Scholars in the courtyard.

Chapter 2956 One is not enough, let's have another one.

On the stage, Elder Liu and Dean Qu held hands tightly.

He knew that with the soldiers' statements and these words, the investigation against their Second Ministry of Machine Building was baseless and untenable.

Similarly, after Xu Changgui finished speaking, Gu Yuan, Chen Bo, and the others knew that if they wanted to continue the investigation, they would have to find a different reason.

But would the Second Ministry of Machine Building give them a chance to find excuses?
Did the people present ask them to make excuses?

The group knew in their hearts that they had failed this time.

However, Gu Yuan did not give up; for him, this was just a small attempt.

They are still young, they still have a chance.

offstage.

Yang Xiaotao, Wang Lao, and others stood up and applauded, their applause echoing throughout the conference room for a long time.

Outside the meeting room, Yu Zecheng smoked a cigarette, looking at Song Tao, who stood calmly to the side.

"Judging from the noise, it should be over inside."

"Do you want to go in and take a look?"

Yu Zecheng turned his head to listen for a moment, and then spoke to Song Tao.

Song Tao fiddled with a medal in his hand, glanced at the conference room, and then looked at Yu Zecheng. "Old Yu, we're practically inseparable comrades-in-arms. Shouldn't we be working together and doing the same thing on this kind of thing?"

Yu Zecheng quickly shook his head, "This is an instruction from the commander. I'm just doing my best to help guard the gate."

"I wouldn't dare take your mission."

Song Tao shook his head helplessly, and then, hearing the applause inside gradually subside, he shook his head again and said, "No rush, let them chat for a while longer."

"Okay, let's bask in the sun a little longer."

Yu Zecheng smiled, but walked to stand in the shade, leaving Song Tao speechless once again.

As the applause gradually subsided in the conference room, everyone present turned their attention back to the investigation team members in the corner of the stage.

Wherever his gaze fell, everyone lowered their heads.

Gu Yuan held the documents tightly in his hand, as if afraid of accidentally dropping them to the ground.

At this moment, Elder Liu escorted Dean Qu and the others off the stage, then returned to the stage and solemnly asked, "Team Leader Gu, please continue reading the superior's decision."

As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Yuan opened his mouth and swallowed hard.

He knew that just reading the beginning had already caused such a commotion; if he continued reading, who knew what awaited him?

You should know that out of all the people present, only Yang Xiaotao from the Ninth Department and the group from earlier have stood up so far. There are still people from the Third and Seventh Ministries of Machinery Industry and the Logistics Department behind them.

The other party was clearly prepared.

Taking a deep breath to suppress his anxiety, Gu Yuan regained his composure and smiled again. "Chief, there's no need."

"After listening to what Dean Qu and his colleagues said, we have also realized our shortcomings."

“During the investigation, we neglected the feelings of our comrades. On behalf of all the members of the investigation team, I would like to express my apologies to all of you present here.”

"However, in our future work, we will be more focused, more serious, and more meticulous in doing every task."

"We will fulfill our responsibilities and do our jobs well."

"I also hope that my comrades here will provide more supervision and guidance."

At the end, Gu Yuan bowed again to everyone present.

The members of the investigation team also bowed in respect.

Then, led by Gu Yuan, they walked off the stage.

But as soon as he stepped off the stage, the door was opened again.

A creaking sound rang out, and Gu Yuan and the others subconsciously looked ahead.

That sound never brings good news.

Everyone present looked over.

At this moment, Song Tao walked in front, followed by Yu Zecheng and several others.

Upon seeing these two people come out, Yang Xiaotao knew that it was his uncle and the others who had made the move.

Old Wang, Old Qin, and the others naturally recognized these two people. Their presence here at this time was most likely for the sake of the investigation team.

"Did you arrange it?"

Old Wang asked again, feeling that he had said a bit too much.

But apart from that, he really didn't know what else to ask.

Yang Xiaotao shook his head, "You think too highly of me."

After saying that, he looked at the scene.

Under everyone's gaze, Song Tao walked up to Gu Yuan and the others, with the internal affairs staff surrounding the investigation team behind him.

Then, the security department of the Second Ministry of Machine Building also came in.

This scene felt familiar to General Wang.

Not only Old Wang, but everyone in the Nine Departments is familiar with him.

The familiar process, the familiar recipe, the familiar routine.

Then, Old Wang wanted to talk to Yang Xiaotao, but considering the answer the other party had given, it seemed superfluous.

"Comrade Gu Yuan, Comrade Chen Bo, and comrades from the investigation team, hello."

Song Tao spoke calmly, then took out his identification from his pocket, "We are from the Internal Affairs Department."

Gu Yuan and the others sensed something was wrong when Song Tao and his group appeared, because these people didn't look like ordinary people at all. They even thought that the Second Ministry of Machine Building was behind it.

Just as a sense of grief and indignation rose in their hearts, they heard that the other party said it was from the Internal Affairs Department, which puzzled them greatly.

Not from the Second Ministry of Machine Building?

Why did the Internal Affairs Department come?

Everyone was puzzled, and Gu Yuan asked, "Comrade, what are you doing here?"

But then Song Tao said, "We received a report that you are suspected of leaking important secrets. This is an arrest warrant."

"Please come with us."

Song Tao spoke in a businesslike tone, devoid of any emotion.

Gu Yuan and the others were dumbfounded. Chen Bo even questioned, "What leak of important secrets? Don't make false accusations. We have never done anything immoral or harmful to the country."

"Yes, you must have made a mistake. Maybe some people are deliberately slandering us and using underhanded tricks."

Wang Caiwei also stood up and loudly defended herself. She had been holding back her anger on the podium, and now someone was maliciously reporting them. How could she stand this?

Gu Yuan raised his hand to stop the crowd, then looked at Song Tao again with a serious expression, "Comrade, are you sure you've got the wrong person?"

"We absolutely did not leak any secrets, and our leaders can vouch for that."

Song Tao looked at the group of people; they were all young and equally clueless.

He'd seen people like this before, but every time he wanted to cut open their heads to see just how stupid they were to do something so absurd.

However, considering that these people can't even distinguish between good and bad, it's normal that they don't understand anything.

Seeing that the group was about to finish speaking, Song Tao didn't bother with cryptic remarks and said directly, "You colluded with others to conduct unauthorized investigations into the nuclear reactor's materials and data; these are the evidence."

Gu Yuan, Chen Bo, and the others were stunned again upon hearing this.

Wang Caiwei, standing to the side, loudly defended herself, "Comrade, many people know about this nuclear reactor. What makes you think we're leaking secrets?"

"Besides, this isn't a secret at all, so what kind of evidence is it?"

After Wang Caiwei finished speaking, without waiting for Song Tao and the others to reply, someone from the Second Ministry of Machine Building said with a smile, "Comrade, don't talk nonsense if you don't understand."

"Nuclear reactor is just four words, and quite a few people know about it."

"But if you were to say what materials a nuclear reactor is made of and what data supports it, that would be classified as confidential."

"Don't look at me like that, everyone here knows about this."

"Even I, the director of the Second Ministry of Machine Building, don't have the authority to know the reactor data. Would you say that's classified?"

"And another thing, young man," "If you don't understand, read more books, so you don't make mistakes without even realizing it."

After saying this, the canteen director from the Second Ministry of Machine Building shook his head regretfully and sighed.

At this moment, Gu Yuan and the others finally understood where the problem lay.

They did investigate relevant data when they investigated the Jiaolong submersible's reactor, but no one told them about it back then.
And when we collaborated with people from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, they didn't mention any of this.

Moreover, they only knew some data and did not leak it to others.

Is it wrong to know?
"Okay, come with us."

Song Tao was too lazy to waste any more words and simply waved his hand, ordering his men to take the person away.

Regardless, this person must be taken back today, otherwise, given Old Zeng's personality, we won't be able to explain ourselves when we get back.

Seeing this, Gu Yuan and the others looked around at the security and internal affairs personnel and knew that they had no other choice but to hope that their superiors would find out about this matter and help them clear their names as soon as possible.

crunch
As the conference room door creaked open again, the group gradually disappeared into the distance.

After watching the group leave, and only after the door closed again did laughter erupt from the conference room, followed by even louder applause.

Lunchtime, the canteen of the Second Ministry of Machine Building.

Yang Xiaotao made a joke when they arrived, but after the meeting, everyone was kept behind by the leaders of the Second Ministry of Machine Building.

And so the joke became a reality.

Of course, this meal was well worth it for the comrades in the Second Ministry of Machine Building.

Firstly, many of the people here are former employees of the Second Ministry of Machine Building; they are comrades-in-arms and seniors.

This meal was a perfect opportunity to strengthen our bond.

Secondly, we should also express our gratitude to people like Yang Xiaotao and Wang Lao for taking the initiative to come this time.

Similarly, we should also try to get closer to each other.

At the main table, Mr. Liu and Mr. Qian from the Second Ministry of Machine Building accompanied them, while Mr. Yang Xiaotao, Mr. Wang, Mr. Qin, and others sat together.

"Come on, let's all raise our glasses. I'm here to thank you all."

Old Liu smiled and raised his wine glass, and everyone else followed suit.

Old Wang joked from the side, "It's really not easy to get a drink from you guys!"

Old Qian, standing beside him, laughed and said, "That's because you don't come often. Come more often in the future, and there will be plenty of wine and meat."

Old Wang slapped the table and said, "That's very frank. I'll come here often from now on, so please don't neglect to provide me with meals."

Old Qian nodded vigorously, "Don't worry, it's fine if you stay here with us."

After he finished speaking, a burst of laughter suddenly erupted at the dinner table, especially Old Qin, who laughed the most heartily.

Dean Qu and Zhang Wu were puzzled, wondering why everyone was laughing.

Seeing this, Zhang Lao pointed at Wang Lao and Yang Xiaotao and told them about Wang Lao sleeping on the floor in Yang Xiaotao's office. The two were dumbfounded. They never expected that this could be done.

Old Wang blushed, but said in a reasonable tone, "I don't think it's a loss. It's a computer, you old Qin, you can't even be envious of that now."

Old Qin snorted coldly, "Anyway, I don't have your skills, and you're still picking your toes."

"Hey, hey, hey, when we're eating, let's not talk about those disgusting things."

Yang Xiaotao quickly stopped him, otherwise the gossip would start again.

"Let's drink! Let's drink!"

"Yes, yes, let's drink!"

With everyone toasting each other, they finally shared the first drink and then downed it in one gulp.

While eating and pouring wine, Old Liu looked at Yang Xiaotao with a smile on his face, "Comrade Xiao Yang."

"Mr. Liu, please speak."

Yang Xiaotao put down his chopsticks and heard Old Liu laugh, "You just said at the meeting that you really made it?"

Everyone else listened intently, especially Dean Qu and Zhang Wu. The Jiaolong submersible was still docked in its home port, and they were talking about sacrifices and costs at the meeting.

But he still cares about his soldiers.

Yang Xiaotao nodded seriously, "Yes, it's done."

"really?"

"really."

Yang Xiaotao felt the wine was a bit spicy, so he picked up his chopsticks, ate a bite of pig's ear, and then continued, "After the Jiaolong submersible accident, we launched an alloy materials research project."

"Thanks to everyone's hard work, we finally got it working a couple of days ago, but of course it still needs to be tested."

"However, there is no problem in theory."

After Yang Xiaotao finished speaking, everyone looked at each other.

Especially Qian Lao and his group, their eyes were filled with suspicion.

It's made, but we haven't tested it. Who knows if it will work?

Master Qian was quick to react and asked, "Xiao Tao, what is the name of this material?"

"Zirconium alloy".

"High alloy?"

Old Wang looked puzzled, but Old Qian beside him smiled and said, "It's a metal zirconium, with the radical for 'gold' and the character for 'tell'!"

Then he looked at Elder Liu and said, "This metal has a very high melting and boiling point, and its neutron absorption cross section is small, making it resistant to high-temperature corrosion. There shouldn't be any problem."

Seeing that Mr. Qian said this, Mr. Liu was naturally convinced.

Yang Xiaotao also showed gratitude, and then said, "We've been familiarizing ourselves with the process these past two days, but we've still managed to produce some samples. We'll send them to you for testing later."

Old Liu readily agreed, then raised his glass again, "Come, let's thank Comrade Yang Xiaotao together. He's really helped us a lot this time."

Yang Xiaotao quickly raised his glass, "You're too kind."

It wasn't until after three cups of wine that the people at the table got up and started to move around.

Yang Xiaotao was explaining the production process of zirconium alloy to Mr. Qian, and the people around him were listening attentively.

Although I don't understand what zirconium tetrachloride or reduction reaction means, it sounds plausible.

At the same time, Old Wang was also disappointed in his nephew. Despite having the Alloy Bureau, a golden goose, he was not even as good as the research institute of the Ninth Department. He was becoming more and more useless.

Just as Old Wang was about to go home and give his nephew a good scolding, three figures walked up behind Yang Xiaotao.

Upon seeing the three men, Yang Xiaotao quickly stood up, then looked at the wine glasses in their hands and hurriedly turned around to find a glass. Old Wang, quick as a flash, grabbed the wine bottle and poured a glass for Yang Xiaotao.

"Minister Yang, we've come to have a drink with you."

Liu Bin spoke first, followed by Chief Designer Huang, who was leading the group, who said with a smile, "Thank you for this."

Yang Xiaotao waved his hand, "Saying thank you is too formal, it wasn't our business anyway."

"No, no, no, I still want to thank you. Moreover, the emergence of this new material not only makes the Jiaolong submersible better, but also gives us peace of mind in designing new submarines!"

Yang Xiaotao, holding his wine glass, became interested. "You're designing a new type of nuclear submarine?"

Chief Designer Huang nodded, "Yes, the design drawings are now complete, and the potential risks associated with the reactor have been resolved, so we are more confident."

"That's right."

Yang Xiaotao said happily, "The Jiaolong can only be said to be a knock-off of the Nautilus. If it wants to forge its own path, it must break free from the original constraints and shackles."

"One nuclear submarine isn't enough; we need at least another one!"

"If you have any difficulties or need any help, just let me know."

Yang Xiaotao spoke with great enthusiasm, and then Liu Bin, with his round face, said with a smile, "Minister Yang, we are still lacking something. Why don't you lend us some money?"

The two had traveled by train together and were quite familiar with each other, so they could take a joke.

Yang Xiaotao asked directly, "What difficulties are you facing? Tell me!"

"Haha, then I won't stand on ceremony."

Under the watchful eyes of those around him, and despite Chief Designer Huang's disapproving glances, Liu Bin chuckled and said, "Director Yang, we're short of money."

(End of this chapter)