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

The swift conclusion of the Tianjin Campaign was like a heavy hammer blow, completely shattering the Fu Group's last glimmer of hope for a desperate resistance.

Under the combined pressure of strong military forces and internal demoralization, the path to peace was finally opened.

In late January 1949, Beiping, this ancient capital with a history of over a thousand years, was finally spared from the ravages of war and was peacefully liberated.

As the People's Liberation Army troops marched into the ancient city in an orderly fashion and took over the defense, Zhao Ping'an also received a clear notification from the system.

[The "Final Rescue" mission is now complete.]

[Successfully rescued the main characters: Mei Yan, He Xiuping, Yao Junlan, Liao Feng (Er Mao), Xiao Wuzi, and Da Baoya.]

[Characters Cai Xingfu, Yao Zhe, and Ma Baoshu... have died in action.]

[Mission completion assessment in progress... Based on the rescue of over 50% of key personnel, the mission is deemed complete. Rewards will be issued.]

Looking at this somewhat "dramatic" settlement report, Zhao Pingan couldn't help but mentally mutter a complaint:

"The 'plot correction power' in this parallel world is particularly 'biased'; the beautiful women and children were all saved, but none of the most troublesome men were spared..."

No, it's not that those who listened and stayed put survived; it's normal that those who caused trouble didn't have "divine protection" and died.

However, since the system has determined that the task is completed, that's good news.

[Task Reward Distribution:]

1. The system storage space has been expanded to 1000 cubic meters.

2. Unlock advanced space operation functions: [Collect/Release and Modular Assembly].

At first, Zhao Ping'an was a little confused about the second point—hadn't the collection and release already been implemented? After trying it out, he realized that the focus of this reward was the huge expansion of space and the newly unlocked "modular assembly" ability.

This function can be described as a "magic weapon" for industrialization.

In the past, giant equipment like a large steelmaking furnace with an annual output of 80 tons could only be transported to the port by huge ships of unknown origin, carrying thousands of tons of steel, refractory bricks, pipes, and parts. After unloading, the materials were transported little by little to the construction site. Then, a large number of workers and technicians were mobilized to carry out extremely complex assembly, welding, masonry, and debugging on site for several years.

Now, using the new system functions, Zhao Ping'an can "preprocess" and decompose a complete set of technologically integrated industrial equipment, such as steelmaking furnaces and generator sets, into several core module units according to their structural logic within the system space.

Then Zhao Pingan can use the system space to directly "deploy" these modules to the pre-prepared factory site where the infrastructure has been completed.

Subsequent engineering will shift from the most basic "manufacturing from scratch" to a more efficient "module placement - docking and assembly - system debugging".

This will reduce the construction period and the complexity of on-site construction by several orders of magnitude.

Of course, such powerful functions also have limitations: for a single large device or module whose volume exceeds 50% of the current system space (i.e., 500 cubic meters), the system can only perform a complete "collect" or "release" operation once a day.

This limited his ability to move massive pieces of equipment at once, but it was a significant leap compared to before.

The new feature immediately sparked Zhao Ping'an's interest.

"Since the system has provided such a convenient tool, and the timing is just right... why not give it a try?" Zhao Ping'an thought.

After a series of major battles, the troops are entering a valuable period of rest, replenishment, and expansion. For the time being, Zhao Ping'an has nothing much to do except continue to conduct in-depth training for the troops and receive a large number of soldiers sent by brother units to "learn" and arrange their learning.

After careful consideration and preparation, Zhao Ping'an formally submitted a detailed report to his superiors.

He explained his idea of ​​taking advantage of the troops' rest period and relying on existing conditions and "special channels" to try to restore and initially upgrade key industrial facilities near Beiping.

The request was quickly and farsightedly approved by the higher-ups. The leadership instructed that, while ensuring the troops' combat readiness training and secrecy, this work could be carried out cautiously and steadily, with attention paid to security and the summarization of experiences.

So, starting from the end of January 1949, Zhao Ping'an became busy.

The first step is to address the source of both "power" and "raw materials".

Zhao Ping'an did not rush to start construction in the city, but instead turned his attention to the resource-rich areas around Beiping.

He selected a coal mine with a relatively good foundation, and using the new functions of the system, he first delivered a set of efficient and modern mining equipment there and provided guidance on its installation and use.

This was not a fully automated mine of the future, but rather an upgraded version of equipment that significantly improved safety, efficiency, and raw coal quality, making it suitable for the technological capabilities available at the time. With the cooperation of stationed military engineers and recruited miners, the coal mine's production capacity and stability were rapidly improved, providing reliable "fuel" for subsequent industries.

The second step is to build a power plant.

Energy is the lifeblood of industry. Zhao Ping'an selected a factory site in the Shijingshan area on the western outskirts of Beiping.

There is a certain foundation here, and it is close to water sources and coal mines.

After completing basic construction such as site leveling and railway line connection, he began the crucial operations.

A medium-sized coal-fired power generating unit, including a boiler, steam turbine, generator, control system, and power transmission and transformation equipment, was transported to the construction site and directly assembled.

Based on the precise drawings and technical instructions provided by the system, engineers from the military, former power plant technicians, and recruited workers began intensive training.

The third step was to build a steel plant.

While the power plant was under construction, Zhao Ping'an finally put his initial promise, which had almost become his obsession, into action—building a pilot steel plant with an annual output of 80 tons of steel.

Zhao Ping'an, who currently has ample funds, originally wanted to go straight for a 200 million-ton-per-year plant, but after a brief discussion with Lao Xu, he opted for the 80-ton plant instead. The reason was simple—the technology was outdated.

The disadvantage of being technologically backward in 2026 has become an advantage in this era. The reason is very simple: this era does not have the more than 3 million skilled workers who have completed at least 12 years of education that there are in 2026.

These days, being able to read and do simple calculations is considered a sign of a certain level of education.

So when core equipment such as blast furnaces, converters, and rolling mills appeared one after another on the designated factory foundation.

Skilled technicians from places like the former Loujia Steel Rolling Mill, educated soldiers selected from the army, progressive young students mobilized by the Party organization, and technicians transferred from Northeast China began to receive intensive training around these new equipment.

Zhao Ping'an's goal was clear: first, to familiarize himself with the "new" steel plant, and then use it as a training base to quickly cultivate skilled workers.