Great Power Reclamation

Chapter 2858 The Way Out for Gasoline-Powered Vehicles
"I heard you're doing desert farming?" The old man sat down on the stone bench under the grape trellis and gestured for Ye Mao to sit down as well.

"Well, actually I was working on popularizing new energy sources, but I accidentally discovered that photovoltaic panels can condense water, and then I accidentally transformed the desert."

Ye Mao had a hint of smugness on his face, after all, he was still young.

As he spoke, he took out a few blueprints from his bag. “I’m still stuck on the issue of improving saline-alkali land. I would like to ask you for your methods from back then.”

The drawings were covered with dense annotations, and next to the difficult points circled in red pen were several lines of small writing, which were notes taken from consulting agricultural experts.

Looking at the slightly messy but carefully written characters, the old man suddenly felt that they carried more weight than any official document.

He pulled out a yellowed manuscript from his study: "Back then, we used straw to return to the fields on the Yellow River beach. You can try intercropping alfalfa in cotton fields. It can fix nitrogen and also serve as fodder."

The two huddled around the stone table, discussing until the sun began to set. When Ouyang Xue brought in the food, she saw her grandfather holding Ye Yuze's pen, drawing circles on a drawing sheet. The white hair at his temples shone softly in the setting sun.

Since then, Old Master Ouyang has occasionally been seen in the farmland of the military reclamation town...

In early spring, he stood on the edge of the field where the seeds had just been sown, wearing a straw hat, watching Liu Neng direct the drone to fertilize the field, his cloudy eyes shining with the light of a young man.

When someone recognized him, he waved and laughed, "I'm here to learn some skills."

When his former colleagues from the ministry heard about it, they joked that he had "ruined his reputation in his later years and become a laborer for the younger generation."

He just laughed and said, "They can make cotton grow in the Gobi Desert and fill farmers' pockets. I could learn that skill my whole life and it would never be too late."

That autumn, the eldest son of the Ouyang family joined forces with the Junkencheng Agricultural and Livestock Corporation to launch an "Ecological Agriculture Demonstration Park" in the five northwestern provinces.

On the day the project started, Grandpa Ouyang stood on the earthen slope where the foundation stone was laid, watching Ye Mao shake hands with the local farmers. He suddenly remembered the words he had written in his diary when he was young: "To establish a heart for heaven and earth, and to establish a destiny for the people."

He once thought it was the wild talk of a bookworm, but now, standing on this land that is about to sprout hope, he understands that true long-term vision is never about how much more money the family can make, but about how much happiness can grow on the land beneath his feet.

As the first snow of winter fell, Ouyang Xue took her child back to the old house. The little one, who had just learned to walk, wobbled towards his grandfather, who was writing Spring Festival couplets.

The old man put down his pen, held the child on his lap, pointed to the words on the red paper and read: "Like a spring breeze and gentle rain, bringing blessings to all people."

Outside the window, the secretary was on the phone with Ye Mao: "Director Ye, don't worry, the old man said he wants to personally oversee the loading of those seeds donated to the impoverished counties onto the train..."

The child's giggles mingled with the sound of the wind coming from the phone, drifting through the window and landing on the pile of books in the yard that were meant to be given to a primary school for herders in northern Xinjiang.

Grandpa Ouyang looked down at his great-grandson in his arms, then glanced at the "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" scroll that had hung on the wall for half his life. Suddenly, he felt that the prosperity in the painting was not as moving as the new green on the ridge of the military reclamation city.

He picked up his brush and added the words "Ouyang and Ye congratulate each other" to the end of the Spring Festival couplet.

The moment the pen touched the paper, he seemed to hear the sound of snow melting in the military reclamation city a thousand miles away, a sound that held a spring longer than the rise and fall of his family.

Ye Yuze and Yang Geyong did not return to the California farm for the time being. After their son's wedding, they decided to help out with his business.

It should be understood that although Ye Mao is doing something beneficial for the country and its people, it will be very difficult to do such a good thing.

Because the initial investment was astronomical, even with the Green Desert Fund, the amount of money is still not enough.

Over the years, both of them have spent a lot of money. Although Yang Geyong's business is not as big as Ye Yuze's, he has a lot of money because his business is in the oil field, which requires little investment and yields high returns.

Moreover, there are no sales issues; most of the oil is sold domestically. It's only recently, due to the rapid rise of oil fields in Africa, such as Marseille and the Solomon Islands, that the demand for oil has increased, resulting in less oil being shipped to China.

No matter what, the two of them already had astronomical assets, so they decided to go back to China to do some things.

The Desert Ship is an off-road vehicle from the Warrior Group. Although new energy vehicles are developing rapidly, Warrior's fuel vehicles have not stopped.

The only difference is that the research and development focus has shifted to regions where new energy sources are difficult or unsuitable for development.

This leads to some changes in the type of car or its focus. Like the car the two of us are driving today…

Ye Yuze had just hung up the phone with Old Master Ouyang when his phone rang again. It was Ivan, the chief engineer of the R&D department of Warrior Automobile Group:
"Yuze, how's the driving? Is there anything that needs improvement? Don't be shy about telling me."

"It's okay so far. We haven't found any obvious flaws. We'll let you know how it goes after we drive it around some more."

Ye Yuze rubbed his temples and looked at the stack of documents in his hand.

Currently, the Warrior Group's vehicle lineup consists mostly of new energy vehicles, while traditional fuel vehicles are marked with a red asterisk next to their icons, indicating that they are models "to be transformed" as marked by Ivan's team.

Yang Geyong laughed: "Aren't you just digging your own grave?"

Ye Yuze shook his head helplessly. That's how the times are. If new energy vehicles continue to advance rapidly, then it's only a matter of time before gasoline vehicles are phased out.

A car approached from afar and stopped in front of them. Ivan got out, carrying a thick stack of blueprints.

Upon entering, we got straight to the point: "You mentioned last time that you wanted to make special vehicles for areas like the Gobi Desert and plateaus where new energy sources are difficult to reach. We have initially identified three directions."

He spread the drawings out on the ground and pointed to the top three-dimensional model:
"First is the desert work vehicle, which is based on the original 'Desert Ship' off-road vehicle. It retains the 3.0T diesel engine, but adds a fully automatic inflation and deflation system. The tires can switch from road mode to sand mode in three minutes. The chassis is raised to 45 centimeters, and sand guards and a built-in winch for getting out of trouble are also added."

Ye Yuze pointed his finger at the blueprint: "The desert highway around Junken City needs frequent maintenance, and the oil field exploration team also needs this kind of vehicle."

"But simply modifying the hardware is not enough. When sandstorms hit the Northwest, electronic equipment is prone to malfunction, so the control system needs to be sealed to prevent sand damage."

“We have taken your point into account.”

Ivan flipped to the next picture. "The cockpit uses aerospace-grade sealing technology. The instrument panel and central control screen have dust covers, and even the air conditioning vents are equipped with a four-stage filtration system."

"We also collaborated with the Northwest Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences to add a sandstorm early warning system that can predict the intensity of sandstorms 50 kilometers in advance and automatically switch to low-speed escort mode."

Ye Yuze pointed to the parameters on the blueprint: "Fuel consumption has decreased by 12%, but torque has increased by 80 Nm. Has this engine been retuned?"

Ivan nodded quickly: "Mr. Ye, you have a good eye. We changed the original inline six-cylinder to a V8. Although the displacement is the same, the combustion efficiency has been improved a lot."

"Furthermore, considering the difficulty of refueling in remote areas, the fuel tank capacity has been expanded to 180 liters, allowing it to travel 1200 kilometers on a full tank, which is equivalent to traveling from Dunhuang to WLMQ without needing to refuel along the way."

Ivan added, "We also plan to cooperate with the agricultural and livestock companies in Junken City to add a detachable refrigerated box to the truck bed. This will ensure that the beef and mutton transported by herders to the county town market is fresh for 24 hours, which is much more reliable than the tricycles they are currently using."

Yang Geyong suddenly slammed his hand on the table: "I have an additional requirement for you. Oil field workers in Africa have reported that the dirt roads are particularly slippery during the rainy season, and ordinary four-wheel drive vehicles easily get stuck. Could you add a track conversion device?"

"We use tires on paved roads normally, and switch to tracks when we get to muddy terrain. We can get it done in half an hour." Ivan's eyes lit up: "That's a great idea! We've been researching modular design, so we can make the track components an optional extra. However, it will increase the cost considerably..."

"Cost is not an issue."

Ye Yuze interrupted him, "These special-type vehicles are not meant for mass production; they are meant to solve practical problems."

"You do the math. How much can a vehicle improve the work efficiency of the exploration team, and how much income can be saved for the herders? This is more worthwhile than making money by selling the vehicle."

As they were talking, Yifei made a video call, and the camera showed the newly built new energy charging pile base in Junken City.

"Dad, your Warrior Group's charging stations are very popular, but there's a problem: the pastoral areas are too scattered, the cost of laying cables is too high, and many places are still not covered."

Ye Yuze looked at Ivan: "Did you hear that? This is the second direction—the mobile charging vehicle."

"Using a gasoline-powered vehicle as a chassis and installing a small generator set, it can charge five new energy vehicles at the same time, ensuring a range of more than 500 kilometers, so that it can travel all over the pastoral areas."

Ivan immediately jotted it down in his notebook: "We can also install solar panels to generate electricity during the day using solar power and at night using a generator, which will save even more fuel."

"It's not just about charging." Ye Yuze pointed to the cotton fields in the distance outside the window:
"During the busy farming season, harvesters often break down in the fields. Mobile charging vehicles can also serve as emergency power sources, power repair tools, and even power small threshers. It's good to have multiple uses for one machine."

For the next three months, the research and development workshop of Warrior Automobile Group became the busiest place.

Ivan and his team practically lived at the factory, with new problems arising every day.

What to do if the engine is not receiving enough oxygen in high-altitude areas?
How to solve the problem of diesel fuel freezing in temperatures as low as -40 degrees Celsius?

What special equipment needs to be installed on border patrol vehicles?
Ivan would go to the workshop every week to observe, and sometimes he would even take Ye Yuze with him.

Although Ye Yuze doesn't understand automotive technology, he can always offer suggestions from a practical perspective:

"The seats in the patrol cars need to be modified. The soldiers stay in the cars for more than ten hours at a time, and their backs can't take it. We need to add an adjustable lumbar support."

"Could we install a folding sunshade on the roof? The sun is too strong when we're repairing cars in the Gobi Desert in the summer."

On one occasion, a group of herdsmen from Yili made a special trip to the military reclamation city to give their opinions on the prototype vehicle.

An old herdsman named Batu touched the car door and said:
“The door is too narrow, and we are wearing thick Mongolian robes, making it inconvenient to get on and off the vehicle.”

Another young herdsman hoped to add a device to the back of the cart to secure the saddle.

"When riding a horse to herd sheep, the cart can carry the saddle and luggage, saving a lot of effort."

Ivan wrote everything down in his notebook and immediately organized his team to revise the design.

Looking at the group of dark-skinned herdsmen discussing around the car, Ye Yuze suddenly remembered what his grandfather had said:
"Truly good things are those that make people feel convenient and at ease."

In early summer, the first batch of special-type vehicles finally rolled off the production line.

Ten modified "desert ships" were lined up in a row, including tracked exploration vehicles, herder vehicles with refrigerated boxes, and mobile charging vehicles equipped with generators. Yang Geyong insisted on being the first to test drive one.

He drove the exploration vehicle across the Gobi Desert all day, returning covered in dust, but beaming with joy.

"That's amazing! I just got stuck in a sand pit, and I just pressed a button and it automatically got out. It's much better than when I used to dig sand out of the Sahara with a shovel."

The eldest son of the Ouyang family also arrived, bringing with him a procurement list for the ecological agriculture demonstration park in the five northwestern provinces:
"We need to order fifty mobile charging vehicles, thirty special vehicles for herders, and twenty engineering vehicles with hydraulic booms to build photovoltaic panel supports."

Li Lindong smiled so hard his eyes narrowed as he held the list:
"This is just the beginning. Yesterday, the military region in XZ also called, saying they want to order a batch of plateau patrol vehicles."

Ye Yuze, however, was not so optimistic: "Don't be too happy yet. The key is the after-sales service for these special-type vehicles. These vehicles are driven in remote areas, and it won't do if they break down and there's nowhere to repair them."

He had already come up with a solution: "We will build a training base in the military reclamation city to teach herdsmen and border guards how to repair vehicles for free, and set up a spare parts warehouse in each county town to ensure that minor problems can be solved locally."

Ivan added, "We've also developed a remote diagnostic system. When a vehicle malfunctions, the backend can see the data in real time, and technicians can provide video guidance for repairs. If the problem can't be solved, we send a helicopter to transport a technician."

That autumn, when the cotton harvest in the military reclamation city was in full swing, the special vehicles of the soldiers' group had already traveled all over the Gobi Desert, grasslands and plateaus in Northwest China.

A herdsman filmed a video and posted it online. A blue and white herdsman's vehicle was parked on the grassland. The refrigerated box in the truck bed was open, and the beef and mutton inside were still steaming. A group of people were cheering around the vehicle.

The video was accompanied by the text: "From the grasslands to the county town, we no longer have to worry about meat spoiling. Thank you, Warrior Vehicle!"

After seeing the video, the ministry leaders specifically called Ye Yuze.
"You've done a great job! You've not only solved a practical problem, but you've also brought us closer to the people. Are you considering expanding to the southwestern mountainous areas next? The road conditions there are even more complicated."

Ye Yuze smiled and agreed, then hung up the phone and saw Ivan walking over with the new design drawings:

"Mr. Ye, we'd like to try a hybrid power system that combines hydrogen fuel and gasoline, which can ensure range while reducing pollution, making it suitable for use in ecological protection areas."

Outside the window, Grandpa Ye Wancheng was showing several elderly farmers around the newly rolled-out construction vehicles. The setting sun shone on them, creating a warm and picturesque scene.

Ye Yuze suddenly realized that the transformation of the Warrior Group was not just about changing cars from fuel-powered to special-purpose vehicles, but also about shifting from "selling products" to "solving problems".

Just as Mr. Ouyang said, true long-term vision is not about calculating how much more money you can make, but about seeing how much more happiness the people on this land can gain because of these changes.

When it snowed in winter, Ye Yuze received a letter from a primary school in northern Xinjiang. The envelope had a cartoon version of a soldier's vehicle drawn on it, and inside were words written by the children in their crooked handwriting:

"Thank you uncles for the car. Now the teacher can drive to teach us every week instead of riding a horse for three days in a row."

Ye Yuze posted the letter on the wall of the automobile group's office, next to which was the Warrior Group's latest planning map, marked with dense red dots, which represented the areas to be covered in the future.

He knew that the road ahead was still long, but as long as he watched these red dots slowly connect into lines and then into a surface, he felt that all the hard work was worthwhile.

Like the snow outside the window, though cold, it always gives birth to the hope of spring.

Originally, I came back to help Ye Mao, but I ended up getting involved in the vehicle modification project without really knowing what was going on.

However, it wasn't exactly neglecting his duties; these special vehicles were also of great help to Ye Mao.

coming