Chapter 1240
Zinc-steel wire braided hydraulic hose, Li Aiguo receives a special award, the small pl
After the small plane was put on the train, Li Aiguo's life returned to its original track.
After the morning meeting each day, I would first take a tour of the subordinate workshops, and then return to my studio to tinker with galvanized steel wire braided hydraulic hoses.
Li Aiguo is so concerned about galvanized steel wire braided hydraulic pipes because they can be used in shipbuilding and large aircraft manufacturing in the future.
That's how it is with industrial machinery; without a solid foundation, you can't make anything.
Galvanized steel wire braided hydraulic hoses may look simple, but they are actually quite technically demanding, requiring the forming and fixing technology of the metal conductor reinforcement in galvanized steel wire.
Fortunately, the workshop at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot is now fully equipped, and the problems were quickly resolved.
It still uses electro-galvanizing, which is much more advanced than the previous hot-dip galvanizing, preventing rust and providing a more uniform coating.
A galvanized steel wire was placed on the table.
Li Aiguo picked it up and wrapped it around the rubber tube several times.
The steel wire is indeed flexible enough, but the gaps between the wires are relatively large.
It seems we should try to wrap it even tighter.
Li Aiguo was busy with his work when Section Chief Xing walked in excitedly.
"Aiguo, the leaders from the ministry are here. I heard they're going to announce an award for your studio because of the Red Star coal cutter."
Li Aiguo had forgotten about this matter.
The news that the China Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CCEM) research team was thoroughly humiliated has spread throughout the entire Eastern bloc.
Those younger brothers who were originally afraid of the big brother saw that Luo's family and others were all moving in their direction, so they also proposed to purchase Hongxing coal cutting machines.
In just a few days, several hundred more Hongxing coal cutters were ordered, making it the second most exported product after trains.
When the Ministry of Railways leader saw this situation, he thought, "The studio has worked hard, let's give them some rewards."
Li Aiguo had someone notify Zong Xianfeng and several other automotive experts, and they all came to the meeting room of the locomotive depot.
The ministry leaders were already waiting and announced: "Comrade Li Aiguo has made important contributions to the research and development of the Hongxing coal cutter, and is hereby awarded the Special Prize."
A top-tier award? I've never heard of that.
Li Aiguo was somewhat bewildered.
When the ministry leader personally pinned the big red flower to his chest, he quickly straightened his back and said, "Thank you, leader."
"Comrade Li Aiguo, we hope you will continue your efforts and make new contributions."
"Yes!" Li Aiguo took the certificate and an envelope.
Section Chief Xing was also a bit confused, as the railway authorities did not offer any similar rewards.
"Comrade Zong Xianfeng, in view of your special contributions to the research and development of the Hongxing coal cutter, you are hereby awarded a second-class prize." Zong Xianfeng deserved the award this time. He was a fighter who didn't leave the front line despite his minor injury, and later he helped a lot in the testing of the coal cutter.
Next up were the wild car experts and several experts from the studio, all of whom received third-class awards, each receiving a certificate and an envelope.
"You must continue your efforts and strive to design more excellent industrial machinery." The ministry leader was very busy; after presenting the awards, he shook hands with everyone and left.
As soon as the leader left, Section Chief Xing of the Qianmen Locomotive Depot and several other leaders said, "Let's see what's in the envelope."
"Then I'll open it." Li Aiguo didn't pay much attention, picked up the envelope, which wasn't sealed, and inside was a stack of banknotes.
I counted them, and there were at least 1500 pieces.
"So many! Xiao Zong, what's in your envelope?" Section Chief Xing's eyes widened.
Zong Xianfeng opened the envelope; inside was five hundred yuan.
The other comrades who received the third-class award couldn't help but open the envelopes upon seeing this; inside were two hundred yuan.
"Section Chief, is it okay to have so much money?" Li Aiguo had won many awards before, but this was the first time he had received so much cash.
"This was given to you by the ministry, what could possibly happen to it?"
Section Chief Xing told Li Aiguo to put the money away, lit a cigarette, and then said, "If I'm not mistaken, this award is based on the one from the Ministry of Machine Building, called the Invention Award."
"Section Chief, what's the deal with this invention award?" Zong Xianfeng asked.
Section Chief Xing continued, "In 1955, the First Ministry of Machine Building and several other ministries established this award mechanism to reward major inventions and provide material rewards to outstanding inventors. Chief Engineer Tian of the First Ministry of Machine Building once received 1500 yuan."
After figuring out what was going on, Li Aiguo put the money away without offering to donate it.
If he donates, will Zong Xianfeng and the wild repair expert donate as well?
The first special award issued by the Ministry of Railways was bestowed upon the Qianmen Locomotive Depot, which was an honor.
Section Chief Xing instructed the broadcasting room to broadcast the news of Li Aiguo and others receiving awards.
"Dear railway workers, good news! Comrade Li Aiguo from our locomotive depot has received a special award from the Ministry of Railways, a full 1,500 yuan. We hope that everyone will continue to work hard and learn from Comrade Li Aiguo."
The train drivers and staff in the section were all envious, but no one was jealous.
If you could build a coal cutter, you could win this award too.
Furthermore, many young employees have started to tinker with small inventions during their off-duty hours, which is exactly what the Ministry of Railways encourages.
Even Yan Jiecheng started wandering around the workshop. If he had this 1,500 yuan, he could move out of his house as soon as possible.
In the afternoon, Section Chief Xing convened a general meeting for the entire section. Li Aiguo, Zong Xianfeng, and others received big red flowers and went up to the podium to give their acceptance speeches.
Li Aiguo, a man of great experience, calmly delivered his remarks.
Zong Xianfeng and the wild car expert, despite their usual outgoing demeanor, were now blushing like shy young girls.
After the conference, Zong Xianfeng wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "Brother Aiguo, giving a speech isn't an easy job either."
Zong Xianfeng used to see Li Aiguo giving speeches in other places.
Wherever they went, the locals treated them to delicious food and drinks, and the young girls would crowd around them, making them look very proud.
When it was his turn, he started trembling as he stood on the podium.
"You'll get used to it." Li Aiguo checked the time; it was almost evening. He then slung his canvas bag over his shoulder and headed to the courtyard house.
Chen Xueru had already returned home and was cooking. Upon hearing that Li Aiguo had won an award, she specially stir-fried some braised tofu.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Chen Xueru urged Xiao Hongsheng, Xiao Dongfang, and Xiao Mingwei to do their homework.
Li Aiguo went into the study and took out the galvanized steel wire and rubber tubing.
"How do I weave this?"
At this moment, Chen Xueru walked in carrying an enamel mug and asked curiously, "Brother Aiguo, what are you doing?"
“Wife, look, this is galvanized steel wire. It needs to be wrapped tightly around the rubber hose.”
As she spoke, Chen Xueru took the wire, rubbed it in her hands, and gestured a few times.
"Brother Aiguo, this seems similar to weaving, doesn't it?"
"Weaving." Li Aiguo paused for a moment, then immediately remembered that the fully automatic weaving machines used in later generations seemed to have evolved from the weaving machines in textile factories.
This task still falls to the cotton mill.
"Wife, you've really done a great job." Li Aiguo picked up Chen Xueru and kissed her.
Xiao Dongfang's shouts came from outside.
"Brother, sister, Dad and Mom are fighting! Come quick and stop them!"
Li Aiguo: "."
Chen Xueru: "."
The Qianmen Locomotive Depot workshop has a cooperative relationship with Beijing No. 1 Cotton Mill.
In order to manufacture magnetic core memory, Li Aiguo had dealings with Director Liu of the No. 1 Cotton Mill.
Upon receiving Li Aiguo's call, Factory Director Liu was somewhat bewildered: "You need to braid metal wire?"
"To be precise, it's about weaving metal wires into rubber hoses. We'll talk about it when we get to your factory." Li Aiguo felt it was difficult to explain the situation clearly over the phone.
"Okay, I'll wait at the factory."
Li Aiguo hung up the phone, took the galvanized wire, rubber hoses, and blueprints, and called Zhou Ke and Zong Xianfeng. Together they went to the No. 1 Cotton Mill in Beijing.
Besides Director Liu, they were also greeted by Deputy Section Chief Ma from the Technical Department and several workshop leaders. Li Aiguo spotted a familiar face in the crowd.
"Squad Leader Hua?"
Squad Leader Hua was the team leader in the drawing workshop who was in charge of the wiring work in the manufacturing of magnetic core memory a few years ago. At that time, in order to catch Zhang Caixia as soon as possible, Zhou Ke even fought with him.
"Comrade Aiguo, now Comrade Hua Shengnan is the workshop director of the textile workshop," Director Liu introduced her.
"Comrade Aiguo, hello." Hua Shengnan was somewhat excited when she saw Li Aiguo.
She wasn't highly educated, so it was already quite an achievement for her to become a team leader; she never imagined she could be promoted further.
Later, in order to manufacture memory chips, she, as the team leader, got the opportunity to study at night school and obtained a vocational school diploma.
In addition, he successfully completed the manufacturing work and made contributions, which led to his promotion to director of the cotton spinning workshop.
"It seems we'll be working together again this time," Li Aiguo said with a smile.
"Comrade Aiguo, do you want to weave metal wire?" Hua Shengnan, having risen through the ranks from the grassroots to become a workshop director, cut straight to the point without any preamble.
Li Aiguo didn't waste any time and explained the parameters of the galvanized steel wire braided hydraulic pipe.
"The steel wire and the inner tube need to be bonded together. To prevent delamination during subsequent use, the area of hollowness must not exceed 0.5cm."
"The tension of the steel wires must be the same; otherwise, loose sections will appear, and the hydraulic pipe is prone to bulging and bursting at the loose sections during use."
Hua Shengnan frowned upon hearing this, pondered for a moment, and said, "Comrade Aiguo, our cotton mill has never woven metal wire before, unless it is woven entirely by hand."
"Take me to the workshop to see your equipment." This was the real reason Li Aiguo came to the cotton mill.
Ma, the deputy head of the technical department of the cotton mill, was somewhat annoyed to see Li Aiguo go straight into the workshop.
"Factory manager, the locomotive depot workshop at Qianmen needs metal wire braiding done. This request is completely unreasonable. Now they're sending it to the workshop? Isn't that just delaying the workshop's work?"
The technicians nearby immediately understood upon hearing this.
Instead of coordinating with the technical department, they went to the workshop, which made Deputy Section Chief Ma lose face.
"Yes, factory manager, I'm worried they'll damage the cotton spinning machines."
"Why don't we go with them?"
Upon hearing these words, Director Liu frowned and gestured with his chin toward Zhou Ke's retreating figure.
"Have you forgotten about those two people who were arrested from our factory last time?"
Upon hearing this, Deputy Section Chief Ma and the technicians fell silent. These people from the Qianmen Locomotive Depot really dared to take action.
At this moment, Hua Shengnan had already led Li Aiguo into the cotton mill workshop. The female workers all cast curious glances their way.
Who is this person?
"You forgot, the one who arrested Zhang Caixia a few years ago."
"Oh my, it's him. He's quite handsome."
Zhang Caixia's case was one of the few major cases in the cotton mill in recent years. Later, the meteorological station organized arrests in various factory areas and street offices, causing a great uproar.
As the person involved, Li Aiguo became, in the mouths of many female workers, a detective wielding a Type 54 pistol and outwitting the beautiful Dieter, appearing in the crimson dreams of many female workers.
Upon seeing Li Aiguo alive, several young female workers even stood up.
Textile factories are gathering places for female workers, and the atmosphere there is much more exaggerated than outside, with the female workers being much bolder.
"Keep working!" Hua Shengnan scolded them sternly before finally stopping them.
As a handsome young man from Beijing, Li Aiguo was already used to it, and his attention was mainly focused on a knitting machine.
The dark green paint is already mottled, and the original bright shaft is now worn so badly that its original color is no longer visible. There is even oil seepage in some places, but it is the most advanced weaving machine in the workshop.
Below was a line of Russian characters. Li Aiguo bent down to look at it and saw that it was a vertical 16-spindle knitting machine imported from Russia.
The principle is simple.
Pre-cut yarns or metal wires can be fixed on a spindle, and the yarns can be interwoven by the continuous cross rotation of the spindles to complete the weaving process.
Theoretically, it is indeed possible to weave metal wires, but some modifications are required.
“This is it.” Li Aiguo pointed to the knitting machine.
"Huh?!" Hua Shengnan's mouth hung open in disbelief.
"Comrade Patriot, yarn and metal wire are different," Hua Shengnan said with some concern.
This is a precious gem in the cotton mill, especially now that the Russians have cut off exports and won't even sell us spare parts. If it gets damaged, it'll be a real problem.
"Don't worry, I just want to study it, I don't intend to take it away." Li Aiguo felt that this thing was still a bit lacking in the ability to weave galvanized steel wire hydraulic pipes.
With the idea of doing things the best we can, we first conducted research and then worked out a suitable weaving machine.
Hearing that Li Aiguo wouldn't take the knitting machine away, Hua Shengnan finally felt relieved. She called a few workers and had the knitting machine delivered to the warehouse next door.
Li Aiguo and Zong Xianfeng got busy.
The fact that the Russians can compete with the United States speaks volumes about their industrial strength. This 16-spindle weaving machine has a thick and solid cast steel body, and when it runs, it only makes a uniform hum without any other noise.
Just as Li Aiguo was studying the knitting machine, Deputy Section Chief Ma received the news and rushed to the factory director's office.
"Factory manager, I heard that the people from the Qianmen locomotive depot took our knitting machines apart. What if they break them?"
"Don't worry, Comrade Li Aiguo is a national model worker with top-notch technical skills. He won't mess it up." The factory director thought that Deputy Section Chief Ma was making a fuss over nothing. He could even build a tunnel boring machine, so why couldn't he handle a textile machine?
"Factory Director, I'm worried that the Qianmen Locomotive Depot is interfering in our cotton mill's work. I've heard that the steel rolling mill and the machinery factory are doing the same thing," Deputy Section Chief Ma said, his eyes darting around.
Before he could finish speaking, the factory manager interrupted him.
“Old Ma, you’re an old comrade now, how can you think like that? The whole country is playing a big game now. Besides, the steel rolling mill and the machinery factory have been doing very well these past two years, and the workers get bonuses every month.”
Now that Deputy Section Chief Ma had spoken, he could only tilt his head and prepare to leave.
"Old Ma, wait a minute."
The factory director stopped him and said, "Now every department is engaged in technological innovation. The coal cutter over there by the railway has already won an award. The Ministry of Textile Industry has also required its subordinate factories to take action. Our Beijing No. 1 Cotton Mill is the leader among cotton mills in the country, so we must set an example."
"Don't worry, boss. Our technical department is upgrading the cotton spinning machines. We definitely won't let the factory down."
"Okay, go ahead."
Deputy Section Chief Ma left the factory director's office, scratching his head helplessly.
The renovation work on the technical department has made no progress. What should we do?
Li Aiguo made great progress. After figuring out the principle of the 16-spindle braiding machine, he returned to the Qianmen Locomotive Depot workshop and planned to build a 32-spindle braiding machine himself.
Section Chief Xing found it strange that Li Aiguo had been staying in the workshop ever since he returned from the cotton mill.
"Patriot, what are you building?" Section Chief Xing looked at the various sizes of metal rods and the motor, somewhat surprised.
“Braiding machine, section chief, back at Linxi Mine, the coal cutter was almost destroyed by Dieter because the hydraulic hoses weren’t strong enough. I’m planning to make metal braided hydraulic hoses,” Li Aiguo explained.
"Ahem, you figure it out. Just tell me what you need as soon as possible." Section Chief Xing didn't understand, so he nodded and left the workshop with his hands behind his back.
Anyway, whatever Li Aiguo manufactures now, he will do his best to support him.
"Section Chief Xing, the railway bureau has notified you to attend a meeting." Section Chief Xing had just returned to his office when he received a call from the ministry's office.
"What happened?" Section Chief Xing checked the time; it was already close to evening.
"It seems that the track inspection work at the Fengtai Locomotive Depot was inadequate, and a problem with the train track was not detected in time, causing a freight train to derail. The railway bureau is holding a safety meeting."
"I'll be right there." Section Chief Xing hung up the phone and immediately drove his jeep to the road bureau.
Li Aiguo, along with Zong Xianfeng and the wild car experts, have already started working.
A 32-spindle weaving machine is not very complicated to manufacture.
Li Aiguo did not adopt the more advanced transmission methods of later generations.
Instead, it retains the classic transmission structure of its predecessor: motor → V-belt → gearbox → gear → braided turntable.
Firstly, it makes maintenance easier and is also more robust and durable.
The motor was replaced with a 2.2kW motor, the gears were replaced with cast iron gears with a module of 4, and the drive shaft connecting the gears and the braided turntable needed to be thickened.
When the news spread that the workshop was going to build a weaving machine, the employees at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot were no longer surprised, and the materials department helped prepare all kinds of materials.
While Li Aiguo was busy, the first batch of small planes finally arrived at the border.
Upon receiving the news, Li Yunlong, who was in a meeting at the command post, drove his large SUV straight to the airfield.
When they arrived at the airport, Li Yunlong's eyes lit up at the sight of the densely packed planes and the endless stream of vehicles being transported there.
Turning to Dean Chen, he slapped his thigh and shouted, "Old Commander! These are all the good stuff our patriotic brothers sent me, right? Don't you dare turn your back on us and let someone else snatch this treasure away!"
Dean Chen knew perfectly well what Li Yunlong was up to; he could figure out what Li Yunlong was plotting even with his toes.
If it were any other equipment, he might have turned a blind eye and given it to Li Yunlong.
But these two hundred small planes are not something that can be given away casually.
This time, the purpose of sending small planes to fight in India was not just to fight, but also to test the guerrilla warfare concept of small planes.
Ultimately, the small plane was assigned to the special flight squadron of the newly established frontier legion.
Sun Xian, the former captain of the 2nd Battalion of a certain Air Force regiment, was appointed as the captain.
On the northern battlefield, Sun Xian once led his flight squadron to shoot down 12 of America's aircraft. He personally shot down 6 and damaged 1, earning him the reputation of "air assault expert".
Li Yunlong wasn't annoyed. He grinned and patted Sun Xian on the shoulder: "Old Sun, you'd better keep a close eye on things from up there. I need fire support, so you'd better get on it!"
"Don't worry," Captain Sun said, looking at the small planes with some excitement.
Although the aircraft looked rudimentary, there were many of them, especially since they were accompanied by maintenance manuals and a small aircraft combat guide.
At first, Captain Sun didn't pay much attention. Just because Li Aiguo could build airplanes didn't mean he understood airplane tactics.
but.
When Dean Chen showed him the small aircraft combat manual and explained it to him, his eyes widened in surprise.
"Old Dean, Comrade Li Aiguo has come up with a completely new combat mode."
"Yes, if it really works, it will change the situation of our weak air power. Old Sun, this trip to South Asia carries a great responsibility."
"Rest assured, I will make good use of the small plane and will not let you and Comrade Li Aiguo down." Captain Sun saluted Dean Chen.
Captain Sun looked up at the sky.
With clear skies and no clouds, it's the perfect time for training.
****
The border region is bathed in sunshine, and the South Asian plateau, more than 2,000 kilometers away, is also cloudless.
Rows of fortifications, rows of barbed wire, and black cannon barrels, all gleaming in the sunlight, looked exceptionally imposing and powerful.
This fortress was built in the last two years, directly dividing the plateau in two. Behind the fortress are large granaries and an artificial lake. It is situated on high ground, making it impregnable.
Lord Vijay in the fortress was looking through binoculars at the distant camp.
The camp had been under construction for several months and had been attacked several times, but due to its strong defenses, those people could only retreat in disgrace.
Of course, Lord Vijay didn't chase after him. He sat inside the fortress, enjoying the finest food and drink. Wasn't that wonderful?
Lord Vijay was pleased to see the calm scene across from him. He handed the binoculars to the servant beside him and took a sip of his coffee.
He was originally causing trouble at Xiao Ba's house. Because he did a good job and made great contributions, he was hailed as the new generation of military genius of the Indians, and his reputation far surpassed that of Old Dada and Little Dada. That's why he was transferred to defend against Li Yunlong.
"I'm not a fool like Old Dada and Little Dada. Li Yunlong is so fierce, of course we have to defend! As long as we don't let Li Yunlong get through, that's a victory."
“Master is wise. We have tanks, artillery, and anti-aircraft guns on the ground, and there are Russian MiG fighter jets and radar at the airport not far away. With our advantageous terrain, even if Li Yunlong had three heads and six arms, he couldn’t get here,” the butler said hurriedly.
After finishing his coffee, Vijay held out his hand again, and the butler quickly handed him a cigar and lit it for him.
"How much did the bonus increase this month?" Vijay asked contentedly, puffing on his cigarette.
As a Kshatriya, Lord Vijay appears in the fortress, receiving a substantial monthly salary plus a large bonus.
"One-tenth."
"What? Only one-tenth? Those greedy bastards, they clearly took over the factories of the four major car dealers, biting off such a huge chunk of meat, and they only give us this little bit? I think they want Li Yunlong to rush over and kick them in the ass." Vijay stood up and said angrily.
The butler could only try to persuade them from the sidelines, saying that if Li Yunlong were let go, no one would benefit.
Just then, the door was pushed open from the outside, and a junior scout hurriedly reported.
"Our men on guard just saw the plane."
“An airplane? Impossible. Our airport has radar installed, operated by Russian instructors. If they spot an airplane, they'll notify us in advance.” Vijay said sternly, looking at the junior officer in charge of reconnaissance.
"Impossible, they saw several."
"There are still a few, haha, you must be mistaken."
"How could I have misread it?"
The scout leader had barely spoken when a tremendous earthquake shook the ground outside.
Vijay picked up the binoculars and looked outside, his mouth agape in astonishment.
He also saw the planes, not just one, not just a few, but hundreds.
(End of this chapter)