Chapter 57: All 9mm Round-Nose Bullets

Chapter 57: All 9mm Round-Nose Bullets
(I)
"Some of the submachine guns and Mauser C96 pistols from the Japanese soldiers you blew up a few days ago were damaged, and our ordnance department was responsible for repairing them..." Minister Zhang opened his rucksack and said to Guan Shan: "Since you are going on a mission anyway, I'll lend them to you. It's also a chance to help test the assembly precision of our ordnance department..."
"Do you know how to use it?" Minister Zhang asked.
Guan Shan honestly shook his head.
"It's simple!" Minister Zhang skillfully ejected and inserted the magazine, pulled the bolt, and flipped the safety, having Guan Shan practice the demonstration once.
"This submachine gun has a 32-round magazine. I've prepared an extra spare magazine for you. If conditions permit, try to pick up the spent cartridges. If conditions don't permit, don't worry about it!"
"Whoa! 32 rounds! The large magazine of the ZB26 only holds 30!" Company Commander Chu was practically drooling.
"This is for Guan Shan to test. Tell Li Yunlong not to think about holding onto them and refusing to return them—they aren't compatible with our rifle ammunition!" Minister Zhang hurriedly emphasized.
"Understood, understood. For trial use, and I have to write a trial feedback report later, right?" Guan Shan played along with Old Zhang's act. With Old Zhang blinking so frantically just now, how could he possibly fail to catch on?
"This Luger pistol also comes with a spare magazine. The rounds are already fully loaded, so take some time to check it yourself," Old Zhang instructed.
"A Luger? Was this also standard issue for those little Japanese devils?" Guan Shan pulled it out of the holster to take a look.
The style was very similar to the Type 14 Nambu he had given to young Miss Ge, but it was far, far more refined than the Type 14. An original design versus a knockoff—they were indeed different.
"Didn't those little Japanese devils use a lot of the 'twenty-shooter'?" Guan Shan asked, puzzled.
This question stemmed from Guan Shan's familiarity with *Drawing Swords*. The original novel clearly stated that the equipment of Yamamoto's special forces detachment consisted of one German-made MP38 submachine gun and one German-made 20-round Mauser C96 per man, with ten men per combat squad, plus two light machine guns.
"Twenty-shooter? How could that be?" Minister Zhang explained, "This submachine gun and the Luger pistol both use 9mm round-nose bullets, whereas the 20-round 'Box Cannon' uses 7.63mm pointed bullets. From a logistics standpoint, it's definitely more suitable to use a unified ammunition system... Alright, alright, we can discuss these issues when you come back and have free time. Familiarize yourself with the guns first!"

(II)
When Guan Shan and Company Commander Chu returned to the regimental headquarters, the adjustments to the combat deployments for the other ambush sites had already been discussed and finalized.
"What is it this time? What kind of crooked idea have you cooked up now?" Li Yunlong looked at Guan Shan with great interest, then glanced at Company Commander Chu, whose eyes were shining with excitement. He patted the small heating platform table and said, "Come on, come on, Guan Shan, tell everyone about it!"
"Alright, I'll tell. If I miss anything, Company Commander Chu, you can help me supplement!" Guan Shan stood on ceremony, took off his shoes, jumped onto the kang, placed the rucksack Minister Zhang had given him to the side, and pulled a few sheets of white paper from his own haversack.
"Oh ho! Guan Shan, how come you even got a rucksack? Is this a gift sent to me by Old Zhang the Stingy? Look at why Old Zhang is suddenly being so polite!" As Li Yunlong spoke, he reached out to open the rucksack next to Guan Shan.
"Hey, Old Li, why are you just diving right in without asking for anyone's permission?"
Zhao Gang wanted to stop him, but Li Yunlong raised his arm and brushed him aside.
"Equipment from a Japanese special forces squad, damaged gear that the ordnance department just fixed. Minister Zhang asked me to do a live-fire test, and I'll return it as soon as the mission is over..." Guan Shan hurriedly explained.
"Oh my god, a submachine gun!"
"A German 'Luger'!"
"Is this repaired? Why does it look brand new?"
"Commander, Commander, let me touch it..."
Li Yunlong cursed, "Go on, get out of here! What are you all doing? Acting like you're crashing a bridal chamber—look at you, acting like you've never seen the world!"
"Everyone maintain order. It's getting late, let's get down to business!" Zhao Gang maintained order and said, "Quiet down and let's listen to Company Commander Chu and Guan Shan introduce their new ideas for the No. 4 ambush site!"
"There's still a round in the chamber..." Guan Shan whispered to remind Li Yunlong, judging by the fellow's expression, as if those two guns were glued to his eyeballs and couldn't be pulled out.
"Damn it! Look at how stingy you are! Can I, your superior, really steal it and refuse to give it back?" Li Yunlong scolded, "Hurry up and talk, talk properly. If you don't explain it well, I'll confiscate the damn things!"
The battalion and company commanders chuckled knowingly, wearing a complex mix of envy, jealousy, and hatred.
Guan Shan curled his lips and rolled his eyes, not daring to talk back directly.

(III)
"Minister Zhang is leading the comrades in the military industry system to work overtime, wrapping explosives in oiled paper into bars the size of soap blocks, and preparing a batch of grenade pull-igniters..." Guan Shan gestured as he introduced, "After arriving at the No. 4 ambush position, take advantage of the dark to sneak to the bottom of the mountain. On the spot, fill burlap sacks with gravel and line them up along the roadside, scattering a layer of loose dirt and some wild weeds on top. From a distance, it will just look like a small dirt mound or a pile of stones by the road..."
"Hey! That works too!"
"Why wouldn't it? Any plaster that can draw out pus is a good plaster. Not bad, not bad!"
"Little Guan Shan really does have a lot of crooked ideas!"
"Alright, alright, stop arguing! Are you going to listen or not?" Li Yunlong grinned as he scolded the crowd, then smiled and said to Guan Shan, "Come, come, have some water and take your time!"
Guan Shan picked up Li Yunlong's enamel mug, sniffed it first to make sure it wasn't liquor, and then gulped down several mouthfuls, drawing another burst of laughter from everyone.
"Alright, I'll continue!" Guan Shan said, "Prepare tripwires and lay them along the road. The exact location will be determined based on the site conditions, preferably near larger rocks so that when it explodes, all the fragments will fly toward the middle of the road, and the soldiers hiding behind the rocks will be safer..."
"Hiding by the roadside?"
"Stop arguing, Guan Shan, continue!"
"Right, right, this is another thing the military industry comrades are working overtime to rush out: camouflage suits..." Guan Shan described the appearance of the "ghillie suit" made of hundreds of strips of burlap, though he didn't use a patent name, but rather the more easily understood term "camouflage suit."
"If you look closely, you can certainly tell, so we need to use other methods to attract the enemy's attention! Company Commander Chu said we can ambush a squad of sharpshooters halfway up the mountain. The first wave will shoot the draft animals pulling the carts. That way, the wagons will be stuck in the middle of the road, and since our landmines are on both sides, the wagons can be made to stop right in the middle of the minefields!" Guan Shan introduced.
The battalion and company commanders present were all battle-hardened veterans, but upon hearing this, they still admitted they didn't fully grasp Guan Shan's intention.
"Let's make our plan on the assumption that the wagon guards are puppet troops and relatively few in number. Based on Company Commander Chu's experience, they probably won't fight back on the spot; most of the time, they'll run back toward the pillbox behind them. But if there are many enemies or they put up local resistance, then we'll just have to detonate the mines and blow them away..."
As Guan Shan described it, he sketched on the paper—the road, the wagons, the mine locations—giving everyone a vivid mental picture.
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(End of chapter)