Bright Sword: Iron Will 85

Chapter 85: Wang Feng’s Primitive Accumulation of Industry, Every Pore Dripping with ‘Filth’

Without any obstruction from the city defense troops under Fu Zuoyi, the “seizure” operation proceeded exceptionally smoothly.

By 6 PM, all sixteen tactical battalions had completed their assigned tasks.

Disassembled machine parts were packed into wooden boxes, stuffed with scraps of cloth and other cushioning materials, then placed onto carts pulled by livestock and taken out of the city.

Taiyuan’s southwestern suburbs. The withdrawing combat group units converged here.

Zhang Hu grinned, approaching Wang Feng. “Commander, we’ve struck it rich this time!”

“Once we can manufacture our own guns and cannons, the first thing we’ll do is shoot down those damn Japanese planes!”

Wang Feng watched Zhang Hu’s retreating men. Each cart, heavily laden, was pulled by three mules, with soldiers assisting in pushing, yet their progress remained agonizingly slow.

The carts groaned and creaked incessantly.

Wang Feng was curious. “What in the world did you bring back?”

Zhang Hu scratched his head. “I don’t know either, Commander. Just a moment, I’ll find someone who understands.”

He quickly ran into the group and soon returned, dragging a man along.

He brought the man before Wang Feng. “Commander, this is the engineer I brought back. He’s a university graduate; let him explain.”

Wang Feng frowned slightly. “Put your hand down.”

Having already joined this venture, there was no turning back. These people would become his logistics personnel, his own people. He couldn’t treat them like prisoners of war.

Wang Feng: “What’s your name?”

“Yao Boxi.”

Wang Feng savored the name. “Yao Boxi.” The name itself exuded a strong intellectual aura.

“Which factory were you from?”

Yao Boxi adjusted his collar and replied truthfully, “The Northwest Agricultural and Industrial Machinery Factory, formerly the Renshen No. 2 Factory.”

Having been inexplicably led out of Taiyuan City, initially he thought this group were bandits disguised in Nationalist army uniforms, and was wary. Now, seeing that they were indeed regular troops of the National Revolutionary Army, he was puzzled by their crude and despicable actions.

Wang Feng suddenly understood. He’d been in this era for several years and had learned a fair amount. Although unfamiliar with the Northwest Agricultural and Industrial Machinery Factory, he had heard of the Renshen No. 2 Factory.

In 1932, Yan Laosi returned to office. To avoid arousing suspicion from the Nanjing government, he reorganized the Taiyuan Arsenal. The original shell and bomb factories were renamed the Renshen No. 2 Factory.

Wang Feng studied the engineer, his admiration growing. “Zhang Hu said you’re a university graduate?”

Yao Boxi nodded. “I graduated from Zhejiang University’s Chemistry Department and worked at the Taiyuan Arsenal for two years.”

Zhejiang University? Wang Feng was astonished. The Taiyuan Arsenal, one of the three largest arsenals in the country, truly was full of talent.

Yao Boxi continued, “You’ve transported two medium-sized lathes, one milling machine, a small stamping machine, and two optical measuring instruments from the Taiyuan Arsenal.”

Zhao Fangyuan ran over, handing him a list. “Commander, the data has been compiled. Please review it!”

Wang Feng held the list, exclaiming, “Damn it, the Taiyuan Arsenal is so rich?”

At this moment, he wished he had a thousand heavy-duty trucks, or even large transport planes.

In this operation, sixteen teams transported a total of fifty machine tools of various types, including lathes, milling machines, planing machines, and drilling machines. They essentially covered all types.

With the workers’ “willing” assistance, these transported machine tools were in good working condition, all newly purchased or produced in recent years. The accompanying motors were also complete.

In addition, there were several small and medium-sized forging equipment and casting molds. There were also numerous testing and measuring equipment, including optical measuring instruments, calipers, micrometers, and gauges.

This was already the limit of what 200 carts could transport.

There were also numerous technical documents, such as those for hydraulic presses, rolling mills, forging machines, etc., as well as over a thousand experienced technicians. Over a hundred of them were professional engineers – highly skilled university graduates unlike ordinary workers.

In this era, education was extremely scarce. Knowing a few hundred characters and speaking coherently was enough to call oneself a scholar. University graduates were even rarer.

Including the technicians trained in Xiashan Village over this period, there were enough to launch large-scale production in the Changzhi region.

For the remaining equipment, Wang Feng couldn’t bear to see it fall into Japanese hands, but moving equipment weighing several thousand tons was like trying to reach the sky. Transporting it to Changzhi was even more impossible. In the end, he had no choice but to destroy the core components. No one would be able to use them. While this still caused economic losses, it prevented aiding the enemy, which wasn’t a bad thing.

Wang Feng summoned the instructor of the “Pocket Defense Doctrine.” He had to get the professionals involved; this new instructor had experience in this area and was perfect for organizing the military operation.

“Good day, Commander!”

“Zhang, you organize this march; Sergey will assist you.”

The “Pocket Defense Doctrine” instructor responded, “Understood!”

Wang Feng nodded. “Depart immediately. People don’t stop, even if the mules die, use people to pull them. Reach your destination as quickly as possible.”

Fu Zuoyi pretended not to see this action, but that didn’t mean Yan Laosi would accept being robbed willingly. The faster the better, to avoid unnecessary trouble.

The troops slowly advanced. Huai Hangpeng walked alongside, looking up at Wang Feng on horseback, and couldn’t help but ask, “Sir…no, Commander, where are we going?”

Wang Feng casually replied, “To Changzhi.”

“What’s wrong?”

“The troops have left the city; don’t tell me you don’t want to go.”

Huai Hangpeng shook his head. “No, no, Commander, you misunderstood; I was just asking.” His voice trailed off, “My wife and children aren’t in Taiyuan; it doesn’t matter where I go.”

Although his voice was soft, Wang Feng heard clearly.

Of the over a thousand technicians “taken,” nearly half were rootless, drifting without dependence; it made no difference to them where they went. Wang Feng directly offered them high salaries as an inducement. These workers had come to Taiyuan to make a living; it didn’t matter where they went.

The rest were bona fide Taiyuan locals, with families in the city. This group was easier to persuade. Simply explaining the stakes and adding a mild threat would suffice.

It wasn’t necessary to say anything complicated; simply stating that after the Japanese entered Taiyuan, they would massacre the city. The arsenal workers, having manufactured weapons for the front lines, were thorns in the Japanese eye. The Japanese would definitely target the workers first. Thus, the workers’ desire to leave Taiyuan was even stronger than Wang Feng’s.

Lüliang Mountains. Jiaocheng.

Yan Laosi had just arrived at his temporary headquarters, looking at the low subworlds that would be his future office.

Sigh…this was quite good. His own house wasn’t even as good as this subworld.

Chu Xichun looked apologetic. “Commander, I was negligent; please forgive me.”

“The war was urgent; the rear area command headquarters couldn’t be built in time; we had to make do.”

Yan Laosi shook his head, whether in self-hypnosis or genuinely believing it: “It’s fine, we’ll endure hardship and cultivate our strength. A simple environment doesn’t matter.”

He then asked about something else, “Has the last batch of equipment from the arsenal left Taiyuan?”

Chu Xichun nodded, “They reported two hours ago; it has reached Jincheng.”

Yan Laosi nodded with satisfaction. Although the Shanxi Defense Army suffered a crushing defeat and its numbers were drastically reduced, he had at least preserved a portion of his base. He had the capital to rise again, feeling the loss wasn’t utterly humiliating. Perhaps he wasn’t good at warfare, but his strategic vision in business was excellent.

As early as September of that year, he began preparations for relocation. The main personnel of the Northwest Industrial Company had moved to Sichuan, planning to build new factories in Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Sichuan. He also dispatched special envoys to Hong Kong to transfer 250,000 tons of steel ordered from Germany to Chongqing for storage.

Having guns, he wasn’t afraid of lacking soldiers.

Thinking of this, Yan Laosi smiled and entered the subworld.

Chu Xichun followed, quietly saying, “Commander, there’s one more thing to report from Taiyuan.”

Yan Laosi looked around the subworld and smiled, “Speak freely, Xichun.”

“Was it bombed, or did Fu Zuoyi start demanding military supplies?”

Chu Xichun, “Neither.”

“According to the Taiyuan City Defense Command, Wang Feng arrived in Taiyuan on November 1st.”

“The next day at noon, he militarily surrounded 16 factories in the city and plundered industrial equipment.”

“He abducted over a thousand workers and countless equipment.”

Yan Laosi’s mouth dropped, his eyes widening, his breathing quickening. “What?”

“Damn Wang Feng!”

“I’ve been so foolish to nurture him!”

Chu Xichun gently dissuaded him, “Commander, calm down. That young Wang Feng, relying on his youth and numerous merits, is truly arrogant and domineering.”

“This matter should be reported to the Nanjing government.”

Yan Laosi took a few deep breaths, barely suppressing his anger. “Fu Zuoyi!”

“How did he serve as city defense commander? Why didn’t he send troops to suppress it!”

Chu Xichun, “According to reports from Taiyuan, Fu Zuoyi dispatched gendarmes and special service companies to seal off the area around the affected factories, but they never entered the factories themselves to stop the chaos.”

Yan Laosi coldly snorted, “I’ve always suspected Fu Zuoyi was like the Central Army. Today it is proven true!”

“Send a telegram to the Taiyuan City Defense Command; defend Taiyuan for 15 days. Anyone who dares to disobey orders will face military justice!”

Chu Xichun was startled. The original order to Fu Zuoyi was to defend Taiyuan for seven days; now it’s more than doubled. Yan Laosi’s military justice wasn’t a joke. Li Fuying of the 61st Army, despite his seniority, was still executed; his grave would be overgrown with weeds by now.

Since this punishment wouldn’t reach him, Chu Xichun had no other opinion than surprise. He immediately responded, “Yes!”

Yan Laosi paced back and forth in the subworld, pondering for a long time, “The Taiyuan matter, we won’t report it to the Nanjing government for now.”

Chu Xichun was taken aback. “Commander, this matter is extremely serious…”

Yan Laosi waved his hand, signaling him not to speak further. “I’m tired from the journey.”

“You go back first.”

As Chu Xichun said, this matter resembled a mutiny, and was extremely serious. It needed careful handling. The fact that Fu Zuoyi had stood by and even seemed to assist made him hesitant. Furthermore, did Wang Feng really have the audacity to commit such a reckless act? Could the Nanjing government be behind this…?

Various possibilities floated through Yan Laosi’s mind. Dealing with a political incident was as difficult as commanding a large-scale battle. If the Nanjing government was really behind it, then extra caution was necessary. A large amount of equipment and raw materials were still stored in Chiang Kai-shek’s territory. If he dared to plunder the Taiyuan Arsenal today, he would dare to seize the newly formed factories later.

(End of Chapter)

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