Qian Yuanshan's remarks were very reasonable, and the two examples he cited from his previous life were also very convincing, which made many centrist participants begin to be inclined to be armed with machine guns. In particular, the few words he said about the Later Zhou Army resonated with many brothers.

Seeing that the situation at the meeting began to tilt toward the military department represented by Qian Yuanshan, Wang Kunjun, who had always been wary of the Later Zhou army and listed it as a potential opponent of the "Flying Dragon Army" in the upcoming Battle of Youyun, exchanged views with Li Junwu, Zhang Weixin, and Yang Xin, and then expressed his opinion on whether to equip the committee with machine guns.

He said: "The second brother and the eleventh brother just now have a certain amount of truth, and the reason why there is a difference between them is entirely because they stand from different angles, and their starting points are all haode.

On the question of whether or not to be equipped with machine guns, the Committee, after taking into account various factors, is of the view that it is more advantageous to be equipped than not to be equipped. However, in view of the production capacity of the Weapons Section, it is still necessary to limit the number of machine guns that can be equipped so as not to cause problems in the supply of ammunition.

The specific plan of the commission was as follows: heavy machine guns were equipped only at the regimental and battalion levels, with each infantry regiment and regiment artillery battalion adding a machine gun company, equipped with four heavy machine guns and ten light machine guns. The original artillery batteries of each battalion were reorganized into gun batteries, and a machine gun platoon equipped with two heavy machine guns and four light machine guns was added. At the company level, only light machine guns were equipped, and the original artillery squads of each company were reorganized into gun platoons, and a machine gun squad equipped with two light machine guns was added.

Since the number of cavalry regiments is smaller than that of infantry regiments, the corresponding number of equipment is calculated as half of that of infantry regiments. However, the Ranger troops and the 'wolf's teeth' troops usually operate in small detachments because they mainly focus on special operations, and their requirements for firepower are relatively high. As a result, they were equipped with twice as many machine guns as ordinary infantry.

In addition, although the number of guards in charge of the 'Qingyuan', 'Jingyuan', 'Yanyuan' and other team stations was small, their responsibilities were very heavy, and their requirements for firepower were higher than those of the rangers and 'wolf's-tooth', so although they were only at the company level, the committee decided to equip them with two heavy machine guns and six light machine guns according to the battalion level. ”

Wang Kunjun's statement represents both himself and the final opinion of the committee, so it has the effect of final word. After his speech, the two sides that had originally disagreed were no longer arguing. Although there is a certain gap with the amount of equipment they expected, the side that advocates equipment, represented by Qian Yuanshan, still raises their hands in favor of the committee's decision. The party represented by Zhou Lei who advocated not equipping also accepted the committee's decision while reserving his personal opinion.

As a result, the proposal to equip machine guns and related ammunition - more than 50 heavy machine guns and 200 light machine guns - was transformed from a recommendation of the Committee into a resolution of an expanded session of the Committee, which was referred to the Weapons Section for implementation.

After discussing the issue of machine gun equipment, Zhang Weixin took out Xu Shaoan's telegram about Chai Rong's request for the crossing team to build a flintlock pistol.

As a result, it was naturally one stone that stirred up a thousand waves, and the venue that had just calmed down immediately exploded. Just now, the people who were fighting for their ideas were red-faced, but there was no disagreement at this time. They first scolded Zhang Yongde together for being a despicable villain, excluding dissidents and framing the crossing team, Chai Rong had bad intentions, intending to interfere with the preparation of the crossing team, so as to achieve the purpose of weakening the strength of the team, and then unanimously opposed the manufacture of flintlock pistols for the Later Zhou court. Zhou Lei and other brothers of the Ministry of Science and Technology, who had been opposed to the batch of machine guns, made a 180-degree turn at this time, and asked to expand the production of machine guns, so that after the Battle of Youyun began, even if the Zhou army stabbed the knife in the back, the "Flying Dragon Army" was sure to defeat the two enemies in the north and south.

The reaction of the brothers was expected, so whether it was Wang Kunjun, Zhang Weixin, or Li Junwu and Yang Xin, the four of them did not restrain their brothers too much, but gave them enough time to vent their dissatisfaction with Chai Rong, Zhang Yongde, and even the Later Zhou court.

After a while, everyone's anger was almost released, and the condemnation of Zhang Yongde and Chai Rong gradually changed from attacking them to expressing opinions on behalf of everyone by a few leading figures. Among them, the one who hated Zhang Yongde, Chai Rong and even the entire Later Zhou court the most was Qian Yuanshan. First, he is the de facto supreme commander of the "Flying Dragon Army", and any person or behavior that intends to weaken the combat effectiveness of the "Flying Dragon Army" is unacceptable to him. Second, some time ago, Lin Xiaoyu was named a virtuous concubine, although he behaved relatively calmly, he also had a very in-depth conversation with Wang Kunjun, expressing his understanding and blessing to Lin Xiaoyu. But from the deepest part of his heart, he is still a little angry about Lin Xiaoyu's sealing of the concubine, and he is also very disgusted and disgusted with Chai Rong, who he thinks and caused this fact. ,

Therefore, after Zhang Weixin announced the content of Xu Shaoan's telegram to everyone, Qian Yuanshan was the first to jump up and oppose it, and he was also the most resolute among all the brothers.

When he expressed his opinion, he said: "Our brother has no grudge against that Zhang Yongde in the long days and has no enmity in recent days, and has never provoked him. But this guy has been against us since we went south to Kaifeng to see Chai Rong, setting up obstacles and making us mix everywhere, trying to drive us out of the Hou Zhou court. Although I didn't know that this guy weishenme was going to do this, I think since the other party is so unwelcoming to us, why should we rush to put our hot face on someone's cold ass.

If we were not strong enough at the beginning, we needed to find a powerful backer for our future survival and development, and wanted to get the other party's recognition through cooperation with the Later Zhou court, so that when the history of this life produced a different ending from the history of our previous life, and when the Chai Rong Northern Expedition was successful, we could get the other party's return, and earn a foundation for ourselves in the land of clouds, and for this reason, we had to go to Kaifeng to serve that Chai Rong.

So now our strength is not the same as it was at the beginning, and we have the ability to rely on our liliang to lay a completely own foundation in the land of clouds. No matter whether that Chai Rong will go on the Northern Expedition or not, whether Chai Rong's Northern Expedition can succeed or not, it will not have a decisive impact on our establishment in the Land of Clouds. In this case, why should we be restrained by Chai Rong and his bird court, and why should we be punished by Zhang Yongde, who is not right-minded and ill-intentioned.

In my opinion, we can completely refuse Chai Rong's request and devote all our thoughts to pre-war preparations. As long as we are well prepared and well-prepared, even if the time comes, there is nothing to fear from facing the enemy on both sides and fighting with the Houzhou and Khitans at the same time. Moreover, if Chai Rongzhen hangs up during the Northern Expedition, then it is not impossible for us to take advantage of the internal chaos in the Later Zhou Dynasty to go south and conquer Kaifeng City after taking Youyun. ”

Although what Qian Yuanshan said was an idealized result, the assumption that he defeated the Zhou and Liao armies in Youyun, and then waved his army south to attack Kaifeng, still aroused endless associations among some participants who traveled through the meeting. After all, the temptation of the idea of overthrowing the Later Zhou court and replacing it is still very great.

Seeing that everyone's attention was attracted by Qian Yuanshan's rhetoric, the content of the discussion also included whether to make flintlock pistols for the Later Zhou court to have the strength to fight on two fronts against the "Flying Dragon Army", whether there was a certainty of victory in attacking Kaifeng in the south, and how to stabilize the situation in the whole country and dominate the world after the destruction of the Later Zhou Dynasty, and restore the transformation of the homeland of the Han and Tang dynasties. Some brothers even began to discuss what kind of system should be implemented after the destruction of Chai Zhou, and which brother should be the emperor and prime minister. The four committee members and the alternate committee, who had not expressed their opinions, hurriedly looked at each other and exchanged views with each other, and then Zhang Weixin came forward to explain the committee's views on this matter.

Zhang Weixin first stretched out his hand and motioned for everyone to stop for a while, and then said, "Brothers, don't be bored, listen to me a few words." ”

After speaking, Zhang Weixin paused slightly, and after all the brothers stopped talking and the venue was completely quiet, he continued: "Yes, as the eleventh brother said just now, we have no grudges and no enmity with that Zhang Yongde, but we have attracted the exclusion and framing of the other party. That Chai Rong knew that Zhang Yongde had bad intentions, but in order to suppress us and weaken our strength, he not only agreed to Zhang Yongde's proposal for us to produce flintlock pistols for the Later Zhou army, but also increased the 1,000 flintlock pistols requested by Zhang Yongde to 3,000, and also asked for delivery within three months. It is really depressing to cooperate with such a monarch and minister, and it is indeed not as pleasant as doing it alone. But the question is, are things really as simple as everyone thinks?

It's certainly fun for us to tear our faces with Chai Rong alone, but the eighth, twenty-ninth, and thirtieth are still in Kaifeng and near Kaifeng, and what should Chai Rong do when he is angry with them. Even if we can inform the three of them in advance and let them try to escape from Kaifeng City, there is still an eighteen sister in the palace. If we turn against the Later Zhou Dynasty and they evacuate Kaifeng City, then Chai Rong, who feels gloomy on his face and depressed but has nowhere to vent, is likely to sprinkle his resentment on the only eighteen sisters who are related to us. Could it be that the brothers would really ignore the eighteenth sister, who was isolated and had to bear Chai Rong's anger alone, and could establish their so-called merits with peace of mind? ,

What's more, at the beginning, we discussed the pros and cons between the two different options of independently driving out the Khitans and taking the opportunity of the Northern Expedition of the Later Zhou Army to expel the Khitans, and everyone agreed that the latter plan was easier, easier and more time-saving, and arranged all our work according to this plan. In this case, everyone should follow this correct choice, and not let emotions control their judgment and change their minds just because they are not satisfied with something or someone. As the saying goes, 'if you can't bear it, you will make a big plan', and blindly competitive, brave and ruthless will not achieve great things.

Moreover, if Jihua changes halfway through execution, it will not only waste time and manpower, but also cause chaos for the whole team if it is not done well, and it is not impossible to end up losing all the games. ”

After Zhang Weixin's words, there was a long silence in the venue. Those traversers who had just preached that the "Flying Dragon Army" was strong and that there was no problem in fighting on two fronts stopped speaking -- although they did not want to be restrained by the Later Zhou court, they would not hesitate to choose the former between ensuring the safety of Xu Shao'an, Lin Xiaoyu and others and suffering some grievances themselves. Moreover, because of the possibility that the matter would involve Lin Xiaoyu, Qian Yuanshan, the most resolute opponent of this matter, also began to soften, and there was no longer the slightest room for compromise as just now.

Seeing that the attitudes of the brothers had changed, and the atmosphere in the venue was a little depressed, Wang Kunjun, who had not spoken, changed the topic and asked Zhou Lei, the director of the weapons department: "Second brother, with the current production capacity of the weapons department, on the premise of ensuring the output of artillery, machine guns and related ammunition, if the production of flintlock guns is fully switched, how much can the output of a month reach?" ”

Zhou Lei thought for a moment and replied, "This is really not easy to say. After all, the weapons section has not produced flintlock pistols for nearly two years, and now both the production line and the craftsmen are designed and arranged according to the production of rifles, rifled guns and other equipment. If the flintlock pistol were to be reproduced again, it would inevitably involve the transformation of the production line and the training of craftsmen.

On the one hand, the retrofitting and training itself takes a lot of time. On the other hand, after switching to flintlock pistols, craftsmen will inevitably go through a process from raw to cooked, and their output will definitely be relatively low in the early stage of the change.

I estimate that if the transformation of the production line and the training of personnel go well, the manufacture of rifles is stopped on the premise of ensuring the production of machine guns, artillery and related ammunition, and all the liliang that can be mobilized is put into the production of flintlock pistols, at most about 2,000 flintlock muskets will be produced within three months. ”

"Two thousand? This amount simply did not meet the requirements of the Later Zhou court. Wang Kunjun muttered in a low voice, "I have to suspend the production of rifles for this, it's really worth the loss." ”

Then he asked Qian Yuanshan again: "Old Eleven, how is the equipment of the guns of the 'Flying Dragon Army', and are there any recruits without weapons?" ”

"That's gone." Qian Yuanshan replied truthfully, "Now all the officers and soldiers of the 'Flying Dragon Army' have completed the work of equipping weapons. ”

"However, there will be normal or abnormal wear and tear of guns in daily training and wartime, and it is necessary to produce more guns and ammunition for backup. At present, the inventory of our '55' rifles is not large, and it cannot fully meet the needs of daily and wartime wear and tear replenishment. Therefore, it is better for the rifle production line to continue to maintain production, or at least to maintain low-speed production in case of emergency. Zhou Lei interjected.

The contradiction between the production of flintlock pistols and rifles made Wang Kunjun a little dilemma, and he hesitated for a moment to decide whether it should be carried out according to the results of the internal discussions of the committee before the meeting.

At this time, You Yuan, who was in charge of the team's material management, interjected: "Fifth brother, the telegram sent by the eighth child didn't say that the flintlock pistol for the Later Zhou court must be a new gun, right?" ”

"I didn't say this, what do you think, sixth?" Wang Kunjun asked puzzled.

"That's right," You Yuan explained, "if we don't have to give new guns, then we can make use of the old flintlock pistols that have been sealed." ”

"Sealed old flintlock pistols?" Wang Kunjun was still a little confused and asked, "Do we have a lot of old flintlock pistols?" ”

"Of course," You Yuan replied, "After the 'Five-Five' rifle was mass-produced and began to be fully equipped, the flintlock pistols and new guns in stock that the 'Flying Dragon Army' was equipped with before were withdrawn. Originally, the Ministry of Science and Technology wanted to put these old and new flintlock pistols back into the furnace to make steel, but because "the guns are laborious to disassemble, and the production task of the 'Five-Five' rifle is relatively heavy, they really can't spare enough manpower to do this." Therefore, the brothers of the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Military Affairs gave up the plan to return to the furnace after discussion, and after a simple sealing of these flintlock guns, they were all moved to the warehouse of our Material Management Department, and they have been shelved until now. Since this matter was handled by the brothers of the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Military Affairs on their own initiative and did not go through the committee, the fifth brother and several other committee members and brothers did not know. ”

Wang Kunjun only understood when he heard this, but he didn't care about criticizing the behavior of several brothers from the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Military Affairs at this time, but hurriedly asked You Yuandao: "How many flintlock pistols are in this batch?" ”

"Fifteen hundred," replied Youyuan, "of which 1,200 were used, and three hundred were new guns that had been stocked in stock." ”

"This is very good," Wang Kunjun said happily, "With this batch of guns, plus the newly made ones, there is no problem in sending 3,000 flintlock pistols to Kaifeng within three months." ”

"If this is the case, then the weapons section can retain a part of the production capacity when producing flintlock pistols and continue to produce 'Five-Five' rifles to replenish the inventory, so as not to delay." Zhou Lei interjected on the side.

Wang Kunjun changed the topic and asked Zhou Lei about the production capacity of flintlock pistols, which was actually tantamount to expressing his support for the weapons section's conversion to flintlock pistols, and the thinking of many participants who were opposed to the conversion has changed as a result. At this time, You Yuan took out 1,500 flintlock pistols, and Zhou Lei said that while switching to the production of flintlock pistols, the weapons department could still maintain part of the production capacity of the "Five-Five" rifle, coupled with Zhang Weixin's persuasion in the front, so that the vast majority of the brothers attending the meeting no longer objected to the proposal to produce flintlock pistols for the Later Zhou court.

As a result, although Qian Yuanshan, Zeng Zhilin, and other members of the military department still expressed reservations on this matter, the proposal was finally approved by the enlarged meeting of the committee.