"Bofors mountain artillery all eliminated?"

Zhao Gang was shocked.

Now the independent regiment is equipped with a total of 100 Bofors mountain guns, and all of them have been replaced with new 105 mountain guns, this thing is ····· It doesn't seem like a big deal.

After thinking about it carefully, Commissar Zhao's surprise quickly disappeared.

The new 105 mountain cannon is the same as the previous new 105 howitzer, the technology is very advanced, and the exchange quota from Boss Chen is quite a lot, a cannon weighs 1200 kilograms, plus accessories, and requires five tons of weapons and ammunition.

But 100 doors are only 500 tons.

Shoot down four Devil planes, or take out four Devil pilots.

This matter is indeed as Li Yunlong said, for the independent regiment, this is a thing that definitely outweighs the disadvantages.

The shells of the new 105 mountain gun and the new 105 howitzer are common, which can simplify logistics.

The power of the 105 grenade is several times greater than that of the 75 mountain gun, the 75 mountain gun can only destroy the most ordinary bunkers, and the reinforced civil bunkers can easily resist it, but the 105 grenade requires at least multiple layers of civil fortifications to resist.

The only drawback is the increased consumption of ammunition, as well as the increase in the weight of the troops.

A 105 grenade, projectile, shell, propellant plus transport packaging, the total weight is 23 kilograms, and a large mule can only carry seven rounds in the mountains, but fortunately, there are enough large mules in the army today, and a special ammunition transport company can be equipped with 300 large mules, and the transportation capacity is sufficient.

"Most of the remaining Bofors mountain artillery supports other base areas, leaving a small amount to train new artillery crews, and by the way, you can also consume more mountain artillery shells."

Li Yunlong snapped his fingers and said.

At present, there are more than 200 artillery groups capable of fighting in the independent regiment, but they are far from enough.

The training of the body gun crew is not easy, and the requirements for the knowledge level of the artillery crew are very high, as well as the requirements for the artillery observation post.

Fortunately, a large number of live ammunition firing can speed up this process, otherwise in today's tank troops, machine factories, etc., which consume a large number of intellectual talents, independent regiments may not be able to make up more than 200 qualified artillery groups.

He continued:

"After killing 15,000 devils, I will get some more shells for Zhang Wanhe's logistics department."

"Okay."

Zhao Gang's tone was relieved and satisfied.

"Speaking of which."

At this point, Li Yunlong suddenly sighed, looked at the new 105 mountain cannon price code in his hand, and sighed in his tone:

"Now this big mule..."

It is clearly written in the information that the exchange for a 105 mountain cannon requires five tons of weapons and ammunition, and at the same time twenty-five large mules are given. Twenty large mules could be dismantled and transported for a 105-gun cannon plus a base 80-round shell. Plus five horses to replenish.

"It's depreciated."

Zhao Gang also shook his head, and his tone was full of emotion:

"In the past, a Miyano Michichi, a lieutenant general of the devil, was only worth two hundred mules, but now they all buy one and get ten free."

"That's a good thing."

Li Yunlong was very happy.

The price of big mules has been reduced again, which is a good thing, and the army's demand for big mules is almost endless.

"Chu Yunfei's cannon has been repaired?"

Li Yunlong asked suddenly.

In order to test the ability of Zhao Jiayu Machinery Factory, Chu Yunfei deliberately asked him to repair a mountain cannon with a damaged barrel, and Li Yunlong naturally let him see and understand as Chu Yunfei wished.

Anyway, when Yoshio Shinozuka comes back and gets the equipment for the shell production line, the technical capabilities of Zhao Jiayu Machinery Factory will be greatly upgraded. That's a complete set of production equipment from steelmaking to the final product.

Once digested, the technical level of Zhao Jiayu Machinery Factory, as well as the production capacity, will skyrocket.

"It's fixed."

Zhao Gang said with a smile:

"Moreover, it was repaired with scrap steel provided by them under the nose of the staff officer of the 358th Regiment."

"Haha..."

Li Yunlong was a little looking forward to the reaction caused by this incident at this time.

The expressions of the people in the national government after knowing this must have been very exciting, but unfortunately, he couldn't see it.

"By the way, next time I look for Boss Chen to exchange some soybean coarse grains, Zhang Wanhe recently opened a livestock farm on our side to cultivate the first generation of big mules, and we need a batch of soybean feed."

Before the two left, Zhao Gang said.

"Okay."

Li Yunlong nodded.

······

A few days later.

Headquarters.

Logistics.

"Go to the cattle ranch and have a look."

After finishing his daily work, Zhang Wanhe looked at his watch and found that there was still enough time, so he was ready to go to the livestock farm to have a look.

With a few assistants, Zhang Wanhe went to a livestock farm located in the middle of a mountainous area.

The troops attached great importance to the livestock pastures, not only in the core of the base area, but also assigned a battalion of troops to guard them, especially when it came to technical convenience, and it was strictly confidential.

Zhang Wanhe is the direct promoter of this level of secrecy.

As the head of the logistics department, he knows very well that this kind of technology, which can stably and extensively breed super-high-quality mules and horses, is absolutely not available abroad, and must be the world's top animal husbandry technology.

Since ancient times, the large-scale cultivation of mules has been plagued by the difficulty of stably cultivating high-quality mule and horse breeds, which is also the core of secrecy.

There's a reason why it's so important.

Not to mention the incredible three generations of big mules, the first generation of big mules alone is not just the help of the army. For the vast rural areas, which are generally small-scale peasant economies, it can be said to be a powerful boost for the rapid recovery of the base areas and even the country in the future.

"So much?"

Walking into the livestock farm and looking at the list of livestock farms, Zhang Wanhe's tone was pleasantly surprised.

Mules and horses are born of male donkeys and mares, and the livestock farm uses artificial insemination technology provided by Boss Chen, and the demand for mares is high for large-scale breeding, but the number of male donkeys is not high. At the beginning of the year, when Li Yunlong sent equipment and technology, he also sent thousands of donkeys and stallions that had been bred. Later, it kept coming in and out, so every once in a while, he had to confirm the quantity.

"Yes, not long ago, when the Independent Regiment sent grain, it sent another 10,000 horses."

said the head of the animal husbandry plant.

"How many mules are there now?"

Zhang Wanhe asked.

The person in charge replied:

"Half of it is used to increase the population of doubles, and half is used to breed the first generation of large mules, and after the use of artificial insemination technology, one litter can produce two, and there are currently 27,000 young mules, and 13,000 have not been born."

"It's about the same number on the Independence side."

"Okay."

Zhang Wanhe's eyes lit up.

Why did he say that this first generation of big mules was the hope of the base area and even the country to accelerate its rejuvenation in the future?

The base areas of the troops are all rural areas, and the economy is dominated by small peasants, and the masses of the people rely on the land to earn a living, while the common people mainly rely on manpower and animal power to cultivate the land.

The weight of the first generation of large mules was about the same as that of ordinary mules, and the camel carrying capacity and pulling strength were also about the same, but the endurance was thirty percent better.

The biggest improvement is the cost of feeding.

Weeds and leaves can be eaten basically, just feed a little good feed when working, the fertilizer value of manure is very high, and the disease resistance is no worse than the third generation used by the army, and the overall feeding cost of the whole year is one-ninth of that of a donkey.

A common people, with a mule of the first generation, is equivalent to two more super strong laborers who only eat half a person's meal, and in a year, the same land, the same seeds, can produce half more food, and can reduce the manpower demand by half. The rest of the time, you can also engage in transportation, etc.

When the time comes, the vast rural areas, which account for 90 percent of the country's population, will be driven by this first generation of mules.

Just as Zhang Wanhe was imagining, a staff officer walked in:

"Minister Zhang, Staff Officer Mo asked you to go."

······

The 358th Regiment was stationed.

In the open space outside the regimental headquarters.

Chu Yunfei and Fang Ligong walked out of the regiment headquarters, looked at the repaired Bofors Mountain Gun that was sent back, touched the brand-new barrel, and immediately asked the staff officer who had returned from the Independent Regiment together:

"How?"

Chu Yunfei's tone was a little nervous.

Nominally, this staff officer was sent by him to supervise the repairs, but of course, in fact, to inquire about the weapons production capacity of the independent regiment. At that time, he worked as a manager in Taiyuan Arsenal and had a certain understanding of mechanical technology.

"The barrel is produced by Zhao Jiayu Machinery Factory itself."

The staff officer's tone was also horrified:

"It's still scrap steel that we bring with us."

"Tell me more about it."

Chu Yunfei's pupils shrank.

The independent regiment is equipped with a large number of luxurious weapons and equipment, which makes him red-eyed, but it is clear that these are produced abroad, they are rootless, there is no need to be too nervous, there is no need to be too nervous, there will be no more when they are consumed, and foreign weapons are easy to blockade and influence through diplomacy.

But it's a different story with your own production.

He had just seen that the barrel steel of the Bofors Mountain Cannon that was sent for repair was of extremely high quality, the rifling was also very finely drawn, and the overall quality was extremely high, better than that of the devils.

At that time, the Taiyuan Arsenal failed to produce qualified cannon steel for so many years.

"The factory on the side of the independent regiment is called Zhao Jiayu Machinery Factory, the scale is very large, although I haven't read it all, but it is estimated that the scale is half of the Taiyuan Arsenal, and the machinery and equipment are very new."

"They use an electric furnace to make steel, add scrap steel to it, and then add some ore to remove the dross, and then they can smelt qualified blast steel, which is estimated to produce 50 tons of steel a day, but cannon steel can only produce 10 tons at a time, and the time is relatively long."

"They also have a large drilling machine that specializes in drilling barrels, but the others are small machine tools, but the production technology is very advanced, and it can produce a 75 mountain cannon in about three days."

The staff officer described what he saw:

"In addition, they can also produce small trains, and there is a gun factory, but there is a military blockade on the gun factory, so I can't get close."

"You can really produce your own cannon steel and barrels."

Chu Yunfei hadn't spoken yet, and Fang Ligong next to him was muttering to himself.

Glancing at his adjutant, Chu Yunfei frowned.

After returning from Heyuan County, his adjutant has been in bad spirits, and his state has become worse and worse, according to the guards on duty, he often wakes up at night, often has nightmares, and wakes up in a cold sweat.

Taking a deep breath, Chu Yunfei suppressed the horror in his heart.

It is extremely difficult to produce high-quality cannon steel in batches, from raw materials to finished products, there are a series of technical problems, which cannot be done by the government at present, and there are no more than two countries in the world that can do it.

Fifty tons a day is not much, only one large machine tool for the production of gun barrels is also a shortcoming, and the manufacturing technology of small locomotives is not difficult, and the government itself can easily do it.

But the problem is that the other party has only been developing for less than a year.

Given a few more years, it's hard to imagine how far it will go?

"Tell the news above."

Chu Yunfei sighed.

I hope that with this stimulus, the group of people in the military industry can work hard and catch up with others.

Of course, he also knows that things will not be so simple, and there will definitely be people who want to sabotage secretly, but well, since others dare to show it, it means that they have absolute confidence in their own vigilant measures.

A few days later.

Chongqing.

"Can you produce high-quality cannon steel in small batches yourself?"

Director Dai looked at the information in his hand incredulously, and then looked at the person in charge of reporting:

"Are you sure?"

High-quality cannon steel!

This thing is a technology that various countries focus on blocking, not to mention the national government, there are no more than six countries in the world that can produce it. And even if it is taught by a large foreign manufacturer, it will take several years to learn it.

Different countries, different factories, have different situations.

Steelmaking raw materials, the environment, additives, processes, and even different workers, any little change can affect the final quality.

"Sure."

The tone of the debriefer is also incredulous, but the facts are in front of you:

"The 358th Regiment of the Jin Sui Army has seen the other party produce finished products with their own eyes, and after testing, the quality is very high, and it is estimated that a 75 mountain cannon can be produced in about three days."

Looking at the details behind, Director Dai frowned.

He hesitated.

Should I tell the old man about this?

He knew that a few days ago, the Americans didn't know what was going on, and a representative of the military transportation department wanted to meet the people over there, and the old man was very nervous and very vigilant.

That's from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

But I had no choice but to agree.

At the same time.

Continental United States.

A department responsible for coordinating military transport.

A group of staff officers is working.

With the entry of the United States of America into the war, the fully mechanized American GIs went out into the world, marching all the way and becoming invincible.

The North African campaign has ended, Italy has surrendered, the planned landing to open up a second theater of war in Europe is also in full swing, and the Pacific Ocean is also full of good news.

And all these victories are inseparable from the strong logistical support provided by the logistics and transportation department.

But in a series of operations, some problems have also been exposed.

Italy is mountainous and the battlefield environment is complicated, not to mention trucks, even Willis Jeep, or even a full-track transporter, can't get up, and can only be transported by animal power.

However, the pitiful transportation force of animal transportation cannot meet the consumption of the US army after the upgrading of weapons and equipment, and there are many more casualties among the troops, which makes the transportation department a headache, but it can't think of a way to solve it for a while.

Fortunately, the intelligence forces of the United States of America were very good, and they quickly found hope for a solution to the problem.

"An animal that can carry 150 kilograms of supplies and walk 60 kilometers a day on rugged mountain roads for a long time? Sustained traction also up to a ton? ”

At this time, a major general walked in and asked the staff officer in the room.

The general's tone was thick with disbelief.

As a general who participated in World War I, although he was only a small company commander at that time.

But he was well aware.

Mountain camels carry 150 kilograms, the carrying capacity is no problem, and many animal power can do it, such as the Sharma, etc., but the weight of 150 kilograms can also walk 60 kilometers on rugged mountain roads, and there is no animal power in the world that can do it.

Rugged mountain roads!

It is difficult for people to walk up lightly, let alone carry heavy animal power.

Also every day!

In other words, this kind of animal power can walk more than 60 kilometers on winding and undulating mountain roads for more than 10 days in a row with a camel carrying a weight of 150 kilograms.

If there had been this thing, the last war would have ended two years earlier.

"General."

A staff officer said:

"According to the intelligence department's information and General Stilwell's report, the Republic of China guerrillas do have such a kind of animal power, the number of which is as many as tens of thousands, and it is still increasing rapidly."

"It can't be."

The general waved his hand directly, and his tone was full of disdain:

"The animal power over there is the most backward in the world, the body is small, the endurance is poor, and even the lightest mountain cannon can't be camel-loaded."

"Lieutenant General Ross has ordered the Ministry of Transportation on the Republic of China side to contact the other side."

Seeing that the general was going to make trouble, the staff officer had to move out of his superiors.

Sure enough, after hearing the name of the lieutenant general who coordinated the transportation of the army, the major general was immediately honest, but his mouth was still unwilling:

"It's a waste of effort."

······

A week later.

Separate regiments.

Zhang Wanhe and Staff Officer Mo of the headquarters rushed here together.

"Americans want to buy our three generations of mules?"

Hearing the news brought by Zhang Wanhe, Zhao Gang paused for a while.

Zhao Gang was really surprised that the fully mechanized Americans wanted to buy big mules, which made the world envious.

Not thinking about it carefully, he also understood, it must be used to fight in mountainous areas, the European battlefield is mountainous, let alone a car, and he can't even drive a motorcycle, so it's normal to look at the big mule on his side.

In terms of capacity, one big mule is comparable to four ordinary mules, and it is easy to raise, so it is easy to serve.

"Yes."

Zhang Wanhe nodded and said:

"The above means, listen to what you think."

In terms of influence, Zhao Gang is even higher than Li Yunlong, or even much higher, Zhao Jiayu has made achievements in economic construction, production and construction, and seven-figure relief work for disaster victims.

"Of course I agree."

The corners of Zhao Gang's mouth hooked.

Americans, that's big money, big bosses, big customers.

"The Americans probably want a lot!"

Zhang Wanhe was a little worried—although in the past year, the independent regiment had given thousands of mules of three generations to other base areas and troops.

"Don't worry, now there are more than 17,000 big mules in Zhao Jiayu's base area."

Zhao Gang's tone was confident.

The big mule consumes the amount of weapons and ammunition, but now the big mule has reduced the price, and the discount is sold and you can buy one and get ten free, and after a while, after killing 15,000 devils, it is not a problem to exchange for 100,000 heads.

"How much do we bid? The Americans wanted the first batch of 300 horses to try. ”

Zhang Wanhe continued to ask.

Minister Zhang has been in contact with the big mule for several years, and he knows very well that the Americans will definitely order it in large quantities after using it.

The big mule is not only a strong camel carrying capacity and strong stamina, but also a docile character that will not panic when a cannonball explodes around him, and an easy to call like a teammate.

Today, in the troops, the soldiers never regard the mule as an animal, but as a comrade-in-arms.

"Of course the first batch is free!"

The corners of Political Commissar Zhao's mouth hooked.

From Boss Chen's business experience - the free one is the most expensive.

After the American GI falls in love with the big mule, let's talk about the price.