Chapter 17: Explosion Is Art!

In the machine workshop, the clinking and clanking of machinery, the whirring of drills and hammers, the cutting and welding sounds echoed.

Although the Red Star Machinery Factory was established in the 1950s as a military factory, its equipment was quite old. However, the Soviet-made machinery was sturdy and reliable, and with proper maintenance, it continued to function without issues.

Moreover, as a military factory capable of producing ammunition and artillery, its machining equipment was quite comprehensive. Lathes, mills, drills, welders, and other tools were all readily available.

At this moment, several foremen had already taken action. Although they were still filled with doubts, not understanding why the old factory director would mislabel a crude bomb on the blueprint as a gas tank, and even more perplexed as to how the young factory director planned to use this bomb to earn foreign exchange, as workers of a military factory, they understood the principle of working diligently without asking too many questions. So, despite their confusion, they worked efficiently.

"The equipment may be old, but it's comprehensive!"

"And the craftsmanship of our workers is beyond reproach!"

After observing for a while, Wang Ye expressed his satisfaction to the two directors and the six heads of the machinery factory.

What Wang Ye was most satisfied with wasn't the equipment but the workers!

Firstly, their willingness to work without asking too many questions pleased Wang Ye immensely. Given the numerous tasks he had to handle, including many unconventional ones, explaining everything in detail to the workers would be time-consuming and troublesome. In reality, they only needed to follow his instructions, and they would naturally understand.

Secondly, Wang Ye was equally pleased with the workers' skills. After all, the Red Star Machinery Factory had been semi-operational for quite some time. If the workers had become rusty due to prolonged idleness, it would have been the worst-case scenario. In this era, relying on manual labor for production, or "handcrafting," was the norm due to the impracticality of mass production. And this was a characteristic of this era.

In fact, in later years, there were often debates among netizens about whether certain products could already be produced domestically in the 1980s, or even in this era, there were countless cases where people reported achievements to the authorities to obtain rewards fraudulently.

The fact is, "capable of producing" and "capable of mass-producing" are fundamentally different concepts.

For example, the technological gap between China, the United States, and the Soviet Union in microelectronics and integrated circuits wasn't as significant nowadays. However, over time, this gap widened.

The reason lies in the fact that at this time, many electronic technologies in China were still at the laboratory level, while the United States had reached the mass production stage. Coupled with the economic constraints of the reform and opening-up period, the domestic development gradually lagged behind, and many mass production plans collapsed under the impact of imported goods, leading to a widening gap.

"Yes, indeed!"

"Our equipment is crucial, handled with care and well-maintained."

"As for the skills of our workers, hey!"

"Wang Ye, forgive me for bragging, but it's all true! At least in our province, their skills are top-notch!"

Hearing Wang Ye praise the workers and equipment of the machinery factory, the one-armed Zhao Lao Han, the old factory director, looked rather proud, raising his only hand to give a thumbs-up gesture.

Watching these busy workers, Wang Ye couldn't help but feel emotional.

In normal history, the failure of the Third Front factories' reforms, the widespread closures of state-owned factories, and the reform of the shareholding system led to numerous skilled workers falling into society. Some managed to make a living with their skills, while others could only toil as laborers.

But in reality, they were a country's most valuable asset!

With a flash of thought in his mind, Wang Ye cleared his throat and then smiled loudly, saying:

"Keep up the good work! Once our foreign exchange project succeeds, it goes without saying that everyone will receive their salaries in full, with bonuses for all!"

"Remember this, your factory director said it!"

"If I break my promise, you can go complain to the two directors, okay?"

With Wang Ye's voice, laughter filled the workshop, accompanied by unanimous voices:

"Alright!"

Wang Ye nodded, then turned to Zhao Lao Han and asked:

"Old Factory Director, is what I asked for ready?"

"It should be ready in about half an hour. Our gas tanks are done, and I need to prepare the explosives in the meantime."

When he left the meeting room just now, Wang Ye had made a list containing items like ammonium nitrate fertilizer, sugar, a large pot, a gas stove, a balance scale, potassium nitrate, and a thermometer.

"They're all common items, and they're ready!"

"But..."

Before the old factory director could finish, Wang Ye looked at the two directors beside him and smiled, saying:

"In that case, it's time for me to do my part."

"Let's find an open space."

Hearing Wang Ye's words, Liang Jin Song hesitated for a moment and said:

"Wang Ye, are you going to do it yourself?"

"Handling explosives is quite dangerous. Shouldn't we reconsider?"

"After all, we still have the explosives left from before in the factory. I can just write a note and use that for the experiment."

Upon hearing Liang Jin Song's suggestion, including Li Gang and the six heads of the machinery factory, they all looked worried. After all, in this era of China, control over weapons and explosives was quite lax, and there were countless accidents of people blowing themselves up.

"No problem, I'm confident in this!"

"I know the proportions, the temperature, and the timing."

"Moreover, I doubt anyone here knows this stuff better than I do. And since we're planning to sell this, we have to be thorough."

"While experimenting with explosives would work, many of our potential customers might still be under sanctions and blockade, unable to obtain explosives. These common civilian materials are their only hope."

"Let's go!"

Seeing Wang Ye insist on doing it himself, the others couldn't persuade him. After a while, they arrived at an open area behind the machinery factory, near a valley. This was also the testing ground for the factory's weapons.

As the sunset shone, following Wang Ye's instructions, the others moved away while he put on a green overalls work suit and busied himself.

At half-past six in the evening, the finished gas tank arrived from the machine workshop, and Wang Ye's explosives were ready. After a busy period, he filled the gas tank with explosives. This time, instead of filling it with steel balls or iron sand, it was packed full of explosives!

"Is the frame ready?"

"It's ready!"

"The detonators are in place, and the fuse is two meters long."

Then Wang Ye and several young workers prepared meticulously and systematically until they stuffed the gas tank into a metal tube fixed by a tilted bracket, leaving a fuse at the rear, aimed at a distant hillside.

"Everyone! Take cover!"

"Countdown to ignition! Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven..."

With Wang Ye's voice, the two directors, the six heads of the machinery factory, and other onlookers, including foremen and workers, all took cover behind a low wall, watching the gas tank launching frame, at least a hundred meters away.

In the twilight, Wang Ye struck a match and lit the fuse!

"Hiss!"

As the fuse burned, Wang Ye dashed back to the low wall without looking back, then stared intently at the gas tank launching frame, with time ticking away second by second.

"237, 238, 239..."

The fuse burned at a rate of only 0.8 meters per second, and for safety, a two-meter-long fuse was used, so the wait was long. The old factory director muttered quietly as he watched the burning fuse.

"258!"

Just as he said this number...

"Boom!"

With a deafening roar, the ground trembled slightly, and in an instant, the launching frame flashed with fire, smoke billowing up. At the same time, the gas tank turned into a black shadow and shot out at an incredibly fast speed, heading towards a hillside nearly a kilometer away!

"Boom!"

In the next moment, a violent explosion occurred on the hillside. In the golden sunset, one could see thick trees snapped like twigs, massive rocks rolling down, dirt flying into the air, and a cloud of smoke covering the scene, leaving a scene of devastation!