Industry began in 1937

The preparation for "Justice Iron Shop" not only signifies the expansion of the business, but also means that Chen Yuan's secret production system, which relies on the "Flint" platform, must undergo a comprehensive upgrade and disguise.

The original single-cave workshop model is no longer safe enough as it will soon face more scrutiny from outsiders.

He needs a more refined plan that can better explain the "high yield and quality" and "technical secrets".

After several days of intensive planning and discussions with Wen Shizhou and Third Master, a complete new plan took shape in Chen Yuan's mind and began to be implemented in the mine in the back mountain.

The mine entrance extends inward for about twenty meters into a relatively spacious and dry "front hall".

This place was officially established as "Gongyi Blacksmith Shop - External Workshop".

Old Han, along with the villagers and Chen Yuan, led four quick-witted and steady young men sent by the village—Shuanzhu, Tiedan, Qingsheng, and Maolin—and spent several days carrying out the renovations.

The opening was further enlarged and reinforced with wood and stone.

The opening that was originally dug out to mine coal in the ditch has now become a large opening.

Even so, the cave was still somewhat dark, and lighting an oil lamp was not enough.

After discussion, they decided to open several small openings on one side of the cave to facilitate ventilation and lighting.

This area will serve as the outer room, the main workshop of the blacksmith's shop.

A stone chamber was partitioned off on one side, with four wooden beds built inside so they could stay there at night.

In the very center of the outer room was the main forging furnace, which had been reinforced with stones and refractory clay. The furnace chamber was deep, and next to it were piles of high-quality Shanxi iron ingots and miscellaneous iron that had been acquired.

The furnace was connected to the well-known human-powered blower, which was operated by Shuanzhu and Tiedan in shifts to ensure a strong fire.

Next to it were sturdy anvils and a series of hammers and pliers of various sizes.

The newly added foot-operated grinder and manual drill were placed on both sides of the workshop against the wall, and were operated by Qingsheng and Maolin respectively.

These two "unusual machines" became the biggest highlight of the workshop and attracted the most curious glances.

Chen Yuan patiently taught them how to pedal steadily to maintain a uniform rotation speed, how to hold the workpiece safely for grinding or drilling, and how to judge the grinding status based on the color of the sparks.

Young people learn quickly, especially when they personally polish rough iron billets into sharp cutting edges or drill straight, smooth holes in hard iron. Their sense of accomplishment and amazement at the "power of machines" are palpable.

The workshop is clearly divided into raw material area, semi-finished product area and finished product area.

A simple tool rack hangs on the wall.

During the day, the furnace glows red-hot, hammers clang, grinding wheels spin, and drills hiss as four young men work feverishly, drenched in sweat.

Following Chen Yuan's instructions, they processed most of the publicly disclosed orders.

In other words, the flint platform would melt down the scrap iron collected into rough blanks in the inner room, then have them grind and drill holes, heat treat, and finally process them into spearheads, broadswords, machetes, and sickles.

All the steps that required "human labor"—blowing, grinding, drilling—became public and reasonable "labor-intensive" processes.

While these young people were pedaling the machines and sweating profusely, they were also unknowingly contributing their precious physical strength to the "Flint" platform hidden deep inside, converting it into electrical energy.

Passing through a newly built, sturdy wooden door at the innermost part of the "External Workshop," one enters a deeper part of the mine, which is the "Inner Room"—Chen Yuan's residence and "Refinement Room," where outsiders are not allowed to enter at will.

The inner room is smaller than the outer room, but it is drier, and the rock walls have been reinforced.

The core function of this "craftsmanship workshop" is actually perfect camouflage and the operating interface of the flint platform.

The rarely used small furnace is located diagonally above the main body of the "Flint" platform. Its flue is cleverly designed to discharge small amounts of waste gas or heat generated during processing inside the platform when necessary. The fact that the furnace is rarely used also explains why there are occasional strange noises or smells, but no large amounts of fuel consumption or thick smoke.

When Chen Yuan needs to activate the "Flint" platform to begin manufacturing, he will enter the inner room and close the door.

Then, he simply puts the required basic materials into the specific feed port next to the small furnace, or places them directly on the worktable, and then connects to the startup platform via the touch screen to specify the manufacturing task.

The main body of the "Flint" platform is hidden deep inside a disguised side cave behind a rock wall, but the energy field and material transmission channels of its manufacturing units can cover this interior.

The raw materials are decomposed, purified, synthesized, and processed in the invisible internal space of the platform, and the final product is pushed out from a hidden outlet under the worktable.

The entire process is quiet, efficient, and smokeless and flameless.

All Chen Yuan had to do was wait. During that time, he might pretend to fiddle with the hand tools or make some notes in order to answer any questions someone might ask.

In this way, the entire production system is clearly divided:

The outside world: the public, labor-intensive part that relies on "human-powered machines" and "traditional craftsmanship".

Processing large, routine orders with relatively transparent technical content.

It serves as both a production base and a human power plant, as well as excellent cover.

The four young men were, in name only, apprentices and workers.

The inner room: a confidential, core part that relies on the "Flint Platform" and "Chen Yuan's unique skills".

But in reality, it's not entirely true that Chen Yuan has been putting on an act all this time.

With the help of the flint platform, he could also tinker with some of the tools.

In particular, with the platform's guidance, he has been able to manufacture muskets very smoothly.

This musket benefits from the seamless barrel produced by the platform, with a smooth inner wall, and the lead bullets are also very regular, allowing it to reach a range of about 100 meters.

Scattered within 5 meters.

If it weren't for fighting the Japanese, this kind of musket would be excellent for hunting.

The booming opening of "Justice Blacksmith Shop" was completed almost simultaneously with the establishment of this new system of "internal and external division of labor, and combination of light and dark" inside the cave.

We simply set off a string of firecrackers, and that was it for the opening ceremony.

Gunpowder is now a critical resource.

Outside, the shouts of the four-man team of staking out, the whistling of the blower, and the roar of the grinding wheel drill created a lively and vibrant symphony of labor.

Inside, most of the time it was quiet, with only Chen Yuan facing the light screen of "Flint" alone, planning the manufacture of his bayonets and old sleeve parts.

Wen Shizhou inspected the new layout and praised the orderly exterior and the enthusiasm of the young people, but did not inquire much about the interior.

This might be because Chen Yuan didn't want to reveal his secret; it's perfectly normal for craftsmen to keep their skills secret.