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

Chapter 342 Radar Details
"Hell Cannon, shoulder-mounted cannon, and Hell Missiles—how many do you have? I'll take them all," Yan Kai said immediately.

Seeing Yan Kai's somewhat arrogant demeanor, Zhang Wanhe shook his head: "Mr. Yan, you should also understand that our lives are not easy either. The Japanese just finished a sweep, and a new sweep may begin tomorrow or the day after. Our troops don't even have enough artillery fire."

“I understand, I understand your army’s difficulties.” Yan Kai expressed his understanding of Zhang Wanhe, then asked, “So how much can you give us?”

Yan Kai outwardly understood, but inwardly he knew that besides the fact that the other side's troops genuinely needed these weapons, the other side also wanted a high price.

"I can't give you the shoulder cannon, but I can consider one Hell Cannon. As for Hell Missiles," Zhang Wanhe thought for a moment and said, "I can give you ten."

These rocket launchers are very effective in tactical support for both guerrilla forces and main forces, and Zhang Wanhe is unwilling to sell even one.

Furthermore, you can't satisfy the other party all at once; you have to take it slow and sell gradually.

Otherwise, how would we get what we want?

Upon hearing this, Yan Kai frowned: "Minister Zhang, you're not selling a single one of these shoulder-mounted cannons? You must not be facing such difficulties on your side."

"There's nothing we can do; the headquarters commander has given the order," Zhang Wanhe said, shaking his head.

"Then the Hell Cannon and Hell Missiles you gave us are a bit too few." Yan Kai stopped mentioning it when Zhang Wanhe brought up their headquarters.

“Mr. Yan, as I’ve already said, we don’t have the capability to manufacture seamless steel pipes. The number of Hell Cannons is limited. I’m only giving you one more because we are allies,” Zhang Wanhe said solemnly. “As for Hell Missiles, ten are more than enough. You turned the tide of the battle and defeated the Japanese army with just one Hell Missile. Use these ten sparingly; they will definitely be enough.”

“One Hellfire cannon is simply not enough to suppress the Japanese army’s mass charge on the battlefield.” Yan Kai looked at Zhang Wanhe. “I know you’re not having an easy time either, but why don’t you add two more? We can discuss the price.”

“There’s nothing we can do about it.” Zhang Wanhe shook his head. “The Japanese will soon launch a major mopping-up operation against us, and our troops will need the Hell Cannon to provide crucial artillery suppression. Besides, you have one Hell Cannon, which I think is enough. After all, as long as the Hell Cannon roars, it can deter the Japanese, and that’s enough.”

“The Japanese have airplanes. If the back of this hell cannon is bombed by Japanese planes, what will we use to deter them…” Yan Kai said.

“That’s the problem,” Zhang Wanhe interrupted Yan Kai. “You don’t have anti-aircraft weapons, so giving you one Hell Cannon or ten Hell Cannons makes no difference. As long as those Japanese planes bombard you relentlessly, you’ll be gone.”

"No, we won't use them all on the battlefield. We'll use them one by one," Yan Kai said, shaking his head.

"There's nothing we can do about that," Zhang Wanhe said, looking helpless.

"There are only ten Hell Missiles, can you give me a few more?" Unable to get more Hell Cannons, Yan Kai finally wanted more Hell Missiles, which was what Commander Yan cared about most.

“I think you all know very well the value of the Hell Missile, but I’m worried you won’t agree to my price,” Zhang Wanhe said, keeping everyone in suspense.

Upon hearing that there was hope, Yan Kai quickly said, "I've already said, the price is negotiable. Name your price, how much do you want?"

"I don't want money?" Zhang Wanhe shook his head.

"Then you want equipment?" Yan Kai hesitated. You've already replaced our precision equipment and instruments. You're not going to try to get other equipment now, are you?

“You said it yourself, we’ve already acquired the equipment from the Taiyuan Arsenal. Do you think I need your little bit of equipment?” Zhang Wanhe shook his head.

"Then what do you want?" Yan Kai asked suspiciously.

"I need people," Zhang Wanhe said. "I need your skilled workers."

Yan Kai's expression turned somewhat grim upon hearing this: "Minister Zhang, your request is not easy to fulfill."

Unexpectedly, the other party wanted a skilled craftsman.

The value of skilled craftsmen is extraordinary.

Because the Japanese have now imposed a land, sea, and air blockade, we can't buy more equipment even if we have the money.

Every piece of existing equipment that breaks down is one less available.

Skilled workers know how to operate the machine to avoid damage.

Whether you're teaching a newcomer or letting them operate the machine, the damage rate will increase.

In general, skilled workers ensured both the production and supply of weapons and ammunition, as well as the normal operation of machinery, minimizing malfunctions and damage.

Sending out skilled craftsmen is like digging out their last reserves.

Seeing Yan Kai's expression, Zhang Wanhe's expression also turned sour: "Your request is not easy to fulfill either. You want more weapons and ammunition, which I can't actually decide on my own. I have to go back and report to headquarters before I can give you an answer."

"Then, then, how many skilled workers do you need for this Hell Cannon and ten Hell Missiles?" Yan Kai thought of Commander Yan's plan.

As long as the plan works in the end, the things and people given to the Eighth Route Army can be taken back later, so he pretended to continue asking questions.

"This number, I'll say." Zhang Wanhe held up five fingers.

"Five skilled craftsmen?" Yan Kai asked suspiciously, thinking to himself, "Is Zhang Wanhe's vision too narrow?"
Five skilled craftsmen can be traded for a Hell Cannon and ten Hell Missiles. We're not losing out at all; in fact, we're getting a good deal.

After all, we have a lot of skilled craftsmen in our area, and even a small fraction of them would be worth more than this.

“No,” Zhang Wanhe shook his head and corrected, “I want fifty.”

"Fifty?" Yan Kai's eyes widened. "Minister Zhang, your price is too high."

Trading one Hellfire Cannon and ten Hellfire Missiles for fifty skilled workers would be a loss for us.

After all, ten Hellfire missiles are used up.

Once the Hell Cannon was bombed by Japanese planes, it was gone.

If you trade again, you have to give it to someone else.

Just like the six states ceding territory to Qin, they ceded a little today and a little tomorrow. Even if they had mountains of gold and silver, they would eventually run out of resources.

Zhang Wanhe adopted a "I have no choice" attitude: "There's nothing I can do. The price was set by the headquarters leaders. If you don't think it's appropriate, we can still be on good terms even if the deal falls through."

"I need to call my superior and discuss this," Yan Kai said, indicating that he couldn't make the decision himself.

“Sure, no problem, go ahead and do it,” Zhang Wanhe said, indicating he didn’t mind.

Yan Kai stood up and walked out.

"That damned Zhang Wanhe, he won't give us any more cannons. He truly deserves the nickname 'Iron Rooster' given to him by insiders!" Yan Kai stomped his foot angrily. He wasn't worried about the fifty skilled workers. As long as the plan succeeded, he could get back not just fifty, but even five hundred.

What angered him was that Zhang Wanhe was keeping his mouth shut too tight, giving too little, and always using their headquarters leaders as an excuse.

If we can't get more Hell Cannons and Hell Missiles, it will be difficult to explain to Commander Yan when we get back.

"Deputy Factory Director Yan, how about we give the workers a little more money and exchange them for more Hellfire missiles?" a trusted aide suggested.

"I'd better talk to Commander Yan first." Yan Kai nodded, holding the phone receiver: "Connect me to Commander Yan."

The call connected quickly, and Commander Yan's voice came through: "This is Yan X-shan."

"Commander Yan, Zhang Wanhe is only willing to give us one Hell Cannon and ten Hell Missiles, in exchange for fifty skilled workers from our arsenal," Yan Kai said quickly into the phone.

"Zhang Wanhe gave us far too little," Commander Yan cursed. "We need at least thirty Hellfire missiles."

When Yan Kai heard that Commander Yan had not mentioned the fifty skilled workers, he continued, "If we want to get at least thirty Hell Missiles, I estimate we'll have to give him Zhang Wan and another hundred skilled workers."

“Give him 150 skilled workers.” Commander Yan agreed through gritted teeth. “Tell Zhang Wanhe to give me 30 Hell Missiles, one Hell Cannon, and 10 more shells.”

The previously purchased shells were not used up; not even half of them were used.

But the deterrent power of the Hell Cannon cannot be lost, and it's always good to have more shells.

"Yes, Commander Yan." Yan Kai nodded.

After the call ended, Yan Kai walked back to Zhang Wanhe and said, "Minister Zhang, I just spoke with Commander Yan. He said he can give you 150 skilled workers, and you can provide a Hell Cannon, 30 Hell Missiles, and an additional 10 Hell Cannon shells."

Zhang Wanhe was quite pleased to hear this.

One hundred and fifty skilled craftsmen are of vital importance to our military production.

Just as I expected, this old man Yan is exactly as I predicted.

He only provided a small number of Hellfire missiles, but he was willing to add more people in exchange for more Hellfire missiles.

As for receiving ten more shells, it was nothing to Zhang Wanhe.

Anyway, our shell production is doing alright. Once the equipment at the Taiyuan Arsenal is set up, shell production will increase even faster.

"Mr. Yan, I need to consult with headquarters first," Zhang Wanhe said, feigning difficulty and admitting he couldn't make the decision himself.

Actually, Zhang Wanhe could make the decision right now. But if he didn't put on a show, the other party would definitely feel that he gave too much and was taken advantage of, which would be detrimental to the next... cough cough, the next transaction.

"Sure, no problem," Yan Kai said.

Zhang Wanhe came out, went outside to smoke a cigarette, and then came back to Yan Kai and said, "Mr. Yan, I just spoke with the head of headquarters, and he's not very satisfied."

"He's still not satisfied with 150 workers?" Yan Kai glared.

Zhang Wanhe said, "Add ten more people."

"Alright, I'll make the decision myself and give you ten more people." Yan Kai thought for a moment and agreed.

Zhang Wanhe chuckled to himself: Hehe, saying one more word gets you ten more people, this deal is a win-win.

Zhang Wanhe immediately said, "Mr. Yan, when you bring over the skilled workers, you must also bring over their family members."

If the person is allowed to come, but their family isn't, it's as if the person's heart is still being held back by the Jin-Sui Army, which won't do.

“Of course, of course. We’ll give you your family members, which will reduce our logistical burden.” Yan Kai agreed.

"There's another problem. You haven't given me the test data for the Hellball Missiles yet," Zhang Wanhe pointed out. "Without data for these thirty Hellball Missiles, we can only follow the test data from the two Hellball Missiles we tested..."

Before Zhang Wanhe could finish speaking, Yan Kai interrupted him: "What data do you need? The effect on the battlefield is the most powerful proof. Just follow the procedures of these two Hell missiles that were tested."

“Fine, since you’ve said so, I don’t need the data, but give me back the artillery.” Zhang Wanhe nodded.

What the other side said is not wrong; performance on the battlefield is the most powerful test and proof.

“Okay, no problem, I’ll bring him back to you soon.” Yan Kai nodded.

"Alright then, I'll go back and arrange for the weapons to be sent to you right away. You should also make arrangements for the workers and their families here as soon as possible." Zhang Wanhe stood up.

"Yes, yes." Yan Kai nodded.

The two discussed the time and place of the transaction, and then left separately.

“Deputy Factory Director Yan, we decide the time and place of this transaction. How could Zhang Wanhe agree to it? Isn’t he worried that we might try something?” On the way back, his confidant raised his question to Yan Kai.

It was obvious that Zhang Wanhe, the logistics minister of the Eighth Route Army, was a cunning old fox; how could he possibly agree to it?

Isn't he worried that we might do something underhanded?
"I'm also quite puzzled by this. I didn't expect him to agree." Yan Kai also wondered, "Could it be that even the wisest person can make a mistake?"

"But Zhang Wanhe's mistake was far too simplistic," the confidant said.

“Hmm, that makes sense.” Yan Kai nodded and said, “Then there are only two explanations. The first explanation is that Zhang Wanhe is showing sincerity and is confident that he is not worried about us playing tricks. The second explanation is that he also has secret preparations and will not let our tricks succeed.”

"It's most likely the second one," the confidant said.

Both sides are old foxes, only concerned with their own interests; sincerity is nothing but a load of rubbish.

“Then let’s give it a try,” Yan Kai said expectantly. “We’d like to see how Zhang Wanhe can handle our tailing and tracking.”

Zhang Wanhe's expression remained unchanged.

If you, Yan Kai, do business with me honestly and don't play tricks, then there will be no problem.

If you resort to underhanded tactics and end up shooting yourself in the foot, that's none of my business.

……

Border Region Arsenal

"Okay, this time it's fine."

When Li Muzhi turned the power back on, the indicator light lit up normally. The reinforced electronic components, after a period of testing, were still working normally and had not burned out, which satisfied Li Muzhi.

Li Muzhi recorded the process of strengthening the electronic components, including all the details.

Li Muzhi needs to have the workers reinforce the electronic components; he needs to free up his time, as there are still some details about the radar that haven't been resolved.

"Factory manager, there's a problem with this hand-cranked generator. Can you come and fix it?" Old He came to Li Muzhi.

Li Muzhi handed the notebook containing the records of strengthening the electronic components to Lao He and said, "Find someone in the warehouse to find the remaining electronic components and strengthen them according to my method."

"Okay." Old He took the notebook and carefully put it away.

Li Muzhi arrived at the workshop, looked at the parts of the hand-cranked generator, and did some checks and calculations.

He said to Lao He, "Reduce the number of copper wires on this rotor by five."

"Is it that simple?" Lao He paused for a moment. The technician had inspected the hand-cranked generator parts several times but had not found the root cause of the problem.

Is it really that simple to reduce the number of copper wire turns on the rotor by five?
Lao He followed Li Muzhi's instructions and had the technician remove the rotor, reducing the number of copper wire turns by five.

The technician reinstalled the rotor, and the hand-cranked generator started working normally again.

The technician was utterly astonished: "Factory manager, what's going on?"

"That's right, having more copper coils on the rotor will inevitably affect the power generation, and the diameter of these copper wires will also affect the power generation. Since our copper wires are thicker than normal copper wires, we have to make corresponding modifications..." Li Muzhi explained to the technician in detail.

"Yes, factory manager, I understand." The technician nodded emphatically.

With the problem of the hand-cranked generator solved, the technicians continued assembly. Li Muzhi prepared to go back to work on the radar when Liu Fuxing came over: "Teacher, what do you think of the plan I wrote?"

Li Muzhi took Liu Fuxing's proposal, glanced at it quickly, and said, "Hmm, most of it is pretty good, but there are still some details that need to be changed."

This plan aims to allow workers and students to catch up on their military skills training without disrupting their studies and production.

This was originally Li Muzhi's business.

However, considering that the students were quick-witted, Li Muzhi explained his ideas to Liu Fuxing and his students, allowing them to brainstorm together.

This also saved Li Muzhi time.

Li Muzhi took out a pen and drew lines on the parts that needed to be changed, adding small notes next to them.

"Revise it according to my notes and find a way to solve the problem." After Li Muzhi finished revising, he handed the plan to Liu Fuxing. "When the plan is no longer a problem, I will immediately report it to headquarters. Headquarters will definitely have no reason to refuse. At that time, your students and workers will be able to learn military skills as soon as possible."

"Yes, teacher." Liu Fuxing happily accepted the plan. It felt great to be able to share the burden with his teacher.

"How's the improvement of the gas mask equipment going?" Li Muzhi asked another question.

"There are only two pieces of equipment left. Please give us two more days," Liu Fuxing replied. These two pieces of equipment are the most critical. There must be absolutely no mistakes. We have to work slowly and meticulously.

"You've made changes very quickly; you're all very talented people," Li Muzhi praised. "I didn't expect you to be so efficient."

The students' efficiency was indeed somewhat beyond Li Muzhi's expectations.

In this way, the production time of the gas mask can be shortened a bit.

"Hehe." Liu Fuxing was very excited after receiving Li Muzhi's praise. "As the saying goes, only a great teacher can produce great students. This is all thanks to your excellent teaching, teacher."

"Hmm, that was a good flattery." Li Muzhi was quite pleased and laughed, "Go back to work."

"Yes, teacher." Liu Fuxing ran off happily.

Li Muzhi didn't go back to work on the radar; instead, he planned to take a walk and think about whether the radar's details could be further improved.

Due to technological limitations, the radar's scanning range is limited.

With a limited scanning range, targets in more distant airspace cannot be detected.

Detecting targets in more distant airspace in a timely manner can buy more time for ground troops and logistics.

Wang Wang Wang!
When the Emperor saw his master, Li Muzhi, arrive, he exclaimed with joy.

It circled around Li Muzhi, its fur looking like a ball of flesh.

He patted the Emperor's fluffy head and fed him some food.

After the Emperor finished eating, Li Muzhi led the Emperor for a walk, with the captain of the guard following closely like a loyal protector.

(End of this chapter)