Bright Sword: Construction starts from southeastern Shanxi

Zeng Jiwen knew that Chen Yongzai had taken his words to heart.

This time when he came to Huangyadong, he specifically asked Chen Yongzai to accompany him.

I just want to enlighten him.

After hearing what Chen Yongzai said, Zeng Jiwen felt relieved.

Then the group started walking towards another place.

Outside a hidden cave, Liu Guifu looked at Zhou Shi and Wang Zhuo with a mysterious smile.

"Political Commissar Zhou, Chief of Staff Wang, this place might surprise you."

The two people who heard this immediately became interested.

After they entered the workshop, they were immediately shocked by the scene before them.

The dim light flickered in the damp cave, illuminating the crisscrossing rock patterns on the cave wall.

The air was filled with the hot smell of metal cutting, accompanied by the roar of machines and sparks of electric welding. The whole space seemed like a steel furnace hidden underground.

This is an armored workshop hidden in a cave.

Rows of temporary factories have been built in the cave, with simple but sturdy electric lights hanging on the iron frames, illuminating the workers who are working hard.

In the center of the workshop, an armored vehicle that had just completed welding was parked there quietly.

There was still some welding slag on the surface of the car, and the tires were covered with oil and metal powder.

Workers were busy around it in groups of three or five.

Some were tightening rivets, some were checking the thickness of the armor plates, and others were squatting on the ground, adjusting the final tension of the tracks.

Deeper in the cave, a heavy tank turret was being slowly raised by ropes.

Several workers stood by, staring intently at the steel cable to ensure that it landed precisely on the tank body.

Every detail and every component must be precise and accurate - on the battlefield, even a small failure may determine the life or death of a soldier.

In the weapons assembly area not far away, rows of anti-aircraft machine guns and anti-tank guns were neatly placed on makeshift racks.

Workers are skillfully installing sights and magazines on them.

The air was filled with the smell of engine oil and gunpowder, filling the entire workshop with a sense of urgency.

A few people could see in the innermost corner that a group of foreign technicians in work clothes were gesturing around a blueprint.

Next to them stood a group of young apprentices, all with bright eyes, listening attentively to the technicians' explanations.

A North Face expert with a gray beard was demonstrating how to adjust the cylinder clearance of a tank engine, with the translator beside him conveying his explanation word for word.

The apprentices stared at the engine intently, afraid of missing any details.

Zhou Xi was immediately shocked by this scene.

Wang Zhuo stared intently at the tank that had just been assembled.

An excited look appeared on his face.

Only after they got closer did they see the specific situation.

The appearance of the tank is quite similar to the T-34 that the Soviet Union was researching and designing, but obvious improvements can be seen.

The main gun is slightly shorter than the standard T-34's 76.2mm gun. This is a domestically produced artillery piece adjusted to frontline needs, with a similar caliber.

However, the inside of the barrel has been thickened to accommodate different types of domestic ammunition.

A layer of bolted additional armor was added to the outside of the turret, and skirts were added to both sides of the vehicle body to reduce the direct impact of enemy anti-tank weapons on the tracks.

The tank's tracks are wider and the lower part of the body is slightly taller. This is an improved version designed by technicians based on the American M4 "Sherman" tank.

The wider tracks make it more adaptable to rugged mountain environments and prevent the vehicle from getting stuck in mud and snow.

The overall vehicle design also refers to some concepts of the German Panzer III and Panzer IV tanks, making the tank more stable when driving at high speeds.

Several technicians beside the vehicle were conducting a final inspection. One of the North experts touched the tank's armor, nodded with satisfaction, and said to a young man next to him.

"He~ You are such a genius.

This tank is very good, and your improvements to the T-34 are correct, especially the gun and suspension system, which are suitable for your terrain requirements.

I guess our client is also very interested in your design.

"

He Ping, standing by, smiled shyly and said, "We're still optimizing. These tanks are the first batch of test models. Once we get to the front lines, we'll continue to improve them based on the soldiers' feedback."

"The battlefield is the best testing ground." The expert from the north nodded in praise.

At this time, Zeng Jiwen and others also came forward.

Overhearing their conversation, Wang Zhuo, standing nearby, glanced calmly at the new tank before him. After a moment's hesitation, he suddenly asked, "How does this tank compare to other tanks in the world today?"

Hearing the unfamiliar words, the people surrounding the tank immediately reacted and looked back.

Then they saw five or six men standing behind them.

He looked at the tank with burning eyes.

When He Ping saw the person coming, his eyes suddenly lit up.

"Brother Zeng!"

Then he immediately ran forward.

Then he called on others.

Zeng Jiwen looked at the person who came and a smile appeared on his face.

"He Ping, you guys did a great job~"

Hearing Zeng Jiwen's praise, He Ping smiled shyly and shook his head.

"It's our responsibility and should have been done long ago. But it was delayed before.

Since Mr. Kotin and his team arrived, our progress has accelerated."

Hearing this, Zeng Jiwen nodded.

Then he looked at the tall, middle-aged man standing beside him.

She shook his hand enthusiastically.

"Mr. Ke Jing, thank you so much for taking the time to come here.

"

He saw that the person who came was Zeng Jiwen, who had personally invited him to come to China for support.

Kotin was also very happy.

Gave Zeng Jiwen a warm hug.

"Zeng~

Thank you so much, if you hadn't come to me in the first place.

I didn't know that new tanks could be designed like this.

Although we are helping you, we are in urgent need of this type of tank.

Thank you so much.”

Zeng Jiwen smiled and said it was nothing.

Doesn't he know that he was designed by you?

Zeng Jiwen put a lot of effort into bringing you to China to help with construction with just a blueprint.

In order to allow the military factory to build it, Zeng Jiwen did not keep it secret from the North.

It means that if the research is finally completed, North Korea can manufacture and use this tank free of charge.

This is also the reason why the North agreed to let Ke Jing come to China for support.

At this time, Ke Jing let go of Zeng Jiwen, and then spoke excitedly to Wang Zhuo who had just spoken.

"Although the T-34 design I made in my previous drawings is slightly weaker in terms of artillery power, it has been optimized in terms of protection and mobility, and has lower fuel consumption. Most importantly, it can adapt to your own battlefield environment!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Shi and Wang Zhu's eyes suddenly lit up.

At this moment, a young engineer in oil-stained overalls excitedly climbed onto the tank and gently tapped the heavy turret, his eyes gleaming with passion. "This tank... is really sturdy! I hope it can kill a few more Japanese tanks on the battlefield!"

After hearing this, everyone couldn't help but burst into laughter.

After the engineer came down, Zeng Jiwen patted the young engineer on the shoulder and said meaningfully.

"Do your best! In the future, maybe you young people will become the next generation of tank chief engineers!"