Bright Sword: Construction starts from southeastern Shanxi

Not only does it have the ability to manufacture ammunition, it has also established a simple machining production line that can produce rifles, mortars and some light artillery parts.

"Commander, this is the latest 7.92mm bullet production line." Deng Xie, who is in charge of industry, led everyone into the workshop.

In the workshop, rows of machine tools are running at high speed, and workers are busy with processes such as shell pressing, loading, and sealing. The efficiency has doubled compared to before.

Zeng Jiwen carefully inspected the production line and discovered that some of the new equipment was clearly not locally produced. He turned and asked, "Old Deng, were these devices supplied from the north?"

Deng Xie nodded and said, "Yes, our comrades from the north have provided a batch of high-precision machine tools, some of which were secretly transported here through Outer Mongolia.

Some were copied after we disassembled and studied them ourselves.”

"The aid from the North is indeed timely. Now that we can manufacture bullets and some firearms ourselves, it can greatly alleviate the supply pressure on the battlefield." Zhou Shi sighed.

"In addition to the production of light weapons, our ammunition factory is also expanding," Deng Xie continued.

"Currently, we are mainly producing mortar shells and 37mm anti-tank shells, and we expect to reach a monthly output of 5,000 rounds next month."

Everyone nodded frequently, which meant that their combat effectiveness would be further improved.

After leaving the ammunition factory, Zeng Jiwen and his party came to the power machinery factory under construction, where diesel engines shipped from the north were being assembled.

It is used to modify some tanks and transport vehicles. Seeing the workers gathered around an engine to debug it, Zeng Jiwen couldn't help but ask, "How's the progress?"

"Commander, this is the GAZ-AA truck engine donated by the Soviet Union. We have successfully copied it and are preparing for mass production next." A technician replied.

"Great! With our own power equipment, our logistical transportation capabilities will be greatly improved." Zeng Jiwen nodded with satisfaction.

Next, Zeng Jiwen and others set off for the Yuncheng Industrial Zone in southwestern Shanxi.

Yuncheng, as an important city newly recovered after the negotiations, Zeng Jiwen decided to let it undertake the tasks of military industrial repair and chemical production.

Inside a renovated chemical plant, the pungent smell of gunpowder filled the air, and several mixers were running at high speed, mixing raw materials into gunpowder.

A chief engineer was in charge of production here. When he saw Zeng Jiwen and his party, he came over to greet them.

"Secretary Zeng, Political Commissar Zhou, welcome to Yuncheng!" Zhuang Junliang, who is in charge of chemical industry, took off his gloves and said with a smile.

"Mr. Zhuang, we heard that you are developing a new formula for explosives?" Zhou Xi asked.

"That's right. Previously, under the guidance of Expert Yuan, we improved the nitrocellulose formula, increasing its stability while reducing our dependence on nitric acid."

Zhuang Junliang took them to a laboratory table and showed them a batch of newly produced high-energy explosives.

"If we can achieve large-scale production, our supply of explosives on the battlefield will be more stable." Wang Zhuo observed and nodded.

Then they came to the repair plant, which was mainly responsible for repairing captured Japanese tanks and trucks. Dozens of tanks had been repaired here and put back into battle.

"We can now not only repair but also modify some armored vehicles," said Liu Lei, director of the repair factory.

"Engineer He suggested that we add thicker armor to the Japanese Type 95 light tank and replace it with a 37mm anti-tank gun. This would increase its combat effectiveness by 30% compared to the original."

"Very good, make the best use of the captured equipment." Zeng Jiwen patted a tank that had been modified.

Finally, they headed to Jincheng Industrial Zone.

The core of Jincheng Industrial Zone is metallurgy and machine tool manufacturing.

The blast furnaces provided by the north have been put into operation and can smelt high-quality steel for use in arsenals across the country.

"Steel production is stable, with a supply of 500 tons per month," said the smelter's manager.

"We are also trying to use a new steelmaking method provided by the North Face to increase the hardness of the steel to meet the requirements of gun barrels and armor plates."

In the machine tool workshop, workers are debugging the newly arrived lathes.

These machine tools are used to manufacture firearms parts and artillery barrels, greatly improving production accuracy.

Zeng Jiwen looked at these industrial equipment and felt a little relieved after feeling heavy for so many years.

Victory on the battlefield depends not only on the bravery of soldiers, but also on strong industrial support.

Now, with the assistance of the North, their military-industrial system is gradually improving and will be able to support a larger-scale counterattack in the future.

The inspection lasted for more than a month.

In the past month, under the leadership of Deng Xie, Zeng Jiwen and others have visited all the industrial zones in Jin.

I have a general understanding of their current situation.