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

Let's go back a month.

Shenyang, December 1955.

It was snowing when the special train pulled into the station.

Zhao Pingan looked out of the car window and saw several people standing on the platform, their military overcoats covered in a layer of white.

Factory director Zhang Guangfa and several workshop directors were waiting at the platform. When Zhao Ping'an got off the train, Zhang Guangfa came up to shake his hand.

"Minister, you must be tired from your journey."

Zhang Guangfa, formerly a battalion commander in an armored brigade, was assigned to a factory by Zhao Ping'an after his demobilization. His excellent project management, coordination, and promotion abilities quickly made him stand out, and Zhao Ping'an appointed him as the head of several military research units. To the outside world, he was the director of Shenyang Special Machinery Factory No. 17, but most people did not know what this highly confidential factory did.

Zhao Pingan waved his hand: "Where is the thing?"

"Go straight to the testing grounds?"

"Go directly there."

The first stop is the final assembly workshop.

The factory was very large, and the heating was on full blast; as soon as you opened the door, a wave of heat hit you.

Zhao Pingan took off his coat, walked a few dozen meters inside, and then stopped.

A silver-gray airplane was parked in the center of the factory.

It has four turboprop engines, a robust fuselage, wide wings, and a huge cargo door at the rear.

The lights shone on the fuselage, making the skin gleam with a cold light.

Zhang Guangfa, standing to the side, said: "The first An-12 assembled independently has a domestic production rate of 70%."

The fuselage, wings, tail, landing gear, and avionics were all made by ourselves.

The engine is still from your side for now; the imitation work is underway, and we plan to have a prototype ready by the end of January next year.

Zhao Pingan walked around the plane and touched the landing gear hub.

The metal is cool to the touch, has a smooth surface, and is well-crafted.

He climbed the gangway and entered the cargo hold. The hold was spacious enough for seven or eight people to stand side by side.

Zhang Guangfa followed behind, pointing to the pipes on the bulkhead and saying:

"These are all made in China. The pipes, cables, and connectors are all made in our own factory."

Zhao Pingan stood in the cargo hold for a while, then asked, "How many test flights were there?"

"Thirty times. Maximum payload, maximum range, and airdrop/parachute tests have all been completed. Performance meets standards; mass production is possible."

Zhao Ping'an nodded and got off the plane.

Zhang Guangfa handed over a piece of paper: "Take a look at the data."

It was written on the paper:

An-12 transport aircraft

Maximum load capacity: 20 tons

Cargo hold dimensions: 13.5×3.5×2.6 meters

Range: 3600 km (maximum payload)

Capable of carrying: 100 armed personnel, or 60 paratroopers, or 2 artillery pieces.

After reading it, Zhao Pingan folded the paper and put it in his pocket.

"We'll build five in the first quarter of next year for the Air Force to use for training."

After leaving the final assembly workshop, Zhang Guangfa did not take him to the helicopter branch factory, but instead turned into the conference room next door.

Several technicians in white coats were sitting in the conference room, with blueprints spread out on the table.

Zhang Guangfa pulled out a few photos from the folder and placed them in front of Zhao Ping'an.

"Minister Zhao, this is the progress report for the An-22."

The photo shows several massive fuselage beams and wing spars, with workers standing nearby for reference, making the steel beams appear exceptionally robust.

Zhang Guangfa pointed to the photo and said, "The foundation for the An-12 was laid well, and the progress of the An-22 is faster than expected."

The fuselage spars and wing spars have been manufactured.

The localization rate has exceeded 6%. The engine is still from your side, and the R&D team has been assembled. Once the An-12 engine is successfully copied, the progress here can be accelerated, and it is expected to be completed by the end of June.

He took out another piece of paper, on which was written:

An-22 heavy transport aircraft (under development)

Estimated maximum load capacity: 80 tons

Cargo hold dimensions: 33×4.4×4.4 meters

Range: 5000 km (maximum payload)

Capable of transporting: tanks, missile launchers, and heavy engineering machinery.

Zhang Guangfa said, "We aim to complete final assembly in the first quarter of next year and strive for the maiden flight."

Zhao Ping'an stared at the paper and remained silent for a few seconds.

"Prioritize funding and materials. Once this thing is built, our strategic airlift will be complete."

After leaving the conference room, Zhang Guangfa took Zhao Ping'an to the helicopter branch factory.

Two helicopters, one large and one even larger, were parked in the factory. Workers were adjusting them nearby, the engines humming loudly.

Zhang Guangfa walked up to the smaller one first.

"The blueprints you provided are for the Mi-8, but we call it the 'Young Eagle-8'." He patted the landing gear strut. "It's a medium-sized multi-purpose aircraft with a maximum takeoff weight of twelve tons, a cabin load capacity of four tons, and an external load capacity of three tons."

It can hold twenty-four to thirty-two soldiers.

"It can fit the Lynx from the neighboring test range, and then another class of people."

Zhao Pingan walked around it once. There were several ports on the fuselage, covered with rubber caps.

"What is that?"

Zhang Guangfa laughed: "Weapon mounting interface. Adding rocket launchers or machine gun pods, it can be modified in a week."

Zhao Ping'an didn't say anything and walked towards the big one.

This helicopter was bigger than any he had ever seen.

The rotor blades folded up against the sides of the fuselage, with the short wings extending outwards, like a giant beast crouching on the ground.

Zhang Guangfa followed behind, his voice rising a few decibels, sounding incredibly proud.

"The blueprint designation is Mi-6, internal codename 'Young Eagle-6'. It has a maximum takeoff weight of 42.5 tons, with an internal cargo capacity of 12 tons and an external load of 8 tons. It can carry 72 to 80 soldiers at a time."

With short wings, it generates 20% more lift when flying forward, reducing the load on the rotor.

Then, pointing to the serial number on the fuselage, he said, "The localization rate is 50%."

The engine and gearbox are too complex, so we still need to rely on you. The fuselage, rotor, and stub wings are all made by ourselves. We are working hard to overcome the challenges and plan to achieve complete domestic production by the first half of next year.

It has already flown ten times, and its basic performance is fine. Heavy-load test flights are still underway.

Zhao Ping'an stood beneath the giant beast, looking up at it.

Even with the rotor folded up, it's still so tall; standing under it feels like standing under a house.

"How many lynxes can this thing hold at once?"

Zhang Guangfa thought for a moment: "The cabin is twelve meters long, and the Lynx is three meters nine inches long. If we squeeze in, we can fit three. If we leave some room, two will be more spacious."

Zhao Ping'an nodded. That's enough.

The last stop was the light vehicle testing ground.

The snow was still falling, but a dozen silver-gray cars were running happily on the test track.

They sped across the snow, turning, climbing slopes, and crossing ditches, as agile as a group of small animals.

Zhang Guangfa handed him a folder.

"Lynx-1, an all-terrain assault vehicle. It weighs 1.2 tons and has a payload of 500 kilograms. It has a road wading depth of 80 centimeters and an off-road wading depth of 40 centimeters. It can wade through water to a depth of 80 centimeters and can float when equipped with a buoyancy aid."

Zhao Pingan took the folder and flipped through the data inside.

Highway speed, off-road speed, wading depth, gradeability, and range are all clearly listed.

Zhao Pingan closed the folder and gestured with his chin toward the test site: "I'll run a lap around and take a look."

Zhang Guangfa waved, and a Lynx pulled up in front of them. The driver jumped out, and Zhao Ping'an got into the driver's seat and drove it around himself.

The car remained steady as it made sharp turns on the snow. It climbed a 20-degree slope without slipping. When crossing a ditch, the car wobbled, but didn't bottom out.

After driving for ten minutes, Zhao Pingan drove the car back, jumped out, and patted the hood.

"It works. Tell me, what weapons can it equip?"

Zhang Guangfa perked up, pointing to the interfaces and brackets on the vehicle:

"As per your instructions, it's a modular design. It can accommodate heavy machine guns, rocket launchers, rocket launchers, and mortars. You see here, there are pre-installed interfaces for mounting brackets."

He crouched down and pointed to the guide rails on the roof of the vehicle:

"This can be used to mount road-launched anti-vehicle missiles. The aiming device is mounted here, and the gunner can lie on the roof of the vehicle to fire."

We've tested it in several locations, including mountains, hills, and waterways, and it runs perfectly.

Its mobility is better than our existing armored vehicles and tanks—those are too heavy and too big, while this thing is light and small, fast, and can go anywhere.

Zhao Pingan squatted down to look at the interfaces and nodded.

"Where's the test data?"

Zhang Guangfa pulled out a few sheets of paper from the folder:

"I've traversed the mountains of Northeast China, the hills of North China, and the waterways of Jiangnan."

It can climb a maximum slope of 30 degrees and still drive with a side tilt of 30 degrees. I've tried it on snow, mud, and sand, no problem.

Zhao Pingan stood up and patted the snow off his hands.

"Okay. Expand production. Let's build a thousand vehicles next year."

Zhang Guangfa was taken aback: "A thousand vehicles?"

"A thousand vehicles," Zhao Ping'an counted on his fingers. "Some will go to the Air Force for airborne trials. Some will go to Yunnan Province for weapons testing to see how they perform in real combat. Some will stay with the Army for trials. And some will go to the Navy for amphibious landing tests to see if they can be used at sea."

He watched the cars speeding through the snow.

"This stuff will be our infantry's lifeline in the future."

The snow stopped in the evening.

Zhao Ping'an stood at the edge of the test site, watching the Lynx cars drive back to the garage one by one.

In the distance, lights came on in the factory buildings, and white smoke billowed from the chimneys.

Zhang Guangfa stood next to him.

After a long while, Zhao Pingan spoke.

"Two years."

Zhang Guangfa looked at him.

"Two years, from blueprints to reality. You did it, well done."

Zhang Guangfa wanted to say something, but Zhao Pingan waved his hand.

"Build 1,000 Lynx fighters as quickly as possible. Continue to improve the Mi-8 and deliver it in the first half of next year. It's okay if the Mi-6 is a little slower, as long as the quality is solid. As for the An-22, give priority to funding and materials. If you need anything, just report to me."

He turned around and looked at Zhang Guangfa.

"Your factory is my prized possession now. I'll provide you with manpower, money, and equipment if you need them."

But you have to show me the results, so others know that I cherish you all because you're capable!

Zhang Guangfa stood ramrod straight: "Yes, Brigade Commander, I guarantee the mission will be accomplished!"

That night, Zhao Ping'an did not return to Beiping.

He stayed at the factory's guesthouse.

The things I saw today are running through my mind.

The An-12 can deliver troops anywhere.

The An-22 can deliver tanks and artillery.

The Mi-8 can bring soldiers down from the sky.

The Mi-6 can deliver heavy equipment directly to the battlefield.

The lynx makes those who land start running and fighting.

Next, the navy...