Chapter 19

A few hours ago.

A 212 vehicle set out from Ha Gong Da, heading straight for the nearby troop base.

"Representative Zhao, will that shell work?" said the driver, Xiao Wang, who was very curious.

"I don't know. Without investigation, there's no right to speak. But… I hope that young man's theory is correct."

"Yeah, if the theory that range increases by ten percent is correct, then our shells' range could go up by ten percent, and the artillery units could finally breathe easy!"

The 212 continued to speed.

Ha Cheng's location is special; to guard against the northern old Maozi, the famed 23rd Army is stationed here, the absolute tigers of the northern frontier, commanding three main divisions and three reserve divisions, with tanks, big guns, anti-aircraft guns… everything you could want, and the unit is a professional artillery force.

Upon entering, one can see rows of neatly arranged cannons—105mm, 122mm… and the most eye‑catching 152mm cannon!

Its barrel is over four meters long, the muzzle as thick as a bowl, and it weighs nearly six tonnes; such a cannon is currently the most formidable fire‑support weapon in the East!

Soldiers came and went—some shouting slogans while cleaning gun bores, some drilling in formation, and the sound of old soldiers cursing the new recruits could be heard. When the 212 pulled up beside the 152mm cannon, Representative Zhao happened to spot an acquaintance.

"Old Xiao! Quick, find an artillery squad and tow a 152mm cannon to the range for a test fire!"

Regiment Commander Xiao Deyuan instantly grew excited: "Has the date‑pit shell been made? We've been waiting for it. Don't worry, our 205 Artillery Regiment fears neither sacrifice nor hardship…"

No need to mention test firing—even normal shots carry risk, so many cannons are fired by pulling a rope, and when the first shell is launched that rope must be several metres long; although a blown‑up barrel still kills you, at least you can leave a whole corpse.

As he spoke, he strode over to the rear of the 212, opened the spare‑tire rack, lowered the trunk lid, and saw a gleaming……

"Isn't this just an ordinary shell?"

"This is no ordinary shell; a pit has been dug in its tail."

Regiment Commander Xiao widened his eyes: "What are you talking about? This isn't just pulling down your pants to fart, is it? What use is it? That bunch of stinking old scholars from Ha Gong Da…"

"Old Xiao, don't curse people; the warhead weight hasn't changed, nor the internal propellant load, but the maximum range can be increased by ten percent."

"What are you saying? Dig a hole in the butt and the range goes up ten percent? That's a brain with a hole in it…"

"Just try it and you'll see—load the training shell with its fuze! Carry out the order!"

"Yes!"

Representative Zhao, sent by the military region, is specifically responsible for the project to increase the range of the 152mm cannon; any unit must cooperate! Moreover, they know how significant this is—after all, the southern war of rotation will soon reach the Shenyang Military Region.

Regiment Commander Xiao could only vent his complaints inwardly, but when carrying out the mission he was still decisive.

The firing range.

The huge 152mm cannon deployed rapidly; in under two minutes it shifted from marching to combat condition, fully demonstrating the professionalism of the 205 Regiment.

"Heads up—maximum range, full propellant!"

The bright‑yellow warhead was shoved in! Push it in with a rod!

The fully loaded propellant packet was shoved in; push it with a rod!

Close the breech!

Adjust the elevation mechanism to maximum‑range mode!

Fire!

Boom!

From the muzzle a fireball burst forth; ahead of the fireball, the conical warhead shot forward, emitting a sharp whistling cry.

"Attention, the whole regiment cease fire and go to the range to measure the impact point!" Before Regiment Commander Xiao finished speaking, Representative Zhao's 212 had already pulled away.

Five kilometres, ten kilometres, fifteen kilometres, sixteen kilometres, seventeen kilometres!

The vehicle kept passing the range's marker posts, yet the impact point remained ahead!

Eighteen kilometres! Sunlight shone ahead, revealing a glinting object!

Nineteen kilometres! The vehicle stopped.

Heart pounding, hands trembling, he grabbed the measuring tape, jumped out, and walked forward!

The soldier in charge of reporting the target had just placed the tape's tip on the nineteen‑kilometre marker when Xiao Deyuan took the tape, unreeling it as he strode forward in big steps.

Thirty, fifty, one hundred! One reel of tape was used up!

On to the second reel!

Thirty, fifty, one hundred! Used up again!

Until the third reel came up, and finally, as the end was about to run out, it reached the impact point.

The Ha Gong Da Department of Mechanical Engineering had no explosives; they made only a training shell, its warhead filled with sand instead of explosive to keep the weight the same, and its fuze wouldn't detonate, so the warhead simply plunged into the dirt, tail in the air, the machined tail facing the artillerymen like a big smiling face.

"Nineteen kilometres two hundred ninety‑five metres! That's over two kilometres more range than our previous shells—this shell is truly awesome!" Xiao Deyuan burst into laughter.

Representative Zhao gave him a sideways glance: "A hole in the butt—does that mean there's a hole in the brain too?"

"No, no, this hole is well dug, superbly done! That Ha Gong Da professor is really brilliant!"

"A professor?" Representative Zhao's expression darkened: "This thing was made by a freshman who just started college."

"What?" Xiao Deyuan widened his eyes: "A young guy?"

"Cough cough, Old Zhao, shouldn't we snap up this talent for our armory? Continuing to study at Ha Gong Da would be a total waste! Right—next, notify the armory to rush production, so we can use it when we go south to fight the monkeys!"

"It's not that simple—do you have a firing table? Will you be able to hit the mark then?" Representative Zhao gave him a look: "Now we need to work out the shell's machining dimensions, then produce a batch of test‑loaded shells, send them to the range to measure trajectory and compute the firing table…"

"What? Re‑measure the trajectory and work out the firing table—how much will that cost?"

"Now it's not about being afraid to spend money; time is what matters most…" Having said that, Representative Zhao sprinted to the car: "We have to hurry back to Ha Gong Da and find that young man."

"I'm coming with you!" Xiao Deyuan ran after him, heels at his heels.

Ha Gong Da, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Metal Cutting Teaching and Research Lab Experimental Workshop.

"What's going on? Why hasn't Qin Miao arrived yet?"

"Sirs, don't worry—I heard Qingshan Machinery Factory has sent people over; they're probably dealing with the issue of someone impersonating a student to get into university." Tian Chun Guang accompanied two leaders, talking about the school's latest hot topic.

"What?" Xiao Deyuan jumped up: "Great, there's still this kind of thing! The Niu father and son should be wiped out! They are enemies lurking among our people!"

"Old Xiao, sit down! The military does not interfere in local affairs!" Representative Zhao called out to him.

We won't interfere, but… we can go over and give Qin Miao a hand with the factory. Right, why does this Qingshan Machinery Factory sound familiar? It couldn't be an arms factory, could it?

Zhao Representative also stood up: "Then let's go over and take a look; if it really is an arms factory, our military will have a say!"

We must back Qin Miao up; we're still counting on him in the future! Besides base‑concave shells, what other base‑row shells and the like…