Chapter 66: Third-Line Military Industrial Production Plan

By this point, at the end of November, the first machine tool Assembly Line planned by Li Mingyuan was officially put into production.

The cold wind swept across the factory area of the Hongxing Rolling Mill, yet it could not cool the fiery atmosphere inside the workshops in the slightest.

At this time, the Rolling Mill had completely changed its appearance; the originally dilapidated workshops had been thoroughly renovated, brand-new equipment was arranged neatly, and workers shuttled between them, skillfully operating various machines.

This was no ordinary assembly line, but a "mother machine production line" capable of producing machine tools, which was the first industrial mother machine revolution in Li Mingyuan's plan.

"This is too magical!" Factory Director Lou stood on a high platform, overlooking the entire production workshop, his eyes filled with disbelief, "Using machine tools to produce more machine tools, this is simply... self-propagation!"

Li Shouzheng stood to one side, shaking his head with a smile: "It is more accurate to describe it as an 'ecosystem.' Xiao Li's concept is too advanced; machine tools produce machine tools, and machine tools then produce steel-rolling equipment, forming a complete industrial chain."

Li Mingyuan was not observing from the high platform, but was personally guiding workers on the production line to adjust a precision milling machine.

This mother machine production line was the Hexin of the entire plan; once it was fully operational, the Rolling Mill would be able to continuously produce various high-precision machine tools, thereby providing equipment support for other production lines.

"Adjust the bearing installation angle by another 0.2 degrees; the precision will be higher this way." Li Mingyuan squatted beside the machine, patiently explaining to several young workers.

"Remember, the most Hexin part of machine tool manufacturing is precision; even an error the thickness of a hair will be magnified in subsequent processing."

The young workers nodded devoutly, as if listening to an oracle.

Over the past month, Li Mingyuan's status in the factory had risen to a near-mythical level.

His incredible innovations and foolproof methods had made everyone admire him sincerely.

During the lunch break, Li Mingyuan returned to his office, where the desk was piled high with various reports and blueprints.

Opening the bound weekly production report, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly—the output for October had already increased by 40% compared to before the renovation, and this was only the beginning.

Li Mingyuan closed the office door, and after ensuring no one would disturb him, he opened the System Space.

The Third-Line Military Industrial Production Plan floated before his eyes, every part detailed to an outrageous degree.

The so-called "Third-Line military industrial production" referred to three specialized military production lines: the Light Weapon Production Line, the Rocket Weapon Production Line, and the Logistics Equipment Production Line.

According to the knowledge provided by the system, these three production lines would greatly enhance the country's military industrial capabilities, especially in the face of potential conflicts.

The first: the Light Weapon Production Line; the Hexin of the light weapon line lay in three revolutionary improvements: the Cartridge Recycling System, packaging lightweighting, and production automation.

Every cartridge case had to be recovered and reused through stamping three times. This required establishing a complete recycling system, from the front lines to the rear, forming a closed loop.

After the old cartridge cases were recovered, they were processed by a special cleaning machine to remove gunpowder residue and oxides, then re-stamped into shape.

This could save 70% of copper materials, solving the biggest raw material bottleneck.

In terms of packaging, traditional steel ammunition boxes were all replaced with treated hardwood boxes, reducing weight by 60% and costs by 80%.

Metal ammunition belts were changed to canvas belts, which not only saved metal but also reduced the soldiers' load and improved mobility.

Production automation was the biggest challenge, requiring the renovation of the entire production line, adopting semi-automatic stamping equipment and assembly-line production to increase capacity by at least 5 times.

The second was the Rocket Weapon Production Line.

Li Mingyuan's eyes were exceptionally bright when he spoke of this line.

This was the true trump card.

Rocket weapons were divided into two types: the Katyusha Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher and the 107 mm Rocket Launcher.

The former was used for large-scale area coverage, while the latter was suitable for precision strikes and guerrilla warfare.

The Katyusha adopted a 16-24 tube design, installed on modified trucks, with strong mobility.

The key technology lay in the Rocket Engine and fuel formula.

The traditional black powder propellant was improved to an Aluminum Powder Enhanced Propellant, increasing thrust by 30% and extending the range from 8 kilometers to 12 kilometers.

The 107 Rocket Launcher adopted a modular design, which could be used as a Single-tube or combined into a Multi-tube Launch System.

The key improvements lay in the Tail Fin Stabilization Device and a simplified aiming system, allowing ordinary soldiers to operate it after simple training.

The third was the Logistics Equipment Production Line; war was not just a contest of weapons, but a competition of logistics.

The logistics equipment line focused on three major areas: Lightweight Communication Equipment, Field Medical Kit, and Portable Water Purification System.

The communication equipment adopted simplified Transistor circuits, 50% smaller, 40% lighter, and 60% less power-consuming than existing radios.

The key was improved reliability, with the failure rate reduced by 80%.

The Field Medical Kit revolutionarily added Penicillin Instant Tablet and Trauma Hemostatic Powder, reducing battlefield infection mortality by 70%.

Each Portable Water Purification System processed 50 liters of water per day, using activated carbon and ceramic filter elements, and could be used for 30 days on a single charge, solving the problem of drinking water safety during marches.

These three production lines had to be pushed forward as quickly as possible, all built within six months and reaching full capacity within one year.

Li Mingyuan closed the plan, a light that only he understood flickering in his eyes.

"First, build a complete model of the Katyusha, then reverse-engineer it." Li Mingyuan operated the system, and soon, a complete Katyusha Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher appeared in the System Space.

He began to dismantle it layer by layer, simplifying every part to a level achievable by current technology while keeping the Hexin performance unchanged.

The final result was a minimalist design, with material requirements reduced by 70% and manufacturing processes simplified by 80%, but with only a 20% loss in performance.

"This will do." Li Mingyuan nodded with satisfaction, "Not seeking the best, but seeking usability."

Unknowingly, it was already late at night; Li Mingyuan closed the system and rubbed his tired eyes.

"There isn't much time left; everything must be accelerated."

The next morning, when Li Mingyuan was riding his bike to the factory, a familiar figure blocked the entrance of the Siheyuan.

"Chief Engineer Li, could I take a minute of your time?" Yi Zhonghai's face was full of smiles, but the unwillingness and anger in his eyes could not be hidden at all.

Li Mingyuan stopped his bike and glanced at him indifferently, "Something up?"

Yi Zhonghai rubbed his hands, putting on a pitiful act, "Chief Engineer Li, Liu Haizhong and I are also doing this for the good of the factory. We are all from the same courtyard, why must you be so ruthless?"

"Ruthless?" Li Mingyuan sneered, "Master Yi, who was the one leading the slowdown and sabotaging production?"

Yi Zhonghai's expression turned ugly, and he suppressed his anger, saying, "That was just a difference in working methods. As for making us go clean the toilets? I am a Technical Backbone!"

"Technical Backbone?" A trace of mockery flashed in Li Mingyuan's eyes, "Then show me some of that Technical Backbone behavior. The whole factory is working overtime, yet you few are there paying lip service while defying orders, and you still feel wronged?"