Industry began in 1937

Chen Yuan and his righteous blacksmith shop are constantly producing all kinds of products.

Small vendors have already come to Gouzi Village to purchase goods, and then transport them over mountains and valleys to sell them to more distant places.

As the wheels of time rolled into the early spring of 1938, the biting cold wind had not yet completely subsided, but in the air of the western mountainous area of ​​Xingtai, a scorching new force, completely different from the past, was already stirring.

With the full support of the work teams led by Zhou Huan and Gao Yang, and with the military support and cover of Zhang Xianyue's advance detachment, the anti-Japanese situation in the western mountainous area of ​​Xingtai opened up and was consolidated at an astonishing speed.

Centered on Jiangshui Town, the Xingtai County Anti-Japanese National Salvation Provisional Government was officially established in Yingtou Village. Local patriots such as Hu Zhen, Li Mengping, and Wu Guangyu, with the assistance of Eighth Route Army cadres, took on the important leadership role.

The provisional government issued decrees to mobilize the people, restore production, and stabilize order. A profound social transformation was quietly taking place on this war-torn land.

More importantly, under the guidance of the Eighth Route Army's core members, the first batch of local advanced individuals who had undergone rigorous examination were secretly recruited into the Party. The Party organization, like the roots of life, began to take root in this soil.

Gouzi Village, based on its outstanding performance in the previous anti-Japanese struggle, its relatively solid mass base, and Wen Shizhou's effective work, was naturally incorporated into this new system and became one of the core bases of the 3rd District under the Xingtai County Anti-Japanese Government.

With the approval of his superiors, Wen Shizhou was officially appointed as an official of the 3rd District, responsible for the Party building and mass mobilization in the district.

Zhao Dachui, who had been tempered in battle, was appointed as the captain of the 3rd District Guerrilla Team. His task was to quickly build a local anti-Japanese armed force with a certain combat capability, with the Gouzi Village Protection Team as the backbone and reliable young people from the surrounding villages, under the leadership of the District Committee.

The official status has been set, the blueprint has been drawn, and the passion has been ignited.

However, a most real and pressing problem, like a cold boulder, weighed heavily on the minds of every newly appointed leader: guns! Equipment!

The district guerrilla force cannot be formed by relying solely on red-tasseled spears and broadswords.

Even with the dozen or so rifles that had been captured and repaired, the firepower was far from sufficient to face any potential attacks from Japanese or puppet troops or stubborn reactionary forces.

The newly formed militia self-defense forces in the surrounding villages also urgently need at least some self-defense weapons.

The main force of the Eighth Route Army was still short of equipment and could not provide large-scale support to the local areas.

For a time, the cries for "guns" and "bullets" became the most frequently heard and most anxiety-inducing topic for the district committee and the guerrilla headquarters.

The pressure inevitably reached the "Justice Blacksmith Shop" on the back hill and was transmitted to Chen Yuan.

Late at night, in the inner "crafts room".

Only a tiny oil lamp on the workbench illuminated Chen Yuan's face as he pondered deeply.

Several rudimentary sketches were spread out in front of him, left behind by Wen Shizhou and Zhao Dachui when they came to discuss the matter during the day. They outlined their urgent desire for weapons.

"A rifle... is absolutely impossible in the short term," Chen Yuan muttered to himself, his fingers unconsciously tapping the table.

By repairing those two Hanyang rifles, he understood better than anyone the exquisite materials, complex processes, and long hours required to manufacture a qualified rifle.

Given his current conditions, even with the assistance of the "Flint" platform, mass-producing rifles is nothing short of a pipe dream.

The bottlenecks in materials and energy cannot be overcome in the short term.

The main issue is the gun barrel.

The flint platform can produce materials, but without its assistance, he simply doesn't have the capability to process rifling.

"We must find a way to quickly form combat capability, with relatively low requirements for existing conditions, and to equip grassroots militia and guerrillas on a large scale." His eyes searched through the limited military knowledge stored in his mind, and finally locked onto one thing—wooden-handled grenades.

Once the mind is engaged, things become clear immediately.

Compared to rifles, hand grenades have a clear advantage:

The structure is relatively simple: the core consists of a cast iron projectile body, explosive charge, simple firing device, and wooden handle.

It lacks precision rifling, a complex bolt action, and a sophisticated structure.

The projectile body is a casting, which is too simple for a flintlock platform; the wooden handle is a machined part.

While the core of the ignition device requires a certain degree of precision, it can be broken down into smaller, more easily hand-made or simply machined components.

Just like in history, the Eighth Route Army never perfectly solved the problem of manufacturing firearms.

Even if it were to be manufactured with great difficulty, the materials and manufacturing process would be so poor that it would not be able to fire many bullets.

However, the production of hand grenades flourished in various base areas.

The grenade body requires cast iron, which flint platforms can mass-produce.

The explosive charge is black powder—salt water, sulfur, and charcoal, which can be collected or prepared using traditional methods in mountainous areas.

The handle needs to be made of hardwood—wood is the most abundant resource in the Taihang Mountains.

Although the materials required for the ignition device are sensitive, they may be obtained in small quantities through the Eighth Route Army's channels, or relatively safe alternatives that already existed in this era could be used.

Moreover, for guerrillas and militias who lack heavy firepower and often engage in close combat and ambush warfare, grenades are a powerful weapon for both offense and defense, especially in night raids, sabotage, and urban warfare.

"This is it!" Chen Yuan sat up abruptly, his eyes gleaming.

Producing wooden-handled grenades is the best way to combine his existing capabilities with the urgent needs of the troops!

Without delay, he invited Wen Shizhou and Zhao Dachui to the blacksmith's shop again the next day.

He closed the door and explained his thoughts in the most straightforward way.

"Secretary Wen, Captain Zhao, we need to put the rifle issue on hold for now." Chen Yuan got straight to the point, picking up a piece of iron and a wooden stick to demonstrate.

"It's not that we don't want to make them, it's that we simply can't right now. A gun has dozens of parts, from the barrel and bolt to the various springs and firing pins inside. Each one requires good steel, precision machining, and heat treatment. If even the slightest imperfection, it will either not fire or explode. We lack good materials, and even more so, we lack the precision machining tools and time. Even a master craftsman, working diligently for a month, might not be able to produce a perfectly usable gun from start to finish."

This was the excuse Chen Yuan came up with to decline, but upon closer examination, it was also a normal situation.

Zhao Dachui frowned as he listened, but Wen Shizhou nodded slowly, knowing that Chen Yuan was telling the truth.

Manufacturing guns is difficult. In the past, many warlords in China could repair guns, but few could manufacture them.

"But hand grenades are different." Chen Yuan forcefully shoved the wooden stick into the mud, then placed the iron block on top. "This thing, to put it simply, is an iron lump filled with explosives, with a wooden stick inserted at the back, and a small trigger mechanism hidden inside the stick. The iron lump can be cast in our blacksmith shop; we can make any size we want, and we can even pre-carve grooves on it so that it shatters even more when it explodes. Wooden sticks are everywhere in the mountains; I'm thinking of a new type of woodworking lathe that can turn dozens or even hundreds a day. Both of these materials are readily available, the process is simple, and production is fast."

"The most important thing is the explosives and the ignition mechanism inside, right?" Wen Shizhou asked, getting to the heart of the matter.

"Yes, that's the key. We don't have chemical explosives, but we can produce black powder. We can also find a firecracker maker to solve the ignition mechanism."

Chen Yuan's expression was serious. "But to prepare the explosives and make that intricate trigger mechanism, we need to find an absolutely reliable and knowledgeable master craftsman to do it in a safe place far away from the village."

That way, even if something happens over there, it won't cause too much harm.

Wen Shizhou and Zhao Dachui exchanged a glance, both seeing understanding and agreement in each other's eyes.

Guns are hard to make, but the power of a large firecracker is something everyone can imagine.

"I think it'll work!" Zhao Dachui slapped his thigh. "Brother Chen, just tell me, how should we start?"

"Wait two days for me," Chen Yuan said. "I'll first make a sample of the iron lump and the wooden stick according to my idea, and you can take a look at it. If you think it's acceptable, we'll split up and prepare. I'll work hard to make a lathe that can mass-produce the wooden stick and a mold for the cast iron lump. Secretary Wen, you'll have to work hard on your end to find an absolutely reliable master craftsman and an absolutely safe place, and you'll also have to find a way to get more gunpowder raw materials."

"Okay." Wen Shizhou agreed with Chen Yuan's idea.

Two days later, Chen Yuan took out two things from the inner room: a gray, heavy cast iron projectile with pre-made fragment grooves on its surface, and a smooth, straight hardwood handle with threads machined at the top.

He screwed the wooden handle into the threaded hole at the bottom of the projectile, and with a click, they were firmly joined.

These past two days have mainly been spent designing woodworking machine tools.

The grenade body was designed and manufactured by the flint platform itself that very night.

Chen Yuan instructed the platform to design pre-fabricated fragment grooves, which would generate more fragments during an explosion, thus expanding the kill radius.

Historically, the Eighth Route Army's hand grenades were made of iron pillars.

On the one hand, the casting technology was substandard, and on the other hand, the quality of the explosive charge was poor, resulting in low fragmentation capability and poor lethality.

Although it is not easy to increase the power of gunpowder now.

However, it is too easy to increase the production of projectiles.

The flint platform can also determine the thickness of the projectile and the size of the fragments by calculating the explosive power of black powder, thereby obtaining an optimal solution.

This would be far too overwhelming for the Eighth Route Army at present.

When Chen Yuan handed the assembled unit to Wen Shizhou, who was looking at the sample, he said, "Look, this is it."

Wen Shizhou took it, completely unaware that this projectile was a product that had surpassed current technology.

"The iron lump is hollow inside; it will be filled with explosives later, with a small hole left for the fuse. The wooden handle is also hollow, used to hold the fuse rope and that little mechanism. When in use, you unscrew the back cover, pull out the rope, and the mechanism inside ignites, detonating the explosives inside the iron lump along with the fuse. It's that simple."

Wen Shizhou took the simple yet aesthetically pleasing assembly, weighed it in his hand, and carefully examined the neatly arranged slots of broken pieces, feeling a sense of awe.

This thing looks much more organized than any other grenade they've ever seen, especially the fragmentation groove. How did Chen Yuan manage to make something like this?

"Brother Chen, is this how it is... How many sets can you make in a day?" Wen Shizhou was curious, but in the end he still asked Chen Yuan about the output here.

Chen Yuan quickly assessed the efficiency of the woodworking lathe and the pace of casting in his mind, and replied, "If the supply of wood and molten iron is sufficient, and there are enough manpower, it shouldn't be difficult to produce fifty sets a day just from these iron lumps and wooden sticks. The key is the subsequent loading and assembly, which depends on the speed and safety of the experienced craftsmen you have arranged."

"Fifty sets!" Zhao Dachui gasped, then his face lit up with excitement. "That's incredible! Secretary Wen, I think it can work!"

Wen Shizhou had also made up his mind. He carefully wrapped the sample in cloth: "Brother Chen, you start preparing immediately. Hurry up and get the woodworking lathe ready, and prepare the casting mold as well. I'll take this sample to the plastering plant right away and report to Representative Zhang and the provisional government. As long as the higher-ups give their approval, we'll get started right away!"

Wen Shizhou hurriedly headed to Jiangshui Town with the samples.

In the makeshift office of the provisional government, Zhang Xianyue, Zhou Huan, Gao Yang, and others carefully examined the cast iron projectile and its wooden handle.

Zhang Xianyue ran his fingers over the clearly defined pre-made fragmentation grooves on the projectile, then tested the sturdiness of the wooden handle connection, his eyes revealing surprise and admiration.

"Great! This projectile is well-designed! It has pre-cut fragmentation grooves, so its explosive power will definitely be stronger than a smooth lump of iron! The wooden handle is also machined to a high standard, and the fit is tight." Zhang Xianyue said to Wen Shizhou, "This Comrade Chen Yuan is quick-witted and skillful. He estimates he can produce fifty sets a day?"

"That's what he said, provided that the gunpowder raw materials and manpower can be supplied," Wen Shizhou replied.

"We'll figure out how to coordinate the raw materials and personnel," Zhou Huan interjected. "The most urgent task is to solve the problem of explosives and reliable fuses. This thing can't just have a shell. We'll keep the samples and immediately find a reliable experienced gunpowder expert to prepare a few small batches of explosives using the safest method, and conduct a live-fire test as soon as possible. If the test is successful, proving this approach is viable, we'll fully support your 3rd District and make this a key task in consolidating local armed forces!"

Having received initial approval and clear instructions from his superiors, Wen Shizhou felt reassured and immediately returned to Gouzi Village.

During the days that Wen Shizhou went to Jiangshui, Chen Yuan was also busy.

He used the "Flint" platform to manufacture the core metal components of that semi-automatic woodworking lathe—the high-precision spindle, gears, guide rails, and special cutting tools.

Then, he invited the village's old carpenter and had him describe the structure and dimensions of the other wooden parts while looking at the "iron parts".

With the joint efforts of the old carpenter and several apprentices, a sturdy "new type of lathe combining iron and wood," driven by a foot pedal and belt, and with the tool holder moved forward and backward via a crank and connecting rod, was quickly erected in the outer workshop.

Chen Yuan personally debugged the machine. When the first piece of hardwood was quickly turned into a smooth, standard wooden handle with standard threads on the lathe, the onlookers exclaimed in amazement.

Chen Yuan knew in his heart that he had specially designed the transmission system of this lathe. With a little modification, it could be quickly converted into a high-efficiency human-powered generator to replenish the power of the "Flint" platform.

However, for now, it is just a "highly efficient woodworking machine".

Everything is ready.

The furnace burned day and night in the workshop, and the new lathes made rhythmic cutting sounds.

The stock of wooden handles and projectile bodies began to increase slowly and steadily.

Now, everyone is waiting, waiting for news from Jiangshui about the tests of explosives and fuses, waiting for that decisive roar to prove whether this path of self-reliance is truly feasible.