Past
The autumn wind is bleak and the weather is cold; the grass and trees wither and the dew turns to frost.
Because it was far from the war, Yan'an was unusually peaceful. Even though everyone was very anxious, life had to go on.
Xiao Yang and the guards harvested all the vegetables they had grown. After all, even with supplies from above, if they didn't find a way to be self-sufficient, they would have trouble even getting enough to eat, let alone eating well.
Some of the vegetables were stored in the cellar to be eaten fresh in winter. Xiao Yang also led the young men in pickling vegetables, a skill he learned from Aunt Liu. Pickled vegetables were indispensable, whether eaten with porridge or steamed buns.
"Brother Yang!" A bunch of kids, barely taller than a person's chest, came over carrying several large cabbages, and some were carrying jars. "Brother Yang, teach us how to pickle vegetables! Your pickled vegetables are so delicious with porridge!"
With no good meat to eat, they were overjoyed to have a bite of savory and refreshing pickled vegetables. With pickled vegetables, even the dry, dark steamed buns were not hard to eat. They could also tear open a hot steamed bun, stuff it with pickled vegetables, and it was incredibly delicious!
Xiao Yang wasn't stingy at all. Why would he be afraid of people learning it? He just wanted to make his hard life a little better.
When Aunt Liu was teaching him, she said that if he wanted to pass it on to others, then he should. It's not like the east family can't let the west family sell the lamps. Maybe if the west family sells the lamps, they can support their whole family.
Nobody has it easy.
Therefore, it's worthwhile even if others use this skill to make money.
When Xie Ning returned on horseback with Er Niu, the courtyard was bustling with activity. From afar, the little devils saw Xie Ning and immediately put down what they were carrying and crowded around him. No wonder, Xie Ning was carrying a huge basket of meat!
Although they can't eat it, they can still feast their eyes on it.
Xie Ning patted the kids' heads and tossed the meat to Xiao Yang, saying, "Take this and stir-fry it to make a topping. We'll have noodles with it tonight! You guys can have some too before you go on patrol." He was referring to the kids, who were also the Young Pioneers.
Xiao Yang grinned, and the eyes of the guards around him lit up. Seeing Xie Ning's happy expression, they hurriedly asked what had happened.
"We've won! The Pingxingguan victory!"
No one understood the significance of this victory, but they all knew it was a great triumph. They started discussing it excitedly, and soon the sound of gongs could be heard in the distance: "We've won! We've won! The Pingxingguan Victory!"
Cheers erupted from all around.
After the Hongjun was reorganized into the Eighth Route Army some time ago, it was incorporated into the regular combat sequence of the Kuomintang Revolutionary Army. This was the first major victory for the Eighth Route Army since its establishment! More than 2,000 enemy soldiers were killed! A large amount of military supplies were also obtained.
This victory shattered the myth of the Japanese army's "invincibility," crushed the "fear of Japan" and the "national subjugation theory" of some people in the country, greatly boosted morale, and strengthened the confidence and determination of the people of the whole country and all patriotic armed forces to persist in the war of resistance.
Moreover, it greatly enhanced the prestige of the Labour Party. Although many people seem to like the Labour Party now, at this time, the Labour Party is not considered orthodox, and only the government is recognized internationally.
Moreover, this victory is of great significance for unifying the strategic thinking within the party, namely, to wage guerrilla warfare and to avoid too much direct conflict when the disparity in military equipment between the two sides is too great. Previous failures were due to a failure to recognize this.
Xie Ning recalled the meeting that morning. She felt that they should design some light weapons that were more suitable for guerrilla tactics. In addition to weapons, radios should also be arranged, the main thing being to equip the radios with hand-cranked generators. Most of the feedback from the various departments was good, but there were also some shortcomings, which she needed to modify.
She still had too few capable people under her command. When the organization sent people to Shanghai to encourage her former students, quite a few came, but it was still not enough, and they were basically all reassigned by her.
What she lacks now is not skilled workers to make weapons, but assistants to help her design, calculate and verify. This term of the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University students started in August, with three brigades and more than a thousand students. If there are outstanding performers in the tests, she may be able to train a group of assistants.
When the first snow fell in Yan'an, Xie Ning was called away by the commander's guards right after finishing a test in class. The weapons and equipment they used were not a secret; some were even more advanced than those of the Kuomintang, but their production was pitifully low.
But this also caught the attention of the Kuomintang (KMT). No, it should be said that the KMT had noticed it long ago, but only now has it begun to negotiate.
The main purpose was to invite Xie Ning to take charge of the newly built arsenal and then produce these relatively advanced weapons and equipment. It was obvious what they were up to, but they couldn't refuse this cooperation.
Firstly, the National Party and the Labour Party are now cooperating to fight against the Japanese. If they reject the National Party's request for cooperation now, it will definitely damage the Labour Party's image among all parties.
Secondly, they lack equipment and raw materials. If they cooperate with the Kuomintang, they can obtain more military equipment and reduce their financial burden.
Thirdly, similar to the first point, but here it's international pressure. The Kuomintang has brought this matter into the open, which is both coercion and a way to put them in a subordinate position.
As for why they didn't discuss it beforehand but acted first and then informed others, they speculated that it was out of revenge.
At the time of the incident, Ms. Smedley published the secret agreement between Chiang Kai-shek and Zhou Enlai without the consent of the leaders of the Chinese Workers' Party, which put both sides in a very passive position. Chiang's side probably resented this... Of course, this is certainly not the only reason.
Xie Ning listened quietly to the leaders' discussion. This was a work arrangement, and she had no right to refuse. When they talked about the terms of the negotiation, Xie Ning finally spoke up, "Add a clause: we need double the amount of supplies agreed upon in the original agreement."
After the incident, according to the agreement reached between the Kuomintang and the Workers' Party, the Kuomintang recognized the total number of the Eight-Army Army as 45,000 and promised to supply them with military pay, clothing, medicine and weapons and ammunition. Now Xie Ning is asking for double that, which is supplies for 90,000 people.
Those present gasped in astonishment. Seriously, that's an incredible amount! They've doubled it! The KMT will probably tear them apart. You have to understand, this was the result of a long stalemate back then.
Xie Ning raised an eyebrow. "If you don't want a higher price, how can we negotiate?"
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