The train driver in the courtyard

the next day.

Li Aiguo had just gotten up when Liu Haizhong knocked on the door.

"Patriotism, hurry up, the leaders of the Railway Corps are here, they're all waiting."

Liu Haizhong looked even more energetic than yesterday.

I met with a lot of leaders yesterday, and today someone in uniform came again.

As the leader of a cleaning team, he should have been following behind the tunneling machine, getting covered in dust, but instead he was wearing a clean Zhongshan suit with four pockets and a pen pinned to his chest.

"Really?" Li Aiguo was stunned for a moment, then picked up a steamed bun and ate it as he walked out.

Upon arriving at the Intermediate People's Court, I saw a street office worker carrying a bag heading towards the Jia family's house, with an older woman following beside him.

"Going to the construction site, huh?" An older woman stopped in her tracks when she saw Li Aiguo.

"Hey lady, what are you doing?"

"The neighborhood committee knew the Jia family was having financial difficulties, so they specially delivered rice and flour to Qin Huairu," an older woman said, leading an official to knock on the Jia family's door.

Qin Huairu was injured while digging an air-raid shelter, so it's only right that the neighborhood committee provides some assistance.

When Li Aiguo arrived at the construction site, Regiment Commander Zhang and the leaders of the Railway Corps were already gathered around the tunneling machine.

"Aiguo, it's been a while. You've come up with something good again." Commander Zhang shook hands with Li Aiguo.

"Can this thing be used to dig tunnels?" This was the question that the leaders of the Railway Corps were concerned about.

"It should be possible, but the cutting head will need to be modified." Li Aiguo thought it wouldn't be a big problem, so he nodded. The tunneling machine is much smaller than the shield tunneling machine, making it more convenient to excavate some small tunnels.

"Then let's get started." The leaders of the Railway Corps were already quite impatient when they heard this.

If this thing is really useful, we should buy a few more and distribute them to various railway corps. It will make digging tunnels in mountainous areas all over the country much easier in the future.

By this time, Zhang Gangzhu and his team members had all arrived.

Zong Xianfeng and Chief Engineer Liu also arrived in a Huaxing minibus, and the construction site became busy.

The tunneling machine ran even more smoothly today than yesterday; it started up immediately after the positioning was completed.

The cleaning team led by Liu Haizhong also brought in several small carts specifically for cleaning up the debris, otherwise the speed would not be fast enough.

"This method is good; it's much faster."

"Exactly, I don't know how Comrade Aiguo's brain is structured."

"This kind of device doesn't require firing blasts, making it safer."

"Yes, even veteran blasters can't guarantee safety when firing blasts. There have been quite a few accidents in the southwest these past two years."

"I heard Aiguo say that this machine can be equipped with accessories so that it can dig and reinforce with cement at the same time."

"The most crucial thing is safety."

"Cost is also very important, otherwise we can't afford it."

The leaders of the Railway Corps all nodded.

Several railway lines have been planned in China, but using tunnel boring machines for all of them would be unaffordable and wasteful.

Section Chief Xing stood to the side, grinning from ear to ear. He never expected that the equipment used for digging air-raid shelters could also help dig tunnels.

After the leaders of the Railway Corps left, the leaders of the Air Defense Office came and brought several experts to stay here almost exclusively.

At noon, the neighborhood committee delivered stewed beef, and we ate white rice. Now that the construction site has almost become a model site, the neighborhood committee can't be stingy anymore.

Although life is better these days, meat and vegetables are still in short supply, especially beef, which many people only eat a few times a year.

Now everyone has a lunchbox of beef, and they all enjoy it immensely.

Yi Zhonghai squatted to the side, looking depressed. He had been fired from the tunneling team and could only do odd jobs as a temporary worker. He was not allowed to stay here for meals.

After having lunch and resting for a while, Li Aiguo led his team to inspect the tunneling machine, planning to continue in the afternoon.

"Patriotism, how many more days will it take?" Director Zhou of the Air Defense Office asked from the side.

"About half a month," Li Aiguo estimated the time.

Air raid shelters in those days were not just simple caves; they contained various facilities, all of which needed to be excavated.

Li Aiguo is busy here, while Section Chief Xing has returned to the Qianmen Maintenance Depot. The small aircraft have now started mass production, so we need to keep an eye on them.

As time went by, Li Aiguo would first go to the Qianmen Locomotive Depot workshop every day to work with Chief Engineer Liu and Chief Engineer Qi to refine the weapon design of the small aircraft, and then return to the excavation site after finishing his work.

Zhang Gangzhu has now learned how to operate the tunneling machine. With Zong Xianfeng and the other experts watching over him, there's no need to worry about accidents happening.

Early Monday morning, Li Aiguo left home. After finishing breakfast, Chen Xueru planned to take the three children to school.

Just as I exited, I saw several middle-aged people walking over.

"Sister-in-law, has Patriot Brother gone to work?"

Chen Xueru was stunned for a moment before recognizing him: "Section Chief Wu, come inside quickly."

This Section Chief Wu was the head of the security section of Linxi Coal Mine, and he had arrested Dieter with Li Aiguo back then.

After Li Aiguo returned to Beijing, the two families kept in touch and would send each other local specialties from time to time.

He was in Beijing with a group of technicians for a meeting, and he took the opportunity to deliver some things to the Li family on the way.

“Sister-in-law, I hunted a tiger in the mountains a while ago. I thought my brother Aiguo liked tiger skins, so I brought it to you.”

As he spoke, Section Chief Wu handed a bag to Chen Xueru.

"Since my patriotic brother isn't here, and I have a meeting to attend, I won't wait any longer."

"Section Chief Wu, Aiguo is digging an air-raid shelter in a small park by the street, not far from here." Chen Xueru knew the relationship between Li Aiguo and Section Chief Wu, so she didn't refuse. After accepting the bag, she pointed in the direction.

When Section Chief Wu saw that it was on his way, he led a few middle-aged men toward the small park.

I sensed something was wrong as soon as I got to the park.

"Something's not right. We're supposed to be digging an air-raid shelter, so why are so many people gathered around instead of working?" A technician noticed a crowd of people outside.

"Maybe there are too many people digging air-raid shelters. People in Beijing are very conscious and proactive." Section Chief Wu didn't think much of it and walked through the crowd.

"Martial Arts Department, how many people are there?"

"What is this sound?"

"machine?"

"what?!"

When Section Chief Wu looked inside, he saw that there were only a dozen or so people actually responsible for the excavation, and they were just assisting a machine, with a loud rumbling sound coming from inside.

"Is Comrade Aiguo here?"

"The tunnel boring machine is running right now. If you need anything, please wait a moment," Liu Haizhong said as he approached someone who had asked.

"Alright then, let's go to the meeting first." Section Chief Wu raised his wrist to check the time. Seeing that it was getting late, he led several technical experts to the Ministry of Coal Industry.

“Wu Ke, I feel like something’s not right,” a technical expert said as he walked.

“Me too,” another tech expert said.

Section Chief Wu also felt something was amiss along the way.

Upon arriving at the department, I sat down and listened to the experts explaining the safety precautions for tunneling coal mines. Then I slapped my forehead and said, "I felt something was wrong, but I didn't expect it to be the machine."

“Yes, if that machine can dig soil, can it also dig coal?” a technical expert asked.

"Yes, yes, soil is much denser than coal, that stuff must be very strong."

Soon, Wu Ke and technical experts appeared in the office of Chen, the leader of the Ministry of Coal Industry.

"Tell me, is this the attitude of your Linxi Mine?! During meetings, you whisper among yourselves instead of studying seriously!" Leader Chen was very angry. In recent years, the demand for coal has been increasing, and the scale of coal mines in various places has been growing larger and larger, which has led to various accidents.

"Boss, we're not just chatting idly, we're discussing the machines used for mining," an expert said, shrinking back.

Chen, the leader from the Ministry of Coal Industry, frowned: "What machine?"

"It's a machine that can dig air-raid shelters," Section Chief Wu recounted what he had seen that morning.

"It can dig soil and it can also dig rocks."

"I saw stone fragments, a lot of them."

"There really is such a machine?" Chen, the leader of the Ministry of Coal Industry, was also an old expert. He hadn't paid much attention when he heard about digging soil, but he perked up when he heard the word "stone".

Currently, all coal cutters used in China are imported from Russia.

Despite spending a lot of money, due to various reasons, only thin coal seams could be mined. Jixi Coal Machinery Factory also tried to imitate and improve upon it, but the results were not good.

The situation is similar for dedicated 4M-2 type tunneling machines and rock grabbers.

It can only excavate the middle layer of coal at most, and it often malfunctions. The reason is simple: it cannot penetrate into the rock strata.

As for the Donbas combine mining machine and the K-type combined mining machine, these are machines used for mining after the mine tunnel has been opened, and they do not have the function of high-intensity tunneling at all.

Leader Chen from the Ministry of Coal Industry took out cigarettes from his drawer and handed them to the group: "Tell me, what's going on?"

Teng, the leader of the Ministry of Railways, is in a very good mood today.

I received a call from the Air Defense Committee yesterday evening.

The other party is very interested in the tunneling machine developed by the Qianmen Locomotive Depot workshop. They are currently on-site with experts to oversee it. Once it is confirmed that there are no problems, they will definitely purchase it in large quantities in the future.

This morning I received another report from the Railway Corps that they want to purchase a batch of tunnel boring machines for excavating tunnels.

"This kid is really a genius."

Just as I was reflecting on this, the phone on the table rang.

When Leader Teng picked up the phone and heard the voice on the other end, he was immediately stunned.

"What? Your Ministry of Coal Industry is also interested in tunneling machines?"

"Ahem, ahem, you guys go to the site first and take a look. If it's really needed, I'll do my best to help you coordinate. You don't know, but the Air Defense Committee and the Railway Corps both need tunneling machines right now. You can't just conjure these things out of the ground, right?"

When he said this, Director Teng felt a bit like he was in Versailles.

But this feels pretty good.

Soon, Director Chen from the Ministry of Coal Industry arrived with his team of experts.

Liu Haizhong was squatting behind, cleaning up the rubble. When he saw so many leaders, and of high rank, he quickly dusted himself off.

"Good leadership!"

"Comrade, get back to work." The leader from the Ministry of Coal nodded. Liu Haizhong quickly returned to his seat, while Yi Zhonghai scoffed beside him, "Old Liu, the leader isn't here for you, what's the rush?"

"I'm also a member of the tunneling team, of course I'm happy. But you, Lao Yi, are just an assistant now, do you have the right to speak?"

"..." Yi Zhonghai grumbled and squatted down to continue working.

Just then, Li Aiguo checked the time and realized it was time for maintenance, so he stopped the machine.

"Brother Wu, what brings you here?" Li Aiguo was taken aback when he saw Section Chief Wu arrive with a group of people.

"Aiguo, this is our Ministry of Coal Industry's leader Chen, and these are experts from the ministry." Section Chief Wu was very pleased and introduced the two sides.

"Comrade Patriot, would you mind letting us see your tunneling machine?" Leader Chen asked.

"Of course I don't mind."

Leader Chen brought coal mining machinery experts with him this time, several of whom are veteran experts from the Jixi plant. They had previously modified the Russian 4M-2 and have in-depth knowledge of tunneling machines.

Light bulbs were installed inside the air-raid shelter, and although the light was dim, it was still clear enough to see.

"Tsk tsk, this is all rock strata here. This machine is really powerful." The expert's expression changed slightly when he saw the neatly cut rock face ahead.

"Look at this cut-off head, this design, wow." The expert measured the size, curvature, and other features of the cutting head.

"This is a completely new cutting approach. The Russians use something like drilling, which relies on brute force. This machine cleverly utilizes pick-shaped cutting teeth to rotary cut, using a combination of impact, compression, and shearing to break the rock into small pieces, achieving the effect of using minimal force to achieve maximum effect."

"The design of this hydraulically controlled cantilever is also quite simple. It can adjust the spatial position of the cutting head at any time and cut the rock in layers and areas according to the designed cross-sectional shape."

"If you ask me, the most ingenious part is the transportation mechanism. The rock fragments cut off fall directly onto the shovel plate and can be transported out directly by the loader."

"This machine seems to have been designed specifically for our coal mine, right?"

The experts from the Ministry of Coal Industry exchanged glances and then all looked at Li Aiguo.

Li Aiguo was already giving a thumbs up in his heart.

These veteran experts were able to develop coal mining machinery during those difficult years; they're truly skilled. They're experts; they saw through the trick so quickly.

In later generations, tunneling machines were mainly used for coal mining and became standard equipment in many large coal mines.

"Was this machine made by your Qianmen Locomotive Depot workshop?" The leaders of the coal mine department also realized that this was a good piece of equipment.

By this time, Section Chief Xing had already received the news and arrived.

"This was done by Comrade Aiguo himself in a month and a half. Oh, and he also had the help of Chief Engineer Qi and others from the Aviation Industry Bureau."

Experts from the Ministry of Coal Industry couldn't help but cough a few times upon hearing this.

Well, even experts who build airplanes are helping out, so how could it not be a good product?

"In order to manufacture this machine, our Qianmen Locomotive Depot workshop also spent a lot of money, such as chicken, duck, fish, meat, and donkey meat, which were supplied as much as possible."

Section Chief Xing knew that the Ministry of Coal Industry had a lot of illicit gains, and he also wanted to get some, but after thinking about it carefully, it seemed that the locomotive depot only offered this much.

Cough, cough, cough—the scene erupted in another fit of coughing.

The leader from the Ministry of Coal Industry didn't say much. He chatted with Li Aiguo for a few more minutes, then got into his car and left.

On the bus, an expert said, "Sir, are we not going to take this machine?"

"Who said we don't want it? But we need it for air defense now, and the railway troops need it too. By the time it's our turn, it'll probably be a long time from now."

"What should I do?"

"If there's a problem, we definitely need to report it to our superiors."

In fact, back then, the Ministry of Railways was a behemoth, with its own railway corps.

The same applies to other important departments. For example, the Ministry of Metallurgy had its own troops, which later became the Gold Armed Police Force.

The Ministry of Water Resources and Electric Power has water and electricity troops.

The Ministry of Coal Industry has a Construction Engineering Corps and a Construction Engineering Corps Coal Industry Command, which has four division-level detachments under its command, making it a formidable force.

After hearing the report, the higher-ups were also taken aback: "You mean this machine used for digging air-raid shelters can also be used for mining coal?"

"Yes, sir, absolutely." The leader from the Ministry of Coal Industry nodded.

"Make it happen! Coal production is crucial. Industrial development is rapid in various regions, and there is a great need for energy," the superior said.

"Leader, this patriotic comrade is a talent, should we take him?" Leader Chen from the Ministry of Coal Industry had already made up his mind. The Coal Research Office was in need of a leader, and if they could get him over, they could make a big splash.

"Don't even think about anything good." The superior knew what he meant.

"Sir, it's a waste to put such a genius on the railway. Our factories and research institutes in Jixi are already built." Chen, the leader of the Ministry of Coal Industry, objected.

The superior laughed: "You have the nerve to call yourself a talent? Comrade Aiguo, a train driver, built a tunneling machine that's better than yours. Look at this rotary cutting technology, how come you didn't think of it?"

"Forget about patriotism. Quickly contact the Ministry of Railways and get the tunneling machine upgraded as soon as possible." The superior paused for a moment, then said, "The Air Defense Commission and the Railway Corps have already sent people over. You are the third one."

"Huh?!" Leader Chen from the Ministry of Coal Industry felt that these people were really too cunning.

Before liberation, during the war, those guys would always rush to attack; now that we're liberated, they're still trying to steal our things.

The excavation of air-raid shelters and the tunneling of railway troops both require tunnel boring machines, and the higher-ups must treat everyone equally.

The tunneling machine modification office was established, specifically to modify tunneling machines suitable for three different situations. Section Chief Xing received the order somewhat bewildered.

"Leader Teng, no, can't we let someone else do the modifications? Aiguo is busy building airplanes and simply can't spare the time."

"The higher-ups trust Comrade Aiguo's abilities. What can I do? Besides, other ministries will send people to support us."

"Sir, how about I discuss it with Comrade Aiguo and ask him to produce the blueprints? We're all in the same boat anyway," Section Chief Xing continued.

"Hurry up," Leader Teng thought to himself.

However, the higher-ups said that these companies all recognized Li Aiguo's reputation as a golden brand.

Section Chief Xing is really stressed.

There's nothing we can do. It's alright with the railway troops; they're your own people, so we can postpone it a bit.

The Air Defense Committee is easy to talk to, since this tunneling machine was originally designed for digging air-raid shelters.

The key issue is that the Ministry of Coal Industry is particularly anxious.

There was no other way but to allocate manpower and make modifications.

Section Chief Xing instructed someone to directly inform Li Aiguo to stop rushing to dig tunnels and to return immediately to help the Ministry of Coal Industry upgrade its tunneling machines.

At the same time, production must be put on the agenda.

When the news was received, the tunneling progress had already reached its final stage.

The leaders of the Air Defense Committee, the Air Defense Office, and the Street Office were all present.

The residents of the neighborhood all arrived, including the two injured residents. Qin Huairu also came over, supported by an older woman.

The old man also wrote a banner, waiting to hang it up after the air-raid shelter was dug.

"Aiguo, the machine has been inspected and can be started." Zong Xianfeng led his men to inspect the machine, applied grease, and then reported.

Amidst a sea of ​​watchful eyes, Li Aiguo entered the air-raid shelter and started the tunneling machine.

With a roar, the tunneling machine's cutting head spun rapidly and accurately reached the final marked point.

"Report, we've reached the target." Zhang Gangzhu, who was in charge of scouting ahead, also raised his hand.

Li Aiguo shifted the gear into reverse and slowly reversed the tunneling machine out of the air-raid shelter.

When the tunneling machine emerged, applause erupted at the scene.

"Da Mao, hurry up!" Uncle San shouted at Xu Da Mao while holding up a banner.

The two quickly hung a banner at the entrance of the air-raid shelter, which read: "Warmly celebrate the completion of the South Tongluo Lane air-raid shelter."

Wow.

Applause started again.

Director Zhou from the Air Defense Office stepped forward and said excitedly, "Comrade Aiguo, great job! You've done a great service this time. This tunneling machine is fast and safe. It will make digging air-raid shelters much easier for us in the future, hahaha!"

He was already quite agitated, and his voice was hoarse.

Everyone present understood this feeling.

They all wanted to see the air-raid shelter completed.

Director Zhou composed himself and continued, "I was so excited, so excited. Please excuse me. You have no idea how long our air defense office has been looking forward to this machine."

"Everyone understands the current situation. Air raid shelters definitely need to be dug, and they need to be dug on a large scale."

"However, due to technical reasons and soil conditions, accidents often occur during the digging of air-raid shelters."

"The biggest challenge is the collapse problem. No matter how well planned or how many experts are sent out in advance, it is difficult to avoid."

"Now it's great! With this tunneling machine, the excavation speed has been greatly improved, and safety has been guaranteed. I assure the leaders and comrades that our air defense office is confident in completing this air raid shelter excavation ahead of schedule, and we will definitely live up to the good thing you've created!"

The leaders of the Air Defense Committee clapped their hands, and everyone else joined in.

After the applause subsided, the leader inquired about another issue: "Comrade Aiguo, how expensive is this tunneling machine? Will mass production be difficult?"

"Reporting to the leader, the cost of a tunneling machine is a bit higher than that of a regular excavator. However, mass production is not a problem. Our Qianmen Locomotive Depot already has an excavator production workshop. With some modifications, we can start producing tunneling machines."

"Good, good, good!" The leader of the Air Defense Committee said "good" three times in a row.

He turned to Director Wang of the subdistrict office and said, “Your Nantongluoxiang neighborhood took the lead in digging air-raid shelters, setting a good example for the whole of Beijing and even the whole country. I am now awarding you the title of Advanced Air-Raid Defense Subdistrict.”

Upon hearing this, Director Wang and the other staff members of the subdistrict office became agitated.

This is the first national title awarded to the Nantongluoxiang Subdistrict Office since its establishment.

"Leader, please rest assured, we will definitely support the air defense work and contribute to the construction of subsequent air raid shelters," said Director Wang of the subdistrict office excitedly.

The air-raid shelter is now only partially completed; further construction is needed inside to modify the machine gun ports, grain silos, and other facilities.

The leaders of the Air Defense Committee then looked at Li Aiguo: "Comrade Aiguo, on behalf of the Air Defense Committee, I hereby award you the title of Advanced Individual in Air Defense. I hope that you will make more contributions to our air defense cause in your future work."

"Thank you, leader!" Li Aiguo straightened his back.

It's just a verbal decision now. After the leaders go back, a large meeting will be held to go through the procedures before the certificates are issued.

However, everyone knows that this is already a done deal.

Everyone applauded enthusiastically again!
Liu Haizhong and Qin Huairu were especially enthusiastic.

As the sun set, the glow of the red flags shone on smiling faces, a vibrant, warm red.

(End of this chapter)