Siheyuan Great Craftsmen

而周天所要绘制的并非是 M1A1 型榴弹炮，而是其改进后的 M-1A2 式型榴弹炮以及 M-1A2E3 式型榴弹炮。

Although both types of howitzers are improved from the M1A1 howitzer, these two types of howitzers have significant advantages over the M1A1 howitzer.

For one, they far outclass the M1A1 in terms of range, being able to easily break 30km, while the M1A1 only manages a pathetic 14.6km.

其二，就射速而言，M-1A2 式和 M-1A2E3 式榴弹炮将 M1A1 式远远抛在身后，可达每分钟 6 - 10 发；而 M1A1 式榴弹炮大约仅为每分钟 1 - 2 发。

Third, in terms of mobility, the M-1A2 and M-1A2E3 howitzers usually use a tracked chassis, with excellent mobility and off-road capabilities; while the M1A1 howitzer usually uses a wheeled chassis, and its mobility is relatively poor.

It can be said that no matter from which aspect, these two types of howitzers have completely crushed the M1A1 howitzer.

不过，尽管周天能够绘制出 M-1A2 式和 M-1A2E3 式榴弹炮的设计图，想要将其制造出来却堪称困难重重。

You know, the special steel materials required to manufacture M-1A2 and M-1A2E3 howitzers are undoubtedly an insurmountable peak for the current domestic metallurgical industry.

The manufacturing process of this special steel is extremely complex, and has almost stringent requirements on the purity of raw materials, the precise ratio of alloy components, and the control of parameters such as temperature and pressure during the manufacturing process.

我国目前虽具备一定的特种钢生产能力，但现有的特种钢在性能上远远无法满足 M-1A2 式和 M-1A2E3 式榴弹炮炮管的高标准。

Not only are the special steels needed to manufacture gun barrels extremely demanding, but even the steels needed for parts such as shells and tracked chassis have strict performance indicators.

Fortunately, Zhou Tian had written down many formulas for special steels in his previous life, and one of them just happened to meet the requirements of the barrels of these two howitzers.

That is the P-type artillery steel that my country successfully developed in 1954. However, even this type of artillery steel is only relatively close to the requirements, not a perfect match.

In order to achieve the special steel performance required for manufacturing M-1A2 and M-1A2E3 howitzer barrels, there are many technical difficulties and process bottlenecks that cannot be solved domestically at present. It requires large-scale improvements and explorations, which is impossible at least now.

It’s not that Zhou Tian didn’t have any more ideal cannon steel than P-type cannon steel in his memory, but even if he came up with those more advanced formulas, they would still be far behind with the current industrial level.

With relatively suitable gun steel, the subsequent design naturally has a glimmer of hope. As for the tracked chassis technology, it is not an insurmountable problem for China at present, but another artillery shell technology may become a huge obstacle on the road ahead.

However, he naturally had a solution to this problem later.

Soon, Zhou Tian wrote down the formula of P-type artillery steel on the drawing. There were not just one or two, but five or six formulas. Some were developed in 1954, and some were improved upon in previous lives.

Although it is impossible to produce products that fully meet the requirements at present, these formulas are not worthless. At the very least, they can point out the direction for the manufacture of artillery steel in the future.

将 p 类配方写好后，他便投入到 M-1A2 式和 M-1A2E3 式榴弹炮的继续设计之中。

In the blink of an eye, a month has passed.

November has passed and December has arrived. As the weather gets colder and the wind is howling, many people have put on thick winter clothes.

The winter in the old city is extremely harsh. Even if you wear cotton clothes, it is still difficult to resist the cold. The icy wind blowing on your face feels like a knife cutting.

Zhou Tian rode his bicycle towards the steel mill against the cold wind.

The security soldiers standing guard at the factory gate were wearing thick winter clothes and standing upright at the factory gate, welcoming the workers who were gathering from all directions.

"Director Zhou, good morning!"

"Morning, Master Zhou!"

"Good morning, good morning to you too!"

After stopping the car, Zhou Tian stamped his feet, which were obviously numb from the cold, and responded to the workers' greetings one by one with a smile. After his feet regained some feeling, he pushed the car towards the steel mill.

As soon as he pushed the car to the technical department, Zhou Tian saw an unfamiliar jeep parked downstairs of the technical department.

"Is this another leader coming to inspect?"

Looking at the jeep, Zhou Tian's eyes flashed with a hint of doubt, but he ignored it and walked into the technical department.

As usual, he cheered up his colleagues in the technical department and asked about the progress of the cylindrical grinder before leaving the technical department and returning to the office.

As soon as he entered the office, a feeling of warmth instantly hit him. He couldn't help but stretch lazily, took off his cotton-padded jacket, picked up the thermos and poured himself a cup of tea. Then he sat on the chair, closed his eyes and took a short rest.

Five minutes later, he opened his eyes and regained his spirit. He took out the design drawings of the M-1A2 and M-1A2E3 howitzers and continued to draw.

虽然知晓 M-1A2 式和 M-1A2E3 式榴弹炮的设计工作不易，但他也未料到会耗时如此之久。不过，随着一个月即将结束，他的 M-1A2 式和 M-1A2E3 式榴弹炮设计图也接近尾声。

"Boom boom boom!"

There was a knock on the door, waking Zhou Tian from his thoughts.

"Come in!"

As the door opened, Song Weiguo walked in wearing a military coat, breathing heavily as he walked, "This damn weather is really cold!"

"I say, Brother Song, when did you become so polite that you even knock on the door?"

Seeing that it was Song Weiguo, Zhou Tian couldn't help but smile and joked, you know, Song Weiguo never knocks on the door when entering his office.

But today, for the first time ever, someone knocked on the door, which surprised him even more.

"Do you think I'm willing to do that? If I wasn't afraid of disturbing your plan, I would have kicked the door open long ago!"

As Song Weiguo spoke, he took off his coat, sat opposite Zhou Tian, ​​picked up the tea and took a sip without hesitation.

"No, hey, I drank that!"

Zhou Tian wanted to stop him, but it was too late. He could only watch Song Weiguo drink. Unexpectedly, after Song Weiguo took a sip of tea, his eyes suddenly lit up.

"Director, you are so mean. Why does the tea you brewed for me taste different from the tea you brewed for yourself? Did you hide the good tea leaves?"

As expected, Zhou Tian knew he was about to be exposed again. He stroked his forehead helplessly and said, "You have been with me for so long, have you ever discovered a second kind of tea?"

"That's right, but why is the taste of the tea I make so different from the tea you make, Director?"

Song Weiguo nodded. He had indeed not found any other kind of tea in the office except some green tea.

"Of course it's because of the different techniques, different temperatures, different sequences, and different moods! Haven't you noticed that when you drink other people's tea, it always tastes better than your own?"

Zhou Tian couldn't help but roll his eyes at him and continued to fool him. If he hadn't read some books about tea art in his previous life, he probably wouldn't have been able to explain these principles.

"Is it really?"

Although Song Weiguo was still very confused, he seemed to have heard this truth from the old leader, so he did not refute it.

"Okay, let's not talk about tea anymore. How are you doing with what I asked you to do?"

In order to prevent Song Weiguo from continuing to ask questions, Zhou Tian went straight to the point.

Since Zhou Tian gave Song Weiguo the formula of P-type artillery steel more than ten days ago, Song Weiguo has not been heard from until now. If he didn't know Song Weiguo's character, he would have thought that this guy had run away with his formula.

"Director, the gun steel has been developed, but the parameters have not yet met your design requirements!"

As Song Weiguo spoke, he took out a piece of black metal from a green shoulder bag and placed it on the desk.

"So fast?"

Zhou Tian was slightly startled, his eyes immediately looked at the dark metal on the desk, he reached out to pick it up, and his brows couldn't help but frowned slightly.