Chapter 136: Southwest? Plateau? Cold? Opportunity!

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"Guarantee to complete the mission!" Li Mingyuan stood at attention and saluted.

Zhou stepped forward and gripped Li Mingyuan's hand, his eyes full of admiration. "Chief Engineer Li, you have once again made a major contribution to the country. This type of weapon will greatly enhance our army's capability to fight in complex terrain."

Subsequently, Zhou turned to the other officers, "Organize the drafting of a training manual immediately, specifically designing tactical plans for this new type of weapon. I want to see its performance on the battlefield in the shortest possible time!"

The officers responded one after another, and the atmosphere at the scene was enthusiastic and tense.

Li Mingyuan looked at the Ultra-light Mortar, which was surrounded so tightly that not even water could pass through, feeling both proud and somewhat helpless.

Minister Zhao walked over and patted him on the shoulder, "Mingyuan, you have performed a great service again this time."

"Mingyuan, you are clear about the situation our country is currently facing, right?" Minister Zhao suddenly lowered his voice and asked.

Li Mingyuan nodded.

Although as a transmigrator, he did not have a very deep understanding of the specific details of the wars of this era, from the data provided by the system and what he had seen and heard during this period, he had a basic judgment of the current military situation.

"I heard the situation in the Southwest direction is a bit tense," Li Mingyuan answered cautiously.

Minister Zhao looked around, confirmed that no one nearby was paying attention to them, and then continued, "Li Yunlong's troops are currently fighting in the Southwest mountains, and the situation is not very optimistic."

"Southwest?" Li Mingyuan was taken aback.

Minister Zhao seemed to have misunderstood his reaction and explained, "Oh, your rocket launchers are fine, but the difficulty encountered this time is not the enemy, but the terrain."

Li Mingyuan nodded thoughtfully and decided to listen to Minister Zhao continue.

"The terrain in the Southwest mountains is complex, rugged, and steep; traditional artillery simply cannot be transported up there," Minister Zhao sighed.

"Every Heavy Mortar requires more than twenty soldiers to carry it in turns. Sometimes, to climb a single mountain peak, it takes an entire day. By the time the mortar is set up, the opportunity has already passed."

At this moment, Zhou walked over and happened to hear the conversation between the two.

"That is indeed the case," Zhou interjected, "Mountain warfare is one of the biggest challenges our army is currently facing. Heavy equipment is difficult to transport, and the soldiers' physical exertion is too great; by the time they reach the battlefield, they don't have much combat strength left."

Li Mingyuan's eyes lit up.

"Chief, my Ultra-light Mortar was designed precisely to solve this problem."

"The total weight is only 15 kilograms; a single soldier can carry it, and climbing mountains or crossing rivers is absolutely no problem. Moreover, it can be set up quickly and can open fire within thirty seconds."

"Correct!" Zhou slapped his thigh, "I was just thinking about this problem a moment ago. This Ultra-light Mortar of yours is practically tailor-made for mountain warfare!"

Minister Zhao also became excited: "If we can send this batch of Ultra-light Mortars to the Southwest Frontline as soon as possible, the situation for Li Yunlong and the others will improve immediately!"

Zhou pondered for a moment and made a decision: "In that case, I will immediately report to my superiors and apply for the emergency deployment of the first batch of produced Ultra-light Mortars to be sent directly to the Southwest Frontline. Chief Engineer Li, how long do you think it will take to produce the first batch?"

Li Mingyuan calculated quickly: "If we go all out, we can produce the first batch of 50 units within 10 days, and reach 200 units in another 10 days."

"That's great!" Zhou said excitedly, "I will arrange the fastest transportation method to ensure these weapons are delivered to the frontline in time!"

Just as the three were discussing the details, a burly soldier walked over, holding the Ultra-light Mortar operation manual that Li Mingyuan had written.

"Chief Engineer Li, I just flipped through your manual, and it mentions that this type of mortar can still maintain stable performance in plateau regions? I am particularly interested in this point." His tone was sincere.

"Yes, the Special Alloy has stable performance under extreme temperatures and will not become brittle due to low temperatures or soften due to high temperatures," Li Mingyuan explained.

The soldier nodded: "I have a reason for asking this. As far as I know, there may be a push toward the western plateau in the future. The environment there is extremely harsh, and both personnel and equipment require special consideration."

When Li Mingyuan heard the word "plateau," his eyes lit up.

He had been worrying about not having an opportunity to prepare winter clothing.

"Plateau? What kind of environmental conditions are they specifically?" Li Mingyuan feigned ignorance and asked, "High altitude? Low temperature? What is the enemy's firepower situation?"

The Colonel looked around, and seeing that several generals were nodding in agreement, he explained in detail:

"The average altitude is over 4000 meters, oxygen is thin, the temperature difference between day and night is extreme, and winter temperatures can reach minus thirty degrees. The terrain is mainly high mountains, canyons, and vast plateaus, with sparse vegetation. The enemy mainly relies on mountain passes and high ground to set up firing points, using the terrain advantage to block us. Our army's biggest difficulties are logistical supply, weapon equipment not being adapted to the plateau environment, and the officers and soldiers not being adapted to altitude sickness."

After listening, Li Mingyuan fell into deep thought.

As a transmigrator, he was clearer about the difficulties and solutions for plateau warfare than anyone else present.

In his view, the biggest challenge of plateau warfare was not the enemy, but the environment itself.

"Besides weapon equipment, personnel protection might be an even bigger problem," Li Mingyuan muttered to himself.

"What did you say?" Minister Zhao didn't hear clearly.

Li Mingyuan came back to his senses: "I mean, in a plateau environment, ensuring the survival capability of the soldiers might be more important than the weapons themselves. Low temperature, lack of oxygen, and strong ultraviolet radiation—these will all seriously affect combat capability."

Several officers looked at each other, clearly surprised and in agreement with Li Mingyuan's insights.

"That is indeed the case!" the Colonel exclaimed,

"Last winter, we conducted a reconnaissance operation in the plateau region. Out of a ten-man squad, six were forced to withdraw early due to severe frostbite, and they were unable to complete the mission at all. Moreover, the temperature difference between day and night in the plateau region is large; it might be relatively warm during the day, but at night the temperature plummets, and many soldiers' rifles were even unable to fire normally because they froze."

Li Mingyuan nodded, already conceiving a complete set of plateau combat equipment plans in his mind.

After the test ended, everyone left one after another.

On the way back to the Rolling Mill, Li Mingyuan and Minister Zhao were sitting in the same car. Throughout the journey, Li Mingyuan remained silent, seemingly thinking about some important problem.

Suddenly, Li Mingyuan spoke up and asked: "Minister, how much fur and cotton inventory do we have?"

Minister Zhao was taken aback, thinking he had misheard: "Fur? Cotton? What do you need these for?"

"I want to develop a brand-new type of protective gear," Li Mingyuan said seriously, "combining warmth and protective functions, designed specifically for the plateau environment."

"Protection? What do you mean?" Minister Zhao was completely confused.

Li Mingyuan did not answer directly, but instead took out paper and a pen from his briefcase and quickly began drawing a sketch.

"Look, it's a structure like this." He explained while drawing,

"A multi-layer design; the outermost layer is treated waterproof and breathable canvas, which can resist wind and snow; the middle layer is a special material that can prevent shrapnel and bullets from a certain distance from penetrating; the innermost layer is a thermal material, using a mixture of specially treated wool and cotton, which can maintain body temperature even in extremely cold environments."

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