Go back to the past and be a schoolboy

Chapter 289 Fengtian Ordnance Institute
Looking at the slightly childish little six who hadn't fully grown up in front of him, Cheng Nuo secretly complained in his heart:
"Young man, it's not that he doesn't want to help you, but that if he helps you, he will implicate his compatriots later on. The more you help, the more compatriots will be implicated. Why bother?"

It's not that Cheng Nuo is too prejudiced, but that in the war of the little devils' comprehensive invasion of our country, according to incomplete statistics, at least a quarter of the arms came from our occupied areas.

The enemy-occupied area is mentioned, which essentially refers to the Northeast region, where the main provider is the "Fengtian Arsenal" developed by Zhang Zhang in Northeast China, or the "Arsenal of the Three Eastern Provinces".

Although the predecessor was the Fengtian Machinery Bureau founded by General Yi Ketanga of Shengjing in the Qing Dynasty in Fengtian (now Shenyang), it had been full of problems since its establishment.

Seeing that the other party was still unwilling to rest assured about the independent production of weapons, Cheng Nuo said curiously: "As far as I know, there is no decent ordnance factory in Northeast China right now. If you really want to build a factory in Fengtian, it means starting from scratch. The difficulty is not low!"

Little Six hurriedly explained: "No, no, our Fengjun is definitely not a blank slate in terms of ordnance."

Cheng Nuo laughed and said, "You're not going to say Fengtian Ordnance Factory in your next sentence, right? Then I have the impression that it's the one in the east gate of Fengtian Dadong? The factory doesn't mint coins now, does it?"

"It's been a long time since minting coins, and it has completely turned to ordnance manufacturing." Xiao Liuzi felt that there was something interesting, and got up from his chair and came to the other side: "Now we are debugging 79 bullets, and specially hired gringos to provide technical support. The next step is to develop smokeless gunpowder."

Cheng Nuo closed the pen and said with a smile, "Isn't that good? I don't have many people, and I don't have a lot of people. In terms of weapon manufacturing, the little devil is also good at it. It just so happens that the little devil has some industries in the Northeast. It is more convenient to hire Dongyang technicians."

In order to remind Little Six, every time Cheng Nuo mentioned the little devil, he deliberately emphasized his tone to see if the little guy could understand something.

It's a pity that the other party is already a bit over the top, and has long been confused and a little dizzy, obviously not comprehending the deep meaning.

Little Six rubbed his nose, and said in a slightly heavy tone: "My father likes the little devil very much, and he cooperates in many places, but I prefer an old saying called 'I am not of my race. Their hearts must be different', especially that little devil."

After hearing this, Cheng Nuo couldn't help but sighed in his heart, and said that although he was on guard, it was a pity that it wasn't too much, but these words were not easy to show, so he followed the other party's words and asked, "What's wrong with you little devil?"

Little Six couldn't help but snorted coldly: "Hmph, these sons of a bitch are more thoughtful than anyone else. Last time they were asked to overhaul a piece of equipment, they babbled endlessly. They said that no one can watch the repair process, and it must be done alone. Isn't this obviously hiding something?"

"Secret possession? How can you allow this?" Although it is known from later generations that the little devil is good at hiding things, he did not expect Dongbei Zhang to have suffered a disadvantage in this regard.

"Then what else can we do? We can only smash our teeth and swallow it. Who told us that our technology is not as good as others, but at least it shows that the little devil is also worried that we will learn the technology and prove that we have the ability to catch up." Xiao Liuzi was emotional, but also a little optimistic.

After listening to the second half of the sentence, Cheng Nuo's expression management almost failed, and he quickly said, "That's true. Although there is a gap in industrial strength between the two countries, they are not yet at the level where they can catch up. In some respects, they can catch up."

Little Six's eyes lit up, and he got closer.

Seeing that they were almost sticking together, Cheng Nuo pushed the other party aside with a little disgust: "It doesn't need to be so close, I can hear it just now."

The little six rubbed their hands together, and said cheerfully, "Heroes see the same thing. I also think that if we just focus on developing weapons, we will be no worse than the little devils. If you don't like the Fengtian Ordnance Factory, we also have the Jilin Machinery Special Bureau. There are gun factories, bullet factories, gunpowder factories, etc., and the foundation is also very good."

Cheng Nuo smiled but said, "Six, are you still playing tricks on me? When Maozi invaded the Northeast, the Jilin Machinery Special Bureau... Oh no, it wasn't called this at that time, what was it called Jilin Machinery Bureau?

"Sure enough, nothing can escape the professor's eyes." Little Six scratched his head a little embarrassed: "But there were still some skilled workers left at that time. Professor, don't you care about talents the most? I think they are no worse than Chinese workers who went to Europe."

Cheng Nuo raised his eyebrows: "You know me a little bit, don't you?"

Little Six muttered in a low voice: "If you don't know anything about you, how dare you just visit me like this."

"What were you talking about just now? I didn't hear clearly." Cheng Nuo asked.

"Oh, I mean, there are a few people who don't know your name, even if you cover your ears, you can still hear your fingers slipping in, and you can't stop it." Xiao Liuzi replied with a smile.

"Then can it be understood that you even covered your ears in order not to hear about me?" Cheng Nuo deliberately joked.

As soon as this remark came out, Little Six suddenly panicked, and quickly explained: "Professor, you have misunderstood, I absolutely did not mean that, it means that you have a relatively high reputation, and some deeds can be known without special inquiries..."

Cheng Nuo waved his hand and said with a smile: "Okay, no kidding, I know what you mean, but having said that, I also need to know the strength of your current Fengtian Ordnance Factory."

"This..." There was a hint of embarrassment on Xiao Liuzi's face, but he quickly covered it up well: "I'm not afraid of your jokes, the ordnance factory is indeed a bit small now, and there are only two to three hundred people at full count."

"What about the specific strength? What can be produced?" Cheng Nuo asked.

"Currently the site is small and the equipment is poor. We can only repair firearms and manufacture bullets. However, I believe that after careful reorganization, these old situations will soon change. By then, both light and heavy weapons will be able to be produced." Xiao Liuzi said confidently.

Cheng Nuo was not so easily fooled: "Materials, equipment, salary and a series of messy things all need money. How do you solve this problem?"

Hearing this question, Xiao Liuzi breathed a sigh of relief, and said mysteriously: "As for other issues, I may not be able to do anything for the time being, but money is the best solution."

Cheng Nuo narrowed his eyes slightly: "Tell me in detail."

Little Six came close to him again, and whispered in his ear: "Although the ordnance technology of the ordnance factory has been abandoned, and it has been diverted to coinage, but precisely because of coinage, when we received the factory to check the supplies, we found a lot of silver bars. Professor, can you guess how many there are?"

Cheng Nuo hesitated, "A few million?"

"Wrong!" Little Six stood up abruptly, feeling that his voice was too loud, and quickly bent down and said in a low voice, "It's worth tens of millions of yuan. With these silver taels, and some of the mint's machinery and equipment that can be used after modification, the source of funds for the initial stage of the arsenal can be guaranteed."

Hearing this figure, Cheng Nuo couldn't sit still immediately. He said in his heart that it was impossible not to be envious. He had done so many industries, but all of them did not reach this figure. And the other party just took over a mint, so they easily obtained so much money.

Although our country was a silver standard country from the beginning, at the same time, our country is also a silver-scarce country. In addition to the previous colonial plunder, this has led to less and less silver in the country, and the price of silver will only rise and not fall.

Taking a deep breath, Cheng Nuo calmed down and said, "If there is so much money to join, it will be very easy to solve the problem of technical personnel. Several arsenals in Hanyang, Dezhou, and Shanghai have been unable to start work due to years of civil wars, and a large number of workers have lost their jobs. If the Fengjun pays enough salary, I believe a large number of people will join."

"A thousand soldiers are easy to get, but good generals are hard to find." Xiao Liuzi smiled happily, feeling relieved and calm after letting go of his burden: "We will never lack ordinary workers, even those with some military experience, but we are not only short of people who can command them, but we are in short supply."

Cheng Nuo didn't rush to answer, but changed the topic and said, "Generally speaking, there are two most important factors in the construction of an arsenal. One is 'funding' and the other is 'personnel'. Right now, I think you have been able to solve it in half. As for other special factors..."

After a pause, Cheng Nuo took a sip of tea, felt his voice improve, and then continued, "For example, the primary political environment. If your father can unify the three eastern provinces, then everything is easy to say. A stable political environment can indeed support the growth of the ordnance factory. At the same time, it can support the establishment of the economy and create a good environment for the ordnance factory."

Hearing this, Xiao Liuzi was already grinning from ear to ear: "Yes, Fengtian Ordnance Factory is destined to become an arsenal with a high starting point and fast development. I believe that Professor, you will definitely be able to fulfill your ambitions by joining us."

Cheng Nuo couldn't help but sigh inwardly. If the influence of the Japanese was not taken into consideration, the Northeast is definitely more suitable than Sichuan. Other regions are in a chaotic state of warlords. The stable political environment here has attracted a large number of refugees fleeing from other regions, which provides sufficient human resources for the three northeastern provinces.

The so-called "Crossing the Guandong" was more prosperous during this period.

Compared with the land of Sichuan Prefecture, which has already started, basically the war has not stopped much, and the resources, transportation, and foundation are not as good as those in the Northeast.

"Unfortunately, if you want to blame, you can only blame you for being too close to the Japanese. If you don't help you, Fengtian Ordnance Factory will become one of Japan's four major arsenals in later generations. The large quantities of arms produced are mainly used in the war of aggression against China. If you help you, it will be your compatriots who will suffer in the end."

Shaking his head, Cheng Nuo rejected the proposal out of long-term considerations, and said tactfully, "I'm really busy right now. I'm busy with the preparation and construction of domestic radio stations, especially the "National" broadcast, which will be officially launched soon, and I can't do without me."

Little Liuzi's eyes gradually dimmed, but he still didn't give up: "What if we are willing to wait for you? For example, after you finish working on the radio, we will start the reorganization of Fengtian Ordnance Factory."

Cheng Nuo glanced at the other party meaningfully: "The military situation is not a child's play, can you bear the responsibility of delaying the military plane?"

Xiao Liuzi was at a loss for words immediately: "This... this father's test is really not easy."

In fact, there were two main sources of weapons for the Fengtian army in the early period: one was robbing and capturing other warlords; the other was seeking help and purchasing from foreign countries.

However, due to the existence of the Fengtian Ordnance Factory, the combat effectiveness of the Feng army was guaranteed, and the firearms repaired and manufactured played a certain role in the first Zhifeng War.

Especially in the battle at Yuguan, relying on more advanced weapons and equipment than the Zhijun Army, as well as relatively good logistical capabilities, the Zhili Army still could not move forward even though it took several months.

Although it ended with the failure of Dongbei Zhang, it also allowed them to appreciate the benefits of having an independent military factory.

In history, although the Fengjun Ordnance Institute has changed its flag several times, after our liberation, it moved to Bei’an, Heilongjiang and renamed it the State-owned No. 626 Factory, which became a well-known military factory in our country at that time. Nearly half of the standard infantry weapons used by our army in the early days of the founding of the People’s Republic of China were produced by this factory.

Even in the subsequent Battle of the Founding of the Nation, most of the domestically produced standard weapons that we beat the bad soldiers were produced by this factory.

For example, the famous "50 Chong", "54 Chong", "56 Chong", etc., the factory has participated in the transformation, design and production.

Thinking of this, Cheng Nuo was a little hesitant. If he helped, he was afraid of being taken advantage of by Little Japan, and if he didn't help, he was afraid of weakening the impact on Yingying Jiang. Isn't there a way to get the best of both worlds?
But this time is not too entangled, simply said:
"Well, you can continue production and construction according to the original plan. Whether there is a chance for cooperation will be discussed later, but I believe there is a chance for cooperation."

Finally caught a glimmer of life, Little Six nodded repeatedly: "Yes, I believe in Professor Cheng."

Cheng Nuo waved his hand lightly, and handed over the manuscript paper that was almost dry on the table, on which was the content he had just written: "Don't talk too much, let's take a look at this thing."

Little Six was full of doubts, holding the paper and asked in doubt, "This is it?"

Cheng Nuo explained: "Generally speaking, there are roughly three sources of military weapons, which are nothing more than 'snatching', 'manufacturing' and 'buying'. I don't need to introduce the first one. Feng Jun should be familiar with this routine."

Little Six was a little embarrassed: "It is indeed familiar, but we also know that it is not a long-term solution after all, and we are also considering 'making' now."

Cheng Nuo nodded: "Not bad, but you can also buy at the same time."

Little Six suddenly raised his head and blurted out: "Go to Krupp to buy!?"

Cheng Nuo tapped the table with his forefinger knuckles: "Yes, you can buy them, especially Germany. Although the war was defeated and the economy was hit hard, the military industry made a lot of money during the war, and the advantages of military technology and production equipment are still there."

Little Six excitedly said: "Everyone understands the benefits of 'making', but it's too late after all. I still want to ask the professor to help from China. It's very good to 'buy' some in advance. This is also the main purpose of my visit to you."

"Then you should read the content above." Cheng Nuo said lightly.

But just at this moment, before Little Six had time to read the above content, there was a sudden commotion from outside the gate.

Immediately afterwards, Li Laosan ran over, with a panicked look on his face: "Sir, the public is here!"

(End of this chapter)