Bright Sword: From Border Region Manufacturing to Major National Heavy Industry

Chapter 314 Dual Use of High Ground
Li Muzhi returned to his laboratory and continued revising the blueprints for the Hell Missile.

By dinnertime, the blueprints had been revised.

Not only were the blueprints revised, but Li Muzhi also drew the blueprints for the parts to scale.

"Old He, modify the Hell Missile according to these blueprints and parts." Li Muzhi handed the blueprints to Old He.

Old He took it and was somewhat stunned: "Factory Manager, this is a Hell Missile that was supposed to be sold. You modified it so quickly?"

You spent a long time modifying the internal mechanism of the Hell Cannon's shells.

You modified the blueprints for this Hell Missile in just one day?

"These Hell Missiles are easier to make than Hell Cannonballs; I just simplified them," Li Muzhi explained.

"Hmm, they do look very similar." Old He examined them carefully again and then said, "Alright, I'll get someone to make them as soon as possible."

"Make just two prototypes; don't produce that many," Li Muzhi instructed.

After all, we don't even have enough of these Hellfire missiles, and even if we were to sell them, the quantity would be limited.

Unless that scale of production is achieved.

"Yes, factory manager." Old He nodded.

"It's lunchtime, let's go eat first," Li Muzhi said.

"Okay." Lao He put the blueprints away, and the two of them walked together toward the dining hall.

"Factory director, the air defense weapon parts are being prepared. I wonder when the seamless steel pipe equipment will be delivered to the combat troops?" Lao He sighed, even impatiently.

Li Muzhi has already said that this anti-aircraft weapon is suitable for both high-altitude and low-altitude use.

What does "dual-purpose" mean?

With the cannon pointed at the sky, it can strike targets in the sky.

With the muzzle leveled, it can also strike ground targets.

For example, Japanese tanks and armored vehicles.

Although Japanese tanks and armored vehicles were countered by rocket launchers, the rocket launchers had a very short range and were easy to expose.

This anti-aircraft weapon has a long range and can suppress the Japanese mechanized forces by strafing from a distance.

Eliminating the enemy from a distance is always a crucial advantage on the battlefield.

In the past, we always let the enemy get close to fight, which was because we had no other choice.

"Commander Li and his men will probably bring us a surprise soon. Let's not think too much about the combat troops," Li Muzhi said optimistically.

"Yes, we're still mainly busy with our military production." Old He nodded.

When they arrived at the food serving window, the lady serving the food ladled out a bowl of fish soup for Li Muzhi: "Director Li, this fish soup is very delicious, please drink more."

"Thank you." Li Muzhi thanked him, put the fish soup on a plate, and took two steamed buns.

Li Muzhi sat down with his plate, having only drunk half of the fish soup and eaten one steamed bun, when he saw the captain of the guard rushing over.

The captain of the guard quickly walked up to Li Muzhi and handed him a stack of photos: "Director Li, take a look at what kind of factory this is."

Li Muzhi took the photos, glanced at them only once, and looking at the pipes and tanks, his expression lit up with surprise: "This is a natural gas plant!"

Li Muzhi had long coveted the Japanese natural gas plant.

If we can acquire the equipment from this natural gas plant, then we can refine the tungsten ore.

At that time, whether it's the barrels of anti-aircraft weapons or the barrels of other firearms, they will all be made of tungsten.

During continuous firing, the barrel will generate high temperatures due to the combustion of gunpowder and the friction of the projectile, which may lead to metal deformation or barrel explosion.

Adding tungsten can enhance the heat resistance and wear resistance of steel, extending its service life.

Li Muzhi quickly flipped through all the remaining photos and looked at the guard captain with delight: "This is the Japanese factory that the combat troops below discovered, right?"

“Yes, that’s right.” The guard captain nodded and said, “It was Brigade Commander Chen of the 386th Brigade who discovered it. He didn’t recognize the factory, so he took pictures and sent them back.”

"Great! We absolutely must take this natural gas plant!" Li Muzhi exclaimed happily. "When will Commander Chen be able to make his move?"

"I don't know about that." The guard captain shook his head and looked at Li Muzhi. "I don't understand these things, but disassembling these pipes and cans must not be that simple or easy."

“Hmm.” Li Muzhi nodded and said, “This pipeline contains dangerous flammable gas. Even the slightest spark could turn the entire factory into ruins. The dismantling of this is much more difficult than dismantling a typical smelter.”

"After we finish eating, I'll quickly convene a meeting with the relevant personnel to come up with a dismantling plan, and then prepare the dismantling personnel," Li Muzhi continued. "Then, I'll contact Brigade Commander Chen to see when he starts, and send the dismantling personnel over in a timely manner."

“Alright.” The guard captain nodded and said, “Then I’ll go and tell Commander Chen’s men that this is a natural gas plant, which is very dangerous, and they should try to take it down without using weapons.”

Taking them down without weapons is completely unreasonable.

After all, those Japanese soldiers weren't stupid; would they be foolish enough to give up their natural gas plant?
However, if weapons were used, even a tiny spark could easily destroy the entire factory, and even the troops could be wiped out.

It can be said that Brigade Commander Chen faces a very difficult problem.

“Okay.” Li Muzhi nodded, and the captain of the guard stepped away.

As I left, I grabbed two steamed buns from the food serving window and ate them as I walked.

The guard captain often ate like this: he would take two steamed buns and eat them while working.

After the guard captain finished handing over the duties to the communications officer of the 386th Brigade, the latter quickly left.

Before nightfall, the captain of the guard personally patrolled the area again to make sure there were no abnormalities before preparing to rest.

Just then, Kong Jie returned.

Kong Jie's team returned laden with supplies, weapons, and ammunition. The guard captain even spotted Kong Jie carrying a Hellfire missile.

The captain of the guard remembered that Kong Jie did not have any Hell Missiles.

But the guard captain didn't pay much attention. Perhaps when Kong Jie went out on an operation, Director Li gave him a few.

Director Li has always been very generous to Commander Kong.

"Commander Kong, where have you been begging for alms again?" the guard captain greeted him with a smile.

"Go and tally up the items, hand the prisoners over to the logistics department, then go eat. I'm going to have a chat with the guard captain," Kong Jie said to the people around him.

"Yes, Commander." The battalion commander and the others led their troops off to get to work.

"Captain of the Guard, guess who I saw on this trip?" Kong Jie asked, keeping everyone in suspense.

"Where you went, I don't know either, how am I supposed to guess?" the guard captain laughed. "The outposts and sentry posts in this area have basically been wiped out. You didn't go to the Japanese county town, did you?"

"Why would I go to the Japanese county town? There's not much profit to be made, and it's a waste of ammunition." Kong Jie shook his head.

These counties require heavy artillery to conquer, and our hellish cannons have very precious shells.

Furthermore, the supplies from these counties were diverted to support the Kumamoto Division army.

In other words, many county towns are just empty shells, so this business is not worthwhile.

"Then where did you go?" The guard captain agreed. In the past, attacking county towns was a sure thing, but now it was likely a sure thing to lose money.

"I went to the Xiangshan area and saw your sister," Kong Jie said.

Upon hearing this, the captain of the guard immediately asked, "How is she? Has the team grown?"

"Her guerrilla force has grown to over sixty men, and it seems to be developing quite well," Kong Jie replied. "I captured a major traitor and left her over a hundred guns and a lot of supplies, as well as a Type 92 infantry gun and ten shells, enough for her to grow her force to several hundred men."

Upon hearing this, the guard captain asked with suspicion, "Commander Kong, why are you giving her so much?"

If it were just a hundred or so guns and a lot of supplies, that would be understandable.

You even gave them the Type 92 infantry gun; that's clearly not right.

"What do you mean 'why'!" Kong Jie looked at the guard captain seriously. "I think it's not easy for a girl like her to manage the troops. If I hadn't gotten there in time today, you might never have seen her again in your life. The troops need to be developed as soon as possible. Once their combat effectiveness is improved, you, as their older brother, can have less to worry about when you're working at the arsenal."

"What happened? What danger did she encounter today?" the guard captain asked hurriedly.

“There’s a big traitor who’s captured thirty girls to give to the Japanese. Today is his birthday, and his household has more than 350 Japanese and traitor soldiers. Your sister’s intelligence is wrong. Even if she only plans to fight these 30 or 40 Japanese soldiers in the end, with the conditions of her guerrilla force, you think about it yourself,” Kong Jie explained.

"Commander Kong, thank you for your timely help." The guard captain immediately understood.

The traitor captured thirty girls to hand over to the Japanese, but his own sister refused to give up on saving them. Given the conditions of the Xiangshan guerrillas, it was indeed not easy to fight against thirty or forty Japanese soldiers.

"No need for thanks, we're all comrades, we should look out for each other." Kong Jie waved his hand, then asked, "Did Old Zhang send a partner over to her side?"

"Commander Kong, have you seen this partner? What's he like?" the guard captain asked hurriedly.

In the past, although the captain of the guard said he trusted Minister Zhang's judgment, he did not inquire about his partner's personal information.

But the captain of the guard was still curious about what kind of person his partner was.

“I didn’t see him, and your sister didn’t take anyone with her when she made the move.” Kong Jie shook his head and said, “From the tone of your sister’s voice, it seems that although that partner is an intellectual, he doesn’t get along with your sister at all.”

"Maybe they'll get used to it over time." Upon hearing this, the guard captain thought to himself, "We can't possibly ask Minister Zhang to replace him again; he's so busy."

“For your sister’s team to grow and expand, it will definitely need the support of educated people. Many guerrilla groups would love to have such a partner, but they don’t have the opportunity.” Kong Jie nodded in agreement. “Maybe so. These two have been working together for a long time, and they may even have developed a life-or-death bond. I estimate that they can work together. With my support of weapons, ammunition, and supplies, her team will definitely grow and expand quickly. You, as her brother, can just focus on protecting the arsenal.”

"Commander Kong, thank you." The guard captain was still sincerely grateful to Kong Jie.

After all, Kong Jie gave Wei Ying far more than just ordinary aid.

"No need to thank me. See the Hell Missile I brought back? I got it from your sister." Kong Jie laughed. "Hell Missiles are in short supply right now. Who knows, this Hell Missile might do me a great service someday."

"..." The captain of the guard paused for a moment, then said nothing.

Borrowing a Type 92 infantry gun and exchanging ten shells for a Hellfire missile would be of greater significance to Wei Ying's Xiangshan guerrilla force.

Kong Jie continued to treat the Xiangshan guerrillas well.

After chatting with the captain of the guard for a few more minutes, Kong Jie returned to see Li Muzhi. As soon as they met, Kong Jie handed the notebook to Li Muzhi: "Director Li, these are the data for two modified Hell Cannon shells. I brought them back for you. They have the same effect as normal Hell Cannon shells. I think there is no change."

"Commander Kong, you've worked hard," Li Muzhi said as he took the bag.

"Don't worry about the trouble. If you need anything in the future, especially for testing weapons and ammunition, just let me know." Kong Jie said quickly, "Are you done? If not, I'm going to eat now."

Although food was also seized during the raid on the lower strongholds.

But this food couldn't compare to the rations at our arsenal, so not only Kong Jie, but also his soldiers, deliberately saved room for food when they came back.

"Okay, sure." Li Muzhi nodded.

Kong Jie went out, and Li Muzhi finished reading the small notebook in his hand. The data was correct.

Li Muzhi sent someone to inform Lao He that the modified shells could be produced directly.

At that time, we can discuss the follow-up matters regarding the replacement of the Hell Cannon shells with equipment with the Jin-Sui Army.

Li Muzhi took out his pen and continued his work.

The students have submitted their equipment repair and improvement plans for making gas masks to Li Muzhi, who needs to review and provide them with guidance.

We aim to get these students to fix the equipment and machines as quickly and efficiently as possible, avoiding unnecessary detours.

(End of this chapter)