Bright Sword: From Border Region Manufacturing to Major National Heavy Industry

Chapter 2 Overtaking on a Curve
The arsenal has ceased production?
Upon hearing this, the key personnel present all widened their eyes instantly, wondering if there was something wrong with their ears!

The arsenal is the lifeline of our army; how can it be shut down at will!

The workshop foreman looked solemnly at Li Muzhi: "Factory director, we've stopped producing grenades and bullets. What are we going to supply the troops with? Are we going to have the troops go and chop the enemy with broadswords?"

Lao He already had reservations about Li Muzhi being appointed as the director of the arsenal, and now he was openly expressing his feelings.

"We will provide artillery to the troops!" Li Muzhi said solemnly.

Provide artillery for the troops!
Upon hearing this, Lao He and the others instantly seemed to be calmed down!
Our arsenal can't even smelt steel, how can we possibly make cannons?
Do you think you can rely on just your words, factory manager?
Old He slammed his fist on the table: "Factory Director, Minister Zhang has entrusted the arsenal to you, which shows that he trusts you a lot. How can you joke around like this? We can't even make bullets, how can we make cannons!"

Li Muzhi took out a pen and quickly drew a diagram on the paper, which was the prototype of the Hell Cannon.

Li Muzhi pointed to Lao He and the others, saying, "Look, this is what the cannon we're going to build looks like. We can use the material for casting hand grenades for the shell body. We can cut the large-caliber steel pipes that Commander Li handed over in the warehouse directly to use as cannon barrels. And then there's the cannon's base..."

Lao He and these key personnel are not illiterate bumpkins; they all have a solid foundation.

In addition, Li Muzhi explained things in great detail, and the eyes of Lao He and these key personnel gradually changed from doubt to shock.

With the supplies that Commander Li handed over in the warehouse, it seems that we can really build cannons.

Old He seemed to remember something and questioned, "Even if you, the factory manager, can make this cannon, we don't know how to make explosives."

We can only get some black powder.

We have absolutely no idea how to make the explosives for artillery shells.

“Yes, Director, without explosives, we can’t fill our shells with black powder, can we? That won’t be powerful enough.” Other key personnel also expressed their doubts.

"Look at these two things." Li Muzhi took out two samples.

"Isn't this just sugar and fertilizer?" Old He blurted out.

“I have analyzed the composition of this fertilizer, and it contains a large amount of ammonium nitrate!” Li Muzhi said. “Ammonium nitrate can be used to make high explosives, and adding white sugar can increase the power of the explosives. It is perfectly feasible to use it as an explosive.”

Do fertilizers contain ammonium nitrate?

When Lao He and the other key personnel heard this, they didn't believe it.

This fertilizer was sold by the Japanese.

Are those Japanese devils out of their minds, or out of their brains?
Isn't this tantamount to them selling raw materials for high explosives in disguise?
"Come with me, I'll show you with my own eyes." Li Muzhi led the key personnel to the test site.

The old man and the other key personnel watched Li Muzhi operate with complete concentration, afraid of missing any details.

Finally, in front of all of them, Li Muzhi produced the high explosive.

“You all saw what happened,” Li Muzhi said, looking at everyone. “I didn’t do anything else.”

"Factory manager, hurry up and do the test explosion." The key personnel all looked on with anticipation.

They all saw it clearly; this thing was made by Li Muzhi using sugar and fertilizer.

If it really succeeds, then we can definitely make this cannon.

Li Muzhi filled the grenade body with the powder, sealed it, left the fuse intact, and buried it in a pit.

Only after everyone had retreated beyond the safety line did Li Muzhi light the fuse.

The fuse was lit, hissing as it burned, and all eyes were fixed on it. There was tension!
I'm looking forward to it!
I'm excited!
……

boom!
The fuse burned out, and the explosives detonated.

A large crater was blasted into the ground, and before the smoke had cleared, the key personnel rushed over.

Staring at the huge crater, everyone was dumbfounded: "My God, sugar and fertilizer can really make explosives, and they're so powerful!"

One of the key personnel couldn't help but say, "This power looks just as strong as the Japanese melon grenades! Couldn't we fill our grenades with this powder? Then our grenades won't be weak anymore, and the soldiers won't complain about their poor quality. It's like we've made our own high-powered grenades!"

This suggestion was immediately echoed by many other key personnel: "Yes, yes, yes, let's fill the grenades with this powder, and then let's see who dares to say that the grenades made in our border region are of poor quality!"

Old He's tone involuntarily shifted towards Li Muzhi: "What are you saying? This is the factory director's masterpiece; how can we waste such a talent!"

"Old He, why are we wasting such a great talent?" the other key personnel asked, puzzled.

"The Japanese sell fertilizer, and it's cheap, so we can buy it. But sugar is hard to come by; it's a strategic resource there," Lao He said. "The amount of sugar in our warehouse is also very limited. Once it's used up, it's gone. Using it to make hand grenades is definitely not as good as making cannon shells. Think about it, which is more powerful, a cannon or a hand grenade?"

"Yes, yes, you're right! We should make them into shells and use them on cannons!" The other key personnel nodded in agreement.

The limited amount of sugar that could be used to make explosives would definitely be used in cannon shells to make the best use of it.

A cannon without shells is just a lump of scrap metal.

We can't let the factory manager's brilliant ideas go to waste!

"Ahem." Li Muzhi coughed and looked at everyone: "Everyone."

Lao He and the others all turned their gazes toward Li Muzhi, their eyes burning with desire.

Some of them initially harbored resentment towards Li Muzhi's appointment as factory director because he was too young, only in his twenties. They, in their thirties and forties, were bound to feel uneasy about being ordered around by a young man…

but!

Having witnessed Li Muzhi's theories on cannon construction and his ability to produce high explosives, these people admired Li Muzhi wholeheartedly and had no more complaints.

"Although I am the director of the arsenal, the arsenal's weapons production mainly depends on you." Li Muzhi looked at them seriously. "Are you willing to stop the current bullet production and the resumption of grenade production at the arsenal and switch to artillery production?"

Old He was the first to stand up and shout in support: "Anyone who disagrees with building cannons should quit working at the arsenal!"

The other key members were all eager to get started:

"We can make cannons now, why bother with bullets and grenades?"

"These bullets and grenades are of poor quality. In a way, it is irresponsible of us to supply these substandard products to the troops!"

"That's right, let's stop production immediately. If we're going to do this, let's go big!"

……

"Good!" Li Muzhi shouted "Good!" and then took the blame upon himself: "Everyone, if Minister Zhang blames you later, it has nothing to do with you. I will take all the responsibility."

Lao He laughed: "Factory Director, don't talk about responsibility. You led us to develop the cannon. You are the most precious of all. Minister Zhang would definitely want to treat you like royalty every day."

"Hahahaha." The other key members all burst into laughter.

Let's get started, let's build the cannons!
(End of this chapter)