Chapter 172: Turning From Overcast To Clear
Seeing Li Muzhi come out, Lao He was the first to approach: “Factory Director, is the machine fixed?”
Although, having Factory Director Li Muzhi verify the equipment parts is very important.
But what people care about even more is whether the important machine related to steel smelting is fixed.
“It’s fixed.” Li Muzhi gave a very affirmative answer.
“Great, that’s really great.” Lao He’s expression was very excited.
As long as this steel can continue to be smelted, ammunition can continue to be produced normally.
Zhang Wanhe also breathed a sigh of relief. As the Head of Logistics, when the arsenal’s equipment malfunctioned, he was notified first.
Now that this machine has been fixed by Li Muzhi, production can continue.
Zhang Wanhe pulled Li Muzhi and quickly came to the equipment parts, saying: “Xiao Li, take a quick look at what these equipment parts are for. Lao He says half the parts are missing, but I always feel like he’s mistaken.”
Equipment parts missing half?
Li Muzhi was stunned upon hearing this. No wonder the atmosphere felt off when he came out.
They brought back equipment parts for making seamless steel pipes, but Zhang Wanhe, Li Yunlong, and the others didn’t seem very excited.
Li Muzhi quickly checked carefully, finally nodding: “Not bad, these equipment parts are indeed missing.”
With incomplete equipment, seamless steel pipes can’t be made.
To make seamless steel pipes, it actually requires not only a drill machine and pickling equipment, but also annealing, cold drawing, precision rolling, straightening, and so on.
Right now, Li Muzhi only saw parts for the drill machine and pickling equipment. He didn’t see any equipment parts for the subsequent annealing and cold drawing processes.
If considering the full process, what’s missing is far more than half.
Li Muzhi remembered that previously Li Yunlong had obtained semi-finished cannon barrels, which were probably produced by the enemy’s arsenal.
In other words, this arsenal mainly produces bullets and cannonballs, and also makes semi-finished cannon barrels.
Once these semi-finished cannon barrels are completed, they should be transported to the next arsenal.
In other words, this is a very important clue.
Hearing Li Muzhi confirm that the equipment parts were missing, Li Yunlong immediately jumped up: “That damn Sato Jino, I’m going to kill him, definitely going to kill him!”
Kong Jie was also very annoyed: “If I wasn’t digging coal, I would definitely go with you, Old Li, to kill this Japanese invader. Too hateful.”
Ding Wei heard the implication in Li Muzhi’s words and asked: “Factory Director Li, you say the equipment parts are missing—specifically, how many are missing?”
If the parts and equipment were missing half, Li Muzhi would definitely say half were missing.
But he only said they were missing, without specifying how many.
Zhang Wanhe and Lao He also looked solemnly at Li Muzhi, waiting for his answer.
Li Muzhi didn’t directly answer Ding Wei’s question, but looked at him: “Regimental Commander Ding, when you took down the enemy’s arsenal, what about the arsenal’s workers? Did you capture any?”
Li Muzhi only saw the equipment parts brought back; he didn’t see any workers from the enemy arsenal brought back under guard.
Ding Wei answered: “The workers, management personnel, and even the factory director from the enemy arsenal were all captured by us without exception. Since the Border Region Arsenal’s location is very important, we couldn’t bring them directly here; they’re temporarily held elsewhere.”
Hearing this, Zhang Wanhe got excited: “You really captured all the workers from the Japanese arsenal? Specifically, how many people?”
Although, the missing equipment parts in front of them made people feel disappointed.
But if skilled workers could be captured, that would immediately have important significance for our military industry production.
We’re short on people here.
“About a hundred or eighty, exact numbers not yet tallied,” Ding Wei answered.
“Where are the people?” Zhang Wanhe immediately asked. “I’ll contact the intelligence department right away and have them go screen them.”
Old Zhang isn’t a fool.
Skilled workers from the enemy arsenal definitely can’t be used directly; the intelligence department still needs to check them over.
“We arranged them in Village 17, an uninhabited village,” Ding Wei answered.
The Japanese invaders created many massacres; many villages were slaughtered.
Many villages’ original names are forgotten, so they’re replaced with numbers.
“Good, I’ll send someone with the intelligence department right away…” Old Zhang Comrade rubbed his fists, ready to dispatch people immediately.
“Minister Zhang, wait a moment, I still have something to say.” Li Muzhi stopped Zhang Wanhe.
“Xiao Li, go ahead.” Zhang Wanhe stopped in his tracks and looked seriously at Li Muzhi.
“It’s like this: based on these parts and equipment in front of me, I judge that the enemy’s arsenal mainly produces bullets and cannonballs, and also makes semi-finished cannon barrels,” Li Muzhi said. “Once these semi-finished cannon barrels are done, they definitely need to be transported to the next arsenal. So, Minister Zhang, do you understand what I mean?”
“You mean…” Zhang Wanhe thought for a moment, his expression soon becoming excited. “We should interrogate clues from these captured arsenal workers, especially the management personnel and factory director—they’re very likely to know the location of the next Japanese arsenal?”
The regret and negative emotions in Zhang Wanhe’s heart over the missing equipment parts instantly vanished.
If they could follow the vine to find clues about the Japanese next arsenal—one that can assemble artillery—it would definitely be an even bigger arsenal.
Hearing Zhang Wanhe’s words, Li Yunlong, Kong Jie, and Ding Wei’s expressions immediately turned from gloomy to cheerful.
Li Yunlong happily slapped his thigh and laughed: “Yeah, yeah, how didn’t I think of that. Through the Cuicun Arsenal here, if we can find the location of the Japanese next arsenal, we’ll get rich whether we want to or not.”
Kong Jie laughed: “Hahaha, if we find the location of the Japanese next big arsenal and take it down, this little disappointment in front of us is nothing.”
“Heaven is on our side this time. Who knows, the equipment and supplies the Japanese transported away in advance might also be in that arsenal. Taking it down would be like completing the set.” Ding Wei also laughed, saying to Zhang Wanhe: “Minister Zhang, I think you don’t need to notify the intelligence department. They’re so busy. Just have me and Old Li escort the people back, and let our brigade commander interrogate them. What do you think?”
In war, the most important thing isn’t grain and fodder, nor guns and ammunition, but intelligence!
The intelligence department is already very busy with limited manpower.
Now we’re continuously inflicting heavy damage on the Japanese side, taking bigger and bigger advantages from them, so the pressure on our intelligence department is naturally increasing.
So, Ding Wei thought it best not to distract the intelligence department; let their brigade commander handle this job.
Anyway, intelligence work is their brigade commander’s specialty.
“That works, that works.” Zhang Wanhe nodded directly and said: “First let your brigade commander screen them. Workers who don’t know the clues can be pushed to logistics here; we need to hurry and reform them.”
“Alright, no problem.” Li Yunlong and Ding Wei both nodded.
With just a couple of sentences, Li Muzhi turned the previously oppressive atmosphere into one of excitement and liveliness.
No one felt disappointed anymore about Sato Jino transporting away a batch of equipment and supplies in advance; everyone’s faces showed smiles and anticipation.
Lao He said to Li Muzhi: “Factory Director, among these supplies, there are some things I don’t recognize. Take a look at what they are.”
Li Muzhi looked at them one by one; these were all raw materials for making explosives.
Li Muzhi roughly checked the brought-back raw materials and laughed: “Regimental Commander Li, you brought back so much ammunition raw material, all varieties complete. The Border Region Arsenal won’t have to worry about raw materials for a short time.”
“Haha.” Li Yunlong laughed heartily and said: “Younger Brother Li, from what you said, that means we have plenty of raw materials to produce cannonballs and bullets, right? You gotta hurry and make them for us. The Japanese will definitely launch a large-scale sweep soon; our combat troops need a lot of ammunition. Of course, what I need most right now is Hell Cannons and rocket launchers—give me some first. I don’t want much: ten Hell Cannons, a hundred rocket launchers. That’s not too much, right?”
Before Li Muzhi could speak, Zhang Wanhe cursed from the side: “Li Yunlong, what are you doing, robbing us? Opening your appetite that big—have you no shame!”
Hell Cannons ten units, rocket launchers a hundred—even if your brigade commander came, he wouldn’t be this shameless.
“Hehe, Old Zhang, Younger Brother Li already said we have enough raw materials from what we brought back to produce plenty of cannonballs and bullets—didn’t you hear?” Li Yunlong chuckled, then turned to Li Muzhi: “Younger Brother Li, what do you say?”
Li Yunlong of course knew his appetite was huge, but it was like a shady merchant.
Shout the price high first, so the other side can haggle down.
“Regimental Commander Li, how about this: when the Hell Cannons are produced, one for you,” Li Muzhi said to Li Yunlong. “For rocket launchers, thirty for you. What do you think?”
Hearing this, Li Yunlong’s face immediately fell: “Younger Brother Li, you’re cutting the price too ruthlessly. Forget supplies—the workers I brought back are valuable too, right? And just for this little?”
Kong Jie said: “Factory Director Li, this really is a bit little, isn’t it? Between me, Old Ding, and Li Yunlong, how do we split it?”
This was taken down by three people, split three ways—there’s no soup left.
Ding Wei also said from the side: “Factory Director Li, when did you get as stingy as Minister Zhang?”
Zhang Wanhe gave Ding Wei a sidelong glance but didn’t speak.
“This enemy arsenal was taken jointly by you, Regimental Commander Li, Regimental Commander Ding, and Regiment Commander Kong, so I plan to give each regiment a share like this,” Li Muzhi explained.
By Li Muzhi’s calculation, that amounted to three Hell Cannons and ninety rocket launchers.
Li Yunlong, Ding Wei, and Kong Jie looked at each other, immediately stopping their complaints, excited like they’d eaten honey.
Li Mouren was the first to laugh and nod: “Hahaha, good, good, that’s more like it. I knew you were a generous guy, Younger Brother Li!”
Ding Wei also laughed: “I misunderstood Factory Director Li, sorry, Factory Director Li—you’re really not like Minister Zhang.”
Zhang Wanhe gave Ding Wei another sidelong glance but didn’t speak.
Giving three Hell Cannons and ninety rocket launchers seemed quite reasonable to Zhang Wanhe.
The raw materials are valuable, of course, but the most valuable are these skilled workers brought back.
The happiest was still Kong Jie.
This way, their New Second Regiment would have Hell Cannons too.
Kong Jie had seen the power of Ding Wei and Li Yunlong’s Hell Cannons on the battlefield.
His heart had increasingly longed for them, and he hadn’t expected to get them so soon.
Kong Jie looked at Li Muzhi with wild joy: “Factory Director Li, you’re not joking, right? Really giving me a Hell Cannon too?”
“Regiment Commander Kong, when have you ever seen me joke?” Li Muzhi’s tone was serious and earnest.
“Hahaha, that’s true. Factory Director Li, you never joke.” Kong Jie’s mouth grinned back to his ears.
