Chapter 2737
Setting Sail: Starting with Persuading Old Chen
Chapter 2737 Setting Sail: Starting with Persuading Old Chen
in the office.
Yang Xiaotao and the other two sat directly opposite Old Chen, their expressions serious.
This is the first hurdle for Elder Chen.
If even Elder Chen doesn't support it, then this so-called white paper is a joke.
Fortunately, judging from Old Chen's current expression, the three of them did not show any fear.
This silence, however, still weighed heavily on the hearts of the three.
Meanwhile, Old Chen, sitting opposite them, was experiencing a surge of emotions.
motherfucker.
Ten projects.
What did you take this for?
Are we playing house?
But upon closer inspection, it seems that these ten projects are not impossible to complete.
Upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that these projects cover a wide range of fields, including machinery, scientific research, military, aviation, medicine, chemicals, and electronics.
If we add breeding to that, they'd probably take over everything that the previous eight ministries could do.
How the hell are we supposed to do this?
The engine of this airplane.
To date, only nine turbojet engines have been successfully manufactured. The logistics department of the Third Ministry of Machinery Industry has not even completed them and is still struggling with the technology.
You've changed the track again, what are they supposed to do?
After all that hard work and struggle, we're telling them we're not playing here anymore.
Have you considered how other people feel?
And what's this? A communications satellite.
Isn't this a matter for the Chinese Academy of Sciences?
You're just researching communication satellites, not launching them randomly, okay?
One or two a year, that's ten years.
He didn't know how many satellites were in the sky in the end, but trying to launch so many satellites would drive the Seventh Ministry of Machinery Industry crazy.
Why don't we just tell the Seventh Ministry of Machinery Industry to stop doing everything else and just launch satellites for you?
And this lithium battery, this pager, I've never even heard of them.
Old Chen really wanted to cut open Yang Xiaotao's head to see what he was really thinking.
"Oh, you're going to join the game?"
Suddenly, Old Chen looked up at Yang Xiaotao, breaking the silence.
Upon hearing the voice, Yang Xiaotao immediately sat up straight and nodded solemnly, "Yes, sir."
"I feel that I am the most suitable for this last pager."
"Oh, really? Then tell us, what is a pager? It would be good for us, those of us who are out of touch with the times, to learn something new."
Old Chen put down the white paper and smiled at Li Hongfeng and Liu Huaimin.
Li Hongfeng quickly put on an affirmative smile, "Sir, Xiao Yang explained the pager, but we still only have a vague understanding of it."
"Yes, yes, Xiao Yang, you should explain this properly."
Liu Huaimin also chimed in from the side.
"Sir, this pager is a communication tool, a small, intelligent device."
Its main function is to receive information unilaterally, allowing users to view text message content anytime, anywhere.
Yang Xiaotao briefly explained the functions of the pager.
People from later generations might not think much of it; it's not even as good as a mobile phone.
But in this era, most people rarely even have a landline, let alone a mobile phone.
Old Chen's feeling was that it was a mobile telegraph machine?
Being able to receive information at any time is very useful.
For example, issuing orders, collecting information, and conveying messages.
“Products similar to pagers have appeared in the United States, but they can only transmit simple numbers. Our research product can transmit text, making it much more advanced than theirs.”
"However, we still lag behind in the field of computers, but we are accelerating our pace and believe we will soon catch up with the world."
"Furthermore, this type of pager can also transmit data via satellite, which is more effective than satellite phones."
Yang Xiaotao kept talking about pagers, as if he would be letting down his "second life" if he didn't share the knowledge he had memorized.
But Old Chen was very interested in this, so one person talked while the other three listened, and time slipped by unnoticed.
But this passage of time is a hardship for those waiting in the break room.
The four men, including Huang, arrived one after another. Secretary Guo busied himself with welcoming them. Afterwards, the three men knew that Yang Xiaotao had taken the white paper inside, so they waited in the tea room.
Then, less than ten minutes later, Old Qin from the logistics department walked in with his hands behind his back.
The five exchanged pleasantries upon meeting, but their unspoken understanding remained.
Secretary Guo arranged for tea to be served again.
Half an hour later, the five people became nine.
Mr. Qian from the Second Ministry of Machine Building arrived first, followed by Mr. Zhao from the Fourth Ministry of Machine Building, Mr. Xu from the Fifth Ministry of Machine Building, and Mr. Zhou from the Sixth Ministry of Machine Building.
Fortunately, the tea room was large enough that the nine people sat at two tables, laughing and joking from time to time, like old friends having a tea party.
That's right, there was a white paper in front of each of them.
It looks as if they had all agreed to do it together.
But everyone knew the real situation, though they kept it to themselves.
Old Huang couldn't drink any more tea; it had been almost an hour, and he really couldn't drink anymore.
He glanced at the people around him, then coughed lightly. "Gentlemen, we've been sitting here for almost a whole morning. Let's stop hiding and let's have a chat first, shall we?"
After Old Huang finished speaking, Old Qin, who had been sitting still for a while, immediately nodded and said, "Yes, yes, Old Huang is right. We all know why we're here, so we can't let ourselves panic!"
Old Wang nodded vigorously, "Yes, yes, to put it bluntly, we don't know what they're talking about inside. Let's just treat it as a gamble, and whoever wins is a skill."
Old Zhang nodded and looked at Old Zhou and the others.
The latter also thought it was a good idea, since the core direction is different for each department, so there's no harm in discussing it.
"I'll go first. Our First Ministry of Machine Building is quite large, so we can only have two projects!"
Old Huang subconsciously reached for his teacup, but only fiddled with it for a moment before saying, "The first one is a tunnel boring machine, and the second one is a machine tool!"
"To be honest, it's probably not very easy for the Ninth Division of Tunnel Boring Machines to conduct research, but we've always had a cooperative relationship with them regarding machine tools."
"So we've got our hands on the machine tool business!"
When Mr. Huang finished speaking, he spoke with great authority.
The others didn't object. After all, how many of them didn't come from the First Ministry of Machine Building?
Besides, while the machine tool production capacity of the First Ministry of Machine Building might not be as good as that of the Ninth Ministry in terms of high-end products, it definitely surpasses them in terms of quantity.
"no problem!"
Old Qin agreed, and since he was the only one present who could compete in the machine tool field, no one else would object now that he had spoken up.
Old Qin continued, "We only have one, and that is the engine, the aircraft engine!"
After Qin finished speaking, Zhang leaned forward and said, "Aero engines are also one of our projects!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Old Qin looked over, their eyes met, but neither of them said anything.
Regardless of whether the Ninth Department has any aero-engine projects, even if it does, it's still the Ninth Department's choice. Their desire to compete is simply a matter of whose offer is more persuasive to Yang Xiaotao.
After Elder Zhang finished speaking, the others also stated their needs.
"We from the Fourth Ministry of Machine Building are just here to take a look and join in the fun. If we happen to run into each other, we'll do each other a favor!"
Old Zhao from the Fourth Ministry of Machinery Industry chuckled and began speaking, then tossed the white paper on the table into his backpack before slowly saying, "I won't go into details about the projects; everyone knows them, right?"
The others didn't say much when they saw Zhao Lao's attitude, but Wang Lao, who was standing to the side, was very interested in Zhao Lao's white paper.
Because he felt that it was very likely that there was no paper inside!
"Haha, Old Zhao is right, that's what we meant too!"
"Armored vehicles, tanks, and the like—we won't let them get away!"
"Of course, the related technology upgrades also belong to us!"
After Mr. Xu from the Fifth Ministry of Machine Building finished speaking, Mr. Zhou from the Sixth Ministry of Machine Building only said one sentence: "We must participate in anything related to ships, whether it is steel technology or engine technology, as long as it is even remotely related!"
After saying that, he sat down to the side with his arms crossed.
Old Huang and the others all had strange expressions on their faces. Was this even human language?
You use a lot of things in shipbuilding, such as steel, chemicals, machinery, and weapons. Which one doesn't you use?
"You still want them all? If you dare to write that in your white paper, Comrade Chen will jump up and kick you in the face."
Seeing that Old Zhou was standing with his arms crossed and not saying a word, the group knew that this guy had no shame anymore.
But that makes sense, considering the funds they're building now are still allocated by the Ninth Department.
If we build a good relationship and establish cooperation, will we ever lack funds again?
That's a brilliant plan.
After Old Zhou finished speaking, everyone's eyes turned to Old Wang.
Comrade Lao Wang originally only had two projects planned.
One is a rocket engine.
He felt that nine satellites were very likely to be good, so rockets were an unavoidable hurdle.
Perhaps the Nine Departments will conduct research in this area.
The other is semiconductor materials.
This is purely speculation, but it'll give me something to say when the time comes. After listening to Comrade Zhou's speech, Comrade Wang felt he could learn from it; after all, the Sixth Ministry of Machine Building made ships, while the Seventh Ministry of Machine Building made rockets and missiles.
This is a consensus.
Just as Old Wang was about to start speaking like Old Zhou, Old Qin saw the danger and quickly said, "Old Wang, don't try to imitate Old Zhou!"
Old Wang almost bit his tongue as he was about to speak. He glanced at Old Qin, noticed everyone else staring, and then snorted coldly, "Our two projects!"
After Old Wang finished speaking, Old Huang suddenly laughed, "Heh, everyone has their own thoughts!"
"I think, how about this, we just write down this whole plan and make it into a white paper with nine departments listed, that would be much simpler!"
After Old Huang finished speaking, everyone in the room laughed.
Old Wang immediately nodded, "You know what, I think it's a good idea!"
At this point, Old Wang became incredibly excited, slamming his hand on the table and exclaiming, "You guys don't know, these Nine Departments are a treasure trove! They really were able to solve your problems when you encountered them before!"
"Think about it, where do airplane engines come from? Where do machine tools come from? And armored vehicles, and tanks..."
"I even think that what we brothers are saying is still too conservative."
"No, I need to think about it some more. Who knows, maybe I'll just get lucky!"
Although the old man spoke in a startling manner, the people in the room took it to heart.
For a moment, the room was unusually quiet.
Just then, Secretary Guo walked by outside, and Old Wang quickly called out to him!
"Hey, Secretary Guo, it's been over an hour already, why is it taking so long?"
Old Wang swayed left and right, glanced at the doorway and corridor but saw no one, and muttered to himself.
Secretary Guo smiled and said, "I just went in to get some water. The leader is talking with Minister Yang. He should be here soon."
Secretary Guo quickly spoke up, and Old Wang's eyes darted around, "Then what should we discuss?"
As they spoke, everyone looked at Secretary Guo.
Secretary Guo grinned. "Is it convenient for him to talk about this?"
"Secretary Guo, just say it. Everyone here is an outsider."
Old Zhou from the Sixth Ministry of Machinery Industry wore a warm smile, while Secretary Guo was speechless.
What do you mean I'm not an outsider? I'm one of Old Chen's people, okay?
Seeing that the group had been waiting for so long, Secretary Guo knew that if he didn't say something, something might happen.
Anyway, he only heard a few words, so it doesn't matter if he said something wrong.
Thinking of this, he said, "I went in for a little while, and I heard the commander ask about pagers. Commander Yang explained that it was connected to some kind of radio or something."
"Radio station?"
Suddenly, Old Zhao from the Fourth Ministry of Machine Building became excited.
Their Fourth Ministry of Machine Building was responsible for researching radio.
My relationship with the Ninth Division used to be lukewarm. I was envious of the other divisions members who were so well-fed and clothed.
Isn't this a golden opportunity?
"I... I only heard the gist of it, well, um..."
Secretary Guo hurriedly tried to explain, because he thought it didn't sound like a radio station, but rather like a paging station or something similar, and he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
But Old Zhao was very excited, and he even took out his white paper from his bag and said with a smile, "You know what, our department actually has a plan in this regard."
"Look, the construction of radio stations and the development of high-frequency technology, isn't this perfect?"
"I should take a look."
Old Zhao was delighted, but Old Wang, standing to the side, glanced at it and was speechless. "You actually wrote a radio project, huh?"
If that line of text weren't on that piece of paper, it would probably be no different from a blank sheet of paper.
But Old Wang felt a bitter taste in his mouth. He had asked first, but the good news wasn't for him.
"Congratulations, Lao Zhao."
Old Zhou offered his congratulations from the side, but his eyes were also fixed on Secretary Guo.
"I only heard that much."
Secretary Guo smiled sheepishly, but Old Wang couldn't sit still any longer. "Um, Secretary Guo, could you go and get the leader some more water?"
Secretary Guo was speechless; this was far too obvious.
Seeing the expressions on everyone's faces, Secretary Guo felt it was best to comply.
In the office.
Old Chen was still looking through the project plan.
Even after reviewing it three times, Old Chen was still undecided.
Ten projects? That's too many.
Even if the timeframes vary, it's just a plan. Who knows if it can be completed on time?
What if we can't finish it?
I always felt that this operation was too large and difficult to manage.
Moreover, if we were to submit this white paper now, the higher-ups would probably ask even more questions.
Therefore, he needs to make more preparations.
Only in this way can we pass the above hurdle.
Moreover, this is such a big matter that it is no longer just a matter for the Nine Ministries; it even concerns the future development of the revolution.
At the very least, the approval of those above is required before he can provide the Nine Ministries with the support they deserve.
"Tell me about this turbofan engine!"
Old Chen asked again.
Liu Huaimin and Li Hongfeng, who were standing nearby, looked somewhat somber when they saw that Old Chen was about to ask another question.
The two even felt that they might have been a bit reckless this time.
Ten is indeed a lot.
Just as the two exchanged glances, Yang Xiaotao picked up the water glass on the table, drank the tea inside, and then spoke.
"Sir, turbofan engines are different from turbojet engines, but they also have similarities."
Secretary Guo walked in under the watchful eyes of seven or eight people. He was initially pleased to see that Yang Xiaotao's cup was empty, but then he heard Yang Xiaotao say that the turbofan engine had slowed down even further.
After Secretary Guo poured hot tea for everyone and left, Yang Xiaotao had finished speaking.
Old Chen tapped his fingers lightly on the table, his expression serious.
The atmosphere in the office was so heavy that Liu Huaimin and Li Hongfeng couldn't find an opportunity to speak.
"Xiao Tao, I know you poured your heart and soul into this white paper!"
Old Chen suddenly spoke, and Yang Xiaotao nodded vigorously, but a bad feeling rose in his heart.
Because of this tone, there's a high chance that a turning point is coming next.
Sure enough, Old Chen said again, "But I think we still need to play it safe."
"Ten projects is too many, and there are risks involved. Take computers, for example. The current state of development is such that even the alliance hasn't developed enough, let alone us."
"Are you really willing to guarantee that you'll complete a minicomputer within three years?"
“This is not something that can be done by one or two factories working together. As you said, it requires the cooperation of many factories and research institutes.”
"If this task is not completed, will it affect the progress of other projects?"
"If progress is affected, will other industries involved face overproduction or technological obsolescence?"
Old Chen analyzed the situation step by step, causing Yang Xiaotao to frown deeply.
He didn't mean he disagreed, but rather he wanted to slow things down, to do it one by one, or in batches.
Instead of throwing out ten big bombs right away and blowing them all up at once.
Even Li Hongfeng and Liu Huaimin felt like they had been doused with cold water, and suddenly calmed down.
Perhaps ten is indeed a bit too many.
Or should we split into two groups?
However, just as they were about to persuade Yang Xiaotao, they saw him raise his head seriously, his tone grave.
"Sir, I know what you're worried about, and I know the consequences behind it."
Seeing Yang Xiaotao's expression, Old Chen also placed his hand on the table and looked at Yang Xiaotao seriously.
Yang Xiaotao took a deep breath and then said with certainty, "In my opinion, each of them is on the right track."
"I can guarantee that."
Upon hearing this, Old Chen stood up from his seat and stared intently at Yang Xiaotao.
Even after all this, this kid is still so stubborn, still persisting.
But Yang Xiaotao also lost his temper. He stood up from his seat and said directly, "Commander, I think that for every path we have a 30% chance of success, we should strive for it and put it into practice."
"Go and create revolutionary miracles."
"not to mention."
Yang Xiaotao placed his hands naturally on his thighs, and his voice suddenly became louder, "Moreover, I am absolutely confident."
In an instant, Old Chen turned his head and stared at Yang Xiaotao, thinking that this kid was like a newborn calf that was not afraid of tigers.
In an instant, Li Hongfeng looked at Yang Xiaotao's back and thought to himself, "This kid is damn awesome!"
For a moment, Liu Huaimin really wanted to stay in the Ninth Division, because he could see even more spectacular scenery there.