Chapter 187: 72 Hours

Li Mingyuan smiled slightly.

In this era, this kind of design was truly like something from another world.

The Tracked All-Terrain Vehicle would only begin to be widely used in the military field more than a decade later, and his design even incorporated some advanced concepts from later eras.

"Comrades, please look here carefully." Li Mingyuan pointed to several key parts of the blueprint.

"This vehicle weighs only 5 tons, but its load capacity reaches 3 tons, which is almost three times that of current military trucks on complex terrain. It has a maximum speed of 50 kilometers per hour, a fording depth of 1.2 meters, and a climbing ability of 32 degrees; it can go almost anywhere."

"Good heavens..." Factory Director Yang, standing to the side, could not help but exclaim, "If our troops could really be equipped with this vehicle, in the complex terrain of Sun Country, our mobility would be greatly improved. Supply issues, casualty transport, rapid troop deployment... all these difficult problems would be solved!"

The blueprint was passed from one person to another, and everyone who looked at it wore an expression of disbelief.

The sound of discussion grew more heated, and the initial skepticism was completely replaced by amazement.

A tall Colonel held the blueprint in his hands, his hands trembling slightly with excitement.

"Chief Engineer Li, I just returned from the front line. The road conditions in Sun Country are even worse than we imagined. Our trucks are often trapped on muddy mountain roads and cannot move an inch once it rains. If we had this vehicle..."

He could not continue, his eyes flashing with an excited light.

Minister Zhao suddenly slapped his thigh, "We cannot wait any longer! This project must be launched immediately! Can we organize production right away?"

Factory Director Yang nodded; although his expression was serious, the excitement in his eyes could not be hidden.

"We can, but we need to adjust the existing assembly line, which may require two to three days of preparation time."

"Two to three days is too long!" Li Mingyuan said decisively, "The front line cannot afford to wait. I suggest we immediately form a special production team and start tooling preparation and parts production simultaneously. We can adopt a modular production method, with different workshops producing different parts at the same time, and then assemble them together. This way, we can complete the first batch of prototypes within 72 hours!"

Minister Zhao opened his eyes wide, "72 hours? Is that possible?"

"Of course it is possible!" Li Mingyuan said firmly, "As long as you give me enough resources and manpower."

Minister Zhao pondered for a moment, then suddenly turned to the Communication Soldier standing to the side.

"Contact headquarters immediately, report Chief Engineer Li's new design, request special authorization, and mobilize all necessary resources to support production!"

The Communication Soldier gave a military salute and immediately ran toward the telegraph room.

Minister Zhao turned back to Factory Director Yang, "Factory Director Yang, from now on, I am temporarily taking over Red Star Machinery Factory to fully cooperate with Chief Engineer Li's work. All other production tasks are suspended, and the entire factory staff is on 24-hour standby!"

"Yes!" Factory Director Yang straightened his body and responded resolutely.

The atmosphere on the platform became unusually tense yet filled with anticipation. Li Mingyuan could feel that his design had ignited the fire of hope in everyone's heart.

"Let's go, we are going to the factory immediately!" Minister Zhao waved his hand, and the group walked quickly toward the military vehicles waiting outside the station.

Twenty minutes later, the convoy drove into Red Star Machinery Factory.

This was a military factory covering a huge area, with factory buildings standing in rows, chimneys towering high, and thousands of workers busy at their respective posts.

At the factory gate, someone had already posted an emergency mobilization order, and the factory broadcast was constantly repeating the same message:

"Attention all staff, emergency production task, all personnel report to designated workshops immediately, no delays allowed!"

Li Mingyuan was taken directly to the Main Workshop of the factory, where dozens of engineers and technical personnel had already gathered.

After Minister Zhao briefly introduced the situation, Li Mingyuan immediately took over command.

"Comrades, the situation is urgent, so I will get straight to the point." Li Mingyuan stood in front of a huge workbench and spread out the blueprints.

"We must complete the production of the first batch of All-Terrain Tracked Vehicles within 72 hours. This is an unprecedented challenge, but I believe that with the technical strength of our Red Star Machinery Factory, we will definitely be able to complete this task!"

The technical personnel whispered to each other; some looked doubtful, some appeared excited, and most wore expressions of serious determination.

Li Mingyuan continued: "We will adopt a brand-new production model—modular parallel production. The vehicle is broken down into five major systems: Chassis System, Track System, Power System, Transmission System, and Body System. The five systems will be produced simultaneously and then assembled together. Each system is further subdivided into multiple modules, with different workshops processing different modules at the same time..."

He explained the entire production process in detail, including every detail such as required materials, machining precision, and assembly sequence.

The technical personnel recorded quickly and asked questions from time to time, all of which Li Mingyuan answered one by one, clearly and convincingly.

Three hours later, the production plan for the entire factory was finalized.

Every workshop had received specific tasks, and material scheduling had also been properly arranged.

"Chief Engineer Li, this is incredible." Factory Director Yang shook his head, his face full of admiration.

"You not only designed this revolutionary vehicle but also planned a brand-new production process. Honestly, I have worked in the machinery manufacturing industry for 30 years and have never seen such an efficient production method."

Li Mingyuan smiled and did not say much more.

What he brought was not only advanced product design but also advanced concepts of future industrial production—modularization, standardization, assembly line operations, etc. These production methods, which would be taken for granted in the future, were like miracles in this era.

At noon, the first batch of materials began to enter the various workshops.

The forging hammers in the Casting Workshop began to strike rhythmically, the furnace fires in the Casting Workshop burned fiercely, and the machine tools in the machining workshop began to rotate tirelessly.

"Chief Engineer Li, you must take a rest." Minister Zhao handed Li Mingyuan a cup of hot tea and said with concern, "You haven't slept all night."

Li Mingyuan took the teacup and shook his head, "No, this is a critical moment, I must personally supervise every detail."

Minister Zhao looked at Li Mingyuan's tired but still bright eyes, wanting to say something but stopping, and finally just patted him gently on the shoulder.

"Alright, but at least eat something. I have already arranged for a simple meal to be sent to the office."

Just then, the Communication Soldier ran over hurriedly and handed over a telegram, "Minister Zhao, urgent telegram from headquarters!"

Minister Zhao took the telegram and scanned it quickly, his face immediately showing joy.

"Great! Headquarters has approved the special authorization to mobilize national resources to support production! All necessary materials and equipment will arrive within 24 hours, and a group of technical experts has also been dispatched to assist us."

"Additionally," he handed the telegram to Li Mingyuan and pointed to the last paragraph, "The Chief specifically sends his regards to you, saying your design 'will change the landscape of the battlefield,' and demands that we accelerate production at all costs!"