Industry began in 1937

On the way back, the atmosphere was much more somber than when we arrived.

The grain, salt, and oil in the basket brought temporary peace of mind, but the news he heard at the market weighed heavily on Chen Yuan's heart and also bent Old Man Han's back.

After walking in silence for a while, Chen Yuan couldn't help but speak, his voice sounding somewhat hoarse on the mountain path: "Uncle Han, what do you think about what those people at the market were saying... that the Japanese soldiers occupied the county town and are even advancing into Shanxi?"

Old Han didn't stop walking. He took a puff of his long-extinguished pipe and said in a muffled voice, "War and chaos, isn't it like this every year? You fight me, I fight you. Back in the 26th year of the Guangxu Emperor's reign, didn't the Eight-Nation Alliance invade Zhili? They made a huge fuss, but they didn't manage to break into our mountain valley. Those soldiers and officials were fighting for cities and major roads. We're just a poor, desolate place, we have nothing, so who would come?"

Chen Yuan knew that this was the most genuine thought of many people in remote mountainous areas. Historical experience told them that the troubles outside the mountains were often unrelated to the deep mountains.

Even if something happens, the impact won't be that quick.

But this time it's really different.

The Taihang Mountains bear the heavy responsibility of the nation's survival, and almost all of this area will become old revolutionary base areas in the future.

The current peace and tranquility is probably the last good time we have left.

He had to try to make this kind old man realize that this time was different.

"Uncle Han, this time it might really be different." Chen Yuan carefully chose his words, trying to speak in a way that the old man could understand. "I... I heard people in the city say that the Japanese soldiers who came this time, called devils, are not just seizing territory and demanding money and food. They want to destroy all of China and make us their slaves for generations to come. In the places they occupy, they kill, set fires, rob, and harm women... they commit all kinds of evil."

They're building roads, mining, and taking everything from us. Once they've secured the area outside the mountains and freed up their hands, these mountains... probably won't be able to hold them back. War will inevitably break in sooner or later.

Old Han paused slightly without turning around, but Chen Yuan noticed that his grip on the pipe seemed to tighten.

The old man remained silent for a long time before saying in a hoarse voice, "It can't be that bad... What would they want? We have nothing here in the mountains..."

"They're after our land, they're after our people, they're after our eternal damnation." Chen Yuan's voice was low. "Uncle Han, you shouldn't have the heart to harm others, but you can't be without the heart to guard against them. We need to make plans early."

Old Han stopped talking and just walked on in silence.

He stopped abruptly as they approached the entrance to Gouzi Village, turned around, and his dim eyes filled with an unprecedented worry. He lowered his voice, almost whispering, "Chen boy, you...you said they killed and set fires in the county town, is that true?"

"It really is, more real than real gold." Chen Yuan nodded emphatically, but his heart skipped a beat as he realized that the old man might have more specific concerns.

Old Han's face looked even more ashen in the twilight. His lips trembled twice before he said, "My son... works as a helper in a restaurant in the county town... what, what should we do..." He seemed to be talking to himself, or perhaps asking Chen Yuan, his eyes filled with panic and helplessness.

His only son, born when he was over thirty, was his greatest hope in this difficult world.

Chen Yuan felt a pang of sadness and quickly comforted him, "Uncle Han, don't worry. The Japanese have just entered the city, and things are chaotic. They might not be able to take care of a small restaurant's staff for a while. Don't scare yourself. Let's gather more information and think of a solution later."

Old Han nodded listlessly, said nothing more, parted ways with Chen Yuan at the village entrance, and slowly walked home with his hunched back.

As Chen Yuan watched his figure disappear behind the stone house, he knew that the seed of worry had been planted in the old hunter's heart.

The atmosphere in the mountains changed noticeably over the next few days.

First, a few people escaped from villages closer to the main road, bringing more detailed and horrifying news: the Japanese soldiers killed people and burned houses indiscriminately, and the city had become a living hell.

Then, the rumors grew increasingly intense, with reports that the vanguard of the Japanese army had pursued the retreating government forces and fought a battle at the mountain pass, resulting in another defeat for the government troops, who suffered heavy casualties.

The Japanese soldiers even chased the fleeing troops to the edge of the mountain, fired several cannon shots into the mountain, and then retreated.

The most direct impact came from the fleeing soldiers who poured into the mountains.

These soldiers, their organization broken and their spirits lost, wandered aimlessly through the mountains in groups of three or five, or dozens at a time, like headless flies.

They dared not confront the Japanese, but they showed no mercy when it came to harming ordinary people.

They robbed grain, livestock, and anything else they could see. Any resistance was met with beatings, verbal abuse, or even gun violence.

Fortunately, this torrent of fleeing soldiers mainly escaped towards Shanxi along several easier-to-pass main roads and valleys, and did not penetrate deep into the remote mountain valley where Chen Yuan and Gouzi Village were located.

But the nearby villages had already suffered, and when the news spread, everyone was on edge.

Gouzi Village also became tense.

Third Master gathered the village's leaders and discussed the matter for several nights in a row.

The number of people keeping watch during the day increased, and the able-bodied men in the village were organized, taking all the tools they could find, and setting up posts at the village entrance and strategic locations.

Old Han became even more silent, often squatting at the door, gazing at the mountain ridge in the direction of the county town, sometimes for half a day at a time, his tobacco pipe glowing dimly.

He wanted to go to the county town to find his son, but with the current chaos of war and the unclear situation outside the mountains, going out at his age would be tantamount to suicide.

This torment of helplessness caused him to age rapidly.

Chen Yuan was equally anxious.

External crises are like a rising flood, threatening to submerge his newly built, incredibly fragile little "ark" at any moment.

He also desperately needs the means to protect himself.

We have food for now, but what about military force?

Faced with possible fleeing soldiers, bandits, or even the Japanese devils who might appear in the future, he was completely vulnerable, either unarmed or with only a machete and a wooden spear.

"We must have guns!" This thought was stronger than ever before.

He thought of "flint," the magical platform that could produce fine gears and ironware.

If he could build a few assault rifles, or even machine guns, he would have a certain ability to defend himself and could also help Gouzi Village.

He immediately returned to the platform and placed his palm on it.

"Flint, based on current materials and technological capabilities, design and manufacture a standard-issue rifle for self-defense. Assess feasibility, energy consumption, and material requirements," he issued the order with great anticipation.

The light screen lit up, but the response was like a bucket of ice water, chilling him to the bone:

[Instruction analysis in progress...]

[WARNING: Insufficient permissions. This platform is the 'Flint-I Adaptive Mobile Manufacturing Platform,' designed for civilian goods production, infrastructure development, and sustainable energy development. Core protocol restrictions prohibit the direct production of military standard weapon systems (including but not limited to standard firearms, artillery, and explosives).]

[Additional Note: The platform can produce tools, mechanical parts, and structural materials that meet civilian standards. If administrators have civilian needs such as hunting or engineering blasting, related tools and equipment can be produced, but their design, performance, and intended use must comply with civilian regulations.]

Civilian platform? Weapon production license? Agreement restrictions?

Chen Yuan was stunned, as if struck by lightning.

All his previous assumptions and expectations were fatally shattered at this moment.

He always thought that with such a "lights-out factory" ahead of its time and with ample electricity, there would be plenty of steel, and making guns and cannons would be a natural outcome.

He even fantasized about establishing his own military production line in the future and arming a powerful army.

Therefore, fighting the Japanese and quickly driving them out of China was not a difficult task.

But to my utter surprise, this platform has such restrictions!

"Why? Why?!" he couldn't help but roar, slamming his fist into the cold metal casing. The pain brought him back to his senses.

Yes, a mobile platform from the future, possibly used for alien colonies or large-scale civilian infrastructure, would inevitably have strict weapons control clauses in its core agreements to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands or being misused.

This makes sense, but for his current situation, it's like a bolt from the blue.

Without a gun, how could he protect himself in the face of the impending chaos?

How can he protect the villagers of Gouzi Village who have just given him warmth?

After despair and anger comes cold rationality.

You can't directly manufacture guns, but the platform said you can manufacture "civilian tools".

Hunting tools... Engineering blasting tools...

A thought flashed through my mind.

If we can't make standard rifles, then how about making gunpowder guns?

For example, a muzzle-loading smoothbore musket, or a simpler handgun?

These items might be categorized as "traditional hunting tools" or "historical replicas" according to the platform's definition.

After all, their principles are simple, their technology is old, and they are fundamentally different from modern standard weapons.

And steel pipes! If we could make seamless steel pipes and find a way to get gunpowder and bullets, wouldn't we be able to assemble a simple but usable musket?

Moreover, he knew about steel pipes, especially seamless steel pipes, and that he could also request grenade launchers and mortars.

Thinking of this, he quickly consulted again.

"Flint, query: Is manufacturing high-strength seamless steel pipes that can withstand certain pressures within the permitted scope? What are the required materials and energy consumption?" He changed his question, being cautious.

Changes in light curtain information:

[Search: High-strength seamless steel pipe (civilian standard)]

Permit status: Permitted; this falls under the category of general structural components and industrial materials.

Available specifications: various diameters, wall thicknesses, and lengths.

Material requirements: Depends on specifications, with high-quality steel as the main material.

Energy consumption: Depends on specifications and quantity. The manufacturing process is more complex, and the energy consumption is higher than that of ordinary ironware.

Permission granted! Hope rekindled in Chen Yuan's heart.

Although you can't get the gun directly, you can get the most crucial part: the barrel!

With a gun barrel, he could then figure out how to manufacture or collect firing mechanisms, prepare his own black powder, and cast lead bullets... A tortuous but theoretically feasible path to self-made weapons became clear in his mind.

This is far more realistic than building a gun from scratch.

For now, whether it's a mortar or a grenade launcher, we need to find something handy.

"Immediately calculate the materials and energy required to manufacture a seamless steel pipe with a diameter of about 12 millimeters, a length of about 80 centimeters, and a wall thickness sufficient to withstand the pressure of burning black powder. Then manufacture a short pipe of the same material but with a slightly smaller diameter, about 30 centimeters long." He decided to make two pipes of different lengths first. The longer one could be used to make a rifle, and the shorter one could be used to make a pistol or for other purposes.

The light screen quickly provided the answer: two specified steel pipes, requiring approximately 3 kilograms of high-quality steel, with an energy consumption of 0.08%.

Chen Yuan glanced at the platform's energy; it was almost depleted.

He took a deep breath and sat once again on the human-powered generator that had brought him endless exhaustion and his only hope.

The flywheel spins smoothly under the optimized gear transmission, and the 11.2% conversion efficiency seems all the more precious at this moment.

For that steel pipe that could bring him a sense of security, he had to continue to push himself to the limit.

Sweat dripped down, breathing became heavy, and the muscles in his legs protested.

But this time, the stampede was driven not only by the desire to survive, but also by an urgent need to arm themselves and a deep anxiety about the uncertain future.

If he had had a machine like this when he was trying to lose weight, he probably would have succeeded.