"How much does this mortar weigh, and is it easy to transport?"
"This gun weighs about fifty-seven kilograms. It can be carried by war horses and carriages. When necessary, it can also be dismantled and carried by soldiers separately. According to our idea, a mortar is equipped with five soldiers, three of whom are respectively
We have carried out several drills to carry the barrel, bracket and base, and the other two people to carry the shells. They can easily carry a gun and thirty shells cross-country."
Zhang Tinglan nodded, obviously he was very satisfied with this mortar. He checked the slightly rough body and found that the manufacturing process was still far behind the major powers, but it was enough to meet the needs. The weapons were competing for performance.
As long as it's easy to use, whether it looks good or not is secondary.
"The gun is very good, but I have a suggestion, which is to enlarge the muzzle by one or two millimeters to make it compatible with smaller caliber shells!"
Xiong Mengyuan on the side was the main designer of this artillery. When he heard Zhang Tinglan's words, he suddenly felt confused and a little unable to turn around.
"Mortars are also weapons newly equipped by the great powers. There are many types. But according to my observation, the calibers will gradually become unified. Eighty millimeters will become a mainstream caliber. If we achieve 82 millimeters, they will be compatible with 80 millimeters.
and 81mm caliber. On the battlefield, we can use other people’s ammunition after we have captured it, but we can’t use it after others have captured our ammunition. Isn’t this a good thing?”
Upon hearing this, Xiong Mengyuan also woke up and hurriedly laughed: "No wonder they are all 75mm mountain cannons. The Russians decided to make them 76mm. It turns out that they also had this calculation!"
After Xiong Mengyuan thought about it clearly, he nodded in agreement without hesitation. It had not been officially put into production yet, and there would be no problem in modifying it. He hurriedly asked several designers to take note of Zhang Tinglan's opinions.
"Old Xiong, I have prepared a large number of these mortars. Each regiment will be equipped with one mortar company. Each company is temporarily equipped with six, and more will be added in the future. In short, mortars will become the most important part of our army.
One of the equipment. Now a task falls on your head, are you sure you can produce enough mortars?"
"Don't worry, I guarantee that the mission will be completed!" Xiong Mengyuan patted his chest and said: "Mortars don't need very good materials, just ordinary steel. Cannonballs can be made of cast iron. We introduced the cast iron black heart toughening technology to the United States.
We can also use ordinary pig iron. In addition, we have two main sources of steel, one is Benxihu Coal and Iron Company, and the other is scrap steel from the Middle Road. It is enough to produce weapons for the time being!"
The benefits of taking back the controlling stake of Benxi Lake Coal and Iron Company are now apparent. It turns out that Okura Kihachiro was all over the world. He relied on the profits of Fengtian to supply low-priced steel to the Japanese military. Now that Fengtian has taken control, he has corrected this.
, just by restoring the normal market price, we have regained hundreds of thousands of profits, and the Japanese have no way to object.
Another advantage is that after some bargaining, the steel plant obtained the right to sell to its own customers on the premise of ensuring the supply of steel to Japan. Moreover, through the adjustment of labor relations, workers became more motivated and output increased, so that the excess output was
It can be transported to Fengjun and used by arsenals. Of course, other factories will also benefit from it.
Of course, before your own steel plant is officially put into operation, you must ensure a wide range of sources of steel. The Middle East Road has become the best choice. After years of operation, a large number of scrap cars, wheel carriages, etc. have accumulated on the railway.
Not only were there an astonishing number of rails, they were all high-quality steel. Zhang Tinglan had bribed Horvath a long time ago and treated them all as scraps and gave them to Fengjun.
"But as we produce more and more things, the consumption of steel is also increasing. We must have our own steel factory to provide a stable source, otherwise we will never be able to sustain it in the long run!"
"Well, there's no need to worry about this. Didn't we get a set of steel plant equipment from Russia? It's already on the way. And I also asked Mr. Kuang Rongguang to inspect the situation in Anshan. As soon as the equipment arrives, we will be in Anshan immediately.
Build a steel plant and put it into production as quickly as possible!"
Xiong Mengyuan also said excitedly: "I read the introduction of that set of equipment, and Wang Tieshan really paid attention to it. That set of equipment was made in France, and its technical level is very high, almost surpassing the most advanced steel plants in Japan. And the areas where it is designed and used are...
Our Anshan iron ore is of the same type and has similar taste, which means that as long as the equipment is shipped over, we can quickly build our own factory based on the original Russian factory!"
A steel plant cannot be established casually. At the current stage, it must be established in an area close to the source of raw materials. It is best to have both coal and iron. The most suitable location in the Northeast is Benxi, Anshan and other places. The Japanese are seizing the opportunity.
Once in Benxi, Zhang Tinglan will never let go of Anshan.
Moreover, the type of iron ore must be considered before determining the equipment. Take the Hanyang Iron Works established by Zhang Zhidong as an example. First, the site selection was a failure, then the ore was not tested in advance, and finally the equipment was installed, resulting in no production.
, a lot of money was wasted in vain. The so-called No. 1 factory in Asia was actually full of bitter tears. Zhang Zhidong could be regarded as a relatively new-minded official among the Qing Dynasties, but he was still a pile of mushy.
"Old Xiong, after listening to what you said, I realize that we can't just get the main equipment back, we must not let go of the supporting equipment at all."
"Thank you! It's best to get all the design drawings of the factory and pack them all up and take them to Fengtian. It's like we are relocating the entire factory. This will save a lot of cost and time, but it may be a bit difficult to do this!
"
"No matter how difficult it is to do it, I gave Wang Tieshan a fatal order. No matter what factory is moved in the future, we must try our best to get all the supporting equipment."
"That's right!" Xiong Mengyuan nodded excitedly: "Although Russia's overall technology is backward, many Russian factories were built with the help of the French, and their technical level can surpass the Japanese. After all, they are all white, and they have to
To jointly deal with Germany, France has come up with a lot of good things. Steel plants, power plants, metallurgical plants, and machinery and equipment plants are all technologically advanced. We don’t expect how much we can get, but we must get a representative one for each.
factory, and then we can make good use of it and cultivate our own talents and workers!"
"Don't worry, I will go all out on this matter. No matter how much it costs, I will get the factory here, and I will also kidnap a group of technicians. This winter we will make all kinds of preparations and stock up.
We will wait until next spring for the necessary supplies to build up all the factories."
Chen Qiming was also on the side. Hearing this, his face showed a joyful smile, just like a three-year-old child.
"It is a pleasure to work with Mr. Zhang. In more than a year, we have built such a big stall. Some old people from the Fengtian Mint told us that this is because you act vigorously and resolutely. If you change it to the Qing Dynasty, you will not even have one in a short time."
I can’t even come up with a plan!”
"Not to mention the Manchu and Qing Dynasties, even Beiyang has this kind of virtue!" Xiong Mengyuan said: "Since Lao Yuan came to power, Beiyang has not developed any decent heavy industry. It still relies on the Manchu and Qing Dynasty's old capital. In such a huge China, we are the only ones in the East.
There is some hope for industrialization in the three provinces!”
The more we talked, the happier we were. After looking at the large mortar, we turned our attention to the small mortar. This gun has only a 50 mm caliber, weighs 7 kilograms, and can fire 1.5 kilograms.
The artillery shells can shoot up to 500 meters.
This weight is absolutely light and can be easily carried by a soldier. Seeing this thing, Zhang Tinglan couldn't help but think of the Japanese grenade. It was also one of the few weapons that Zhang Tinglan knew about in detail. That little thing was smaller than the grenade launcher.
The mortar designed by the army is even lighter, but it has not been developed yet.
Since the Japanese didn't develop it, they simply snatched it, and it became our first creation. Although it is not good to steal other people's ideas, Zhang Tinglan does not have any psychological burden by borrowing Japanese ideas.
Zhang Tinglan asked for a pen and paper, and simply drew a sketch of the grenade, and then said to Xiong Mengyuan: "Look, if you change the mortar to look like this, I estimate that the cost can be greatly reduced, and it will also
It can launch grenades, but the range will be much shorter."
Xiong Mengyuan looked at it and then said: "Mr. Zhang, although this thing looks light, without the bracket, the accuracy cannot be guaranteed. It must be a veteran to operate it well, and it is best to install a sight."
Tools, just give us some time."
"Well, you are responsible for stepping up production now. I also have to find a way to get money for you. If you want to move the whole place, the funds required will be doubled again!"
Zhang Tinglan has done a lot of things, each of which is a huge investment that cannot be done by others. He relies entirely on the banking system to be supported from behind, and he still acts with two hands. Fengtian Bank is Zhang Tinglan’s visible hand.
, and the hand behind it is Dowson Bank.
Fred, a Jew, has been working closely with Zhang Tinglan, and now, the situation in Russia has become increasingly clear. Sooner or later, the revolution will break out, and the actions they have been planning will be launched.
"Old friend, we discussed how to bring down Dowson Bank at the beginning. I think the opportunity has come now. Do you really want to work for others with peace of mind all your life? Don't you want to turn around and kill Dowson Bank and become an independent bank?
A banking giant?”
"Zhang, I have to admire your vision. More than a year ago, you foresaw what Russia would be like today. I have obtained secret intelligence from Russia. This huge country has indeed reached its final moment. We must take action!
"
"That's right, I need you to persuade the top management of Dowson Bank to provide huge loans to Russia, and then put the money into your own pocket!" (To be continued.)
