People in the Republic of China era began to rise from industry.

Chapter 177 Seeking allies in Jinling? Let's have a fight first!

Lin Yi has no way of knowing when the war might break out or what its scale will be.

Therefore, preparations can only be made based on the worst-case scenario—a national war.

If that's the case, it's not something that can just erupt at any moment.

Wars at this level always require sufficient time for preparation.

Both manpower and supplies need to be sufficient.

There's also the slow, painstaking process of gradually reaching a consensus among internal stakeholders.

The Japanese could not ignore this rule either.

Based on this, Lin Yi judged that he should have about a year to prepare.

Time is of the essence, so everything must be done at breakneck speed.

The existing problems also need to be addressed as soon as possible.

Jing Zhizhong had experience working at the Fengtian Arsenal.

He also single-handedly established the small arms factory in Qu County.

It wouldn't be difficult for him to make expansion plans.

It's simply a list of the necessary machinery and equipment.

As for the equipment purchase, Lin Yi will handle it himself.

These are all normal machine tools; as long as you're willing to spend money, and even more money, there's nothing that can't be solved.

Although this amount of money is not a small sum, fortunately it is not something that can be accomplished overnight.

Lin Yi planned to raise the funds gradually over three months, which wouldn't be too difficult for him.

But the problems that need to be solved are not limited to this.

With a tenfold increase in production capacity, ensuring power supply is the first problem to solve.

The small power plant previously built in Qu County is already insufficient to meet the current production needs of the arsenal.

Large-scale expansion is imperative.

The exact size to be built needs to be discussed and calculated by experts.

The only thing that's certain is that this expense will definitely not be small.

This includes gathering a sufficient number of workers, which also requires a large investment.

But these are not the most difficult problems.

The most difficult part is maintaining normal production afterwards.

Although he has now basically completed the integration of the entire upstream raw materials and can ensure self-sufficiency.

However, every step has its costs.

He invested money to start up the expanded arsenal, and it wasn't too difficult if he gritted his teeth and persevered.

However, if he cannot use finished products to generate subsequent funds, he will not be able to withstand the enormous production cost pressure.

It should be noted that once the expansion is complete, if production is carried out at full capacity, the output in less than two days can equip an infantry regiment.

Including the four to five months required for capacity building.

Overall, producing equipment for one hundred infantry regiments a year shouldn't be a problem.

However, the equipment for these 100 regiments alone would cost over 200 million.

Including the production of supporting ammunition, the total cost is at least 500 million yuan.

This doesn't even include the various types of artillery he plans to develop.

A cannon fires a thousand taels of gold.

That refers to the cost of artillery shells.

If we were to truly complete the product range, even just to match the firepower of the Japanese army, the production cost of weapons and ammunition needed for one hundred regiments would probably be seven or eight hundred million.

Even if he doesn't profit from it, someone still has to pay for the costs.

Therefore, while expanding production, it is also necessary to develop customers.

Relying solely on existing clients like Liu Yuanfu, Li Delin, and Chen Bonan is definitely not enough.

They can't consume that many weapons and ammunition.

To maximize production capacity, the main focus should still be on the Jinling State Government.

However, given his current relationship with Nanjing, it is impossible for him to conduct normal arms transactions before the war breaks out.

Without this major customer, the arsenal he had invested heavily in expanding would inevitably face the problem of idle capacity.

He could grit his teeth and bear the losses caused by the idleness.

The problem is that this goes against his original intention of investing huge sums of money to rapidly expand the production capacity of the arsenal.

Once it really comes to the point of a national war, it's definitely not possible for everyone to put aside past grievances, work together harmoniously, and ramp up production.

Without sufficient equipment and ammunition reserves, the Chinese army will be at a disadvantage on the battlefield for at least a year after the outbreak of war.

Given the destructive power of war, the losses caused in that year were incalculable.

Therefore, we must find a way to solve this problem in advance...

Before Lin Yi could come up with a solution, Wu Rongsheng and Zhang Jingde took the initiative to come to his door.

The topic of discussion was tariffs.

As China's textile industry rapidly expands its production capacity, raw material imports are also growing rapidly in tandem.

The proportion of domestically produced cotton is getting smaller and smaller, and the profits being eroded by tariffs are becoming more and more considerable.

In addition, the low-price dumping in order to seize the US market meant that the once-thriving Chinese textile industry did not actually gain much profit.

"It's not just this problem now. According to my friends at the Nationalist government, the Japanese are putting increasing pressure on Nanjing, and the Nationalist government's finances are not looking good either."

"If we don't take action soon, we might actually be the ones facing increased export tariffs."

"Moreover, I've heard that the Japanese are already copying our textile production line. With their industrial capabilities, they probably won't be able to do it for long."

"At that time, we might be squeezed from both sides again."

"If it really comes to that, we'll be completely at a disadvantage."

As Wu Rongsheng spoke, his tone was full of worry.

Zhang Jingde, standing to the side, also looked worried: "Chairman, we must take action as soon as possible."

"Then let's talk to the Nationalist government."

Lin Yi didn't hesitate much.

This was all part of the plan.

The main reason it's been delayed until now is because he wasted time in the Northwest, and the things he had to deal with were becoming increasingly important.

Instead, it delayed the progress of the matter.

However, the plan had been in his mind for a long time.

At this point, there was no need to think too much; he immediately said, "Three steps."

"First, I will ask local officials like Liu Yuanfu and Chen Bonan to submit suggestions to the National Government on policies to support the textile industry. You should also contact some government officials to speak up for us."

"Second, organize association members and some well-known figures to launch a seminar on the healthy development of the industry, and then petition the government in the name of the association."

"Third, we need to use these two events to create a bigger buzz in the newspapers."

They used public opinion to force the Nationalist government to make concessions.

This was a plan that had been devised long ago.

Public opinion is something that those in power cannot ignore.

Even warlords wouldn't work.

This is also the most economical and effective method.

Although Lin Yi was still worried about how to ease the tensions with Jinling.

However, we cannot ignore the interests of the Textile Federation because of this matter.

Otherwise, if morale drops, the team will be difficult to lead.

His status as an industry leader is also a powerful weapon in his hands.

For example, he can attract a group of people to invest and start businesses in a certain place with just a wave of his hand; these are the assets he can rely on.

This is something we cannot afford to lose.

With just a few words, Lin Yi dismissed the battle-ready Wu Rongsheng and Zhang Jingde. He, who was still racking his brains for a solution, decided to rest for a while.

He's been busy ever since he left the Northwest, it's time for him to take a good rest.

As for easing relations with Nanjing, there's no good solution in the short term, so we'll just wait and see.

Maybe if we throw a flurry of punches this time, we'll find an opportunity!