A courtyard house; Li Yunlong, a subordinate of the deputy director of Harbin Military Engineering I

At the entrance of Baoding Machinery Factory, Li Yunlong quickly got out of the passenger seat and opened the car door.

"Commander, this is it." He pointed to the gate. "This place was the Baoding Arsenal during the Japanese occupation. After the war, it became the North China Suppression Headquarters Repair Shop. After the liberation of Baoding in November 1948, the Jizhong Military Region Repair Shop moved here, integrated the old equipment, and named it the Baoding Machinery Factory."

"Now it's under the jurisdiction of the Logistics Department of the North China Military Region. After I arrived, I was deeply moved. It turns out that you, Commander, have always kept me in mind."

"Furthermore, since our Chief of Staff Nie was transferred here, he has never stopped supporting our army, whether it's training or various other support operations..."

Zhang Renfeng sat in the back seat, watching Li Yunlong's smirking face without even lifting his eyelids.

You can tell what kind of shit this guy is going to take the moment he sticks out his butt—the more enthusiastically Li Yunlong talks, the bigger his plans are.

He probably has his eye on these new guns and wants to get a few more to equip his commando team.

He waved his hand: "Alright, stop talking nonsense. Do you think I don't know what you're up to? Let's go inside and check the stuff first."

Four firearms experts stood at the entrance of the machinery factory. When they saw Zhang Renfeng get out of the car, they snapped to attention and saluted.

The one leading the group was a middle-aged man in his early thirties, of medium height, wearing round-framed glasses.

"Old commander, we've been waiting for you!" He hurried forward, his voice filled with barely suppressed excitement.

Zhang Renfeng grasped his hand and shook it.

This man is Cheng Erkang, born in 1915. He is thirty-three years old this year. He will be known in later generations as the founder of my country's sniper rifle.

He had worked at the Ordnance Bureau in Chongqing for several years. After the victory of the War of Resistance against Japan, he moved to North China and was dug out of the old bureaucracy in Beiping by Zhang Renfeng, who took him all the way to Baoding.

Behind Cheng Erkang stood three young men, none of them tall, with a youthful, student-like appearance.

The one on the far left looks about seventeen or eighteen years old. He's tall and thin with particularly bright eyes. When he looks at people, his gaze is fixed on them with a focus that seems out of place for his age.

This man was named Duo Yingxian, the chief designer of the Type 95 rifle family in later generations, and was known as the "King of Guns" in the industry.

When Zhang Renfeng found him, he was only fifteen years old. He was browsing an English version of a book on the principles of firearms at a used bookstore in Beiping. He was engrossed in reading it while squatting by the roadside when Zhang Renfeng happened to pass by and spotted him. He immediately struck up a conversation with him.

This kid has an extraordinary talent for understanding automated weapons.

The one in the middle has a square face, is in his early twenties, and has a sturdy build; he looks like someone who has worked his way up in the factory.

Wang Zhijun, the renowned chief designer of the Type 79/85 sniper rifle, is now working on the trial production of the rifle under the guidance of Cheng Erkang.

He didn't talk much, but his hands were very steady, and his movements were clean and efficient when assembling firearms.

The one on the far right wearing a baseball cap is Zhao Ruizhi. He's the pen in the military manufacturing field, responsible for recording processes and organizing parameters. He has a unique skill in precision machining of gun barrels.

Zhang Renfeng recalls that two years ago, it was under his leadership that the manufacturing process for high-precision deep hole machining of gun barrels was successfully overcome.

These individuals were all top experts in conventional weapons, especially firearms, whom Zhang Renfeng painstakingly unearthed.

Zhang Renfeng always treated engineers with respect and humility, shaking hands with each of them with a smile on his face:

"You are all experts in firearms. Are you getting used to the food here?"

Cheng Erkang grinned: "Thank you for your concern, sir. At the end of last year, a new foreman came to our factory. The food there is excellent. I heard he also came from Beiping."

Zhang Renfeng raised an eyebrow upon hearing this: "Oh? It's rare for you guys to discuss food with me. Well, I'll try it out later."

He took two steps into the factory gate, then turned back and waved to Cheng Erkang, "Come on, take me inside to see your results."

He knew in his heart that these four people in front of him were definitely more valuable than an infantry division in this era!

There is no proper talent training system for military industry professionals in China now, unlike in later years when there are more than ten million college students.

This is why the Harbin Military Industry Institute was established immediately after the founding of the People's Republic of China—this matter directly determined who would be in charge of the national defense industry in the future.

The group entered the factory gate.

Cheng Erkang walked to a long worktable at the back, took a gun out of the cabinet, and handed it over with both hands.

"Sir, as you suggested, both the magazine and receiver are made of stamped rail steel. Please take a look."

Zhang Renfeng took the gun and found it heavy in his hand.

He was intimately familiar with the gun's appearance—the silhouette of the Type 56 assault rifle, the barrel handguard, the receiver cover, the folding front sight; every line possessed an extremely unique metallic beauty.

He rested the butt of the gun on his shoulder to test it out. The center of gravity was forward, but the overall balance was good, and the angle of the grip was ergonomic.

Zhang Renfeng nodded inwardly. These lads' skills had improved, and the precision of their small-batch production was a step up from the samples he had seen in Beiping last time.

The entire Third Army Corps has completed its re-equipment, from Mosin-Nagant rifles to DP28 Degtyarev light machine guns, from SG43 heavy machine guns to PPSh-41 submachine guns and PPS-43s, and even TT-33 pistols—all uniformly 7.62mm. Standardized caliber means significantly less logistical pressure.

If you want the Russians to provide us with AK47s that were just mass-produced a few years ago, don't even think about it; they don't even have enough for themselves.

The significance of this Type 56 assault rifle is historical for our conventional military weapons, meaning that we also have the capability for independent research and development.

Previously, such conditions were not available in the base areas, but now that they are, we must immediately cultivate talent.

They provided us with their old equipment as new equipment, which is already quite a kindness.

If you fall behind, you will be attacked. When you lack your own capabilities and rely on others, you will be held hostage.

Zhang Renfeng placed the 56 punch in his hand on the worktable and began to disassemble it.

The seven parts were lined up on the table in less than ten seconds.

Then he closed his eyes and began the blindfold grouping.