Sail across the sea

Chapter 412 Forms a virtuous cycle
Gao Fan talked on and on, but when he finally stopped and picked up the tea that Yun Zhongming had poured for him, he saw that both Yun Zhongming and Bi Liansheng had a serious look on their faces.

"Chief Engineer Yun, do you think what Xiao Gao said is possible?" Bi Liansheng asked Yun Zhongming in a low voice.

Yun Zhongming slowly took out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, and then slowly took out a lighter, lit the cigarette, took a deep drag, and shook his head, saying:

"They're really fearless like newborn calves. How could we possibly even think about something like this?"

Gao Fan took a sip of tea to moisten his throat, then laughed and said, "Why wouldn't I dare to think about it? We've already developed the atomic and hydrogen bombs and satellites. Can photoresist be any more difficult than that?"

"This is not the same thing," Yun Zhongming said. "The 'Two Bombs, One Satellite' project was developed with the full strength of the entire nation. Back then, to develop the atomic bomb, we poured all the nation's manpower, financial resources, and material resources into it. The achievement was brilliant, but the cost was also enormous."

"Now that the country has proposed to focus on economic development, how can we possibly invest the same amount of money as we did for the 'Two Bombs, One Satellite' project in military technology?"

Gao Fan said, "But photoresist hasn't reached the point where we need to mobilize the entire nation's resources. Aren't we already ahead of the Japanese?"

“This is because…” Yun Zhongming stopped mid-sentence and changed the subject, “Xiao Gao, are you saying that we can still use this shortcut to maintain our technological lead with minimal investment?”

Sure, it's possible. As long as I'm the cheat code, maintaining a 30-year lead is no problem at all.

However, such a lead gained through cheating is meaningless. The essence of technological competition lies in cultivating research capabilities, not simply copying a few formulas.

I can help you take the first step, but you'll have to walk the rest of the way on your own.

Gao Fan thought to himself, then said to Yun Zhongming, "Chief Engineer Yun, why do you emphasize using very little investment? Necessary investment still needs to be guaranteed, right?"

Yun Zhongming's eyes dimmed somewhat. He said, "There are some things I don't need to hide from you. Ever since the country put forward the slogan of putting economic development as the central task, the funding for our science and technology system has been drastically reduced."

"Many research projects have been cancelled, and those that remain are all related to major national defense and security issues. The reason we are negotiating with Moriya Company this time is because our superiors require us to quickly launch a batch of military-to-civilian technologies and products to achieve independent revenue generation."

"The situation is pretty much the same across the national science and technology system. Under these circumstances, do you think our institute would be able to allocate funds for this kind of technological research that isn't particularly necessary?"

Gao Fan laughed and said, "Chief Engineer Yun, I remember two years ago in this very office you criticized me for being 'money-oriented.' I never imagined that just two years later you would also be money-oriented."

"What nonsense!" Yun Zhongming rebuked, then laughed self-deprecatingly and said, "Isn't that exactly what happened? It seems you really did have foresight."

"By the way, Chief Engineer Yun, what are your thoughts on the national policy of prioritizing economic development?"

"Of course we support it, what else can we say?"

"Are you just saying that out of politeness, or do you mean it from the bottom of your heart?"

"Most of it comes from the heart," Yun Zhongming said. "In the past, we were in a severe international situation, and ensuring national security was the most important thing. At that time, it was absolutely necessary for the country to squeeze out precious funds to ensure the development of defense science and technology. Now, the international environment has eased somewhat, and the country has made the judgment that there will be no large-scale war within thirty years, a judgment I agree with. Therefore, we should make use of this precious time to vigorously develop the economy and improve people's lives."

“I’ve heard from some comrades who have returned from overseas study tours that the living standards in Western countries are at least 30 years ahead of ours. We’ve been engaged in socialist construction for over 30 years, and the fact that people’s lives are still so impoverished today is not in line with our development goals.”

“Foreign countries are more than 30 years ahead of us. Look at Modern Times; Americans were much more developed than us 60 years ago,” Bi Liansheng said from the side.

"I see." Gao Fan nodded slightly.

The media often uses the term "people of insight." Yun Zhongming and Bi Liansheng are examples of such people of insight in this era. They are passionate about their work and willing to dedicate themselves to scientific and technological endeavors, but they also possess a clear and calm understanding of the national situation and public opinion.

Ordinary people can tighten their belts to support the development of nuclear weapons and satellites, but they cannot continue to do so indefinitely. A country that neglects to improve the lives of its people will ultimately lose their popular support.

This was the policy adopted by the Soviet Union during that era. It possessed the world's largest nuclear arsenal, and its military strength forced even the United States to back down. However, ordinary Soviet citizens couldn't buy a decent television set, and bread and butter were rationed.

The final result was that everything collapsed overnight.

The collapse of the Soviet Union was still several years away. But people like Yun Zhongming and Bi Liansheng were already aware that the country's policy of focusing on economic development was entirely correct.

In modern terms, reform was a consensus among the entire population.

"Chief Engineer Yun, Director Bi, actually, focusing on economic development doesn't mean neglecting the military industry; on the contrary, it's precisely to better promote the military industry," Gao Fan said.

"What do you mean?" Yun Zhongming had calmed down. He got up to refill Gao Fan's cup with water, then sat back down in his seat, pretending to be all ears.

Gao Fan said, "The state's requirement for military enterprises is to 'maintain military capabilities while transitioning to civilian use.' The ultimate goal of developing civilian technologies is to promote military technology research and development. Taking photoresist as an example, what we need to do is to create a virtuous cycle. We should use the achievements we have made to maximize revenue, and then use that revenue to support subsequent research and development, so that we can always stay in a leading position."

"Director Bi just said that Fenglin Institute can't produce much photoresist in a year, which is too conservative. Since we have mastered the most advanced photoresist technology, why can't we build a factory to produce this photoresist and then compete with Sengu in the international market?"

“Stealing Sengu’s market share? How is that possible?” Bi Liansheng blurted out.

Gao Fan chuckled and said, "Why is it impossible?"

Do you know how strong Moriya's technical capabilities are?

"You mean, because the United States has a strong military, we won't defend Shangganling?"

"..."

(End of this chapter)