Chapter 2975
: Being clever but being misled by cleverness
Chapter 2975: Being clever but being misled by cleverness
Isburg.
An Zhongsheng arrived at the exhibition as usual, but this time he did not stay long and went straight to Ansel.
After participating in the exhibition, apart from the first two days when people would often come to the counter to say a few words, he spent most of the remaining time leading Tian Jun through the various display cases.
Therefore, every time he took a picture with his camera, he would immediately record the information in his notebook. He also inquired about the machinery from the exhibition staff in order to find the alloy material suitable for natural gas pipelines.
But as the days went by and they searched through each display case, they couldn't find the material at all.
Even the foreign trade personnel who initially provided this information are now questioning whether they were hallucinating or misheard.
Having traveled so far to get here, not to mention the hardships he endured, the daily cost of staying here is almost equivalent to his monthly salary.
Having spent so much money to "work," I can't live with myself if I don't find something useful.
So An Zhongsheng continued to search for his target at the exhibition, collecting materials and learning notes at the same time.
Just as the exhibition was about to end, he arrived at the final booth of the event.
That is, Ansel's CNC machine tools.
Looking at the CNC machine tool with five blades, An Zhongsheng mentally compared it to his own Galaxy No. 1.
In terms of accuracy, he's not a professional and thinks they're about the same.
In terms of efficiency, our own is better, because our Galaxy One has six blades, which is definitely better than the other's five.
After comparing them in his mind, he came to the conclusion that his own machine tool was better.
Then Ansel started talking about CNC machine tools.
That's when he finally found his purpose for this trip.
It turns out that when Ansel was introducing his machine tool, he inadvertently mentioned that it was used in an underground factory.
Therefore, most parts of machine tools are made of special alloy steel that is hard, corrosion-resistant, and less affected by temperature changes.
Hearing the other party say that, An Zhongsheng almost burst out laughing.
Isn't this exactly the material he's looking for?
It can be said that, after searching high and low without finding it, it suddenly appeared in the dim light.
After some subtle questioning from An Zhongsheng, he finally figured out where the alloy material came from.
It turns out that this metal material was ordered by a water pipe factory, and then a small steel processing plant was found to manufacture it through Rheinmetall.
However, the waterworks later went bankrupt due to an epidemic, and the steel mill's products lost their market. Since no other factories needed this material, it could only be stored in the warehouse.
Ansel specifically sought out this steel mill to study the machine tools in the underground factory, and used some materials provided by them.
However, it seems that the steel is actually quite good.
At least in Ansel's eyes, it was better than expected.
With the information provided by Ansel, An Zhongsheng only needed to tell Section Chief Li of the Foreign Trade Department.
Things proceeded smoothly afterward. The foreign trade personnel did not intervene; instead, their French business partners purchased a batch of alloy materials. However, the French side was asking for a high price for the material's production process, so no agreement was reached for the time being.
However, An Zhongsheng knew that if the material could really be used in natural gas pipelines, he would buy it no matter the cost.
He believed that Minister Yang would not be stingy with this.
Of course, we shouldn't be taken advantage of.
Mission accomplished, all is well now.
An Zhongsheng then relaxed and began to visit and learn in the exhibition hall.
I've seen many of these machines before, but I can always find something different about them.
For example, the four-cylinder diesel engine on display here was already made during the mechanical factory era. He may not know much about the Red Star engine, but he is not unfamiliar with it either.
But the diesel engines he saw here were somewhat different.
It's also a four-cylinder diesel engine, but it's only half the size of the Red Star, yet its RPM is quite high when it's running.
More importantly, the other party calculated that the diesel combustion efficiency reached 40%, while the Hongxing diesel engine only had a rate of around 30%.
He studied the technology in detail, but the result...
There's not a single piece of useful knowledge, but a ton of general knowledge.
However, at least we understand the gap and have started to catch up.
Today, news came from the foreign trade department that some materials had been purchased and shipped to China by air, and he was about to leave.
Upon approaching, Ansel greeted An Zhongsheng with a smile.
An Zhongsheng walked up to Ansel, then shook his hand vigorously, his heart filled with gratitude.
After spending more than half a month getting to know each other, he developed a great liking for the seemingly arrogant but actually pragmatic German old man in front of him.
Moreover, the mission was made possible thanks to Ansel.
“Mr. Ansel, I’m leaving for home tomorrow, and I’m here specifically to say goodbye.”
"Oh, really? That's a real shame. I was hoping to invite you to the closing banquet of the exhibition."
Ansel said with some disappointment, feeling a little regretful.
Ever since he learned that the sphere was made by a CNC machine tool, he has been asking around about CNC machine tools.
Especially in the field of CNC, his team consists of professors from various universities, and it took them several years to design it successfully.
He found it hard to imagine that the other side, a place with such a technologically underdeveloped environment, could produce a mechanical language.
It's unbelievable, yet we have to believe it.
They could tell from An Zhongsheng's description that he was not lying.
China has indeed developed a CNC machine tool, and its performance is no worse than his.
This intrigued him.
Upon hearing Tian Jun's translation, An Zhongsheng gave an apologetic smile, "I'm so sorry!"
"However, I sincerely invite you to visit our country, where our machinery is developing just as rapidly."
"Our workers also possess highly skilled techniques..."
An Zhongsheng began to invite the old man, believing that if the old man could give a report or speech on his insights into machinery in China, it would be very helpful to the development of machinery in China.
Upon hearing this, Ansel was somewhat tempted.
Because his team had once conducted an investigation report.
Through their research on Chinese game consoles, photocopiers, solar cells, and aerospace, they came to a conclusion.
China has reached the forefront of the world in semiconductor and integrated circuit research.
The final conclusion even pointed out that China's research in computer science was no less advanced than that of the Alliance and the United States.
This shocked him.
The key to CNC machine tools is digital control, and the computer is the core of that control.
So when An Zhongsheng invited him, he was genuinely tempted.
However, a formal invitation is required to go to China.
With that in mind, Ansel didn't beat around the bush, or rather, in his view, it was better to be straightforward.
After a moment of contemplation, Ansel said, "Mr. Ansel, if you extend an invitation, I think I can lead my team to visit you."
Upon hearing Tian Jun's translation, An Zhongsheng's eyes lit up, and he extended his hand again, "That's wonderful! I'm already looking forward to seeing you in Beijing!"
The two of them immediately burst into laughter.
Just as the two were having a pleasant conversation, a figure not far away quietly lowered his head, his expression suddenly turned ferocious, and then quickly left.
After leaving the exhibition, Fujii Itsuki quickly walked to the car parked to the side and sat down.
"Section Chief, we've found out that they're leaving tomorrow."
Fujii Itsuki spoke respectfully, and Matsui Goro, sitting in the passenger seat, nodded slowly, "It seems the other party has achieved their goal."
"So it seems that alloy material is their ultimate goal." "Fujii, what do you think?"
Fujii Itsuki nodded hurriedly, "Yes!"
"Section Chief, you are wise. I also believe that the other party has ulterior motives."
"However, it was the section chief's wisdom and insight that led him to discover the other party's conspiracy, which prevented a major disaster from happening."
"well!"
Matsui Goro nodded in satisfaction, then glanced out of the car and saw An Zhongsheng leaving the venue.
Instantly, smiles appeared on the faces of the three people in the car.
Fujii Itsuki clenched his fists in excitement, genuinely happy.
The previous claims about the effects of zirconium alloys, although ultimately proven to be false, were simply a case of scare tactics employed.
However, the impact it brings is considerable.
This incident also caused their popularity in China to skyrocket.
They even received instructions from bigwigs in China: regardless of the veracity of the information, they must report as much as possible what is "beneficial" to their side.
What does "beneficial" mean?
Uniting the people and fostering a shared hatred of the enemy is advantageous.
So after receiving instructions, they even put aside their original duties at the exhibition and devoted all their efforts to investigating the purpose of China's visit.
They initially thought the other party was there to learn about the cutting-edge developments in the machinery industry, which they considered normal, given that China's industry was far behind not only this place but also theirs.
Isn't it only right that the weak come here to learn?
So the three of them focused their attention on the exhibition until it was about to end.
But just then, their section chief discovered the other party's true purpose.
That means the other party is looking for an alloy material.
After listening to the section chief's analysis, Fujii Itsuki immediately launched an investigation.
They then determined that what the other party was looking for was the material for the CNC machine tools made by Ansel.
After some investigation, the three of them learned about the properties of the material and then found the material manufacturer.
As for why the other party wanted to buy this material, the most direct reason is to use it to manufacture CNC machine tools.
Didn't you see that Mr. Ansel used this type of machine tool?
As for other uses, they are no longer important.
Its greatest use is in machine tool manufacturing.
"Section Chief, we must thwart their plot."
Fujii Itsuki said earnestly and confidently.
Matsui Goro immediately nodded, "Yes, I've already reported this matter."
"Mr. Yamaguchi has already made arrangements, and I believe he has already begun to act on them."
"Mr. Yamaguchi, are you that big shot from Mitsubishi?"
Fujii Itsuki looked excited, and his words were filled with excitement.
"Yes!"
"Matsui Goro said calmly," he said. At that moment, his assistant and driver immediately said, "The section chief and Mr. Yamaguchi were elementary school classmates!"
Fujii Itsuki looked at Matsui Goro with admiration, while Matsui Goro, enjoying his subordinate's adoration, waved his hand dismissively and said, "Just an elementary school classmate."
"Back then, Yamaguchi Kyūjirō was just an ordinary student in our class. I never imagined that time would fly by and he would achieve such success in the blink of an eye."
Fujii Itsuki hurriedly said, "Section Chief, you have also achieved extraordinary things. This time, you even discovered the Chinese conspiracy. Your contribution is indispensable."
"After this, he will definitely be promoted, and may even be transferred back to Japan to serve as president, no less than Mr. Yamaguchi."
After hearing Fujii Itsuki's compliment, Matsui Goro nodded with satisfaction.
Then he waved and said, "Let's go, let's follow them. We can't afford any accidents at this final moment."
"Hi~"
The car started and followed at a distance until we reached my residence.
On the other side, Yamaguchi Kyūjirō, whom Matsui Gorō mentioned, was listening to his subordinate's report.
"President, we have located the steel mill and learned about their inventory."
The voice of his subordinate came through the phone, and Yamaguchi Kyūjirō gave a satisfied "hmm," asking, "How much of this material do they have?"
"Sir, according to them, they currently have fifty tons, and they also said that the Chinese offered them a price of 100,000 marks per ton."
"One hundred thousand marks? Do they have that much money?"
Yamaguchi Kyūjirō said dismissively, and his subordinate hesitated for a moment before explaining, "Sir, the other party just sold a lot of oil!"
"Moreover, they specifically used marks to settle the oil transactions, so they're not short of money."
Upon hearing this, Yamaguchi Kyūjirō's expression turned grim.
When the topic of oil comes up, he can't contain his anger.
They initially wanted to buy China's oil reserves through merchants from the United States, but to their surprise, even though they offered prices far exceeding market rates, the other party refused to sell to them.
They wouldn't sell it if they didn't want to, but they even went so far as to pay for shipping to sell it here.
Isn't this looking down on them?
This is a classic case of not wanting things to be good for oneself and not wanting things to be good for others either.
If they had been able to acquire that oil back then, they could have stabilized the market and reduced their losses.
Instead of the current situation, where the domestic economy is in recession while massive amounts of foreign exchange are spent to maintain stability.
In their view, the oil crisis was merely the cause of their economic turmoil, while China's opportunistic actions were the real culprit that exacerbated their already dire situation and led to enormous losses.
Under such circumstances, how could they possibly let China have its way?
Nothing can be allowed to go their way!
“Buy it. Tell that factory how much material they have in their warehouse and we’ll buy it.”
Yamaguchi Kyūjirō gritted his teeth and said, but the voice on the other end of the phone came again, "Sir, we have already contacted them and made a purchase request."
"But they said they've already sold all the materials to China and received a deposit of one million, and they'll compensate us tenfold if we return them."
Upon hearing this, Yamaguchi Kyūjirō stood up immediately. "One million? A deposit?"
"Yes, online. The contracts are all signed, and I reviewed them myself."
"No, I mean the fact that they paid a million-dollar deposit shows that these materials are very important to them."
"We must not let them succeed."
Yamaguchi Kyūjirō's face was contorted with rage, yet also concealed a certain pleasure.
"Even ten times that is only ten million marks, we'll cover that cost."
"Then we'll buy all the materials at a price 10,000 higher, and not allow a single gram to be sold to China."
Yamaguchi Kyūjirō shouted loudly, and the person opposite him was clearly intimidated by the message in his voice.
After a long while, he came to his senses, then loudly agreed and hung up the phone.
As soon as he hung up the phone, Yamaguchi Kyūjirō happily walked out of his office. He wanted to report this good news back home.
The next day, Goro Matsui saw the target go to the steel mill looking furious. Although he didn't know what had happened inside, his face was as cold as ice when he came out, so he knew that his own people had made a move.
Then I saw the other person angrily leave the hotel and board a plane to leave West Germany.
Then they learned that Yamaguchi Kyūjirō had sent people to buy up all the materials in the warehouse.
This time, the other side returned empty-handed.
Upon receiving the news, Goro Matsui immediately sent a telegram back home to celebrate the good news together.
Unbeknownst to them, on the plane bound for Persia, An Zhongsheng kept a briefcase by the window, never letting it out of his sight.