Chapter 2823
What to do if there aren't enough to go around?
Chapter 2823 What to do if there aren't enough to go around?
Social needs are the driving force behind scientific development.
Yang Xiaotao forgot who said this, but it was very appropriate to use it at this moment.
It was already noon when they returned to Beijing. After a quick trip, they went straight to the Ninth Department, where Yang Xiaotao saw the people in the conference room.
Upon receiving news of Yang Xiaotao's return, all those who had designs on computers gathered.
Peng didn't come, but Director Zheng from the 701 Research Institute did.
Yang Xiaotao felt that this person was a wolf in sheep's clothing.
not to be trifled.
Then came Secretary Guo, who came on behalf of Elder Chen.
When they arrived, Secretary Guo only said one thing: "The boss wants one."
Then there was Professor Song from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Professor Zhang from the Third Ministry of Machine Building, Professor Qin from the Logistics Department, and Professor Wang from the Seventh Ministry of Machine Building.
Finally, there was Director Qi of the observatory, whom I had never met before.
So, it seems the group had already agreed that, aside from the three units given to the Second Ministry of Machine Building, even if each of the remaining seven units received one, there wouldn't be a single one left.
Yang Xiaotao was speechless. According to what the others had done, the Ninth Department had been busy running around but hadn't gotten anything in return.
What is he busy with?
Sitting in the chair, Yang Xiaotao picked up the water glass on the table and sipped it without saying a word, just sitting there.
Seeing that Yang Xiaotao remained silent, the others exchanged glances, and finally, it was Old Wang who couldn't sit still any longer and broke the silence first.
"Xiao Yang, you must have had a long journey."
Old Wang chuckled, and Yang Xiaotao just grunted in response before looking down at the enamel mug on the table.
The others exchanged glances, and Old Qin winked at Old Wang. Old Wang glared back, then continued to laugh, "Young Yang, we're not strangers anymore, so I'll just say it directly."
"I came here this time specifically for this computer. As you know, our cooperative launch center needs this thing, as well as the rockets and missiles we're currently researching. Old Qian also said that with this, we can simulate ballistics, so we need one too."
"We're practically family, so just give us two."
Before Yang Xiaotao could even look up after Wang Lao finished speaking, Qin Lao, who was standing to the side, immediately objected, "Old Wang, have you no shame?"
"There are already too many wolves and not enough meat, and you want two more? Have you no shame?"
Old Wang snorted coldly, "We have a legitimate need, what's wrong with wanting two? Besides, what would your logistics department need these for?"
"Do you have any rockets or missiles? You want them to play with?"
Old Qin snorted coldly, "We may not have airplanes or missiles, but we do have airplanes and wind tunnels for experiments. So what? Is that not allowed?"
Old Wang curled his lip and said, "Old Qin, I'm not trying to criticize you, but with your strength, you might as well hand everything over to the Nine Departments. That way, you'll save yourself a lot of trouble."
Old Qin immediately objected, standing up and pointing at Old Wang, shouting, "You, surnamed Wang, say that again?"
Old Wang wasn't one to back down from trouble. He slammed his hand on the table and stood up, saying, "You, surnamed Qin, if you dare point at me again, just try it!"
The two glared at each other, looking ready to fight at the slightest provocation.
But the people around them were used to it and no one said anything to stop it.
Several of them even wore mocking expressions, as if they were watching a grand show.
Yang Xiaotao also crossed his arms and waited for the two to have their battle. The only pity was that the table was too wide. If it were narrower, the two of them might be able to touch arms.
The two glared at each other, but neither made a move to attack.
At this point, the two were also in an awkward position, cursing the people around them in their hearts for not stepping in to smooth things over. How were they supposed to save face?
"Director Yang, our research institute is a bit special; we need three computers."
Suddenly, Zheng Qiang from Institute 701 spoke softly.
Everyone turned to look, but Zheng Qiang was staring at Yang Xiaotao.
Old Wang and Old Qin exchanged a glance, then tacitly agreed, "No."
"Yes, no."
"We'll give you three units, so what about the rest?"
Old Qin looked indignant, but Zheng Qiang didn't even look at them; he kept staring at Yang Xiaotao.
Seeing this, Yang Xiaotao shook his head helplessly, "Director Zheng, I know about your situation. President Peng also told me about his needs."
"But I have a problem with this."
When Yang Xiaotao spoke, everyone turned to look at him intently.
Old Wang and Old Qin also sat down, waiting for Yang Xiaotao to tell them about his difficulties.
Upon hearing this, Yang Xiaotao continued, "When we bought the computers, there were ten of them, and my original plan was to keep them all."
"Because our Ninth Department has several projects that require our cooperation."
At this point, Yang Xiaotao began to complain, "Computer research requires three computers: one for disassembling and studying, and two for auxiliary research."
“The satellite and satellite phone research team needs one or two units.”
"Alloy research requires one."
"We'll research one photocopier, one radar, and one engine."
"Oh, right, we've also started a new project, the artillery reconnaissance radar project, which requires two units. That means we don't even have enough for ourselves."
At this point, Yang Xiaotao spread his hands, "Now, because of the Second Ministry of Machine Building, they have been given three machines, so we can only reduce the number here, but it's still not enough."
"Therefore, it is really difficult for me to do what you all are asking."
Everyone's expressions turned serious upon hearing Yang Xiaotao's words.
According to Yang Xiaotao, there was no problem.
But just because there are no problems doesn't mean it's impossible. They have a whole host of problems too.
Otherwise, why would I have the nerve to come here?
Cough
Secretary Guo knew that he had to speak up now, otherwise he wouldn't be able to explain himself if things didn't go smoothly.
Moreover, he understood why Old Chen had asked him to come over—he was afraid of losing face.
"Minister Yang, could you tell me the maximum number of units you can provide?"
Yang Xiaotao glanced at Secretary Guo, then looked at everyone, and said slowly, "Every family has its own problems, so I understand everyone's difficulties."
"But I also hope everyone can be understanding of each other."
At this point, even Old Wang, who was known for his thick skin, lowered his head.
Then Yang Xiaotao continued, "Three units were given to the Second Ministry of Machine Building, and of the remaining seven, our Ninth Ministry only kept two."
"The remaining five units are for you to decide among yourselves."
"Our Ninth Department doesn't have any 'highest bidder wins' policy; we'll just give you the cost price when the time comes."
After Yang Xiaotao finished speaking, everyone was stunned.
After hearing Yang Xiaotao say that only two units would remain, the crowd could still accept it.
But then the next sentence says, "You still need to pay?"
Some people couldn't stay calm.
Professor Song from the Chinese Academy of Sciences hesitated before asking, "Um, how much does a computer cost?"
Yang Xiaotao held up three fingers, "Thirty thousand US dollars."
"This is still the cost price, without including shipping."
When Old Song heard about the $30,000, he felt a pang of toothache.
If you exchanged it, it would only be a little over 70,000, but Yang Xiaotao said it was US dollars, so naturally, it's US dollars that I want.
They don't have many US dollars at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The others were also of different colors.
Especially Director Zheng, whose funds were allocated by higher authorities, he had never really thought about this money.
After a moment of silence, Yang Xiaotao continued, "That's all I ask!"
The group looked at each other, then fell silent.
After a long silence, Secretary Guo gritted his teeth and said, "I want one."
The others remained silent, but in their minds, they changed the original five stations to four.
Director Zheng sighed, then said softly, "I want one too."
That leaves three units.
Old Wang looked at Yang Xiaotao and then at the others, but before he could speak, the somewhat unfamiliar Director Qi of the observatory spoke first, "Director Yang, on behalf of the observatory, I would like to request one unit."
Then, looking at everyone present, he said softly, "We are exploring some supernatural phenomena!"
Yang Xiaotao suddenly widened his eyes, feeling very curious.
Upon hearing this, everyone else glanced at Director Qi, but no one objected further.
Yang Xiaotao unconsciously touched his pocket and then asked, "Director Qi, what kinds of supernatural phenomena are you talking about?"
Director Qi just smiled and said, "Minister Yang, if you want to join us, I can tell you."
Yang Xiaotao immediately shook his head, "Never mind then, I'm not interested in paranormal phenomena." "Have you actually encountered any?"
Master Qi remained smiling and silent.
Well, Yang Xiaotao felt that the other party probably hadn't encountered this before, at least he had a transcendent Xiao Wei in his arms.
However, Yang Xiaotao still asked out of curiosity, "Director Qi, do you have code names?"
Yang Xiaotao asked this question out of curiosity, because there was a certain 749 in later generations, which was rumored to be very mysterious.
He also specifically asked Qian about the 507, but Qian only said that it was a military research institution and nothing special.
Yang Xiaotao believed that Qian Lao would not lie to him, so the so-called 749 was probably just pure nonsense.
This is when I asked.
Director Qi didn't think much of it when he heard it. "No, we just call it the Observatory. We don't have any other code names."
Yang Xiaotao nodded in agreement. If another Lu Taro were to appear in this timeline, he would go and find Director Qi to see if what this guy was saying was true or false.
If that's true, he might as well contribute a movie ticket.
But if it's fake, hehe~
After Master Qi finished speaking, everyone present felt a bit quiet.
Only two units remain.
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Third Ministry of Machine Building, Logistics Department, Seventh Ministry of Machine Building.
Yang Xiaotao looked at the four people present, picked up his water glass, and pondered who would be the last one standing.
Everyone else leaned back in their chairs, looking like they were watching a show.
Qin and Wang exchanged a glance, then immediately turned their attention to Song.
"Old Song, you all have computers now, so don't get involved!"
Old Qin took the lead and spoke calmly, followed closely by Old Wang, "That's right, if you have the ability to make it yourselves, why are you competing with us rough men?"
Although Old Zhang's voice wasn't loud, everyone could hear it clearly.
"Old Song, you still have mainframe computers to use, don't try to take these little guys from us poor folks."
“Yeah, Lao Song, at least you have a piece of meat to eat, but we don’t even have a bone.”
"Old Song, it's not that the brothers are criticizing you, but what you did was dishonest. You already have what you need, yet you're still eyeing what's in the pot..."
The three of them talked back and forth, making Old Song's face darken, and his chest heaved like a bellows.
"Okay, okay, okay!"
"You lot, you lot, fine, you're all united against us, huh? Okay, then don't ever come begging to us again..."
Old Song was quite angry, but he could also see what the others meant, and what they said did make some sense, though it was inherently untenable.
Seeing that Old Song had calmed down, the three of them looked at each other.
Yang Xiaotao rested his chin on his hands, wanting to see how the three of them would eventually unite.
In fact, the Third Ministry of Machine Building and the Seventh Ministry of Machine Building were part of the same system, and the two had a great deal of cooperation.
However, the Third Ministry of Machine Building and the Logistics Department have cooperative projects, so they may join forces to exclude the Seventh Ministry of Machine Building.
Finally, given Qin Lao and Wang Lao's shrewdness, they couldn't possibly overlook these two possibilities, and the two might even end up teaming up.
These three people represent three possibilities; this is going to be interesting.
Just as everyone was looking on with amusement, waiting to see what would happen, Old Wang suddenly spoke up, "How about this, let's draw lots."
As soon as he finished speaking, Old Qin nodded immediately, "Okay!"
"can!"
The three people agreed one after another, much to the disappointment of those around them.
The three of them glanced at the crowd and then looked smug.
How could they not know the plans of those around them?
"Xiao Yang, you do it!"
Old Wang continued to speak, and although Yang Xiaotao was somewhat disappointed, he still complied.
He found a piece of paper, tore it into three pieces in front of everyone, wrote the word "have" on two of the pieces, crumpled them up, swapped them under the table, and then casually placed them on the table.
"I choose the leftmost one!"
Old Qin spoke first, and Old Wang raised an eyebrow and quickly said, "I choose the one on the far right!"
Old Zhang was speechless.
The last three people got their hands on it. Old Qin was the fastest. After opening it, he saw the words inside and immediately laughed, which made Old Wang's expression change.
Ignoring the stares of those around him, he quickly opened it.
I was stunned for a moment.
A blank sheet of paper.
Then came Old Zhang's hearty laughter, as if he had lost his parents.
Oh no, how am I going to explain this to Lao Qian when I get back?!
In the end, all the computers found their place, a result that brought joy to some and sorrow to others.
No one was in the mood for further conversation. Those who got the computer immediately took it back with their men, fearing that things might get complicated if they waited too long.
Those who didn't get what they wanted also wanted to leave as soon as possible.
Especially Professor Song from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, who was humiliated by Professor Qin and the other two, was feeling depressed and just wanted to go back and lick his wounds.
But Yang Xiaotao stopped him unexpectedly.
So, in the evening, three people were sitting in Yang Xiaotao's office.
Among them, Mr. Song was someone Yang Xiaotao specifically kept behind.
As for the other Mr. Wang, he set his sights on the two computers in Department Nine.
"Old Wang, it's getting late. If you have something to do, you should go back first."
Yang Xiaotao glanced at Old Wang and spoke.
Old Song, sitting in a chair and drinking tea, had calmed down and looked much more natural.
After listening, Old Wang looked at Yang Xiaotao and then at Old Song. His intuition told him that there was definitely something fishy going on.
And he hasn't even achieved his goal yet.
So he said, "No rush, no rush, none of you have left work yet."
"Besides, I can't go back from here!"
Seeing that Old Wang had a sour look on his face, Yang Xiaotao ignored him and turned to look at Old Song.
"Professor Song, I need the assistance of the Chinese Academy of Sciences for something."
Old Song nodded, he had a very good impression of the Nine Departments.
Putting aside everything else, Ye Lao and Chen Fang had a good relationship, and they were also mentors and friends in terms of technology.
There is even some competition, which is good for both sides.
"Minister Yang, you speak!"
When Old Song spoke up, Yang Xiaotao didn't hide anything and immediately explained the plans he had made.
The moment he opened his mouth, the two of them were dumbfounded.
In particular, Old Wang looked at Yang Xiaotao as if he were a monster. Listen to what he said.
There's nothing wrong with studying computers; after all, that's what I do now.
But to build a computer better than that, that's really...
That's brave!
That's really daring!
But Old Wang really didn't dare to question it, because this guy was really daring to do it.
Even Old Song was only momentarily stunned upon hearing this before earnestly asking, "Are you confident?"
Under their watchful eyes, Yang Xiaotao nodded seriously and said, "If our nine departments do it on their own, we might only have a 30% chance of success. But if we cooperate, we have at least a 50% chance!"
"Fifty percent?"
Old Song felt his breathing become rapid, halfway through.
The probability of it succeeding half and failing half is too high.
Then, as if struck by a sudden realization, she immediately exclaimed, "You mean a better computer?"
Old Wang rolled his eyes. "You're so old, you can't even understand the important points?"
But he doesn't dare to speak up now, because if this matter really comes to fruition, he'll have something to say to Lao Qian later.
Computers from the United States are just kids' toys.
We don't care. We'll wait until the Ninth Division makes something even better for us, and those bastards will be green with envy.
They never considered that others might have the same thing.
In short, I can go back and report!
Just as Old Wang was thinking this, Yang Xiaotao's calm voice came from beside him, "Of course! If we're going to do it, we'll do it the best!"