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

Chapter 170 Zhao Ping'an promoted to Minister of the General Armaments Department; Correcting t

In April 1955, the military rank evaluation process was fully launched.

Zhao Ping'an was busy with infrastructure projects in other places during that period, including railways in Northeast China, highways in Xinjiang, and water conservancy projects in North China. He had a lot of things to do.

In mid-May, he was summoned back to Beiping by a telegram, and as soon as he arrived in Beiping, he received a phone call from the leader's secretary.

"Comrade Ping An, tomorrow morning at nine o'clock, to the leader's office."

The next morning, Zhao Ping'an arrived on time.

The leader gestured for him to sit down, and without any pleasantries, went straight to the point.

"You know about the ranking system, right?"

Zhao Ping'an nodded: "I understand."

The leader took a document out of the drawer, glanced at it, and then closed it again.

"Your rank has been decided by the rank evaluation committee—Lieutenant General."

He glanced at Zhao Ping'an.

"During the evaluation, everyone went over your work over the past few years. In the army, the Type 59 tank was finalized and mass-produced, the T-72 was successfully developed and began to be replaced, the BTR-86 armored vehicle was deployed in large numbers, and the troops were transformed from light infantry to mechanized forces. The supply of artillery, machine guns, and ammunition has never been interrupted."

Needless to say, the Air Force and Navy were almost entirely built up by you.

"On the cutting edge of national defense, you participated in the Two Bombs, One Satellite project. The satellite was launched into space, and the missile breakthrough was achieved."

You single-handedly built up the Northeast industrial base, increasing the production capacity of steel, coal, and electricity several times over.

Major infrastructure projects such as railways, highways, and water conservancy are underway, and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps is also involved.

"In foreign affairs, we negotiated with the Red Empire to bring in skilled workers, and aid was also provided to Southeast Asia. We exported light industrial products to earn foreign exchange, and foreign exchange flowed back in."

The leader paused.

"All of these individuals are qualified to be promoted to lieutenant general based on their seniority and contributions."

Zhao Ping'an remained silent.

The leader abruptly changed the subject.

"However, since you work in the government, you are not eligible for a rank according to principle. ***, ***, ***, they were all assessed for ranks but not awarded them. Your situation is the same as theirs."

Zhao Ping'an nodded.

"I understand. I will obey the organization's arrangements."

The leader looked at Zhao Ping'an, waited a few seconds, and then spoke.

"However, someone still needs to take charge of the equipment work."

You need to understand both technology and military affairs, and you also need special connections. No one but you can do it.

He took another document from the drawer and placed it on the table.

"The organization is considering giving you a substantive position—Minister of the General Armaments Department. You will still be in charge of matters related to military equipment."

Zhao Pingan glanced at the documents on the table, then looked up.

"Obey the organization's arrangements. Resolutely complete the mission."

The leader nodded.

"Alright. The appointment will be made in the next few days. Comrade Ping An, your responsibilities are becoming increasingly heavy; you must manage the army well."

"Yes, we will complete the mission without hesitation."

A few days later, the official document was issued.

Zhao Ping'an was appointed Minister of the General Armaments Department of the Ministry of National Defense of the People's Republic of China.

The sign outside the office has been replaced with a new one.

The old sign is taken down, and the new sign is nailed on. It's that simple.

The work is still the same, but the responsibilities are different. Before, managing equipment was "helping," but now it's "duty." To be precise, there is indeed an extra part to the job: budgeting. Zhao Ping'an used to be the one eating the cake, but now he can also go up and make some gestures. Although he doesn't end up cutting it himself, he can offer suggestions on how to cut it and express his right to say how much he wants to eat.

The sign had just been changed when Navy Commander Xiao came knocking on the door.

As soon as Commander Xiao entered, he spread the blueprints on the table and got straight to the point.

"Comrade Ping An, there's something I need to discuss with you. Let's think about it together."

Zhao Pingan looked down and saw the blueprints for the Moscow-class aircraft carrier and photos of American aircraft carriers.

Commander Xiao pointed to the markings on the blueprint and explained them one by one:

"Look, these are the aircraft carrier blueprints you gave us before."

I went back and thought about it for a long time, and compared it with photos of American aircraft carriers. The more I looked, the more something seemed off.

He pointed to the foredeck of the Moskva-class destroyer with his finger.

"Here, here, and here, it's all weapons. Anti-ship missiles, anti-aircraft missiles, artillery, crammed full. And look at this American one, it's clean and tidy, just an island superstructure, the rest of the ship is deck."

He looked up at Zhao Ping'an.

"Why are our blueprints so different from those of American aircraft carriers?"

With so many more weapons, it's like putting a cruiser and an aircraft carrier together in one fell swoop.

Zhao Ping'an looked at the blueprints without saying a word.

Commander Xiao continued:

"Isn't an aircraft carrier meant to carry airplanes?"

We already have warships that can strike from thousands of miles away, so why do we need aircraft carriers carrying so many weapons?

If the enemy really gets close to the aircraft carrier, then the carrier should run away. What can these few guns do?

These words stunned Zhao Ping'an.

He stared at the blueprints of the Moscow-class aircraft carrier, and a thought suddenly flashed through his mind—he had never thought of this direction before, but after Commander Xiao mentioned it, Zhao Ping'an realized that he had been lazy and had misunderstood the situation.

The thinking of the people of the Red Empire went astray.

They treated the aircraft carrier as a "cruiser with airplanes"—first using airplanes to wear down the enemy, and then revealing their full weaponry to engage in close combat when the enemy got close.

The problem is that aircraft carriers are escorted by destroyers and cruisers, so they don't have to do anything themselves.

If the enemy actually gets close to the aircraft carrier, it means the escort fleet is gone. At that point, what use are the aircraft carrier's few guns and missiles?

Conversely, because too many weapons were crammed into the aircraft, the number of aircraft that could be carried could not be increased.

We can't beat them in air combat, and we can't beat them in close combat either.

It pleases neither side.

Zhao Pingan raised his head.

"Commander Xiao, you've hit the nail on the head. The Red Empire's line of thinking has indeed gone astray."

He stood up, walked to the filing cabinet, and used the opening of the cabinet door to redeem some more blueprints from the system.

"Take a look at this one."

He took the drawings out of the paper bag and spread them out on the table one by one.

Commander Xiao looked down and his eyes widened.

The ship on the drawing board is much larger than the Moskva-class, with smooth lines and a wide deck.

Most noticeably, the flight deck isn't straight—a large section juts out diagonally on the left, like it's been cut off.

"This is the Forrestal-class destroyer that the United States will commission this year," Zhao Ping'an said. "The lead ship, the USS Forrestal, is expected to enter service in October this year."

He pointed to the parameters on the drawing and read them aloud one by one:

"The ship has a full-load displacement of 80,000 tons, a length of 331 meters, and a flight deck width of 76.8 meters."

"The power source consists of eight boilers and four steam turbines, producing 280,000 horsepower, with a speed of 33 knots."

"The most crucial part is this—" he pointed to the angled deck, "It's not straight, it's angled, at an 8-degree angle. The takeoff and landing areas are separated, allowing for simultaneous operations. Aircraft can take off and land at the same time without interfering with each other."

Commander Xiao stared intently at the blueprints, his eyes unblinking.

Zhao Pingan continued:

"Four catapults, two on the straight-through deck at the bow, and two on the angled deck."

Steam catapults can launch aircraft weighing thirty tons into the air.

"There are four elevators, all on the side of the ship, with a load capacity of 45 tons."

"It can carry around ninety aircraft. Fighter jets, attack aircraft, early warning aircraft, anti-submarine aircraft, the whole set."

He paused.

"The sortie rate is four times that of the aircraft carrier in our previous design drawings."

Zhao Ping'an concluded by saying,

"This is a real aircraft carrier. I was thinking the wrong way before, borrowing ideas from the Red Empire."

However, they treated the aircraft carrier as a cruiser with airplanes.

In a true aircraft carrier, aircraft are the primary weapon; self-defense is handled by escort ships.

Commander Xiao thought for a moment and then continued speaking.

"Comrade Ping An, can we manufacture this?"

Zhao Ping'an did not answer immediately.

He looked down at the blueprints, going over a few things in his mind.

With some expansion, the slipway at Dalian Shipyard can now build ships with a capacity of 80,000 tons.

With the special steel formula in place, Ansteel was able to start mass production after just a few trial batches.

The power system has a complete set of blueprints and material formulas, which Harbin Turbine Factory is capable of solving.

The 280,000 horsepower engine is larger than what we're building now, but the principle is the same: multiple cylinders connected in parallel and the material grade is improved. With our current industrial foundation, we can definitely master it in three years, and with a little more effort, we might even be able to do it in a year.

Catapults are complex, but we have blueprints, material formulas, and manufacturing capabilities. If the US can build them, why can't we?

Zhao Ping'an's answer was firm and resolute.

"Yes, we can make it. It's 100% domestically made; we don't need any distribution channels. We can make it ourselves!"

Commander Xiao's eyes lit up.

"Comrade Ping An, please tell me what's going on, so I can feel at ease..."

Zhao Pingan explained what he had just thought of to Commander Xiao.

"At the Dalian Shipyard, I had someone expand the slipway."

At Ansteel, the special steel will be put into mass production after the trial production is completed.

The power system can be tackled in both Harbin and Shenyang; it should be ready in less than three years.

"The catapult is complex, but we have the blueprints, the materials, and the processing capabilities. We can master it in three years."

Then Zhao Ping'an looked at Commander Xiao.

"Commander Xiao, you need an aircraft carrier. I'll strive to launch the first ship within two years. Two and a half years, and then carrier-based aircraft will be deployed."

But I hope you can arrange for pilots to train in advance, and try to achieve combat capability within three years, as the aircraft carrier will be of great use in the future!

Commander Xiao stared at him for a few seconds.

"Comrade Ping An, you can't joke about that."

Zhao Ping'an didn't laugh.

"I never joke in formal settings."

Commander Xiao stood up, paced around the office a couple of times, and then walked back.

"The first ship was launched in two years, and basic combat capability was achieved in three years—I've noted that down."

He stretched out his hand.

Zhao Pingan grasped it.

Commander Xiao left very soon.

The office fell silent.

Zhao Ping'an stood in front of the table, looking at the blueprints.

The line drawing of the Forrestal-class carriers is on top, next to the Moskva-class, and then next to a photo of an American aircraft carrier.