Chapter 2: Overtaking On A Bend
Arsenal stopping production???
Upon hearing this, all the key personnel present instantly widened their eyes, feeling like their ears must be playing tricks on them!
The arsenal is the lifeline of our army—how can we casually stop production!
Workshop Director Lao He looked solemnly at Li Muzhi: “Factory Director, if we stop producing grenades and bullets, what will we supply to the troops with? Are we supposed to have the troops chop the enemy with large blades?”
Lao He already had opinions about Li Muzhi serving as factory director of the arsenal, and now these emotions were directly expressed.
“We will provide cannons to the troops!” Li Muzhi said in a solemn tone.
Provide cannons to the troops!
Upon hearing this, Lao He and the others instantly froze as if under a spell!
Our arsenal can’t even smelt steel—how could we make cannons?
Relying on your mouth, Factory Director?
Lao He slammed the table: “Factory Director, Minister Zhang handed the arsenal over to you, which shows that Minister Zhang trusts you greatly. How can you joke around like this? We can’t even make bullets—how could we make cannons!”
Li Muzhi took out a pen and drew a diagram on the paper at the fastest speed—this was the prototype of the Hell Cannon.
Li Muzhi pointed to Lao He and the others: “Look, this is what the cannon we’re going to make looks like. For the projectile body of the cannonball, we can use the materials for casting grenades. The large caliber steel pipes that Regimental Commander Li turned in to the warehouse—we can directly cut them to use as the cannon barrel. Then there’s the base of the cannon…”
Lao He and these key personnel were not illiterate rough fellows—they all had foundation.
Plus Li Muzhi explained in great detail, so the eyes of Lao He and these key personnel gradually shifted from questioning to shock.
With that batch of supplies that Regimental Commander Li turned in to the warehouse, it seemed like we really could make a cannon.
Lao He remembered something and still questioned: “Even if you can make this cannon, Factory Director, we don’t know how to make explosive charges.”
We can only make some black powder.
Explosives specialized for cannonballs—we don’t know how at all.
“Yeah, Factory Director, without explosives, we can’t fill our cannonballs with black powder—that power isn’t enough.” The other key personnel also voiced their doubts.
“Look at these two things—what are they.” Li Muzhi took out two samples.
“Isn’t this sugar and fertilizer?” Lao He blurted out.
“I’ve already analyzed the components of this fertilizer—it contains a large amount of ammonium nitrate!” Li Muzhi said. “Ammonium nitrate can make high explosives. Adding sugar can increase the power of the explosives. Using it as explosive charges is completely feasible.”
Fertilizer contains ammonium nitrate???
Lao He and these key personnel didn’t believe it upon hearing this.
This fertilizer is sold by the Japanese invaders.
Are the Japanese invaders out of their minds, or do they have shit in their brains!
Isn’t this equivalent to indirectly selling the raw materials for high explosives!
“Come with me—I’ll show you with your own eyes.” Li Muzhi led the key personnel to the experiment site.
Lao He and these key personnel watched Li Muzhi operate, all fully focused, afraid to miss any detail.
Finally, Li Muzhi made the high explosives right in front of all of them.
“You all saw the process clearly, right.” Li Muzhi looked at everyone. “I didn’t do anything else.”
“Factory Director, hurry up and test the explosion.” The key personnel’s expressions were full of anticipation.
They all saw it clearly—this thing was made by Li Muzhi using sugar and fertilizer.
If it really succeeds, then we can completely make this cannon.
Li Muzhi filled the powder into a grenade projectile body, sealed it, left a fuse, and buried it in a dirt pit.
Everyone retreated beyond the safety line before Li Muzhi lit the fuse.
The fuse was lit, burning with a sizzle, and everyone’s gazes converged on it.
There was tension!
There was anticipation!
There was excitement!
……
Boom!
The fuse burned out, and the explosives detonated.
The ground was blasted into a big pit. Before the smoke cleared, the key personnel rushed over.
Looking at this big pit, they were all dumbfounded: “My god, sugar and fertilizer can really make explosives with such great power!”
One key personnel couldn’t help saying: “This power looks no less than the Japanese invaders’ melon grenades. Doesn’t that mean we can fill this powder into grenades? Then our grenades won’t lack power anymore, and won’t be criticized by the soldiers for poor quality. This is equivalent to making our own high-power grenades.”
This immediately got agreement from many other key personnel: “Exactly, we’ll fill this powder into grenades—then see who dares say our Border Region Manufacturing grenades are poor quality!”
Lao He’s tone involuntarily sided with Li Muzhi: “What are you saying? We can’t waste the Factory Director’s wisdom crystallization like that!”
“Lao He, how is it wasting?” The other key personnel were puzzled.
“The Japanese invaders are selling fertilizer over there, and it’s cheap—we can purchase it. But sugar is hard to get; it’s strategic materials even with the Japanese invaders.” Lao He said. “The sugar in our warehouse is very limited in quantity. Once it’s used up, it’s gone. Using it for grenades definitely isn’t as good as using it for cannonballs. Think about it: is the power of a cannon greater, or that of a grenade?”
“Exactly, Lao He is right! It should be used for cannonballs, for the cannon!” The other key personnel nodded in agreement.
The explosives made from limited sugar would definitely be best used in cannonballs.
A cannon without cannonballs is just a lump of scrap iron.
We can’t waste the Factory Director’s wisdom crystallization!
“Ahem.” Li Muzhi coughed and looked at everyone: “Everyone.”
Lao He and the others all turned their gazes to Li Muzhi, their eyes burning with intensity.
Among them, some originally had complaints about Li Muzhi being factory director because he was too young, only in his twenties, while they were in their thirties or forties—naturally, they weren’t willing in their hearts to take orders from a young kid…
However!
After witnessing Li Muzhi’s cannon-making theory and his skill in making high explosives, they admired him to the ground and were completely convinced, with no more complaints.
“Although I’m the factory director of the arsenal, the arsenal’s weapons production mainly depends on you all.” Li Muzhi looked at them seriously. “Are you now willing to stop the arsenal’s current bullet production and the resumption of grenade work, and switch to making cannons?”
Lao He immediately stood up first in support and shouted: “Whoever disagrees with making cannons shouldn’t hang around the arsenal anymore!”
The other key personnel rubbed their fists:
“We can make cannons now—what bullets or grenades do we need?”
“These bullets and grenades are poor quality. Supplying these inferior products to the troops is, in a way, irresponsible to the troops!”
“Exactly, let’s stop production right away. If we’re doing it, let’s go big!”
……
“Good!” Li Muzhi loudly said “Good” and took responsibility onto himself: “Everyone, if Minister Zhang blames us later, it has nothing to do with you—I’ll bear the responsibility alone.”
Lao He laughed: “Factory Director, don’t talk about responsibility. If you lead us to make the cannon, you’ll be the gem of gems—Minister Zhang will wish he could enshrine you every day.”
“Hahahaha.” The other key personnel all laughed along.
Let’s get to work—make the cannon!
