In the following days, Wang Xuexin clearly felt that his living standard was getting worse day by day.
In the past, you could still drink millet porridge and eat corn tortillas, but now millet, corn and the like are rare, so you just drink sweet potato soup to satisfy your hunger.
Sweet potatoes have strong vitality and grow quickly. If you fold down the vines and insert them, you can grow a bunch of them again. At this time, emergency planting can still guarantee a certain yield.
When Su Xin brought sweet potato soup to Wang Xuexin, she looked apologetic: "Your injury is not fully healed yet. You should have patched it up, but now..."
"It's okay!" Wang Xuexin replied: "I'm making up for it with sweet potato soup!"
As he spoke, he took the bowl and gulped it down.
In fact, most of what you drink into your stomach is water. You will feel full at the time, but you will be hungry again soon after.
Su Xin sighed and said: "Fortunately, you warned me early, and the headquarters still grabbed a lot of food, but that food should be reserved for emergency use!"
"I understand!" Wang Xuexin answered vaguely.
After finishing the sweet potato soup, Wang Xuexin put the bowl on the table and said hesitantly: "Classmate Xiao Su, this... is the situation in our border area. It is probably not short-term, it may last one or two years!"
In fact, the Eighth Route Army did not recover until 1943. During this period, it had been tightening its belts.
Wang Xuexin remembers reading a report in modern times, saying that the headquarters radio station was broken and could not be repaired, so the only mule cart had to be sold and replaced with a new one.
It is said that this caused a commotion... All the soldiers were so hungry that their mule carts suddenly disappeared. Immediately, rumors spread that the headquarters had killed the mules to start a small stove. The superiors held a meeting about this.
Just explained it clearly.
Although this is a small matter, it can be seen from this small matter how difficult it was for the Eighth Route Army during this period.
Su Xin said "hmm" and replied while adjusting the dishes: "My superiors have told me long ago that we must be prepared for a long-term struggle!"
Wang Xuexin asked again: "Classmate Xiao Su, have you ever thought about returning to Chongqing?"
Su Xin's movements on her hands stagnated, and then she nodded gently: "I've thought about it!"
"Then go back!" Wang Xuexin puffed out his chest and said, "I am here, and I will take care of the arsenal! I won't be much worse than you!"
In fact, it's not easy for Su Xin here.
Others have no place to go, but Su Xin is different. Her home is in Chongqing, which is also a center of the Anti-Japanese War and a big city, so the conditions are definitely better than those in the base area.
Su Xin was stunned for a while, and it took her a long time to react: "What did you say? Do you think I will leave here and go back to Chongqing at this time?"
Wang Xuexin was confused. She just said...
In the next second, Wang Xuexin understood that the phrase "thought about" Su Xin said meant missing home!
"Stop talking nonsense!" Su Xin put the bowls and chopsticks into the rattan basket with a smile and said: "I have also thought about whether it was a wrong choice to join the Eighth Route Army. It is not because of hardship, but because the conditions of the Eighth Route Army are poor and there are few machines. I learned this
There are many things that I can’t use. Now, I know I made the right choice!”
After saying that, he pulled the quilt for Wang Xuexin and turned around to leave.
Although Su Xin said it simply, Wang Xuexin could understand what she meant.
Everything she did was to fight the Japanese.
I had doubts before because I was worried that it would not be able to play a greater role in the Eighth Route Army.
The reason why I now "know that I made the right choice" is because I realize that the Eighth Route Army is the place that really persists in the war of resistance and is the place that really needs her.
This choice is not easy.
If it were Wang Xuexin, he couldn't guarantee that he would be able to stick to his position and stay here.
There seems to be a bit of chaos here in the base area during this period. Everyone is busy here and there like headless flies, but nothing has happened.
If I really want to say what I am busy with, it is to do everything I can to "stop losses."
Legal currency is still functioning, and the wealth in the base area is constantly being plundered by the enemy.
The measures taken by the headquarters, in addition to throwing out legal currency to snatch grain from the enemy as Wang Xuexin said, also include tracing the source of high-priced grain buyers, and then confiscating the fake money after finding the person to avoid causing greater losses.
But what makes the Eighth Route Army helpless is that most of these people are not traitors.
"Many of them are fellow villagers in the guerrilla zones!" This is what the chief of staff told Wang Xuexin when he met him: "The devils are arresting people everywhere in the guerrilla zones. If they catch a family, they will not take action first, and they will single out the laborers and let them take fake money.
Sneak into the base area to buy things and take them back. If you can’t bring them back, I’ll kill all his family members!”
The chief of staff sighed when he said this: "When we arrested him, the fellow was still kneeling, crying and begging us, saying that if we didn't transport the grain back, his whole family would be dead! Let us
He can't just ignore it and say that he didn't do anything illegal, he just bought some things!"
Wang Xuexin couldn't help but curse when he heard this. This Japanese is really vicious. He used Chinese people to fight against Chinese people, making it difficult for the Eighth Route Army on both sides.
Of course it was impossible for the Eighth Route Army to let them take the food out at this time.
War can be so cruel at times. You cannot compromise with the enemy at any time, otherwise you will hand the knife into the hands of the devil and let others slaughter you.
Another way to stop losses is to send soldiers to publicize among the people, so that the fellow villagers will not sell their own things and refuse to use legal currency to trade with Guanghua coupons.
This publicity effect is not very good.
Because the exchange rate between Guanghua coupons and legal currency was 1:1 before.
Although the two cannot be exchanged now, the impression that they are "one price" is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.
So, if a pound of wheat can be sold for 30 cents or more, why should it be sold for 4 cents?
Isn't this stupid?
Folks rarely consider that the four-cent Guanghua coupon can buy more things than the thirty-cent French currency, and the gap will widen further in the future.
Then the chief of staff briefly discussed the long-term production plan with Wang Xuexin... The chief wanted to hold detailed meetings on this aspect several times, but was delayed because the current main task was to "stop losses."
The chief of staff pulled Wang Xuexin to sit on a nearby tree pillar and said: "The chief and I will discuss this issue whenever we have free time. We believe that it is easy to solve the problem internally, but the difficult part is externally. It is not just the issue of breaking the embargo on transportation.
We don’t have anything to sell to the enemy yet, so how about selling food to the enemy? We don’t have enough to eat now!”
This is indeed a headache.
The production of the Eighth Route Army is mainly based on agriculture. When it comes to industry, both the Japanese and Chongqing are much stronger than the Eighth Route Army.
If you want to do business with the enemy, you cannot sell industrial products. Rather, you should sell agricultural products in exchange for industrial products.
But what to sell?
Food, clothes?
Or handmade products?
Food and clothing had just been looted. As the chief of staff said, of course he couldn't sell them if he still lacked them.
Handmade products may be possible, but these are often light in weight and bulky, making it difficult to transport, and the price is still low.
After working so hard and risking one's life, the money earned may not be enough to pay a bribe. Isn't this just a loss-making business?