Canteen System Assistance Notes

Zhu is a waste, and the two Chens are idiots. If Mr. Yang were still alive, how could the Communist Party have taken the lead?

He thought angrily and chewed the hawthorn pieces in the eight-treasure tea hard.

"Hey, sir, be careful! The food is served!"

The waiter came over with a kitchen helper, noisily carrying a hot iron plate on a wooden board, on which lay a few golden, fragrant rice crusts. As soon as the wooden support and iron plate landed on the table, the kitchen helper poured a spoonful of glossy paste over the rice crusts.

There was a "sizzle!" sound, and the crisp explosion of the rice crust and the iron plate frightened Gu Renfa so much that he stepped back halfway. "What...what is this?"

"Sir! This is our special today! We carefully select the finest tribute rice and deep-fry it until crispy. Then we pair it with an eight-treasure sauce soup made with green and red peppers, shrimp, squid, wood ear mushrooms, peas, lotus root, and roasted gluten. Pour it over the rice and serve it with rice." The waiter recited the names of the dishes without stopping, obviously having practiced for a long time. "The rice crust is flavorful but not soft, the sauce is delicious but not greasy, and it goes well with rice..."

"This is our new dish—'Eight Treasures Fried Tokyo'!"

Chapter 569: Intensive Meetings

"Davarishi, we meet again!"

The Soviet liaison officer in the border region, Dmitri Anatolyevich Midyvedevsky, used a teacup instead of a wine glass to clink glasses with the other Chinese members—they still had things to discuss today, so they couldn't get drunk—and he drank the tea in one gulp, chewing the leaves as well.

"Although the Soviet cannot yet send you an open telegram of congratulations, please allow me to express my most sincere congratulations to the comrades of the fraternal parties."

Bearsky and Belsky returned to the border region, having been promoted to the rank of major general, and came with a planeload of people to "visit." Having had the good fortune to watch the entire Red Square parade from a side viewing stand, he now worked like a wound-up tin frog, hopping vigorously.

"There's no time to lose. Let's start the meeting today!"

It is said that the Communist Party has many members. This is true for the Chinese Communist Party and is almost the same for the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

During this time and space, exchanges between the Soviet Union and the Chinese Communist Party had already begun, and were far more frequent than in history. Ever since the Eighth Route Army passed the "Stalin Test," while the Russians still refused to officially recognize the Eighth Route Army as legitimate representatives of China and send them to the People's Foreign Affairs Commission, the frequency of private, overt, and covert communication had suddenly increased significantly.

Moreover, the Eighth Route Army did provide substantial support to the Soviet Union, engaging in trade and providing goods that the Soviet Union truly needed. While the total amount of supplies provided by China was modest compared to those provided by Europe and the United States, this was a timely aid given that China was still a backward agricultural nation, and its significance was significant.

What's more, the peak of lend-lease materials from Europe and the United States has not yet arrived. If we really take into account the actual effects, the stuff given by the Eighth Route Army may be more useful than that given by the British.

Belsky's visit this time was to further coordinate this matter with the Chinese Communist Party - if trade and exchanges between China and the Soviet Union could be further improved and the level could be deeper, it would be beneficial to both sides.

To improve the level of cooperation, we must first deepen mutual understanding.

With Stalin's authorization, Xiongsky handed over a large stack of reports to the Eighth Route Army in a straightforward manner - battle reports from the Soviet-German battlefield, the recovery of production in relocated industries, and reports on several key industrial sectors involved in the war... These reports described the current "precarious" situation of the Soviet Union in great detail and listed a bunch of problems that needed to be solved urgently.

I have to say that as a large country with a planned economy, the Russians are really crazy about paperwork. There are several boxes of reports directly

The Eighth Route Army's Industrial and Postal Commission, the Central Military Commission, the Industrialization and Standardization Bureau, etc.

The relevant civil service units are simply overloaded - not to mention that all these reports are in Cyrillic and Russian, and they have to be translated before they can be understood.

Fortunately, Xiongsky brought practical officials from the Planning Commission, the Evacuation Commission, and the Military Industrial Commission with him this time. The Eighth Route Army translated documents, allowing them to get a glimpse of the gains and losses of the Soviet-style state. At the same time, they could catch those practical officials drinking Erguotou and compile a briefing on "what we can provide, how we are fighting, and what we need most now."

However, the Eighth Route Army already had a ready-made understanding of "what they needed and how they could provide" - once the two were matched, preliminary conclusions were quickly reached.

The Soviet Union's feedback was mainly divided into two parts: military and civil affairs. However, now that the war has been going on for half a year, everything is tilted towards the war, and these two needs can be said to be one and the same.

Because the Eighth Route Army couldn't replace a granary and industrial center like Ukraine, the tens of thousands of tons of return traffic along the border region's northwest corridor would primarily transport high-value-added products. This feedback, reflected in the merchandise, unexpectedly became a collection of "buyer shows" and "customer reviews," making for very interesting reading.

In the early days of trade with the Soviet Union, the Eighth Route Army utilized its surplus return cargo capacity to transport large quantities of packaged foods. These products, along with the "Red Star Panda" products produced overseas, found their way into state-owned stores in Central Asia and later into the Moscow commodity system. Initially offered as "experimental foods," these exotic treats quickly became popular with many Soviet citizens.

For example, some people used canned tomatoes and tomato sauce produced by the Eighth Route Army to cook borscht, and used canned pineapple rings "produced in the border area" to make cakes.

But it was wartime after all, and after Xiongski got the list of goods provided by the Eighth Route Army, he adjusted the relevant goods in the "civilian supplies" category in a very pragmatic style.

First, he deleted canned vegetarian foods such as white kidney beans, red kidney beans, and corn shoots, and reduced the wide variety of canned meats such as black bean drum fish and red spicy meat sauce, leaving only a few types - Xiongski said that things like livestock meat, fish, and pickled lard can be processed overseas through your Pandaria, Eight Streets, and Shanwei companies, without having to take up valuable return tonnage in the border areas.

In the food category, all that remains are pure, simple, and easily transportable items:

Commercial bags of white sugar, cocoa powder, three-in-one coffee powder, and rehydrated fruit juice powders (pineapple, orange, mango...) were all on hand. The only remaining can of instant food was an unexpected item: a 5kg can of sweet red bean paste. Even Xiongski, in a stroke of his pen, "against his nature," deleted all liquid alcohol from the official shipping plan.

"Dear Davarishi, alcohol is made from grain and is precious. With so many people to feed, your food supply will likely be insufficient. Furthermore, liquids are inconvenient and uneconomical to transport. Your Pandaria Company can purchase grapes, barley, and wheat from the Levant to make wine, and supply the brandy to the Soviets, so there's no need to bother us."

Xiongski said to the Eighth Route Army very sincerely, "As for the remaining things, they all have their reasons - tea is an important military supply, sugar, coffee powder, and cocoa powder can keep people alive and spirits up, and rehydrated fruit juice powder can be added to snow and boiled to drink, which can supplement vitamins for the Red Army who eat dried meat, potatoes and black bread.

"As for red bean paste, I recommend it: it's rich in fat, sugar, and a certain amount of protein, and it can be eaten right out of the lid. I think the Red Army soldiers will love it."

It seems the Soviet Union will be trading pineapple rings and red kidney beans for extra sugar, red bean paste, and instant drinks... It must be said that this is a very war-like choice. This style of everything leaning towards practicality also extends to other areas, such as medicine.

The Border Region's nascent pharmaceutical industry, while acquiring Soviet scalpels and medical instruments, also prepared to supply some medicines to the Soviet Union. Besides food-grade ascorbic acid, a major export source of foreign exchange to the Soviet Union, the Soviet Red Army also planned to place other orders with the Border Region.

Anhydrous caffeine lozenges, a by-product from tea factories and "coffee factories", will be used to refresh the minds of the Russians; the newly developed "zeolite ablative hemostatic powder" in the border area will be able to deal with large and small bleeding on the battlefield, including sub-arterial bleeding, and the cost is "only" leaving horrific scars; the wonderful "Khitan small jar" of cooling oil and wind oil can be put in the pockets of soldiers to deal with headaches, fever, shell shock and dizziness.

Furthermore, the Russians will construct a large, high-efficiency sulfonamide production plant in Krasnoyarsk, Krasnoyarsk Territory, utilizing the developing Kansk-Achinsk coalfield to produce sulfonamide antibiotics and their corresponding synergists. The plant's technology and key equipment will be provided by the Eighth Route Army's "M Ding Salt Chemical Consortium," which will also dispatch technical support personnel.

At the same time, in the Tashkent region of Central Asia and along the Aral Sea coast, the Ministry of Internal Affairs will also lead the construction of several "special biological breeding centers" and set up farms along the surrounding rivers to grow pumpkins and raise some "special organisms" that look disgusting but have good products - this also requires experienced Eighth Route Army personnel to guide the construction and carry out related confidentiality operations.

(Of course, whether these factories later became urban legends is another story.)

Simply put, this time it was the Eighth Route Army's turn to help build Soviet factories...

? ? ?

-—------

Of course, all this is not free.

On the one hand, the Soviet Union will continue to offset the import and export accounts with the materials imported from the Eighth Route Army; on the other hand, it will continue to transfer a large number of materials, equipment and personnel.

For example, the Soviet Union would export a complete set of mining and exploration equipment to the Eighth Route Army. They would also dismantle a phosphate fertilizer plant in Eastern Europe and reinstall the plant, along with the personnel and equipment, at a newly discovered phosphate mine in Ning Province, which was controlled by the Eighth Route Army. This would help the Eighth Route Army produce phosphate fertilizer that would boost agricultural production.

The Soviet Union will transfer the electronic industrial equipment relocated in Ukraine to the Eighth Route Army's "Shao Dun Factory" in Guanzhong to assist the Eighth Route Army in expanding the production capacity of electronic tubes and communication equipment, and coordinate the transfer of considerable electronic research and development capabilities into the Eighth Route Army's scientific research system.

The Soviet Union will continue to ensure the supply of most of the nickel, chromium and other key metals used in the Eighth Route Army's smelting and processing industries, and assist the Eighth Route Army in developing some newly discovered rare metal deposits and building corresponding smelters.

In order to expand and stabilize the transportation capacity of the Sino-Soviet channel, the Soviet Union would even withdraw three divisions of engineers from the Far East to work with China's infrastructure troops to repair the "longitudinal line" highway from Lucheng all the way north to Kyakhta, and improve the transportation capacity of this ancient trade route in order to make it meet the standards for road trains and become a second transportation line in addition to the Northwest Channel.

The only regret was that Xiongsky declined Comrade Liu Helian's request for the Soviet Union to provide tanks.

"Dear Davarishliu, we really don't have enough tanks! The situation on the Soviet-German front is extremely tense right now. The Nazi armored offensive is truly fierce! As far as I know, every armored vehicle is needed on the front line: T-60s, T-50s, T-34s... I can at most ask the Far Eastern Front for you. They're heading to the front right now, and they've left some BA armored vehicles and BT tanks behind."

"Davarishi Liu."

Xiongsky asked, "You've previously developed an excellent anti-tank weapon. Do you have any new ideas for improving or upgrading it, or for defending against it? We desperately need them."

Chapter 570: The Maozi Begging for Alms

"Comrade Liu He, on behalf of all members of the Nizhny Tagil Ural Vehicle Plant, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to you and other Chinese comrades for your support in providing the simple brick-making machine and fast-firing brick kiln design. These items have saved the relocated employees of the Kharkov Comintern Plant from sleeping in pit tents and factory buildings during the cold winter, and have greatly accelerated the plant's resumption of production. Thank you."

The man sitting before Liu Helian was a true expert who had accompanied Mr. Xiong "Midivedovsky." He and Liu Helian stood before Huinong Steel's third-stage argon-shielded electroslag refining facility, watching as the massive mechanism slowly unfurled a red-hot steel ingot, ready for the next step. According to the predetermined plan, the ingot would be sent to a special rolling mill to be processed into a seamless pipe capable of withstanding high-pressure, highly corrosive environments.

This big guy can refine special-shaped components up to 5 tons and produce products with excellent mechanical properties. It is a powerful tool for metallurgical processing of high-end special steels.

"This is the kind of help that comrades should give each other, Comrade Morozov."

Liu Helian said to Alexander A. Morozov, with a hint of emotion in his tone, "I didn't expect that there would be a shortage of bricks during the relocation." "Yes, the war changed a lot of things."

It's said that the Soviet Union's internal relocation was a miracle, but it also involved a great deal of chaos and disorder. When Liu Helian first read about this in history books, he hadn't had a direct, emotional experience, and could only lament the difficulty of this massive undertaking. But in 41, when the Russians sent a telegram to the border region asking if the Eighth Route Army had any spare brick-making equipment to support them, he truly felt the potential for chaos in actual work.

Who could have imagined that at the end of 1941, at the massive Ural Works, undertaking such a crucial project as the relocation of the Kharkov Works, the housing security rate for workers was less than 40%? And the shortage of bricks alone was more than half.

However, thanks to the TB3 airlifted brick-making machine, the workers in Nizhny Tagil no longer had to sleep in pits during the winter of 41, as they had in the past. "If you really need to thank someone, why not thank the comrades in the light industry department? They are the ones who manufactured the equipment that the Ural Machine Works desperately needed." "Well, please convey my gratitude for me."

——-—---—

Alexander A. Morozov's visit was closely related to Liu Helian.

As the leader of the Kharkiv-Ural Plant, he has been very busy recently, replacing his mentor Koshkin, so busy that he has no time to rest.

Because the Ural plant had almost no production capacity for advanced tank vehicles before the equipment and personnel of the Kharkov plant were in place, Morozov had to coordinate the engineering team from the perspective of chief designer and consider adjusting the production line while maintaining tank updates and research and development work.

And there are more terrible things.

Because when the entire factory was relocated, many of the original fixed assets and tooling of the Kharkov factory were difficult to move and had to be destroyed to prevent them from being used by the enemy. Therefore, even if the Ural factory waits for all the equipment to be installed, it cannot immediately achieve the production capacity of cutting-edge tanks such as the T-34, and it even has difficulty in producing the T-60. After calculations, officials of the Evacuation Committee and the Military Industrial Committee

It is believed that if the Ural plant wants to restore the production capacity of T-34, the cost will be even higher.

It is no less than rearranging the production line for a new type of tank.

To complicate matters further, the intelligence reports of a German heavy tank with "front armor over 100mm thick and a gun capable of penetrating all Soviet tanks" loomed like a dark cloud over the GABTU Armored Forces. In order to penetrate this hypothetical German heavy tank at normal combat range, the Soviets tested the 76mm 3K gun and the naval 100mm gun on the T34 chassis in 1941, drawing both positive and negative conclusions.

The longer 76mm gun can indeed penetrate the intended enemy, but the higher muzzle velocity must be equipped with new shells to be effective, and the longer barrel also means increased processing difficulty and cost; the Navy's 100-gun can indeed complete the task with existing armor-piercing shells, but the gun body and the new turret are beyond the capacity of the T34 chassis. The excessive weight will worsen the working environment of the front suspension, causing the T34's proud serviceability to disappear without a trace and frequent failures.

Moreover, after capturing a large number of Soviet T-34s and anti-tank rocket launchers, the German Panzer III and Panzer IV tanks facing them began to be widely equipped with skirts and additional armor. As a result of these measures, the new armor-piercing shells invented by Liu Helian were gradually losing their initial "magic" - although the countermeasure of adding gaps and grid armor to tanks was also proposed by "Designer Liu He" during a technical salon with Kokin.

Morozov had to adapt to the changing landscape of tank warfare.

"The weight issue isn't actually a problem. The Kharkov plant modified the T-34's suspension before the war, switching to a torsion bar design, known as the T344. Previous tests have shown that the T-34M's chassis' carrying capacity can be significantly increased, enough to carry a 100mm gun."

The steelmaking workshop was sweltering. Morozov removed his hard hat and wiped the sweat from his bald head. He had received authorization to discuss confidential equipment development matters with Chinese experts, including Liu Helian. "But we tried the 100mm gun on the newly produced T-34M chassis, and the results were disastrous: the 100mm gun and the counterweight replacing the turret directly crushed the suspension."

"Is it a torsion bar quality issue?" Liu Helian asked. Given later experience, he had a rough idea of ​​the source of the problem. "The quality of a torsion bar suspension depends on the quality of the torsion bar itself. Unlike a Christie suspension, which can use a long travel to reduce the demand on spring quality."

It wasn't that the Soviet Union lacked the necessary technical capabilities, but rather that on the vast and brutal Eastern Front, compromising quality to maintain production capacity was tolerated, even encouraged, amidst the intense attrition of combat, as long as it didn't cause a significant disruption. Historically, the quality of the T-34 produced in 1942 had significantly declined compared to pre-war production—a situation that likely affected the torsion bars as well.

"Yes. It's not just the torsion bar, there's also a problem with the road wheel link crank arm."

Morozov and Liu Helian walked out of the workshop together and sat down in the noisy workers' lounge. He looked at the workers around him who were drinking soda and eating biscuits, and was silent for a few seconds.

"The electric slag furnace at the Special Steel Plant in Engels, Ural, where Patton worked, has limited capacity. The equipment isn't fully operational yet and can't provide sufficient production. The Chinese comrades delivered the sample to the Urals three months ago. We made three sets of torsion bars from it and modified the front suspension of a T-34M...

"The results are very good. I think we can even further strengthen the thickness of the tank's front armor to improve its protection to the level of protecting against high-speed 76mm armor-piercing rounds - that is, the armor-piercing rounds it fires itself - although this would require a drastic redesign of the T-34, almost a new tank design.

"But if we succeed, we could have a medium tank with protection almost as good as a heavy tank."

Morozov said, "Right now, the Uralsky plant is undergoing intensive transformation. The time and cost of adapting it to produce a new tank is actually not much different from the time and cost of resuming production of the T-34. Moreover, the T-34 tank is still produced by the STZ plant.

Therefore, I would like to make a humble request here - before the electric slag furnace of Engst Steel Plant is running smoothly, could the Chinese comrades allocate more electric slag steel for torsion rods to Ural Plant? Ural Plant is also willing to make its best contribution to the Chinese comrades' battle to recover lost territory.

In the end, the goal is here...

Liu Helian internally complained. They'd previously discussed a bunch of stuff, including tank design, protection against armor-piercing rounds, and the three key elements of armored vehicles. It seemed like in the end, it was all about getting a few months' worth of electric slag steel quotas. It didn't matter if I just said it myself; it needed to be discussed and approved by the central government.

When this guy gets straight, trying to go around a corner is like driving a semi-trailer on a turntable mountain. He can see through it at a glance. However, when this guy gets stubborn, he is really stubborn.

As the situation on the Soviet-German battlefield improved, the Russians didn't ignore the erroneous intelligence about "German heavy tanks," believing the Germans simply hadn't built enough vehicles for service. With this goal in mind, they not only attempted to modify the T-34 with a 57mm gun and develop specialized grenades, but also tried to install 100mm and long-barreled 76mm guns on medium and medium tanks, and even experimented with some ultra-large-caliber "explosive pack launchers..."

As for the T-34M that you envisioned as an evolution of, Comrade Morozov, in my history, this thing was called the T-43...

Liu Helian couldn't help but feel intrigued. If he really gave the Russians support, allowing them to temporarily reduce T-34 production in exchange for a large number of new tanks exported by the end of 42 or even the middle of 43, what impact would it have on the course of World War II? And how would the Germans respond to balance the enemy's strengthening?

What would the post-war Europe look like?

Liu Helian decided to make a special report to the Central Committee on this matter and submit it to the Central Military Commission for discussion as part of the subsequent strategic forecast report on the European battlefield.

"I personally have no objection, as long as we can both agree on the allocation of quotas. After all, the comrades at the Patton Institute are very capable, and getting the electric slag furnace running smoothly won't take long," he said. "However, regarding tanks and anti-tank systems, we not only need to cultivate relevant talent, but we also have several new projects underway and new ideas that need to be tested."

"Mr. Morozov, in this regard, would it be appropriate for us to join forces and contribute our wisdom and capabilities, similar to the model used by Comrade Nikolai Polikarpov in developing fighter jets?"

Chapter 571 ПK-3-2800

(This chapter involves technical settings)

The concept of joint research and development is actually quite beneficial.

Wisdom can be generated through communication. Participants in joint research and development contribute money and manpower, and work hard for a common goal, which often results in an effect where the sum of one is greater than the other.

However, in our time and space, many joint research and development projects, led by Europe and the US, have ultimately failed. This is often due to the participants' own ulterior motives and inconsistent goals, not to mention the numerous geopolitical considerations involved, which naturally led to wrangling and waste. Joint research and development itself, after all, is not a derogatory concept.

Especially when both parties have similar or even identical goals and everyone sincerely cooperates with each other.

Tank development was undoubtedly led by the Tank Design Bureau, headed by Morozov. The Eighth Route Army would send personnel to study, while Liu He would maintain contact with the Soviets to exchange ideas and resolve issues. Similarly, when researching new anti-tank weapons or guiding the Soviets in improving existing ones, the Eighth Route Army's military industry played a leading role.

The efficiency of cooperation between the two sides is very high. After all, in addition to the compatibility of the systems and the pressure of war, there is also a ready-made excellent case in front of them - that is Nikolay Polikarpov in China and the "heavy firepower fighter" I "long-range escort fighter" he developed.

“Wuwuwuwu—”

A large single-engine plane flew across the plains of Ning Province at breakneck speed, making a pass over the airport. Its speed was so great that the anti-aircraft soldiers outside the airport, using it as a target for practice, were unable to keep up.

Then, amidst the crowd's admiration, the fighter jet, unpainted, its yellow rust-proof paint exposed, erupted a puff of black smoke and soared vertically at an astonishing speed. Then, the black smoke turned to azure as the aircraft rapidly charged toward the zenith. Only when its speed reached the brink of danger did it clumsily twist, perform a standard maneuver, and return to level flight, resuming its landing trajectory.

"It's normal for a rookie like you to be unable to keep up with it—this is a new plane, and the one flying it is a Russian ace pilot, a decorated test pilot... What? What's an ace?"

The instructor at the anti-aircraft gun position thought for a moment, "It's just an exceptionally good pilot! Just like our An Tianjiang, who shot down five planes by himself and was called an ace." "Wow... that's really impressive..."

Of course, the air defense fighters near the airport could not hear the wild laughter of the Ryslav man on the radio and the angry roars of the ground personnel.

Comrade Alexey Kubishkin, a professional Soviet Air Force test pilot and former ace of the 401st Special Fighter Aviation Regiment, who had just performed the dry-shift maneuver, was being angrily scolded by ground control. "Sukabul! Alexey! Are you trying to kill yourself?! This aircraft is a prototype, barely off the production line twenty days ago! Low-altitude, level flight speed is beyond the scope of today's testing!" "Ahahaha, ahahaha, comrades! Don't worry! This is my trust in you..."

The origin of this aircraft can be traced back to nearly two years ago.

Unlike Myasishchev, who came to guide the Eighth Route Army in developing and building its air force, Nikolai Polikarpov came with a mission. This mission originated in 1940, before the start of the war. To meet the Soviet Army's needs for long-range escort and long-range air superiority operations, he took the initiative to propose the development of a "heavy artillery" fighter equipped with a large-caliber cannon.

According to the Soviet Army's requirements, this new fighter needed to be equipped with a 37mm shaft gun, 20mm and 7.62mm wing guns, capable of reaching a top speed of over 650 kilometers per hour at 600 meters per hour, and a climb rate of over 15 meters per second. To ensure the pilot's safety, 6mm of cockpit armor needed to be installed in front of and on the sides of the pilot, and a 12mm backplate needed to be installed behind the seat.

The requirements were demanding, but Polikarpov accomplished them despite limited resources. He successfully designed a workable airframe using a composite wood-metal fuselage and fabric wings, essentially meeting the requirements. However, the AM-37p and M-107p aircraft, intended for use in the aircraft, repeatedly encountered problems. Either due to a lack of time for improvements by the designers or due to poor reliability and frequent failures, the TP never made it off the drawing board and into a flying aircraft.

So, after seeing the R-2800 engine in China, which could consistently output 2000 horsepower and, with forced cooling and liquid injection, over 300 horsepower, Polikarpov was tempted. Although the ITP fighter was originally slated to use a liquid-cooled engine, and the R-2800 engine was too large to accommodate an axial gun, the extra, stable power output was real. Perhaps, the ITP could be revived in China!