Canteen System Assistance Notes

2516 words

2020-09-11 12: 00: 00

Of course, the Xifei here is not the one that will produce fat leopards in the future.

Liu Helian had transformed his e-donkey into a versatile vehicle that didn't even require refueling. He chose the DC3, or Li2, a configuration used by both the US and the Soviet Union at the time, as his model for this long-distance flight.

As for contact with the Russians, Liu Helian's return to China was primarily responsible for transferring the Comintern's long-distance telegraph codes to the Red Army. The locked code book in his briefcase, combined with the code book from several other returning comrades, gave the central government in Fushe the ability to communicate with the Comintern and refuted the ridiculous claims that the Red Army possessed hundreds of thousands of troops, was well-equipped, spanned several provinces, and possessed a robust military industrial base.

After communicating with the Soviet side, Liu Helian landed on a small flat area on the bank of the Yan River. The terrain of Fushi was undulating and open space was scarce. The airport had only a runway along the river, which was very inconvenient.

But Liu Helian's vehicle wasn't a proper DC3. While it sported a bright aluminum exterior with a blue-and-white tail stripe, its interior housed a complete suite of C47B-derived power and pressurization equipment, along with VIP escort equipment from the R4D-2 and the Snow Eagle's autopilot system. This model, intended for future missions on the Hump Route, VIP escort transport, and landing at Antarctic ice airports, could maintain a stable cabin pressurization at an altitude of 2000 meters while maintaining an 8000-meter ceiling. This provided comprehensive VIP care and comfort—important considerations for the Red Army's passengers, who had little experience with long-distance flights.

Especially when there is a patient among them.

After a month of diligent care, Political Commissar Wang Da finally recovered somewhat, looking somewhat healthier. However, his condition remained grim—his long-standing wounds carried a high risk of infection, and the shrapnel, which remained unremovable, still threatened his life. After much discussion, the Central Committee decided to have Liu Helian take him to the Soviet Union for radical surgery.

Seeing the political commissar lying on a stretcher in the cabin, Liu Helian handed the co-pilot's noise-canceling headphones to him. Gazing at the completely glassed-in cockpit before him and recalling the flight knowledge he had been taught, he decided to take a solo flight.

It was risky, but there was no other way. With the loss of the Lenin, there was no other pilot in Fushi who could serve as his co-pilot.

After bidding farewell to the leaders who had come to see him off and instructing the others in the cabin to take their seats and fasten their seatbelts, Liu Helian began the pre-takeoff checklist. The glass cockpit, a replica of the Snow Eagle 601, had been seamlessly integrated with the C47B and R4D-2's advanced technology, allowing it to automatically perform pre-takeoff checks. After confirming everything on the checklist was in order, Liu Helian donned his sunglasses and waved to the soldiers who had run off to the side.

The soldiers immediately activated the backup generator hauled from the mess hall. This 30kW diesel generator powered the Snow Eagle's engine starter motor, driving the 1200-horsepower, 12-cylinder, twin-row radial engine, which belched black smoke, ignited the virtual gasoline, and channeled all its power to the large, three-bladed propeller. First the right engine, then the left. As the black smoke dissipated and the engines' violent wheezing gave way to a continuous roar, the aircraft slowly slid onto the ochre-colored runway.

"Fushi, I'm ready to take off."

"Dongdong, clearance for takeoff."

"Dongdong, I got it. Fushi, I'm about to take off."

Turning off the green voice chat app on his phone, Liu Helian shook his head in self-mockery, suppressing the sense of disharmony that was churning in his head: there was no radar, no guidance, no ultra-shortwave station, and no weather forecast. The call with the "tower" was made by using Liu Helian's small phone to speak to the IBM computer in the cafeteria headquarters. The narrow riverside runway of Fushe Airport was still made of compacted loess, with potholes and uneven surfaces. When it rained, it would turn into mud. Looking around, Liu Helian could only see low squares, red cloth strips on flagpoles that served as windsocks, and sheds filled with empty oil drums.

And a border area that needs to be redeveloped.

Now was no time for sentimentality. He slowly pushed the throttles on both engines and released the wheel brakes. The fly-by-wire flight control system rapidly translated his commands and fed them back to the various wing surfaces. As speed increased, a slight sense of overweight spread over the aircraft. The wheels lifted off the ground, and the DC-3, like a rather clumsy bird, slowly climbed to its feet. Liu Helian took control of the aircraft, turned around, circled the airport, and then gradually gained altitude, heading northwest.

Because of the pressurized cockpit, Liu Helian didn't care and raised the aircraft's ceiling to about 7500 meters. In fact, if he wanted, he could replace the entire aircraft with a "new DC3" like PT67. However, this would almost 100% guarantee that it would be recognized by others, which would inevitably cause a lot of trouble, so he simply used the old configuration.

"Dear passengers, good morning. Our destination is Almaty. We will make a layover before flying to Moscow. The flight time is approximately 10 hours. The aircraft has now entered level flight. Please unfasten your seatbelts and stretch your legs."

Liu Helian turned off the in-flight broadcast and engaged the autopilot. Although he had flown many times before, and even though Danteng Alien had given him the all-clear and taught him enough flying knowledge, there were still more than a dozen other people on the plane besides himself, and he didn't have a co-pilot, so he had to be careful.

The weather was beautiful today. Liu Helian opened his phone and checked it. To his surprise, it had been modified to offer not only cellular and Wi-Fi capabilities but also a radio function. In areas without a base station signal, it would automatically switch to a radio frequency band suitable only for text messaging. It could also detect GPS satellite signals, including his eMule. It was unclear who was providing these mobile network and GPS services in 1937.

Today would be his second visit to the Soviet Union since returning from Vladivostok late last year. Unlike that time, when he brought only a single bag, this time he was carrying a planeload of people, nearly a ton of materials and samples, and a mission from the Central Committee. Liu Helian was 100% certain that this mission would have no place in the history he knew.

Will I be the finger that plucks the strings of history?

He thought this, stood up from his seat, and stretched. The autopilot took over the aircraft's rudder, yaw, and throttle, and was flying steadily along the predetermined route based on data from the positioning system and inertial navigation. He didn't need to worry about it at all.

But just this one action caused an uproar in the back seat of the cabin!

Before Liu Helian could react, a soldier in his thirties rushed over and held down Liu Helian's shoulders tightly!

"Comrade Xiao Liu! What's wrong with the plane?"

He spoke quickly and urgently, not giving Liu Helian any chance to respond.

"Is there something wrong with the plane? Or are we in some kind of danger?

"Although I've never flown a plane, I've flown in one! I've even been a bombardier! Don't give up! We can definitely save the plane and get out of this predicament!

"So, you should speak!"

Depend on!

Liu Helian finally realized that there was no such thing as a completely hands-off autopilot these days. The only thing that could be called an autopilot was a mechanical computer that automatically adjusted the blade pitch and flap movement. As soon as he, the sole pilot, stood up, everyone naturally thought the plane was malfunctioning!

He put on a dignified and unwavering expression and replied:

"Comrade Haiquan, this is...autopilot."

He pointed to the plane's rudder, which was slightly shaking and had rows of lights on, and thought of an explanation:

“German technology, very reliable.”

Chapter 17: The Soviet Union Next Door

Canteen System Assistance

By Forgotten Maple X

2314 words

2020-09-15 12: 00: 00

Like it or not, the Soviet Union is right next door, lying on the vast frozen plains to the north. This is the charm or violence of geopolitics, just like Mexico to the United States and Poland to Europe.

Oh, Poland might have something to say, but right now, that's none of our business.

Liu Helian's plane, following the control tower's guidance, landed smoothly in Moscow. The disguised DC3 didn't arouse any suspicion. After all, next to the stand, there were several DC3s belonging to the Soviet Civil Aviation Administration, which were almost indistinguishable from his, save for the Cyrillic letters painted on their fuselages.

But soon, Liu Helian noticed something unusual: the customs staff at the airport looked at these "Tatars" with strange eyes; the Communist Party staff who came to contact them as agreed hugged and greeted everyone, but their eyes were always glanced at the plane on the parking stand with the red star with the Chinese character "中" and the blue and white rudder identification strips.

He quickly figured out the reason: Nowadays, among all the red party organizations in the world, which one would fly its own plane to Moscow?

Although I don't want to admit it, the Eighth Route Army that can produce "a transport plane" to fly directly to Moscow seems to be the only one at this time, which makes people have to take a second look.

Of course, it's just a few more glances.

Liu Helian hadn't expected to meet Comrade Gangtie this time, nor had he expected all his problems to be resolved. After getting off the plane, he received a letter of introduction from his comrades in the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, which sent Political Commissar Wang to the Volyn Hospital, part of the Ministry of Health's Research and Production Complex in Moscow. This hospital, ostensibly a research institution, was one of the best in Moscow at the time. Besides the leaders' healthcare team, it represented the highest level of Soviet surgical practice.

Political Commissar Wang Da would undergo a series of radical surgeries here, including shrapnel removal, and would recuperate for a period of time. Once fully recovered, he would replace someone else as the Eighth Route Army's negotiating representative to the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and the Soviet Union, wrangling with Dalinzi, the incoming Jiang Tingfu, and Representative Yang.

In addition, some comrades boarded vehicles heading to various places. A total of 10 commanders from various divisions and the central government will receive short or long training at several major military academies in the Soviet Union.

Liu Helian, on the other hand, began a "spending operation" in the Soviet Union based on the list in his hand.

In the Soviet Union, money alone was not enough to buy things.

Since the Eighth Route Army itself was not yet a legitimate and recognized government, Liu Helian had to conduct many of his actions as an individual or an agent. He first used his connections with the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during his time in Vladivostok to contact Dimitrov, who was then in charge of contacting overseas Communist parties. Then, using his identity as a representative of the Communist Party of a Far Eastern country, he successfully met with Molotov, the then Chairman of the Soviet Council of People's Commissars, and successfully obtained a "note."

This effectively guaranteed his ability to purchase supplies from the Soviet Union. By this time, Liu Helian had already converted the foreign currency remitted to the State Bank of the Russian Socialist Republic by the Overseas Bureau into rubles. Thanks to the Guangdong and Guangxi people's love of caffeine and brain tonics, he had a considerable amount of rubles to spend.

If only RMB could be used... Liu Helian looked at the numbers on the passbook, then thought about the RMB balance in his canteen branch account, which was a full nine digits and approaching ten digits. He felt suffocated as if he had money but couldn't spend it.

Forget it, don’t think about it. If I can exchange RMB for foreign currency, I will buy a lot of it.

He first approached the hospital director, who was arranging the surgery for Political Commissar Wang Da. This director, with his position on the Internal Affairs Committee, could procure all sorts of medical equipment for the Eighth Route Army, from small gadgets like stethoscopes to larger items like microscopes and X-ray machines, as well as a variety of medicines that Liu Helian couldn't even understand. Acting as a teacher to his less advanced socialist comrades, the director prepared a long list of invoices for Liu Helian, filling several pages. The invoices far exceeded the requirements of the skin care doctors represented by Dr. Fu.

"Comrade, if you buy all these, you can open a comprehensive hospital there!"

As a thank you, Liu Helian left him some additives used in the cafeteria to adjust the acidity of drinks and as antioxidants.

One ampoule weighs only 5 grams of 99% pure vitamin C.

Next, Liu He contacted the Ordzhonikidze Machine Tool Factory, which had been completed and put into operation during the First Five-Year Plan, to add some equipment to the Eighth Route Army's hapless repair plant. According to the previously established plan, his procurement was centered on military supplies, supplemented by "heavy" industry, focusing on providing the Eighth Route Army with the so-called "three-piece set of guerrilla warfare"—gun repair, bullet reloading, and grenade production.

He purchased machining equipment like cutting machines, shears, and punches, supplemented it with benchwork equipment like files, gauge blocks, and drills, and measuring instruments like thermocouples and pressure gauges. With these gadgets, the Eighth Route Army could achieve a level of military production capacity not achieved until 44: the border region-made, two-part explosive and cylindrical wrought iron bullets would vanish into the river of history before they even appeared on the Weibo and WeChat accounts of future joke tellers.

"Dear Liu He! How is your big purchase going?"

Shaking hands with Dimitrov, the Bulgarian representative expressed personal interest in Liu Helian's work. "I never thought you could come up with foreign exchange. This must be very valuable to the Chinese people," he said.

"Compared to those in the south, our foreign exchange comes from the blood and sweat of the people." Liu He nodded, "So I have to spend every kopeck on the most important things."

"Then I actually think you should focus more on purchasing military supplies," Dimitrov shook his head. "Only rifles and cannons can make the imperialists sit down and have a good talk with the people. What you buy most of, my friend, is actually supplies that can't produce immediate results."

"That's right, and half wrong, my dear Comrade Dimitrov." Liu Helian put the bag on the table, and the thick package made a thud. "As for military supplies, we are indeed in urgent need, but not now."

At this time, many people came in from outside, and they had obviously been waiting outside for a long time. At about this time, at the exact time, a group of people wearing blue hats and tweed uniforms came in. They nodded to Dimitrov and stood behind the Central Committee member.

"Now,"

Liu Helian was unmoved. He slowly pushed the package forward, indicating that it was something to be handed over to the other party: "Comrade Dimitrov, this is a report I submitted to the Communist Party of the Soviet Union on behalf of the organization.

"Here are some explanations of the situation and a lot of evidence. We cleared up the misunderstanding in the telegram before, but there are some things that can't be explained clearly over the radio."

Georgy Dimitrov became serious. After successfully establishing contact, this friendly party on the Chinese mainland did say a lot of things on the radio, clarified many misunderstandings and wrong estimates of the enemy and our own situation, and also indirectly reflected on the extent of the mistakes made before.

Like a silent machine, the Ministry of Internal Affairs personnel covered the box Liu Helian had handed over with a bag, sealed it, and nodded to Liu Helian and the accompanying cadres. The box contained a large number of photocopied telegrams, translated conversation records, meeting minutes, and numerous battlefield records.

"Trust me, comrade, we will take a close look at this."

Chapter 18: Eastern Iron Fist (Part 1)

Canteen System Assistance

By Forgotten Maple X

2448 words

2020-09-16 12: 00: 00

There were several large and heavy boxes in Liu Helian's luggage. Before leaving, he commissioned comrades from the Urban Construction Department and the Repair Institute to make them. They were made by several masters from the Fushi Weapon Repair Institute, and a stack of technical documents was also included.

Liu Helian wrote this technical document himself. It was quite rough, but the key points were not lost. He asked the versatile Li Qiang to draw the technical drawings, write the Russian annotations and annotations, and provide the technical specifications and user manual. Furthermore, he conducted numerous tests in a small valley in Fushe.

There are several "Iron Fists" in the box!

To be precise, before the German Panzerfaust appeared, this "portable recoilless gun" that fired "shaped charge jet armor-piercing shells" was a real new gadget and an "invention" of Liu Helian.

The Soviet Union gave Liu Helian a letter of introduction and contacted the Russian Planning Bureau responsible for weapons development. After reviewing some technical drawings, it took almost a month before he received a reply. The reply came not from the Planning Bureau or the Soviet Union, but from a man who was thinking hard about anti-tank methods - Grabin.

At this point, Grabin wasn't yet the king of Soviet artillery, but his successful refinement of the A51 gun, finalizing it as the F22, made him a promising researcher. Perhaps GAU's Kulik simply wanted to give Grabin, who was already in the spotlight, a bit of a hassle? Liu Helian didn't care. He considered it a great honor to have a professional researcher like him take a look at this "little gadget."

Anyway, soon, the Russians will notice this "little thing from the East"

The demonstration was about to begin. Liu Helian and Grabin had prior communication and asked the GAU staff to set up a 130mm steel target plate. For comparison, a 100mm and a 200mm one were also needed.

"Can your little toys penetrate such thick armor?"

"Of course, no problem." Liu Helian was confident. During the Fushe battle, this thing penetrated two layers of earthen wall—so much so that the veterans who came to observe suggested that on the domestic battlefield, such strong armor-piercing capabilities were not even needed. Instead, more versions with pure high-explosive warheads should be produced to attack enemy machine gun positions and bunkers. "At zero range, I'm confident that I can penetrate a 150mm target."

The GAU staff looked suspicious. These days, it's not uncommon to see people boasting about "secret weapons." But after all, they were introduced by the Communist League. "Comrade, I must remind you that even a 37mm anti-tank gun can't penetrate a 100mm steel target!"

"How about this," Liu Helian pulled out a glass bottle of Erguotou from his bag, "Let's make a bet."

The test took place at a random location, a railway station in Moscow. A train brought in Grabin and his team, along with rolled steel plates from the tractor factory. Liu Helian was also present. Although he wouldn't be shooting, he was responsible for making the introductions. In a normal exchange between nations, who would personally handle this? He could simply delegate it to someone below him.

Grabin, still sporting his trademark beard, looked from afar like a meticulously groomed bird's nest, still utterly messy. He was hard at work on the F34 tank gun, eager to see it installed on a tank. Unlike the British, who categorized tanks as cruisers and infantry tanks, the Soviets had a more scientific approach to tank deployment. Tanks were supposed to destroy enemy armor and fortifications, while also providing fire support for infantry breakthroughs. How could a tank gun balance these two requirements? This presented a complex problem.

For this reason, he has been tracking the development of new technologies. Because of this, he has an extremely sensitive nose for new technologies and made a report to watch this experiment: In fact, to some extent, it was because of his persistence that this weapon, which would later become famous in World War II, had the opportunity to be tested for the first time.

After a brief greeting and introduction, Liu Helian asked the experimenter present to take out the weapon from his box - it consists of three parts, including a metal tube made of cast iron, which is a bit heavy; a trumpet-shaped tail nozzle; and a long warhead with a protruding front end.

"This weapon has a 40mm caliber and an 80mm projectile diameter. It needs to be assembled in three parts for firing, but in an emergency, it can be fired with just the tube and ammunition," Liu Helian explained fluently in Russian. "The cast iron tube is a bit heavy, so we're hoping to switch to steel, which would be much lighter and wouldn't require on-site assembly. However, for now, it's usable as is."

"Looks like a recoilless rifle?" Grabin asked. "Probably for an infantry squad."

"Just as you expected. If you remove the tripod and tail tube, it can be used by one person. But you have to be careful not to stand behind the gun when firing."

Soon, the experimenter assembled the three devices. After everyone retreated to a safe distance, he lay on the ground, propped up the launch tube with a bipod, and closed his eyes to estimate the wind speed. Another experimenter, slightly unskilled, stuffed the ammunition into the launch tube from the front and patted the guard's helmet.

Then the guard looked at the scale and pressed the firing trigger.

The current from the 9V dry cell quickly triggered the bulb-type squib inside the launch tube, igniting the black powder propellant. Air gushed out of the tail tube, raising a small cloud of dust. A thud echoed from the launch tube, and then the 80mm super-caliber ammunition roared out.

Since this is a recoilless rifle, there is no rocket engine on the warhead. The shell flew over a distance of 50 meters very well and hit the target board at the other end accurately.

There was a flash on the target board, followed by a dull explosion.

In the original time and space, the Panzerfaust was an anti-tank weapon mass-produced by Germany in the latter stages of the war, deployed extensively by various units. It boasted ease of production and ease of use. However, even this ease of production proved difficult for the Eighth Route Army. Unable to produce consistent steel pipes, Liu Helian had to resort to cast iron pipes. Unable to produce the steel shells for the ammunition casings, Liu Helian commissioned the Urban Construction Department to procure some steel plates from Gaojing, then had several experienced machinists on the Long March manually polish and calibrate them. The armor-piercing copper charge caps were modified by a copper hot pot maker, taken from the cafeteria. The fuses were modified from dismantled mortar fuses.

Fortunately, 9-volt dry batteries can be found in many small electrical appliances in the cafeteria; and the explosives were reloaded after arriving in the Soviet Union for safety reasons.

In total, he had 10 rounds of ammunition. Including the 4 rounds he used for target practice in the border area, he had 6 rounds left.

But can the water and gas pipes in the cafeteria be used?

The target was wheeled over. A radioactive stain clung to the rolled steel, but a finger-sized hole etched itself in the center. The steel had melted through the hole, the 130mm thick, overlapping layers of plate piercing through it like butter cut by a hot knife. The jet also left a metallic stain on the target's support, a lingering, eerie, dark red tinge of hot copper and a green tinge of flame.

Grabin squatted down and looked at the pierced target in disbelief. "Comrade Liu He, how many shells and launchers did you bring?"

"I brought two launchers and six shells. I just fired one." Liu Helian was secretly delighted. It seemed that the bearded technical expert had shown considerable interest in him.

"Well," Grabin said seriously, "it would be best to build some more launch tubes and shells. You can also test some of your improvement ideas here. And if you need anything, give me a call. I can help you get workers and equipment. It looks like this thing needs more testing."

Chapter 19: Eastern Iron Fist (Part 2)

Canteen System Assistance