Chapter 54 The Moon of Yesteryear
Snap—
The newspaper was slammed onto the table. Xie Ning thought she had long seen through the true colors of the authorities, but she still couldn't help but feel angry when she saw that the authorities had actually sent troops to suppress the Anti-Japanese Allied Army.
They adopted a policy of non-resistance and signed the Tanggu Truce, directly acknowledging the legitimacy of Japan's occupation of the three northeastern provinces and Rehe, and recognizing eastern Hebei as a "demilitarized zone." Not only that, they also sent troops to suppress the local anti-Japanese allied forces. Every word they said was chilling.
"Don't be angry. It's not worth ruining your health over those people." Ms. Lin Qin patted Xie Ning on the shoulder. "There will be a donation ceremony soon, a nationwide one. Several of my wives and I have agreed to donate more to comfort those anti-Japanese soldiers. They are heroes who fought bloody battles on the front lines. We didn't go to the battlefield, but we shouldn't be content to enjoy ourselves in the rear. We should at least do our part."
"You'll come with me then; it'll be a good change of pace. Staying cooped up in this secluded courtyard all day would drive even the best person crazy."
Xie Ning shook her head. "Aunt Lin, things haven't been very peaceful lately, so I'd better stay home." Then she turned around and took out two small yellow croakers from the drawer. "This is a small token of my appreciation; please accept it as a donation."
The students in the factory are like small fish. Some of them are still in the river, but they are surrounded by fishing nets. Xie Ning is not sure whether the fishermen are Japanese or Kuomintang agents. Moreover, Chen Jian has sent many people to watch over her. Traveling is safe, but it is still not very convenient.
She's a big fish, so we'd better watch out for her.
"By the way, Aunt Lin, please don't come again after this time. It's not very safe lately." Although Ms. Lin Qin would take a long detour to get to the villa, Xie Ning was worried that someone might attack her on the way, and she didn't want anything to happen to Ms. Lin Qin.
After seeing the people off, Xie Ning didn't rest. He changed his clothes and had Xiao Yang drive him to the factory. At that time, Zhang Mingyuan and Chen Jian were checking the list of weapons for this batch. Xie Ning knocked on the door, not to deliberately send Chen Jian away, but to put the newspaper on the table.
Donating money is meaningless; she wants to donate guns directly!
After hearing Xie Ning's idea, neither of them spoke for a moment. Zhang Mingyuan wanted to agree directly, but he had a military commander above him and couldn't go over his head. Chen Jian's eyes flickered, and it was unclear what he was thinking.
There was a radio station here, and soon received a response from Commander Cai. He not only agreed to Xie Ning's proposal to donate guns and cannons, but also instructed that someone be sent to personally escort them to the Allied Army.
Before Xie Ning, in a much better mood, could even leave the factory, Chen Jian stopped him and asked how the recent experiments were going and whether the batch of rifles was ready for mass production.
The rifle Chen Jian mentioned was an improved version by Xie Ning, with significant improvements in accuracy and range, and less recoil. If it were mass-produced, people would be ecstatic.
However, Chen Jian was referring to the fact that the 19th Army was at a critical juncture and needed a large amount of military equipment and weaponry.
Xie Ningxin believed that at this time she would not provide anyone with overly powerful firearms. After all, those guns were not for fighting the Japanese, so why would she bother? Therefore, production was always suppressed, and the machines were always breaking down.
The reason she gave was that the machinery and equipment couldn't keep up and needed improvement, which couldn't be solved in a short time. Therefore, the most common firearms produced in the factory were the lowest quality rifles that Zhang Mingyuan sold, the C31.
Although Xie Ning considered it of poor quality, it was still above the standard level of existing weapons. However, once people have seen good things, they find it hard to appreciate inferior products.
"Officer Chen, do you think Miss Xie did this on purpose?"
Chen Jian frowned and scolded, "We don't understand those calculations and experiments, but we know it's not that easy. Just think about it, it's only been two years. Miss Xie was able to set up the arsenal despite insufficient funding and outdated machinery. It's clear she put her heart into it."
Besides, Miss Xie does everything right under our noses, and she's busy in the study until midnight every night. How can you have the nerve to accuse her of playing tricks?
Those who asked the questions felt guilty.
Of course, Chen Jian didn't only reprimand you; he also offered words of comfort: "I know you're anxious, but the arsenal is right under our noses. The people can't run away, let alone the machines. Besides, isn't it exactly what we want if we don't send military equipment there now?"
"Yes, yes, yes." He was mistaken; Miss Xie was a human, not a god. But he couldn't be blamed; he didn't understand the production process.
However, "Staff Officer Chen, what about that batch of military equipment sent to Chahar..."
Chen Jian smirked, "You can make the arrangements, just remember not to cause too much trouble."
Xie Ning, who the two claimed was busy until late at night, was not busy with factory matters, but rather doing other "side jobs."
Firstly, after reading the letter she sent, Zhang Congzhi tossed and turned, unable to sleep. He felt extremely aggrieved by Xie Ning's words in the letter, which told him to honestly focus on the textile industry. Unexpectedly, he ended up spending money to pave the way, opening a small weapons company, ostensibly supporting a white puppet boss, and then becoming the behind-the-scenes big boss himself.
This letter is to ask Xie Ning for drawings and suggestions.
When Xie Ning saw the contents of the letter, he was shocked. Zhang Congzhi's behavior was very dangerous, like walking a tightrope, and one wrong step could lead to utter ruin.
Although he was very worried, Xie Ning was both amused and exasperated when he saw Zhang Congzhi's letter, in which he wrote, "As a businessman, it's already unpleasant to see others making money while you can't, let alone when it's other countries making money off your country. It's intolerable. He's determined to bring other countries' money into his own country."
Moreover, at the beginning of this year, Roosevelt was elected President of the United States and launched his 100-day New Deal. The first step was in the financial sector, which involved reforming banks, abandoning the gold standard, and strengthening the competitiveness of American goods by devaluing the dollar.
During this period, in order to curb monopolies and ease class contradictions, Luo formulated the Industrial Revitalization Act, requiring capitalists to abide by the rules of "fair competition." Zhang Congzhi, who had previously faced difficulties in starting a business, seized the opportunity to take off.
In the United States, it is easier to buy parts for weapons companies. Xie Ning did not suggest that Zhang Congzhi manufacture complete weapons and firearms, but instead asked him to specialize in manufacturing one thing: gun barrels.
Of all the components of a rifle, the barrel is the most mysterious. As one of the core parts of a firearm, it is usually made of a heat-resistant and non-deformable metal tube, and the entire working process is a very simple pressure vessel.
Xie Ning wrote extensively about the manufacturing methods and material selection for gun barrels. Regarding steel, Xie Ning originally wanted to recommend stainless steel instead of chromium-molybdenum steel, mainly because stainless steel is corrosion-resistant, can be freely processed, and is rust-proof. It also has a significant advantage in terms of service life, which is superior to chromium-molybdenum steel.
However, she had studied the existing gun barrel steels, and the gun barrel blanks that their small arms factory purchased were all made of chromium-molybdenum steel. Perhaps there was no stainless steel suitable for manufacturing firearms at present, so Xie Ning still recommended chromium-molybdenum steel.
The meaning is clear: Xie Ning wants Zhang Congzhi to start directly from the raw gun barrel blanks. Rather than letting others earn the money, he wants to pocket it himself.
Next was the method for drilling the gun barrel. She could only write down the existing feasible technologies. The rest required Zhang Congzhi to ask people to conduct experiments before it could be put into production. This was a long process and could not be rushed.
Xie Ning wrote until midnight, long past her usual bedtime. Aunt Liu brought her a bowl of warm brown sugar and egg water. Xie Ning sometimes stayed up late, and they were used to it. However, these past few days, Xie Ning was on her period, so Aunt Liu still advised her to rest earlier.
With his brain in an excited state, Xie Ning nodded perfunctorily, sipping his sugar water with one hand and flipping through his study notes with the other. The notes covered topics such as the manufacture of mechanical rectifier synchronous generators, current transformers, capacitors, and high-voltage oil circuit breakers—all preparations for the future.
No one can predict what the future holds. If Cai's uprising fails, she will certainly not be able to stay any longer. Apart from going abroad, her only way out is to go to the Soviet area.
The authorities were never her choice from the start; how can a tree with rotten roots ever spring back to life?
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