Bright Sword: I built Italian cannons for Li Yunlong

After receiving Zhao Gang's call, the brigade commander actually agreed with Zhao Gang's view, believing that the Molotov cocktails had limited effectiveness.

The effect of "solidified gasoline" described by Zhou Zhen was unheard of.

Many people in the brigade headquarters were also skeptical. They were all veterans of combat, and naturally some of them came from the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University. Their knowledge of Molotov cocktails was the same as Zhao Gang's.

The idea that Zhou Zhen had no experience in the production of military weapons is probably based on hearsay.

They generally believe that it would be better for Zhou Zhen to continue to work in the fields of daily life and production, after all, his previous achievements are obvious to all.

Rushing into research outside your field might backfire.

After listening to their opinions, the brigade commander gave a completely opposite view.

Although he agrees with everyone's views, his position and perspective on the issue will differ.

In his view, Comrade Zhou Zhen had made many contributions to the organization, but the rewards the organization could give him were extremely limited.

If the organization rejects his request this time, it will inevitably affect the enthusiasm of his comrades.

Moreover, it was just some supplies, which were scarce, but since Comrade Zhou Zhen rarely asked for them, I really couldn't refuse.

"Comrade Zhou Zhen mentioned that although this new type of Molotov cocktail is not as powerful as a hand grenade in terms of direct explosive force, it may play a unique role in dealing with fortified positions and dense enemy forces."

"If this thing is real, it can completely compensate for our lack of attack methods to a certain extent."

"And the only cost is some gasoline, so I think it's totally worth a try."

He looked at everyone and said, "Let's not forget that Comrade Zhou Zhen's contributions are obvious to all."

"We were able to get so many supplies from the Japanese not long ago, and their cotton-padded clothes played a big role in that. So even if Comrade Zhou Zhen's experiment was unsuccessful, we should still provide appropriate support."

Ultimately, the brigade commander approved a small amount of fuel for this test.

Zhou Zhen applied for 100 kilograms, but only received 50 kilograms in the end, but that was enough for his next experiment.

Moreover, he believed that once his superiors witnessed its power, they would definitely agree to mass production.

When the gasoline arrived from the rear, Zhou Zhen had already instructed the logistics department to prepare more than two hundred ceramic jars, each with a capacity of about five hundred milliliters, according to the blueprints he provided.

Based on each packet containing 380 milliliters and weighing approximately 250 grams, 50 kilograms of gasoline can produce about 200 napalm bombs.

The production of napalm incendiary bottles is not complicated; the core of its production lies in the preparation of a gasoline thickener—aluminum soap.

Zhou Zhen, along with several quick-thinking soldiers, found a well-ventilated open space on the riverbank outside the village. He first shaved the soap into small pieces and dissolved them in hot water to make soap solution.

Dissolve the alum powder in another portion of hot water.

Then, under the curious gazes of the soldiers, he slowly poured the alum solution into the soap solution, having the soldiers stir it with wooden sticks as he poured.

A paste-like white precipitate gradually formed in the mixture.

"This is aluminum soap, which is also the core material we use to make Molotov cocktails. You need to remember the steps I just explained," Zhou Zhen explained.

After explaining the specific precautions and details to them in detail

He then directed everyone to filter out the sediment, wring out the water, and let it air dry in a cool place.

After these sediments have dried, they need to be ground into a fine powder using a stone mill.

The next step, and the most crucial one, is to dissolve these sediments in the gasoline.

Zhou Zhen told everyone to step back ten meters and then operated the machine alone.

Since these substances need to be dissolved in gasoline, it means that he needs to heat the gasoline.

Everyone knows that gasoline is a volatile and flammable liquid, so this heating process needs to be handled with extreme care.

If gasoline is heated to an excessively high temperature, it will ignite, making the process extremely dangerous.

He heated the gasoline in a large iron pot using a water bath. Since he couldn't find a thermometer in the regiment or brigade headquarters, he could only test the temperature by hand.

He was completely absorbed in the subtle temperature changes.

The pungent smell of gasoline grew stronger, filling the air and making his throat tight. His arm muscles ached slightly from being tense for so long.

He slowly added the aluminum soap powder only when the temperature was right, and stirred it continuously with a long wooden stick.

As time passed, the gasoline gradually became viscous, eventually forming a dark yellow, gel-like substance.

Zhou Zhen immediately ordered the soldiers to remove the fire from the stove and take down the prepared solidified gasoline.

Only then did he realize that his entire back was completely soaked with sweat.

"It's done." He breathed a sigh of relief.

The next step is extremely simple: just carefully fill the gasoline into the bottle and insert the fuse.

Li Yunlong, who had arrived long ago upon hearing the news, couldn't wait to come over.

Zhang Dabiao also egged them on from the side.

"Commander, Advisor Zhou really made it. Should we release two to test its power?"

Li Yunlong rubbed his hands together, his eyes shining: "Old Zhou, I, Old Li, have been waiting impatiently!"

"Let's find a place to test it out and see just how powerful this thing really is."

"You're exaggerating so much, I'm so excited!"

"Take that son-in-law who lives with his wife's family, for example. He's heard she's incredibly beautiful, but he's never seen or touched her. He's so eager to get to know her!"

Kong Jie, holding a pipe, curiously approached the earthenware jar containing solidified gasoline and examined it closely.

Zhou Zhen was startled by this and snatched the pipe away, throwing it far away while Kong Jie was still in a daze.

"Old Kong! Old Li! I'm telling you, this thing is extremely dangerous."

"Absolutely no open flames are allowed in any storage area! Even a tiny spark could send us all flying!"

Kong Jie smacked his lips, looking at the tobacco pipe that had been thrown far away, feeling a little heartbroken.

"Is this thing really that weird?"

Zhao Gang also observed carefully from the side.

He quickly noticed the difference: these earthenware jars did not contain liquid gasoline, but rather a viscous, gelatinous substance similar to solidified lard.

He carefully picked one up and shook it, only to find that it wouldn't budge no matter what he did.

At this moment, he also began to have doubts and began to waver in his previous skepticism.

"Judging from this, it seems that Consultant Zhou's idea might actually work..."

The test site was chosen in a mountain valley far from the village.

Li Yunlong had a simple target made long ago.

When it came time to officially test the power of the Molotov cocktail, Li Yunlong, Kong Jie, and Zhang Dabiao started arguing about who should be the first to conduct the test.

When Zhou Zhen said that since he made this thing himself, he should definitely try it first, the three of them unanimously rejected his suggestion.

"How can we let a scholar like you do something so dangerous? Go cool off somewhere else."

Zhou Zhen was speechless at the three people's reasons.

"So all three of you knew it was dangerous."

"Then why are you still fighting over it here?"