Chapter 159 The Moon Over the Past
The group didn't stay in the hall chatting for long. A foreign journalist suggested visiting the arsenal. The commander's expression changed slightly, but Xie Ning nodded with a smile. She was already prepared. If it were so easy for people to figure out the tricks of the trade, she wouldn't need to work here anymore.
The commander was relieved and secretly sent several more soldiers to follow.
Stein pressed the shutter and pointed to a group of militiamen in the distance, asking, "What are they doing carrying that wood? Building houses?"
Xie Ning led a few people forward and explained, "We're not building houses, we're building cannons."
"Using wood to make cannons?" The group was shocked. It wasn't that they hadn't heard of it before, but it was just too backward. They went forward to look at the wood that the militiamen had carried over, and saw that the heartwood of each tree had been hollowed out, with a round hole dug out.
There happened to be a half-finished product nearby. Xie Ning gestured for the militiamen to carry it over and explained, "Because of the lack of materials, we have to use everything we can to manufacture guns and cannons. Even if our weapons are inferior to theirs, it's still better than fighting the Japanese with our bare hands."
Elm wood is sturdy, dense, and resilient, making it suitable for crafting cannons with decent damage, though its accuracy is low. However, it remains a good option when materials are scarce. If crafted well, it can deliver the required damage; if poorly crafted, it's merely a loud noise used to frighten people.
Stein exclaimed, "Ning, you're amazing!"
Xie Ning shook his head. "It's not that I'm good, it's that they are. Every worker is working hard. I couldn't come up with so many good ideas on my own."
Various homemade bombs and weapons are all the result of collective thinking.
“I know, you Chinese are always humble.” Stein had an expression that said, “I know what you mean,” which made Xie Ning quite helpless. He stopped dwelling on the matter and instead led the group to continue their tour. Fortunately, everyone knew their limits and did not use cameras to record the gun manufacturing process in the factory.
Actually, it wouldn't matter if they filmed it. This factory just produces various homemade bombs, and the manufacturing process is very simple. A Chinese journalist from Chongqing asked to visit the manufacturing plant of the A11 rifle.
Everyone else looked at the reporter with surprise, thinking to themselves, "This guy is so rude. It's good enough that he even came to see one. He wants to see the manufacturing of precision firearms. Where does he get the nerve?"
Xie Ning, however, looked puzzled and replied sincerely, "Sir, perhaps you overestimate us. With our current conditions, where would we get the equipment to produce A11? We have to buy it. What? You couldn't buy it?"
The reporter's face stiffened, then she became furious. "The A11 is your exclusive rifle. What, didn't you say we could take pictures of it as we pleased?"
"Well, although we don't mind, it's really a pity. The A11 is an American rifle. If this gentleman has any connections, he could try to inquire in the United States. Maybe he can find it."
Xie Ning wasn't angry at all. Instead, she smiled and started promoting the weapon. Then, she casually revealed that the A11 was no longer considered a new weapon in her eyes. Although there were still soldiers in her unit who weren't equipped with the A11, she could earn back the cost of producing five A13s by selling just one A11 rifle.
That would allow five soldiers to be equipped with better weapons.
Because of this misunderstanding, the visit had to be canceled. Everyone made excuses, feeling a bit embarrassed. Xie Ning was quite disappointed, as she had arranged to visit quite a few factories. Since it was inconvenient to see the high-end ones, she suggested visiting the low-end ones instead, so that others would know that they were still fighting the Japanese under such difficult conditions.
We didn't prepare any Western-style dishes for dinner, apparently because some people said they didn't like them. Instead, we wanted to try some Chinese food. We didn't need to cater to their tastes, since no matter how well we made it, it wouldn't be as good as what they used to eat. So we had a bonfire party instead.
They were grilling all sorts of meat over there, and someone even made beggar's chicken. Xie Ning couldn't eat any of it, and only drank some vegetable porridge, which Chuncao ate, since Chuncao doesn't eat any meat.
Someone brought over a record player, and a few young men were cranking it, playing melodious tunes. Many people started dancing.
Stein invited Xie Ning to join him, but Xie Ning shook her head slightly and pointed to the drawing in her hand. She had a foundation in painting, so it was not difficult for her to draw a sketch.
"Ning, although there are no modern machines, no motorcycles, no navigable rivers, and no airplanes to bring in supplies, this place is full of joy and confidence, and also, freedom."
I was utterly astonished to discover such a vibrant new society behind the blockade.
Xie Ning presented the completed sketch to Stein, saying, "Therefore, Mr. Stein, you should let the whole world know that there is such a political party here, such a free society, and such soldiers and civilians who are struggling against fascist aggression."
"certainly."
Stein's face was flushed from the alcohol. A reporter walked over and chatted with Xie Ning. "It's really different here. Before we came here, we went to Xi'an and Shanxi. The officials there were on guard everywhere. They even knew what we ate and said in the morning by noon. And the projects we wanted to visit were restricted everywhere."
What are we like? A distinguished guest from a potentially hostile country.
"But here, we are completely free." He really liked the atmosphere here.
They arrived in midsummer and left when the snow fell. Stein and his companions said that in this most backward region of China, many people were living "a new and hopeful life." There was also a People's Council here, and he wanted to report what he had seen and expose all the rumors and slanders against the Eighth Route Army.
Xie Ning believed that their efforts would make more people aware of this place and reverse others' negative impressions of the base area, but they could not change the relationship between the Nationalists and Workers.
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