On the outskirts of the Upper Valley, not far from the 7th Infantry Division's camp, there was a factory that covered an area of several hundred acres.
These factories were all brand new and had only been built in recent months.
This was a medium-sized arsenal under Yuan Baocen's name that the country had promised to help build.
In the factory, the machines were roaring.
These machines and equipment from the country were being operated by workers to produce weapons and ammunition.
Due to the lack of skilled workers, the production capacity of the arsenal had not been fully released. Some of the machines were not even running. But even so, the news of the Munitions Factory's official production still made Yuan Baocen very happy.
Yuan Baocen brought Jiang Baili, Zhang Xiaozhun, and the high-ranking officers of the 7th Infantry Division to visit the arsenal.
The factory manager's surname is Wu, and his name is Wu Wenxiao. I, Yuan Baocen, specially sent someone to the Hanyang Munitions Factory to poach him.
"Second Young Master, Generals. The Upper Valley Munitions Factory was already in operation. However, due to the lack of skilled workers, the production capacity was not large. Every month, they could only produce 1,000 rifles and 100,000 bullets.”Wu Wenxiao introduced.
"A thousand rifles? 100,000 bullets?" Yuan Baocen frowned. Wasn't this production too little? In a year, the rifles produced could only equip one infantry division of the Beiyang Army. This was far from his expectations.
"Second Young Master, as we have more and more skilled workers, the production will gradually increase.”Wu Wenxiao's forehead began to sweat. If he offended the second young master, he would not be able to continue being the factory manager. Even his life would be threatened.
"I hope that the monthly production of the Munitions Factory can be increased to 10,000 rifles!”Yuan Baocen said.
"Ten thousand?" Wu Wenxiao felt like his heart was about to explode.
"If there are no workers, can't you dig? The Hanyang Munitions Factory, Jinling Manufacturing Bureau, and Jinwei Manufacturing Bureau all had workers. Give them a higher salary. I don't believe that no one will come.”
"But, Second Young Master, this will offend many people.”Wu Wenxiao was a little worried.
"What are you afraid of? Naturally, you have me to back you up. If they have any problems, just come at me.”Yuan Baocen's attitude was very firm.
"Yes, Second Young Master." With Yuan Baocen's support, he naturally had nothing to fear.
"I will provide you with the greatest support, but my request must be completed. If it was completed, there would naturally be a reward. But if you don't complete it, you should know the consequences.”
"Second Young Master, I will definitely complete the mission!”Wu Wenxiao quickly replied.
"Other than the Mauser 1898 rifle and bullets, can the factory produce other weapons?”
"Second Young Master, the factory can only produce rifles. However, we are currently gathering manpower to prepare for the production of the MG08 heavy machine gun. There were also cannons of various calibers. However, it would take time to fully understand the technology of the country.”Wu Wenxiao answered.
Yuan Baocen nodded. China's technology was too backward in this era. There weren't even many people who could read, let alone skilled workers. This also meant that even though they had obtained a large number of machinery and equipment from the people of Dé, due to the lack of workers, the production capacity of the factory could not be utilized at all.
"Yes, the Munitions Factory needs to produce heavy machine guns and cannons as soon as possible. He didn't need to worry about the large-caliber cannons. He needed to at least produce the 75mm mountain cannons and field cannons.”Yuan Baocen said.
They were about to enter the northeast to fight. If the arsenal could continuously provide them with weapons and equipment, it would naturally increase their chances of winning.
"Yes, Second Young Master, we will do our best.”Wu Wenxiao answered.
Although Yuan Baocen had many requirements for the arsenal, the generals and officers of the 7th Infantry Division were still very satisfied with owning an arsenal.
With the arsenal providing all kinds of weapons and equipment, the 7th Infantry Division could naturally get rid of its dependence on the War Department.
Even if they were to go to war, the combat effectiveness of the troops would be higher as long as the supply of weapons and ammunition was guaranteed.
The Mauser 1898 rifle produced by the Munitions Factory was slightly inferior to the original ones from the country. However, compared to the Japanese, it was not inferior at all.
This made Yuan Baocen very satisfied.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Yuan Baocen and a few generals and officers personally tested the gun and felt that it was not bad.
Of course, Yuan Baocen's marksmanship was too lousy. His bullets couldn't even hit the target. He couldn't be compared to Jiang Baili, Zhang Xiaozhun, and other people who were trained.
Fortunately, Yuan Baocen knew his limits and gave up after a few shots.
"Commander, the guns of the Chinese are really good, much better than those made in Hanyang!”Jiang Baili sighed.
"Hanyang made a replica of the 1888 Committee Rifle, which is completely different from the Mauser 1898 Rifle. In terms of performance, the Mauser 1898 was naturally stronger. However, compared to the Chinese, a 7.92mm rifle was still too heavy. The caliber of the bullets was also larger. In the future, when there's a chance, we'll have to develop our own rifles that are suitable for our Chinese bodies.”
Jiang Baili, Zhang Xiaozhun, and the others turned a deaf ear to Yuan Baocen's ambition. In their opinion, it was already very good to be able to defend against the rifles of the country. How could they be picky?
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