Chapter 51 The war needs him

Until the last minute, Fan Rui still didn't believe it. After he went to Huainan from Shanghai, he only worked for half a month and was sent to Shanghai by the company. When he knew this decision, in front of him was not only the head of the company's personnel department, but also an army officer. The army officer only He saluted him and then took out a document from his briefcase.

"According to the National Defense Special Conscription Act, Fan Rui, a first-class technician of Huainan Chemical Company, is hereby awarded the rank of lieutenant of the Guards Army. The appointment will take effect immediately..."

He couldn't remember what was next. All he knew was that when the conscription order was given to him, he changed from an ordinary technician to an army lieutenant. Then he took him and several other technicians who also "changing into military uniforms" and went downstairs. Everyone had only half an hour to pack up. Luggage, the military order is strict and the world is known.

Eighty days ago, after receiving that order, he came to Tianxiang Chemical Company in Shanghai, but like his colleagues, he did not need to wear military uniforms. When Tianxiang Chemical Company studied chemical industry in Japan, Fan Rui heard about it. This is the first refined salt company in China, which also belongs to the industry. A subsidiary of the company.

Western developed countries have clearly stipulated that salt with less than 85% sodium chloride content is not allowed to be used to feed livestock; but in many parts of China, salt with less than 50% sodium chloride content is still used for human consumption. As a result, it has been ridiculed by Western countries, saying that the Chinese are a "native people"!

With the development of domestic industry, industry and agriculture need refined salt and considerable salt industry. Such a harsh reality, long before the establishment of the Pudong Development Zone, the industrial company acquired a number of beach salt farms and established Tianxiang Chemical Company in the industrial zone. After the national uprising, the refined salt produced by the company was quickly taken. It occupied the southern salt market.

However, it is not satisfied with the production of refined salt. While the refined salt is continuously transported to Huainan to process and produce chlor-alkali products by Huaihua Company, Tianxiang Chemical Company also began to build an electrolytic salt chemical plant for the production of chlor-alkali products.

In order to obtain chlor-alkali industrial technology, Tianxiang Chemical Factory not only cost millions of marks to buy technology patents from Germany, but even did not hesitate to sell 20% of the company's shares at the reserve price, but all of this is worth it. In Tianjin, a larger electrochemical plant wholly controlled by Chinese enterprises has broken ground. .

Although it holds German shares, the Chinese are responsible for Tianxiang Chemical from plant design, capital budget, equipment selection to mechanical installation. Similarly, all mechanical parts that can be manufactured in China are handed over to Shanghai Qiuxin Machinery Factory and Ma'anshan General Machinery Factory for production, but this does not prevent the company. The products produced such as caustic soda and hydrochloric acid are not only supplied to the domestic market, but also exported to overseas markets such as Japan.

Of course, some of these are news reports he read, and some are heard from others after Huaihua, such as Tianjin's "Changlu Chemical Industry" invested by the North China Banking Community, China's largest chlor-alkali enterprise, his technology patents were "stolen" from Tianxiang. As for how to steal, I'm afraid I'm afraid that only the parties concerned will know.

A several-kilometer-long cast iron pipeline extends from the salt farm by the sea to the Pudong Industrial Zone. One end of the pipeline is connected to the beach salt farm, and the other end is connected to the workshop of Tianxiang Chemical Company. The seawater in the workshop will be processed into other products after further treatment. Unlike other factories, in the company's third phase of the project Around the factory, there will be factory security guards patrolling outside the factory every day.

"Minister Shi, now the third phase of the project has always been in trial production. In January, the output was 220 tons, and in February, it reached 600 tons. This month, it has exceeded 900 tons. Now the workers have been able to proficiency in the equipment. In order to ensure the supply, the third phase of the factory The workers are the best workers transferred from the factory.

Fan Rui, the technical director of the three branches of the factory, who accompanied Shi Si to visit the production process in the factory, explained the output problem. Since just after January, all the projects of Tianxiang Company must make concessions to potassium chlorate and potassium chlorate needed by the country.

Even the equipment of the third phase of the project, um, he and his colleagues came here to transform the equipment here to produce potassium chlorate. At the same time, as the technical guidance of the factory, no one will know why so many "hazardous chemicals" are produced. All the explanation is that there is only one "the country needs potassium chlorate". As for What is needed is not what he knows.

"There is no problem with 1,500 tons of potassium chlorate per month. It is expected that this output will be reached by next month!"

At this time, Fan Rui suddenly looked up at the imperial Minister of Industry who commented in the newspaper that he might be listed as the founding Duke. The Minister of Industry did not seem obvious, but in fact, the history minister controlled the industrial planning and formulation of all over China. The investment and loans of hundreds of millions of imperial enterprises were controlled by him, which was almost the first in the world. Poor fat.

But he is not fat. He is not fat, but he looks a little thin. However, according to the newspaper, this is because he is too tired. Now the minister's home is the office of the Ministry of Industry. This trip to Shanghai seems to urge factories to speed up production.

"Minister, does the army need potassium chlorate!"

Fan Rui asked doubtfully where the potassium chlorate produced here is used. He doesn't know, but almost every day, he receives a telegram urging potassium chlorate. Anyone who studies chemistry knows that potassium chlorate is explosives, but potassium chlorate is difficult to apply to the military because it is too **.

The questions raised by the young man beside him always made Shi Si look more or less proud. During the national uprising, the low output of bitter and sour explosives of Huaihua Company seriously affected the production of military industry. Artillery shells, grenades and explosive boxes all need explosives, and the Guangfu Army, which emphasizes the first firepower, needs it. A large number of shells and grenades. Although explosives can be imported, they are limited by customs, transportation and other restrictions, and it is impossible to meet the needs of factory production and the army in a hurry.

It is under this demand that Shi Si remembered a paper on potassium chlorate explosives that he had read abroad. The power of potassium chloride vaseline explosives is equivalent to 60% TNT explosives, and these two are extremely extensive. Finally, it took him nearly three months to develop a new type of potassium chlorate vaseline explosive. By adding aluminum powder, the explosive power is increased, reaching 67% TNT power.

After extensive tests, although potassium chlorate explosives are a little insufficient, they are the most suitable as mortar shells and grenades. In the past, the use of bitter acid or TNT explosives will lead to the fragmentation of the casting shell due to excessive power, resulting in a decrease in power, and the power of potassium chlorate explosives is just right. Foot fragmentation demand, and most importantly, low cost. The production of one kilogram of bitter acid can produce 30 kilograms of potassium chlorate explosives, which does not use expensive nitric acid.

Cheap explosives allow the Guards to fight a war at a lower cost, just like the cost of cannonballs, which accounts for 50% of the cost of explosives.

"Xudong, it costs 9.7 yuan to manufacture a grenade, and it costs 1.3 pounds to import a Kerup grenade from Germany, that is, 12 yuan. We produce a grenade of the same caliber is 5.485 yuan, which can produce a 120mm mortar shell, which only costs 1.789 yuan, which means that we use the same With this kind of money, our firepower density on the battlefield is 10 times that of Japan! So"

Turning around and looking at Fan Rui, Shi Si seriously spit out a few words.

"It's war that requires potassium chlorate!"

Walking to a wooden barrel marked with the word Tianxiang, Shi Si took a look at the 100KG marked on the wooden barrel. These finished products will eventually be sent to Ma'anshan for mixing, and then transported by railways and waterways to the "assembly offices" of the provinces responsible for military production.

"Cheap explosives are the foundation to ensure whether we can win this war. The war in the northeast is only carried out for eight days, regardless of how many mountain shells and mortar shells the army consumes. The explosive alone consumes nearly 2,000 tons. If we use bitter acid, this alone will cost nearly 20 million yuan, but potassium chlorate. How much is the explosives?"

Fan Rui, who is responsible for the production of "mixed drugs", would not know that compared with the bitter acid explosives that require phenol and concentrated nitric acid as raw materials, the factory price of potassium chlorate is only 100 yuan per ton, which can indeed be described as good quality and low price.

"We are a poor country. Even if we spend a penny into a few cents, it is difficult to support this war. You are now the largest explosive factory in China, supplying 50% of the country's explosives. In order to produce enough grenades and mortar shells, even the blacksmith shops and carpenters in Sichuan are producing grenades. If there is no explosives, there are not enough grenades and mortar shells on the front line. Without these two, we want to win. This battle is a dream!"

As the Minister of Imperial Industry, Shi Si was more or less helpless when he said this. China is using an agricultural country to support this war. The grenade shells and handles cast by the earth and iron shops in various provinces are sent to the provincial capital to assemble the explosives, detonator cables, and then the boxes are sent to Hankou through railways, waterways and even dry roads. It is then sent to the north by railway. The mortar shell shells produced by Hanyang are produced by Hunan and Jiangxi, and the shell body is added to the provincial car, and then sent to Hanyang to load the tail. Hanyang is processed with fuses and explosives made in Shanghai.

From the perspective of the quality of military industry, the 700-gram pig iron grenade produced by a small workshop is simply defective. However, on the front line, the soldiers of the Guards must take this defective grenade to fight with them. Ma'anshan, Huainan, Hanyang, Jiangnan, Guangzhou, Dezhou and other regular arsenals must be vacate. The production force makes every effort to produce mortar shells and mountain shells.

"Minister, haven't you already negotiated in Nanjing?"

Fan Rui asked curiously.

"No one can explain what's going on the negotiation table. East India has been talking for so long, but there is no result, let alone the Northeast!"

Shi Si has a good reason that this war will continue. On the surface, China has the opportunity to armistice, but in fact, His Majesty will never stop until he gains the advantage of the armistice. Otherwise, he will not supervise arms production again. As long as he continues to fight, he will definitely You will need explosives.

(to be continued)