Chapter 38: Solving the Copper-Clad Steel Bullet Problem, Crossing the River by Following the Soviet Union's Lead, and Building a Soviet-Equipped Division for the Rainbow Army

1936.

"My dear comrades, I have nothing left to teach you."
"You are simply the most gifted group of students I have ever met."
"It is magnificent!"
"Your capacity and level of learning are truly extraordinary."

The experts and skilled workers brought over from the Soviet Union by Milong were treated as precious treasures by Su Changqing the moment they arrived at the Wutai Mountain base. Su Changqing also arranged for a group of students from Peking University to study under these Soviet experts and technicians. These specialists possessed immense experience in mechanics, military industry, and various other fields. It would have been impossible to master their technical expertise in such a short time under normal circumstances.

However, Su Changqing was a player with "hacks." Through the augmentation of the system's "Domain of Comprehension," every student who joined the Wutai Mountain base, as well as the clever and capable villagers selected by Su, learned with astonishing speed. In a very short span of time, a large number of experienced military researchers and skilled workers—proficient in both theory and practice—were forged. Even Su Changqing found this incubation rate incredible. It was staggering.

One had to admit, some of the system's functions were truly heaven-defying. It was no wonder the Soviet experts and professors made such remarks, even declaring that there was nothing left for them to teach. Some even exclaimed with deep emotion, "The Chinese students are the most intelligent, diligent, and capable students I have ever encountered."

With a large cohort of talent maturing rapidly, coupled with the exploitation of various mineral deposits, the Changya Arsenal grew at an incredible pace. Before this, the weapons used by the First Column were mostly captured—Hanyang rifles, Mauser rifles, Czech light machine guns, Maxim water-cooled heavy machine guns, and even broadswords and spears. As for ammunition, the supply was stretched to the breaking point. Each soldier in the Red Army could barely be allocated more than five rounds. The situation for Su Changqing’s First Column was slightly better, but each soldier still only received about twenty rounds, and every shot fired meant one less in the pouch. At that time, the arsenal in Yan'an was still in its infancy and unable to provide a larger supply. As for purchasing, due to the total blockade by the Nationalist Party, acquiring more ammunition was extremely difficult.

However, with the Changya Arsenal beginning production and the completion of its first phase, ammunition was no longer a bottleneck for the First Column’s combat effectiveness. Of course, the key to solving the supply problem lay in the "copper-clad steel" ammunition technology Su Changqing obtained from the system.

It is well-known that China is deficient in copper resources, yet copper is a critical raw material for manufacturing ammunition. The reasons are simple: copper has excellent ductility, allowing the casing to expand slightly upon firing to seal the chamber, preventing gas leakage and improving ballistic stability. Copper provides natural lubrication, reducing barrel wear, lowering the risk of jamming, facilitating extraction, and increasing firearm reliability. Furthermore, copper is resistant to rust, allowing for long-term storage in harsh environments while maintaining performance. Its conductivity also helps the primer ignite the propellant quickly and uniformly, enhancing shot consistency.

Given the scarcity of copper, using copper-clad steel technology was undoubtedly the superior choice. Compared to copper, steel is relatively inexpensive, and since the copper cladding constitutes only a small portion of the casing, material costs were drastically reduced. Its performance is nearly identical to that of all-copper ammunition; the copper layer provides good corrosion resistance and lubrication, making copper-clad steel shells perform almost as well as their all-copper counterparts. Moreover, this technology can be applied to various types of ammunition to meet diverse firing requirements. If there is a drawback, it is the high technical demand: the production process is complex, requiring precise control over the thickness and uniformity of the copper layer to ensure consistency.

Yet, under the system's influence and the expertise Su Changqing acquired, the copper-clad steel ammunition produced at the Changya Arsenal performed perfectly. Currently, Soviet-style equipment produced at the arsenal—such as the M1910 Mosin-Nagant rifle, the M1910 Maxim heavy machine gun, the Maxim-Tokarev light machine gun, and the PPD-34 submachine gun—had already proven the viability of this copper-clad steel ammunition.

"Rat-tat-tat..."
"Rat-tat-tat..."
"Rat-tat-tat..."

The sharp sound of gunfire from a PPD-34 submachine gun easily riddled a water-filled wooden barrel nearby with countless holes. The imitation PPD-34 produced by the Changya Arsenal, paired with their unique copper-clad steel ammunition, was terrifyingly powerful. Li Yunlong, who was firing the weapon, wore an expression of intense excitement.

"Commander!"
"Commander, this gun is amazing! It’s damn amazing!"
"Hahaha, I thought the guns produced by our arsenal would be nothing more than showpieces. I never expected them to be this powerful."

Li Yunlong was a veteran; his assessment of whether a weapon was good or not was the most reliable reference. Su Changqing smiled and picked up a round from a wooden crate filled with ammunition. The 7.62mm copper-clad steel bullet reflected a mesmerizing, gold-like luster in the sunlight.

"This stuff uses copper to coat steel. Steel-core bullets have much greater penetration than copper ones," Su explained. "Paired with the M1910 Mosin-Nagant rifle, the lethality is incredible."

Currently, the standard rifle used by the Japanese invaders was the Arisaka Type 38. During the Battle of Shanghai, the elite units of the Chinese military mostly used the Chiang Kai-shek rifle (Zhongzheng rifle), which was essentially a Chinese adaptation of the Mauser 98k. Regarding caliber, the Zhongzheng rifle used 7.92x57mm ammunition, while the Japanese used 6.5x50mm. In terms of range, power, and accuracy, the Zhongzheng rifle far surpassed the Japanese Type 38. The Zhongzheng rifle also had a longer barrel, providing an advantage in close-quarters bayonet combat. Because the Japanese sought to save resources, they used a two-piece stock that tended to crack over time. In terms of standard-issue weapons, the Chinese Zhongzheng rifle was superior to the Type 38.

The M1910 Mosin-Nagant rifle in Su Changqing's hands was the very same weapon used against the Mauser 98k during the wars between the Soviet Union and the German Empire. It was also the rifle used by the legendary sniper, Grandpa Zhang, during the Battle of Triangle Hill in the War to Resist America and Aid Korea.

With the Changya Arsenal newly established, the fastest way for Su Changqing to improve the Red Army's equipment was to "cross the river by feeling for the Soviet stones." Building an elite Soviet-equipped division would most rapidly increase the Red Army's combat effectiveness. Of course, as the system's skills improved, more advanced weapons and equipment would eventually replace the Soviet-style gear as the standard for the Red Army. For instance, the system had already provided the full technical blueprints for the SKS semi-automatic rifle. As long as the students at the base could keep up and continue to iterate on existing processes, producing such weapons would not remain a mere fantasy for long.