Material Empire

The story Lu Hexing told Qin Hai was very simple but helpless. Of course, this is also a story that Qin Hai in the previous life had heard, but now that the person involved personally tells it, some of the inside story is clearer.

The original intention of my country to introduce the Spey engine in the mid-1970s was to learn from foreign experience and comprehensively improve the domestic engine design and manufacturing level, and the second was to equip a certain type of light bomber. After the introduction of the technology, the 43A factory took the lead to carry out the localization of the Spey engine and achieved remarkable results.

At the beginning of 1980, the domestic Spey engine made of British materials was tested in the UK for ground test, high-altitude performance, functional start, re-ignition test, cold start test at minus 40 degrees Celsius, etc., and all achieved the expected results. In May 1980, the Chinese and British sides signed the assessment contract, confirming that the localized trial production of the Spey engine was qualified. According to domestic practice, the localized Spey engine has gained a famous name: Hongling.

But at this time, an embarrassing situation appeared. Due to the great adjustment of the national economy, the country has greatly reduced military expenditures, and a certain light bomber project that was originally planned could not be launched due to lack of funds. Once the Hongling engine came out, it encountered a dilemma that no one cared about it. From the early 1980s to the end of the 1980s, Factory 43A completed the manufacture of more than a dozen subsequent Hongling engines using British materials imported in the early days. However, they could not find buyers for the engines, so they could only shelve these engines, which cost a lot of precious foreign exchange. .

In 1988, the South China Sea conflict occurred between China and Vietnam. The country realized that a large combat aircraft capable of carrying out strike and bombing missions was urgently needed in the direction of the South China Sea. The development of a certain type of fighter-bomber was put on the agenda, and Hongling was identified as the model for this type of fighter. engine. However, due to a delay of ten years, the localization of materials for the Hongling engine has not been completed, which has become an important bottleneck for the full localization of the engine.

"There are 112 grades of metal materials used in the Hongling engine, including 35 non-stainless steel, 8 stainless steel, 16 high-temperature alloys, 25 non-ferrous metals, 4 titanium alloys, and 6 others. Most of these materials are sold in my country. There is no corresponding material, and it needs to be imitated. For example, the rotor blades in the low-pressure low-pressure engine are made of titanium-6 aluminum-4 vanadium alloy, which we cannot produce yet and can only be imported from the UK." Huang Dongfeng interjected and added.

"If military materials need to rely on foreign countries, it is very dangerous. Once a war breaks out and foreign countries interrupt the supply of materials to us, our fighter aircraft production will be unsustainable. Even if foreign countries can provide us with such materials, our output is high or low. It is also completely controlled by others. If others don't want us to give birth, they can strangle us at any time, which is something we cannot accept." Lu Hexing said seriously.

Qin Hai had heard about the things Lu Hexing and Huang Dongfeng said in his previous life, and he also knew how hard the military industry had gone to in order to break through these technical obstacles. He raised his head and asked several people: "So, have you carried out the localization of these materials at present?"

"Of course I'm doing it." Yan Quangen hurriedly replied, he also had to refresh his sense of existence.

"How's the progress?" Qin Hai asked again. He knew that the progress of this kind of military scientific research was confidential, but since Lu Hexing and others found him, they obviously didn't treat him as an outsider. If the other party has to hide such things from him, then the two sides have nothing to talk about.

Sure enough, upon hearing Qin Hai's question, both Yan Quangen and Huang Dongfeng turned their heads to look at Lu Hexing. After receiving a positive hint from Lu Hexing, Huang Dongfeng sighed and said, "To tell the truth, President Qin, the progress is not going well."

This answer did not surprise Qin Hai. He remembered that the complete localization of the Hongling engine was not completed until more than ten years later, and now the 43A factory is still in the difficult process of tackling key problems.

"Let's open up. Dean Lu, Factory Director Yan, and Mr. Huang are here. What do you want?" Qin Hai didn't intend to go around in circles with the other party, and asked the other party directly why he came.

"This..." Lu Hexing's old face turned red, and he moved his mouth a few times, but finally he couldn't speak.

"Let me say it." Yan Quangen took over Lu Hexing's words. Of course, he can't push this kind of embarrassing thing to the leader. lost it?

"We came to see Mr. Qin this time for one purpose. We want to ask Mr. Qin to help us." Yan Quangen said.

"How can I help?" Qin Hai asked calmly.

"Uh..." Yan Quangen's mouth also trembled. The words of "helping you" seem a little gentle after all, so he can still say it. The word asking for money is so vulgar, how can he say it?

In case Feng saw a few people embarrassed like this, he couldn't bear it, so he simply spoke out for them: "Xiao Qin, what they mean is to ask if your group can provide them with some funding. Now the 43A factory technology , Talents, and equipment are all available, but there is a lack of funds, or to put it bluntly, a lack of money. Material development is a matter of burning money, and nothing can be done without money.”

Hearing that Wanyifeng had broken the window paper, Lu Hexing and the others all raised their heads, staring straight at Qin Hai, waiting for Qin Hai to give them a reply. Hope, or disappointment, is in Qin Hai's thought.

Ever since Lu Hexing and the others appeared in front of him, Qin Hai had guessed their intentions and made complicated calculations in his mind. In case Feng finished speaking, he didn't answer right away, but looked at Lu Hexing and the others with a smile, his eyes swept back and forth on the faces of the three of them, until they were sweating all over.

"Boss Qin... this matter is indeed a bit presumptuous, we..." Huang Dongfeng is a scholar after all, with the thinnest skin. Let Qin Hai look back and forth like this for a few times, he couldn't calm down at first, and mumbled, not knowing how to explain it.

Qin Hai suddenly smiled, turned his head to Wan Yifeng, and said, "Secretary Wan, Dean Lu and the others, how did they find me?"

"It's my fault." Wan Yifeng is a thick-skinned person, and he admitted his responsibility boldly. He pointed at Lu Hexing and said, "Xiao Qin, let me explain to you. I went to the old Lu." Comrade-in-arms, he is more educated than me, so now he is an older official than me..."

"Old Wan, it's because you don't want to go to the courtyard, and you don't want to part with the mansion and this beautiful place, so you can't blame others." Lu Hexing interjected.

In case Feng didn't pick up, he continued: "I've heard Lao Lu tell me about the 43A factory many times, and speaking of it, we are all in one system, and their affairs are also our affairs. Originally Well, our 70X Institute, like Factory 43A, is facing the problems of insufficient state funding and economic difficulties. Later, we met Xiao Qin, the God of Wealth, who found us a good project and got us out of trouble. When Lu heard about this, he asked me about it, and I told him about your situation. No, he brought Factory Manager Yan and Mr. Huang to pay homage to your door."

"Yes, yes. Xiao Yan, Xiao Huang and I arrived the day before yesterday. We walked around the 70X Institute and saw a new look. All the laboratories are working and the funds are sufficient, which makes us very greedy. Ah." Lu Hexing said with a smile.

"Dean Lu, I'm sorry, the cooperation model between us and 70X Institute cannot be replicated." Qin Hai replied lightly.

Lu Hexing was taken aback: "What do you mean?"

"Secretary Wan must have introduced the process of our cooperation with the 70X Institute to you. You should also be able to see that in this cooperation, our group has made sacrifices. The material for the body armor was developed by us. We It is equivalent to giving a chance to make money to the 70X institute for free. Of course, it is the obligation of our private enterprises to make some contributions to national defense science and technology industry, and we are duty bound. However, if every military industry department needs us to make We may not be able to afford the contribution," Qin Hai said.

Lu Hexing and the others looked at each other, and their expressions became gloomy. They ran to Qin Hai's gate for help, but they had actually murmured in their hearts, worrying that Qin Hai would not extend his hand. Qin Hai's reason is very legitimate, helping the 70X Institute is just fulfilling his duty, he has no reason to manage all units that are in trouble. 70X earned hundreds of millions from this cooperation. Qin Hai could have earned the money himself. It was already very difficult for others to give it up. How could he ask him to give up more benefits?

Of course, Lu Hexing and the others did not expect that the profit of body armor is not something that anyone can make. If Qin Hai is not willing to give these profits to 70X Institute, he may not be able to make it by himself. After all, this is military equipment, and the state will not allow private enterprises to get involved casually. The profit that Qin Hai gave to 70X was originally money that he could not earn. He said his motives were so noble, and he also suspected of smearing his own face.

No matter what the facts are, Qin Hai's reason is very sufficient. Military scientific research is the state's business. If a company pays taxes to the state, it has fulfilled its obligations. It is really unreasonable for Lu Hexing and the others to extend their hand to Qin Hai.

In case Feng saw that the situation was wrong, and couldn't think of anything to persuade Qin Hai, in a hurry, he simply pulled his face and said, "Xiao Qin, what you said is correct, but Dean Lu and the others came all the way here , you have to think about it, right?"

As soon as these words came out, Lu Hexing and the others almost hid their faces in their armpits. In case Feng, what do you mean, we are a bunch of beggars, and if we beg at someone's door, we have to be sent away no matter what? Thinking this way in their hearts, they didn't have the courage to walk away. Instead, they thought secretly in their hearts: Maybe this rich and powerful President Qin will really send us away? One hundred and eighty thousand, who said that flies are not meat?

Special note: The names of places, people, companies, models and stories in this book are all fictitious, any similarities are purely accidental, please do not check.