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

Chapter 352 Porcelain work requires a diamond drill
"Factory manager, please have a seat. I'll go get you some food."

Xiao Gu told Li Muzhi to find a seat in the cafeteria while he went to get his food.

"Alright then." Li Muzhi casually found a seat and sat down.

Xiao Gu happily went to get her food.

"Director Li, you have time to eat in the canteen today?" Kong Jie, carrying his food, plopped down opposite Li Muzhi and greeted him with a big smile.

"Commander Kong, you seem to be in a good mood. Did something good happen?" Li Muzhi asked with a smile.

"I'm happy just looking at Director Li, isn't that a good thing!" Kong Jie said seriously.

"Hehe." Li Muzhi chuckled. "Commander Kong, it's rare to see you being humorous."

"Haha." Kong Jie laughed and got straight to the point: "I received a reminder from headquarters that when my people are teaching students and workers military skills, they should try their best not to affect their emotions. When are you going to start making arrangements?"

When veterans in combat units teach others, they inevitably become rude at times.

The headquarters leaders personally spoke to Kong Jie, so this matter definitely needs to be handled carefully.

After all, the focus of workers and students should be on the arsenal, and learning military skills is only secondary.

If their emotions are affected, it can easily affect the production of the arsenal.

“I received feedback from headquarters this morning,” Li Muzhi replied. “I’ve already spoken to Lao He, let’s start tomorrow morning.”

“Okay, then tomorrow morning.” Kong Jie nodded.

"Factory Director, the food is here." Xiao Gu brought over Li Muzhi's food and also greeted Kong Jie, "Hello, Commander Kong."

"Hmm, Xiao Gu, hello." Kong Jie replied with a smile, then asked, "Xiao Gu, you seem so happy, what's wrong? Don't you want to go back to the battlefield?"

Kong Jie was also aware of Xiao Gu's situation.

He was the youngest in the family, having lost all four of his older brothers in battle.

"I want to learn from the factory manager," Xiao Gu replied earnestly. "I also want to be like the factory manager, using my wisdom to manufacture weapons and ammunition so that our troops can kill more Japanese devils. That would be equivalent to killing Japanese devils for me."

Kong Jie was somewhat surprised upon hearing this and turned to look at Li Muzhi: "Director Li, do you have time to teach Xiao Gu?"

"Let him see some things for himself first," Li Muzhi said with a smile. "Our military industry is still too lacking in talent. It would be good to train one more person along the way."

Xiao Gu assured him, "Director Li, I will definitely study hard and won't let you down."

"Okay." Li Muzhi nodded and said, "Go eat by yourself. After you finish eating, bring some back for Zhang Ganren."

"Yes, Factory Manager." Xiao Gu walked away.

Watching Xiao Gu's retreating figure, Kong Jie couldn't help but joke, "Oh, Director Li, you still have time to teach Xiao Gu something amidst your busy schedule. I'm thinking, if I had a son, I would definitely put him by your side and let him learn something from you."

Li Muzhi laughed and said, "Commander Kong, if you really have a son, why don't you teach him all your skills in killing enemies?"

In the original novel, it is not mentioned whether Kong Jie had any children.

However, Kong Jie did manage to raise Zhao Gang and Li Yunlong's children to be successful.

“How can this compare to learning from you…” Kong Jie didn’t finish his sentence.

Li Yunlong's voice came from behind: "Hey Kong Erlengzi, you're really dreaming. You haven't even found a wife yet, and you're already making arrangements for your son. Why don't you just make arrangements for your grandson as well?"

"Old Li, why aren't you busy reorganizing the troops? What are you doing here?" Kong Jie wasn't angry at Li Yunlong's joke; after all, poor brothers were used to joking around.

"Can't I come over for a meal?" Li Yunlong sat down next to Li Muzhi with the food in his hands. "Brother Li, I haven't seen you in so long, I've missed you terribly."

Before Li Muzhi could speak, Kong Jie joked, "I'm afraid you, Li Yunlong, are pretending to miss Director Li, but you really want the Hellfire missile in Director Li's hands."

"Go away, Kong Erlengzi, no one will think you're mute if you don't speak." Li Yunlong rolled his eyes at Kong Jie, then looked at Li Muzhi with a smile, "Brother Li, how's it going? I've brought back the equipment from the Taiyuan Arsenal. Can you arrange the anti-aircraft weapons now?"

"I'm sorry, Commander Li, we can't make this anti-aircraft weapon." Li Muzhi shook his head.

"Can't you make anti-aircraft weapons?" Li Yunlong was taken aback and asked suspiciously, "What's going on? Didn't we bring the equipment back to you?"

Kong Jie stared blankly at Li Muzhi: "Director Li, is something wrong?"

The radar is already built; all that's missing is the air defense weapon.

If the air defense weapons can't be deployed, then the radar's usefulness is significantly reduced!
“The quality requirements for the barrels of anti-aircraft weapons are even higher, and the Taiyuan Arsenal’s equipment for producing seamless steel pipes is not strong enough,” Li Muzhi explained.

Li Yunlong said, "So that means the equipment used to make seamless steel pipes isn't professional enough?"

"You could say that," Li Muzhi nodded.

"If I can get you the professional equipment, then we can make the gun barrel for this anti-aircraft gun, right?"

Before Li Muzhi could answer, Kong Jie called out, "Li Yunlong, do you have some connections? Tell us quickly."

"Kong Erlengzi, I want to have a private talk with Brother Li. To avoid implicating you, you should leave us alone," Li Yunlong said earnestly to Kong Jie.

The brigade commander assigned Kong Jie to be an informant here. This guy knows about our affairs but doesn't tell the brigade commander. He'll definitely get a scolding from the brigade commander.

Therefore, Li Yunlong still planned to send Kong Jie away first.

"Li Yunlong, what nonsense are you spouting? Don't you trust me, Kong Jie?!" Kong Jie didn't leave, his neck stiff: "Don't worry, I promise I won't tell the brigade commander."

Although Kong Jie was a bit slow-witted, he could tell that Li Yunlong was probably going to sneak away from the brigade commander again to cause trouble.

But he was also trying to help Li Muzhi's side build anti-aircraft weapons. How could I, Kong Jie, hold Li Yunlong back in front of the brigade commander?

“Old Kong, this is no small matter. If the brigade commander finds out that you knew about this but didn’t report it, I’m afraid your days are really numbered…” Li Yunlong didn’t finish his sentence.

Kong Jie interrupted, "If you're not afraid, why should I be? With Director Li here, the brigade commander won't do anything to me."

Upon hearing this, Li Yunlong glanced at Li Muzhi and thought to himself: It seems that Kong Erlengzi's mining of coal at the arsenal was not in vain.

They've all learned to suck up to Li Muzhi.

If Li Muzhi had been backing up Kong Erlengzi, the brigade commander might not have done anything to Kong Jie out of respect for Li Muzhi; at most, he might have just scolded him a few times, but it wouldn't have cost him anything.

So Li Yunlong said, "The factory director of the Cui Village arsenal revealed that the Japanese have a factory that specializes in producing seamless steel pipes. Since it's a factory that specializes in producing seamless steel pipes, then the equipment must be professional, and it must contain the equipment that Brother Li needs. So, I, Old Li, am going to go and seize that equipment."

Upon hearing this, Li Muzhi immediately understood and laughed, "So, Commander Li, you came to see me because of the Hell Missile in my possession, right?"

Li Muzhi did not expect that Li Yunlong would actually start setting up this factory specializing in the production of seamless steel pipes so soon.

Faced with Li Muzhi's joking question, Li Yunlong said in a serious tone, "Brother Li, you can't say that. How can you say that I'm eyeing the Hell Missile in your hands? It should be that you're eyeing the other two important pieces of equipment. You offered me the Hell Missile, and then I went to snatch the equipment back for you."

Kong Jie shouted from the side, "Li Yunlong, what nonsense are you spouting? Even Minister Zhang isn't as shameless as you..."

"Go away, you idiot, shut up!" Li Yunlong interrupted Kong Jie, then turned to Li Muzhi with a grin. "How about it, Brother Li? I'll take care of this job for you. You need the right tools for this kind of delicate work, don't you think?"

"Commander Li, there are still two things I don't understand."

"You speak."

"First of all, your troops must have suffered considerable losses when they returned from Taiyuan. Even with the addition of new recruits, their combat effectiveness probably hasn't been restored in time. Can they carry out important military missions?" Li Muzhi asked.

Although Li Muzhi was at the arsenal and unaware of the details of the combat troops, he could still deduce that while Li Yunlong had done a great job in Taiyuan, his own losses must have been considerable.

"Brother Li, if I couldn't handle this important military mission, would I have come to you?" Li Yunlong said confidently.

“Hmm, that’s true.” Li Muzhi nodded, then continued, “Since you’re aiming to take over this important seamless steel pipe plant, why did you come to me privately? Such an important mission should have been reported first…” Before Li Muzhi could finish speaking, Kong Jie, who seemed to know the answer, interrupted, “Director Li, is that even a question? This mission must be extremely dangerous. If it were reported, neither the brigade commander nor headquarters would likely approve it. That’s why Li Yunlong wanted to do it secretly.”

Li Muzhi looked at Li Yunlong seriously: "Commander Li, is what Commander Kong said true?"

“Brother Li, don’t listen to this Kong Erlengzi’s nonsense. He’s just been mining coal for too long. He’s had too much of a comfortable life and now he thinks everything is dangerous.” Li Yunlong waved his hand and said casually, “This mission is not difficult, not at all. It’s just that the journey is a bit long.”

"How far?" Kong Jie asked again, "We're not going to be outside the Second World War zone, are we?"

Li Yunlong didn't answer Kong Jie, but turned to look at Li Muzhi: "Brother Li, to put it simply, you're lacking two important pieces of equipment. Do you want them or not?"

"Of course I want them." Li Muzhi nodded and said, "I don't know anything about military matters, so I won't ask you. How many Hell Missiles do you want?"

When Li Yunlong returned from his trip to Taiyuan, he had suffered considerable losses of artillery and weapons, but Minister Zhang had already replenished Li Yunlong's troops with a lot of supplies.

It can be said that Li Yunlong's troops are no longer lacking in Hellfire missiles.

The fact that he's still asking for it now is enough to show that the risks of this job are probably quite high.

Perhaps, apart from Li Yunlong, no one else could have done it.

Therefore, Li Muzhi's attitude also became more decisive.

After all, without two key pieces of equipment, air defense weapons cannot be deployed. The Japanese planes bombarded overhead, destroying important firepower of ground troops, which had a huge impact on the combat effectiveness of the troops.

Seeing Li Muzhi's attitude, Li Yunlong rubbed his hands together happily: "How much do you have? I'll take it all."

"Alright, I understand." Li Muzhi nodded. "After we finish this meal, besides the Hellfire missiles we have, I'll give you all the rocket launchers, bounding mines, grenades, and ammunition in the warehouse."

Upon hearing this, Li Yunlong danced with joy and laughed heartily: "Hahaha, Brother Li, I knew you were a straightforward man. Just wait and see, I promise I'll get you what you want."

Kong Jie kept his head down, eating his rice without saying a word.

"Old Kong, why are you mute?" Noticing Kong Jie's attitude, Li Yunlong asked suspiciously, "Are you planning to go and tell the brigade commander?"

"Old Li, I'll allocate some weapons and ammunition from my unit for you later," Kong Jie said, looking up.

On the surface, the happier Li Yunlong appeared, the more dangerous the job actually was; he might just cause a major disaster.

If I don't tell the brigade commander, the brigade commander might be so angry with Li Yunlong that he ends up in a field hospital.

But if the brigade commander and his men find out and disagree with Li Yunlong's plan, wouldn't the air defense weapons be shelved?

But Kong Jie still chose to support Li Yunlong.

"Kong Erlengzi, I appreciate your kindness, but as long as you keep your mouth shut, that's the biggest support you can give me." Li Yunlong waved his hand, indicating that he didn't want Kong Jie's support.

Although the outcome of the Kumamoto Division's sweeping campaign was planned by us and Lao Ding.

But anything can happen on the battlefield. If something goes wrong, the border arsenal will still need Kong Jie's troops to protect it.

The more weapons Kong Jie's troops had, the better their security would be.

Kong Jie stood up, holding his rice bowl: "I didn't hear anything just now."

After saying that, Kong Jie left.

“Brother Li, Old Kong is good in every way, except he’s a bit timid.” Watching Kong Jie’s back, Li Yunlong lowered his head and ate a few mouthfuls of rice, then said to Li Muzhi, “Brother Li, the brigade commander will definitely be angry when I go out this time. If Old Kong gets angry with the brigade commander, I’d appreciate it if you could put in a good word for him.”

“I believe your brigade commander is a reasonable person,” Li Muzhi said solemnly.

"Haha, that's right, our brigade commander is the most reasonable one." Li Yunlong laughed heartily, then he was relieved.

"When are you leaving?" Li Muzhi asked.

The items need to be given to Li Yunlong, and this matter still needs to be reported to Minister Zhang, but we can't delay Li Yunlong.

"Take the stuff and leave," Li Yunlong replied.

"Okay, I understand," Li Muzhi nodded.

With the matter settled, the two began to talk about other topics while eating.

Li Yunlong laughed and said, "Brother Li, if I have a son in the future, can we let him learn your skills from you?"

"Of course, no problem." Li Muzhi nodded and smiled. "But you're also single, just like Commander Kong. How about I introduce you to someone?"

Yang Xiuqin was a country girl, and Li Yunlong was a rough man who wove baskets; the two were actually the perfect match.

Li Yunlong's wife, Yang Xiuqin, was captured by Yamamoto Ichiki. Enraged, Li Yunlong rallied tens of thousands of armed men to attack the city, but unfortunately, they were still unable to rescue Yang Xiuqin.

"Haha." Li Yunlong laughed and said, "Brother Li, you don't need to worry about my personal life. If our brigade commander finds out that I'm wasting your precious time trying to find me a partner, he'll whip me hard."

Then Li Yunlong boasted, "Besides, a handsome man like me, do you think I'd have trouble finding a wife? Let me tell you, if it weren't for the war, I'd have a whole kang (heated brick bed) of kids by now."

"Haha, that's true, that's true." Li Muzhi laughed too, and said no more, since Old Li was a handsome young man known throughout the surrounding area.

Li Muzhi had already seen Zhao Jiayu's location on the map. The terrain there was also treacherous; otherwise, Li Yunlong would have set up his regimental headquarters there.

In other words, when the border region's arsenal was to establish a branch factory, it would consider establishing a branch factory in Zhaojiayu.

When Li Yunlong went to the branch factory to collect weapons and ammunition, he ran into Yang Xiuqin.

After finishing their meal, Li Muzhi led Li Yunlong to the warehouse.

"Good morning, Factory Manager!" The warehouse manager quickly stood up and saluted Li Muzhi.

"Bring all the weapons and ammunition from the warehouse to Commander Li," Li Muzhi ordered.

Upon hearing this, the manager was somewhat stunned. He glanced at Li Yunlong, then looked at Li Muzhi and asked for confirmation, "Director Li, are they all for Regiment Commander Li?"

There are quite a few weapons and ammunition in this warehouse now.

There were 78 Hellfire missiles, 90 rocket launchers, 900 rockets, 360 bounding mines, 80 boxes of hand grenades, and bullets and incendiary bombs.

There are plenty of weapons and ammunition; how could they all be given to one regiment?

But the management did not doubt Li Muzhi; they just wanted to confirm it again.

"Yes, give them all to Commander Li." Li Muzhi nodded.

"Yes, factory manager." The manager nodded and immediately arranged for people to quickly move the weapons and ammunition out of the warehouse.

Li Yunlong didn't stand on ceremony and ordered his men to take them all away immediately.

Li Yunlong glanced at the many empty bottles and cans in the warehouse and said, "Brother Li, are these empty bottles and cans of yours useful? If not, give them to me."

“This will definitely be useful,” Li Muzhi said. “These empty bottles and cans were specially collected by the logistics department. We filled them with gasoline and then plugged the openings with strips of cloth. These are Molotov cocktails to deal with the Japanese tanks.”

Although rocket launchers could also deal with Japanese tanks.

But when the rocket launcher ammunition runs out, the significance of the Molotov cocktail becomes apparent.

“That’s easy to do,” Li Yunlong said. “I’ll take these empty bottles and cans with me. When we capture gasoline from the Japanese, I’ll put it in them and plug the bottle openings with strips of cloth. It’s such a simple thing, I can do it while I’m at it. Besides, it will save you fuel.”

“Alright then.” Li Muzhi nodded and said, “Then you can take them all. I’ll also have someone teach you the precautions for handling these Molotov cocktails.”

"Ok, Ok."

(End of this chapter)