The train driver in the courtyard

Li Aiguo was in a dilemma. In his previous life, he was an avid follower of military magazines and knew the future direction of artillery development very well.

However, the realization of many advanced technologies requires the support of corresponding industrial technology levels.

After pondering for a moment, Li Aiguo carefully selected some technologies that could be advanced in the current period.

"I watched today's actual combat exercise and found that the Type 54 howitzer is quite difficult to operate. It requires five soldiers to work together to complete it. If a hydraulic drive device is installed, the adjustment of the gun barrel may be much easier."

"Hydraulic drive, this technology is not complicated... Well, it is indeed a good idea, why didn't I think of it?" Chief Engineer Zhou's eyes lit up, and he quickly wrote down the words in his notebook.

The two suggestions put forward by Li Aiguo may not sound like orthodox professional military technology at first glance, and may have a bit of a "wild" flavor, but they are extremely effective.

This young man is simply a treasure.

After Chief Engineer Zhou finished writing, he gave Minister Chen a subtle wink.

Minister Chen understood what he meant and asked, "Comrade Patriot, everyone is in high spirits today, so don't hide anything. If you have any ideas, please share them with us."

Li Aiguo pretended not to notice the two's little movements, picked up a piece of Chinese cabbage with chopsticks, and said while eating: "The status of the 75mm mountain gun is difficult to replace. Even if it is replaced, it will only be replaced by the 85mm regimental-level light field gun.

The Soviet-equipped vehicles were not perfect in actual use. Sometimes trucks were not necessarily faster than mules and horses under complex road conditions.

We can’t lose the big picture for the small, or throw away the watermelon to pick up the sesame seeds.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the originally bustling cafeteria gradually became quiet.

After hearing this, Minister Chen fell into deep thought.

In recent years, some people in the military industry have proposed to abandon the M1919 75mm mountain gun, the Japanese Type 75 75mm mountain gun, the Type mm mountain gun, etc. that were captured in the past.

These mountain guns that can be pulled by mules and horses were planned to be replaced with Soviet standard guns. The Seventh Ministry of Machine Building had different opinions on this, and Minister Chen was unable to make a decision for a while.

The farmer glanced at Li Aiguo and tried to smooth things over, "I'm afraid Aiguo drank too much today. Old Chen, the child is talking nonsense, just listen to it and don't take it to heart."

Minister Chen knew that the farmer was protecting Li Aiguo, so he smiled and said, "Old Li, you really underestimate me, Old Chen.

In fact, regarding the issue of changing uniforms, we have very different opinions among ourselves, and many comrades have the same idea as patriotism. "

After he finished speaking, he turned his head and looked at the secretary behind him, "Xiao Liu, please write down the opinions of the patriotic comrades in detail. When you go back, remind me to pay special attention to this matter."

Hearing this, Li Aiguo secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

If we talk about the detours that domestic artillery development has taken, the decision to abandon mountain artillery on a large scale in the early 1960s was truly heartbreaking.

In the two subsequent wars, due to the lack of this sturdy and durable mountain artillery, our side even found itself in a passive situation where our artillery fire was suppressed by the enemy.

After Secretary Liu finished taking notes, Minister Chen narrowed his eyes slightly and continued, "We all drank today, so just assume that what we said was drunken talk. If you have any other ideas, feel free to speak freely. There is no need to worry about the consequences, and no one will make a big deal out of it."

The intention of this statement is obvious: speak confidently and I promise that no one will be held responsible.

Li Aiguo was waiting for this sentence. He looked at Chief Engineer Zhou and asked, "Boss Zhou, do we have clear rules and regulations for the organization of our infantry division and artillery?"

"Not yet." Chief Engineer Zhou answered truthfully.

Li Aiguo said: "Only a professional and reasonable organization can effectively improve the coordination between troops. From a national perspective, two different types of infantry divisions should be developed based on regional characteristics. In the southern region, 75 mountain artillery and 120 mortars should be equipped.
In the northern region, the Type 56 85mm cannon and 122mm mortar were used.

The northern artillery shells need to be loaded with more explosives because of the need for anti-armor.
The southern artillery shells must be waterproofed."

This suggestion has already involved the artillery organization level.

According to common sense, Li Aiguo's action was slightly overstepping the line, but not only did everyone present have no objection, they all nodded in agreement.

As Li Aiguo put forward suggestions one by one, the atmosphere at the scene became increasingly heated.

Minister Chen had already realized that this was not a rookie, but a hidden military master. "Aiguo, do you have any other ideas about the artillery organization?"

Li Aiguo understood that Minister Chen was asking about the organization of the artillery in the overall structure of the army, and nodded in response: "Battalion-level troops can be equipped with 75 mountain artillery with a range of 9 kilometers.

The weight of the entire train including the gun and the front carriage does not exceed 1200 kilograms, and can be towed by 4 to 6 domestic mules and horses.

The mortar, the main firepower at the regimental level, focuses on the development of 107mm rifled heavy mortars with a range of 6 kilometers. It can be operated by manpower and transported by mules and horses.

The main force of suppression, the division-level howitzer, is the Type 54 122mm howitzer, weighing 2.5 tons and towed by a truck.

A heavy artillery regiment is established at the army level, equipped with miscellaneous heavy cannons, howitzers, Type 54 122 guns and Patriotic rocket launchers.

In addition, Soviet heavy artillery such as 130, 152, and 122 can be used to form independent artillery units.

At the same time, we can also use the old production line of 75 mountain guns to produce a small number of 85 cannons and form an independent anti-tank artillery unit. "

Under Li Aiguo's planning, the blueprint for the organization of domestic artillery forces gradually became clear.

It has both powerful fire suppression capability and high mobility.

There are both low-cost mountain artillery and high-powered Soviet artillery.

More importantly, under current conditions, the country only needs to invest a small amount of cost to build a most powerful artillery system.

This adjustment may seem to involve no advanced technology, but in fact it is a major strategic layout, and the benefits it produces are far beyond what can be achieved by inventing a new cannon.

However, adjustments of this level concern the overall situation and involve troops across the country. Even Minister Chen cannot make the decision on his own.

However, Li Aiguo is not in a hurry. He firmly believes that as long as his superiors study it carefully, they will find that this kind of organization best suits the current actual conditions and situation in the country.

At this moment, he was like an armchair strategist who was obsessed with military affairs and boastful about his ability to "expand territory" on the map.

But his audience is not ordinary military enthusiasts, but a group of key figures who can influence the direction of domestic artillery development.

The room was extremely quiet, with only the occasional rustling sound of a pen tip rubbing against paper.

Chief Engineer Zhou was also very excited and couldn't help asking, "Aiguo, what do you think of domestic artillery technology?"

When it comes to professional technology, Li Aiguo can no longer speak carelessly and has become cautious.

"First, we need to establish a standard system for smelting artillery steel, especially to speed up the deep hole processing of Taiyuan Heavy Machinery."

“Secondly, optimize the localized production of Soviet-style artillery and establish a grading system for the life of artillery barrels.”

Hearing about the grading system, Chief Engineer Zhou couldn't help but interrupt: "Is there any specific operation method for this grading system?"

"It can be based on different barrels, according to the 2000/4000/6000 round standard. Once the upper limit is reached, it must be retired."

Chief Engineer Zhou praised: "This can greatly reduce the rate of explosion."

Minister Chen was dissatisfied with Chief Engineer Zhou's interruption and continued to ask: "Then what?"

Li Aiguo lit a cigarette and continued, "To establish interchangeability standards for artillery parts, we can refer to the Russian standards.

Focus on improving the reliability of the anti-recoil device, developing modular directional tube technology, developing a vehicle-mounted ammunition rapid supply system, and developing a modular charging system."

Li Aiguo talked about the key points of the development of domestic artillery in later generations.

The development of artillery actually had no planning, but was achieved through trial and error.

What Li Aiguo did was to stand above the long river of history and use a military shovel to redirect those deviated tributaries back to the original river.

Although many of the things he proposed could not be verified for the time being, they still made the eyes of those present light up.

Minister Chen savored the thought for a long time, raised his glass and said with a smile: "Aiguo is indeed the one who invented the proximity fuse. As an amateur, he has such a forward-looking view on artillery. I have learned a lot. Your words today have given me a lot of inspiration. Come, let me toast you a glass."

The farmer really listened to the heavenly book today. When he saw Minister Chen toasting him, he felt a little proud: See, this is my student.

Li Aiguo quickly spoke modestly, picked up the wine glass and drank it all. It was a rare opportunity to receive a toast from such a big shot.

Minister Chen put down his glass and glanced at Chief Engineer Zhou: "Old Zhou, your institute seems to be in need of a chief technical engineer. I think Comrade Aiguo is quite suitable."

As soon as these words were spoken, the farmer's face changed.

"Good of you, Old Chen. I came here with good intentions to help you, but you are still a pervert and you actually want to steal my people."

"Old Li, don't worry. It's really a waste for a talent like Aiguo to stay in your weather station. If he enters our military industry, he will definitely make greater contributions to the country."

Minister Chen no longer cared about his old friend's face and slammed the table.

The farmer looked at his anxious face and suddenly laughed. He looked at Li Aiguo and said, "Aiguo, pour me a glass of wine."

Li Aiguo understood what the farmer meant. He had no choice but to stand up, pour a glass of wine, and hold it in both hands and pass it over: "Okay, teacher."

"teacher"

Minister Chen looked at this scene in surprise, and instantly realized something, and the aura on his body disappeared instantly.

"Old Li, I have only admired a few people in my life. You are half of one. What I admire is your good vision."

"Student, pour a cup for Lao Chen as well. He is considered your uncle-master." The farmer also stood up and said with a smile.

Li Aiguo could only pretend that he knew nothing at this moment. He stood up and poured a glass for Minister Chen.

"What a pity, what a pity." Minister Chen shook his head regretfully and drank the wine glass.

This was just a small episode, and the researchers in the cafeteria continued to laugh and have fun until eight o'clock in the evening, when the dinner was over.

After Minister Chen returned to the ministry, he immediately called his secretary to his office and asked, "Did you write down all the speeches made by the patriotic comrades today?"

"Everything is recorded, including the fact that you competed with others for students," the secretary replied.

Minister Chen waved his hand: "That paragraph can be crossed out. Please write down those speeches. I want to see them tomorrow."

"Yes!" the secretary nodded.

****
After the dinner, Li Aiguo discussed with General Manager Zhou the large-scale production plan of proximity fuses, and then took the weather station's jeep back to the courtyard.

It was nearly ten o'clock in the evening.

When Li Aiguo passed by the central courtyard, he saw that the lights were still on in the Jia family and there were noises coming from inside, but he was in a hurry to go home and didn't pay any attention.

Come home and open the door.

Chen Xueru's belly is getting bigger and bigger, and she is easily sleepy. She actually fell asleep on the desk.

"Why haven't you rested yet?" Li Aiguo pushed her.

Chen Xueru rubbed her eyes, and when she saw that it was Li Aiguo, she yawned and said, "I can't sleep well if you don't come back."

"Now that you're back, go to bed." Li Aiguo quickly washed up and got into bed.

Chen Xueru closed her eyes and prepared to go back to sleep, but suddenly turned her head and whispered, "Today, the whole compound is talking about Yi Zhonghai planning to take Jia Dongxu as his godson."

"Really?" Li Aiguo was also a little stunned.

This scene does not exist in the original book. Has the plot changed again?

Seeing that the man was interested, Chen Xueru told him all the gossip in the compound, and Li Aiguo was able to piece together the truth of the matter.

The story began a few days ago. Yi Zhonghai had tried to test Jia Dongxu several times, but Jia Dongxu didn't want to have another living father, so he kept pretending to be stupid.

Qin Huairu also felt that Yi Zhonghai had some agenda, and that the Jia family would gain greater benefits, so Yi Zhonghai's plan to adopt a godson was put on hold. (The information came from Zhang Gangzhu's wife)
Yi Zhonghai was not willing to accept this, so he used his identity as a seventh-level worker to trip up Jia Dongxu several times in the workshop.

Because Jia Dongxu made mistakes repeatedly, he was severely punished by the workshop director and was even forced to make a self-criticism in front of the workshop workers.

At this time, Yi Zhonghai came forward again and pleaded for Jia Dongxu.

Yi Zhonghai gave Jia Dongxu a slap in the face and then a sweet date, and he had Jia Dongxu under his control. Jia Dongxu had no choice but to surrender.

(Information from Xu Damao)

Chen Xueru yawned: "I just met the third aunt in the Central Courtyard. She shouted that Yi Zhonghai had asked the third uncle about adopting a godson a few days ago, and that he needed to choose a good day and some kind of ceremony." Li Aiguo remembered that when he came back just now, he saw that the lights were still on in the Jia family, so he thought that the two families were discussing this matter.

"Go to sleep, other people's affairs have nothing to do with us." After figuring it out, Li Aiguo immediately lost interest.

He has to go to 208 tomorrow to arrange production matters and has no time to deal with these bullshit.

The night is getting darker.

Early the next morning, Li Aiguo had breakfast and pushed his bicycle out.

As soon as I went out, I met Xu Damao.

Xu Damao said slyly: "Aiguo, did you know? Yi Zhonghai wants to take Jia Dongxu as his godson."

"is it?"

Seeing that Li Aiguo was not interested, Xu Damao took a few quick steps to catch up: "That bastard Jia Dongxu dared to mess with me last time. I want to let him know what it means to be powerful."

Well, this courtyard that has been peaceful for a while is about to be stirred up again.

Li Aiguo said a few perfunctory words and rode his bicycle to 208.

208's work efficiency was very high. It only took Chief Engineer Zhou one morning to draft the application documents and submit them to the Seventh Ministry of Machine Building.

Because the proximity fuze needed to be kept confidential, the name on the application document was "Big Eyes", which was the name given by Li Aiguo.

Chief Engineer Zhou thought it was a bit tacky and should be given a cool name like "Clairvoyance", "Ten Thousand Li Eyes" or "Million Li Eyes".

But Li Aiguo didn't listen to him.

Once the application documents arrive at the department, they still need to be evaluated before they can be finalized.

This assessment usually takes several months and the procedures are very complicated.

However, Big Eyes has already been approved by Minister Chen and only needs to go through the simple procedures.

The ministry was busy with procedures, 208 was busy screening suitable factories across the country, and Li Aiguo also rode his bicycle back to the weather station.

After entering the office, he called all the technicians and workers involved in the research work on behalf of the farmers and announced the rewards for them.

Lao Mao, because of your meritorious service in escorting spare parts, your salary level will be raised by one level and you will be awarded a big award certificate.

The salary doesn't matter. If it were really for the money, Lao Mao wouldn't do this job.

After liberation, he had several opportunities to be transferred to a ministry as a leader, but he refused them all.

The key is the certificate, which states his achievements in military work.

The old cat solemnly took the certificate, and his black face smiled like a chrysanthemum, ahem, a black chrysanthemum.

Several technicians and team leaders are on the technical staff and their salaries have been raised by one level, but their levels remain unchanged.

This is similar to the common "enjoying treatment at a certain level", which means you can get more salary, but if you want to be promoted, you still have to work harder.

However, this is enough to make the technicians happy. After all, they can get an extra 7.2 yuan in salary every month.

Besides, because Li Aiguo divided the task properly, this time it was not too difficult compared to their usual tasks.

Especially since they completed an important military task this time, the sense of accomplishment was incomparable to that of fiddling with those spy equipment.

At that time, several technicians expressed their desire to continue working with Li Aiguo in the future.

Li Aiguo was also very happy. With the support of these technicians, it would be much more convenient to develop equipment that is ahead of its time in the future.

But the old cat felt a little strange: "Patriotic, it stands to reason that you should be the first to achieve this, why didn't you get any recognition from the higher-ups?"

If he hadn't mentioned it, Li Aiguo would have really forgotten about it.

"The farmer may have other plans."

Li Aiguo didn't care.

When it comes to honor, if it’s yours, it’s always yours. If it’s not yours, there’s no point in fighting for it.

"Aiguo, you are sure to win the jackpot this time." The old cat pondered for a moment and said something meaningful.

After hearing this, Li Aiguo became a little excited.

But you have to take one step at a time. If you walk too fast, you may easily fall.

Eat your food bite by bite; eating too much will make you indigestion.

In the following days, Li Aiguo assisted Chief Engineer Zhou in selecting 15 factories in the country that had the ability to produce accessories.

"State-owned Qinghua Tools Factory (Beian)
State-owned Factory 112

State-owned Factory 617

Shenyang 51 Arsenal

State-owned Factory 724

"

The proximity fuze was disassembled into individual components. Li Aiguo handed the drawings of each component to the confidentiality officer, who then served as a specialist to supervise production in various factories.

In addition to communicating about production work, the confidentiality officer is also responsible for the factory's confidentiality work.

This work was particularly important. With the support of the farmers, Li Aiguo transferred an action team from the meteorological station. The action team had a total of 30 members, all of whom were veteran comrades who had experienced many battles.

At the oath-taking meeting, Captain Zhang explained the specific tasks and shouted: "At ease!"

He turned his head and looked at Li Aiguo: "Comrade driver, please say a few words."

Li Aiguo's eyes slid across the faces of the team members: "Everyone, have you understood this mission? Do you think it's simple?"

The team members looked stern.

Li Aiguo continued, "But if I tell you that this mission is related to the intensity of our artillery fire in the next few decades, and whether we can raise our iron fist, what would you think?"

The team members shouted in unison: "Report, we must be firm in our will and will not allow any mistakes to occur in the drawings. We will protect the drawings with our lives and will not allow any leaks to occur."

Li Aiguo nodded slowly: "The drawings have been classified as top secret. Once you arrive at the local factory, if you find any abnormalities, you can deal with them directly on the spot."

The so-called on-site processing is equivalent to having independent investigation rights.

This is equivalent to equipping the team members with a shield.

"Defend secrets even to the death!"

"Defend secrets even to the death!"

"Defend secrets even to the death!"

The slogans echoed above the weather station.

Li Aiguo was very confident in these team members. After sending them to local military factories, he waited quietly for the Seventh Ministry of Machine Building to approve their applications.

As long as the application is approved, production can start. At that time, Li Aiguo can also withdraw from the proximity fuse project and concentrate on developing the railway network.

After arriving at the local military factory, the team members quickly started working. Li Aiguo and Chief Engineer Zhou stayed in Beijing to prepare for production.

While Li Aiguo was busy in Institute 208, Yi Zhonghai was happily dressing himself up.

Just two days ago, Yi Zhonghai finally succeeded in persuading Jia Dongxu to be his godson.

Uncle San has been looking through the calendar all night, and today is the only good day this month.

This is a big deal. Once Yi Zhonghai has Jia Dongxu as his godson, he won't have to worry about his retirement anymore.

Now that Jia Dongxu has a son, he has essentially got a godson for free.

When Jia Dongxu gets old, the gang will continue to exist, so he won’t have to worry about his retirement even if he lives to be 120 years old.

The most important thing is that Jia Zhang was kicked back to the countryside, and the burden on the Jia family was greatly reduced.

When the promotion exam comes in a few months, if Yi Zhonghai makes a contribution and Jia Dongxu is promoted to a second-level worker, the monthly income will be enough for the family to spend and they will not need Yi Zhonghai's support.

Yi Zhonghai picked up an elderly person without spending a penny.

Isn't it beautiful?

Yi Zhonghai originally invited relatives and friends to witness that he, Yi Zhonghai, had a son.

However, the deaf old lady reminded him to be careful and not attract attention.

Although Yi Zhonghai was reluctant, he still listened to the deaf old lady's advice and decided to invite a few factory leaders to prepare a simple meal at home.

Yi Zhonghai changed into a Zhongshan suit, put some hair oil on his head, and asked an old lady to go to the vegetable market to buy some vegetables and a few pounds of meat.

As for him, he came to Nan Yi's door with his hands behind his back.

"Nan Yi, are you free tonight?" Seeing Nan Yi helping Liang Ladi repair the electric sewing machine, Yi Zhonghai spoke directly.

"You are an old man, please come in." Although Nan Yi looked down on Yi Zhonghai, considering that he was the old man of the courtyard, he still had to show due courtesy.

Yi Zhonghai waved his hand and explained his purpose directly: "I want to treat you tonight, about fifteen or sixteen people, two tables. You are idle at home anyway, come and help prepare a meal and hone your cooking skills. I am doing this for your own good."

Hearing this, Nan Yi was somewhat reluctant.

He often helps people prepare banquets, but people really pay him, and he can earn one dollar for each table.

It is obvious that Yi Zhonghai is preparing to get something for nothing.

But Nan Yi was too embarrassed to refuse and could only secretly wink at Liang Ladi.

Liang Ladi is a hot-tempered person and doesn't care about the boss.

She walked forward and said, "Hey, uncle, you are such a kind person. You know that my family has no money, so you sent us some money!"

"Send money? What money?" Yi Zhonghai was confused.

Liang Ladi said with a smile: "You invited our Nan Yi to prepare a feast, isn't that just giving money? You are so polite, we can't be ignorant.

Let's put it this way, Nan Yi's price for banquets outside is one yuan. You can take 8 cents for a table of banquets."

Her meaning was very clear: if Yi Zhonghai wanted to get something for free, he was just being immature.

How could Yi Zhonghai not hear it? He thought to himself that Liang Ladi was too cunning.

He somewhat regretted that he shouldn't have sent Sha Zhu in there back then. Now he could only allow Nan Yi to exploit him.

"You should pay me. I am a great man. How can I owe you this little money?"

As Yi Zhonghai spoke, he took out a 6-cent coin from his pocket and handed it to Liang Ladi.

"Nan Yi, this time I'm inviting all the factory leaders. You can come to my house first and choose some good dishes. Show the level of the heir of imperial cuisine."

He gave Nan Yi some instructions and left in a hurry.

(End of this chapter)