Chapter 201: We’re Going To Build Anti-aircraft Weapons
Gao Liujin reacted immediately after being roared at by Li Yunlong.
Right!
Right!
Now is not the time for regret; there’s still a way to remedy the situation.
Gao Liujin immediately said to Li Muzhi and Zhang Wanhe, “Minister Zhang, Factory Director Li, wait for my good news. I’ll go right now and grab back all the remaining tungsten ore.”
After speaking, Gao Liujin was about to pull Li Yunlong away.
“Wait a minute.” Zhang Wanhe stopped them and said, “Where’s the location? Tell me, and I’ll take the transportation team there personally.”
Joking aside, with so much tungsten ore, we must go there personally.
Not a single grain can be missing; all of it must be brought back.
Li Muzhi added, “Let Regiment Commander Kong go too.”
This is five carts of tungsten ore, not a bag of tobacco!
The Japanese aircraft have come out, which means the Japanese invaders are desperate too.
So, sending more troops will increase our chances.
“No, no need for Old Kong.” Li Yunlong shook his head in refusal.
With the Japanese aircraft out, the Japanese scouts’ activities will become even more frenzied.
Here at the Border Region Arsenal, we can’t let Old Kong leave even more.
“Regimental Commander Li, to disassemble the locomotive here at the Border Region Arsenal, the 115th Division and 120th Division are blocking enemy reinforcements, and your 129th Division is also fighting reinforcements. Do you have enough troops here?” Zhang Wanhe asked.
“How could we not? I’ll call Cheng Xiazi and Old Ding over, plus Gao Liujin and Gao Xigang. We’ll have over eight thousand men. Besides over two hundred grenade launcher mortars and Type 92 infantry guns, we also have four Hell Cannons. That’s plenty,” Li Yunlong said confidently. “With such strong resources, if we still can’t grab back the tungsten ore, then none of us should be regiment commanders anymore.”
Time to grab the tungsten ore.
Cheng Xiazi’s railway dismantling can wait.
Ding Wei’s fodder can be ignored for now.
First, get back these five carts of tungsten ore.
Gao Liujin told Zhang Wanhe the location, then left the Border Region Arsenal in a hurry with Li Yunlong.
Li Muzhi reminded Zhang Wanhe, “Minister Zhang, for something this important, you still need to report to the headquarters leaders immediately. Have them order the other troops to hold back the Japanese reinforcements at all costs.”
Although Li Muzhi didn’t understand fighting wars, he could judge that much.
With the tungsten ore robbed, the desperate Japanese invaders had sent out their airplanes.
Then their ground troops must all be seeing red, fighting desperately for reinforcements.
Headquarters must issue a death order.
“Got it, I know.” Zhang Wanhe nodded emphatically, looking at Li Muzhi. “Xiao Li, just stay at the arsenal and do your job with peace of mind. Wait for my good news. Don’t worry about outside matters.”
“Good.” Li Muzhi nodded.
Before leaving, Zhang Wanhe remembered the copper refining plant and added, “Regimental Commander Li brought back the copper refining plant. Since the Japanese aircraft came, most of the copper refining plant’s equipment and supplies are still placed in the woods outside. It’s getting dark; arrange to move them into storage.”
Li Yunlong’s efficiency was pretty fast; the copper refining plant was brought back so quickly.
Li Muzhi was slightly surprised in his heart and nodded, “Minister Zhang, leave it to me and you’ll be at ease.”
“Mm.” Zhang Wanhe acknowledged and left in a hurry.
Li Muzhi first returned to the office to do the tin test.
Testing the tin was much simpler and easier than tungsten ore. It didn’t take long for Li Muzhi to get the results.
This was real tin, not faked with other supplies.
Li Muzhi quickly took out paper and pen and wrote an encrypted letter.
Minister Zhang was going to be busy and there was no time to tell him about investigating that Jin Sui Army officer.
Li Muzhi sent a signal to the intelligence department to accelerate the investigation.
This Jin Sui Army officer was probably just a small fry. Following this lead, they could pull out the entire chain of traitors colluding with the Japanese Army!
Without traitors providing convenience and cutting off internal traitor support, it could greatly reduce the Japanese invaders’ plundering efficiency of our tungsten ore.
“Deliver this encrypted letter to the headquarters intelligence department as fast as possible.” Li Muzhi handed the letter to the Guard Captain and had him send someone.
“I’ll deliver it personally.” The Guard Captain took the letter, mounted a fast horse, and left.
After the Guard Captain left, Li Muzhi began inspecting the workshop.
Some workers had been forced to leave their posts; Lao He had arranged for them to rest in the break room.
Li Muzhi asked, “Lao He, what’s going on?”
“Factory Director, many of them have a nightmarish fear of Japanese aircraft,” Lao He explained. “When the Japanese aircraft came just now, their emotions were greatly affected. They’re not fit for production anymore. I’m worried about accidents, so I had them stop and rest.”
“Let me say a few words to them.” Li Muzhi said.
Li Muzhi understood the workers’ nightmarish fear of airplanes.
Actually, it wasn’t just civilians who feared Japanese aircraft.
Many combat troops feared it too.
Because there were no anti-aircraft weapons to counter Japanese aircraft, when airplanes came, they could only hide on the ground, get bombed, and curse. There was no other way.
Watching lively people who were chatting and laughing just minutes ago turn into minced meat from bombs dropped by airplanes, or into parts from machine gun fire—this kind of bloody scene could easily leave severe psychological trauma.
“Comrades, the factory director is here and wants to say a few words to everyone.” Lao He took the lead in giving these workers a heads-up.
Seeing Li Muzhi arrive, the workers’ expressions all showed guilt:
“Sorry, Factory Director, we’ve burdened you.”
“Sorry, Factory Director, we’ve held back the arsenal’s production.”
“Factory Director, we’re useless. The airplane didn’t even drop bombs, but we were all scared, our hands shaking badly, couldn’t control them.”
“Factory Director, we’ve shamed you.”
……
Li Muzhi saw these workers with self-blaming expressions, some even wiping tears.
He stepped forward, gripped the hand of the most emotional worker, and said, “Comrade, I’m the same as you—we’re all human. Humans have fear and sorrow; that’s normal. When Japanese aircraft come, my heart is scared just like yours.”
The workers had thought Li Muzhi would reprimand them. Unexpectedly, not only did he not scold them, he even said he was afraid of Japanese aircraft too.
This left the workers baffled: our respected and wise factory director was afraid too?
The worker whose hand Li Muzhi was holding looked up in disbelief at Li Muzhi: “Factory Director, are you serious? You’re afraid too?”
“Of course I’m afraid.” Li Muzhi nodded emphatically. “We don’t have air superiority now. Japanese aircraft strut above our heads, shitting and pissing on us, and we can’t do anything about it—how could we not be afraid? I’m afraid their bombs will hit our combat troops, afraid they’ll strafe our civilians from the air, afraid one day they’ll bomb our Border Region Arsenal, afraid of losing everyone.”
Then, Li Muzhi changed his tone and said solemnly:
“But does being afraid in our hearts help? No, it doesn’t at all. Fear only makes people cowardly, only lets the enemy push further, only lets them continue strutting on this land!”
“So, we should turn fear into strength. We are the foundation of the arsenal, the backbone of the combat troops. So, we must not fear even more.”
Li Muzhi showed the workers some tungsten ore he brought from the office: “Do you know what this is?”
“Factory Director, what is it?” The workers didn’t recognize it.
“This is tungsten ore,” Li Muzhi said gravely. “For making cannon barrels and gun barrels, the hardest part besides equipment is this rare raw material. With it, the quality of cannon barrels and gun barrels will greatly improve! I’ll tell you directly: there are five carts of tungsten ore outside, over two hundred tons. The combat troops grabbed back the tungsten ore. Once the equipment and supplies are complete, I’ll lead you to manufacture anti-aircraft weapons.”
“With anti-aircraft weapons, next time the Japanese invaders’ airplanes dare to come, we won’t need to cower or fear anymore. We’ll shoot them down from the sky one by one with anti-aircraft weapons.”
“We’ll make the Japanese invaders’ airplanes never dare to take off again, make them fearful the moment they do!”
“We’ll transfer our fear and fright to the Japanese invaders.”
……
Lao He shouted excitedly from the side, “Comrades, we have tungsten ore now, and equipment and supplies won’t be far behind. The day our factory director leads us to produce anti-aircraft weapons won’t be far off. Tell the factory director loudly: do you have confidence to produce our anti-aircraft weapons together with him!”
“We do!”
“We do!”
“Factory Director, we have confidence!”
……
The originally low-spirited workers soon roared one by one.
Yeah.
The factory director is right.
Fear and fright only make us cowardly and useless.
Our factory director is incredibly great and wise; he can lead us to manufacture anti-aircraft weapons to counter Japanese aircraft.
So what are we afraid of!
We should transfer the fear and fright to the enemy.
“Factory Director, we’re not afraid anymore. Our hearts are now full of strength; we can continue working.”
“Factory Director, we can get back to work.”
“Factory Director, the arsenal’s production tasks are tight now; we can’t let ourselves affect the progress.”
The workers, inspired and encouraged, turned their fear and fright into uplifting strength.
“Mm, go on, all of you back to work.” Seeing the workers’ emotions greatly relieved, Li Muzhi nodded.
Once these workers had quickly returned to their posts, Li Muzhi instructed Lao He, “In the future, when these workers are working, if there’s no need for sound, have them plug their ears with paper balls in advance.”
Although Li Muzhi had now boosted these workers’ morale.
But psychological trauma wasn’t that easy to eliminate.
Once Japanese Army aircraft came again and workers heard the aircraft engine sound, their emotions would still be affected.
To truly eliminate the workers’ psychological trauma, there was only one way.
That was to manufacture anti-aircraft weapons and let them see with their own eyes Japanese Army aircraft shot down, crashing into fireballs on the ground.
Only when Japanese Army aircraft turned from high above into soil’s fragrance could the workers’ psychological trauma be fundamentally eliminated.
“Yes, Factory Director.” Lao He nodded. “Later, I’ll also try to do more psychological counseling for them.”
“I can see you’re very good at psychological counseling.” Li Muzhi didn’t question Lao He’s ability.
When the Japanese Army aircraft appeared, Lao He’s face showed no fear or fright, only hatred.
This showed Lao He had counseled himself well. Though using hatred to replace fear, it was still a form of counseling.
