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

Chapter 47 Li Yunlong tries to get close to him
"Old Li, thank you so much. If it weren't for you..." Ding Wei was sincerely grateful to Li Yunlong.

With the Hell Cannon in hand and the supply of shells secured, Ding Wei's new regiment had a higher starting point, capable of killing more Japanese soldiers and fighting tougher battles.

The New First Regiment is nominally a base regiment, but what we want is the substance of a main force regiment!

"Hey, Lao Ding, that's not right of you. We're like brothers." Li Yunlong hooked his arm around Ding Wei's shoulder and laughed, "You have your Hell Cannon now, and I have mine too. If we get the chance later, let's try to team up and do something big again."

“Okay, no problem. As long as we get the Hell Cannon, and if the brigade commander allows it, I’ll go through fire and water with you.” Ding Wei nodded, then, remembering something, couldn’t help but say, “It’s just a little regrettable.”

"What's a pity?" Li Yunlong asked.

"It's a pity that Lao Kong didn't join us," Ding Wei said. "If Lao Kong could also get a Hell Cannon, then the three of us brothers could work together, that would be really fun."

“That’s true. This Kong Erlengzi is currently working for Li Muzhi in the coal mines and has no chance to make any contributions…” Li Yunlong muttered to himself, “When we get to the arsenal, why don’t we persuade him to stop working for Li Muzhi in the coal mines and instead have him work with us? We can help him make some contributions and train his troops. Once he has his own Hell Cannon, we can join forces and accomplish something great.”

Ding Wei was stunned, then said seriously, "Old Li, don't you dare instigate Old Kong. The combat troops don't have combat missions, but the arsenal has military production needs, and the combat troops can't refuse. Don't let Old Kong make a big mistake. Besides, Old Kong can get a Hell Cannon shell by digging coal for Li Muzhi for three days. This is a good thing that others can only dream of. Don't mess around, or the brigade commander will definitely not let you off the hook."

Ding Wei never expected that Li Yunlong would try to incite Kong Jie.

"I didn't instigate anything; I just wanted to give old Kong a chance," Li Yunlong said seriously. "Yes, I admit that mining coal for the arsenal is a cushy job. If I, Li Yunlong, didn't enjoy being on the battlefield, I would also be envious of Kong Jie. But there are far more opportunities on the battlefield than mining coal. Look at how we robbed the Japanese of their money and raided Supply Station No. 5 to steal oil. With these spoils, how are they any less valuable than mining coal?"

"You can't just see the profits and not the risks," Ding Wei scolded. "Do you think luck will always be on your side? It's a life-or-death situation; one mistake is enough to knock you down. Besides, stockpiling coal at the arsenal is crucial, and Kong Jie doesn't mine coal..."

“So many troops are envious. If Kong Jie doesn’t dig, plenty of others will. It won’t delay the arsenal from stockpiling coal,” Li Yunlong interrupted.

"Old Li, I still have to give you some serious advice. You really shouldn't encourage Kong Jie to dig coal for Li Muzhi." Ding Wei still tried to persuade him kindly.

"I'm just giving Lao Kong a chance, let's see if he takes it or not."

……

Border Region Arsenal

Li Muzhi was sleeping when Lao He rushed over and woke him up: "Factory Director, Factory Director, wake up, wake up!"

"Old He, what's wrong? Could it be an accident at the arsenal?" Seeing Old He's anxious expression, Li Muzhi's drowsiness instantly vanished.

"It wasn't an accident at the arsenal; it was Regiment Commander Li and Regiment Commander Ding from the 386th Brigade who arrived," Lao He explained. "They brought a large amount of fuel, and other things..."

Before Lao He could finish speaking, Li Muzhi asked with great surprise, "Really? Did they carry a lot of fuel?"

Petroleum is known as the lifeblood of industry!
Although the border region's arsenal is just starting out, it still needs fuel.

"Yes," Lao He nodded. "They said they only want to give the things to you, not to Minister Zhang."

Li Muzhi quickly dressed and went outside.

Seeing Li Muzhi come out, Li Yunlong immediately smiled and said, "Brother Li, I'm sorry to disturb your sleep. I was planning to wait until dawn."

In order to get closer to Li Muzhi, Li Yunlong started calling Li Muzhi "Brother Li".

"It's alright, Commander Li. You can wake me up anytime you come across something good." Li Muzhi indicated that he didn't mind at all.

Li Muzhi accepted Li Yunlong's attempts to get closer to him and his change of address.

"Haha." Seeing that Li Muzhi did not resist trying to get closer to him, Li Yunlong was overjoyed.

"Director Li, hello, I am Ding Wei, the commander of the new regiment." Ding Wei introduced himself to Li Muzhi.

"Commander Ding, hello, hello there." Li Muzhi immediately responded politely, expressing his gratitude: "Thank you very much, Commander Ding, for providing important funds to the logistics department in a timely manner. This is of great significance to the production of the arsenal." Li Muzhi was naturally familiar with Commander Ding in front of him.

During the Battle of Ping'an Gele, in order to support Li Yunlong's attack on the county town, he blew up all the bridges in the defense zone, earning him the nickname: Ding Blows Up the Bridges!
"Director Li, you flatter us. This is our duty as combat troops!" Ding Wei said modestly, then handed a small notebook to Li Muzhi: "This is the shell data."

"Okay, thank you." Li Muzhi took the notebook, looked down at it, and saw that it was written in two different handwritings, so it seemed that two people had made the record.

The shell data was recorded in great detail, and its reference value was not wasted at all.

"Slowly move the fuel you brought back into the warehouse, and I'll take stock of it." Li Muzhi put away his notebook and got back to the main topic.

What Lao He said was true; Li Yunlong and Ding Wei's troops did indeed bring back a large number of oil drums.

"Okay." Li Yunlong and Ding Wei nodded and immediately had the troops line up and pass in front of Li Muzhi one by one.

Li Muzhi took out a pen and a notebook and took detailed notes.

"One barrel of diesel, 100 liters."

"One can of gasoline, 100 liters."

"One can of engine oil, 50 liters."

……

Seeing Li Muzhi writing down the engine oil, Li Yunlong, who couldn't read, asked, "Brother, what kind of oil is this?"

"This is engine oil," Li Muzhi explained to Li Yunlong. "It can reduce wear and tear on machine parts."

"Then it's more expensive than diesel or gasoline?" Li Yunlong asked.

"It's not about which is more expensive. Diesel and gasoline provide power, while engine oil extends the machine's lifespan; both are essential fuels," Li Muzhi explained.

"Oh, I see." Li Yunlong nodded and wrote it down.

Soon, Li Muzhi made another record:

"One barrel of diesel, 100 liters."

"One barrel of diesel, 100 liters."

"One 50-liter barrel of lubricating oil."

Li Yunlong then asked, "And what is this yellowish, sticky stuff?"

Li Muzhi explained, "This is called butter, also known as lubricating oil, and it is used to reduce mechanical wear."

"We already use oil to reduce mechanical wear, why add grease? Isn't that redundant?" Li Yunlong questioned.

“They’re different,” Li Muzhi shook his head and explained patiently. “Engine oil is mainly used on small parts, such as inside the engine. Lubricating oil, on the other hand, is mainly used on large parts, such as brakes, steering, and bearings.”

"Is it just as essential as gasoline and diesel?"

"Yes."

……

(End of this chapter)