Courtyard House: I Rely on Time-Space Trade to Build a Nation

"Lu Mingyuan and the other key members learned very quickly, but the time was short after all."

My suggestion is to wait another ten days. Use these ten days to run the production line at full capacity, expose problems, solve them, and thoroughly understand the operating procedures.

At the same time, select another group of quick-witted and studious individuals from the existing staff to learn from them.

"Once things stabilize here, I'll bring half of the skilled workers, along with the newly selected trainees, to help you install the second set of equipment."

Zhao Ningyuan paused, a slightly teasing smile appearing on his face: "Oh right, Lao Xu, don't forget to apply for funding later."

Although my "friend" is patriotic, such a large set of equipment, along with subsequent raw materials and consumables, is just too expensive.

The previously agreed-upon 500 large yellow croakers included a package price for equipment, technology, packaging materials, and reagents.

"We have to pay on time, otherwise they won't want to do business with us next time they want something done."

Xu Yuanshan was taken aback at first, then smiled wryly: "Ping An, Ping An, you... you're really meticulous. Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on this personally!"

"Don't even mention five hundred sticks; as long as we can continuously produce this life-saving medicine, even five thousand sticks would be enough. The higher-ups will do anything, even sell everything they own! Your 'friend' is our great benefactor!"

The two looked at each other and smiled. Inside the cave, the machines continued to roar, bottle after bottle of white powder being sealed into boxes, as if converging into a stream of life, about to flow to where it was most needed.

In the distance, Zhou Liang had also walked over at some point and happened to hear the last few sentences. Watching Zhao Ping'an casually planning the production line, technical personnel, and even funding issues, he suddenly realized that this young brigade commander carried a far heavier burden than he had imagined.

That's not just military talent, but a force that looks to the future and steadily drives change.

At this moment, Zhao Ping'an appeared calm on the surface, but his mind was racing with calculations: two production lines, 40 million system coins; the supporting packaging materials, reagents, and spare parts, another 10 million. His hard-earned savings of over 100 million system coins had instantly shrunk by half. The steel plant he had been longing for, and the accompanying power plant… he really needed to "recover" quickly.

Ten days later, batches of finished penicillin products had already been sent to all directions through secret channels, and the feedback coming back was all about urgent needs and life-saving messages.

On the production line, the initial tension in the eyes of Lu Mingyuan and other first-batch technicians had long since disappeared, leaving only a calm and focused look.

The two additional batches of trainees who joined later were also able to keep up with the pace and complete the operations of their respective positions.

"Daily production is 12,000 bottles, which is basically stable," Zhao Ping'an said to Political Commissar Xu Yuanshan, who was sitting opposite him, after putting down the latest production log in his hand.

Xu Yuanshan nodded, his face beaming with barely suppressed excitement: "The response from the front lines is excellent! This thing is truly snatching people from the jaws of death."

He paused, then his tone shifted to discussion, "Ping An, shouldn't we get the second set of equipment up and running? The sooner we establish backup capacity, the safer it will be."

"It's time to make a move." Zhao Ping'an tapped his fingers on the simple wooden table.

"Equipment installation and debugging are complicated, and the core processes cannot be done without human intervention, so I have to go in person."

My suggestion is that I lead the installation team, and the technical team should consist of half of the existing experienced personnel, plus a group of the best-learning new talents.

As for transportation and road safety…

He looked at Zhou Liang, the deputy brigade commander sitting to the side: "Comrade Zhou Liang, you and the comrades of the Third Regiment will have to work hard."

The equipment is valuable, and there can't be the slightest mishap on the way. The outer perimeter security is entrusted to you.

Zhou Liang immediately straightened his back: "Don't worry, Brigade Commander! The Third Regiment guarantees to complete the mission! The equipment is here, we're here!"

Therefore, the exchange, installation, and commissioning of the second set of production equipment were put on the agenda.

However, before that, Lao Xu raised a new question: the penicillin factory.

First, a large number of soldiers were reassigned to technical positions, in two batches, old and new.

With the addition of the three-shift work system to ensure full-capacity production, more than 200 people were used up at once, plus a battalion of soldiers for nearby security and protection.

Zhao Ping'an's 49th Regiment now has just over 500 men, and Zhao Dongliang's 48th Regiment has only over 700 men left.

The newly added 32nd Regiment, Zhou Liang's unit, still has more than 1800 people, which is still overstaffed.

The regiments needed to be reorganized, so Lao Xu personally reported the situation to the commander, who immediately approved the reorganization, adding a large number of soldiers from the 32nd Regiment to the 48th and 49th Regiments.

They were also given new unit designations and directly named the Independent Sixth Brigade, consisting of the First, Second, and Third Regiments, with Zhao Ping'an, Zhao Dongliang, and Zhou Liang still serving as the three regimental commanders.

The fact that the battalion guarding the penicillin factory was directly appointed as Zhao Ping'an's guard battalion made him the first brigade-level cadre to have a battalion of guards, which indirectly shows how much Zhao Ping'an valued him.

Of course, the guard battalion's temporary task was to protect the penicillin factory. It would only officially become Zhao Ping'an's guard battalion after Zhao Ping'an returned from installing the second set of equipment and brought back the new takeover force.

However, problems kept arising one after another. After resolving the issue of balancing the personnel of the three regiments in two days,

A new problem has arisen.

The first time the entire brigade lined up after reorganization, the problems were laid bare in the sunlight, like the receding tide over hidden reefs.

On the parade ground, three regiments stood in formation. At first glance, their military bearing was impeccable and their morale was high.

But as soon as you glance at the weapons in the soldiers' hands, you can immediately feel a blinding chaos.

The 2nd Regiment's old forces were still in good shape, almost all equipped with Type 38 rifles, Czech light machine guns with neatly shouldered slings, and robust Maxim heavy machine guns, exuding a sense of order brought about by uniformity.

However, in the formations of the 1st and 3rd Regiments, one had almost half of its soldiers and weapons transferred away by Zhao Ping'an, and the other had come from other regions and had just enjoyed a few days of "full meals" and had not yet had their turn to "upgrade from slingshots to cannons." Now it looked like a "world arms expo."

The Hanyang rifle, the Zhongzheng rifle, the American Springfield rifle, the British Lee-Enfield... even the outdated "old-fashioned" rifle and the Shanxi-made submachine gun were mixed in.

Light machine guns included the Czech-made, as well as the oddly shaped Type 96 and Browning.

Besides the Maxim machine gun, several Type 92 heavy machine guns resembling Japanese designs could also be seen.

Different firearms mean different ammunition calibers, roughly four or five of them.

"What the hell kind of war is this?!"

After hastily finishing their formation, Zhao Dongliang, who had already enjoyed the convenience of standardized weapons and complete firepower, slammed his hand on the table in the brigade's operations conference room, his face ashen:

"A company can find three different types of bullets! How will logistics be handled? If the fighting starts and there's no ammunition, are we supposed to have the soldiers fight the enemy with bayonets?!"

"Commander Zhao, this is how we've always been. We don't have guns or cannons; the enemy makes them for us. As long as the weapons work, we'll use them. We can kill the enemy with the same old rifles." Zhou Liang had a different opinion.

All eyes turned to Brigade Commander Zhao Ping'an, who was sitting in the main seat, and Political Commissar Xu Yuanshan, whose brows were furrowed.

"I'll handle this. I'll send a message over there in a bit. Wang Dahai, you take the 1st Battalion of the 1st Regiment and come with me tonight to collect the equipment. Lao Xu, check which brother unit needs the salvaged equipment. In the future, I plan to let the Independent 6th Brigade tackle the toughest challenges, so I hope the equipment I get here will be prioritized for our 6th Brigade. Please explain this to the commander for me, so that the good equipment I bring back doesn't end up going to someone else." Zhao Ping'an spoke up. Although the two production lines had cost a lot of system coins, he still had enough to exchange for some weapons, but...

"Oh, by the way, Lao Xu, I've prepared a gift for you! It's a surprise!"