activa-t Chapter 17 Training
Chapter 17 Training
"After more than half a month, it's finally here!"
Lu Xingzhou, who hadn't joked with anyone in a long time, was a little excited upon hearing this.
Turning his head, he saw the few martial arts practitioners who were trembling with fear and a little nervous, and joked with a relaxed expression:
"These bearded guys always choose the time when we've finished our farm work and have some time to train before they come to smash the kiln. They're actually quite sensible!"
Chuanwu and the two gunners who came with him were taken aback.
With everyone on the verge of collapse, how could the boss still be in the mood for jokes?!
Thinking about it again, it makes sense!
The tension in my back then relaxed.
Chuanwu asked, "Should I send someone to Changtu to report this to the authorities?"
Lu Xingzhou rejected his idea: "Don't waste time."
If reporting to the authorities were effective, the Kanto region wouldn't be in its current state, where gangs are everywhere.
"Just letting everyone know, since we've got some free time these past few days, let's practice extra. We'll increase our shooting practice to two hours every morning and after lunch. It's not just for strong men; everyone over 14, men, women, young and old, should practice!"
There are about six or seven days left before rice transplanting.
The stables and warehouses have been repaired, and the gaps in the fence have been filled. There's not much work left for these strong laborers who have nowhere to vent their energy. Practicing with guns will also prevent them from causing any other trouble.
Zhu Chuanwu had no objection: "I'll go tell everyone right away!"
There are only a little over a hundred people now. When something happens, even women and teenagers have to step in. There's no special treatment for them.
Once the enclosure is broken open by the bearded man, the women are the first to suffer.
If this were an ordinary landlord's fortified village, upon hearing that bandits were scouting the area and that his wife and children were being trained in shooting, they would most likely be preparing to scatter like birds and beasts and flee.
But Lu Xingzhou took such good care of everyone!
Spring plowing in previous years.
Whether you farm your own land or work odd jobs for a landlord, you'll lose a lot of weight after a busy month.
Not only did I not lose weight this year, but with my large appetite and constant exercise, I've actually gotten a bit bigger!
Does this morale still need to be boosted?
If we don't kill those bearded bastards and keep our dream-like good life, we might as well just smash our heads against a wall and die!
After breakfast, the farmhands gathered in the yard without much supervision.
Then what are we waiting for? Let's get started!
Although Zhu Chuanwu was the gunner designated by Lu Xingzhou, he had only used Old Zhu's homemade hunting rifle before and had never fired a bolt-action rifle.
Sanjiangshui, who mingled with all sorts of people in Fengtian, had handled all kinds of weapons and had some talent, so he naturally became the instructor.
The fact that he was going to teach nearly a hundred people how to shoot had really excited Sanjiangshui.
They walk with their heels barely touching the ground, shuffling forward with a swagger.
"Cough cough~ Don't be afraid, gentlemen! We have the good guns the young master issued, Wang Erya can handle two bearded men! Any gang that dares to kick our fence without three or five hundred guns, we'll knock out their teeth!"
Wang Erya is that little girl who likes to wear pigtails.
The eight-year-old girl was huddled in the corner watching the strange sights when she heard Sanjiang Shui talking nonsense and blushed with embarrassment.
Her father immediately launched into a tirade against Sanjiangshui:
"You little brat, you're making my second daughter sound like some kind of fierce warrior! How is she ever going to get married?"
"Hahaha~!!"
Everyone burst into laughter.
The atmosphere was lively and enthusiastic, and Zhu Kaishan was deeply moved.
When he was young and involved in the Boxer Rebellion, he never experienced such a strong sense of morale among his troops.
He took a puff of his pipe, glanced at Lu Xingzhou beside him, and lowered his head thoughtfully.
They were the only two in the enclosure who didn't need to learn how to shoot; they could simply stand by and supervise.
Lu Xingzhou affirmed, "This kid isn't just spouting nonsense. With our weapon advantage and the high ground, as long as that guy with the mustache doesn't sneak in, even if Guo Shanfeng brings 200 gunners, they won't be able to get close to our walls."
He personally believes that the Springfield M1903 (Springfield rifle) is the best overall rifle in this period, apart from the Lee-Enfield and Mauser M98.
Citizens prefer large propellant charges, high rates of fire, and longer effective ranges, enough to overwhelm Beard's outdated and poorly equipped weaponry.
Zhu Kaishan chuckled and said, "200 gunners? With that kind of equipment, why would Guo Shanfeng be stuck huddled by the Xiliao River eating scraps? He would have made a name for himself long ago!"
The area along the Xiliao River is neither small nor large, especially the hundred-mile stretch near the source of the river. It is sparsely populated with few merchants and travelers, and there are no large mountain ranges covering it, making it unfavorable for large bandit groups to hold their ground.
Any gang with 200 guns wouldn't be hiding in that small mountain valley of Dayanggou to live their lives.
"That's the situation, but we still can't let our guard down!"
Although Lu Xingzhou also felt that Guo Shanfeng's strength was probably not that great, he was, after all, a bearded man who had boldly challenged the entire Liaohe River basin. Who knew that Guo Shanfeng would take so long to deal with him? Had he gone to call in reinforcements?
"Three Rivers Water, let's get started practicing!"
"Alright!"
The coaching courses at Sanjiangshui are not complicated.
Teach everyone the structure of the firearm, how to switch the safety, how to hold the gun, aim, and how to shoot. After they are familiar with the firearm, they will practice with live ammunition.
Zhu Chuanwu and his five gunners could each fire 10 rounds of ammunition per day. The rest of the time was spent holding their guns, simulating aiming and firing, loading ammunition, and changing ammunition.
Others fired even fewer; able-bodied men only managed five shots, while women and children could only fire a total of two.
This amount is less than what a fragile college student could fight in military training. How can this fight a war?
Lu Xingzhou thought it was a joke, but Sanjiangshui thought it was already extremely extravagant.
"Young master, even a large gang of 500 men, from the start to the end, most of the youngsters (ordinary bearded men) have never even touched a gun."
"Those with a bit of wealth might have two hundred homemade guns at most. A few of our good guns would be enough to distribute to our key figures and trusted confidants. We'd fire a few bullets every three to five months just to hear the sound. The kind of intensive training we do—that's unthinkable!"
These past few years have been a window of opportunity for weapons revolution.
In the backward Northeast, let alone bearded men and warlords, even the Japanese Kwantung Infantry Divisions had not yet fully adopted the Type 38 rifle.
Zhu Kaishan added, "Five bullets cost one silver dollar on the black market. With that money, you could buy 80 catties of millet mixed with wild vegetables and recruit a couple more kids. Of course, Beard wouldn't want to waste it on shooting practice!"
"It's so expensive?!" Lu Xingzhou was truly shocked by the price.
They gained a profound understanding of the price difference in weapons between advanced industrialized countries and underdeveloped agricultural countries.
In the United States, 1000 rifle bullets cost only $10, which translates to 42 bullets for one dollar—a price difference of more than eight times.
"Alright, let's practice like this for now. I'll try to get more bullets later, then we can all start shooting."
Considering that there were only about 100 boxes and less than 60 rounds of ammunition in the space, and there was nowhere to replenish the Springfield rifle ammunition, he did not insist on his idea.
I even felt a little regretful.
If the source energy were as efficient at dealing with non-living things as it is with living things, he could make as much money as Wen Dou just by selling bullets, so why would he need to farm?
The training proceeded smoothly, and three days passed in a row.
The idea that everyone can become a sharpshooter is nonsense, but with the high performance of the Springfield rifle, it's not difficult for a teenage girl to aim straight within 100 meters.
Lu Xingzhou didn't use a gun when he was fighting in Citibank, so naturally he didn't need to practice.
He did not intend to use rifles as his primary weapon until high-capacity magazines and automatic assault rifles became available.
But he hasn't been idle these past few days; he's been chasing girls.