With Luo Chong stationed in the north and coordinating the distribution of all kinds of resources from the center, every task proceeded in an orderly fashion—and at astonishing speed.
The first construction project to be completed was the new blast furnace dedicated to producing stainless steel at the Xingang Commandery Steel Mill. The massive furnace had begun production the moment it was completed, turning out large quantities of stainless steel every day. At the same time, the molybdenum steel that had only recently been developed continued to be produced.
With a steady supply of these basic materials, the corresponding production projects could also move faster.
Lin Fei's Power Research Institute was the first to complete its weapons-production task. The first batch consisted of five thousand counterfeit Type 56 Semi-automatic Rifles, or the Standard Type 3 Rifles as the Han Tribe had named them.
These five thousand Semi-automatic Rifles were intended specifically for the Shence Guard and the Golden Crow Guard at Luo Chong's side. They were all Luo Chong's personal imperial guards. Five thousand rifles were only enough to equip the first batch; after careful calculation, they might not even be sufficient, because the Shence Guard would soon be expanded, and more firearms would definitely be needed by then.
There was also the first batch of two hundred and fifty General Purpose Machine Guns, likewise intended for the Shence Guard. The other troops would not be receiving any for the time being.
The machine guns continued to be produced, however. After all, they were weapons that would eventually equip the entire Han Tribe army. It was impossible to produce only two hundred and fifty.
Then there were the first batch of three thousand Standard Type 2 Rifles—the improved Bolt-action Rifles with shortened barrels and calibers. Luo Chong planned to equip