Chapter 323 It seems that even God is on our side!
Chapter 323 It seems that even God is on our side!
In the corner of the underground commercial complex, there is a room full of miscellaneous items.
With the help of two assistants and several guerrilla soldiers, Ma Ban quickly vacated this room of less than 20 square meters.
Three sets of tables and chairs and three beds were borrowed from the warehouse. Ma Ban found a wooden board and wrote words on it and hung it at the door. The Alliance Office in Hope Town was officially established.
The work has just started, so everything should be kept simple.
Ma Ban was prepared for the simple conditions here. After all, he and his compatriots had lived here for a period of time a few months ago.
Standing at the door of the office, Yang Duo, the logistics director of Hope Town, looked a little embarrassed.
On the one hand, they really couldn’t come up with good things to entertain the manager who was airborne from the New Alliance, and on the other hand, he really didn’t know how to face this person.
”Ban… ahem, Mr. Ma, long time no see.”
”Long time no see.” Ma Ban answered concisely without any greetings.
After thinking about these four words for a long time, Yang Duo couldn’t figure out what this person was thinking, so he said carefully.
”…I’m sorry about the migration, but you know the situation at that time. We didn’t have any more food. If we didn’t send some people away, we would all starve to death.”
Sending away is a euphemism.
It would be more accurate to say exile.
Going south through the predator-occupied area is a life-or-death struggle in itself. And whether the New Alliance will fulfill their promise in the broadcast is even more unknown.
But there is one thing Yang Duo did not lie about.
Their food really can’t feed so many people.
Not only Ma Ban and his people were exiled, but also nearly 1,200 people, mainly from the survivors’ settlement north of Xizhou City.
These people are still missing, and no one knows whether they are alive or dead.
As a result, less than 30% of people successfully walked to Dawn City.
Ma Ban glanced at him, knowing that this guy probably misunderstood something, so he spoke frankly.
”I understand. I don’t mean to blame you. Besides, we are living well in Dawn City. They not only gave us food and shelter, but also arranged jobs for us. No matter your background, you can be reused as long as you prove your ability and loyalty to the alliance… Where is the thing I asked you for?” ”
Here.” Yang Duo smiled awkwardly and hurriedly handed over the book in his hand.
This is the account book of the Hope Town warehouse.
It records the input and output of each material, including food, recycled materials, and weapons inventory.
Without wasting time on reminiscing, Ma Ban took the account book from him and glanced through it.
Later, he would store this data through VM and then hand it over to the inventory management personnel sent by the New Alliance.
After being incorporated into the storage system of the New Alliance, the input and output of each material in the warehouse will be audited by AI, including “which link is missing something”, “which material will be short of supply in how many days”… This information can be seen at a glance. When he
was a coordinator in the refugee home, Ma Ban had already seen the power of this system.
Therefore, before he took office, he decided that the first thing he would do when he arrived here was to “connect the Internet” to the warehouse in Hope Town.
While scanning the account book through the camera of the headset, Ma Ban casually asked about the situation of the warehouse.
”How many people are left in Hope Town now, and how much food is consumed every day.”
Facing Ma Ban’s inquiry, Yang Duo quickly answered.
”The total population is 5,731, of which young and middle-aged people account for 30%, and the rest are elderly, children, and women. According to the daily ration of 300g for adults, the daily consumption is -”
”1,719.3 kilograms… That is, nearly two tons of food.”
Ma Ban frowned as he flipped through the account book from beginning to end, looking at the less than five tons of food inventory and the pitiful daily income of less than 100 kilograms.
”How did you hold on until now?”
Hearing this, a bitter expression appeared on Yang Duo’s face.
”You have only been away from here for more than two months… Do you still need to ask such questions?”
Ma Ban was silent for a while and returned the account book in his hand to him.
”The alliance’s assistance will continue for a while. We will try to ensure a daily food supply of 2 tons until the new settlement is on track.”
”In addition, the sanitation problem must be solved as soon as possible, and it must be solved as the first priority! This problem cannot be delayed, otherwise the disease and rat infestation will become more and more serious, and even cause a more serious plague. At that time, no amount of medicine will be able to hold up.”
”I need you to mobilize all the people in the town who can work immediately. I will assign them work to carry out a planned cleanup of various areas of the temporary shelter. At the same time, more habitable areas will be cleared from the ruins of the commercial complex and various areas of the shelter will be replanned.”
”The practice of cramming hundreds of people into one room must be stopped immediately. It is simply a breeding ground for diseases!”
”As for picking up garbage… it can be delayed for a while. Now the top priority is to solve the survival problem of the survivors. All other problems must be put aside.”
Yang Duo stared blankly at the man standing in front of him.
It was only two months since he last saw him, but he felt that this guy was like a different person, so much so that he couldn’t recognize him.
Ma Ban paused for a moment and continued.
”Finally, those who died unfortunately…”
”Let’s find a place to bury them.”
…
As the mobilization order was issued, the survivors of Hope Town quickly took action.
Of course, what really made them enthusiastically devote themselves to the cleaning work was not the mobilization of Mayor Wu, but because they could get extra food rations by participating in the cleaning work.
Although it was just a piece of green wheat cake weighing less than 150g, it was already a very generous reward for the survivors who survived until now by relying on nutritional paste.
Ma Ban divided the mobilized survivors into groups of ten and defined the sanitation ownership and division of labor in each area.
The goal of the first stage was to remove feces and other metabolites in the corridors and rooms, and the second stage was to disinfect various areas of the shelter.
This is not just to solve the sanitation problem. It
is also to allow the survivors living here to regain the courage to live, eliminate the barriers between each other, and rebuild cohesion.
Ma Ban, who once served as a coordinator in the refugee home, knew very well that the worse and more depressing the environment is, the more people cannot be idle.
Thanks to his previous work experience in the refugee home, he was able to handle related issues with ease, and his work quickly got on track.
On the other hand, while Ma Ban’s work was going smoothly, Lu Bei also successfully took over the command of the guerrillas from the resistance organization.
However…
the situation here is worse than Lu Bei imagined.
There are a total of 671 guerrillas, of which less than half can really form combat effectiveness. Even for these soldiers who can form combat effectiveness, most of them are in poor health.
Not only that, their equipment is also very problematic.
Most of the weapons in the inventory are mainly crudely made iron-tube rifles, and most of the bullets are reloaded bullets with black powder as the propellant.
This kind of bullet not only has an incredibly high jam rate, but is also extremely easy to explode due to dust accumulation in the barrel. Many people had their fingers blown off when making bullets, which became the main reason for the non-combat casualties of the guerrillas in addition to disease.
The next night, Lu Bei reported what he had learned to Chu Guang, who was far away in Shuguang City.
”…The situation here is worse than we expected, not only because of their health, but also because of the almost non-existent logistics. The iron-tube rifles they use cannot form effective combat power at all, because the non-combat casualties caused by weapon failures and supply shortages have even exceeded the casualties caused by the predators.”
”If you want them to exert their combat power, at least 600 rifles and 1 million rounds of bullets are needed.”
After listening to Lu Bei’s report, Chu Guang thought for a moment and spoke.
”From now on, suspend all attacks. The weapons will be delivered soon. I need you to do everything possible to teach them how to fight in the shortest time, and to fight in an organized manner.”
”The day of our decisive battle with the predators is getting closer and closer. I need them to cooperate with the Burning Corps when necessary to cut off the Ya Clan’s retreat to the north.”
Lu Bei answered neatly.
”Yes!”
After the communication ended.
Chu Guang looked at the document thrown on the table.
This is a report sent from the front line.
The Ya Clan has transported all its armored units from Xizhou City to Songlinyu.
According to the drone footage and Vanus’s understanding of Dillon, the marauders stationed in the northern position of Songlinyu have completed all preparations for the decisive battle.
The reason why they didn’t take action is probably because they were waiting for an opportunity.
For example…
a heavy rain.
Although the accumulated water and silt will have a certain impact on the advancement of tanks, the impact on propeller aircraft is obviously greater.
The propeller aircraft of the New Alliance mainly rely on visual observation to drop bombs and fire, and the impact of weather on the combat efficiency of aircraft cannot be ignored.
Obviously, the other side also noticed this, so they chose to wait for the opportunity.
Several consecutive defeats made the marauders much more cautious in tactics. Maybe Vanus was right, and the other side had replaced the front-line commander. What
they are about to face is no longer those wooden-headed bandits, but the former legion commander-Dillon himself.
Regarding the other side’s personnel appointments, although Chu Guang was wary, he was not too worried.
While the other side was consolidating the defense line, his players were not idle either. Now, in addition to the dense trenches on the south side of Songlinyu, there were also a large number of steel anti-tank chevaux.
This anti-tank chevaux is composed of three L-shaped metal bars connected by rivets and bolts. After assembly, it looks like a three-dimensional triple cross. Even if it is directly hit by a shell, it is difficult to be completely damaged.
This anti-tank weapon, known as the “Czech Hedgehog”, once covered the beaches of Normandy and the streets of Moscow. It
took less than a week for Steel Plant No. 81 to produce 500 anti-tank chevaux and send them to the front line by rail.
Although these 500 anti-tank chevaux are not enough to fill a one-kilometer-long battle line, it is no problem to create some trouble for the enemy’s tanks with the help of digging pits and some other anti-tank traps.
In addition, his little players also prepared a lot of surprises for the looters of the Bone Chewing Tribe.
There are many weird ideas, and even Vanus was stunned when he heard it-
is this an idea that humans can come up with?
”…It’s been cloudy these days, but I don’t know when the rain will come.”
”The day of the decisive battle is getting closer.”
Looking at the pile of documents on the table, Chu Guang leaned back on the sofa, and his index finger gently stretched his tired and sore eyebrows.
All the preparations have been completed.
The Burning Corps has gained enough preparation time for the front line, and other corps have successfully used this time to build a solid defense line in the south of Songlinyu.
However…
Chu Guang was surprised that the other party had to wait for a heavy rain before starting the decisive battle.
Originally, according to his idea, the other party would launch an intensive offensive against the New Alliance’s position as soon as the preparations were completed.
And this time would most likely be at the end of the month.
However, to Chu Guang’s surprise, the newly appointed commander was more cautious than he thought, and did not rush to attack.
Especially in recent days, it has been cloudy.
Most of the pilots of the Goblin Corps are novices, and have never had experience fighting in rainy days. If the Ya Clan really waited for this heavy rain, it would undoubtedly add a lot of variables to the battle.
What’s more, these predators have prepared a lot of strange anti-aircraft weapons.
If only there was a way to force them out of the anti-artillery hole…
Chu Guang closed his eyes and thought, and at this moment, his mind suddenly moved, and he sat up straight from the sofa.
Just now, he thought of a good idea.
Although it is a bit risky to do so, it is better than letting the other party take the initiative.
With a smile on his lips, Chu Guang, holding the mouse, said softly.
”Since you are so cowardly…”
”Then I will help you!”
…
The position on the north side of Songlinyu.
From the high ground to the forest at the foot of the mountain, the position with a depth of nearly two kilometers is covered with criss-crossing trenches and dense craters.
The confrontation has lasted for more than half a month.
During this half month, the New Alliance has poured at least thousands of shells on the Ya Clan’s position. Even ten minutes ago, the New Alliance’s rocket launchers fired a salvo at the Ya Clan’s position.
However, this round of volleys did not cause many casualties to the marauders stationed here.
As early as a week ago, they had dug enough trenches and anti-artillery holes. Except for the occasional two unlucky people who were killed by the explosion, in most cases, they had already hidden in the holes before the second round of artillery fire.
Compared with the dense firepower coverage, the marauders squatting in the trenches are more afraid of the mortars of the New Alliance.
Those blue gophers are not ordinary cunning. Every time they patrol the position, they suddenly fire a cannon, making it hard to defend.
Standing on the position plowed over and over by artillery shells, Dillon, holding a telescope, frowned and looked towards the south.
”Anti-tank chevaux de frise…”
Hearing this, Xiong Ya was stunned.
”What is that?”
Dillon did not speak, and Tumen, who was standing next to him, took over the conversation.
”A kind of fortification that hinders the advancement of tanks… I didn’t expect that their steel production has been surplus to this extent.”
Hearing that it was just some defensive fortifications, Xiong Ya’s face immediately showed a trace of disapproval.
”Haha, fortifications? No matter how strong they are, they are nothing but a pile of slag in front of our tracks!”
His confidence was not without reason.
On the way from the central part of the Valley Province to the southern part, the Ya Clan had experienced hundreds of battles, big and small.
No matter which battle, the moment they used those iron lumps, the word “despair” would be deeply engraved on the faces of their opponents.
No matter what kind of shelter, it was as good as paper in front of the 100mm main gun.
And there was only one thing they needed to do, that is, to fire while advancing forward, shooting those defeated survivors, and watching those cowardly trash fleeing like stunted cockroaches.
And now, they not only dispatched tanks, but also gathered all the tanks of the entire tribe! They even equipped each tank with two modified anti-aircraft trucks!
It was a dream to stop them with just a few steel bars!
Dillon did not refute Xiongya’s words.
Although in his opinion, those marauders driving tanks were like baboons who picked up rifles, and they couldn’t even exert half of the strength of Conqueror No. 10, the performance of the equipment itself was enough to make up for this shortcoming.
They prepared 27 tanks, nearly 50 anti-aircraft trucks, and 5,000 light infantry for this battle.
This battle will completely crush all the combat power deployed by the New Alliance on the northern front, and soon the industrial zone of Dawn City will fall into their hands.
By then, they will completely clear the obstacles to the south, and the entire plain in the south of the Valley Province will be included in the territory of the Bone Chewing Tribe.
Now all that’s missing is a rainstorm…
”A few anti-tank chevaux de frise are not to be feared. Even if they bury a circle of anti-tank mines at the foot of the mountain, it can’t stop our armored spearheads from penetrating their defenses. I’m just worried that they have other cards hidden…”
As he said, Dillon handed the telescope to Tumen who was standing beside him.
Looking at his subordinates, he continued.
”Send two reconnaissance teams to check and mark the positions of the anti-tank barricades. They will be used when making a battle plan.”
”The day of the decisive battle is getting closer and closer. It may be today or tomorrow. From now on, we must be extremely cautious in every step!”
Tumen, who took the telescope, stood at attention and said seriously.
”Yes!”
Dillon nodded and turned to walk towards the trench.
However, at this moment, he suddenly felt a cool sensation on the tip of his nose.
Dillon raised his head unconsciously, and saw bean-sized raindrops falling from the sky one after another, hitting his hat brim and shoulders. The
weather in May changes suddenly.
The bean-sized raindrops became more and more dense. In less than a minute, it rained heavily on the battlefield.
Dillon’s face was surprised, and then turned into ecstasy.
Rain!
The rain finally fell!
Xiong Ya, who was standing aside, reacted more excitedly than him. The burly man opened his arms excitedly and laughed loudly with his face up to the sky.
It seemed to cheer for the downpour.
”Hahahaha!”
”It seems that even the heavens are on our side!”
Excited.
He looked at Dillon beside him, and shouted excitedly, ignoring the rain on his face.
”What are we waiting for! While the planes of those blue gophers become flies caught in the rain, let’s drive the tanks into their faces and crush their front teeth into pieces!”
Dillon did not speak, but stared at the sky intently, his mind turning rapidly.
With the thickness of the dark clouds in the sky, once the rain starts, it will probably not stop for a while.
While the ground has not been soaked into mud by the rain, now is indeed the best time to launch an offensive…
Although the plan is important, sometimes the timing is more critical than the plan.
Without hesitation, Dillon immediately took off the walkie-talkie hanging on his shoulder and pressed the button.
At the same time, in the valley five kilometers away, the voice amplified by the loudspeaker also resounded over the heads of the predators who were busy preparing.
”Attention all units! Activate Operation Plan No. 1. Everyone, bring your weapons and assemble at the battle position immediately!”
”Bring out our tanks, armored vehicles… all movable vehicles!”
”The moment of decisive battle has arrived!”
”It’s time to teach those damn moles a profound lesson!!”
…
(Thanks to the leaders “Big Ice Block” and “The Beginning of Adventurers” for their rewards!)
(End of this chapter)
