Courtyard House: Starting as a mediocre engineer

Suddenly, as if touched by a celestial being, Zhuang Zhongchen experienced a profound enlightenment.

It turns out these tasks were all shady schemes, tempting me to take shortcuts. So, it's best to stick to the right path and honestly work out with the old lady!

Thinking of this, Zhuang Zhongchen couldn't help but recall that idiot San.

That's infuriating! If it were just a difference of opinion, that wouldn't be a big deal. Debate is allowed in the research field. But you haven't even read the paper, let alone researched its feasibility. And you just jump to conclusions and dismiss it outright?

Isn't that just a pig-headed idiot? And he's accusing me of swearing?

Please! This isn't an insult at all; this is an objective commentary on that idiot! Damn it!

Since you guys don't approve of this paper, then I'll just do one myself... wait, does this seem like a good idea?

At this moment, Zhuang Zhongchen began to seriously consider the feasibility of the reactive armor project.

From a technical difficulty perspective, this is at the level of a township enterprise worker. As long as they have your technical guidance, there's absolutely nothing to worry about.

However, there are two difficulties: one is the project approval process.

Due to the economic difficulties at that time, the country's research funding was extremely limited. Applying for research grants was also exceptionally difficult.

Either they are renowned scientists with a proven track record of success, making it slightly easier to apply for new projects; or they already have a product prototype, and you can make some technological innovations based on it. In any case, it can't be worse than a prototype, right?

Either similar products already exist abroad, or researchers purchase foreign products and then reverse engineer them—essentially, they create knockoffs.

So, that idiot wasn't entirely without reason. It's precisely because Zhuang Zhongchen isn't famous, and there's no prototype of reactive armor, nor is there any such invention abroad, that people would trust him.

Therefore, it's clear that these three points will definitely be considered when initiating a project. However, this will likely raise significant questions and could very well result in the same fate as a rejected paper.

Another issue is funding. It's impossible to use private money to research national projects, isn't it? Besides, Zhuang Zhongchen doesn't have that much money.

Just then, Zhuang Zhongchen's eyes lit up, and he suddenly had a very bold idea...

……

A few days later, Zhuang Zhongchen arrived at the Leading Group for Workers' and Peasants' Production (hereinafter referred to as the Leading Group) carrying a briefcase. Upon seeing Director Pei, who was in charge of the daily work, he handed him a stack of documents.

"Director Pei, please take a look. This is the latest technological innovation project."

"Oh? Xiao Zhuang, you young man are full of energy!" Director Pei smiled as he took the documents. "What area is this project about? Agricultural tricycles?"

"Director Pei, actually this is a dual-use military and civilian vehicle. Here are some pictures of the vehicle's exterior; I can explain it to you!"

"Um! Come here and explain... Holy crap! What the hell did you draw? It looks like a turtle!"

"Uh... that's not important. I didn't learn to draw when I was little! But the basic functions are still drawn very clearly on the drawings."

"Okay, okay! As long as you can explain it clearly. I just hope you won't draw anymore! You probably didn't even graduate from kindergarten in art class, did you?"

"hey-hey."

Okay! Regardless of his past or present life, Zhuang Zhongchen's drawing skills are worse than a kindergarten child's. He's not going to waste upgrade cards and skill points buying art or similar professional skills. Even if he did, they wouldn't be of much use. Is he only going to use them this once?

"Director Pei, transportation is also very important in the construction of the transportation network. Therefore, in my previous work, I assembled a motorized tricycle and a moped. It's basically a tricycle and a bicycle with a two-stroke engine added..."

"Uh-huh."

"To date, the production team in my neighborhood has assembled and modified nearly a hundred motorized tricycles, which have received praise from many enterprises and institutions in Beijing. Therefore, based on this, I am preparing to carry out a comprehensive upgrade."

"How do I upgrade?"

"The main change is to convert it into a special-purpose model, using a four-stroke motorcycle engine. The exterior has also been designed to suit rural conditions. This results in more powerful performance, allowing it to carry more cargo and navigate complex road conditions. It is especially suitable for areas that do not have the conditions to use trucks but still have a certain demand for freight transport."

"What about the dual-use military/civilian vehicle you mentioned earlier?"

"That's the key. I divide these tricycles into two versions: the original version and the military version. The original version is shown in this picture... okay! It's used for transporting people and goods during production. But here's a reinforced structure; by adding a chassis pillar, a heavy machine gun can be mounted, as well as a 107mm ammunition set. The vehicle's structure is very robust, able to withstand not only road bumps but also the recoil of equivalent weapons. It can be used for hit-and-run operations, or as a mobile firing point..."

"Huh? It's a gun-mounted card?"

"Yes! Besides its function as a gun mount, it can transport up to a squad of armed personnel. And the cost is well controlled, with each vehicle costing less than 1 yuan to manufacture. Compared to a similarly priced sidecar motorcycle, it has significantly more firepower, replacing the light machine gun with a heavy machine gun. It has a larger load capacity and can transport both personnel and goods. Everything a sidecar motorcycle can do, this vehicle can do; and things it can't do, this vehicle can also do. It can even be used to conceal troops among civilians. In peacetime, it's a transport vehicle; in wartime, it can serve as a military vehicle, especially in guerrilla warfare..."

The tachanka, also known as a horse-drawn machine gun carrier, is a mobile combat platform that carries heavy machine guns. It played a crucial role in the Soviet Union's civil war against the White Army. And through old Soviet films, it left a deep impression on cadres and the masses in China.

Although the gun-mounted vehicle has long been obsolete due to technological advancements, the principle remains the same; it's simply a matter of replacing warhorses with motorized vehicles.

Tell me! Isn't a three-wheeled motorcycle a motorized vehicle? If it were an Indian, it could easily squeeze in forty or fifty people. And the later pickup trucks with machine guns used the same principle. They still played a significant role in low-intensity warfare and guerrilla warfare.

"Director Pei, the outer ring is armor plating. It improves the vehicle's survivability. It's not needed in normal times, but in wartime it can be converted into small armored vehicles..."

Okay! Zhuang Zhongchen specifically chose the three-wheeled vehicle project because of the reactive armor (armor plates).

It's like making a whole table of dumplings just for a dish of vinegar. There's no rule saying a three-wheeled vehicle project can't have multiple sub-projects, is there?

As expected, Director Pei didn't pay any attention to the armor plates. Wasn't that to be expected? Military vehicles definitely needed to be surrounded by steel plates. So he picked up the documents again and began to carefully review them. At that moment, Director Pei was completely convinced by Zhuang Zhongchen…