All the military wives' eyes reddened, and they looked at the stove as if it were a treasure that could lay golden eggs.
The news spread like wildfire, and in less than half a day, the entire military compound knew: Commander Qin's new wife had built a magical stove by herself that was energy-saving, warm, and could even boil water!
Now, the Qin family's doorstep is practically worn down by the crowds.
However, the truly important person arrived in the afternoon, braving the wind and snow.
A middle-aged military officer wearing a general's overcoat.
"Xiao Qian? What brings you here today?" Qin Zhenbang greeted him as soon as he recognized the visitor.
The visitor was Qian Xuedong, the director of the affiliated research institute of the Tibet Military Region, whose rank was deputy division commander.
Qian Xuedong shook hands with Qin Zhenbang: "I heard about the amazing thing that your home is so warm and cozy, so I had to come and see for myself."
Upon entering the room, Qian Xuedong paused in his steps.
His heart skipped a beat.
It wasn't the cozy warmth, but the air in the room! It was so fresh! There was absolutely no pungent coal smoke or dryness like with an old-fashioned coal stove.
As a general with a technical background, he immediately realized that this was not normal!
His gaze immediately locked onto that unassuming "lump of iron".
He walked over quickly, and instead of feeling the temperature like the others, he bent down to carefully observe the welding process of the furnace body, the design of the air inlet, and the direction of the flue.
The longer he looked, the more shocked he became.
This is not something an ordinary person could design. The thermodynamic principles it contains are even more ingenious than the blueprints left by Soviet experts in military factories!
His mind raced with calculations. With such high thermal efficiency, how much coal could be saved in a winter if used at border outposts? The coal saved from just one outpost could power ten outposts through the winter!
What about a regiment, a division, or the entire Tibetan military region?
This is a strategic-level breakthrough in logistical support!
His breathing became somewhat rapid.
This is no longer a simple heating stove; it is a strategic piece of equipment that can greatly enhance the combat effectiveness and survivability of border troops.
"Comrade Xiao Su," Deputy Division Commander Qian said bluntly and seriously, "did you design this furnace?"
"Yes." Su Tang nodded frankly.
Deputy Division Commander Qian gave her a deep look and cut straight to the point: "What is the manufacturing cost? What are the material requirements? Can it be mass-produced and promoted throughout the army?"
These three questions completely baffled Qin Zhenbang and He Shumin. They were still basking in the joy of their own precious find, unaware that the research institute director was already thinking about the entire army's affairs.
Su Tang was already prepared, and she frankly said:
"The cost is not high, mainly iron plates and refractory bricks. But if we want to expand the scale and upgrade the standards, the requirements for materials are very high. In particular, the secondary combustion chamber in the furnace core requires a special refractory clay to make refractory bricks to withstand the ultra-high temperature inside and ensure combustion efficiency and service life."
"Special refractory clay?" Qian Xuedong's brows furrowed instantly.
He sighed heavily and revealed a secret: "What you're describing is precisely the biggest predicament we're currently facing. In previous years, many of our high-tech projects were carried out under the guidance of Soviet experts, who possessed the formulas and processes for core materials. But after they withdrew a few years ago, many projects came to a standstill because we 'knew what to do, but not why,' and couldn't produce qualified core materials. Even our military region's refractory materials plant still can't produce high-grade refractory bricks that meet their standards."
These words made the atmosphere in the room heavy. This was no longer just a problem with a stove, but rather the technological blockade and predicament faced by the entire country during that special period.
Deputy Division Commander Qian looked at Su Tang with a hint of anticipation in his eyes that he himself did not realize.
He had heard that her father, Su Henian, was a well-known physicist in China.
"Comrade Xiao Su," his voice carried a hint of seriousness, "since you can design the furnace, do you... have a way to solve this material problem?"
Meanwhile, the craze for finding stoves in the family compound also encountered problems. Several families found the blacksmith in the logistics department to make their own stoves, but the results were far from satisfactory. Some stoves didn't get hot at all, some emitted a lot of black smoke, and one even had its chimney backflowing, almost causing an accident.
Now everyone understood that Su Tang's stove, though it looked simple, was actually a real technical job that not just anyone could do.
In the evening, Li Xiumei came to the door with red eyes.
"Tangtang," her voice trembled with tears, "please have pity on us! My son has been coughing every time it gets cold these past few days, his little face is all red from coughing, it breaks my heart. If you could help us get a stove like yours, no matter how much it costs or what kind of coupons you need, I'll get it for you!"
On one side were the earnest expectations of the military region leaders, and on the other side were the urgent predicaments of the neighbors and villagers.
Su Tang knew that the key to all the problems lay in that core element—the materials.
Her space contains super alloy materials from the 22nd century, but it's impossible for her to take those things out.
She could only make use of the existing conditions of this era to find a localized alternative material formula.
That night, Su Tang locked herself in her room and racked her brains, even locking Qin Ye out...
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