Chapter 123: Shoulder-mounted Cannon
Border Region Arsenal
“Factory Director Li, the power of this new grenade of yours is not small, it’s even greater than the Japanese invaders’ melon grenades.”
Kong Jie came to Li Muzhi with a beaming smile, full of praise for the power of the Border Region Arsenal’s new grenade.
Previously, the quality of Border Region grenades was not worth mentioning; sometimes they only split into two halves upon explosion.
Now, the quality of Border Region grenades is truly impeccable.
When they explode, the sound is particularly loud, and the power is great.
The soldiers under Kong Jie took them for testing and completely stunned the puppet army at the time.
The puppet army even thought they were under artillery fire and actually raised their hands to surrender their weapons.
Kong Jie effortlessly obtained weapons and ammunition from an entire puppet army company.
“What about the specific data?” Li Muzhi reached out his hand.
“Right, right, I almost forgot to give you the data.” Kong Jie hurriedly pulled out the data and handed it to Li Muzhi.
Li Muzhi took it and looked it over, confirming there were no issues, then said to Kong Jie: “Regiment Commander Kong, thanks for your hard work. Once the grenades are produced, I’ll give you twenty cases.”
“Thank you, Factory Director Li, thank you, Factory Director Li.” Kong Jie was overjoyed.
Although this grenade is not comparable to the Hell Cannon, getting twenty cases once they are produced shows something.
It shows that Factory Director Li truly does not treat us as outsiders. In the future, when new weapons are made, our New Second Regiment will definitely get a share.
Li Yunlong’s side has to work themselves to death to get things, while we just mine coal in logistics to get them—what a great deal.
“No need to thank me, go rest. I still have things to do here.” Li Muzhi smiled.
“Yes, Factory Director Li.” Kong Jie left happily.
Li Muzhi came to Lao He, handed him the data provided by Kong Jie, and said: “Lao He, this is data fed back from the combat troops. The test effect is good, so produce the new style grenades just like this—two hundred cases first.”
Although four thousand pounds of sugar is a considerable amount, Hell Cannon shells, rockets, and jumping mines also need to be made, so this new style grenade cannot be produced unrestrictedly.
Unless the lower troops soon send more sugar.
“Mm, good.” Lao He took the data and nodded.
“Have the workers make samples of the items on these diagrams.” Li Muzhi then took out the parts diagrams for the jumping mines.
The power source is not yet solved, and the iron smelting plant is not yet set up, but that does not affect making some parts first.
“What is this?” Lao He took these diagrams. He was very certain that these parts were not in the new artillery Li Muzhi wanted to make.
“Didn’t the combat troops bring back an iron smelting plant? Once the iron smelting plant is set up, we can modify the locomotive the combat troops seized into a power source, and then we can smelt iron.” Li Muzhi explained, “I’m preparing to make jumping mines.”
“Jumping mines?” Lao He was obviously hearing the term for the first time and did not quite understand: “This sounds a bit like the meaning of a mine?”
“You can understand it that way. A jumping mine is a mine that, after the firing device is triggered by stepping on it, jumps into mid-air and explodes.” Li Muzhi explained, “Traditional mines are buried underground and can cause casualties to the enemy, but their lethality and range are limited. This jumping mine jumps into the air, filled with iron beads and explosive fragments that can kill in a 360-degree field with no blind spots—this maximizes lethality. The Japanese invaders like group charges, right? Bury a few underground and see if they still dare to do group charges.”
Upon hearing this, Lao He was immediately full of admiration: “Factory Director, this idea of yours is brilliant. With the mine exploding in mid-air, the Japanese invaders’ group charges will definitely be done for. Used well, its power is not inferior to our Hell Cannon lethal shells.”
“The parts are still by the old rules—must be made according to my requirements, all must be qualified.” Li Muzhi said seriously.
When the time comes, every jumping mine must pass quality control.
Otherwise, every dud mine would be disrespectful to the Japanese invaders’ group charges!
“Yes, Factory Director.”
“How many Hell Cannon shells have been produced?” Li Muzhi asked.
“By the end of work today, there will be forty.” Lao He answered.
“This fast?” Li Muzhi was surprised; this efficiency was much faster than he had expected.
“Factory Director, I was just about to report to you.” Lao He looked extremely excited. “Those high-level talents from the Huangyadong Arsenal used the scrap handed over by the combat troops and jointly improved the process, greatly increasing efficiency.”
Upon hearing this, Li Muzhi could not help but admire.
These high-level experts from the Huangyadong Arsenal are really impressive.
They came here essentially to prepare for dismantling Japanese invaders’ trains.
However.
Not only did they do their essential work very well, but when they visited the arsenal workshop on a whim.
As a result, on a whim, a few of them teamed up and increased production capacity significantly—how could one not admire them.
Li Muzhi still asked: “How did you increase the efficiency, especially the frying of explosives—can that be advanced too?”
Not to mention anything else, the frying of explosives is a meticulous slow task that allows no carelessness.
“You’ll know when you go see for yourself.” Lao He said with a smile.
“Alright, I’ll go take a look.” Li Muzhi quickly strode to the workshop.
In the workshop, these high-level talents from the Huangyadong Arsenal saw him coming and hurriedly smiled: “Factory Director Li.”
Li Muzhi also smiled: “I heard from Lao He that you helped improve the process, greatly speeding up Hell Cannon shell production, so I came to see.”
“Haha, we’re just showing off, Factory Director Li. Compared to you, we’re far behind. We only contributed a little.” These high-level talents were all very modest.
“We’re all contributing to our military industry’s efforts; there’s no such thing as being far behind.” Li Muzhi said politely.
Li Muzhi quickly went through the entire process and was truly full of admiration for these high-level talents’ genius improvements.
The frying of explosives could not be sloppy, so it was not touched.
The main improvements were in exquisite changes to processes like projectile body casting and welding balance tail wings.
It saved manpower and significantly improved results.
“Everyone, thank you for improving the shell production process.” Li Muzhi expressed thanks.
“Factory Director Li, no need to mention thanks. Didn’t you say it yourself? It’s all for our military industry construction.” These high-level personnel all smiled in response, then Old Gao, the Yanjing University physics department graduate student, came up to Li Muzhi and asked curiously: “Factory Director Li, we heard from Lao He that you’re making a cannon that can be carried on the shoulder?”
As everyone knows, artillery is fired from the ground.
Who puts it on the shoulder.
Artillery recoil is so strong; how could a person’s shoulder bear it.
This was one of the details Lao He had let slip.
To keep these people here, there had to be some bait.
A shoulder-mounted cannon—tut tut, isn’t that more enticing than the Hell Cannon?
As long as these few were interested, they wouldn’t leave easily.
“Heh.” Li Muzhi chuckled and nodded: “Yes, I have that idea. The Hell Cannon is good to use, but transportation is inconvenient. Our military still needs light artillery. If this artillery can be carried on soldiers’ shoulders, as convenient to carry and maneuver as guns, it would be crucially important on the battlefield.”
“Then how do you handle the recoil when the shell fires?” Metallurgy Doctor Old Zhang asked.
“Simple. Don’t seal the back of the gun barrel, just leave the opening. The recoil is gone.” Li Muzhi explained.
Leave the opening at the back of the gun barrel, and the recoil is gone?
Old Zhang, Old Gao, and the others looked as if they had heard something unbelievable.
As everyone knows, shell firing relies on sealing the back of the gun so the primer’s energy doesn’t leak, using the primer energy to push the shell out.
If you leave the opening at the back of the gun barrel, the primer energy escapes from the back—how would it push the shell out of the barrel?
Seeing their puzzled looks, Li Muzhi explained: “Everyone, have you heard of ancient rockets? Tie a powder keg to the front of an arrow, ignite it, and the combustion of the powder keg produces thrust to shoot the arrow!”
“From what you’re saying, your shell contains fuel inside to make the shell fly on its own?” Old Gao and the others got it immediately and pondered.
That makes sense: if the shell carries its own fuel and the fuel provides the needed power, then there’s no problem.
One of them could not help but say: “Factory Director Li, doing it that way is still a bit troublesome. In my opinion, since the shell can carry its own energy to fly out, why use a gun barrel at all? Just dig a pit on the ground, ignite and launch—what could be better.”
Upon hearing this, Li Muzhi admired inwardly.
Look!
Top talents think differently—this is exactly the concept of our 107 rockets.
Li Muzhi smiled and explained: “It’s no problem for the shell to fly on its own, but the flight trajectory is an issue. This shell doesn’t get rifling spin acceleration, so accuracy and…”
Li Muzhi’s words were not finished when Zhang Wanhe happily ran over: “Xiao Li, more sugar has been delivered. Come quick.”
“Everyone, I’ll explain the shoulder-mounted cannon later.” Hearing more sugar had arrived, Li Muzhi was naturally delighted.
He also understood that these people knew about the rocket launcher because Lao He had deliberately let it slip.
He explained half and held back half, keeping them hooked first.
“Factory Director Li, explain it to us first.” These people could not hold back.
It was like being about to enter the bridal chamber and the bride running away—who could stay calm.
They all understood that if the shoulder-mounted cannon was really made, a single soldier could carry it and run quickly—the significance on the battlefield would be extraordinarily terrifying!
“Everyone, our factory director has work to do; let the factory director handle it first.” Lao He timely bailed out Li Muzhi.
Li Muzhi left, and these people all looked at Lao He: “Lao He, how much do you know about this shoulder-mounted cannon?”
“Everyone, I only know the factory director is making a shoulder-mounted cannon; I know nothing else.” Lao He explained.
“No, no, Lao He, you must ask him clearly for us, or we won’t leave.”
“Don’t worry, don’t worry. Once the factory director finishes his work, I’ll definitely ask for you.” Lao He cut off the topic and took out the diagrams Li Muzhi had given earlier, saying: “Our factory director wants to make another new weapon called jumping mines. Everyone, help make the parts, okay?”
“What jumping mines?”
“Mines that jump into mid-air and explode when stepped on, killing in all directions with no blind spots—specially for curing the Japanese invaders’ group charges!” Lao He said.
“Hey, your factory director’s idea is pretty good.” These high-level talents from the Huangyadong Arsenal immediately praised.
The Japanese invaders’ group charges have a huge psychological impact on the troops, like a sharp knife thrusting straight at our heart under artillery cover.
Our military lacks artillery to check the enemy, but if we deploy these mines midway through the Japanese invaders’ group charge, the effect would definitely be outstanding.
“Of course. Who do you think he is? He’s our factory director—does anyone else have that kind of brain?” Lao He boasted while pleading: “Everyone, please help make these parts.”
This was another of Lao He’s tactics.
Only you experts can make these parts; our workers here can’t. To produce them, won’t you have to stay and teach?
As long as they stay longer, we’ll have ways to make them not want to leave.
“Alright, we’ll help make them.” These few who only understood military industry were experts at it, but when it came to handling people, they could not match even one finger of Lao He—they fell right into his trap.
……
