Bright Sword: I built Italian cannons for Li Yunlong

After much deliberation, Zhou Zhen finally came up with another alternative.

"Old Liu, Old Han, you can try adding another layer of thick cotton cloth soaked in asphalt inside the pottery jar," Zhou Zhen said, gesturing as he picked up a pottery tube.

"Asphalt, that's a good idea." Old Han took the pipe out of his mouth, tapped the ash off on the stool leg, thought for a moment, and then his eyes lit up.

"It's definitely worth a try, and asphalt is much easier to get than lead ingots."

While Zhou Zhen and the two veteran craftsmen were having a lively discussion,

A loud and familiar voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Old Zhou! Brother Zhou!"

Zhou Zhen looked up and saw Li Yunlong striding towards him.

The other person was covered in dust, but had his signature carefree smile on his face.

"Old Li?" Zhou Zhen quickly stood up and went to greet him.

"Why did you come here? You, the great commander, never come here unless you have something important to say! Are you eyeing some of my belongings again?" he said half-jokingly.

"Look at what you're saying." Li Yunlong laughed heartily, walked up to Zhou Zhen, and without saying a word, stretched out his large, fan-like hand and patted Zhou Zhen's shoulder forcefully.

The force was so great that Zhou Zhen's body swayed.

"I, Old Li, missed you. I came to see my brother, is that not allowed? What, now that you're a factory manager, you're looking down on your rough-and-tumble friend?"

"Of course not!" Zhou Zhen laughed, he was very happy about Li Yunlong's arrival.

"We're so happy to welcome you! Come on in, have a seat and some water."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Zhou Zhen poured him a bowl of plain water.

Li Yunlong didn't stand on ceremony, gulping it down. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and his eyes began to dart around the blueprints on Zhou Zhen's desk.

"Old Zhou, let's not beat around the bush. Tell me the truth, have you come up with some new gadget yet?"

"This time, the headquarters commander personally ordered me, Old Li, to have our Independent Regiment engage in some sideline business. That's quite a show of force!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhen also laughed.

It seems the headquarters leaders are also shrewd; they know that you, Li Yunlong, are adept at side businesses. On this point, they share the same view.

He smiled, and had a rough idea of ​​why Li Yunlong had come here today.

"It's really the right person to have Commander Li take on a side business; it's a perfect match for his expertise."

"Actually, we haven't come up with anything new these days. We just worked with the comrades in the factory to develop the primer, the most crucial component of bullets."

"From now on, when we reload the bullets, we won't have to worry about the primer not going off."

"Primer?!" Although Li Yunlong didn't understand chemistry, he knew all too well about bullet primers!

His eyes widened suddenly like copper bells, and he gasped, clearly astonished by Zhou Zhen's Versailles literature.

"My God! Bro, you...you're absolutely amazing!"

He instantly understood the strategic significance of this matter; no wonder the headquarters leader personally ordered him to pursue a side business.

Looking at his friend's nonchalant expression, even though he didn't understand Versailles literature, he had to admit that he had been fooled by his friend's act.

However, after the initial excitement and surprise, Li Yunlong's mind immediately began to work at high speed.

He was thinking about how much he could extort from his good brother this time.

"Old Zhou, it's only right and proper for us to help you with your side hustle, but..."

He deliberately drew out his words: "Old Zhou, you also came from the Independent Regiment, you know our Independent Regiment is poor."

"Besides, even if this landlord is making his farmhands do the work, he should at least give them a handy tool."

"We're going to risk our lives for you, raiding the enemy's warehouses. We can't go empty-handed, can we? That would make us a suicide squad!"

"Grenades, bullets, and stuff like that, shouldn't you, as the employer, provide some supplies first?"

"That way, the brothers will have more confidence and energy to work, right?"

Zhou Zhen pretended to have just realized something, pointed at Li Yunlong, and said with a mix of anger and amusement: "You, Li Yunlong, I was wondering why you suddenly came here. I really thought you were looking for your brother to catch up."

So you're like a weasel paying respects to a chicken, waiting for me here to collect your wages!

"Hey! You can't say that!" Li Yunlong immediately put on a stern face, looking as if he had suffered a great injustice.

"We have different roles in this revolution. You build guns and cannons in the rear, and I find resources for you at the front."

"We're helping each other out, how can you call me, Old Li, a weasel? I'm just trying to improve efficiency and reduce unnecessary sacrifices!"

Seeing his serious-looking nonsense, Mr. Han and Mr. Liu, who had just passed by, couldn't help but turn away and chuckle.

Zhou Zhen shook his head, amused by his fallacies and heresies, and said helplessly, "You, Commander Li, know the situation at the arsenal."

Our coffers are emptier than your face. Our grenade production line has just resumed operation, and our inventory is extremely tight. We really can't spare much for you.

Just when Li Yunlong thought he was going to make a wasted trip, Zhou Zhen suddenly changed the subject: "However... considering that you, Commander Li, have made the trip yourself, I, as your brother, can't let you go back empty-handed and disappoint the soldiers."

Li Yunlong's ears immediately perked up.

"Recently, the production of reloaded bullets has been going smoothly, and the quality has stabilized considerably."

"I can allocate a little more for you," Zhou Zhen said thoughtfully.

"In addition... based on feedback from actual combat, we have recently improved a batch of incendiary bombs. The aluminum soap is of higher purity and the combustion effect is much stronger."

Since the primer was successfully synthesized, we installed an impact fuse on the incendiary bomb, which can be launched with a grenade launcher and greatly increase the throwing distance.

The reason we fought so badly against the Japanese in Wanjia Town last time was because we could not fully utilize the power of close-range throwing weapons.

However, due to the limited number of spent shell casings from grenade launchers, these incendiary bombs are not numerous, but you can take some with you.

"Furthermore, due to the larger explosive charge, in a confined environment..."

"Incendiary bomb? An improved one?" Li Yunlong's eyes lit up immediately, his mouth stretched to his cheeks, and he slapped Zhou Zhen hard on the back, making Zhou Zhen stagger.

"Hey! I knew it, Lao Zhou, you're a true friend. You're really worthy of being my good brother, Lao Li. You're so straightforward in getting things done."

With this ammunition, I feel much more confident. Next time I get the chance, I'll make sure to get you some good stuff.

He leaned closer, lowered his voice, and whispered, "How about we get you a Japanese woman?"

"Go to hell, you old Li are all single, you might as well keep it for yourself."

"Ha ha……"