Located north of the Wanguo Racecourse, there are more than 3,000 officers and soldiers gathered at the shooting range of the troops directly under the Wuhan camp, which is located to the north of the Wanguo Racecourse. On the outside are the camp guard troops who have just finished a day's training. Around a row of shooting positions and next to the target position in front, they are all Jiang Xiaoxian's elite.
The bodyguards, and the internal security group led by Wang Shihe followed closely beside Chiang Kai-shek.
Chiang Kai-shek took over the brand-new semi-automatic rifle from An Yi, looked at it carefully from the muzzle to the butt, and nodded in approval when he saw the beauty.
Song Ziwen, Huang Shaohong, Ge Jingen, He Chengjun and others stood nearby, listening with interest to An Yi's low-pitched introduction, from the latest design of the muzzle flash suppressor to the bayonet holder and the clever position of the purge, from the exquisite sight scale to
From the bolt and trigger to the material selection and shape of the gun body and handle that are more suitable for the body shape of Chinese officers and soldiers, everyone is full of praise for this rifle that can easily change the magazine in a few seconds and has better continuous shooting performance.
Chiang Kai-shek enthusiastically aimed at the half-body target 100 meters away in a standing shooting position and fired ten bullets. The target score was eighty-five, which immediately won bursts of applause and compliments.
Immediately afterwards, Huang Shaohong and Ge Jing'en did their part and test-fired semi-automatic rifles. Then they grabbed the Zhongzheng II submachine gun on the table and fired bursts and bursts at the 100-meter target and the 50-meter target. The captain of the guard, Wang Shihe, went even further and fired continuously.
After getting the target results of six magazines, he held the gun and made a request to Chiang Kai-shek with enthusiasm: equip it to the guard troops as soon as possible.
After Huang Shaohong finished three 30-round magazines, he turned over the submachine gun in his hand and looked at it again and again. He said with emotion that he had never thought that our country could produce such an outstanding machine gun. He also compared this gun with imitation German machines from Taiyuan Factory and Jinling Factory.
Flower machine gun, imitation American Thompson submachine gun
After comparing the advantages and disadvantages, they bluntly said that the Zhongzheng Type II was much better in terms of ingenious design, manufacturing process, right weight, length and beautiful appearance. He Chengjun and Ge Jingen echoed their opinions and expressed great appreciation for the technical level of An Yi's weapons research institute and Xiangxi Arsenal.
Add praise.
An Yi happily said that it was the design of the Thomson submachine gun that was borrowed from European and American countries, which led to the birth of the current submachine gun, which can be called a true submachine gun. Among them, it only improved the magazine loading and unloading structure to simplify the loading and unloading of ammunition.
Ejecting parts and components kept more than 30 designers and technicians at the institute busy day and night for four months.
Song Ziwen had been watching silently from the side, without firing a shot or giving a single comment. After a group of generals had finished chatting around Chiang Kai-shek, Song Ziwen stepped forward and said to Chiang Kai-shek:
"Both of these guns are rare new weapons with very superior performance. What's even more rare is that we improved and designed them ourselves. There are no huge technology transfer fees and cumbersome authorized production procedures. Especially this kind of semi-automatic
The rifle, just in terms of range, rate of fire and magazine capacity, is much more advanced than the German-made rifles and Hanyang rifles currently used by a large number of troops. I just heard that its cost is only 30% higher than the Hanyang rifle, and it can be mass-produced.
It will be equipped in batches with various departments of the Central Army, and then slowly promoted to other armies.
"I suggest that the committee ask General An Yi's Ordnance Research Institute to unconditionally submit the design drawings and inspection molds of these two guns to the Military Industry Administration of the Military Commission, and start it together with the Jiangnan Factory, Jinling Factory and Hanyang Factory that have completed the equipment update.
Mass production is of great significance to the regularization construction of our army."
When everyone heard this, they all stopped talking and looked at An Yi and Chiang Kai-shek with smiles to see how An Yi and Chiang Kai-shek would express their opinions. Chiang Kai-shek nodded repeatedly, seemingly agreeing with Song Ziwen's opinion, and An Yi looked at this and that one anxiously.
, I didn’t know how to explain it for a while.
"Yes, I have just tried them. These two new weapons are indeed very good. They are simple and elegant in appearance and have better performance. Compared with the rifles currently commonly equipped in the military, both firepower and accuracy have been greatly improved.
, it is not an exaggeration to say it is a revolutionary improvement, very good, very outstanding! An Yi, what do you think?" Chiang Kai-shek praised it vigorously, turned to the frowning An Yi and asked.
An Yi tried his best to smile: "Principal, everyone, have you noticed? To use this semi-automatic rifle, you need to be equipped with six magazines of leather or canvas equipment. The cost of each magazine is equivalent to a thousand rounds of ammunition.
The price will also put greater pressure on the logistics supply of ammunition, so this expense will be huge.
"Secondly, the steel and other alloy materials used in these two weapons are all imported from the United States and Germany. With our current smelting and forging capabilities, we simply cannot meet the strict material requirements. Even the technologically transformed Jiangnan Factory and Hanyang
Both the factory and the Jinling factory obtained the drawings, but it was difficult to guarantee the production of qualified products.
"There is also an extremely difficult problem. Currently, there are only two sets of production and testing molds for these two types of firearms, both of which are in the Xiangxi factory. If we want to get a few more sets of molds, it will take three to five months. What's more important is
Yes, among the entire Chinese ordnance production factories, only the Xiangxi factory has several sets of the most advanced stamping equipment in the world, and no other factory has them. The reason why these two guns have greatly simplified the design and
The manufacturing process has greatly reduced the production cost, which is due to the extensive use of the stamping process. Without a complete set of advanced stamping equipment and skilled operating technology, it cannot be produced. Even if it is produced using the current equipment and technology of each factory, the cost
Not to mention the dramatic increase, the performance and quality are difficult to meet the requirements. The Jinling factory already had experience and lessons in this regard in the early days of producing the Zhongzheng-1 submachine gun."
Everyone sighed regretfully, but Song Ziwen was unmoved and sneered again and again: "I think you are reluctant to part with it, right? In this way, the Ministry of Finance can allocate a special fund for the weapons research institute you moved to southern Sichuan in the second half of next year.
Just think of it as compensation for you and the researchers. Now that the surrounding powers are looking at the internal banditry, and the party and the country are in a critical period, I believe General An still has this awareness."
An Yi was annoyed, but with a smile on his face: "Next year? Didn't you say you won't do it? If you really give up, who will give me money?"
Everyone couldn't help but laugh. Song Ziwen glared at An Yi and looked up at the sky, seeming to be dismissive of An Yi's question.
Chiang Kai-shek coughed lightly and stared at An Yi with some displeasure: "An Yi, when did you become so greedy? From the time you founded the Jiangnan Arsenal and successfully developed the Zhongzheng Type 1 series, and later handed over the Jiangnan Arsenal to the Military Industry Administration
, you didn’t make any excessive demands, do you have any other ideas this time?”
An Yi thought to himself that it is my thing, why do you want to take it away with just a wave of your hand? Only a fool would do something for free, but he did not dare to reveal what he was thinking at all. He smiled apologetically and replied in a low voice:
"Principal, how can students have such unreasonable thoughts? I have always been unambiguous on issues related to the national economy and people's livelihood and major issues of right and wrong. I was just joking with Finance Minister Song just now. But the reasons the student just said are all facts. The student has been
I was also thinking about this issue and took the drawings
There is no problem in copying several sets of molds and molds and submitting them to the Ordnance Industry Administration, but each production plant must purchase its own stamping equipment, otherwise it will not be possible. At present, the technical equipment of Jiangnan Plant can barely meet the requirements, but some modifications are still needed on the original equipment.
On the other hand, the Xiangxi Factory of the Students’ Association will help.”
Chiang Kai-shek nodded with satisfaction: "I know you An Yi are not so petty, so it's settled... By the way, what is the monthly production capacity of the Xiangxi factory for these two types of guns?"
"The Xiangxi factory only started large-scale production at the beginning of this month, and the monthly output has not yet been calculated. It is estimated that the daily output in the last ten days was 150 and 60 respectively. The monthly output of semi-automatic rifles is about 4,000 pieces, and the monthly output of submachine guns is about 2,000 pieces.
Yes, it depends on the raw materials keeping up." An Yi replied.
Chiang Kai-shek frowned slightly, shook his head and said: "Too slow, too slow! The great cause of the party and the country urgently needs this kind of advanced weapon. Can you speed it up?"
"Even if we can only increase production by 20% per month at the fastest, we have to ask Finance Minister Song to give priority to customs clearance procedures for the raw materials we import. Also, students heard that the Ministry of Finance raised the import tax rate again a week ago.
, the arsenal also feels unsustainable!" An Yi replied in a low voice, pretending to be aggrieved.
At this time, how could Chiang Kai-shek still not know that this was An Yi's trick? However, he could still fully trust and take care of this confidant, so he nodded and said, "Please discuss it with Finance Minister Song. Military production
There is no room for delay, everything should be given priority to supporting the front line. We now have no money to import weapons and equipment from Europe and the United States, so we can only rely on our own efforts."
With Chiang Kai-shek's words, An Yi felt very satisfied. However, Song Ziwen continued to play with the magazine that was replaced on the table without comment. The generals around him laughed with him, but in his heart, he admired An Yi's ability to bargain and pluck the hair from the iron rooster.
Eight o'clock in the evening, Wangjiang Restaurant, Linjiang Street.
Wangjiang Restaurant, which is facing the entrance of the wharf cargo yard, is actually very small. It can barely fit three tables downstairs. At the moment, they are all occupied by Huang Shaohong and An Yi's guards. The two tables upstairs are empty, and they are far away from the window.
Sitting on both sides of a table overlooking the river were Huang Shaohong and An Yi, dressed in casual clothes. The two of them frequently raised their glasses, ate fish with large mouthfuls, and occasionally sighed with contentment.
"Let me ask you, are the materials and equipment requirements for today's two new guns really that high?" Huang Shaohong grabbed the wine bottle in front of him and wanted to fill it with An Yi.
An Yi quickly grabbed it and filled Huang Shaohong's glass first: "Really, just the processing of the barrel rifling gives many factories a headache. Not only is the accuracy unable to guarantee the range, but the accuracy is also lost. For example, the Jinling factory copied Zhongzheng last year.
One formula,
It could miss the target at a distance of seventy meters. The chief officers of each division complained about this. Later, the barrels produced by Jiangnan Factory were used to improve the performance... By the way, didn't De Gong and General Jiansheng build an arsenal in Longzhou, Guangxi?
? I wonder what’s going on now?”
Huang Shaohong sighed slightly: "It's just a small matter. It's okay to imitate German rifles and French mortars. The Czech machine guns can also produce about 25 pieces per month, and the bullets are 60,000 rounds per month. The ones that explode only have six pieces."
The monthly output of hand grenades is 100 boxes, which is small compared with the Jiangnan factory and the Xiangxi factory.
It's like a small workshop in the countryside, and the old machines supplied by the French are breaking down all day long. The two generators need to be repaired every day. It's difficult! I don't know if the financial situation has improved after the trade with Southwest China last year. If it is good, it may be replaced by the end of the year.
A batch of new German machines."
An Yi saw the concern and worry about his hometown in Huang Shaohong's eyes, raised his glass to him, drank it all in one gulp, put down the glass, picked up the bottle and filled two glasses, sighed and smiled slightly:
"If you are in charge of Guangxi, I am willing to give you a few sets of new equipment and several drawings for free, so that the Guangxi army can at least become self-sufficient within a year. However, as the Minister of the Interior, you are also in charge of the Ministry of Railways.
, it is estimated that it will be difficult to return to Guangxi. It is very simple to become the governor of Jiangbei provinces, but I am afraid you are not willing to do so."
"If you don't talk about these things, your chest will feel tight when you talk about them."
Huang Shaohong picked up a peanut and threw it into his mouth, biting it loudly: "Brother Jiansheng complained to me in a letter some time ago, saying that the price of opium and tobacco supplied from western Guizhou and eastern Yunnan has doubled per load, and the supply of goods cannot be guaranteed.
Hong Kong's underworld
But the supply of goods is sufficient. If most of their goods had not gone to Nanyang and Taiwan, they would probably not have done any business, which made the military funds very tight. The Hunan-Guangxi Railway, which had just resumed work, was making slow progress, and the Guizhou-Guangxi Railway was simply stopped."
An Yi said with a smile: "If you have anything to say, please just say it. Are you still so polite between us?"
Huang Shaohong put down his chopsticks and crossed his hands on the table: "How about increasing the supply of goods to Guangxi?"
An Yi didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He pointed at Huang Shaohong and asked, "Brother Ji Kuan, do you really not know or are you pretending to be confused with me on purpose?"
"Why are you pretending to be confused? After graduating from Baoding Military Academy, I led troops in Baise. I know everything about the situation at the junction of the three provinces. How could I not know?" Huang Shaohong half-closed his eyes and looked sideways at An Yi.
An Yi explained in a low voice: "Due to the large-scale land reclamation and increase of grain planting area in southern Sichuan, my brother has completely eradicated opium cultivation, which has reduced the opium production in the entire southwest by about 30% in a short period of time, causing the price of opium to rise exponentially.
, but starting from the second half of last year, large-scale opium cultivation began in western Sichuan, western Yunnan, and southwestern Yunnan. The reduced output in southern Sichuan was quickly made up and exceeded the normal level.
40% in a normal year. If my younger brother hadn't joined forces with Yunnan Yigong, General Shizhen of Western Guizhou, and General Zhang Hongluan of Western Hunan to strictly control the flow of opium and purchase large quantities of opium for finishing and export, I am afraid that the price of the entire Chinese opium market would have been ruined by now.
.In the past year, although our supply to Guangxi has been reduced by nearly half, the profits gained by General Jiansheng and others have increased by nearly 30% compared with previous years. Do you know this?"
Huang Shaohong's eyes widened and he looked very surprised: "Ah, that's it... I really don't know. I left Guangxi last year. Even if I was there, I wouldn't ask anything about it... Can you be sure that Brother Jiansheng really increased his number?"
Profit?"
An Yi nodded affirmatively: "I guess it's because Guangxi has a lot of expenditures, especially since the ambitious ten-year economic development plan has been launched. Everything costs money, so General Jiansheng is so anxious. It's impossible to increase supply.
Yes, but I have a suggestion to increase income. If Duke De and General Jiansheng are willing to cooperate, the profits from this aspect are estimated to be much greater than operating opium and tobacco."
"Is this the Dachang mining area in northwest Guangxi that you mentioned in your last letter to me?" Huang Shaohong asked.
An Yi smiled and said: "It is the Dachang tin mining area. Mr. Li Siguang, who just took over as the president of Central University, said in his article that the name Dachang has been around since the Ming Dynasty. An important place where prisoners were exiled in the Ming Dynasty was Dachang.
Mined and smelted by prisoners
Tin ingots were transported to Nanjing and other places to be processed into exquisite utensils and other uses. It has always been an area that emperors of the Ming Dynasty attached great importance to. It is said that during the Wanli period, a sword made of meteorite iron paid tribute by a large factory was regarded as a rare treasure by the royal family.
Collect it and see where it is
Fang is a cornucopia. I also heard that the carriage roads there are all ready-made. They only need to be slightly expanded to run cars. To the north is Duyun, Dushan, Guizhou. To the west, upstream is the border with Yunnan and Guizhou provinces. In terms of transportation
It's not a problem at all. I don't know how to be a good neighbor.
Why is the army leaving all the wealth undeveloped and focusing on opium? Although opium brings money quickly, it damages moral character! As long as Guangxi is willing to do it, I can first give them a sum of money to buy smelting equipment, build bridges and pave roads, and build
Just give me the tin ingot."
Huang Shaohong nodded repeatedly: "In this case, I will write to Jiansheng and De Gong again."
"It's best for the eldest brother to write a letter to General Yi Xing. I believe he will take this matter to heart as he is worried about his family." An Yi suggested.
"You mean Huang Xuchu, who succeeded me in managing Guangxi's government affairs?" Huang Shaohong looked at An Yi doubtfully: "Have you secretly learned about all the generals of the Guangxi clan?"
"Of course, otherwise I will be caught off guard when we get into a fight one day." An Yi was very frank.
Huang Shaohong smiled, raised his wine glass and touched An Yi lightly: "I'm convinced! Who has an enemy like you? He can't even sleep well, haha!"
After finishing a drink, An Yi asked: "Brother Huang Qixiang is still in Nanning?"
Huang Shaohong grabbed the wine bottle and poured himself a glass: "Don't ask, I know what you mean, and the commissioner also asked me specifically, but I don't think Huang Yuxing will come to Nanjing. This guy has nothing to say about fighting. He is very good at commanding and planning.
He is just too stubborn in politics, too childish to put it bluntly, and he enjoys being used as a gunman all day long. I can't understand how this guy can be like this?"
An Yi smiled helplessly: "Tell me the exact address, and I will send him a telegram directly. I will ask him how he is doing without saying anything, so that I can report to the principal.
"By the way, before leaving southern Sichuan, I ordered the firearms experts from the Ordnance Research Institute to design a revolver specifically for the police force. I also specifically instructed to use the best materials and technology to produce a hundred of these gift guns. If Brother
If you like it, I’ll give you one to play with when it’s done.”
Huang Shaohong was happy: "It's best to give me two, the kind with special holsters, haha! By the way, you were good enough at the shooting range today. I'm afraid the money saved from the import tariff is enough to make up for the donation of two kinds of gun blueprints."
Have you invested in the mold?"
"Greedy, greedy for money! If you don't want to let go of your children, how can you trap a jackal?"
An Yi smiled brightly and raised his glass to toast Huang Shaohong: "It's a pleasure to get along with my eldest brother, haha! If you are short of money, just let me know, but let me make it clear first that if you borrow money for official business, I won't get a cent."
Huang Shaohong smiled brightly: "Drink first, and I'll write you an IOU when you get back. I'm really short of money, haha..."