A Journey Through the Flames of War in the Republican Era

The general-purpose machine gun, which can be used for both light and heavy applications, was a novel concept at the time.

It abandoned the heavy cooling cylinder of the old-fashioned water-cooled heavy machine gun. Although its continuous firing performance was worse, its huge advantages in portability and mobility were unmatched by the bulky water-cooled heavy machine gun.

A complete water-cooled heavy machine gun, including the receiver, barrel, mount, accessories, spare parts, and ammunition, is quite heavy and requires a squad to maintain. It can only be moved by mules and horses.

At that time, mechanization had not yet taken off. Even the best-equipped major powers could only equip heavy machine guns to the battalion level, not to the infantry company level, because the soldiers couldn't carry them. The training and management of heavy machine guns were at the battalion level during peacetime, and the battalion-level heavy machine gun companies were then broken up and assigned to the infantry companies during combat.

Not to mention the Chinese army at that time, which couldn't even achieve the use of mules and horses. The well-equipped Central Army of China had a battalion-level machine gun company at the battalion level, while poorly equipped units only had a regimental-level machine gun company.

The Japanese army was very wary of the heavy machine gun firepower of the Chinese army on the battlefield. Before each attack, they would take advantage of the huge advantage of artillery and grenade launchers to take out the heavy machine gun positions of the Chinese army one by one before their infantry dared to charge.

Therefore, on the battlefield, the heavy machine guns of the Chinese army had to move to a new position after firing a 250-round ammunition belt, otherwise Japanese shells would soon rain down on them. However, due to the excessive weight and difficulty in moving the water-cooled heavy machine guns, they often suffered heavy losses under the superior artillery fire of the Japanese army.

The emergence of the general-purpose machine gun will bring unprecedented impact and changes to the organization, firepower configuration, tactics, combat formations, training, and combat forms of basic infantry units.

If this highly portable and mobile dual-purpose machine gun could be deployed to infantry companies, it would mean that Chinese infantry companies could completely suppress the light firepower of Japanese infantry squadrons!

At that time, the MG34 general-purpose machine gun, which had been under development in Germany for many years, had just been introduced. The gun used a belt-fed ammunition system and was the world's first truly general-purpose machine gun.

The MG34 machine gun has an excessively high rate of fire, reaching 1000 rounds per minute. This places extremely high demands on the strength of the barrel material and makes it prone to overheating, thus affecting the barrel's lifespan.

The gun's components are made of a large number of precious metals, requiring a series of complex cutting processes, which is time-consuming, material-intensive, costly, and heavy.

Song Hongfei's general-purpose machine gun improved upon these shortcomings. Like the design of a semi-automatic rifle, it adopted a simplified and improved design, eliminating all unnecessary structures and parts. Not only was the weight greatly reduced, with the unloaded weight being comparable to the ZB26 Czech light machine gun, but the entire manufacturing process was also simpler and more cost-effective.

After rigorous calculations by the Ordnance Department, it was found that once mass-produced, the cost of the general-purpose machine gun would be significantly lower than that of the currently equipped Maxim water-cooled heavy machine gun.

At that time, the whole world was still figuring out how to develop semi-automatic and automatic weapons, and what future rifles and machine guns should look like.

No one can be sure, and there is no ready-made answer.

Faced with the general-purpose machine gun designed by Song Hongfei, Yu Dawei, director of the Ordnance Bureau, and many ordnance experts were truly amazed and full of admiration.

They simply couldn't imagine that this young man, born into a prominent and powerful family and seen by outsiders as nothing more than a spoiled brat, was not only a military genius but also a top-notch weapons design master who designed the world's most advanced rifles and machine guns?

His new gun design looks like it's a giant leap ahead of its time!

The ordnance experts were incredibly excited: semi-automatic rifles and general-purpose machine guns—China had not only not fallen behind the great powers, but had instead taken a groundbreaking step to stand at the forefront of the world. These were the world's most advanced infantry light weapons!

For a time, they regarded Song Hongfei as a god.

However, Yu Dawei and a group of military experts were also troubled by a huge problem. Faced with the country's impoverished and dilapidated industrial situation, they were extremely anxious, as if a hundred claws were scratching at their hearts.

The high-ranking officials of the Chinese Military Commission were overjoyed to learn of the successful development of the semi-automatic rifle and the general-purpose machine gun. During that period, the leaders were in high spirits.

Under the organization and planning of the top leadership of the Chinese government, the construction of a series of supporting industries, including steel, mining, metallurgy, power, machinery, chemicals, and materials, which were planned earlier, has been accelerated.

In a series of negotiations with European countries on military, trade, and industrial development, the Chinese Nationalist Government gained much more bargaining power. The reason is simple: with stronger leverage, one can stand tall and speak with greater confidence.

华夏国府商谈引进5吨-30吨级的炼钢电炉、转炉、平炉，250-477立方米高炉，直径400-1500MM的轧钢机、冷轧机、线材轧机、卷铁皮机、6000吨的水压机、水轮机、发电机、机床、车床等一大批工业设备，很多都已在紧锣密鼓加紧安装调试。

According to the plan, the annual steel production capacity will reach 20 to 30 tons within 5 years, and it will be able to produce special steels such as refined chrome-plated gun barrels, small-caliber artillery barrels, and high-pressure shell steel.

However, there is one point that even Song Hongfei, who traveled from a later era, had to admire.

The think tank of the Chinese government was highly strategic and forward-looking, planning and deploying these industrial projects along the Yangtze River basin, starting from the lower and middle reaches and extending to Chongqing and Sichuan in the upper reaches.

Related industrial equipment and raw materials can be transported upstream along the Shanghai-Yangtze River route, or via the Hong Kong-Guangdong-Guangdong-Hankou route to Wuhan, and then via the Yangtze River route to the rear areas of Sichuan Province.

This approach allows for full utilization of the various coal, iron, and non-ferrous metal resources in Southwest China and the Yangtze River basin. In the event of war, these key industrial areas deep in the strategic rear can be penetrated while avoiding direct confrontation with the enemy.

The life-or-death matter must be firmly in your own hands!

"There are truly remarkable people in the Huaxia National Government!" Song Hongfei exclaimed with heartfelt admiration.

At the same time, the Chinese government increased its efforts to develop and improve the Yangtze River shipping, which greatly enhanced the shipping capacity of the Yangtze River, increasing it several times over compared to its historical level.

Song Hongfei secretly made a calculation.

In this way, large-scale industrial equipment in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, North China, and the Central Plains, especially a large proportion of the steel production capacity and related supporting facilities of Xiangtan Central Steel Plant and Hanyeping Plant, could be safely relocated to the rear area of ​​Sichuan Province during wartime, and there could even be surplus transportation capacity to transport hundreds of thousands of tons of iron ore raw materials from Daye.

According to the planned industrial construction, it is achievable to build a modern large-scale steel industry in the rear area within 5-8 years, with a promising capacity of 60 tons of iron, 25 tons of steel, and 5 tons of special steel.

If the annual production of rail steel reaches 3 to 6 tons, then the railway construction capacity will be 300 to 500 kilometers per year, and the transportation capacity between the rear and the front, as well as the international aid transport lines to China, will be fundamentally enhanced compared to the past.

The industrial self-sustaining capability will also be realized, and it is realistic to ensure that military production can meet the original plan of 60 German-equipped defense divisions and guarantee the ability to continue combat operations.

Song Hongfei could no longer contain his excitement.

Seeds of hope, once sown, will always sprout and emerge anew.

Although everything is still in its infancy, it is already showing initial promise!