Chapter 177: Preparations Before the War Begin

"I have gathered you all here today for an urgent task concerning national security—the mass production of the Bamboo Fiber Bulletproof Cotton Jacket."

"Bulletproof cotton jacket?" A wave of surprised discussion erupted from the audience, "Can a cotton jacket stop bullets?"

Li Mingyuan raised his hand to signal for silence, then took a seemingly ordinary cotton jacket from his assistant:

"This is a sample of the Bamboo Fiber Bulletproof Cotton Jacket. It looks like a regular cotton-padded coat, but its interior is filled with specially treated bamboo fiber material. Combined with a special weaving technique, it can effectively resist damage from pistol bullets and shrapnel."

The venue became restless again, with some clearly skeptical.

Li Mingyuan smiled slightly, picked up a pistol from the table, and pointed it at the bamboo fiber cotton jacket hanging to the side: "Please watch the demonstration."

Bang! After the sound of the gunshot, the cotton jacket swayed slightly, but remained intact.

Li Mingyuan walked over, took the bullet head that had been blocked by the layers of fabric from the back, and showed it to everyone.

"This... this is simply incredible!" an old engineer in the front row said in shock.

"The key lies in the material and the structure." Li Mingyuan began to explain the technical principles in detail,

"After the bamboo fiber undergoes special chemical treatment, its toughness is greatly enhanced. When combined with a special multi-layer interlaced weaving structure, it can disperse the impact of a bullet, just like a spider web catching a flying insect, consuming the bullet's kinetic energy layer by layer."

Next, Li Mingyuan took out the simplified process flow chart and distributed it to each technical lead:

"Considering the differences in equipment and technical levels among various factories, we have simplified the process flow to the greatest extent to ensure that ordinary textile factories can also produce it quickly. Each Bulletproof Cotton Jacket can withstand pistol bullets and most shrapnel. Although it will be difficult to deal with Rifle bullets, it can already significantly increase the survival rate of soldiers in actual combat."

"Chief Engineer Li, the processing method for this material is very special. Do we have experience with it?" a technician asked.

"No need to worry, we have already prepared a detailed training plan." Li Mingyuan pointed to a group of young people standing at the back of the venue,

"These are the Technical Backbone of our research institute, and each person will be responsible for guiding the production at two to three factories. Starting tomorrow, they will head to various locations to ensure production proceeds smoothly."

After three hours of detailed training, all technical leads had a clear understanding of the production process.

Before they left, Li Mingyuan solemnly announced the production goal: "Within one month, the country must produce 100,000 Bulletproof Cotton Jackets to be sent to the front lines and potential war zones. This is not just a military task, but a sacred mission to protect the lives of our soldiers!"

After the meeting, Minister Zhao pulled Li Mingyuan aside: "Mingyuan, I really didn't expect that your Bulletproof Cotton Jacket would be more effective than steel plates. It's lightweight and can save lives; it's simply armor made of cloth!"

Li Mingyuan smiled: "Technology has no limits; the key is how it's used. By the way, Minister, I have another suggestion."

"Let's hear it."

"Bamboo fiber technology can be used not only for Bulletproof Cotton Jackets but also for making camouflage nets and trench reinforcement materials." Li Mingyuan explained,

"The same material, after different treatments, can achieve different functions. When used for camouflage nets, it can effectively block Radar waves and infrared rays; when used for trench reinforcement, it is lighter and more durable than traditional materials. A squad of soldiers can complete the reinforcement within an hour, greatly improving the efficiency of field fortifications."

Minister Zhao's eyes lit up: "That's a great idea! I will report it to my superiors immediately. Although we haven't officially entered the war yet, it's never wrong to prepare early."

Li Mingyuan nodded, but his heart felt slightly heavy.

Although Long Country had not yet officially announced its participation in the war, in reality, the clouds of war were already hanging overhead.

The time window was getting smaller, and every day from now on would be a race against death.

"Minister, there is one more thing I would like to request."

"Go ahead."

"The technical data for the Cloud Bomb has been organized. Can we arrange for small-scale trial production? Once the superiors give the final approval, we can immediately expand the scale."

Minister Zhao thought for a moment: "Yes, but it must be done secretly. Only conduct small-scale trial production at two factories, using the Bulletproof Cotton Jacket as a cover for everything."

Li Mingyuan nodded in agreement; war was already close at hand.

……

After seeing off the textile factory technicians, Li Mingyuan did not rest and went straight back to the special weapons area of the research institute.

This area, guarded by heavy security, had the highest level of confidentiality; even within the research institute, very few people could enter.

Li Mingyuan entered, and the guard gave a standard military salute.

Walking into the laboratory, he headed straight for the device covered by a cloth in the corner.

Lifting the cloth, it revealed the prototype of the "Tianluo" Anti-aircraft System rocket launcher underneath.

"It's time to upgrade you." Li Mingyuan whispered to himself, his fingers gently brushing over this anti-aircraft system he had designed himself.

The Tianluo System had performed well in previous tests, but Li Mingyuan knew that when facing the high-speed fighter jets of the Star-Spangled Country, especially the latest F-86 "Sabre", the existing system still seemed somewhat inadequate.

Concentrating firepower was effective, but it required multiple tubes firing simultaneously to form an effective interception net, which meant immense logistical pressure.

He needed a more lightweight and intimidating Anti-aircraft weapon that would allow ordinary infantry to also possess anti-air combat capabilities.

"Man-portable anti-aircraft rocket..." Li Mingyuan quickly sketched the outline of a tube-shaped device on the blueprint. This was a brand-new concept—a portable Missile, known in his era as weapons like "Stinger" or "Redeye".

The design philosophy was clear: the weight must be light enough for a single soldier to carry and operate; the range must meet medium-range anti-aircraft requirements, covering at least 4,000 meters of vertical airspace; most importantly, the Guidance System must be able to reliably lock onto high-speed flying fighter jets.

Li Mingyuan did not break his promise to Minister Zhao. Over the next 48 hours, he barely closed his eyes, devoting himself entirely to the design work.

When Wang Lao, the chief mechanical engineer of the research institute, walked into the laboratory on the dawn of the third day, the scene before him made him gasp—the entire wall was covered in design blueprints, various calculation formulas and test data were scattered on the floor, and Li Mingyuan was slumped over the workbench, still holding a pencil, clearly having worked until he was exhausted and had to take a short nap.

"Chief Engineer Li..." Wang Lao called out softly, afraid of waking the exhausted young man.

Li Mingyuan, however, opened his eyes immediately, as if he had only been closing them to think rather than sleeping: "Wang Lao, you've come at the right time. I need you to look at this design."

He spread out a general design drawing on the table:

"This is the 'Flying Dragon-1' man-portable anti-aircraft rocket, with the weight controlled at 14.8 kilograms, including the launch tube and the Rocket Shell. The launch preparation time is no more than 15 seconds, the effective range is 4,000 meters, and the maximum firing altitude is 3,500 meters, which is sufficient to deal with Bombers and escort fighter jets at an altitude of 2,000-3,000 meters."