Returning to 1949, I decided to hand it over to the state.

The group looked at each other, then at the long steel cylinder with a cross-shaped tail on the ground. No matter how they looked at it or heard it, they couldn't believe it was something that was meant for civilian use.

In the end, it was Zhou Chunsheng, who understood the technology, who was the first to break down.

He quickly went through the pressure-bearing structure of the tank, the aerodynamics of the tail fin, and the characteristics of high-pressure flammable gases in his mind, and suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, blurting out:

"Engineer Jiang, isn't this a fucking bomb?!"

His shout immediately silenced the group of cadres who had been whispering among themselves.

Those who have made it to this position are certainly not stupid.

No matter how casually Jiang Fan spoke, or how much he deliberately emphasized that "we are just manufacturers of civilian gas cylinders," anyone with a little common sense and experience of war could tell the truth.

Once this thing is filled with high-pressure flammable gas, and a time-delay fuse is screwed on it, it can be dropped directly from an airplane or a high place...

This is a simple thermobaric weapon with terrifying power!

Although it was rough, primitive, and far from being high-tech, it could even be described as extremely rudimentary.

However, in an era when even bullets might not be in sufficient supply and mortar shells had to be made by hand using sand casting, such a thing could be mass-produced using existing steel and exported under the guise of civilian equipment, in exchange for much-needed foreign exchange and industrial materials...

Then the strategic significance of this thing would be completely different.

Amidst the gasps of surprise, Chief Li and He Xiying were the two calmest people in the room.

They did not show the same shock or discomposure as the others.

Chief Li kept his eyes slightly narrowed, his gaze fixed on the pattern on the ground, his brain working at an extremely high speed, repeatedly weighing the feasibility of this thing in terms of industry and strategy.

Factory Director He stood quietly to the side, his arms crossed over his chest, one finger tapping lightly on the back of his hand, his gaze never leaving the "gas cylinder" with its tail fin.

The silence lasted for a long time.

Finally, Chief Li broke the silence.

He turned his head slightly, leaned close to Factory Director He's ear, and whispered something in a very low voice.

After listening, He Xiying's expression turned serious, and she nodded.

He then turned and waved to the cadres behind him who were still in shock:

"Alright, that concludes today's site inspection. You can all go back and get back to work. In the afternoon, go over the processes you are responsible for again, and report any problems to the factory office immediately."

Although the cadres felt like they had a cat scratching at their hearts, with a bellyful of questions they wanted to ask, no one dared to linger after Director He gave the order.

The crowd responded and walked towards the workshop door in twos and threes.

In one corner of the huge workshop, only four people remained in a short time.

Chief Li, He Xiying, Zhou Chunsheng, and Jiang Fan.

Seeing the clearing operation, Zhou Chunsheng swallowed hard, wanting to sensibly slip away with the rest of the group. But as soon as he turned around, He Xiying's sharp gaze froze him in place, leaving him with no choice but to stay behind with a bitter expression.

Only after all irrelevant personnel had left did Chief Li take two steps forward.

He stopped less than two meters away from Jiang Fan, looking directly into Jiang Fan's eyes without any hesitation.

"Comrade Xiao Jiang, tell me the truth."

Chief Li's tone was many times more serious than before, even carrying a hint of solemnity:

"Are you sure this thing can really be made under our current conditions?"

"It can be used for both civilian and military purposes. What is its manufacturing cost? How high is the technological barrier? Have you done the math?"

Chief Li's voice deepened slightly:

"I'm not joking with you. You need to know that our new China doesn't have its own complete military-industrial system at all right now."

"Most of the guns, cannons, and bullets we have on the front lines are from those captured back then, or obtained by sacrificing lives."

"The few existing arsenals are equipped with outdated equipment and outdated technology, and their annual output is not even enough to sustain a major war."

"If... what you drew could actually be manufactured, and the cost wasn't too high..."

Commander Li's eyes shone brighter than ever before: "Then it is the first heavy firepower weapon that our new China designed and produced itself."

Upon hearing Chief Li's words, Jiang Fan's heart skipped a beat.

He originally just wanted to use the famous "gas cylinder cannon" meme from the Middle East battlefields of later generations as a way to make money for Ansteel.

But he overlooked the fact that in the eyes of these older generation revolutionaries, this was not a joke at all; it was a powerful weapon to protect the country and equipment that could save lives!

"The first domestically developed weapon of New China..."

Jiang Fan never imagined that a drawing he made casually would be labeled with such a heavy tag.

Only then did he truly realize just how heavy the weight of history really is.

Yes, in this era when everything was in ruins and needed rebuilding, the new China struggled to even manufacture a tractor, let alone its own military-industrial complex.

But he didn't hesitate for long. He swallowed hard, suppressed the surging emotions in his heart, and met Chief Li's expectant gaze:

"Reporting to the commander, I have already done the math."

"This thing doesn't require any high-tech equipment; all the materials are readily available at Ansteel."

"We should have our own rolled steel plates, iron, valves and seals, and we certainly don't lack skilled welding technicians."

"It has very low requirements for processing precision and the technical threshold is almost zero. As long as we can allocate a few machine tools, produce the first batch of trial products, and conduct pressure tests, we can directly use our steel rolling mill for large-scale assembly line production."

"We can absolutely keep costs to the lowest possible level."

With Jiang Fan's resolute affirmation, He Xiying and Chief Li exchanged a glance, their breathing noticeably becoming heavier.

Even Zhou Chunsheng, who was standing to the side, was so nervous that he held his breath and dared not make a sound.

He Xiying immediately stepped forward and asked urgently:

"Comrade Xiao Jiang, so you mean we can allocate manpower now, immediately, right away, and start trial production?"

In an instant, three pairs of eyes were fixed on Jiang Fan.

However, under such eager gazes, Jiang Fan unexpectedly shook his head slowly.

"No, factory manager, not yet."

Jiang Fan looked at them, his tone extremely serious:

"We can manufacture the blueprints and steel tanks, but that's just the shell. To achieve actual production and export, we're still missing the most crucial element, and we must acquire that first!"

Chief Li frowned and immediately pressed, "What is it? As long as it's available domestically, I'll personally get the approval!"

Jiang Fan uttered two words:

"oilfield!"

"We need a stable source of oil!"

"The liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in the gas cylinders is a byproduct of oil refining and coking. If we can get it to an oil field, even a small one with extremely limited resources, it would be enough for us to fully establish an LPG extraction line!"

"Otherwise, we would have to rely entirely on imported crude oil for refining. In that case, we would be at the mercy of others, and the costs would increase several times over, leaving no room for profit!"