Quartermasters can also fight the devils

Chapter 147: Providing Logistics for the Isolated Army

After Zhang Wenwu returned to the checkpoint in the concession, Smith walked over and asked anxiously: "Major Zhang, is this a political show? Aren't these soldiers sacrificed in vain?" He knew that these soldiers were victims of politics, and as a soldier himself, he felt a little sorry for these Chinese soldiers.

"Major Smith, your friend needs your help now. For God's sake, you won't refuse, right?" Zhang Wenwu asked Smith with a serious face. He did not answer Smith's question. At this time, no one could change the mission of these Chinese soldiers.

Smith looked at Zhang Wenwu blankly. Help? How could he help? He couldn't let the British soldiers in the concession fire at the attacking Japanese. If he did that, he would be sent back to the mainland to face a military court the next day.

"Major Zhang, what kind of help do you need? For God's sake, please don't send me to a military court." Smith looked at Zhang Wenwu helplessly. He was really a little worried.

"I need to set up a telephone for the Chinese defenders on the opposite side to facilitate their communication with the outside world." Zhang Wenwu quickly stated his request.

When Smith heard that it was about setting up a telephone, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile: "Oh, Major Zhang, your expression just now made me think you would want me to declare war on the Japanese. Haha, no problem, it's just a phone. I'll arrange for someone to come over now." After saying that, Smith called a second lieutenant officer at the checkpoint with a relaxed look on his face, asking him to contact the concession telephone office as soon as possible and ask them to send someone to pull the telephone line over.

Ten minutes later, the lieutenant trotted over to Smith and reported, "Major, the people from the telephone office will be here soon. They want to know which family needs a telephone installed, and they need to make a record."

Well, Smith found it difficult to answer this question. The Sihang Warehouse was outside the concession. According to the wartime concession management regulations, they could not do anything outside the concession. But he could not tell Zhang Wenwu about this. He had just promised that there would be no problem. If he told Zhang Wenwu, he would lose face.

"Lieutenant, go ask if there's a house on the roadside that doesn't have a phone, and then apply for it in his name. Then just pull out more wires and it will be fine." Smith looked at the houses on the roadside and thought of a solution.

The lieutenant came to the roadside with a distressed look on his face and began to ask questions in his very unskilled Chinese. Zhang Wenwu saw this and quickly walked to the lieutenant's side and said loudly to the people around him: "Fellow countrymen, fellow countrymen, we now need to pull a telephone line for the troops guarding the warehouse. Can anyone provide us with the address and account name? We need to make a record at the telephone bureau, and we will pay for the installation of the telephone."

After Zhang Wenwu's explanation, the people around him immediately understood what was going on, and many of them raised their hands and shouted loudly that they were willing to help. Zhang Wenwu chose a house closest to the boundary bridge so that it would be convenient for the people from the telephone company to come over and ask for some telephone lines, which would be connected to the warehouse opposite.

Zhang Wenwu walked up to Smith and said with a smile, "Thank you for your help, Major Smith. On behalf of the Chinese soldiers, I thank you."

Smith looked proud, and he felt like a hero now, but Zhang Wenwu's next words made him worried again.

"Major Smith, I want to do some business with you privately." Zhang Wenwu looked at Smith, who looked happy, and brought up something he had just thought of.

When Smith heard what Zhang Wenwu said, he asked with a puzzled look on his face: "Major Zhang, what business do you want to do with me?"

"Major Smith, from our last antique business, I still have some savings in a British bank. I would like to use that money to buy some of your British ammunition." Zhang Wenwu whispered his request to Smith.

Smith shook his head. He felt that Zhang Wenwu was a little too anxious. The British weapons and ammunition were not compatible with those used by the Chinese army. If he provided him with weapons and ammunition, and the Japanese army occupied this stronghold and found that the Chinese troops were using British weapons, they would definitely protest to Britain. He didn't want to get into big trouble.

"Major Zhang, our British weapons and ammunition do not meet the requirements of your Chinese army. Moreover, this matter involves too many things. I don't think I can help you with this." Smith flatly rejected Zhang Wenwu's idea.

"No, Major Smith, I don't want your guns and ammunition, what I need are mines." Zhang Wenwu had observed when he went to the warehouse before. If mines were buried on several wide roads around the warehouse, it would definitely cause unexpected casualties to the Japanese army and provide certain defensive assistance in some hidden places.

"Landmines?" Smith understood. He could really sell some landmines to Zhang Wenwu. The fragments left after the landmine explosion could not prove that they were provided by Britain. Even if they found English on the fragments, he could deny it. You can't just say it's from Britain when you see English. America also uses English. You can suspect America, but it won't involve him.

"Major Zhang, I have some mines here. How many do you want to buy? Also, I want to remind you that there are probably Japanese spies watching around here. How can you transport the mines in without them seeing? I don't want to leave a lot of trouble." Smith considered it and decided that he could help Zhang Wenwu, but the quantity could not be too large. Moreover, Zhang Wenwu had to ensure that the mines were transported in covertly. If a Japanese spy around took a photo during the transportation, he would be in trouble.

"Major Smith, no problem. I have found a way to transport the mines over secretly. How many mines can you sell to me?" Zhang Wenwu assured Smith confidently.

"Well, for God's sake, I can sell you twenty mines, how about that?" Smith thought for a moment and gave a number.

Zhang Wenwu was delighted when he heard that the number was more than he expected, but he said, "Major Smith, you are also a soldier, and an honorable soldier. But there is a group of Chinese soldiers across the street. They are defending the honor of soldiers at the risk of their lives. Shouldn't you provide more help? I think you should provide 100 mines."

Afterwards, the two of them started a heated discussion in a low voice beside the sentry box. Finally, Smith agreed to provide Zhang Wenwu with fifty mines, twenty of which would be purchased by Zhang Wenwu, and the remaining thirty would be donated to the Chinese soldiers who bravely fought against the invasion in the name of Rick and Smith, at Zhang Wenwu's suggestion.

After discussing this matter, Zhang Wenwu ran to a nearby restaurant and found the owner and offered to buy all of his stockpiled food. After learning that the supplies were purchased for the Chinese garrison on the opposite side, the owner immediately organized the shop assistants to move all the rice, flour, vegetables, and meat onto a cart, and refused to ask for a penny. The people around also heard that food was going to be delivered to the garrison in the warehouse, so they all sent their own vegetables and meat over.

Smith drove back to the British military camp in the concession and asked someone to transport fifty mines by truck to an alley behind the hotel. Zhang Wenwu and the hotel owner and his waiter secretly moved the fifty mines onto a cart through the small door of the hotel after dark, and placed vegetables and various ingredients on it.

At 8 o'clock in the evening, Zhang Wenwu, along with the restaurant owner and waiters, carefully pulled three carts of food across the boundary bridge and told the guarding soldiers that these were foods spontaneously sent by the people from all walks of life in the concession. Zhang Wenwu also whispered to the soldier that there were fifty mines on the carts that he had obtained from the British, and asked Captain Xie to quickly send someone to pull all the carts into the warehouse to prevent them from being discovered by Japanese spies.

Less than five minutes later, Captain Xie arrived at the Jie Bridge with three officers and more than ten soldiers. Zhang Wenwu immediately saluted Captain Xie and whispered, "Captain Xie, the car is full of various foods that the people in the concession spontaneously gave to the brothers. There are also fifty British mines under the food. I hope it can provide some help for the brothers to hold on. In addition, the telephone bureau has also made a record and should be able to come over to pull the telephone line soon. At that time, I will personally deliver the phone to the sentry. If you need anything else, just give me an order and I will definitely complete it."

Captain Xie looked at Zhang Wenwu, patted his arm vigorously and said, "Thank you, Major Zhang, you have helped us a lot. Not only did you send us so many delicious foods, but you also brought us fifty mines. Those are really interesting things. Major Zhang, don't worry, I promise to bury all the mines you gave me, and then let the Japanese soldiers enjoy them, haha."

After Zhang Wenwu's introduction, Captain Xie shook hands with the restaurant owner and the waiters to express his gratitude. The restaurant owner and the waiters were so excited that their faces turned red. Before Zhang Wenwu could say anything, they heard people in the concession shouting that the telephone operator was coming. So Zhang Wenwu quickly took the restaurant owner and the waiters to the concession. Captain Xie also quickly ordered the soldiers to transport the three trucks of supplies back to the warehouse, and told the soldiers that there were mines in the trucks, so everyone should be careful.

After Zhang Wenwu returned to the concession, he immediately found the staff from the telephone company who came to pull the wires, and told them that they needed to pull out more wires, as the telephone lines were for communications for the defenders in the warehouse.

When the workers who were installing the telephones and pulling the wires heard that the lines were for the garrison, they immediately said that it was no problem and they would definitely connect the lines securely. They also said that there was no need to pay extra for the telephone lines that exceeded the standard and that they had ways to balance the accounts.

Several workers connected the telephone line very skillfully, but they had no way to go outside the concession, so Zhang Wenwu took the connected telephone and walked to the warehouse guard and asked him to pass the phone in and hand it to Captain Xie. He then hid the telephone lines along the way and returned to the concession.

After waiting for about ten minutes, Zhang Wenwu saw the sentry return to his post. He then used the phone in the sentry booth to call the warehouse. After hearing Captain Xie's clear voice from the other end of the line, Zhang Wenwu finally felt relieved.

Smith came over with a cigar in his mouth and whispered to Zhang Wenwu, "Dear Major Zhang, you have done everything you can do. The rest can only be left to God. In addition, I just talked to Lieutenant Colonel Rick about the situation here. He is very happy that you donated 15 mines to the defenders in his name. This allowed him to indirectly participate in this meaningful battle in another way. At the same time, Rick and I have unanimously decided that the 20 mines that you originally had to buy will also be donated to you for free."

(Thanks to the gift support from Duke Weiguo who loves beef jerky, Aries, user, ????Chenyuan????, Tianle, Mr. Bean is also crazy, Zhao Chen who loves bamboo shoots and duck soup, and others! Thank you all for your support and encouragement!)