Courtyard House: I Rely on Time-Space Trade to Build a Nation

Three days after Commander Xiao left, Zhao Ping'an convened a meeting in Shenyang.

The notice was sent out suddenly, but no one complained.

Upon receiving the telegram, the heads of several relevant factories in the Northeast industrial zone rushed to Shenyang overnight.

Dalian, Changchun, Jilin, Harbin, Qiqihar, and so on.

Every morning, the conference room was packed with people.

When Zhao Ping'an entered the room, everyone in the room stood up.

Zhao Pingan waved his hand, gesturing for everyone to sit down, and then walked to the head seat at one end of the long table.

"I've called you all here today because there's something important to discuss."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the people present.

"In April 1955, the Lushun Naval Base was to be taken back. The Dalian Shipyard was also to be taken back."

The meeting room fell silent for a few seconds. The director of the Dalian Shipyard sat up straight.

Zhao Pingan continued, "We can't just repair ships now that the shipyard has been taken back. We need to build ships. We need to build our own large warships."

He placed a document on the table, and his secretary distributed copies of the document to the factory managers.

"Commander Xiao came to see me. The Navy has been waiting for this day for five years. Now it's our turn to get to work."

He looked at the people present.

"Today, I'm not going to talk about anything else, just one thing—what equipment does a shipyard need, which ones can we build ourselves, and which ones we still need to figure out how to handle one by one."

"For the projects or equipment I mention later, factories with the capability should volunteer to take on the tasks. We're all on the same side, we all know each other well, so take on the tasks you can do first. If there are difficulties, we can discuss how to solve them later. Any questions?"

"Yes, Minister, we will complete the mission with determination!" Most of the factory managers were from the military or were workers. With a large number of demobilized soldiers in Northeast China holding factory management positions, even factory managers who were originally workers had more or less acquired some of the habits of soldiers.

Zhao Pingan opened the document to the first page, which listed various types of equipment and their parameters.

At the same time, take out a single-page project directory.

"Large lathes, milling machines, and boring machines. These are used by shipyards to process parts."

The factory manager of Shenyang Machine Tool Factory raised his hand: "Minister, our factory can manufacture these. We've been producing lathes, milling machines, and boring machines for the past few years. As long as the production plan is issued, we'll provide as many as needed."

Zhao Ping'an nodded and drew a checkmark on the paper. Then he turned to the next page.

"CNC heavy-duty vertical lathe, flexible machining unit. Used for manufacturing large parts."

The director of Qiqihar No. 1 Machine Tool Factory chimed in, "We can manufacture them. We just supplied one to a power station last year; the precision is sufficient."

Zhao Pingan drew another checkmark and continued.

"Small and medium-sized plate rolling machines, shearing machines, and bending machines. Ship hull steel plates need processing."

The director of Shenyang Heavy Machinery Plant nodded: "Minister Zhao, we've made these before. No problem."

"Automatic submerged arc welding machine, gas shielded welding machine. Used for welding."

The factory director of the Harbin Welding Machine Factory stood up: "Minister Zhao, we can manufacture this. We can mass-produce it and guarantee quality."

Zhao Ping'an glanced at him and nodded.

"A 50-ton gantry crane, an overhead crane. For lifting operations on the slipway."

The factory director of the Dalian Lifting Machinery Factory said, "Minister Zhao, we've made them before. 50 tons is no problem."

Zhao Pingan drew a checkmark on the paper.

"Ordinary marine steel plates".

The Ansteel representative replied, "Both Ansteel and Benxi Steel can produce it. We can produce as much as you need, according to standards."

"Small and medium-sized marine motors".

The factory director of Changchun Electric Machinery Factory was also present and raised his hand, saying, "Our factory can supply them. The low-power ones in this document are no problem."

Zhao Ping'an kept marking things up and asking questions along the way. He had almost filled a whole page.

When asked about the last question, Zhao Pingan looked up.

"Marine steam turbines. Small to medium-sized ones, like the 'Yuejin' type."

There was a two-second silence in the conference room.

The director of the Dalian Shipyard spoke up: "Minister Zhao, we have studied the blueprints for the 'Yuejin' ship."

Copying it is no problem. But designing it from scratch is still a bit beyond my skill level.

The director of Shanghai Hudong Shipyard, who was also present, added, "We're also thinking about it. We can tackle the technical aspects, but it will take time."

Zhao Ping'an nodded without saying anything.

He silently made a note in his mind: steam turbines, the first ship will use the replacement ones, and the later ships will copy them.

The meeting lasted for more than two hours, and all the equipment was checked one by one.

Zhao Ping'an put away the project plan allocation sheet covered with checkmarks and looked at the people present.

"We can manufacture most of the equipment ourselves. I will arrange the production plan later, and then each factory will take back the tasks and start production as soon as possible."

After the shipyard took over, they repaired and expanded the foundation, slipway, and dock as needed.

Zhao Pingan paused for a moment.

"There are some pieces of equipment that we can't manufacture right now. A plate rolling machine, a large one, that can roll plates 50 millimeters thick."

Rib bending machine, used in submarine construction. 200-ton gantry crane, essential for final assembly on the slipway.

I'll find a way to address these issues from other angles.

No one asked where "other places" meant.

Everyone present knew Zhao Ping'an's rule: don't ask questions you shouldn't ask.

Zhao Pingan stood up.

"Meeting adjourned. All factories, go back to work. Shipyard manager, please stay behind."

Most of the people had left, but Director Zhou of the Dalian Shipyard was still sitting in his original seat.

Zhao Ping'an walked over and sat down next to him.

"Old Zhou, handing over the shipyard to you is a lot of pressure."

The factory director's surname is Zhou, he is in his early fifties, and he has spent his whole life building ships.

"Minister Zhao, I'm not afraid of pressure, I'm afraid of not having anything to do."

Zhao Pingan smiled.

"There will definitely be work. But there's one thing we need to prepare in advance."

He looked at Director Zhou.

"The equipment has arrived, but the staff needs to keep up. We'll select a group of good workers from the factory to learn the trade."

There will be masters from the Red Empire. I plan to have them train ten apprentices each over three years. You must master their skills.

I don't want to change careers for this kind of technical skills and training; I need you to create a plan.

Don't try to teach ten people at once; you'll fight tooth and nail and still not learn anything well. And don't have only one apprentice at a time, letting the teacher teach a little each day and then idling away.

You can determine the appropriate level and adjust it as needed, but I've given you the standard, and you have to meet it.

We also need to choose the right people, so that problems don't arise because of personnel issues.

Factory Director Zhou nodded.

"Understood. I'll choose the people myself."

Zhao Ping'an stood up and patted him on the shoulder.

"Get things moving at the shipyard. Install the equipment as soon as it arrives. Aim to launch the first ship next year. The timeline is tight, and the workload is heavy, but it's all for national defense. We must take initiative and expedite the process without violating the principles of physics!"

Factory Director Zhou stood up and saluted.

"Don't worry, Minister, I guarantee the mission will be accomplished!"

After everyone left, only Zhao Ping'an remained in the conference room.

Although it was only a little before 4 o'clock, it was already getting dark.

Smoke was still rising from the factory in the distance, and the train station whistle occasionally sounded.

Today's events are running through my mind.

The boring machines from Shenyang Machine Tool Factory, the vertical lathes from Qiqihar, the welding machines from Harbin, and the cranes from Dalian... most of them can be produced domestically.

The remaining items need to be replaced from the system.

One large plate rolling machine, one CNC rib cold bending machine, two 200-ton gantry cranes, one set of marine steam turbines, one set of special steel formula, and one three-dimensional CNC plate bending machine.

Zhao Pingan mentally reviewed the numbers again.

That's enough for now.

First, get the shipyard up and running, and get the people training. When the Red Empire's technicians arrive, they can learn on the job as they go.

As Zhao Ping'an was thinking, suddenly, the system, which had been inactive for a long time, gave a notification.

[Ding! The equipment of the Republic's Navy has been detected to be lagging behind historical levels. The 1955 New Year mission—Marching to the Deep Blue—is being initiated ahead of schedule.]

[Naval Armaments Exchange Opens Early]