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

Chapter 345 Radar Test Successful
"It's been five days already, and Zhang Wanhe of the Eighth Route Army still hasn't come to hand over the reins to me. Has he gone back on his word?"

At the secret transaction location, Yan Kai paced back and forth like an ant on a hot pan.

That day, after he and Zhang Wanhe reached an agreement, they both went back to prepare.

As a result, the agreed time exceeded five days. Yan Kai came here every day to keep the appointment, but Zhang Wanhe never came.

“Deputy Factory Director Yan, the Japanese have started another mopping-up operation, which has caused a lot of chaos on the Eighth Route Army's side. Zhang Wanhe is the logistics minister, so he probably won't have time to come and trade with us.” The confidant whispered to Yan Kai, “However, it’s also possible that the Japanese are busy with their mopping-up operation and need weapons, so they’re not trading with us.”

"Whether Zhang Wanhe has changed his mind or simply doesn't have time, he should at least send someone to say something," Yan Kai said angrily. "This silence and lack of response is driving me crazy."

These Hell Cannons and Hell Missiles are very important; we need them urgently.

More importantly, Yan Kai had carefully planted spies among the more than one hundred workers and hundreds of their families.

If Zhang Wanhe doesn't bring people over, how will we discover clues about the Eighth Route Army's arsenal?

"Could it be that Zhang Wanhe sent someone, but they got delayed on the way?" the confidant wondered suspiciously.

"Ugh, this is making me so anxious," Yan Kai began to curse. "Those damned Japanese devils, couldn't you have waited a few days before launching your sweep against the Eighth Route Army? Are you in such a hurry to be reborn and die?"

"Yes, those Japanese devils were too impatient this time. Even if they had delayed their mopping-up operation against the Eighth Route Army by a few days, they would have..." The confidant didn't finish his sentence.

Soon someone came to report: "Reporting to Deputy Factory Director Yan, Minister Zhang from the Eighth Route Army has arrived."

Upon hearing that Zhang Wanhe had arrived, Yan Kai was immediately overjoyed: "It's good that he's here, it's good that he's here."

Before Zhang Wanhe could come over, Yan Kai took the initiative to go and greet him.

Sure enough, upon seeing Zhang Wanhe's haggard face, Yan Kai immediately smiled and said, "Minister Zhang, you've finally arrived! I've been waiting for you for five days. I thought you weren't coming."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Yan, for keeping you waiting." Zhang Wanhe explained apologetically, "I originally planned to come five days ago, but the Japanese suddenly launched a mopping-up operation. They acted very quickly and their fighting style was different from before, which threw our base into chaos and delayed us."

"I understand, I understand." Yan Kai nodded repeatedly to show his understanding, but he was still suspicious. "If you don't have time, you can send someone else over. That way, we can complete the transaction sooner."

"There's nothing we can do. The Japanese are stuck in the middle, and we can't send anyone else over," Zhang Wanhe said, waving his hand. "Only when the Japanese get through will we have a chance to come over."

Zhang Wanhe was even more eager to complete this deal than Yan Kai. The sooner these hundred-plus skilled workers could be arranged, the sooner the arsenal's output could increase.

Unfortunately, the Japanese troops blocked their way, and only after the Japanese got through did we have a chance.

"I see." Yan Kai nodded, getting straight to the point: "I've already brought this person with me. Would you like to see him first, or..."

Zhang Wanhe interrupted Yan Kai: "Time is short, and I've brought the weapons and ammunition with me, so let's start the transaction right away."

This time, Zhang Wanhe wasn't worried about Yan Kai playing any tricks, as he had already brought the weapons and ammunition.

“Alright, alright.” Yan Kai nodded and said to his confidant, “Go and bring everyone over.”

"Yes, Deputy Factory Director Yan." The confidant nodded and immediately went to bring the workers and their families over.

A large group of several hundred people, with their families in tow.

Zhang Wanhe had them quickly checked to confirm they were all skilled craftsmen and not fakes before letting them take them away.

As for identifying the spies among them, that's not the time to do it.

"Give them the weapons and ammunition," Zhang Wanhe instructed his men.

Soon, a Hell Cannon, its shells, and thirty Hell Missiles were all placed in front of Yan Kai.

Yan Kai, with a happy expression, personally checked the ammunition box and confirmed that there were thirty Hellfire missiles. He breathed a sigh of relief.

With these thirty Hellfire missiles, we'll have some confidence if the Japanese attack again.

"Take the things away." Yan Kai confirmed that there were no problems and instructed his men to take the things away.

“Mr. Yan, now that the weapons and ammunition have been confirmed to be in good condition, let’s have a pleasant cooperation.” Zhang Wanhe extended his hand.

Yan Kai also extended his hand and shook Zhang Wanhe's hand: "It's a pleasure to cooperate with you."

"Mr. Yan, the Japanese are still causing trouble in our base area, I need to hurry back." Zhang Wanhe prepared to leave.

“Minister Zhang, I know the situation on your end is tense and your time is limited, but could I spare you two more minutes?” Yan Kai smiled.

Zhang Wanhe knew Yan Kai wasn't up to anything, but he still nodded: "Then hurry up and tell me."

“This time, the Japanese are rampaging through your base area like a herd of bulls, without dividing their forces. Your army’s military strength alone is probably not enough to confront these Japanese directly,” Yan Kai said. “You are also part of the Second War Zone. If you are gone, our pressure will be even greater. Our Jin-Sui Army and our elite troops have jointly organized a team to help you.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Wanhe immediately cursed in his heart: What are you pretending for?

These Japanese troops have swept through us so many times, when have you ever lent a helping hand?

Even if you take action, it will be with malicious intent, wanting to kick someone when they're down.

Of course, on the surface, Zhang Wanhe would not break ties with Yan Kai, and said with a smile, "It's great that your army can lend a helping hand. I will report this to headquarters soon."

"Here's what I'm thinking: can our troops enter your base area now?" Yan Kai asked. "If the Japanese have any malicious schemes and you don't have time to react, we can lend a hand in time."

“After I report to the headquarters leader, he will definitely communicate with your Commander Yan,” Zhang Wanhe said with a smile.

He cursed inwardly, "Do you think I'm stupid to let you into our base now?!"

The Japanese are running rampant, and most of our troops are focused on them. If you try to play tricks behind our backs, we're probably too busy to spare any attention.

“Okay, okay, then let’s wait until you go back and report to your headquarters before we talk about it.” Yan Kai nodded, indicating that he respected Zhang Wanhe’s opinion.

"Vice Factory Director Yan, then goodbye." Zhang Wanhe quickly took his leave with the workers and their families.

On the way back, Zhang Wanhe looked at the workers and their families with a very happy expression.

Someone whispered to Zhang Wanhe, "Minister Zhang, there's definitely a spy in this family. When will we start the screening?"

"What's the rush? I know what I'm doing." Zhang Wanhe was very calm. Now that the spies have been identified, who will tip off the combined forces of the elite army and the Jin-Sui army?

"Yes, Minister Zhang."

Now, back on Yan Kai's side, returning with the Hell Cannon and Hell Missiles, his confidant laughed and said, "Zhang Wanhe took the workers and their families back. It's impossible for him to find our spies in a short time. As long as we find clues about the Eighth Route Army's arsenal, we can take advantage of the Eighth Route Army's main force dealing with the Japanese and strike from behind. We can definitely take down the Eighth Route Army's arsenal."

Yan Kai sneered: "This is just a covert measure of ours."

The confidant said suspiciously, "Deputy Factory Director Yan, our ally is the Allied Forces, but the Eighth Route Army isn't stupid either. They definitely won't agree to let us into their base area."

"He won't agree, so they get to decide?" Yan Kai sneered again. "Right now, the Eighth Route Army's main focus is on dealing with the Japanese mopping-up operations. Our Allied Army is swaggering into their base area. What can they do? Can they send troops to stop us? If they piss us off, we won't hesitate to use the same tactics as the Southern Anhui Incident again."

Following that, Yan Kai added, "The reason why our allied forces have not yet entered the Eighth Route Army's base area is because the Japanese have not yet disrupted their base area enough, and their troops have not yet engaged in a decisive battle with the Japanese. Once their troops and the Japanese are locked in a fierce struggle, that will be our opportunity to enter."

The confidant was suspicious: "If they wanted to fight the Japanese head-on, they probably would have done so already. Back when the Japanese were behind Taiyuan, their regiments were able to fight an entire Japanese brigade head-on."

“Back then, those regiments had a lot of artillery. Each regiment could have one or two hundred cannons. If several regiments joined forces, it would be difficult for a Japanese brigade to withstand them. But when these Eighth Route Army regiments withdrew, they had lost most of their artillery and suffered heavy losses in manpower. These regiments were essentially stripped of their fighting strength. How could they possibly have the resources to fight a Japanese brigade head-on? Moreover, this time it's more than 20,000 Japanese soldiers united as one, along with more than 10,000 puppet troops. They're not dividing their forces; they're sticking together. How can we fight them head-on?” Yan Kai questioned.

"When will the Eighth Route Army be able to fight the Japanese head-on, and wear them down through guerrilla warfare?" the confidant asked.

"The Japanese are rampaging through the Eighth Route Army's base areas, running amok everywhere, and they could very well stumble upon the Eighth Route Army's arsenal by accident..." Yan Kai didn't finish his sentence.

The confidant understood: "I know. Once the Japanese get close to the Eighth Route Army's arsenal, the Eighth Route Army will definitely be forced to fight the Japanese. At that time, our allied forces can quickly get there and search for their arsenal behind them while the Eighth Route Army is fighting the Japanese, and take it down in the process."

“Yes, when the Eighth Route Army and the Japanese fight each other head-on, there will definitely be an arsenal behind them, and that will be our opportunity. Zhang Wanhe made such a great deal with me, and we will get our money back with interest.”

"High, it is high!"

……

"Xiao Gu, come in here for a moment," Li Muzhi instructed Xiao Gu outside the door at the border region arsenal.

"Factory manager, is there anything you need me to do?" Xiao Gu scurried in.

"Crank this hand-cranked generator as I instruct, and don't stop," Li Muzhi said, pointing to the generator.

After days of work, Li Muzhi has completed the first radar and installed the hand-cranked generator. All that's left is testing.

"Yes, Factory Manager." Xiao Gu nodded and immediately started the hand-cranked generator as instructed by Li Muzhi.

Once the hand-cranked generator starts turning, the power indicator light quickly illuminates, indicating that it is generating electricity normally.

"Drip drip!"

As soon as Li Muzhi turned on the power, the radar in front of him immediately started alarming.

On the display screen, in addition to many small flashing dots, there was also a large dot that was rapidly approaching from the northeast.

Radar can distinguish between birds and airplanes.

Birds are small, and these tiny specks of light are all birds.

The Japanese planes were large, and their radar dots were also large.

Another difference is their flight speed; airplanes are faster than birds.

The large light spot moves much faster than the small light spot.

Therefore, Li Muzhi could easily distinguish that the small light spot was a bird, and the large light spot was a Japanese airplane.

This surprised Li Muzhi. He originally wanted to use birds to test the radar first, but unexpectedly, a Japanese plane "joined" the test.

Xiao Gu asked suspiciously, "Factory manager, what is this light spot, and why is it moving?"

Xiao Gu waited outside Li Muzhi's door every day, so he was naturally familiar with Li Muzhi's work on building radar.

However, he was unaware of the specific functions of the radar.

“The small lights are birds, ignore them. The large lights are Japanese planes detected by radar, in the northeast direction, there’s only one,” Li Muzhi said. “Their speed is about 320 kilometers per hour.”

Upon hearing this, Xiao Gu was extremely surprised: "Factory Manager, is the radar you built really that advanced?"

Although Xiao Gu had heard that the radar Li Muzhi had built could detect and warn Japanese aircraft.

But he never imagined that this radar could distinguish between birds and airplanes, and detect the number, direction, and speed of airplanes. This was simply too amazing.

"Keep cranking the generator, don't stop!" Li Muzhi didn't answer Xiao Gu's question, but walked to the window. As expected, the sound of an airplane engine came from the distant sky.

As Xiao Gu continued cranking the hand-cranked generator, listening to the sound of the aircraft engine approaching from afar, his expression of shock was even more undisguised: "Factory Director, you are truly amazing! You have detected these Japanese planes so clearly with your radar. With this radar, we will know in advance when the Japanese aircraft will come, and we can reduce our losses."

The plane flew overhead, and Li Muzhi returned to the radar.

On the display screen, the large spot of light is moving away.

Li Muzhi said to Xiao Gu, "That's enough, you can stop now."

"Yes, Factory Director." Xiao Gu stopped what he was doing and looked at Li Muzhi respectfully. "Factory Director, should we notify Minister Zhang immediately and have him send this radar to headquarters?"

Air defense weapons haven't started being manufactured yet, so the radar will definitely be placed in the most important location for the time being: headquarters.

"Could you call Section Chief Wu Yaohan for me and ask him to come over?" Li Muzhi nodded.

Minister Zhang hasn't been to the arsenal for several days; he must be very busy.

Li Muzhi decided not to bother Zhang Wanhe, since Zhang Wanhe would most likely immediately equip the headquarters intelligence department with this, allowing him to skip the intermediate steps.

I'll report back to Zhang later.

"Yes, Factory Manager." Xiao Gu happily ran out.

Li Muzhi picked up the notebook and checked it again.

This notebook contains instructions on how to use the radar, precautions, and some simple emergency troubleshooting procedures.

After checking it over again from beginning to end and confirming that there were no problems, Li Muzhi called Lao He over and instructed him, "Lao He, immediately send someone to pack up this radar. When Section Chief Wu comes, he needs to take it with him."

"Factory manager, the radar is finished. Aren't you going to test it?" Lao He asked in surprise. The radar was made so quickly.

“I’ve already tested it,” Li Muzhi replied.

“Okay, no problem.” Old He nodded, found a box, and personally helped Li Muzhi carefully pack the radar.

"Old He, how are those newly assigned intellectuals doing?" Li Muzhi asked.

These intellectuals came, and Lao He made arrangements for them. Li Muzhi was busy with radar every day and didn't have time to go to the workshop.

"They are very disciplined, very proactive in learning, and some are exceptionally talented; they can learn many things just by looking at them without being taught," Lao He said.

"You can learn it just by looking at it, no need to teach you?" Li Muzhi paused for a moment, then asked, "What kind of person is this?"

If someone can learn it at a glance without needing to be taught, then they must be a precious gem.

"This man is named Zhang Ganren. He was originally a soldier in the combat unit. He was incredibly fierce in battle, practically fearless. He would charge into the most dangerous places, so everyone called him Madman Zhang. Once, he was hit in the shoulder by a Japanese bomb during a battle. While recuperating in the field hospital, he couldn't stay idle. He would volunteer to fix anything that was broken. When Minister Zhang inspected the field hospital, he happened to discover him. Good heavens, this guy actually fixed a piece of abandoned equipment in the hospital. Minister Zhang saw that Zhang Ganren was a talented person, so he simply took him from the combat unit," Lao He explained.

Upon hearing this, Li Muzhi was somewhat suspicious: "Zhang Ganren is such a fierce fighter, would he be willing to come to the logistics department?"

Generally speaking, those who fight exceptionally well on the battlefield will not easily leave the battlefield.

Even if I get injured, I won't.

"Of course he was unwilling. Although Zhang Ganren's shoulder was injured by the explosion, it did not affect his combat effectiveness after he recovered. He was like a stubborn donkey, braying that he wanted to return to his original combat unit," Lao He said. "However, no matter how much he struggled, he was still just a soldier. How could he compare to Minister Zhang's methods... cough cough, Minister Zhang's wisdom? In the end, he obediently left the battlefield and came here."

Immediately afterward, Lao He exclaimed in amazement, "Factory Director, when Zhang Ganren first arrived, he was quite emotional. But now, he's settled down, spending all his time tinkering with machines, like he's addicted to opium. He learns everything the factory assigns him in class in a flash, so I didn't let him study with the other intellectuals. Instead, I let him develop on his own and see how far he could go. Just yesterday, he fixed a mechanical malfunction that the repairman couldn't handle. I must say, Minister Zhang really has a keen eye for talent!"

"Oh, really?" Li Muzhi asked in surprise, "Then can you bring this person over right away so I can take a look?"

With such talent, Li Muzhi must nurture him properly.

The defense industry needs talent, but it needs natural talent even more.

This Zhang Ganren, you can tell at a glance that's the kind of person he is.

It's easy to learn, and once you get it right, it might soon become our valuable assistant.

Let’s make an analogy.

Just like this radar, although Li Muzhi has completed one unit, there are still two more that need to be worked on.

Because this work was very delicate, Li Muzhi didn't have time to teach the other technicians, nor did he have the time to do it himself.

If Zhang Ganren can understand it just by standing on the side, then we can consider letting him work on the two radars behind.

This way, Li Muzhi can free up time to do other work.

"Well, that might be a bit difficult." Old He looked troubled. "Zhang Ganren is currently engrossed in machine repair at the factory, and he won't even come to eat. Getting him to come over, I reckon..."

Before Lao He could finish speaking, Li Muzhi interrupted him with a smile: "It's alright, the radar is packed up, I can go over there."

(End of this chapter)