Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 84 Mortar (5K)

After Chen Chengxing opened the research institute, the first thing that popped up was a dense list of countries, both those he had heard of and those he had not heard of, even including ancient Chinese countries such as the Qin Dynasty and the Han Dynasty, as well as ancient foreign countries such as ancient Egypt, the Holy Roman Empire, and the Inca Empire.

At a glance, Chen Chengxing estimated that there were at least eight thousand of these countries.

"Have there ever been so many countries on Earth?" Chen Chengxing was a little surprised.

However, Chen Chengxing just took a quick look at it and put it out of his mind. He first needed to identify a country.

As for which one to calibrate, needless to say, it must be the University of Tokyo.

After all, the weapons of the later generations of the University of Tokyo are, if not unrivaled in the world, at least invincible. You have to smoke two more packs of cigarettes while watching the video.

Chen Chengxing searched so hard that his eyes were almost dazzled. He finally found it, but just as he was about to click on it, he realized it was not right and quickly withdrew his hand.

Isn't this Chiang Kai-shek's ****? Later, he was mixed up on Frog Island. If he lit it, wouldn't he be ruined?
Chen Chengxing breathed a sigh of relief, glad that his hand didn't click so quickly, and then he looked for it again for a long time.

Finally, I found the University of Tokyo, which was established in 49, in a corner. Next to it were some countries that have not yet been established but already have regimes.

After repeated confirmation, Chen Chengxing finally clicked it gently.

As Chen Chengxing's finger fell, the page of the institute changed immediately. The original large number of country names disappeared, and were replaced by an extremely simple page.

The page is divided into 3 sections, 'In Research', 'Completed' and 'Research Library'.

Because it’s just the beginning, the fields ‘Under Research’ and ‘Completed’ are still empty.

But after clicking on the "Research Library", the equipment that appeared inside made Chen Chengxing drool.

There are all kinds of things, such as 'aerospace motherships', 'aerospace fighters', 'unmanned mechas', and 'manned mechas'.

There are even weapons such as 'extraterrestrial vehicles', 'space battleships', and 'God's scepter' that only exist in science fiction films.

But after seeing the research and development time behind these weapons, Chen Chengxing felt like he was poured with a bucket of cold water.

"One, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand, billion, trillion."

"Fuck! I counted wrong! Try again!"

Unwilling to give up, Chen Chengxing tried to pull up Zhang Xu, Xu Tao and Wen Ying one by one and found that the numbers behind them did not change at all, or rather, there were changes, but the tail digits were too long to be displayed at all.

"Shit! Is this minutes or hours? Or is it that technology is not good enough now?"

Chen Chengxing just felt a little disappointed. If he could pull out a space battleship now, Chen Chengxing would dare to drive it to destroy all the powers and turn their plains into basins.

Chen Chengxing, who couldn't figure it out, simply gave up the idea of exploration and set his goal where he could see.

"Mortar! It's you." Chen Chengxing selected the Type 63 60mm mortar and casually placed Wen Ying in the position of person in charge.

When it comes to weapons research and development, Chen Chengxing is now the only one who can compare favorably to Wen Ying.

63式60毫米迫击炮是参考美制M2式和民31式两种60毫米迫击炮生产出来的。

Both types of guns are produced based on the French Blonde 2mm mortar, and their basic properties are similar.

With the level of the Erlangdong Arsenal, it is entirely possible to complete the research and development of the Type 63 60mm mortar. As for the final completion rate, that depends on the actual situation.

But I think it should be enough.

But after Chen Chengxing finished, he found that it had not even started and everything was quiet.

"What's going on? Is it broken?" Chen Chengxing looked at 'Wait to Start' in confusion and tried to tap it with his finger but there was no response.

"Or does it need to be triggered, and do I need to give orders to the person in charge?" Chen Chengxing thought to himself as he looked at the panel.

Just when Chen Chengxing got up and prepared to go to Erlang Cave, Xu Wu walked in from outside.

"Captain, when we were fighting guerrilla warfare outside today, we seized a donkey cart of food. There was a sack of potatoes on it. They were very big. Would you like to try some?" Xu Wu said as he held up two potatoes.

They are really big, weighing at least one kilogram each.

Only then did Chen Chengxing realize that he had actually forgotten such important high-yield potatoes.

"What are you eating? Bring them all to the regiment headquarters. I am useful!" said Chen Chengxing.

"Ah? This thing is fine to eat occasionally, but it won't be so fresh if you eat it every day." Xu Wu said. No matter how poor the New Second Regiment is, they won't let the regiment commander eat potatoes every day, right? What will happen if it gets out?

"Why are you talking so much nonsense? Just send it over when I told you to!" Chen Chengxing said unhappily.

Is this edible? This concerns the lives of countless people!

"Yes!" Seeing that Chen Chengxing insisted, Xu Wu had no choice but to do as he was told.

After getting the potatoes, Chen Chengxing immediately found Luo Ping.

"Look, Lao Luo, these are the potatoes that Xu Wu seized. I think they are quite big, so I think the yield per mu is quite high. Ask the soldiers of the supplementary battalion to plant them on the land we have cleared."

"It's quite big, but we are planning to plant sweet potatoes," said Luo Ping.

When planting sweet potatoes, the soldiers can pinch them by hand to ensure the yield.

"This is only 100 kilograms. It will be enough if we set aside a little land and plant it first to try," said Chen Chengxing.

If they are all high-yielding, then it doesn’t matter what you plant, but the sweet potatoes planted by the Xiner Regiment now cannot be compared with the high-yield potatoes.

"Okay, I'll take it over later." Luo Ping said.

"Lao Luo, you have to pay attention. I will go to see it in two days. Please arrange a platoon of soldiers to be responsible for these potatoes." Chen Chengxing said seriously.

He was so afraid that no one would take it seriously, and then all his efforts would be in vain.

"Okay, I'll assign someone to be in charge." Seeing Chen Chengxing so serious, Luo Ping nodded and promised.

For Luo Ping, it doesn’t matter whether he grows potatoes or sweet potatoes. In his impression, the yields of these two things are about the same.

"Okay, then I feel relieved." Chen Chengxing nodded and said.

But he would still go to see it every two days, and would go to see it often.

However, after the potatoes are harvested and the yield per mu is determined, he will no longer need to take the initiative to plant them again. By then, everyone will treat them as treasures.

After explaining everything clearly, Chen Chengxing took Wei Dayong straight to Erlang Mountain.

When Chen Chengxing rushed to Erlang Mountain and found Wen Ying, she was directing the workers to repair the damaged weapons that Chen Chengxing brought back.

In addition to disassembling and reassembling these damaged weapons, some small parts are also produced by hand in the repair shop.

Chen Chengxing pulled Wen Ying aside and said straight to the point: "I want Director Wen to take the lead in developing small cannons, and also find a way to produce bullets."

"The bullets have already been arranged, but the small cannons cannot be produced now, so we can't rifle."

Wen Ying had already put the issue of bullet production on the agenda. Now they rely entirely on manual labor, and the equipment cannot be completed in a short period of time.

Wen Ying thought the small cannon Chen Chengxing mentioned was the Japanese's grenade launcher.

Although the Japanese Type 89 grenade launcher has a simple structure, its craftsmanship is not low at all. The rifling alone is not something they can solve.

Moreover, they cannot produce the special grenades for the grenade launcher. Not to mention the material of the grenade shell, they have no place to get the copper belt for the grenade.

"I'm not talking about a grenade launcher, I'm talking about a mortar, a 60mm mortar," Chen Chengxing explained.

Although both the Kuomintang and the Eighth Route Army Headquarters were developing weapons such as grenade launchers and 50mm cannons, and the Kuomintang may have even completed the development of the Type grenade launcher, the grenade launcher was not a very suitable weapon for the New Second Regiment or the Eighth Route Army.

The use of grenade launchers requires a lot of training, and at least a hundred shells must be consumed to complete basic training. If one wants to hit the target every time like the Japanese, the New Second Regiment will not be able to sustain the consumption of shells.

Even the grenade launchers that have been captured now, although distributed to companies and platoons, their hit rate is actually quite touching. All units basically use them to attack the attacking Japanese infantry.

If they really wanted to accurately strike the enemy's light machine guns, only two or three talented people in the whole regiment could do it, and the rest of them would mostly use range coverage to strike. But mortars were different. First, they were easy to train, after all, they could make a gun table comparison, and second, they could make fine adjustments if they missed a shot. This was an unparalleled advantage for the poor Eighth Route Army.

And the most crucial thing is that the Japanese went directly from infantry guns to grenade launchers and lacked company-level firepower. Once the New Second Regiment had 60mm mortars, it would have certain advantages in squadron-level confrontations.

"Mortar? French 60mm mortar?" Wen Ying asked.

"Yes, Director Wen knows?" Chen Chengxing didn't expect Wen Ying to be so knowledgeable.

"I know, but I haven't seen it." Wen Ying said.

Long before the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, China's ordnance system had studied the French Blonde 60mm mortar.

Although Wen Ying had nothing to do with this, her father had seen it and talked about it with Wen Ying.

"Although the production of mortars is relatively simple, we don't have gun steel and aiming equipment, so it may be difficult," Wen Ying said.

Although the Taiyuan Arsenal was able to produce mountain cannons before, all the optical glass was imported.

"I know this. Didn't the rails get delivered before? Separate the rail surface from the base plate, then beat the rail surface pier into a rough blank and further process it. The base plate can be made into a base. As for the observation and aiming equipment, don't use it for now." Chen Chengxing said.

Mortars are different from barreled artillery in that they need to withstand a relatively small chamber pressure. That is, the Eighth Route Army was behind enemy lines. If they were closer to Shanghai like the New Fourth Army, they could directly buy seamless steel pipes for production, which would be much simpler.

And when there is no observation equipment, you can also use the thumbs-up method.

"The performance of the rails is far inferior to that of gun steel. I'm afraid the performance will not meet the requirements."

"But those train axles we brought back before can be used for now," Wen Ying said.

"Those axles cannot be used on 60mm mortars." Chen Chengxing refused without thinking.

The axles that were pulled back were narrow-gauge railway axles. Both in length and size, they were most suitable for the production of 82mm mortars.

By cutting the railroad track into one and a half meter long pieces, a rough block for a 60mm mortar can be made. However, if you want to make an 82mm rough block, it needs to be five or six meters long, which is unrealistic.

"Just use railroad tracks to produce it. It doesn't matter if the performance is not up to standard." Chen Chengxing affirmed.

The barrel life of a normal mortar can reach at least 5000 rounds. Even if the performance of the rails is insufficient, it should be able to fire two or three thousand rounds after heat treatment.

Even if you use it openly, it can still be used for a few years. If it doesn't work, you can just replace it with a new one.

Moreover, if a real war breaks out, it is still unclear whether it can reach its service life.

"Okay, since you insist, I'll try it." Wen Ying nodded.

The Taiyuan Arsenal has produced mortars with calibers of 75mm, 82mm, and 150mm. Wen Ying is no stranger to the production of mortars.

The 60mm mortar just needs multiple tests to get the best data.

With Wen Ying's approval, the research and development of the Type 63 60mm mortar in the institute officially began.

Looking at the one-year research and development progress bar, Chen Chengxing was somewhat dissatisfied. It was really too slow.

However, Chen Chengxing also knew that this was because Wen Ying had never seen the real thing and needed to figure out various data.

However, Chen Chengxing did have a solution to the slow progress of research and development. He threw two research papers at them on the spot.

The research and development progress immediately began to advance rapidly as if taking medicine, 1 second equals 3 seconds.

"Captain, I have an idea. I'm leaving now."

As soon as Chen Chengxing used the research paper, Wen Ying immediately got an inspiration and stood up to say goodbye. Although she didn't know where the inspiration came from, she got the inspiration just by looking at Chen Chengxing. Isn't it strange?

Looking at Wen Ying who left in a hurry, Chen Chengxing originally wanted to explain the matter of the 82mm mortar, but after thinking about it, he did not say anything.

Let’s deal with the 60mm mortar first, and deal with the 82mm mortar later.

After Chen Chengxing left Wen Ying, he turned and went to Xu Tao.

"Director Xu, how many artillery shells can be produced now?" Chen Chengxing asked.

The production of 60mm mortars is imminent, and the production of shells must keep up.

"Now we have only one furnace, which can produce about 82-300 500mm artillery shells a month. The specific quantity depends on the supply of raw materials," said Xu Tao.

Although Xu Tao said that the number was not small, in fact 300 shells could not last for more than a few rounds, even though the New Second Regiment only had one mortar.

The mortar is not known for its accuracy. Its advantage is its rate of fire. Otherwise, the Japanese would not be unwilling to use mortars. It is just that the ammunition consumption is a bit high.

"Captain, have the artillery shells sent this time been used? What was the effect?" Xu Tao asked.

"Although the explosive effect of explosives is not as good as the original artillery shells, it is still okay overall. However, the number of our artillery fragments is much less." Chen Chengxing said.

Chen Chengxing went to the battlefield specifically to check and found that the artillery shells he produced had much less fragments than the artillery shells originally brought by the Kuomintang.

"There's nothing we can do about it. According to the standard, rigid cast iron is required to produce mortar shells, and our iron doesn't meet the performance requirements," Xu Tao explained.

"Steel cast iron? How to make it?" Xu Tao's words touched upon Chen Chengxing's blind spot in knowledge.

Chen Chengxing only knew that mortar shells were made of cast iron, but he didn't know there was such a saying.

"Rigid cast iron is relatively brittle and requires a special furnace, which we don't have. But there is another way, which is to add steel to pig iron," Xu Tao explained.

"Wen Ying is researching the production of 60mm mortars, so there should be some scrap steel generated. You can use it." Chen Chengxing heard that this could be achieved by adding steel, and although he felt a little distressed, he still wanted to give it a try.

"If there is scrap steel, I still suggest not using it on the projectile body." Xu Tao shook his head at Chen Chengxing's suggestion.

"what?"

"There are many factors that affect production nowadays, among which the production of tail fins is also very important. Nowadays, tail fins are cut from oil drums and then welded to the butt. After all, there are not so many oil drums. If possible, we can directly use scrap steel to precision-cast the tail fins to ensure the production of artillery shells." Xu Tao explained.

Xu Tao didn't have much hope for the amount of scrap steel. He knew too well the style of those people in the repair shop. As long as the scraps could still be used, they would never be discarded. He would probably get more of the debris from turning.

In the absence of sufficient scrap steel supply, a small amount of rigid cast iron shells will hardly affect the overall situation.

"Okay, you have the final say on this matter. However, once Wen Ying completes the research and development of the mortar, your artillery shells must also catch up. I have already discussed this with the political commissar. We will need to increase the manpower in the arsenal, so you must also expand the scale," said Chen Chengxing.

When it comes to professional matters, you have to listen to the advice of professionals. It is absolutely unacceptable for a layman to lead the experts.

"Okay, I will communicate with Director Wen." Xu Tao nodded.

"Then I'll take care of it." Chen Chengxing stood up and said.

"As long as the comrades can kill more Japanese devils, I will be satisfied." Xu Tao said seriously.

For the following period of time, Chen Chengxing kept traveling back and forth between Erlangdong, Hongniwan, and the bases of various camps, especially the supplementary camp, where he would go every few days.

In addition to focusing on training, potatoes are also something Chen Chengxing focuses on.

Chen Chengxing knew very well that the more he valued it, the more the people below him would take it to heart.

Just when everything was developing in an orderly manner, in early May, the brigade headquarters suddenly sent an order asking Chen Chengxing to attend a meeting.

"Why is there a meeting at the headquarters?" Luo Ping asked in confusion.

"Haha. I guess the Japanese are looking for trouble again." Chen Chengxing said casually.

It has been almost a month since the last battle in northwestern Shanxi. The Japanese should have taken countermeasures, but I don’t know how big the fight will be this time.

"Lao Luo, I'm going to a meeting now. I'll leave the house to you. Follow the old rules. First assign the new recruits from the replenishment battalion, and continue training and recruiting the rest." Chen Chengxing put on his hat and gave instructions.

Most of the wounded soldiers in the hand-to-hand combat with Shimada's Battalion in March have returned to their teams, so this time the supplementary battalion does not need to distribute the entire battalion. After the three main battalions are fully replenished, there will still be more than 3 people left in the supplementary battalion.

"Don't worry about that." Luo Ping nodded. Since he and Chen Chengxing became partners, he has been mainly responsible for logistics.

(End of this chapter)