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

Chapter 283 Let the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (Zhongtong) make sewing machines

My sister's guerrilla team only has forty or fifty people now.

At best, it's just a reinforced platoon.

For an ordinary small guerrilla unit, getting even a rocket launcher was considered extremely lucky.

My own sister's guerrilla unit actually managed to get two rocket launchers!
They might even give you one of those Hellfire missiles!
The Hellfire missile has been developed, and many people have come to ask for it, but no one has been able to get one yet.

Even Commander Kong didn't want it.

I never imagined that my sister's guerrilla unit would actually get a ground-based missile!

"What? I won't agree?" At that moment, Zhang Wanhe's voice came from behind.

Comrade Zhang came to the border region's arsenal to look for Li Muzhi, only to find that Li Muzhi was not at the factory, but was being taken for a walk by the Emperor under the protection of the guard captain.

So, Comrade Lao Zhang came over on his way.

I happened to hear the captain of the guard's last surprised words.

Seeing Zhang Wanhe approaching, the guard captain turned to Li Muzhi and asked, "Director Li, are you really going to give me this many girls?"

Li Muzhi did not answer the guard captain, but looked at Zhang Wanhe who was walking over happily and asked, "Minister Zhang, what good news has come this time?"

Although Li Muzhi knew that if he really told Zhang Wanhe about giving the guard captain's sister those weapons, Zhang Wanhe would eventually agree, but he would definitely still think it was too much, and at the very least, Zhang would confiscate one of the rocket launchers.

Now that it seems Comrade Zhang has some good news, I'll ask him about it first.

Taking advantage of Old Zhang's good mood, I casually mentioned it, and Old Zhang will most likely not care about giving him this extra detail.

"Haha." Zhang Wanhe laughed and said, "Li Yunlong has captured another Japanese military expert."

Li Yunlong has captured another Japanese military expert.
Upon hearing this, Li Muzhi exclaimed in surprise, "Commander Li's abilities are too strong! First, he captured Yamamoto Sakura, and now he's captured a military expert. It's as if capturing Japanese military experts is so easy."

“We were lucky to run into him,” Zhang Wanhe said with a smile. “What’s interesting is that Yan Kai also knows this Japanese military expert, named Takahashi Konosuke, who is a Japanese metallurgical expert.”

"A metallurgical expert?" Li Muzhi asked expectantly. "Has there been any preliminary interrogation of this person?"

On the surface, this person is a metallurgical expert.

Actually, this person is the clue.

Since he is a smelting expert, he must have come from an important Japanese smelting plant.

If we could learn the location of the Japanese's important smelting plant from this person, it would be of great significance.

"We just questioned him. He's very stubborn, like a rock, and completely uncooperative," Zhang Wanhe explained.

The head of the guard couldn't help but say, "Minister Zhang, you're not going to ask Factory Director Li to oversee things again, are you?"

Last time, Yamamoto Sakura was uncooperative, so Li Muzhi went to check on her, which inadvertently opened a door for the political officers.

Sakura Yamamoto is currently undergoing a makeover.

If Director Li were to oversee things again and open the door again... cough cough.

The captain of the guard still thought he was overthinking things.

Although he had never met this Takahashi Konosuke, he could tell from Zhang Wanhe's tone that this person was on a completely different level from Yamamoto Sakura; he was much more capable than Yamamoto Sakura.

Zhang Wanhe did not answer the guard captain's question, but looked at Li Muzhi: "Xiao Li, Regiment Commander Gao Xigang, who brought Takahashi Konosuke back, said that the Japanese soldiers who escorted Takahashi Konosuke at that time were two companies, and their weapons were of a higher standard than those of ordinary Japanese troops. Based on this alone, we can tell that this Japanese soldier is not simple. Yan Kai said that he is a metallurgical expert. Do you think you can find a way to confirm this?"

"Where is he?" Li Muzhi asked.

"Over there in the interrogation room," Zhang Wanhe said, pointing in the direction of the interrogation room.

"I'll go take a look," Li Muzhi nodded.

“Alright, go and take a look.” Zhang Wanhe looked at Li Muzhi. “This Takahashi Konosuke seems to have received anti-interrogation training. He’s not as easy to deal with as Yamamoto Sakura. If you can’t handle him, it’s okay. Don’t feel pressured.”

"Ah."

Li Muzhi nodded.

Li Muzhi and Zhang Wanhe walked in front, while the captain of the guard led the Emperor behind.

Zhang Wanhe asked, "Xiao Li, what did you just say about giving too much and I not agreeing to it?"

“The captain of the guard has a sister who is a guerrilla captain…” Li Muzhi had only just begun to speak, before he could finish his sentence.

Comrade Zhang immediately nodded quickly: "You want to give the captain of the guard's sister some weapons, right? No problem, no problem, do as you say."

Last month, the guard captain wanted to get some weapons for his sister, but Old Zhang didn't agree because it was genuinely difficult.

Things are different now. Xiao Li has set up the border region's arsenal, so providing a regular guerrilla unit with some weapons and ammunition is no problem at all.

Before Li Muzhi could speak, the guard captain behind him asked in surprise, "Minister Zhang, you agreed without even hearing what Factory Director Li had to say?"

"If Xiao Li can agree to it, then of course I have no objection." Zhang Wanhe's attitude was that since Li Muzhi had made the decision, then he wouldn't interfere.

"Hehe." The guard captain chuckled and said, "Minister Zhang, then I'll thank you on behalf of my sister. Two rocket launchers and one Hellfire missile, you can settle the bill later." "What, two rocket launchers and one Hellfire missile?" Zhang Wanhe's eyes widened immediately upon hearing this.

Captain of the Guard, you son of a bitch, you have quite the appetite.

Your sister is just a small guerrilla leader with only about forty men. You dare to ask Li Muzhi for two rocket launchers?
Do you even know that the county brigades down there can only get one rocket launcher each, and you want two!

Not to mention you also want a Hell missile, which hasn't even been issued to the main forces yet.

A dozen or so of our elite divisions have started fighting the Japanese. We need to keep the Hellfire missiles in reserve for emergencies.

Li Muzhi said to Zhang Wanhe, "Minister Zhang, I gave it to him voluntarily, not the captain of the guard who asked for it."

“Well, well, well…” Zhang Wanhe originally wanted to say that it was too much, but since he had already readily agreed, he nodded and said, “Then there’s no problem. It’s not easy for a young girl to lead a guerrilla team to fight the Japanese.”

Li Muzhi chimed in, "Yes, she's had a tough time. You should send her a partner, preferably someone with education."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Wanhe glanced at the captain of the guard, then looked at Li Muzhi and said, "Okay, I understand."

Zhang Wanhe was a shrewd man and realized that Li Muzhi wanted to support the development and expansion of the guard captain's team. Otherwise, it would be best if his partner were more educated.

Culture is crucial for an army to grow stronger.

Immediately afterward, Zhang Wanhe added, "If she wants priority access to weapons and ammunition in the future, she'll have to produce results. The rules set by logistics cannot be broken."

If giving them two rocket launchers and a Hellfire missile isn't enough to achieve results, it wouldn't be appropriate for Zhang Wanhe to continue favoring them; others would say it's unfair.

The captain of the guard quickly replied, "Of course, of course, Minister Zhang, if my sister doesn't do a good job, she certainly won't make things difficult for you."

The captain of the guard was overjoyed.

The girls' guerrilla team has its weapons and partners. As long as they achieve results, the team's development will definitely not be a problem.

If this person's problem can also be solved, then I can focus on protecting the border arsenal.

Even if I die in battle, I will have no regrets.

Following behind Li Muzhi and Zhang Wanhe, the captain of the guard did not disturb them, and instead pondered in his mind how to reply to his sister.

Zhang Wanhe asked, "Xiao Li, how's the flashbang going?"

“It can be made before inspection.” Li Muzhi nodded and asked, “Will the equipment from the Military Intelligence Bureau really arrive on time?”

“If he can’t arrive on time, he can forget about the flashbangs.” Zhang Wanhe said solemnly, then added, “The Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics also wants flashbangs. I’ll have them get me a batch of sewing machines.”

Should the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (CBIS) be tasked with manufacturing sewing machines?
Li Muzhi was taken aback: "Minister Zhang, aren't you going to let them develop military equipment?"

“Xiao Li, you haven’t taken charge of the household; all you care about is weapons. I don’t blame you,” Zhang Wanhe said solemnly. “Because our troops have grown too fast, and the Japanese blockade is so tight, last winter, many soldiers suffered frostbite and even froze to death. To fight the Japanese, we can’t just have weapons and ammunition; we also need clothes and blankets to sleep under. The clothing factory doesn’t have enough sewing machines; we have to expand.”

Then Zhang Wanhe added, "Military equipment isn't so easy to get, and they're not stupid. But these living facilities are easy to replace quickly."

“Having a sewing machine is one thing, but you also need cotton and cloth,” Li Muzhi pointed out.

Comrade Lao Zhang is right. As the factory director, he does indeed have military equipment on his mind at all times, and he wishes he could produce more and better weapons for the army.

In terms of daily life, it is indeed something that cannot be ignored.

Just like the border region's arsenal was able to smelt iron.

The first thing they made was not a weapon, but an iron pot.

If the arsenal had better conditions and fewer materials, these military water bottles should have been made.

Military campaigns require a lot of physical exertion and necessitate the consumption of large amounts of water.

Besides military water bottles, tents for field camping, and even hats and umbrellas should be made.

In short, war is not just about weapons and ammunition, but also about food, clothing, shelter, and transportation.

"We definitely need to get cotton and cloth, but we have to take it one step at a time. Let's get the most important stuff sorted out first," Zhang Wanhe nodded.

While they were talking, Li Muzhi followed Zhang Wanhe to the interrogation room.

Zhang Wanhe reminded the captain of the guard, "Although Takahashi Konosuke is tied up, he is still struggling fiercely and there is some danger. You go in with him and don't let Xiao Li get too close to him."

"Yes, Minister Zhang." The captain of the guard nodded, looked at Li Muzhi, pointed to the Emperor he was leading, and asked, "Director Li, should we bring the Emperor in as well?"

"Of course I want it," Li Muzhi said without hesitation.

We need to let the Emperor go in and smell it, so that he remembers that the Japanese soldiers smell like that.

In the future, if a Japanese spy were to infiltrate the country, perhaps the Emperor would be able to identify them in time and avert disaster.

“Alright.” The captain of the guard nodded, and led the Emperor into the interrogation room along with Li Muzhi.

Zhang Wanhe didn't go in. Since Li Muzhi was going to take care of the guerrillas of the guard captain's sister, then Comrade Zhang had to quickly find some educated intellectuals and have someone send over rocket launchers, rocket shells, and hell bombs.

(End of this chapter)