Under one person: I, Zhang Zhiwei, the arrogant Zhang.

John walked to the blackboard in the office, took a piece of chalk in his hand, and started writing and drawing on the blackboard.

"After our discussion, I have come up with some ideas. We'll install a 24-inch diameter cooling pipe here and then branch it out from here."

"We went to the open-hearth furnace area, where each furnace was reserved for 50 cubic meters of water per hour, and we walked through the passages inside the furnace door water jacket and the arch foot beam."

"The other route, which is also the largest, goes to the steel rolling workshop and uses two hundred nozzles to spray the rolling mill rolls directly!"

At this point, John paused and looked at Zhang Qishan: "Engineer Zhang, where do you plan to discharge the hot water after it has cooled down?"

Zhang Qishan replied, "Our plan is to build a canal to drain the water into the river."

John shook his head and said, "No, we can't do that. The water temperature after cooling can reach fifty or sixty degrees. Directly discharging it into the river is not only wasteful, but it will also affect downstream life, such as causing a large number of fish and shrimp to die."

He drew a simplified diagram of the factory area on the blackboard, then drew three large squares and said:

"My suggestion is to collect the hot water into the return pipe, and then build three spray cooling towers here. The hot water will be pumped to the top of the towers and sprayed down, relying on natural wind to evaporate and dissipate heat. It can lower the temperature by more than 20 degrees, bringing the water back to 25 or 26 degrees. I estimate that most of it, about 70%, will be pumped back into the main water pipe for recycling. The rest can be discharged."

Zhang Qishan was greatly inspired by what he heard and began to discuss the specific details with John.

But Zhang Zhiwei, who was listening in, sensed something was wrong and said, "But there will be a problem with this, which is that scale will still form. The water in this mountain is quite hard. If this is the case, the inner wall of the pipe will be covered with scale in less than a month."

Upon hearing this, John paused and said, "What this gentleman said makes a lot of sense. It will indeed happen. In just a few months, the entire pipeline will be like it has arteriosclerosis, or even completely blocked."

"However, this is the problem we have to face. There is no one-size-fits-all solution. We can only set up a cleaning department, equipped with mechanical cleaning rods and dilute acid tanks, to carry out regular cleaning."

Zhang Zhiwei clapped his hands: "That's right. This is the price we have to pay to enjoy the power of nature. Let's do as you say."

…………

…………

A few days later, the detailed plan was finalized, and the project was quickly launched. With Zhang Qishan's transport skills assisting in the transportation, Zhang Zhiwei's Qimen Dunjia assisting in the layout, and the hard work of the Unloading Ridge Warriors, the installation of the steelmaking equipment went exceptionally smoothly. In less than a week, all the main equipment was in place.

Zhang Zhiwei stood on high ground, with Wang Ai, Zhang Qishan, Chen Yulou, Fan Pengju, Liu Mang, and others standing beside him. Looking down at the factory area that was beginning to take shape, the steelmaking frequency had been set up, like steel behemoths about to awaken, about to spew out flames and steel. Everyone couldn't help but be excited, and some even had tears in their eyes.

"This is amazing, this is wonderful! As long as this steel plant doesn't have any problems, we can be self-sufficient and no longer have to rely on the West!" Wang Ai exclaimed.

"Foreign devils opened our country's doors with steel and fire. Now, we also have the world's most advanced steelmaking equipment. With it, we have the foundation for developing people's livelihood and military!" Zhang Qishan said.

"Rest assured, everyone!" Liu Mang solemnly assured, "The steel plant is located within the territory of Chongqing. I, Liu Mang, will absolutely guarantee its safety! As long as the plant exists, I will live; if the plant dies, I will die!"

Zhang Zhiwei didn't speak, but he could clearly feel the heavy expectations in everyone's words.

After the steel plant's upgrade and relocation were completed, Wang Ai originally wanted to handle it discreetly, but Liu Mang believed that such an exciting event should be made public to give a boost to the morale of the people who were depressed due to the country's decline.

Zhang Zhiwei also thought it made sense. Such a large steel plant couldn't possibly be kept secret. Rather than trying to cover it up, it was better to be open about it.

Soon, the explosive news spread and caused a sensation across the country. The first to be excited were young students in major cities. They eagerly passed around newspapers and were thrilled to see the words "Tiantong Steel Plant completed, with an annual steel production of 600,000 tons" written on the pages.

Many people were so moved that they shed tears. What they saw was not just steel, but also the hope for the country's industrialization. In the streets of Chongqing, some people even organized celebrations.

Meanwhile, warlords in various regions were also shocked and began to make their own calculations. In fact, they had always known that the Tiantong Steel Plant had a very large output and that they were also beneficiaries of it.

What shocked them was that Tiantong Steel Plant not only invested heavily in upgrading its equipment, but also moved the plant area inside the mountain.

What did this move mean, among the warlords who were discussing it in private?
In Daxing, Xiao Shuai was also discussing this matter with his staff.

"General, anyone with eyes can see that Tiantong Steel Plant's move is an active preparation for war, transferring its core industrial capabilities underground to prevent them from being destroyed by the enemy in wartime," an aide analyzed.

"But who are they going to fight? Does Liu Mang want to wage another war in the Central Plains?" someone asked doubtfully.

The commander of Xiao Shuai's guards said, "That doesn't make sense either. As far as I know, the Tiantong Steel Plant is not in Liu Mang's hands, but in the hands of that Little Celestial Master. Liu Mang can't control this person!"

The aide said, "It's hard to say. I don't know if you've noticed, but in recent years, the Tiantong Chamber of Commerce has been relocating its factories. As we all know, the Tiantong Chamber of Commerce started in Shanghai, but now they don't have much business there anymore. The majority of their business, especially heavy industry, has been moved to Chongqing. Such a large-scale strategic relocation is definitely not without reason."

The guard commander said, "You mean... does the Little Celestial Master think that Chairman Chiang Kai-shek is unreliable and has instead placed his bets on Liu Mang?"

"While the possibility is rather small, it's not entirely impossible," the aide said. "To be fair, the Chairman's performance over the years has indeed been less than satisfactory."

“That’s absolutely impossible!” Xiao Shuai suddenly spoke up, his tone resolute: “Although I’ve only met the Little Celestial Master once properly, I absolutely do not believe that he would bet on Liu Mang.”

He paused for a moment, then continued, "He probably doesn't intend to bet on anyone. If he were interested, he could have done so when my father was at the height of his power."

"Actually, I always thought he was suppressing my father, but I later found out that he just happened to be on the same road as my father at a certain point."

“Therefore, I have reason to believe that he just happened to be traveling the same way as Liu Mang this time,” Xiao Shuai said with certainty.

"General, in what ways do you think they are on the same page?" the guard commander pressed.

"Over the years, what has the Little Celestial Master been personally targeting?" Xiao Shuai prompted.

"Damn the Japanese pirates!" the guard commander blurted out.

“That’s right, it’s about fighting the Japanese pirates.” The young commander nodded. “And Liu Mang happens to be one of the most determined people in our group to fight the Japanese pirates, so they’re on the same page in this regard.” Hearing this, the guard commander said, “What you’ve said, Commander, explains why Liu Mang has suddenly changed his ways and started cracking down on the bandits in his jurisdiction. Wait a minute…”

The guard commander looked at Xiao Shuai with surprise: "Liu Mang was suppressing Zhang Mazi, but now, Zhang Mazi hasn't been completely wiped out, while many other bandits have died. If that's the case, then Zhang Mazi is...?"

Xiao Shuai nodded and said, "If nothing unexpected happens, Zhang Mazi is very likely one of Little Celestial Master's men."

The guard commander exclaimed in shock, "The Little Celestial Master openly robs the landlords of their money, while Liu Mang secretly robs them, and then they cry 'stop thief!' and use their money to fight the bandits. This scheme is too ingenious, and too ruthless."

“That’s truly ruthless,” Xiao Shuai sighed. “You know, the first one to be executed was Liu Mang’s own uncle. Such a ‘righteous act of sacrificing family’ is something I might not be able to do.”

The guard commander said, "So, the Little Celestial Master moved the Tiantong Steel Plant inside the mountain and robbed landlords to make money, all to fund Liu Mang's campaign against the Japanese pirates?!"

His voice was somewhat excited, because he sensed something unusual in the little Taoist master's actions.

"Logically speaking, that should be the case!" Xiao Shuai's tone carried a hint of melancholy. There were some things he didn't quite understand before, but he understood them now.

When his father was still alive, he often negotiated with the Japanese pirates, and the young Taoist priest helped him a few times.

But after his father went on to conquer the Central Plains, the young celestial master never appeared again.

Back then, when the Japanese pirates invaded and he retreated without a fight, the Little Celestial Master never appeared.

But later, he spoke with General Ma, who had returned to China, and learned that when General Ma was fighting alone at Jiangqiao, the Little Celestial Master had helped him.

Sometimes he wondered what would have happened if he hadn't done what he did, but instead fought back bravely like Old Ma!
Many people say he's a coward, but he firmly denies that. Back then, he dared to attack the Russians, so how could he be a coward? He misjudged the situation, thinking it was just a provocation, but it turned out they were after his life.

"If I had the chance to do it all over again, I would definitely do what Old Ma did..." he thought to himself.

At this moment, the guard commander said, "The Little Celestial Master wants to support Liu Mang in fighting the Japanese pirates, but I'm afraid he's chosen the wrong person. Liu Mang is a warlord located in the rear. Can he really stand up to the Japanese pirates? Unless we're all dead, or..."

Xiao Shuai picked up where he left off: "Or we can fight the Japanese pirates together. If we stop fighting amongst ourselves and work together to defeat them, Liu Mang's army can pass through our territory to leave Sichuan and deal with the Japanese pirates."

"And the giant steel plant he left in Chongqing was located inside a mountain, so even though the Japanese had air superiority, they couldn't destroy it."

"This steel plant can stably produce large quantities of steel and continuously manufacture firearms and ammunition to provide military equipment and meet the needs of war."

Thinking back to the results of his fortune-telling trip to Longhu Mountain a few months ago, he felt increasingly certain that his speculation was close to the truth.

The guard commander said, "Everything the commander just said has one prerequisite: that is, to end the internal strife and turn the sword outward. But the commander, you have already advised the chairman twice. Not long ago, you even went to Nanjing, but still returned empty-handed. The chairman also said that if we talk about this matter again, we will be dealt with according to military law. Have you forgotten?"

"I haven't forgotten!" Xiao Shuai nodded. "That may be true, but my determination to do this is as firm as iron and unbreakable. He can't scare me with just a few words!"

As he spoke, he recalled the little celestial master's prediction for him—to be remembered in history and live a long and healthy life—and his resolve hardened.

He continued, "The Little Celestial Master is a divine being. The things he's done just prove that our...persuasion will be successful. Before long, the Chairman will come to Daxing again, and I will try to persuade him again. If he's still unmoved, then reasoning with him won't work..."

On the other side, Nanjing.

The Chairman looked at the newspaper in front of him, praising it out loud, but in his heart he was cursing.

Because they didn't fight the Japanese pirates, Liu Mang is very disobedient. Now he's caused this mess, clearly preparing to stir up trouble.

However, Liu Mang has been busy dealing with bandits lately, so he's not in a hurry. What's in a hurry is the DX region, which not only refuses to carry out combat orders but has also repeatedly come to advise him to fight the Japanese pirates.

What? Are you trying to teach me how to do things?!
Don't they know when to fight the Japanese pirates? Do they need others to presume to offer advice?!

He planned to go to Daxing again in a couple of days to issue an ultimatum: either carry out the order or be transferred to another area, with his elite troops taking over the front lines.

Meanwhile, in the northeastern region, the Japanese pirates also learned of this, but their first reaction was to sneer and laugh.

A modern steel plant with an annual output of 600,000 tons built in Chongqing? That's a pipe dream!

The Chinese love to boast. Their annual steel production was only tens of thousands of tons a few years ago. How could it suddenly jump to the international advanced level and be almost equal to the production capacity of their single steel plant?

Moreover, if it's installed inside a mountain, wouldn't it be immune to bombing? Steel mills need to dissipate heat; building it inside a mountain—is it for steelmaking or for creating an earthen stove?
They can't even make up a proper story.

They generally felt that this wasn't true, but just a way to boost morale and exaggerate the output of a small workshop.

But soon, the detailed intelligence brought by the intelligence organization was verified again and again, and it was confirmed that the factory was indeed located inside the mountains of Chongqing, and was huge in scale and equipped with advanced equipment.

This shocked the Japanese military. They had always regarded China as an agricultural country that could be easily defeated, but now they had produced something extraordinary.

Moreover, this also means that they have the ability to sustain themselves and their fighting potential has greatly increased.

This steel mill cannot be left standing. The Japanese pirates quickly reached a consensus and listed it as one of their top priorities. They quickly devised a plan to destroy it because bombing the steel mill in the mountains was impractical. They decided to send special agents from the Special Forces, as well as ninjas, to the site.

Although most of the ninjas of Mount Hiei were lost in the Tohoku region, there were many other schools of ninjas in Japan, including Koga and Iga.

These ninjas from different schools are in no way inferior to those from Mount Hiei; they are capable of carrying out this mission.

Of course, before taking action, they must avoid the sharp edge of that young Celestial Master from Divine Land. (End of Chapter)