: Improving the situation at Ansteel and taking office in Shenyang!

Chapter 96: Improving the situation at Ansteel and taking office in Shenyang!

Seeing He Xiying reading carefully, Jiang Fan continued to explain.

"The main technical challenges of seamless steel pipes lie in two areas."

"First, temperature control during piercing. The steel billet should be heated to about 1200 degrees Celsius, and the piercing speed should be uniform, otherwise the wall thickness will deviate too much."

"Secondly, cooling is needed. A new cooling system needs to be built, otherwise the steel pipes will deform."

"I've written all of these in the precautions. I'll have Engineer Zhou lead a team to run through the trial production process first. Don't rush into mass production; let's improve the pass rate first."

He Xiying nodded repeatedly as if she had found a treasure.

Several technical staff members nearby also agreed, but someone still asked a key question.

"Director Jiang, after the drilling machine is delivered, who will be responsible for its installation and debugging? It seems like we don't have anyone here who knows how. With you leaving—"

"Don't worry about that. The Soviet Union will send a technician over, and they will be fully responsible for the installation."

"But we can't rely on others entirely."

Jiang Fan looked at Zhou Chunsheng and gave him instructions.

"Zhou, you need to take this matter seriously. When the Soviets come to provide guidance, you should bring a few of the same technical staff to assist you and write down every step of the installation and debugging process. Try to make sure that once they leave, we can operate independently as well."

Jiang Fan's tone and demeanor at this moment actually resembled those of a munitions factory director, which startled Zhou Chunsheng, who nodded repeatedly: "Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on this."

Afterwards, Jiang Fan gave a few more instructions regarding the supporting processes.

The article covered a wide range of topics, including the modification of the heating furnace, the interface adaptation of the tube rolling mill, and the drainage system of the cooling tank.

This can be seen as a reassurance to the leadership team of Ansteel.

After all, Soviet technicians would come to assist later.

He Xiying and the technical staff listened and took notes, expressing their feelings.

"With you gone, we old folks have to slow down our work a bit."

Jiang Fan just smiled and didn't respond to that topic, instead bringing up another matter.

"By the way, factory manager, have you received a reply regarding the export version of the tractor? And have you received the final payment for the gas cylinders?"

He Xiying put down her notebook, a smile appearing on her face, but it vanished quickly: "The money has been received, just like last time, five kilograms of gold. Twenty percent will be handed over, and the factory will keep eighty percent."

"However, after we handed the photos and instructions to the contact person, there has been no further news."

"I reckon they probably won't even look at this thing, so it'll be a waste of time."

After listening, Jiang Fan smiled dismissively.

"Factory manager, you're letting your concern cloud your judgment."

"Guilliman is an arms dealer. The first thing he'd do after getting the photos would definitely be to have someone knowledgeable conduct an on-site assessment of the weapon's war potential and profit margins in Third World countries!"

"He'll only start looking for buyers for these inexpensive armored vehicles that are bulletproof, capable of off-road driving, and can be equipped with heavy weapons, once they've been evaluated by experts. He'll only come back to us after the buyer has paid the deposit!"

He Xiying was stunned by Jiang Fan's analysis, and pointed at him with a wry smile: "You're quite composed, kid. My heart is in my throat all day long."

"Patience won't conjure up money; let's wait and see!"

Jiang Fan offered a few words of comfort, and then continued to add to the discussion.

"However, factory manager, we must implement a strict dual-track record management system for this tractor from now on!"

"The manufacturing blueprints for the military standard and the civilian standard must be archived separately, because all subsequent weapon accessories and armor upgrade plans derived from the military standard version must be transferred to the Shenyang Arsenal archives."

"At Ansteel, we are only allowed to retain the civilian standard version of the drawings, and we are responsible for sending these non-classified drawings to our brother factories in various parts of Northeast China so that they can do the parts manufacturing."

"This can be seen as our elder brother taking the lead in driving the economic recovery of light and heavy industries in the entire Northeast region."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chunsheng was taken aback and asked with some concern, "Can the arsenal handle it? I don't remember they've started production lines yet, have they?"

"It's alright, Mr. Zhou. There's always a way out. Trust me."

"The remaining work will be handled by the arsenal, so that the production capacity of both sides will not be wasted."

"In our Ansteel plant, we should still listen to the plant manager's words; after all, it is a steel manufacturing plant."

He Xiying listened for a moment, did not object, pondered for a moment, and nodded heavily. "Comrade Xiao Jiang is absolutely right. I will have the technical department re-file it later."

"Our Ansteel should go back to its original business and leave other things to our sister factories. That would be the best way."

With He Xiying's approval, the handover of the blueprints was finally settled.

Jiang Fan then addressed He Xiying with the next matter: "Factory Director, about the system we have for our internship at the steel rolling mill."

"The leaders are all well aware of its current effectiveness."

"After I'm gone, I hope this system won't regress."

"Moreover, over this period of time, I have observed that there are two active workers who deserve special attention and training: one is Zhao Dayong, and the other is Liu Degui."

"These two men are highly motivated and technically skilled, and they have a certain level of prestige among the workers."

"Let them extend this system to the entire Ansteel. It's much better than us cadres trying to forcefully control it. I hope they will take this seriously."

Upon hearing this, He Xiying pondered for a moment, then nodded: "I have some impression of these two people. Okay, I'll tell the Organization Department to keep a close eye on them."

Hearing the old factory director's promise, Jiang Fan breathed a sigh of relief.

This system is of immense value.

In the course of history, many outstanding workers pioneered management systems, but these systems often only lasted for a short time for various reasons and eventually disappeared, leading to the stagnation of factories.

Now that he had traveled through time, he sincerely wanted to work for the well-being of the workers of this era and to ensure that this inspiring system could take root and survive. "Furthermore, leaders, once the orders for the second-hand drilling machines and logging machines we purchased from the Soviet Union are finalized, Ansteel should be able to get back on track."

"At that time, we will have orders for gas cylinders, tractors, entrenching tools, and our own seamless steel pipe trial production."

"With these major arteries operating simultaneously, Ansteel's cash flow will almost never be interrupted, which means we've completely revitalized the company."

"Once we get through these two most difficult years, Ansteel can proudly set an example as the leading heavy industry in the country, and continuously supply high-quality steel to construction sites across the country to support national development."

"Of course, with the increase in production capacity, you should also put the deep mining plan for the Dagushan iron ore area near us on the agenda as soon as possible, Manager."

"Therefore, we must not abandon this system. If the system does not collapse, people's hearts will not be scattered, and if people's hearts are scattered, the factory will get better and better."

The meeting room fell silent for a moment as everyone processed what was said.

After a moment, several veteran comrades nodded silently, clearly having taken his words to heart.

He Xiying didn't say anything; he understood this issue better than Jiang Fan, and thus tacitly agreed.

After explaining the management system, Jiang Fan mentioned the gyroplane again.

"Regarding the rotorcraft, the Northeast Bureau has officially issued an order."

"Ansteel is responsible for manufacturing the engine and frame, while the final assembly work is carried out at the Shenyang Arsenal and then sent to the Air Traffic Management Bureau."

"As for the other parts subcontracting, just like I said before, they are sent to other sister factories."

"However, the factory's security department needs to keep an eye on things, as these are all confidential matters, so it's best to use a dedicated shipping line."

This important matter made He Xiying's expression more serious. She assured Jiang Fan, "He will arrange for someone to be in charge of coordinating and keeping this matter confidential."

At this point, Jiang Fan had confessed everything he needed to, and the arrangements were complete.

With He Xiying's announcement of "Meeting adjourned".

This conference, which determined the future of industry in Northeast China, has concluded successfully.

The cadres left the meeting room in twos and threes. They looked at Jiang Fan, seemingly wanting to say something but ultimately saying nothing, a silent farewell.

Instead of leaving like them, Zhou Chunsheng led Jiang Fan to the top of the blast furnace to watch the sunset.

The two remained silent for a long time, neither of them speaking.

Finally, Zhou Chunsheng couldn't hold back any longer. He took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, took a puff, and then handed it to Jiang Fan: "Want a puff?"

Jiang Fan shook his head, looking at Zhou Chunsheng with some surprise.

In his memory, this was the first time he had ever seen him smoke.

"Why haven't I seen you smoke before?"

Zhou Chunsheng smiled and said, "Actually, I've quit everything. It's just that I'm in a bad mood today."

"Now that you're gone, I'm all alone again. I was finally getting used to you being bossy here, hehe."

Jiang Fan chuckled at that, but the smile quickly faded as he quietly watched the sunset and muttered to himself.

"Since our parting, the pear blossoms have all fallen and the moon has set in the west."

"Old Zhou, all good things must come to an end."

"Gathering and parting are all predestined, and we who are born in this era must shoulder the responsibilities we should bear."

"As long as what we achieve makes this country better and gives its people more confidence."

"So, it doesn't matter where we work, doesn't it?"

Zhou Chunsheng paused for a moment after hearing Jiang Fan's refined and literary words.

Then he laughed genuinely: "You always have such a witty way of speaking."

"Then it's settled: on the day the new China is founded, we will present a truly outstanding work to celebrate!"

"Then it's settled."

"It's a deal. It's a promise!"

Jiang Fan smiled and extended his fist, and the two of them struck each other heavily.

Then, the two fell silent for a moment.

After thinking for a moment, Jiang Fan decided to say the reminder.

"Mr. Zhou, there's something I'm not sure if I should say, but I'd still like to bring it up."

Zhou Chunsheng turned his head: "You go ahead."

"You are now a key technical staff member at Ansteel. If there is any transfer in the future, you must find out the situation there before making a decision."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Jiang Fan shook his head, said nothing more, and stopped interfering.

After all, history has already been altered once, and he can't say for sure whether Zhou Chunsheng will be transferred to Lop Nur again.

But it can’t hurt to offer a word of caution.

When the sun had completely set behind the hillside, Jiang Fan stood up and patted Zhou Chunsheng on the shoulder.

"Alright, stop standing here in the wind. I need to say goodbye to Uncle Meng and the others. You can go back by yourself."

"Go."

Zhou Chunsheng didn't move, he just stood up, the afterglow of the setting sun becoming his background color.

Facing Jiang Fan's figure, she whispered in a voice only she could hear, "Take care, Director Jiang."

He remained alone on the high place, not moving for a long time.

When Jiang Fan returned to Meng Tai's small house, he found that Master Meng was unusually not working overtime at the factory.

He heard the courtyard gate open, looked up and saw Jiang Fan. He put down his work and stood up: "Comrade Jiang is back! I heard from the factory director that you were going to Shenyang?"

Jiang Fan walked over, sat down on the wooden bench next to him, and said apologetically, "Yes, Uncle Meng, I'm sorry to have troubled you these past few days."

"What trouble are you causing! You child, why are you being so formal!" Meng Tai waved his hand.

"With you living here, my courtyard has become much more lively. Before, I was all alone, and I didn't even have anyone to talk to."

"What are you doing in Shenyang?"

It seems that He Xiying only mentioned to Meng Tai that he was going to be transferred, without specifying where he would be going.

Jiang Fan didn't say much, only smiling vaguely and saying, "It's just going to an old factory in Shenyang to work as a technician." After saying that, he changed the subject: "Uncle Meng, please take care of yourself after I leave."

"If the factory needs anything, just have someone pass on a message to me, and I'll definitely find a way to help you while I'm in Shenyang."

Meng Tai grinned as he listened to these heartfelt words.

"Good! You've got a bright future ahead of you, keep up the good work."

"Just make a name for yourself and don't embarrass us Ansteel employees!"

A few simple words, without being overly sentimental, yet they brought a pang of sadness to Jiang Fan's heart.

Meng Tai, this seemingly ordinary old man, single-handedly shouldered the initial backbone of the new China's steel industry.

After saying goodbye to Meng Tai.

After learning Song Ningyi's address from him, Jiang Fan went to find her.

Just then, Song Ningyi was carrying a basin of water and splashing it outside the door. When she saw Jiang Fan arrive, she was a little surprised, but then smiled and said, "Engineer Jiang, what brings you here? Please come in."

Jiang Fan, however, stood outside, smiling and waving his hand: "No need, Comrade Song. I'm being transferred to Shenyang tomorrow, so I came here specifically to say goodbye."

Upon hearing this, Song Ningyi paused in her act of bending down to put down the basin, a hint of disappointment flashing in her eyes.

But the smile only lasted half a second before he concealed it again, resuming his smile: "That's great! Shenyang is bigger than Anshan; you'll definitely be able to achieve even greater things there!"

Looking at her cheerful appearance, Jiang Fan couldn't help but recall the day he first transmigrated and saw her beautiful figure for the first time at the recruitment office; it felt like only yesterday.

"Comrade Song, thank you so much for bringing me into the factory that day. If it weren't for you, I don't know where I would be now."

Song Ningyi felt a little embarrassed by his formal thanks: "Nonsense! Why are you being so serious so late at night!"

"Well... that's just part of my job as a personnel manager."

"Besides..." she looked at Jiang Fan with sparkling eyes, "Even without me, with your abilities, Jiang Fan, you'll shine wherever you go."

The two exchanged a smile, everything understood without a word.

After a brief chat and some words of advice at the door, it was indeed getting late.

Jiang Fan then took his leave, but after walking a few steps, he looked back one last time.

Seeing that Song Ningyi was still waving her hand at him for a long time.

The night sky was quiet, with a few scattered stars hanging in the sky.

Jiang Fan returned to Ansteel under the cover of night. He Xiying had already prepared a bus, which was parked at the factory gate.

Several members of the leadership team saw him off here.

Zhou Chunsheng was not found in the crowd.

"Xiao Jiang, once you get to Shenyang, go for it! Send a telegram immediately if you encounter any problems!"

He Xiying stepped forward and gave Jiang Fan a big hug.

"Thank you, factory manager! Until we meet again, everyone!"

Jiang Fan got into the car, waved to He Xiying and the others, and grinned.

Then the bus started, kicking up a cloud of yellow dust, and headed towards Shenyang along the dirt road.