Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 186 The cost of manufacturing one bullet, mass production achieved.

Learning about bullet production line equipment is ongoing.

The 10 universal milling machines purchased from the United States were actually modified, with additional functions for making bullets added to their original capabilities.

This bullet production line from the late stages of World War I was entirely handmade, and it remained the mainstream equipment even during World War II.

It includes a manual spiral stamping machine, which can stamp both bullet heads and cartridge cases.

The stamped projectiles need to be finished on a universal milling machine to ensure that the roundness and sharpness of the projectiles are as consistent as possible, and the primer area at the bottom of the cartridge case also needs to be specially made.

Making a bullet is easy. With Huo Duanyang's help in making the primer and propellant, and Fang Wen's mechanical perception ability, it is possible to make one.

But that doesn't mean mass production is equally easy.

Mass production of 7.92mm bullets requires more resources.

Skilled workers, copper and lead materials, and the production of propellants and firing powder are all essential.

Therefore, having the equipment alone is not enough.

But these are not impossible.

Fang Wen and Huo Duanyang immediately returned to Shanghai, preparing to poach talent from the Jinling Arsenal and bring over a group of skilled bullet production workers.

With these skilled workers in hand, we can then consider other issues.

In the early morning, the F.220 landed at Shanghai Airport and parked in the hangar.

Fang Wen and Huo Duanyang got off the plane and walked out of the hangar, heading directly to the China Airlines waiting area.

There, the pilot for the morning flight turned out to be Fei Yizhen.

Fang Wen patted the driver's seat, and Fei Yizhen quickly came out: "Master, it's been a long time."

Back when he was with China Airlines, Fang Wen mentored two flight trainees: Yue Jinping and Fei Yizhen. Calling him his mentor wouldn't be wrong.

Fang Wen smiled and accepted, replying, "Did those Americans let you fly all morning?"

“Another batch left, saying that the dollar had depreciated and the wages were too low, so they didn’t want to continue. The company has found another batch of pilots, who are currently undergoing training and waiting to start work. They all came from your Taishan Airlines,” Fei Yizhen replied.

Taishan Airlines selected the best of the best for its first batch of flight apprentices, but this did not mean that the other flight apprentices were bad. Some stayed with the company to work in ground service and training, while the rest went out to find their own way. Some went to flight schools, and some became pilots.

Fang Wen wasn't surprised and continued the conversation: "Is the plane full today? Huo Duanyang and I are going to Nanjing."

"It's not full yet, why don't you drive?" Fei Yizhen said with a smile.

“Sure.” Fang Wen didn’t mince words and negotiated with the control tower staff who came to register.

His title of flight specialist is still with China Airlines. Although it is an honorary title, it does allow him to fly passenger planes.

Everyone at China Airlines knew that the general manager of the neighboring Taishan Airlines came from their company and had top-notch piloting skills, so they naturally agreed.

Sitting in the cockpit of the Detroit Piston, Fang Wensheng felt like he was playing with a toy.

Having flown large passenger planes and strategic bombers, he no longer finds such a simple, old-fashioned passenger plane appealing.

After the passengers boarded, the plane took off immediately. The journey was smooth and the speed was maintained at a high level. It took just over an hour to reach Nanjing.

After disembarking and saying goodbye to Fei Yizhen, Fang Wen and Huo Duanyang took a shuttle bus into Nanjing.

After changing to a rickshaw at Confucius Temple, we arrived at the north gate of Jinling Arsenal in Yanghu Lane.

At the door, Fang Wen and Huo Duanyang discussed the matter.

“Let’s go find the factory manager first and talk to him directly under the pretense of recruiting workers for a foreign arms factory.”

Huo Duanyang asked, puzzled, "Won't the factory manager stop us if he finds out? It's better to recruit people quietly."

Seeing that Huo Duanyang didn't understand what he meant, Fang Wen explained:
"Think about it, domestic arms factories come here to poach people, creating competition among them, which is definitely not allowed. Local governments also won't agree. But it's different when foreign arms factories recruit; there's no competition, and as long as you make the right connections, the chances are much better."

Huo Duanyang suddenly realized.

Fang Wen then instructed, "When you introduce me, don't say I'm the general manager of Taishan Aviation. Just say I'm a manager sent by the British Navy to build a new arsenal in Yangon."

After all this, Huo Duanyang finally got it.

He and Fang Wen registered at the gate and then entered the arsenal.

Led by Huo Duanyang, they passed through one factory building after another and arrived at the factory director's office.

Knock on the door.

The factory manager opened the door and saw Huo Duanyang. He smiled and said, "Little Huo, how have you been doing these past few months?"

"Not bad, Factory Manager. He went abroad for a trip," Huo Duanyang replied.

These words made the factory manager's eyes light up. "Really? Come in and sit down. Tell me about your experiences abroad."

"I haven't been away for long, so I haven't seen much. I'm here with our leader to discuss some matters. By the way, let me introduce you. This is my current leader, Tong Junyong, the acting director of the Yangon Arsenal in British Burma." Huo Duanyang introduced Fang Wen to the director.

The director of the Jinling Arsenal, seeing the standards of his foreign counterparts, immediately raised them.

He invited the two men into his office while having the factory staff in the adjacent room make tea and serve them water.

After exchanging pleasantries, the director of the Jinling Arsenal smiled and looked at Fang Wen.

"Director Tong, what brings you here today?"

Fang Wen smiled and said, "It's all business. My boss heard that there is a great demand for bullets in Asia, so he got some bullet processing equipment and plans to build a factory in South Asia to do some bullet trading. But the people in South Asia are not very skilled and it is difficult to train them. In order not to delay the business, he came up with the idea of ​​recruiting skilled workers in China. Huo Duanyang came from your Jinling Arsenal, so we will come here first."

These words will explain the origin and purpose of the visit.

The director of the Jinling Arsenal did not answer, but instead laughed and said, "Since you are our guest, let's go out for a meal first."

Fang Wen understood that this was just a pretext; they wouldn't act until they saw the benefits.

He placed the suitcase on the table and took out a wad of banknotes.

“Here is $10,000. I want to recruit 50 skilled bullet production workers.”

"Ten thousand US dollars?!" The director of the Jinling Arsenal's eyes lit up, but then he added, "That's too much."

That's definitely too much. Recruiting 50 workers for $10,000 would be $200 per person.

It cost approximately 600 silver dollars per person.

Fang Wen smiled and replied, "This is your labor fee; the workers' compensation will be paid separately."

That makes all the difference.

The prospect of pocketing a full ten thousand dollars is an extremely tempting offer.

While he hesitated.

Huo Duanyang asked feigned concern, "Factory manager, are you worried that hiring too many people at once will disrupt the operations of the ammunition workshop?"

The factory manager, who was staring intently at the US dollars, replied, "We don't lack bullet workers. The factory has several thousand workers in total, including the machine factory, wrought iron factory, foundry, woodworking factory, gunpowder factory, mine factory, gun factory, and artillery factory. If we lose 50 people, we can make up for it through internal transfers. It's not a big problem. The key is whether they are willing to come with you. How about this, I'll arrange a meeting, take them outside the factory, and you can talk privately. If it works out, I'll take care of the rest."

His approach is perfectly safe; whether it succeeds or not, it won't affect him.

Fang Wen immediately agreed, and they discussed where and when to meet.

A day passes by in the blink of an eye, the sun sets in the west, and the evening light spreads.

The Jinling Arsenal has also closed for the day.

There were quite a lot of people leaving the factory today, and they were all being led out by people from the factory office.

They chatted and laughed as they made their way through Yanghu Lane, eventually arriving at a large courtyard.

It used to be a textile factory, but it has long since closed down, and all the machines have been moved and sold off, leaving only an empty courtyard.

I heard it was opened by a relative of the factory manager.

They went into the courtyard. The factory staff left first, but the factory director came out.

He said with a smile, "Brothers and sisters in the bullet workshop, it's a great thing that we invited you here today."

The factory manager, who usually ignored them completely, was now speaking so effusively, making the workers in the bullet workshop feel somewhat uncomfortable. "Manager, whether it's good news or bad, just say it, we'll take it," one worker voiced their sentiments.

"Ahem, I can't explain this to you. Someone else will have to speak." The factory manager quickly stepped aside, and Fang Wen and Huo Duanyang came out.

Upon seeing Huo Duanyang, people began to discuss the matter.

"Isn't this the college student from the gunpowder factory's testing lab?"

"I heard he resigned a few months ago."

"Now that he's back, he must have made something of himself outside. Look at the factory manager's attitude."

Amid the discussion, Huo Duanyang spoke up: "Hello everyone, I am Huo Duanyang. Some of you may recognize me. I used to work in the factory, and now I am an employee of the South Asia Gun and Cannon Factory. The person next to me is the acting factory manager of the South Asia Gun and Cannon Factory. We are here today specifically to recruit a group of skilled bullet manufacturing workers with excellent benefits."

Everyone looked at their factory manager in surprise, but the manager said calmly, "I'm doing this for everyone's sake. They've given us so much. Listen to what they have to say before you speak."

Fang Wen said, "Each person will receive a basic monthly salary of 20 silver dollars, with piecework performance as the basis. Those who exceed the base amount will receive a bonus, and an extra month's salary will be given at the end of the year as a year-end bonus."

This treatment was the treatment given to workers in a bomb factory; of course, the same treatment would apply to workers in a bullet factory.

Just like when they were recruiting workers for the bomb factory, the workers in the bullet workshop of the Jinling Arsenal were also stunned by the generous treatment.

That's too high, more than three times the normal wage. It's enough for these skilled workers to support their families and live a better life.

Immediately, people started asking for details.

Fang Wen and Huo Duanyang answered one by one.

"Where do you work? Are you going abroad?"

"If you want to go abroad, go to Yangon, a coastal city in British Burma."

"How do we get there?"

"The company has a dedicated channel to send them over by plane."

"When can you come back?"

"There is a family visit leave every six months, and a unified 15-day Spring Festival holiday at the end of the year. The company covers the round-trip travel expenses and arranges transportation."

They asked questions one by one, and their doubts were perfectly answered. If it were true, it would undoubtedly be much better than their current job.

They felt that the basic treatment of future workers was too good.

Then, an issue that everyone was more concerned about arose.

What kind of talent is qualified?

Fang Wen replied, "The relevant test will be arranged in three days, just outside Nanjing Airport. If you pass, you will be hired."

The man then asked, "If I get hired, what will happen to the Jinling factory? What if they won't let us leave?"

Everyone looked at the factory director of Jinling Factory without prior arrangement.

Fang Wen also looked at the factory director of Jinling Factory, who smiled and said, "The factory will not stop you, nor will it deduct your wages. We guarantee that you will leave smoothly."

After some discussion, most of the workers in the bullet workshop were willing to participate in the test.

After completing the registration, Fang Wen and Huo Duanyang left first.

The two stayed temporarily in an old house outside the airport, and returned to Shanghai the next day, bringing the universal milling machine back with them.

The universal milling machine is housed in Fang Wen's old house in Nanjing.

Three days later, the workers arrived one after another.

They registered outside and then went inside to be tested.

The test involved operating a universal milling machine to process bullets.

This was the first time the workers had encountered this integrated bullet processing equipment, but after the explanation, they weren't too nervous, since it was different from the usual bullet processing procedures, but not by much.

After two days of learning, they began to operate the equipment.

Of the 62 workers who met Fang Wen's requirements during the operational assessment, Fang Wen and the factory director of Jinling Factory agreed to hire all 62 workers.

Then came their resignation procedures and the distribution of resettlement allowances.

The workers who left the Jinling factory received a resettlement allowance of 20 silver dollars each, which meant they had no way out.

Deep down, they were still a little scared, afraid of being sold abroad as "coolies" to do hard labor, just like they had in the past.

But what happened next made them lower their guard.

I really did go by plane.

Moreover, it's a large passenger aircraft that doesn't yet exist in China.

Sixty-two skilled workers departed from Shanghai on flight D.332, transited at Xiangxi Airport, and then flew directly to Yangon.

Upon arriving in Yangon and disembarking from the plane, the workers' first impression was of the intense heat.

Aside from the heat, everything else is fine.

The friendly local Chinese community has its own social circle, and they provide all kinds of everyday necessities without any need for adaptation. You can also choose Chinese cuisine for your meals.

Fang Wen simply used the alias he had given them when they were recruited to work there: South Asia Gun Factory.

Now that we have the equipment and workers, all that's left is to find the materials and improve the production process.

Upon returning to Xiangxi Airport, Huo Duanyang immediately began work on configuring the bullet primers and propellants.

Fang Wen stayed in Yangon to resolve the final issue of bullet materials.

In this era, copper was a precious strategic resource.

Bullet casings from all over the world are basically made of copper, as are cannon barrels, gun barrels, and many other applications related to copper.

In addition, copper is consumed in daily necessities, and the demand for this resource is huge. Many places are self-sufficient, with little export and few ways to obtain large quantities.

Available sources of copper ingots include: Toyo Smelter in Japan, Chuquicamata Smelter in Chile, Horn Smelter in Michigan, and Mikel Smelter in Arizona.

Fang Wen converted the prices quoted by these factories into US dollars.

The price of copper ingots at Toyo Smelter in Japan fluctuates around $400 per ton, which is a very high price.

Copper ingots at the Chuqui Camata smelter in Chile: $370 per ton.

The export price from the Horn refinery in Michigan and the Mikel refinery in Arizona is the same: $350 per ton.

They won't buy copper from Japan; it's too expensive, and they're afraid of attracting Japanese spies.

Then we can only choose copper from the Americas.

This price also includes shipping costs; shipping to Yangon would increase the selling price by one-third.

In other words, the total cost of importing copper ingots from the United States is $460 per ton.

A pure copper bullet with a lead core has a bullet weight of 10 g, a propellant weight of 3 g, a lead core weight of 3 g, and a total bullet weight of 26 g.

That means it requires 20g of copper.

One ton of copper can make nearly 5 bullets.

Each bullet cost approximately 0.92 cents of copper.

Add to that the costs of labor, gunpowder, and all sorts of other expenses.

That's equivalent to a cost of 1.5 cents per bullet.

This cost is not expensive for Fang Wen.

It's entirely affordable.

Immediately, the bullet workshop began operation.

(End of this chapter)