Chapter 798 - The General Machinery Plant

The Manufacturing Directorate's General Machinery Plant stood in the Bairren Industrial Zone. Although the Directorate controlled many manufacturing enterprises, the Machinery Plant was its heart—most of the mechanical equipment brought from the old timeline, aside from reserves set aside as STC stock, was installed here. Specialized workshops included machining, assembly, metalworking, riveting and welding, forging, heat treatment, casting, electroplating, woodworking, standard parts, bearings, chains, and measuring tools—a full complement of professional facilities. The plant not only manufactured various mechanical equipment but also mass-produced the standardized components, tools, and measuring instruments common to all industrial sectors. It was the core of the transmigration enterprise's industrial system.

Beyond these functions, the Machinery Plant had another vital mission: industrial self-replication—ultimately achieving the goal of enabling the entire industrial system to replicate and upgrade itself without relying on old-timeline equipment.

In earlier days, the General Machinery Plant had been nothing more than brick pillars topped with bamboo poles and straw-mat roofing in a makeshift shed. As the Lingao regime grew stronger, conditions had improved dramatically. Like the Bopu Arsenal, it had gradually become a tightly guarded fortress. Atop a one-meter-high reinforced concrete foundation rose a five-meter-high wall of exposed red brick, crowned with dense crenellations and watchtowers. The walls themselves incorporated workshops, warehouses, and offices. Two round red-brick towers flanked a deep, tall gate. On the reinforced concrete lintel above the entrance, red glass fragments spelled out: "Manufacturing Directorate Subordinate Bairren General Machinery Plant." On the tower walls flanking the gate, cast-iron arms with bulging muscles extended outward, gripping iron torches. At night, coal-gas flames roared from the torches, illuminating the entire gatehouse.

Inside the General Machinery Plant, the roar of machinery never ceased day or night; black smoke and white steam billowed constantly. Those holding special passes who were permitted to work and study inside would see, upon entering the gate, a circular plaza with a modern sculpture symbolizing industrial power at its center—though nine out of ten natives couldn't make sense of it.

Surrounding the plaza were three-story buildings housing administration and offices. From the plaza, a cinder road wide enough for four loaded wagons to pass abreast stretched forward. On either side stood high-roofed factory buildings with wrought-iron truss structures and red-brick walls—truss construction was fast and lightweight, the mainstream for modern workshops. Light rail tracks set in concrete roadbeds ran between the buildings.

On the east and west sides of the road stood two power stations. The steam engines' immense output was transmitted via overhead line shafts to the ceilings of each workshop, then distributed to individual machines through belts and gearboxes. Though the workshops relied on line-shaft power, electricity was still available—each machine tool had its own illumination lamp for workers to use during operations. Along the walls, blue coal-gas flames burned day and night behind explosion-proof lamp housings, casting brilliant light. Cast-iron water pipes fixed to the walls delivered a constant supply of cooling water to the machine tools that needed it.

The workshops were filled with water vapor, coal smoke, machine oil, and the smell of hot steel. The roar of running equipment mingled with the shrill grind of machining and the clang of loading materials. Natives visiting for the first time were invariably awestruck, then humbled by the "divine power" of industry. The Elders' ability to command such power at will inspired profound reverence.

The naturalized citizens working here were the elite among naturalized citizens. In a traditional agricultural society, people suited to modern machine work were rare. Those who could work at the Machinery Plant—even as general laborers—were dexterous and quick-witted natives, almost all under twenty years old, with exceptional learning ability.

The working conditions of early industrialization were brutally harsh. Exhaust, noise, vibration, and highly concentrated labor imposed enormous physical strain. To preserve the health of these painstakingly trained industrial workers and ensure they could serve the transmigration enterprise for the long term, not only were workers well compensated, but the factory zone also provided a cafeteria, public baths, a health station, and temporary dormitories. Every effort was made to supply protective equipment: cotton-yarn gloves, work clothes, face masks, safety goggles, and ear muffs—all locally produced in Lingao.

At the end of the road stood another high wall. The gate flanked by watchtowers was kept closed. Pedestrians used a small side door; only when wagons or rail cars carrying large goods arrived would the main gate open. At such times, armed sentries stood guard, barring any unauthorized personnel from entering.

Beyond the heavily guarded gate lay two of the Council of Elders' only four integrated machining centers, installed in a carefully constructed dedicated workshop. A third was installed in a secret workshop in the Gaoshan Ridge area. The fourth remained sealed in storage. The precision achievable by the integrated machining centers far exceeded the combined capability of all other Lingao equipment; they were used exclusively for making molds and special components requiring high-precision machining. Using the machining centers required signatures from both Zhan Wuya and Wu De of the Planning Commission.

Within the tightly protected machining center compound was also a storehouse under direct Planning Commission jurisdiction. For the convenience of the manufacturing division, the Planning Commission had established a controlled-materials warehouse here, storing supplies from the old timeline: special steels of various grades, non-ferrous metals, standard parts, and tools and measuring instruments.

Turning left from the machining center gate and passing a row of factory warehouses, one arrived at a vast open area—a testing ground for assembling and testing large equipment, as well as a staging yard for heavy raw materials. Along the base of the compound wall stood a simple overhead crane, surrounded by stacks of steel plates, steel sections, and multiple machine-tool beds, all rusted from exposure to wind and rain.

To facilitate testing certain large engineering equipment, a set of reinforced concrete pillars had been built in the yard. At present, these pillars supported a newly completed chain bucket elevator. A locally produced locomobile served as temporary power for the equipment.

A hand-built slope with rails held a dump-car in place. The working principle of the bucket elevator was straightforward: a chain rotated, lifting a series of buckets to a high position, where they automatically tipped over and dumped ore into the hold below. The buckets then descended; once they reached ground level, workers manually refilled them with ore. The chain and attached buckets operated in a continuous cycle. Though loading was still done by hand, the system achieved continuous loading and unloading, vastly more efficient than dock workers carrying baskets on poles.

Simple as the principle was, the hanging chain posed an enormous technical challenge. This was a high-strength round-link load chain. With thirty-four buckets on the chain, each bearing several tons of iron ore, the demands were extreme—involving materials, heat treatment, and machining from multiple angles.

Now the test wooden buckets had all been hung and loaded with sandbags and iron ingots to full working capacity. Zhan Wuya and other key Elders from the Machinery Group watched eagerly.

Seeing that everyone was assembled, Zhan Wuya waved to the workers. "Everyone step back—we're starting!"

At his order, the workers activated the transmission. The locomobile transmitted power through the gearbox, and the winch began to turn. The chain tightened; a row of buckets swayed and began to rise, climbing higher and higher with a rumbling sound until they reached about two-thirds of the height.

Zhan Wuya, Jiang Hongjun, Liang Xin, Sun Li, and all the other machinery-sector Elders and workers present watched intently. As the buckets wobbled higher, their spirits rose with them. Though the chain was small, it was indispensable for industrial equipment. Current Lingao-produced hanging chains fell short in both load capacity and durability. This time, major improvements had been made to both materials and machining methods. Success would solve a major industrial bottleneck.

As everyone watched, there came a sudden crack—the chain had snapped.

"Oh no!" they cried. With a tremendous crash, the buckets plummeted to the ground, raising a cloud of dust and smashing into a heap.

Sun Li touched his safety helmet. "Load capacity is still insufficient."

"We need to do a metallographic analysis," Zhan Wuya said. "See whether it's a materials problem or a machining problem."

They carried the chain back and laid it in the forging shop. The General Machinery Plant's forging shop was comparable in scale to the Arsenal, though the large steam hammer had been built after D-Day.

"Let's meet tonight for the analysis," Zhan Wuya said to the disappointed machinery-sector Elders. "Anyone have plans for bedroom activities with their female servants tonight? If so, you can skip it."

Several laughed. Sun Li said, "The servant's always there—use her sooner or later, it's all the same. I'll definitely be here."

The others confirmed they would come as well. The Machinery Plant had the highest concentration of Elders—many machine operators were Elders themselves, especially on lathes, fitter's benches, and the integrated machining centers, where tradesman-origin Elders still formed the backbone. They not only operated equipment but also taught apprentices. Their work was extremely demanding. Many had been living at the plant since its founding, and a number still slept in their offices. For many, work was their recreation.

Zhan Wuya also lived at the plant. His attachment to the General Machinery Plant ran especially deep—its foundation had been the small machine-processing shop he'd once run in the Guangzhou suburbs. He still slept in a factory dormitory room, just as he had back when he was a small-time factory owner.

(End of Chapter)