Siheyuan: I am a trader in both worlds!

Chapter 381 Buy a Type 81 rifle and get a free grenade! (Two-in-one)

Isn't it?
The Type 63 107mm rocket launcher, one of the three great guerrilla warfare weapons, has been brought out. In such a situation, how could the eternal Type 81 rocket launcher be left out!

So, while there was still some time, Ximen Lang decisively took out Yongheng's 81-bar.

"Originally, I wanted to bring over the Type 56 semi-automatic rifle, the absolute pinnacle of semi-automatic rifles, the best of the best. With the Type 56, the Type 56 rifle family, we could replace the outdated, mixed-use rifles from various countries." (In the early days of the People's Republic of China, the equipment of our army was incredibly diverse. Although the Type 53 carbine was copied from the Mosin-Nagant in 53, due to limitations in performance and production capacity, many areas were still using weapons and equipment from World War II.)
"But then I thought about it again. No matter how powerful the Type 56 semi-automatic rifle is, it is still just a semi-automatic rifle. Even if an automatic rifle version is later released, which is the model with the 30-round magazine that everyone is familiar with, it is destined to be phased out, and its performance in all aspects cannot meet our needs."

"So, instead of going through all the trouble of importing the Type 56 rifle family, why not just go straight for the Type 81 rifle family, which is already nearing completion and better meets our actual needs! Let's replace our current fleet of mixed-use rifles with these! What do you think?"

how about it?
"If we could exchange these weapons for our own, and finally shed this label of being a hodgepodge of foreign equipment, that would be the best outcome!"

Yes, it wasn't just Simon Lang who felt extremely uncomfortable with the label of "international brands" that the world of Beijing was now firmly wearing; Hao Pingchuan and Bai Ling felt equally disgusted by this inescapable label.

They even feel ashamed of it!

However, because the world of Beijing had just been reborn from the flames of war, it was still extremely poor.

At least for the time being, this label simply cannot be removed!
Ximen Lang and Hou Shi have already helped them so much, so they are too embarrassed to ask them for more, lest they leave them with a bad impression of being greedy!
Helpless and with no other options, Bai Ling and Hao Pingchuan could only suppress their frustration and humiliation, never revealing a trace of it to Ximen Lang.

until
Ximen Lang took out the 81-bar and expressed his willingness to replace it for the world of Beijing!

The pent-up frustration and humiliation accumulated over the years erupted all at once.

Following Ximen Lang's lead, Bai Ling and Lao Luo nodded repeatedly after Hao Pingchuan, expressing to varying degrees their desire to quickly shed their "international mix" label and their urgency to replace their weapons and equipment.

Impatiently, Bai Ling immediately poured out her grievances to Ximen Lang.

"You have no idea, Ah Lang. Over the years, because of these mishmash of foreign equipment, we've been laughed at for so long! Let me put it this way, not to mention the Western world led by the US, even our big brother doesn't really respect us!"

"You see, he has indeed provided a lot of aid for industrial construction and sent many experts, and he seems quite kind. But what is the reality? It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he has wolfish ambitions!"

"We deserve all of this. We fought and won that battle with our lives and gritted our teeth, and that's how we got this infrastructure and personnel assistance!"

"But in their eyes, this is just giving alms to beggars! And even so, you still have to feed and treat them well! You have no idea how much humiliation we've suffered over the years because of this!"

This is not an exaggeration by Bai Ling, but a fact that truly exists.

Take, for example, the famous canteen at the steel rolling mill.
"Who do you think it was built for? For us? Are you kidding me? I don't deny that there are indeed one or two bad apples in our team, like your old brother Li Huaide."

"But I can say with my hand on my chest that the vast majority of us, including your older brother Li Huaide, were full of lofty ambitions to work hard and make a great career in the early days, and were enthusiastic about our work!"

"In this situation, we're barely managing to save money, how could we possibly afford to do anything crooked or extravagant? It's all for those 'experts' who love to judge people based on a crack in the door, and who become vehemently critical at the slightest dissatisfaction!" (It's undeniable that they did provide us with a lot of help; while not the vast majority, at least some of them genuinely helped us and forged deep friendships with us. But such things are inevitable; after all, we were indeed lagging behind at that time.)
It really is!
Whether you admit it or not, the distinctive small canteens and various high-class guesthouses built in the early days of the People's Republic of China were indeed specifically constructed for them.

"Of course, I'm not saying this to complain. Just like we deserve this aid, people have come all this way, so it's our duty to take good care of their food and drink."

"But I just don't understand. We're all XXXX, brothers of XX ideology, so why does he have to covet our sovereignty and territory? And this trend—yes, they just packed up and left, but they've corrupted the atmosphere here!"

"Can you imagine? Your older brother, Li Huaide, during the war, he even dared to carry explosives, always vying to be the first to lead the charge! But look at him now, what a pathetic sight he's made of! Seriously, just thinking about all the scum he's done makes me furious!"

After his rant, Simon Lang, who already didn't like the Russians much, became even more disdainful of them.

However, this topic is too sensitive to discuss in detail.

So, I only replied with one sentence.

"The Russians, you know, it's easier to change mountains and rivers than to change their nature, that's how it is."

Ximen Lang abruptly ended the topic.

Then, seeing that Hao Pingchuan looked increasingly uneasy, his brows furrowing deeper as he examined the 81 bar in his hand.

Ximen Lang asked directly.

"What are you thinking about? Just say what you mean. What can't we talk about, brother and I?"

Seeing that Ximen Lang had said this, Hao Pingchuan finally stopped pondering alone and voiced his doubts.

"Brother Lang, this gun is great in every way! But there's one thing I don't quite understand! This gun... why does it look exactly like the AK47 that the Russians just got equipped with? Seriously, if you hadn't told me its name beforehand, I really wouldn't have been able to tell the difference between them!"

Can't tell the difference?

Upon hearing this, Ximen Lang immediately cast an inquiring glance at Bai Ling and Lao Luo.

Sure enough, it wasn't just Hao Pingchuan who had this question; they were all equally puzzled by it.

Ximen Lang then answered.

"Same? That makes sense! Because this gun is based on the Type 56 semi-automatic rifle (a copy of the SKS) and the automatic rifle version (a copy of the AK47), and was copied and improved upon! In other words, they are related! Under such circumstances, it's natural that their designs are similar!"

"Although the appearance is similar, the internal components are completely different!"

After saying that, he casually produced an AK47, a Type 56 semi-automatic rifle, and a Type 56 automatic rifle from the side as if by magic. In no time, he disassembled the four guns into their parts.

Lay all the parts out in front of them.

While letting them compare, Ximen Lang explained.

"Of course, before discussing the specific differences, it must be acknowledged that the AK47 is truly an outstanding rifle! It truly deserves and lives up to its reputation as one of the three great guerrilla weapons! Its performance is indeed impeccable!"

"Especially under some extreme conditions, pay attention: we are talking about the genuinely domestically produced AKs made in Russia, not some random imitations from outside, or even cheap, low-quality products from small workshops!"

After clearly explaining the key points to Bai Ling and the others, Ximen Lang picked up where he left off and continued his introduction.

"Especially under some extreme conditions, it can indeed withstand the test better than most other guns! However, this does not mean that it is truly perfect or can meet our needs!"

"Especially this ridiculous recoil, it's just outrageously huge! You'll know once you fire a proper magazine, with this recoil, a whole magazine will practically send you flying into the sky! Even if you use all your strength, at least 90% of it will be spent on controlling the recoil! And even then, you might not be able to control it!"

"Therefore, taking into account the drawbacks of extremely high recoil and slight lack of accuracy, we have combined the strengths of various manufacturers and made some localized improvements that better meet our needs!"

"First of all, there's the gas system. It uses a long piston gas system, where the piston is integrated with the bolt carrier, while ours uses a short piston gas system!"

"Because the quality of the moving parts has been reduced, our Type 81 rifle will have significantly higher accuracy and less recoil than the AK47 in burst fire!"

"Besides, our stock design is also different. Look at that one, it's made of pure wood! When it's not comfortable to use, you can't even move it. Ours, on the other hand, is properly foldable!"

"It can be adjusted in various ways to meet your actual needs at any time! No matter what the situation, it can handle everything with ease! There's also the safety aspect, such as the bolt hold-open feature." (The Type 81 rifle also has a wooden stock version; there are two versions, one with a wooden stock and the other with a metal folding stock.)
"This AK47 is completely missing. How can this be? It's not safe."

The conversation started with the gas system, then moved on to the stock, and then from the bolt hold-open device to the length of the barrel.
Believe it or not, under Bai Ling's influence, Ximen Lang really does have a bit of that teacher's air about him!
In just a few words, he explained the differences between the AK47 and the Type 81 rifle thoroughly using professional terminology.

Even Hao Pingchuan, a simpleton, understood the specific differences between the two after Ximen Lang's explanation.

It was evident that Bai Ling, Lao Luo, and Hao Pingchuan all showed great interest in the 81-bar game.

Especially when they learned that the Type 81 rifle wasn't just an automatic rifle version, but a whole family of guns!

Not only is there an automatic rifle version, but also a light machine gun version!
Moreover, the parts interchangeability rate is as high as 70%!

Almost all parts can be freely replaced!

They were extremely satisfied, and Lao Luo and Bai Ling immediately began discussing with Ximen Lang how to make the replacement.

Originally, according to Lao Luo and Bai Ling's plan
"Anyway, there aren't any major technical difficulties. Our existing arsenals can manufacture them. Why don't we just build them ourselves? Or, like Sixth Master, we can import a few production lines and just keep producing them!"

Upon hearing that Bai Ling and Lao Luo had this plan, Ximen Lang immediately became unhappy.

This certainly doesn't mean that Simon Lang disagreed with replacing the foreign-brand equipment, but rather...
"You can't do it this way! Put your hands on your conscience and think about it carefully. Don't you want to equip our troops with these new guns sooner, or even now? So that our soldiers can experience the joy of having new weapons right now?"

Ximen Lang's words were clearly loaded with meaning.

Knowing Ximen Lang so well that Bai Ling could tell what kind of shit he was taking just by looking at him, Bai Ling simply rolled her eyes at Ximen Lang.

Without any beating around the bush, Bai Ling asked directly.

"Tell me, or more specifically—what are their conditions? What kind of trouble are they planning to cause?"

"This time it's really not a stunt! Really, I swear on my integrity, there really are no tricks involved!"

After saying that, he saw that Bai Ling, who was already looking at him sideways, was even more contemptuous of him.

It's obvious they don't believe it.

Since things had already come to this, Ximen Lang decided to confront Bai Ling and Lao Luo directly.

"Let me tell you this: just the Type 81 assault rifle alone, we've retired no fewer than 400 million of them! Some units are still using Type 81s even now, having missed the boat!" (You wouldn't believe it, but some of our troops are still using the Type 81.)
"No less than four million! What does that mean? Even if you include those delivered to the militia and reserve forces, those exported, and those provided as aid, and subtract them all, the remaining number is still an astronomical figure!"

"So, there really wasn't any trickery involved! On the contrary, they were especially sincere this time! Seriously, just look at the price, they're really being honest!"

After much persuasion, they finally convinced the astonished Bai Ling and Lao Luo of the sincerity of the future generation.

Can.
"This is a big deal, and with such a large quantity, it can't be decided in just a few words. Of course, there's also a very important point: these are secondhand! Selling secondhand items at this price! Your sincerity is a bit lacking!"

Seeing that later generations were selling at a loss, Bai Ling still complained that the later generations weren't sincere enough.

Looking down at the prices, and seeing the prices of these generally secondhand goods, it does seem like Sijiucheng World is being treated as a sucker, a victim of a terrible mistake.

With a determined effort, Ximen Lang offered another practical solution.

"It's not a freebie; buy an 81 rifle and get a free grenade, is that alright?!"

(End of this chapter)