Meanwhile, a geology expert in the expert team brought his students with him, using their own small and simple exploration equipment to run around the base area.
They found a small copper mine, a small coal mine, and a small iron mine.
Moreover, all three were easily mined, open-pit or semi-open-pit mines.
These three mines were immediately put into use, through a mixed mining method of manual labor and machinery.
The mines were continuously exploited and sent to the smelter to be processed into qualified iron ingots and copper ingots for use in the arsenal.
Jin Province, a well-known mining province in later generations, finding these small mines in the base area was not unexpected.
However, it was a pity that the base area did not have related mineral resources, nor did it have the ability to synthesize industrial ammonia and nitrated products.
In other words, the arsenal had a great dependence on external raw materials for its gunpowder production!
This was a major drawback, but there was no way to solve it for now, and Xiao Yun could only order an increase in procurement from the outside.
After the headquarters and Yan'an learned about it, they also provided as much help as possible.
Every day, a large amount of raw materials passed through the enemy-occupied areas and were delivered to the 399th Brigade's established base area in Northwest Jin, which could temporarily meet the consumption of the arsenal operating at full capacity.
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"Commander, the arsenal's Director Lin is here!"
In the Brigade headquarters' command room, Xiao Yun was working on the 399th Brigade's next new recruit training plan when the guard approached him and whispered.
"Quickly, quickly invite Director Lin in, forget it, I'll go invite him myself!"
Xiao Yun put down the plan in his hand and got up to quickly go to the door.
"Comrade Lin Sen, you must have some good news to tell me this time, right?"
Lin Sen saw Xiao Yun, the dignified brigade commander and the top leader of the base area, not hesitating to put down his work and personally come out to greet him. He felt a little moved in his heart, a feeling of "a worthy man knows what it means to die for his country."
"Yes, Commander Xiao, I want to tell you that the first batch of bullets and shells from our arsenal have rolled off the production line. The comrades want you to go and take a look in person and inspect them!"
"Good! The successful launch of the arsenal has epoch-making significance for our 399th Brigade and the base area. Comrade Lin Sen, you've all worked hard during this period!"
Xiao Yun said to Lin Sen with a smile.
"Not hard work, it's all for the revolution. We're behind the lines doing production, how can it be as hard as you and the comrades fighting on the front lines, risking your lives?"
Lin Sen subconsciously shook his head.
"Alright, there's no distinction between the front line and the rear in the face of revolution. Without the comrades in the rear producing bullets, shells, and providing logistical support, our front line fighters would probably have to fight the enemy on an empty stomach, wielding firewood sticks and bayonets!"
"Come, Comrade Lin Sen, let's call the Political Commissar and the Deputy Commander, and go to the arsenal to take a look!"
....................................
Upon learning of the news, Political Commissar Wang Yan and Deputy Commander Liu Zhixuan were also incredibly excited.
Without a word, they arranged their work and followed Xiao Yun and Lin Sen to the outskirts of the mountain valley cave where the arsenal was located.
They passed through layers of checkpoints before truly entering the arsenal.
The arsenal was second only to Xiao Yun's brigade headquarters in importance to the 399th Brigade.
Xiao Yun placed the expanded Special Forces Battalion around the arsenal, responsible for its defense.
The Special Forces Battalion was the standard infantry battalion configuration that Xiao Yun proposed during the last reorganization.
It had a full complement of nearly 600 men, and each platoon was equipped with two light machine guns and two grenade launchers, each company with four heavy machine guns, making its firepower quite formidable.
Because the Special Forces Battalion's work was very important, like the Guard Battalion, the shortage of machine guns and grenade launchers was the first to be made up.
Now, it had formed a considerable degree of combat power!
With it responsible for defending the arsenal, Xiao Yun was at ease, at least small groups of Japanese infiltrators wouldn't pose much threat to the arsenal.
And if a large Japanese force came to attack, would his 399th Brigade's four infantry regiments and artillery regiment be vegetarians?
Moreover, the secrecy of the arsenal was now very tight, the Japanese might not even know its location.
They might not even know that the 399th Brigade had established an arsenal with a complete bullet, shell, and rifle production line.
After all, the bullet and shell production line was something Xiao Yun had pulled out of his hat.
The Japanese only knew that the machine tools from the original Shuizhou City had been seized by the 399th Brigade.