As a time traveler, Zhou Cheng also knew something that Tang Yufeng didn't know.

Starting next year, in the next two years, there will be droughts in North China of varying degrees, and the grain production in the defense zone will definitely be reduced. Maybe even the people themselves cannot support them, let alone support the army.

By this calculation, the food shortage of the National Salvation Army is far larger than what Tang Yufeng just analyzed.

Not only should we raise the army's food shortage that year, but we should also prepare the grain needed by the troops in the next two years of natural disasters in case of emergencies.

Ten thousand troops will eat 7 million kilograms of grain a year. After a natural disaster occurs in the defense zone, they will definitely not be able to collect public grain. In the past two years, the food required by the troops will also be solved by themselves.

To reduce the existing reserves of the troops and then reduce the public grain that may be collected this year is equivalent to catching back 13 million kilograms of grain in the next three years, otherwise the troops will face the risk of starvation.

Seeing that the team leader's face became less and less beautiful, Chen Zhengyu became anxious.

I hope that the regiment commander can expand the national rescue army to 10,000 people.

Once he solved the food problem, the troops could be expanded.

If the food problem cannot be solved, the troops will not be able to expand, and the total force will be reduced from 10,000 to 5,000.

Tang Yufeng also saw Zhou Cheng's embarrassment and frowned and said his thoughts: "Captain, I think we will expand the troops according to the standard of 5,000 people."

"The four main battalions in the regiment remain unchanged, and the two independent battalions were adapted into Xiyang Garrison and Pingding Garrison, confusing the Japanese."

"Two guerrilla squadrons were organized into the spy company and the guard company respectively, and expanded them into the spy battalion and the guard battalion!"

"The cavalry company is expanded into a cavalry battalion, expanding the main force to 5,000 people, and then adding a new recruit battalion of 1,000 people in total. Our defense zone can just support it, and there is no need to increase the pressure on the people!"

There are five thousand main troops that collapsed because they had no food to eat after expanding 10,000 people. Seeing that the regiment commander was still calm and seemed to have not thought of a way to solve the food problem, Chen Zhengyu decided to compromise and agreed to Tang Yufeng's proposal.

When the words were about to speak, Zhou Cheng suddenly looked up.

"No, the National Salvation Army will be expanded according to the organization I just proposed. The main force has been expanded to 8,000 people, and the new recruit battalion has expanded to 2,000 people, a total of 10,000 people!"

Seeing that the heavy expression on Zhou Cheng's face was instantly replaced by confidence, Chen Zhengyu also saw hope and asked quickly: "Captain, have you thought of a solution to the food problem?"

Zhou Cheng refused to comment: "As long as we have troops in our hands, we will not have to worry about not having troops. At worst, we can go to the Japanese to grab grain."

When Tang Yufeng heard this, he frowned: "Captain, if we choose to grab grain from the Japanese army, then wouldn't we jump into the war zone and dig for us? In the end, we will definitely fight the Japanese endlessly, constantly consume their strength, and finally be killed by the Japanese!"

"It's too risky to do this, I don't agree!"

"As long as our main force can maintain a scale of 5,000 people, the Japanese army in a brigade cannot do anything to us. It will definitely be more insurance than expanding 10,000 people in the army!"

Zhou Cheng shook his head and comforted: "Old Tang, don't worry, since I have seen the pit dug for us in the war zone, I will definitely not jump into the pit with my troops and die in battle."

"What I'm talking about is not a large-scale attack on the Japanese-occupied areas and a decisive battle with the Japanese army to grab grain."

"But dispatched a large number of small troops to form dozens of operation teams to go deep behind enemy lines, quietly rob food in the Japanese-occupied area."

"A action team can grab hundreds of thousands of kilograms of grain, and dozens of action teams can grab hundreds of thousands of kilograms of grain."

"The operation team will withdraw to the defense zone after completing the mission. The Japanese can't find the target even if they want to take revenge!"

Tang Yufeng felt that the leader's idea was too simple and impossible to achieve, so he immediately opposed: "I still think it's too risky to do this!"

"Even if the plan you just said is feasible, dozens of operation teams successfully sneaked into the Japanese-occupied area and grabbed our scarce food, how can we transport them back to the defense area?"

"Millions of kilograms of grain are not tens of thousands of kilograms. There is almost no way to pass the Japanese blockade line quietly and transport it into our defense zone!"

Zhou Cheng replied confidently: "If we don't enter the defense zone, we will hide in the Japanese occupied area!"

"We and the Japanese are the enemy of life and death. Even if they don't take the initiative to provoke war, they will attack us."

"As long as the enemy and us fight broke out, the Japanese and puppet troops' blockade line will be in name only, and we will have the opportunity to transport the food back to the defense zone quietly!"

Tang Yufeng was convinced, but the worry on his face did not completely relax.

Continue to analyze Zhou Cheng: "Captain, your method can indeed solve some food gaps, but it cannot solve all our food gaps. How to solve the remaining food gap?"

"Solve it in two ways!" Zhou Cheng was completely unaffected and was still as confident as ever.

"The first road is to find a way from the Japanese. In addition to the enemy-occupied areas, don't forget the Zhengtai Railway."

"This is the only railway connecting Taiyuan and Shijiazhuang. Every day, so many military trains pass through this railway line, so many military trains must have loaded food."

"Under normal circumstances, a military train can transport 200,000 to 300,000 kilograms of grain, and a snatch of ten military trains can get 200,000 kilograms of grain."

"The second road is to find a way from the Eighth Route Army!"

"The Eighth Route Army is different from our National Salvation Army. In their base areas, a county may have a main force of more than 1,000 people. In some base areas, even two or three counties, there is a main force. As long as we don't encounter a disaster year, the food will definitely not be as nervous as us!"

"And their base areas are wide and intertwined with the Japanese occupied areas. It is easier for us to seize food from the Japanese army and have more opportunities than we do."

"We can exchange food from them with excess weapons and ammunition, which will definitely solve the food shortage of millions of kilograms!"

Tang Yufeng knew the Eighth Route Army better than Zhou Cheng, and his eyes lit up as soon as he heard this method.

Because of the serious shortage of weapons and ammunition, the expansion speed of the Eighth Route Army is indeed not as fast as that of the National Salvation Army.

Just as the regiment commander said just now, it would be nice to have a main group in a particularly wealthy county town. For example, a county town like northwest Shanxi, which is not very wealthy, the three counties could not gather a main group troops.

Unless they encounter natural disasters and man-made disasters, they will definitely not be short of food.

If the National Salvation Army decided to exchange food from them with weapons and ammunition, the Eighth Route Army would definitely agree.

By doing this, the food gap caused by the expansion of the troops by 10,000 people was directly solved by the regiment commander.

There is no shortage of food, and Tang Yufeng definitely wants to make more troops in his hands, so he immediately agreed: "I agree to expand the main force to 8,000 people and the new recruit battalion to 2,000 people!"

Zhou Cheng immediately made a decision: "Then this matter is decided!"
Chapter completed!