Chapter 18: Exchanging Weaponry and Equipment

Just as Chen Qingzhi was still hesitating over which rifle to choose, the voice of Huzi reached his ears: “Commander, after tallying with Lieutenant Fang, we found that our entire 527th Regiment now has only 172 men left. More than half of them are wounded, and among these, over a dozen are severely injured and unable to fight any longer!”

“To think there are fewer than two hundred left!” Chen Qingzhi was stunned, a chill running through him. Though he had mentally prepared himself, hearing the exact number was still hard to accept.

A reinforced regiment of more than two thousand three hundred men, reduced to less than two hundred in barely half a day—the survival rate was not even one in ten!

The brutality of war could be seen in stark relief.

“I understand,” Chen Qingzhi sighed, falling silent for a moment before nodding.

“We had the soldiers clean up the battlefield just now, and seized quite a few of the enemy’s Arisaka rifles along with a good amount of ammunition. At least that solves our most pressing problem!” Huzi continued.

Chen Qingzhi’s eyes suddenly brightened at Huzi’s words, and he couldn’t help but slap his forehead.

“How could I have missed that!” he said, a little annoyed. He’d been caught in a dead-end, fixating on exchanging for rifles, but now, there were ready-made ones right in front of him.

The enemy’s Arisaka rifles could be used for now; all Chen Qingzhi needed was to exchange enough ammunition. The issue of rifles could be set aside temporarily. The points could all be spent on machine guns and artillery, and with over ten thousand points, he could arm the surviving hundred men to the teeth!

With this realization, Chen Qingzhi felt a weight lift from his mind.

Seeing Chen Qingzhi suddenly slap his head and look vexed, Huzi was puzzled and couldn’t help but ask, “Commander, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing! Go about your business. Have the men rest as much as possible,” Chen Qingzhi waved him off.

Huzi scratched his head. He didn’t know what Chen Qingzhi was up to—the floating system panel was visible only to Chen Qingzhi, after all—but he didn’t ask further, simply nodded, and walked toward the soldiers.

He obeyed Chen Qingzhi’s orders unconditionally.

Chen Qingzhi skipped the rifle selection, opening the machine gun page. Various machine guns appeared before him, each with detailed specifications. The formidable firepower made his eyes burn with eagerness.

However, he didn’t exchange for machine guns immediately. He wanted to check the artillery section, weighing his options to maximize firepower.

After repeated comparisons, Chen Qingzhi finally settled on the weapons he would exchange.

Among machine guns, the most practical choice was the Czech light machine gun commonly equipped by Republican forces.

Officially named the ZB-26 light machine gun, its distinctive angular design gave it a striking presence. It fired 7.92mm pointed bullets, with devastating lethality.

Its accuracy was impressive, with an effective range of nine hundred meters, delivering pinpoint fire. In battle, those hit were either killed outright or severely wounded. The gun typically fired in bursts of two or three rounds, so those struck often took multiple hits, resulting in large, terrifying wounds that were hard to treat.

This machine gun was far superior to the Japanese Type 96, and counted as the most cost-effective weapon of its class. One ZB-26 could be exchanged for just one hundred points.

As for heavy machine guns, Chen Qingzhi chose the Maxim heavy machine gun, which fired 7.62mm rounds using a short-recoil automatic system and was water-cooled.

It was a true fully automatic machine gun.

Using the gas energy from the gunpowder, at the moment of firing, the bolt and barrel recoiled together for nineteen millimeters before the barrel stopped. The locking mechanism unlocked and the bolt continued rearward, accelerating the transfer of energy to the machine gun. This completed the extraction and ejection of spent cartridges, powered the feed mechanism, compressed the return spring, and struck the buffer. Under the spring’s force, the bolt moved forward again, chambering the next round, locking, and firing once more.

This cycle repeated over ten times a second, with a theoretical rate of fire exceeding six hundred rounds per minute—truly terrifying.

To ensure enough ammo for this rapid fire, the Maxim was equipped with a canvas belt, 6.4 meters long and holding 333 rounds. The belt’s ends had locking devices so more belts could be joined for prolonged firing.

Because of this, the Maxim was nicknamed “the electric gun” in Republican China.

This heavy machine gun could be exchanged for just five hundred points.

Regarding artillery, Chen Qingzhi avoided large-caliber guns. With only a hundred men left, moving heavy artillery during a retreat would be impossible.

After careful consideration, he decided to exchange for the GR.W.34 80mm mortar developed by Rheinmetall.

This mortar had a barrel length of 1,143 millimeters, weighed 57 kilograms with the barrel itself at 19 kilograms, and fired 3.5-kilogram shells at an initial velocity of 172 meters per second, with a maximum range of 2,400 meters and a maximum dispersion diameter of 65 meters.

Light and portable, it could be disassembled and carried by two soldiers.

Yet it packed tremendous power, being Germany’s most important basic firepower unit during World War II.

He also chose a 62mm mortar, and with these selected, Chen Qingzhi was set.

After careful selection, he exchanged for twenty Czech light machine guns, spending two thousand points, and ten Maxim heavy machine guns for five thousand points.

The 80mm mortar cost two thousand points per unit; Chen Qingzhi exchanged for two, and at a thousand points each, four 62mm mortars.

Altogether, he spent fifteen thousand points, leaving a little over a thousand, which he used to exchange for bullets and mortar shells.

At last, all his accumulated points were spent.

“Host, please select the drop location for the exchanged weapons and equipment,” came the cold voice of the system.

“Drop them beside me,” Chen Qingzhi replied, looking around to see all the soldiers busy cleaning up the battlefield in the trenches ahead, with no one paying attention to him.

“Location confirmed. Please wait, Host.”

The system fell silent after that.

Chen Qingzhi was about to see how the system would deliver the equipment when, in the next instant, his eyes suddenly widened in shock.