I am an industrial worker during the War of Resistance

Chapter 21 We must have our own bearing steel
The establishment of a steel plant cannot be accomplished overnight.

The preliminary preparations for building a steel plant can be daunting.

Besides the blueprints, there were countless plans and material lists.

When Political Commissar He saw the thick stack of blueprints that Chen Changzai had shown him.

His eyes were blurry.

When he saw that equally thick stack of material preparation lists again, he felt his legs trembling.

After swallowing a mouthful of saliva.

Political Commissar He asked, "Did you draw all of these?"

Chen Changzai smiled and said, "If I didn't draw this, then it must have been given to me by God."

Of course it was drawn.

Our current iron and steelmaking workers can actually meet the needs of the new steel plant I designed.

Although they are currently using earthen blast furnaces and steel frying tanks.

But there are still many similarities between them.

As long as we focus on training them during the construction of the steel plant.

And some people who have a talent for iron smelting and steelmaking are trained as key technical personnel.

I believe that while building this steel plant, their technological level will also be able to improve simultaneously.

Without qualified steel, we cannot produce qualified gun steel and artillery steel in large quantities.

They also couldn't mass-produce more powerful steam engines and diesel engines.

The limits we can reach with our current rudimentary steelmaking methods are already the best we can do.

It's practically impossible to go any further.

This applies to both quantity and quality.

Therefore, if we want to obtain better steel, we must have a steel mill that can produce good steel.

This is something you can't negotiate.

After taking a deep drag on his pipe, Chen Changzai continued, "Old He, do you know why we don't use ball bearings and roller bearings in our diesel engines?"
That's because we can only produce so little good steel.

Even the gun steel we forge ourselves is the best steel we can produce.

However, it cannot replace bearing steel.

Since there is no bearing steel available, we can only use copper alloys, namely bronze, to replace bearing steel.

And the clutches we use in tractors and now machine tools.

The release bearing on it does not meet the actual usage requirements at all.

It's just that because the release bearing is not a bearing that operates for extended periods, we can use ordinary steel instead of bearing steel.

But these are not long-term solutions.

Without high-performance bearings, we cannot manufacture high-performance engines.

Without high-performance engines, we will never be able to build our own cars, tanks, and airplanes.

Without cars, tanks, and airplanes, we wanted to drive out the Japanese invaders and compete with the world's great powers.

How many comrades' sacrifices will it take for us to achieve our victory?

Those are all human lives.

How vulnerable is a person who takes decades to grow up when faced with weapons made of steel?

Old He, you came from the flames of war.

You should know this very well.

Therefore, we must have our own steel mills, and we must also have our own bearing steel.

Bearings are the joints of industry; without them, even the most powerful industry is nothing more than a stationary giant.

"Phew~" Political Commissar He let out a deep breath.

What Chen Changzai just said really got Political Commissar He excited.

He didn't hear anything else.

But he realized that we could build cars, tanks, and airplanes ourselves.

The only problem right now is the lack of bearing steel.

If we had bearing steel, then airplanes and tanks would be minor issues.

What are we waiting for? We must build them! We have to build them! As long as we have our own airplanes and tanks...

Who cares about Chiang Kai-shek or the Japanese? Just drive them all into the sea.

Then won't you be able to achieve the goal you set out for with such desperate effort in the first place very soon?
"Build it, build it now."

Political Commissar He seemed to have suddenly gone hysterical, staring blankly and saying "Make".

Chen Changzai was stunned instead.

So Chen Changzai asked cautiously, "Old He, Old He, are you alright? What did you say about making it now?"

"Make bearing steel, make airplanes, make tanks, let's make them now!" Political Commissar He said, as if he were still dreaming.

"Old He, have you been working too hard lately? Why don't you take a nap here?"
Weren't we just talking about building a steel plant?

"Huh? Ah! Ah ah, yes, it's about building a steel plant, it's about building a steel plant."

I'm probably just really tired lately. When you were talking about airplanes and tanks, I suddenly felt a bit disoriented.

Changzai, do you know what I just saw?
I saw that the airplanes flying above us were all made by ourselves.

The tanks we drive on the ground are all made by ourselves.

Our soldiers, flying planes, driving tanks, and riding warhorses, drove all our enemies into the sea.

We won! All our comrades laughed and jumped for joy.

Everyone was incredibly happy.

Political Commissar He, who had been sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed) talking to Chen Changzai, kept nodding as he spoke.

This is a sign of extreme drowsiness.

Political Commissar He must be exhausted.

His body couldn't take the sudden excitement he had just experienced.

That's why I was in a daze just now.

Chen Changzai quickly got off the kang (a heated brick bed), walked around the kang table where the blueprints were placed, and came to Political Commissar He's side.

While helping Political Commissar He to lie down slowly, he whispered, "Old He, we will win."

Close your eyes and take a nap.

"When you wake up, we've won."

"Yes, we won, we won."

As soon as he lay down on the kang (a heated brick bed), and his head touched the pillow, Political Commissar He began to snore like thunder.

After gently covering Political Commissar He with a blanket, Chen Changzai left the cave dwelling.

They saw Political Commissar He's bodyguard talking to his own bodyguard.

Chen Changzai asked, "Xiao Zhao, how long has it been since Political Commissar He had a proper rest?"

"Ah, Director Chen, hello." Political Commissar He's bodyguard, Xiao Zhao, saw Chen Changzai suddenly come out and asked him a question.

He quickly stood up, saluted, and greeted them.

They were asking Political Commissar He how long it had been since he had a proper rest.

Xiao Zhao said with his head down, "I've been too busy lately. Political Commissar He hasn't had a good night's sleep for several days."

Even when his sister-in-law told him to get some sleep, he said he still had work to finish.

During this period, it seems that Political Commissar He hasn't slept much for three days.

I've only slept a few hours in the past three days.

"Is this utterly ridiculous?"

This can't go on.

Sigh, it's also my fault as the factory manager.

Political Commissar He is too tired and has just fallen asleep. Go and tell his wife.

Political Commissar He sleeps very soundly and may not even wake up at night.

If she comes over, she'll have to squeeze in with Wang Ling tonight. Political Commissar He will stay here with me.

"Yes, I'll go report to my sister-in-law right now."

After saying that, Xiao Zhao picked up the gun beside him and ran out of the yard.

(End of this chapter)