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

The rest of the work was simple; the workers quickly and efficiently completed the final binding and finishing touches.

Several special envoys who were traveling south with the truck to provide technical guidance shook hands with He Xiying solemnly to say goodbye, and then jumped into the truck cab.

The convoy started their engines in unison, the roar of the diesel engines echoing throughout the factory area.

Fourteen bright beams of headlights pierced the darkness as the car slowly drove out of the gates of Ansteel along the dirt road in the factory area.

The leadership team of Ansteel stood at the gate, silently watching the convoy drive away.

He Xiying stood with her hands behind her back, her gaze deep, lost in thought.

Jiang Fan stood two steps behind him, watching the trail of cars gradually disappear into the distance, silently calculating the time in his mind.

From Anshan in the Northeast to the front lines of the war in the South, the road conditions in that era were simply indescribable.

There were no smooth highways, only muddy paths and country roads along the way.

If you encounter the rainy season in the south, it becomes even more difficult to travel.

It will take at least ten days to half a month before these 300 "Dongfeng-01" missiles actually reach the hands of the soldiers on the front lines.

According to the historical records Jiang Fan had researched before his time travel, the final armistice agreement of the First Arab-Israeli War was signed in mid-July 1949.

All things considered, he only has less than a month left.

If these weapons are delayed on the road for too long and miss the best window of opportunity for "real combat testing" on their own battlefield, then the subsequent export plans to Arab tycoons will inevitably be greatly reduced.

"However, now that the goods are already on their way, we can only leave the rest to time to decide."

Jiang Fan sighed inwardly. As soon as he relaxed, a strong feeling of drowsiness and yawning washed over him.

Well, what's done is done. I should go back and get some sleep.

He was about to say goodbye to He Xiying and go back to rest when the factory manager turned around and stopped him before he could even speak.

"Comrade Xiao Jiang, you've been working day and night these past few days, you've really worked hard."

"But you need to be prepared, in a couple of days, there's a really big event happening at our factory."

"You and Zhou Chunsheng must both be there on time!"

"What's the big deal?" Jiang Fan asked instinctively.

He Xiying waved her hand, a mysterious smile appearing on her previously serious face:

You'll find out then.

"You and Zhou Chunsheng don't need to worry about anything these two days. You're on holiday and don't need to come to the factory to work. Just catch up on your sleep."

"I will send someone to notify you when the time comes."

Jiang Fan had some doubts in his heart, but he wisely refrained from asking any further questions.

I've been really exhausted these past two days, and I feel like I could fall asleep standing up at any moment.

When he dragged his heavy steps back to Meng Tai's hut, he collapsed onto the earthen bed, and as soon as his head hit the pillow, he fell into a deep sleep.

……

The next two days were quite leisurely.

Eat, sleep, and then eat again after waking up; your energy and spirit will be somewhat replenished.

By the evening of the third day, it was completely dark.

Jiang Fan was lying on the kang (a heated brick bed) in a daze when he was suddenly shaken awake.

The newcomer was a young man in casual clothes whom Jiang Fan did not recognize. He only heard the man speak very quickly:

"Comrade Jiang Fan, get up quickly! The factory manager sent me to get you right away. Come with me immediately!"

Jiang Fan suddenly woke up and immediately remembered what He Xiying had predicted. Without asking any more questions, he got off the bed.

Since the factory director used the word "major event," it must be something extraordinary.

He followed the man, and under the cover of night, hurriedly walked towards the westernmost factory building in the factory area.

When he arrived at the destination, he immediately spotted Zhou Chunsheng waiting in the shadows.

Jiang Fan leaned closer and asked in a low voice:

"Mr. Zhou, what exactly is going on? Do you know?"

Zhou Chunsheng shook his head with a solemn expression:

"I don't know either. When the guard came to deliver the message, he only told me to come over quickly and assemble in secrecy."

"Look around, there are still quite a few people."

Following the direction indicated by Zhou Chunsheng's chin, Jiang Fan scanned the area by the moonlight.

He was shocked to discover that, at some point, there were already thirty or forty people standing in front of him.

They are all core technical backbones and level-eight master craftsmen in the factory.

Moreover, no one brought a kerosene lamp or a flashlight, and the surroundings were so quiet that not even a cough could be heard.

This kind of tense atmosphere startled Jiang Fan: Could it really be some kind of national mission?

As he secretly speculated, he followed the crowd through the western part of the factory area.

From a distance, Jiang Fan could see the outlines of two military trucks parked on the open ground.

The truck bed was packed full, covered tightly with a canvas, making it impossible to see what was inside.

Around the truck, there were guards every three steps and sentries every five steps, with several armed soldiers standing guard.

He Xiying was standing next to the car talking to a middle-aged cadre in military uniform.

He Xiying, with her sharp eyes, spotted Jiang Fan and Zhou Chunsheng approaching and immediately waved to them:

"Come here, Xiao Jiang, Xiao Zhou, let me introduce you. This is Minister Liu from the Northeast Bureau of Military Industry, who is in charge of escorting this shipment of supplies."

He Xiying stepped aside, revealing the full appearance of the uniformed officer.

Jiang Fan took a closer look and estimated that the man was about forty years old, with a square face, thick eyebrows like swords, and a ruthless and decisive look in his eyes. He was clearly a soldier.

However, Minister Liu generously extended his hand and shook hands with Jiang Fan and Zhou Chunsheng respectively, then said:

"Young comrades, Director He praised your abilities to the skies in his telegram to the bureau."

"I personally escorted this truck here because I wanted to see you two young men with my own eyes."

Minister Liu speaks with a loud voice and a distinct Shandong accent.

"Don't be nervous, I'm just a logistics and delivery guy."

"From now on, the goods on this truck will be entirely handed over to Ansteel."

After saying that, Minister Liu did not hesitate. He turned around and beckoned to two guards, who grabbed the thick canvas and pulled hard.

As the canvas touched the ground, the contents inside were fully revealed.

Jiang Fan's pupils suddenly contracted after just one glance.

Beneath the canvas lay a large pile of loose, heavy metal parts:

Gun barrel, road wheels, suspension system, track shoes, engine casing, gearbox housing...

Although these steel parts were completely disassembled, Jiang Fan recognized their true ownership at a glance.

That's a complete set of parts for a tank!

"This is……"

Zhou Chunsheng's eyes widened, and he involuntarily let out a gasp.

Minister Liu, however, paid no heed to their shock. He raised his hand, patted the edge of the truck bed, and introduced:

"This is a Japanese Type 94 ultralight tank, commonly known as the 'Little Bean'."

"These are spoils of war that our Northeast Field Army captured from the Japanese devils in the early years."

"When it was first captured, it could still be used in battle. Later, it fought in several tough battles in the north and south with the troops. Due to the lack of spare parts and special fuel, it gradually broke down and became scrapped."

"In the past two years, our troops have become more mechanized. This thing has too thin armor and too weak firepower, and it can no longer keep up as a main battle tank."

"However, the leaders of the Northeast Bureau felt that it would be a real waste to just throw it away as scrap metal."

Minister Liu paused, then looked at Jiang Fan and the others: "Perfect timing. Ansteel has not only resumed production, but it is also the only large-scale steel industrial base in our new China."

"Therefore, the higher-ups made the decision to send all the parts from this scrapped tank here!"

He Xiying took over the conversation and addressed all the key technical personnel present:

"It's a direct order from above! We at Ansteel are to concentrate our top technical resources and thoroughly reverse engineer everything about this Type 94 tank, from the steel type and internal structure to the forging process and even the welding method of every single weld point."

"Even if it's outdated, we should at least figure out how the Japanese tanks were made back then, what the formula for special steel was, and how the heat treatment process was done."

"Because our new China will definitely build its own domestically produced large tanks in the future, and what you have to do is to lay the foundation for our defense industry at all costs."

At this point, Jiang Fan and Zhou Chunsheng exchanged a glance, completely stunned.

Reverse engineering!

Developing the first generation of tank armor steel for the new China!

At this moment, He Xiying also issued the final instructions:

"Therefore, starting tomorrow, everyone standing here tonight will be organized into groups and assigned to independent, enclosed workshops in the second factory area on the west side to fully carry out reverse engineering."

"This is a top-level classified mission directly issued by the Northeast Bureau. Once you leave this gate, you must not utter a single word to anyone."

"Did you understand?!"