Chapter 3096
Departure, World Cup
Chapter 3096 Departure, World Cup
"More than 20 million tons?"
Upon hearing Old Chen's words, Yang Xiaotao gasped in surprise and asked, "Sir, where did you get so much scrap steel?"
"Did they conjure it up through magic?"
Old Chen shook his head. "This is a long story."
Yang Xiaotao, however, acted like a curious child.
Seeing this, Old Chen had no choice but to briefly explain what had happened to Yang Xiaotao.
After Old Chen finished speaking, Yang Xiaotao finally understood where the scrap steel came from.
It was a product of that 'glorious era'.
At that time, the whole country was engaged in the Great Leap Forward to produce steel. In some places, the rudimentary steelmaking methods were not up to standard, and the steel produced could not be used for anything and could only become scrap steel.
In the end, it was only after Elder Chen and his colleagues discovered the drawbacks that they urgently called for a halt to the project.
It was already a bit late by then, and the final weight of scrap steel tallied from various regions was more than 20 million tons.
Behind these numbers lies a huge investment and sacrifice.
From that time on, Mr. Chen became extremely cautious when making decisions, fearing that such a situation of "aiming too high" would occur again.
"These 20 million tons are concentrated in various cities. If you want to use them, just submit a report and I will have someone deliver them to you."
Upon hearing this, Yang Xiaotao immediately nodded, "That's great. These 20 million tons, plus our own scrap steel, should be enough for us for several years."
Old Chen nodded, then looked at the electric furnace that was in operation and smiled, "Actually, we are not unaware of the advantages of electric furnaces, but alas..."
"This thing is not simple in terms of technology, manufacturing materials, and energy consumption."
"Especially the electricity consumption, which is not enough for other industrial production, how can it be used for steelmaking?"
"To put it bluntly, we can only find the most suitable path for the present moment from the limited resources we have."
Yang Xiaotao nodded, but he remembered what Old Liu had mentioned about the nuclear power plant construction during their last meal. So he looked at Old Chen and asked, "Sir, what do you mean by that?"
"Are they going to build another nuclear power plant?"
Old Chen didn't look at Yang Xiaotao, but picked up his enamel mug, drank some water, and then put it down and asked, "Do you think we can successfully build another nuclear power plant?"
Yang Xiaotao immediately nodded, "Yes."
Putting everything else aside, the Second Ministry of Machine Building's experience is more than enough to handle the situation.
As for security issues, that's not something he should be concerned about.
As for funding, with full support from higher authorities, any size nuclear power plant can be built.
"The higher-ups saw the benefits of the Dengzhou nuclear power plant and wanted to build one in the south as well."
Old Chen said calmly, "However, this matter still needs to be considered comprehensively. Just keep it to yourself and don't get involved."
Yang Xiaotao nodded; of course he wouldn't get involved.
I still have a lot of things to do.
At this moment, Old Chen changed the subject and asked, "The people from the Japanese islands are coming soon. When will you send someone over?"
When this was mentioned, Yang Xiaotao scratched his head, looking somewhat hesitant.
The situation on the Japanese islands is somewhat unique, especially since many people don't want to go there right now.
When I called Zhao Lao from the Fourth Ministry of Machine Building last time, none of his people wanted to go when they heard it was a job on the Japanese islands.
To this day, no suitable person has been found.
"We are arranging that."
Yang Xiaotao gave a perfunctory reply, but Old Chen could see through his intentions and immediately said, "After all, they paid money, so we have to be honest and live up to our reputation."
"Send someone over there as soon as possible, don't delay things."
Yang Xiaotao, however, seemed to remember something and quickly said, "We will arrange it as soon as possible. However, the World Cup in Germany is about to start, and it starts earlier than in Japan. We should follow the order of arrival."
"So we'll go to West Germany first to finish things there, and then come back to install it on the Japanese islands."
Seeing that Yang Xiaotao was using the World Cup as a cover, Old Chen didn't say much.
That's a legitimate reason, isn't it?
As for the Japanese islands, let's wait and see.
Anyway, the World Cup only lasts a few days, so we can go to Japan after it's over; there's still plenty of time.
"You can decide on the specific plans yourselves, but the personnel must be reliable."
"clear."
"And about the gaming competition, have you found all the players?"
When Mr. Chen asked again, Yang Xiaotao shook his head. He was also puzzled, as Mr. Chen hadn't shown this much concern during the last Hong Kong gaming competition.
Why did you specifically ask this this time?
It's just a game competition, right?
Yang Xiaotao looked troubled, but still explained, "Speaking of this, I still have a headache."
"While I don't object to children playing games, after all, it can be considered a kind of competition."
“But playing games all the time is not a good thing for children, especially playing games for the sake of playing games.”
“My husband has already said that whoever wants to go can go this time, but none of the children in the family are allowed to participate.”
Upon hearing Yang Xiaotao's words, Old Chen laughed.
These days, "indulging in frivolous pursuits and neglecting one's duties" is no small matter.
Especially in the eyes of traditional teachers, this kind of game console is heretical.
"Regardless of the circumstances, since they have extended an invitation, we should show our attitude."
"If someone else goes now, it will probably be difficult to convince the public, and the organizers will feel that we are disrespecting them."
At this point, Old Chen's face also turned serious. "Our relationship with France is gradually becoming closer, and there are some things that require mutual cover-ups."
"That way, we'll have friends speaking up for us on the international stage."
"I've spoken with them, and this time it'll still be up to you guys to organize things!"
After Mr. Chen finished speaking, Yang Xiaotao still looked troubled.
Because he had promised Ran Qiuye, and his children at home had also been strictly forbidden from doing so.
but
The Ninth Division doesn't only have these children.
At worst, we can just set an age limit!
Thinking of this, Yang Xiaotao nodded to Old Chen, "Okay, I'll have someone arrange this later and give you an answer before Qingming Festival."
Old Chen nodded, "This matter needs to be taken seriously."
"clear."
"And there's the West-East Gas Pipeline."
As the two discussed their next steps, the electric arc furnace began operating.
The two stopped talking and began to look at the scene.
After waiting for about forty minutes, a roar from a worker was immediately followed by applause.
Yang Xiaotao and Old Chen also stood up and applauded.
Guan Zhiyong and An Zhongsheng were extremely excited.
Congratulations!
Old Chen walked up and shook hands with everyone, and Yang Xiaotao followed behind, offering his congratulations as well.
After having a celebratory lunch at the steel plant and seeing Old Chen off, Yang Xiaotao then spoke to Guan Zhiyong and An Zhongsheng about the 'more than 20 million tons' of scrap steel.
At first glance, the two were somewhat incredulous.
Then came ecstasy.
"Now that the scrap steel issue has been resolved, the rest can proceed according to plan."
"Old Hong said that according to this year's plan, the demand for steel will be much higher than last year."
"You have to get ready."
Guan Zhiyong and An Zhongsheng looked at each other, then nodded vigorously.
Back at the Ninth Department in the afternoon, Yang Xiaotao remembered Old Chen's instructions, so he picked up the phone and called Old Zhao.
In the late afternoon, Old Zhao personally came to the Ninth Department. In his office, Yang Xiaotao brought him a cup of freshly brewed green tea, then sat down beside him and asked, "Old Zhao!"
"Has no one been chosen yet?"
Old Zhao also looked helpless. "As soon as they heard that we were going to the Japanese islands, the people who had originally signed up immediately backed out. I never expected it to turn out like this."
Speaking of this, Old Zhao was also anxious.
They've put up 50 billion US dollars, and they still haven't selected any personnel.
"That won't do!"
Yang Xiaotao's expression was solemn, and Old Zhao's heart skipped a beat when he heard this.
"Therefore, the personnel must be selected before Qingming Festival, even if they don't want to go, they have to go."
"We must do ideological work to make people understand, and even if they don't understand, we must do it first and then think about it."
"Also, we need to ensure proper staff rotation. This trip will be quite long, and with rotation, everyone will have a chance."
"The other thing is to make sure the iron supplementation is in place. At this point, you don't need to worry about any of the rules and regulations."
After hearing Yang Xiaotao's words, Old Zhao understood the seriousness of the matter.
The reason for this is that they were used to being lazy in the former Fourth Ministry of Machine Building, or rather, that he, as the leader, was "too democratic," which made them feel constrained.
Unlike the Ninth Division, which treated tasks as assignments and assigned them to workers, the Ninth Division did not treat them as tasks to be completed.
They have no right to be picky, let alone dare to be selective.
We must do exactly what is arranged above.
And he really needs to rebuild his public image in this regard.
Thinking of this, he said, "Alright, I'll go back and select people now."
Yang Xiaotao reached out to stop him, "There's something else before that. We also need to form a team in West Germany."
"They have a total of nine football stadiums for this World Cup, located in nine different cities."
"As requested by the other party, base stations and paging stations need to be set up in these nine cities respectively."
"We are training people here, and you should join in too."
Yang Xiaotao changed the subject and brought up the Federal Republic of Germany again. Old Zhao slapped his forehead and said, "Oh right, I almost forgot about that."
"Don't worry, Mr. Yang, I'll give you an answer within a week."
"Okay, then I'll wait for your good news."
After saying that, Old Zhao got up and prepared to go home.
Yang Xiaotao got up to see the other person off, and then went to the research institute.
At this moment, computer operation training is being conducted in a classroom within the research institute.
Most of the people receiving training here are directly selected from the nine technical schools, while a small number are selected from high school students.
They have been undergoing two months of training here, mainly learning how to use a computer, use a keyboard, and perform routine operations such as Chinese language operation.
Of course, these people weren't sent to the paging station.
These people are all teachers preparing to offer computer courses in schools.
"Mr. Yang, you've arrived."
Yang Xiaotao walked past the classroom and bumped into Lu Tao. The two then walked to a stairwell and started chatting.
"Want one?"
Yang Xiaotao took out a cigarette, but Lu Tao smiled and waved his hand, "No, I have to go teach my students later."
Yang Xiaotao put away his cigarette and asked, "How's the student's learning going?"
"It's pretty good, most of the simple operations have returned."
"I can type Chinese text independently."
"I also know a bit about the language, and I'll be able to graduate in another month or so."
Lu Tao said proudly, "Although it sounds simple, getting children to accept new theories from scratch is a challenge not only for the children but also for the teachers."
"That's good."
"These children need to be taught well. They are the seeds we will sow in the future. Whether we can harvest more good seedlings depends on them."
Lu Tao nodded, a serious expression appearing on his face.
"By the way, has the selection of the person to go to West Germany been finalized at the paging station?"
Yang Xiaotao asked casually, and Lu Tao nodded, "It's out. Comrades enthusiastically signed up, and there was even an internal competition for it."
"By the way, the team leader is Liu Yongqiang, Director Liu."
These words relieved Yang Xiaotao.
Finally, there was good news.
"Okay, you go ahead and do your work, I'll go check on the situation."
"Okay, Mr. Yang, you're busy."
Lu Tao left and headed towards the classroom, while Yang Xiaotao found Liu Yongqiang, who was staying at the computer research institute.
"Mr. Yang, you're asking about going abroad, right?"
Liu Yongqiang's smiling face made Yang Xiaotao feel a little dazed, as if he had seen the same person when he went to the Seventh Ministry of Machinery Industry to ask for help years ago.
Now, many years have passed, and the other party is still the same.
Good.
“I heard you were leading the team there, so I came to see you.”
Liu Yongqiang chuckled upon hearing this, "Little Fatty was originally supposed to be in the technical team."
"But they said they had something to do and couldn't get away, so we made a new selection."
"That kid Wang Kun tried to take this spot from me, but I won."
Yang Xiaotao knew why Xiaopang couldn't go, but he didn't point it out. Instead, he told Liu Yongqiang, "I can rest assured if you go."
"Go there and do a good job at the paging station. Don't hold back."
"We must teach them how to operate it. As for the conversion between Chinese and German, they will handle that themselves, so we don't need to worry about it."
"All you have to do is solve the technical problems; don't worry about anything else."
Liu Yongqiang immediately kept Yang Xiaotao's instructions in mind.
Although Han Sanfeng had mentioned this matter several times.
"I estimate you'll be leaving soon, so spend these next few days with your families."
"The World Cup starts in June and ends in July. If you want to come back, it will probably be at the end of July. You'll have to talk to your wives about this for the next six months."
Liu Yongqiang tilted his head and smiled, then said solemnly, "Don't worry, Mr. Yang, we were already mentally prepared since we made this choice."
"And my family is also very supportive."
Yang Xiaotao nodded again, "That's good!"
After learning about the personnel composition from Liu Yongqiang, Yang Xiaotao did not linger but returned to his office.
At this time, after returning to the Fourth Ministry of Machine Building, Zhao Lao immediately convened a meeting to select personnel.
So, the very next day, as soon as Yang Xiaotao arrived at the Ninth Department, he received a call from Old Zhao: the personnel had been selected.
This efficiency truly exceeded Yang Xiaotao's expectations.
So Yang Xiaotao called Li Rong that same day to inquire about the arrangements.
Upon learning this, Li Rong immediately contacted the staff at the Federal Republic of Germany.
Meanwhile, the coordinators in the Federal Republic of Germany were also extremely busy.
With less than three months to go before the World Cup, the new pager technology is being regarded by the Federation as one of the highlights of this World Cup.
Upon learning of this, the staff immediately began the handover process.
Then comes reaching an agreement.
They will depart three days later for West Germany to participate in preparations for this World Cup.