A Journey Through the Flames of War in the Republican Era

Jinling, Langshan in the eastern suburbs, ballistics research institute.

The spring breeze brings warmth, nourishing all things silently, and the earth awakens. A spring rain seems to have washed the sky and the mountains and vegetation, leaving them fresh and bright, and the signs of spring are gradually emerging.

The moist scent in the air mingled with the fresh aroma of spring buds, creating a delightful atmosphere. The distant mountains, like dark eyebrows, resembled a delicate ink painting.

Yu Dawei, however, had no interest in appreciating the beautiful landscape painting and seemed preoccupied.

After a long silence, he said, "The Japanese have intensified their intelligence activities. Although they have disappeared after this period of competition, it is clear that they have not given up in the face of difficulties, but have gone into hiding even deeper. Nanjing may seem calm on the surface, but undercurrents are still surging."

"The Japanese are willing to go to any lengths, even at the cost of equal action on both sides. Their objectives seem to extend beyond what we currently see. The Military Commission believes they are likely trying to mislead us, but we have no way of knowing what other intentions they may have."

"The Military Intelligence Bureau cracked one of their radio stations, but only captured the spies who were collecting peripheral intelligence; there was nothing of great value found."

Song Hongfei's eyes lit up, and he asked, "Could we seize their codebook?"

Yu Dawei smiled wryly and shook his head, saying, "The enemy's intelligence agents slipped away quickly and covered their tracks just as fast, only managing to capture a radio that wasn't completely destroyed. The clues are already very clear; the mastermind behind it is the Japanese. It's just that we don't have direct evidence and can't afford to confront them directly. Under international law, this is a very serious act of hostility! They've had to restrain themselves a bit."

Yu Dawei's face was heavy as he continued, "It is extremely heartbreaking that the Japanese spies we captured were all Chinese. These people are willing to betray their ancestors for money! They are also very pathetic. They are nothing more than chamber pots for the Japanese. They use them when they need to urinate, and then throw them aside because they find them disgusting."

Yu Dawei sighed, “With foreign enemies surrounding us and the country in such a precarious state, the various factions are still scheming against each other.”

Yu Dawei and Song Hongfei remained silent for a long time.

The Japanese intelligence infiltration was ubiquitous. It was no secret that various factions and warlords secretly exchanged glances and made secret dealings with the Japanese. Even within the high-ranking officials of the Nationalist government, there were pro-Japanese, surrender, and fence-sitters.

The spy cases that were cracked earlier already had clues pointing to the faction of Wang Jingwei, a high-ranking official in the Nationalist government. Could it be that he was unwilling to be subordinate to others and had developed disloyal intentions, and was willing to cooperate with the Japanese to seek revenge?

Yu Dawei was still puzzled, but Song Hongfei, who had traveled through time, knew perfectly well that in the following year, this high-ranking official Wang would take the risk of betraying the country and surrendering to the enemy.

Song Hongfei pondered for a moment and said, "Could we investigate further based on the clues that have already been solved?"

Yu Dawei sighed deeply: "With numerous factions and warlordism, we are beset by internal and external troubles. The principal is also in a difficult position. Without solid evidence, we can only touch on the issue and stop there. If we turn against them, it will lead to another warlord conflict. The lessons learned from the Ning-Yue conflict and the Guangdong-Guangxi Incident, where the Japanese took advantage of the chaos, have already made the principal wary. We can only wait for them to launch another attack. We are in a very passive position."

"The Great Wall of Steel was not built in a day, but the collapse of the dam is often caused by such national scourges," Song Hongfei sighed inwardly. "Making deals with the devil, they can only bring about their own destruction in the end!"

Yu Dawei said, "The Japanese are advancing step by step in North China and are also making moves in Central China. The scope and intensity of their espionage activities in the Beijing-Shanghai area are unprecedented. All these abnormal signs indicate that the situation is pressing. I'm afraid a full-scale war is imminent."

"A storm is brewing," Song Hongfei sighed inwardly, picking up his teacup and taking a sip of the fine Biluochun tea that Yu Dawei had specially prepared for him. "We must prepare ourselves for battle!"

Looking out the window at the distant, dark mountains, Yu Dawei still seemed somewhat worried. He sighed, "Our industrial and military construction has only just begun. Originally, I was very ambitious. If we had another five or eight years, not to mention industrialization, even if we only had three to five years, at least our military industry would be able to produce enough light weapons and equipment and medium-caliber artillery ammunition to supply 60 modern national defense divisions.

Yu Dawei sighed again: "But now it seems that the enemy will not give us another five or eight years to develop, I'm afraid they won't give us another two or three years!"

Song Hongfei sighed inwardly. Yu Dawei, the father of military industry, truly deserved to be called an elite figure of his time; his strategic foresight was quite accurate. However, that was based on common sense. He had underestimated the madness of the radical militarists in Japan. These Japanese lunatics clearly could not be measured by common sense.

Song Hongfei was suddenly startled. Not to mention Yu Dawei, even he himself, a transmigrator with the eye of God, had not anticipated the crazy ambitions of the Japanese.

He originally thought that with his cheat-like God's Eye, wouldn't he be able to foresee everything, do whatever he wanted, and control the wind and rain? Wouldn't everything be within his grasp? Dealing with the Japanese would be as easy as cutting melons and vegetables.

However, I gradually realized that I had truly underestimated the power of the butterfly effect. Its emergence in this era had already altered the original course of events; the butterfly had quietly flapped its wings. Life is unpredictable, and nothing naturally unfolds according to its original trajectory. Many events that wouldn't have happened before have occurred. Those involved are not fools; it's a continuous process of strategic maneuvering.

If you harbor contempt or wishful thinking, and treat others like fools, you might one day be sold out while you're still foolishly counting money for them.

No matter what you do, you must always be extremely cautious and careful. If you try to make decisions without thinking, relying on your divine insight, a wrong judgment could lead to serious consequences. The higher your position and authority, the more severe the consequences will be.

Song Hongfei suddenly realized that he had developed a greater sense of awe for this mysterious and unseen power.

Looking at Yu Dawei's figure, Song Hongfei noticed that Yu Dawei looked haggard and powerless in the face of various internal and external difficulties. This father of military industry had truly devoted himself to the construction of China's modern defense industry.

Song Hongfei said quietly, "The Japanese have gone mad. I'm afraid it won't last more than two or three years. They may go completely mad at any time."

Yu Dawei turned around, looked at Song Hongfei, and asked, "What information did you receive that led you to this judgment?"

Song Hongfei pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "The Japanese have long harbored wolfish ambitions. Ishihara Kanji, the fanatical ambitious figure who orchestrated the September 18 Incident, is highly regarded in the Japanese military. According to the 'Ishihara Plan,' after occupying Northeast China, the focus should be on managing and assimilating the region, developing and accumulating strength in secret, while simultaneously instigating a civil war in China. The plan is to use 20 years to accumulate, digest, and grow stronger before launching a final attack on China. The entire massive plan is very well-developed, and the final full-scale offensive was scheduled for 1956."

"Ishihara's success in the September 18 Incident deeply stimulated a large group of fanatical militaristic junior officers, inspiring their madness and audacity to 'overthrow their superiors.' This group has fallen into madness, and in order to 'make a name for themselves,' they are always willing to take risks and go astray—I am afraid this is an inevitable outcome within the realm of chance."

Yu Dawei pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Several years ago, on September 18th, you studied the Japanese materials in detail. Considering the current grim situation, your judgment is not unfounded. The Japanese won't wait for us to make proper preparations before launching their attack!"

Song Hongfei smiled wryly: "Of course the enemy won't wait for us to be ready before they come. If we are all prepared, I'm afraid they won't dare to launch an attack."

Yu Dawei smiled wryly and said, "It's just a pity that our industry and military industry are still subject to others. If we had another three to five years, I'm afraid we wouldn't have to be so afraid."

Song Hongfei asked, "How many Type 24 semi-automatic rifles can be produced now?"

Yu Dawei paused slightly, hesitating as he pondered how to respond.

Seeing this, Song Hongfei said, "I understand. I shouldn't have asked; it's confidential."

Yu Dawei nodded and solemnly said, "After the enemy spy incident, the Military Commission classified it as top secret. Apart from a few people in the Ordnance Department system, I am the lowest-ranking person who knows the specific production capacity data."

Song Hongfei was taken aback by these words.

Yu Dawei smiled again and said, "You are a designer, so you should know that there might be some better solutions. With our current industrial level, it is still difficult to mass-produce them on a large scale. Well, the maximum monthly production capacity of semi-automatic rifles is probably enough to equip one infantry regiment."

Song Hongfei pondered to himself that, based on this calculation, the maximum annual output would probably only be enough for one army. If a full-scale war broke out, this output would be far from sufficient.

Song Hongfei scratched his head and said, "This is really a headache. We've already tried to simplify and make it as universal as possible."

Yu Dawei said, “This is our current industrial situation. Even industrial experts don’t have any good solutions for production. As for current rifle production, part of the original production capacity will be allocated to the Hanyang rifle, which has been used by the Chinese army for decades and has accumulated a large amount of raw materials, parts and ammunition. It is estimated that it will continue to be produced and used for several more years before it is used up. This rifle is used by non-Central Army units; part of the production capacity will be used to produce the Min 24 rifle, which will be used by the Central Army; and part of the production capacity will be used to produce semi-automatic rifles and general-purpose machine guns, which will be used by elite troops.”

"This is all thanks to your proposal last year during your European inspection tour to make a deal with Germany for 2 million gun barrels. Good lad, I have to admire you on this. The semi-automatic rifle you designed shares the same barrel blank as the Type 24 rifle. The semi-automatic barrel only requires a small amount of reprocessing, otherwise it would be even more difficult to make something out of nothing."

Yu Dawei added, "The planned steel refinery and new artillery plant in Zhuzhou have not yet started production, and it will take some time before we can produce our own gun barrels and cannon barrels."

Song Hongfei's heart skipped a beat, and he said, "The Japanese are becoming increasingly rampant in their intelligence activities in Central and Southeast China. I'm afraid they've been planning this for a long time. Once a full-scale war breaks out, the modern industrial zone planned here will be in danger."

Yu Dawei nodded and said, "Regarding the issue of the enemy blocking our coastal transport lines after the start of a full-scale war, the higher-ups have also taken targeted measures. The newly planned industrial capacity is located in the southwest rear area as much as possible. Fortunately, the forces in Hunan, Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou have all understood the principle of interdependence and mutual destruction."

Song Hongfei used the command stick to draw on the huge map hanging on the wall of Yu Dawei's office and said, "The new plan will still take some time. Once the war starts, the enemy can go straight to the heart of Central China and Southeast China along the Yangtze River, Pinghan Railway, Yuehan Railway and Zhegan Railway. It would be best to properly transfer and deal with the existing industrial capacity as soon as possible."

Yu Dawei sighed inwardly, "The Ordnance Bureau system is relatively easy to handle, as there is already a relocation plan. However, the vested interests of the modern industry and commerce in the original prosperous areas may not have such foresight, and they will only realize the pain when the fire is at their doorstep."

Song Hongfei sighed, "By then, it will be too late."

Song Hongfei pondered for a moment, as if he had made up his mind, and said, "My family's businesses also involve steel, machinery, mining, rubber, textiles, transportation and shipping, and we have some influence in the Southeast financial group. I am confident that I can explain the key to my father, Chen Ming, and let him set an example. However, it would be better if Commander Yu from the Ordnance Department took the lead. What do you think, Commander Yu?"

Yu Dawei pondered for a while, then patted Song Hongfei on the shoulder and laughed heartily, "With you saying that, Young Master Song, things will be much easier!"

Song Hongfei continued, "Long-term poverty and weakness, being controlled by others and dependent on their whims, is like a fishbone stuck in one's throat!"

Yu Dawei smiled and said, "I wonder what brilliant ideas Young Master Song has?"

Song Hongfei also smiled and said, "I have a preliminary plan that is not yet fully developed, and I hope that Commander Yu will not hesitate to give me his guidance."

As Song Hongfei explained his plan in detail, Yu Dawei became increasingly shocked. His eyes widened, and his face was filled with disbelief. He exclaimed in disbelief, "The German Enigma machine has a vulnerability?!"