Chapter 952 - The Agricultural Armored Regiment
Standing at the gate of the agricultural machinery station was a dark-skinned, burly man wearing a rattan safety helmet. A towel hung around his neck, and he wore work clothes washed white and stiff with grease, with a military belt cinched around his waist. Besides a pistol, various tools dangled haphazardly from his belt.
This was "Inspector General of Armored Forces" Bai Yu. His title was not self-bestowed but an official position within the General Staff. However, since D-Day he had yet to do anything related to armored forces. The vast majority of his time had been spent serving the Agricultural Committee and the General Construction Company, specifically training tractor operators and executing engineering machinery tasks. He thus simultaneously held the positions of Regiment Commander of the "Agricultural Reclamation First Maritime Mobile Regiment," Director of the "Lingao County Agricultural Machinery Central Station," and Commander of the "Agricultural Committee Directly Managed Agricultural Machinery Corps."
"Old Chang, I've been waiting for you quite a while." Bai Yu greeted Chang Shide warmly—he considered Old Chang a man of "genuine character." Though they had no overlapping interests, they had hit it off like old friends at the annual conference.
Chang Shide exchanged pleasantries with him, chatted about women for a bit, then steered the conversation to the upcoming mission in Qiongshan.
According to orders, the Maritime Mobile Regiment would be deployed to Qiongshan to support agricultural recovery operations and then develop the planned intensive farming estates.
Although the Agricultural Reclamation First Maritime Mobile Regiment bore such an impressive name, its essence was similar to the "wheat harvesters" common on the Central Plains in the old timeline—those who stuck sickles in their belts during summer harvest, hopped freight trains, slept in fields, and hired themselves out to harvest other people's wheat. Or in standardized terms: "seasonal agricultural migrant workers."
"You've got quite a collection of big machines here." Though Chang Shide had grown accustomed to seeing various large agricultural machines at the machinery station during his Tiandihui days, witnessing so many behemoths gathered in one place was still quite impressive.
"We scrapped one last week, three are in major overhaul, and twelve are in medium repair or routine maintenance." Bai Yu knew his assets inside and out—and not just here; he was equally clear on the equipment status of the Agricultural Committee's directly managed corps, which used exclusively old-timeline equipment.
"Scrapped another one—boiler explosion?" Chang Shide had personally witnessed a steam tractor's boiler explode, launching the driver dozens of meters through the air.
Bai Yu nodded: "Two boiler explosions. One was too badly damaged, so we had to scrap it. The other—someone from the General Machinery Factory came to look, and said if we swap the boiler it can still be repaired."
Chang Shide said: "That sounds terrifying. This place is practically a death trap."
"Tell me about it. But the boilers are much better now than before. Zhou Bili's skills keep improving, and his apprentices have come into their own." Bai Yu said. "Still, steam tractors just aren't very safe by nature."
"Any problems transporting them to Qiongshan?"
"No problem. Shipping by boat is quite safe—it's just the loading and unloading that's troublesome. But with steam-powered equipment, there's nothing convenient about operating it anyway." It had taken Bai Yu a long time to adapt to the "slowness" of steam power. Operators had to start firing up several hours before departure to ensure the equipment was ready on time.
Few vessels could transport such heavy equipment, and the regiment's deployment also required large quantities of spare parts, coal for power, and supporting equipment—boilers required specialized water, so specialized boiler water treatment equipment had to be shipped as well. Thus the entire regiment would have to be transported in several waves.
Inside the machinery station, Agricultural Committee workers wearing army uniforms but with "Agriculture" badges on their armbands bustled about. Some were disassembling components, some were wrapping and securing delicate parts, some were draining boiler water and clearing ash from fireboxes. Others were moving the workers' baggage—army-issue backpacks and blankets.
The First Maritime Mobile Regiment was well equipped. Besides specialized equipment, it also had mobile field kitchen vehicles and water purification equipment normally issued only to military units.
The workers moved with practiced skill and obvious discipline. The entire scene was busy but orderly, projecting a distinct military bearing.
"This isn't an agricultural machinery station—it's practically an armored division," Chang Shide complimented.
Bai Yu smiled with well-deserved pride: "The day we produce tanks, they'll be the seeds of the armored divisions."
Though tanks and armored vehicles weren't even on the Planning Commission's project list, Bai Yu still diligently cultivated the "seeds of armored forces." He not only provided corresponding training for machinery operators but occasionally even conducted infantry-tank coordination exercises with infantry units. Dongmen Chuiyu and Wu Nanhai were quite supportive: in their conception, agricultural reclamation was meant to be an armed peasant force and the vanguard for future armed colonization. Adding more military characteristics would help develop combat capability.
"I've already discussed the shipping plan with Joint Logistics Command," Bai Yu led him into his office. "The dates are all arranged. The advance detachment leaves the morning after tomorrow. So—are you traveling with the ship or with the main force?" Bai Yu asked.
"I'll travel with the main force, of course." Chang Shide waved his fan. "I still need to wait for the Elders from agricultural technology. We'll all go together then."
After much discussion at the Agricultural Committee, it was finally decided that Wan Lihui would lead a "Post-Disaster Rush Harvest and Replanting Work Team" to Qiongshan alongside Chang Shide. Wan Lihui's task was to help local farmers rush the harvest and replanting to restore production.
Wan Lihui stood on the dock supervising the loading of the Agricultural Committee's "disaster relief supplies"—which were not grain, clothing, blankets, or tents, but seeds, specialized fertilizers, and pesticides. The seeds brought along were primarily fast-growing, high-yield sweet potato seedlings, along with considerable quantities of corn, buckwheat, and legume seeds, to be quickly planted after floodwaters receded. Regardless of how many disagreements existed over land and agricultural policy, real grain was the most essential thing.
Wan Lihuang stood beside him, watching the loading of various agricultural materials. Originally, Ye Yuming had wanted to send him instead—after all, Wan Lihui's position was harder to leave vacant. But in the end, Wan Lihui felt his brother was still a bit too young and hadn't done much field deployment work in Lingao. Rushing off to a new district might be unsafe, so he volunteered to go himself.
"After I leave, you need to keep a close eye on the breeding farm and experimental fields. Everything is in your hands now—don't let anything go wrong." Wan Lihui instructed him earnestly. Truthfully, he wasn't entirely comfortable leaving his brother in sole charge. Earthworms and fly maggots were currently the main source of protein feed at the Agricultural Committee's feed factory, and the breeding farm also provided large quantities of processed fertilizer. Any mishap would be a major responsibility incident.
"Don't worry, big brother. I can handle this." Wan Lihuang replied with some annoyance. "Besides, the batch of naturalized cadres under me are doing quite well..." At this point he seemed to think of something else. "Big brother, when will we be able to go to Japan for target practice..."
This was a question Wan Lihui was reluctant to answer, because the possibility of freely shooting in Japan seemed increasingly slim. Especially recently—the Senate had organized a trade delegation to Japan and had actually chosen an Elder who claimed descent from the "Taira clan" to lead it. Of course, beyond private grumbling, Wan Lihui had nothing to say. First, he didn't know Japanese; second, he knew very little about Japanese society, economy, and history; third, his "grand vision" of target practice in Japan would obviously never receive the Senate's support.
"Why all these questions? We'll get there eventually. Focus on the work at hand first!" Wan Lihui was already unhappy, and some recent matters had dampened his mood. He cut his brother off bluntly.
"Tell us—what did you see and learn?"
This question was being asked repeatedly in the homes of the gentry and major landowners throughout Qiongshan County.
It took two or three days after the gentry's eldest sons returned to Qiongshan before they finally finished writing their reflection papers. By then, each household more or less understood Director Liu's intentions, and they subsequently became much more "open-minded." Though they still couldn't avoid complaining and pleading poverty to Hai Shuzu, they no longer rushed to oppose anything directly. Whether or not they intended to pursue "deep cooperation" with the Australians, they were all eager to learn more about the Australians' true situation from their children.
"Reporting to Father: your son has investigated. The Australian Song government does not use the imperial examination system. To become an official, one must learn their new language, write vernacular characters, and know arithmetic to obtain what they call Class A, B, or C diplomas. Then one must undergo something called 'training' before finally entering government service. Everyone, regardless of status, must start as a minor clerk. They follow a 'unified official-clerk' system... However, the Australian government seems to be prejudiced against scholars of the Great Min— er, the Great Ming. Apart from one Zhang Xingjiao who joined early, no other scholars seem to have been able to enter official positions."
"So you're saying we really should send your younger brother and sisters to study Australian learning?" This was the dialogue in a family of restless ambition. "I see your Third Concubine's children are growing up too. Keeping them at home is just wasting rice—might as well send them to school. Won't cost much anyway."
"Father, it was truly impressive! When I visited that Liu Youren's place, they were clearing wasteland. I saw a great iron ox that swallowed coal and belched fire give a mighty roar, and a plow weighing thousands of jin tore open the earth. The soil clods flipped up and crumbled into neat rows—a hundred times better than our old plows pulled by men and oxen!"
"Did you find out how much silver it costs to rent this great iron ox?" This was the dialogue in a family focused on farming.
"The prostitutes there are so well-behaved—each one with a tag, lined up in roadside pavilions... I heard there's a place called Ziming Tower that's the highest-class establishment, but they didn't arrange any tour there. The most alluring though were the Australian maidservants—each one fresh and fair, and their clothes exposed a section of their thighs!"
"You worthless boy! All you care about is wine, women, and pleasure! Never mind the apologies—quick, tell your father, just how depraved and shameless are these Australians? Are there any new novelties?" This was the dialogue in the "tea-table-and-cabinet" type of family.
(End of Chapter)