Reborn in 1950: Shorting the Federal Reserve at the Start

"An Italian cannon?"

Upon hearing Marshal Nie's words, Shen Jinghong couldn't help but chuckle. He crushed the cigarette butt under his foot, raised his head, and his eyes revealed a mocking and arrogant look that seemed to have seen through history.

"Commander, Li Yunlong is so poor he treats even a 75mm mountain gun like a treasure. It's an old relic from before World War II; it's a struggle to even take down a county town gate."

He turned around, pointed to the hangar behind him that lay sprawled like a colossal beast, and his voice suddenly rose, carrying a fierce, warlike aura:

"Who are we going to fight now? The world's leading industrial power! The Americans who are pouring steel over their heads! Going to fight them with Italian cannons? That's like tickling them!"

"Since we're going to cure this 'fear of insufficient firepower,' we need to use drastic measures!"

Shen Jinghong suddenly waved his hand and shouted towards the hangar:

"Bring out our 'Mountain-Suppressing Tai Sui' for the leaders!"

"Boom!"

The earth began to tremble.

This time, the commotion was much greater than during the previous test firing. The hangar doors slowly slid open to the sides, and a thick cloud of diesel exhaust fumes billowed out.

Immediately afterwards, a heavily modified, powerful heavy-duty tractor-trailer roared out.

Behind the truck, a massive, suffocatingly large steel behemoth covered in camouflage netting was being towed.

The cannon barrel was as thick as a roof beam, the hydraulic spade was huge, and the two inflatable tires were taller than a person.

Everything about it showcases the aesthetics of violence.

"My goodness..."

Chen Weiguo nearly dropped the submachine gun in his hand, his eyes wide with disbelief. "This...this is a cannon? Is this going to rip a hole in the sky?"

Marshal Nie was also stunned.

He strode forward, looked up, and stared at the dark, bowl-sized muzzle of the cannon, his breathing becoming rapid.

"This caliber... must be at least 150mm, right?"

"To be precise, it's 155 millimeters."

Shen Jinghong walked over, reached out and patted the cold cannon barrel, as if introducing a peerless warrior:

"Based on the US M1 howitzer, the barrel has been lengthened and the muzzle brake optimized. Maximum range is 23 kilometers, and each shell weighs 43 kilograms. As for its power..."

He smiled mysteriously and pointed to a desolate mountain peak five kilometers away:

"Let's not look at the symptoms, let's look at the results. That problem has been bothering us for a long time."

"fire!"

With a command from Shen Jinghong.

The artillery squad, which had been waiting for a long time, quickly took their positions.

Lay out the rows, lower the hoe, and load the load.

The heavy high-explosive fragmentation grenade was pushed into the breech, followed by the propellant charge.

"preparation--"

The commander held the red flag high.

Everyone instinctively covered their ears and opened their mouths wide.

"put!"

"boom--!!!"

A deafening roar.

In that instant, it was as if a thunderclap had struck from nowhere, and the ground of the entire firing range shook violently.

A massive storm of dust billowed up from the muzzle, and a ball of orange-red fire exploded at the muzzle. The 43-kilogram shell, with a sharp whistle, tore through the air and hurtled toward its target five kilometers away.

A few seconds later.

The distant barren mountain looked as if it had been slapped hard by an invisible giant hand.

"Boom!"

Flames shot into the sky, and smoke and dust instantly enveloped the entire mountain.

When the smoke cleared, Marshal Nie raised his binoculars and gasped in shock.

That once pointed hilltop is gone.

It looked like someone had used a knife to slice it in half!

Rocks flew everywhere, trees were snapped, leaving only a huge, shocking crater still emitting black smoke.

"This...this shot will leave nothing but barren land!"

Marshal Nie put down his binoculars; his hands were trembling.

He knew all too well what this power meant. Before, when we fought, we used human lives to fill enemy bunkers. Now, with this thing, no matter what bunker or fortification you had, one shot and they'd all be reduced to dust!

"This is the truth."

Shen Jinghong stood amidst the smoke and fire, his trench coat fluttering in the wind. "Sir," he said, "a single cannon firing is just for show. Real modern warfare is all about 'group artillery tactics.'"

He walked over to Marshal Nie, picked up a twig, and drew a rough sketch on the ground:

"We need to concentrate these cannons, dozens, even hundreds, to form an artillery group. Before the infantry charge, we'll unleash a barrage of 'gradual advances'."

"Xu Jin's commentary?" Nie Shuai was taken aback; this term was new to him.

"Just like combing your hair."

Shen Jinghong made a forward gesture, his eyes burning with fervor:

"The artillery fire is like a wall, advancing a hundred meters ahead of the infantry. The infantry moves along the blast marks, going wherever the shells land. If the calculations are precise, our soldiers won't even see the enemy before the enemy's position has already been flattened!"

"This is firepower coverage! This is how we bomb the enemy so badly they wouldn't recognize their own mothers!"

"Great! Xu Jin's comment is excellent!"

Marshal Nie was filled with fervor as he listened, slapping Shen Jinghong on the shoulder. "This is what warfare is all about! This is the kind of warfare we've always dreamed of! With this, let's see who dares say our firepower is insufficient!"

"He's cured! This time he's completely cured!"

An elderly general accompanying the group rubbed his hands excitedly, exclaiming, "With this cannon, if that brat Li Yunlong dares to make another sound, I'll gag him with a shell casing!"

The firing range was filled with jubilation.

Looking at that imposing giant cannon, everyone seemed to see the dawn of victory. The frustration of being suppressed by the firepower of the great powers for a century vanished at that moment with the sound of the cannon.

however.

Just as everyone was immersed in joy, a weak voice, tinged with untimely sorrow, rang out.

"Director Shen... this artillery is good, and the tactics are good too. But..."

Everyone turned around.

Minister Zhang of the General Logistics Department was holding a freshly ejected brass cartridge case, still steaming, with a conflicted expression on his face, his features almost contorted into a bitter grin.

"What's wrong, Lao Zhang? Such a good cannon, why are you making such a face?" Marshal Nie was in a good mood and rarely teased him.

"Sir, these cannons... are too expensive!"

Minister Zhang held up the huge shell casing, his heart trembling with heartache:

"Look at these shells, each one carries over forty kilograms of steel! If we follow Director Shen's suggestion and use some kind of 'barrage advance,' how much steel would be destroyed in a single salvo?"

He strode up to Shen Jinghong and slammed the empty cartridge case on the ground with a dull thud.

"Director Shen, you don't know the cost of living until you're in charge! Our current steel production is only a few hundred thousand tons a year, and we still need to build railways and bridges. If we use all of that money to make these artillery shells, how will we survive?"

"This gap in the steel is a bottomless pit!"

Minister Zhang became increasingly agitated as he spoke, and tears welled up in his eyes:

"Without steel, this cannon is just for show! You can't expect your soldiers to push an empty cannon onto the battlefield to intimidate people, can you?"

These words instantly extinguished the previously enthusiastic atmosphere at the scene.

Yes.

We have the cannons, we have the technology.

But if the raw materials can't keep up, then it's all for nothing.

This is the weakness of the industrial system; each link is interconnected, and weakness in any part will cause problems.

All eyes turned to Shen Jinghong, their eyes filled with worry.

This is a dead end.

Even if you were a god, you couldn't conjure up millions of tons of steel, could you?

Shen Jinghong looked at Minister Zhang's expression that said, "I can't live like this anymore," and then at the huge brass cartridge case on the ground.

Instead of being worried, he smiled.

He smiled calmly and confidently.

"Minister Zhang, you've become obsessed with money."

Shen Jinghong bent down to pick up the spent cartridge, flicked it lightly with her finger, and it made a crisp "ding" sound.

"Steel shortage?"

He looked up, his gaze passing over the heads of the crowd, towards the distant east, towards the other side of the ocean.

"We do indeed have a steel shortage, and our steel mills do indeed have insufficient production capacity."

"but……"

Shen Jinghong abruptly changed the subject, his smile becoming sly, even carrying a hint of bandit-like domineering:

"We don't have it, but someone else does."

"Isn't the US incredibly wealthy? They've built a lot of railways and stockpiled a lot of good steel rails in preparation for war."

He tossed the spent cartridge to Minister Zhang, dusted off his hands, and spoke as casually as if he were asking to borrow some scallions from his neighbor:

"Since they're so generous, let's not hold back. Let's take their steel, make our own shells, and fire back at them."

"What's this called?"

Shen Jinghong blinked:

"This is called using the original soup to cook the original food, taking from the enemy and using it against the enemy."

"Minister Zhang, get the trucks ready. Our 'Steel Transport Team' has the goods ready and is just waiting for you to pick them up."