Rebirth of the 1980s: The Military Industry Empire

"Hmph, this Qin Yang is truly lawless. Even if he has made a few small contributions to our unit, it shouldn't make him so arrogant, should it?" Leader Pan grumbled to Leader Dong as he walked: "Old Dong, don't be too nice to him. He needs to experience some setbacks. If you don't temper him, how will he know the immensity of heaven and earth? He'll never become anything!"

"Old Pan, stop complaining. You're from the foreign affairs department, so you need to calm down and properly receive the foreigners. That's your responsibility and duty."

"Hmph, what can I do if their 960 factory doesn't cooperate?" Leader Pan continued to grumble: "Foreign affairs are no small matter! This Qin Yang is too ignorant!"

"Alright, let's go, let's go," Leader Dong said, looking at the group of foreigners. At this moment, their expressions were varied, and it was impossible to tell what they were thinking.

At this moment, Qin Yang, who had stirred up this storm, was heading to Workshop Four with Old Zhu, chatting as they walked.

"Old Zhu, what's the background of that Leader Pan?"

"He works in the foreign affairs department," Old Zhu said. "Last time, your matter with the Capital Steel Plant dragged in the foreign affairs department as well. The higher-ups investigated and found that some of them were illegally trading foreign exchange…"

Qin Yang immediately understood. Hmph, his hands weren't clean, and after being investigated, he blamed it on me? This is truly an undeserved scapegoat!

Inside Workshop Four, the electroslag remelting equipment was still working, smelting the most advanced steel in the country. The workers were busy, and when they saw Qin Yang enter, they immediately became excited.

"Engineer Qin, you're back?"

"Section Chief Qin, has our machine gun been finalized?"

Although they were shouting, they still didn't stop their work. Zhang Guoqiang trotted over: "Section Chief Qin, our Workshop Four is carrying out its daily work. Please give instructions!"

"There's nothing to instruct. How much electroslag remelted steel have you smelted now?"

"Not much, only about ten tons."

More than ten tons of the most advanced steel in the country had been smelted! If this steel were used to make machine gun barrels, it could make thousands, right? Old Zhu looked with excitement at the finished products on the wooden rack beside him.

More than six meters long and about one hundred thirty or forty millimeters in diameter, Old Zhu suddenly felt his eyelids twitching: "Engineer Qin, the blanks here are perfect for making cannons!"

This electroslag remelting equipment was small, and could only make one column at a time, the longest being about six meters. Placed here, it looked very similar to cannon barrel blanks!

Now, who would have thought that a farm tool factory that made guns would actually make cannons! And the most advanced tank guns!

The small electroslag remelting equipment that was originally imported could only smelt two tons of steel billets at a time, just enough for one L7 tank gun!

Old Zhu's mood suddenly became excited: "Engineer Qin, your factory's spirit of pioneering, enterprising, and daring to climb to the peak is truly worthy of other factories to learn from!"

"Old Zhu, are you optimistic about us?" Qin Yang asked.

"Yes, I'm optimistic about you."

"Then can you do us a favor?"

"What?"

"We also need deep hole processing equipment, reaming equipment, rifling equipment, etc. If some of our domestic third-line military factories have any that they don't need, they can sell it to us. Can you contact them for us?" Qin Yang said.

It would be best to have Old Zhu come forward for this kind of thing.

"Are you trying to steal the rice bowl of Factory 447?" Old Zhu said with a smile.

In China, the one that makes tank guns is Factory 447 on the grassland. If Qin Yang wants to make L7 tank guns, wouldn't that leave Factory 447 with nothing to eat?

Qin Yang shook his head with a smile: "Of course not, we mainly focus on foreign trade."

"Foreign trade?" Old Zhu was stunned: "Engineer Qin, in the agreement we signed with the UK, we can only use it ourselves, not export it!"

"We're not making L7s. Our 960 factory has never received any technical data on L7 tank guns. The tank guns we export are developed by ourselves and have nothing to do with the British L7," Qin Yang said. "Old Zhu, I'm entrusting this matter to you."

Old Zhu nodded: "Okay, as long as you can manufacture advanced armor-piercing projectile cores here, I'll risk my old face and give you a back door!"

For Old Zhu, who strictly demands himself, this kind of thing done through personal relationships is really the first time.

"Okay, then we'll start now. The process isn't difficult, the key is that it's a waste of time," Qin Yang said, coming to a corner of the workshop: "Move the materials provided by our foreign guests over here!"

Three bags of tungsten powder, nickel powder, and iron powder were moved over. Qin Yang carefully looked at the test report before nodding in satisfaction: "Yes, not bad, not bad! Now, let's mix according to the ratio."

"Engineer Qin, should I avoid this?" Old Zhu asked.

This is the most advanced technology in the world, the first step is the ratio of the three raw materials, this formula is top secret.

"No need, Old Zhu, our factory has no secrets in front of you. I believe you will also keep our secrets. The mixing mass ratio of these three powders is 95.5 to 3.15 to 1.35."

Qin Yang said as he began to measure the mass.

Iron is the cheapest, but the content is also small, nickel is second, and tungsten is the most expensive. Armor-piercing projectiles made of tungsten alloy are also quite expensive, costing tens of thousands in this era.

However, tungsten alloy is the best armor-piercing projectile material. If you don't use tungsten alloy, you have to use depleted uranium. Fortunately, China has tungsten mines.

After the three powders were weighed, Qin Yang poured them into the mixer.

"In fact, the liquid phase sintering technology principle is very simple. Mix these powders according to the ratio, press them into long rods, and then heat them to high temperature. The melting points of iron and nickel are lower than that of tungsten, so they melt first. These molten metals will fill the spaces between the tungsten particles. When the tungsten reaches a semi-molten state, it will form a solid matrix structure with liquid iron, nickel, etc. After cooling, the formed tungsten alloy rods are repeatedly forged and rolled, and finally made into tungsten-based alloy projectile cores."

As Qin Yang spoke, he gently shook his sleeve and poured in the fourth material. If only three materials are used, it will not be perfect no matter what, the fourth material must be used! No one in this era knows that!

Therefore, Qin Yang has the capital to exchange this technology for CNC machine tools, and he will not help the British improve their technology. Even if Qin Yang does not provide the technology, by 1982, the Europeans will be able to find the correct formula.

"Yes, saying that the technical principle is not difficult, but how are the ratios of these metals, and what is the heating process, these are top secrets. It can only be done through repeated experiments. Tungsten is too expensive, and we can't afford to waste it… The Americans have been researching for so long, and they have only come up with an armor-piercing projectile with a steel sleeve. Although it is hard enough, it is easy to become brittle and break."

"Well, we also accidentally found the right formula," Qin Yang said, waving his hand: "Okay, Old Zhu, today's work is over."

Over?

Old Zhu looked at Qin Yang in surprise: "So fast?"

"Yes, we have to stir in the mixer for twenty-four hours, come again tomorrow!"