Scholars in the courtyard.

Chapter 3054 How about I give you a military rank?
Department Nine, at the main entrance of the headquarters.

Chen Gong was waiting anxiously, pacing back and forth. The others, seeing this, dared not approach and all went around him.

As for why, everyone knows the answer.

"Director Chen!"

Xiao Qiang's voice came from behind, his face full of anxiety.

Chen Gong turned around and realized that Yang Youning had sent him to check the situation.

"Director Chen, our leader asked us to inquire when Leader Yang will be back. It's almost noon, and the leader is starting to feel the strain!"

Chen Gong immediately shook his head upon hearing this, "I've called several times, but Leader Yang is blocked by Boss Peng. I don't know what's going on!"

"Let Lao Yang hold on a little longer. If it really doesn't work, take him out to eat first, and have Lao Wang, Sun Guo, and Wang Fa come back to keep him company while they drink."

"They're just about thirty people. When have we in the Ninth Division ever been afraid of them?"

Chen Gong's words sound grand, but those who are going to drink should first select themselves; how many of the people who come can actually hold their liquor?

He won't be so reckless as to charge headlong into things.

"Okay, I'll go right away!"

Xiao Qiang wiped away his sweat. Despite the clear, crisp autumn air, he felt so busy he could hardly breathe.

"go quickly!"

Chen Gong waved his hand, then stood at the door again and waited.

Unable to contact Yang Xiaotao, he could only stop Yang Xiaotao here and explain the situation as soon as possible to avoid any problems later.

As for Yang Xiaotao, he still doesn't understand why General Peng called him to the military meeting.
This guy doesn't even have a line on his shoulder, what can he do there?
I guess they just paid for it!

At this point, Chen Gong felt that the Nine Departments were earning a bit too much, and he would feel guilty if he didn't do something about it.

But this meeting is taking way too long!
It's been a whole morning, time to go back!

Just as Chen Gong was getting anxious, Yang Xiaotao was sitting in President Peng's office drinking tea.

Accompanying Yang Xiaotao were General Peng from the opposite side, Old Zhou from the Sixth Ministry of Machinery Industry, and two middle-aged men in military uniforms.

One of them was in charge of logistics; his surname was Wang, and he was called Director Wang.

The other person in charge of training was surnamed Cai and was called Director Cai.

The two men were not old, but they sat up straight, and their gazes toward Yang Xiaotao were always full of goodwill.

After receiving a call from General Manager Peng this morning, Yang Xiaotao took a car over and sat here with General Manager Peng for the whole morning.

Yang Xiaotao had already received news of this meeting from Old Chen and his uncle, and he also knew the theme of the meeting.

Moreover, as Elder Chen said, the Ninth Department must contribute its efforts this time.

Although my uncle didn't say anything, he did say something like, "The moon wanes when it's full, and water overflows when it's full."

Yang Xiaotao also understood that when one is poor, one should cultivate one's own virtue; when one is successful, one should benefit all under heaven.

Now is the time for them to serve the world with their nine departments.

Therefore, the meeting proceeded very smoothly.

Even the usually smooth-talking CEO Peng was surprised, and during the meeting he would frequently glance at Yang Xiaotao with suspicion in his eyes.

First, regarding the name of the aircraft carrier and its subsequent construction mission.

There's no need to discuss the name; just call him Emperor Wu of Han.

Yang Xiaotao was not surprised when he heard this.

Several missile destroyers are named after Li Guang, Wei Qing, and Huo Qubing, so it's not surprising that the leader is named Emperor Wu of Han.

I wonder what they'll call it when they build another aircraft carrier. Will they call it the Tang Taizong?

So, wouldn't we need a title like Ming Taizu?
Well, it could also be Emperor Taizu of Song.
Once the name is decided, the next step is the funding plan.

When Old Zhou announced the additional 2 billion, everyone glanced at Yang Xiaotao out of the corner of their eyes.

To everyone's surprise, Yang Xiaotao simply nodded and replied with the word "okay," and then said nothing more.

Clean and efficient, without the slightest hesitation.

Peng sensed something was wrong, but continued the meeting anyway.

Then, Director Wang from the logistics department reported on the situation of the "Orca" ship, stating that the previous 200 million yuan was not enough and an additional 100 million yuan was needed.

The reason for the additional funding has been explained: the Orca is much larger than the Jiaolong, and the construction of the reactor and the upgrading of materials require funding, as do the supporting instruments and equipment.

Of course, the most important thing is to research the missiles needed for submarines.

Director Wang didn't say much, and Yang Xiaotao nodded in agreement.

Then Mr. Peng realized that something was wrong.

Yang Xiaotao seems a bit too easy to talk to today.

unusual.

After Director Wang finished speaking, Director Cai saw that the first two projects had been approved so quickly, and much more smoothly than expected. He then quickly brought up the most difficult and important issue.

Increase the size of the fleet.

This time, they came up with a construction plan for eight missile cruisers, intending for the Ninth Department to bear half of the costs.

These eight missile cruisers were not the earlier Li Guang cruiser of 1,000 tons, nor the Huo Qubing cruiser of 1,300 tons, but the Wei Qing missile cruiser of 6,000 tons.

The plan includes eight missile cruisers, two of which will be used to become the new Li Guang and Huo Qubing, each displacing approximately 6,000 tons.

Of the remaining six ships, three will be cruisers of around 8,000 tons.

The last three will be 10,000-ton guided-missile cruisers.

Each of these eight cruisers cost over a billion dollars, and further investment may be required.

Furthermore, manufacturing these steel behemoths requires a large amount of high-quality steel, and currently, there are only nine domestically produced steel plants that can meet this demand.

Therefore, the Ninth Department not only had to provide money, but also steel.

Director Cai spoke at length, and even produced a cruiser design drawing to persuade Yang Xiaotao.

In addition, the attendees also spoke one after another, expressing their determination and so on.

If Yang Xiaotao hadn't been so fed up that he interrupted and said, "Our Ninth Department fully supports you," he probably would have had to explain to Yang Xiaotao, drawing by drawing.

Even so, Director Cai and the others were caught off guard.

Even Mr. Peng didn't expect this outcome.

I originally thought that Yang Xiaotao's quick agreement earlier was just a pretext to negotiate on this point.

But to everyone's surprise, this guy agreed immediately, even sounding somewhat helpless, as if he found his subordinates too long-winded.

This is abnormal, extremely abnormal.

Mr. Peng became increasingly suspicious, but it was inconvenient to ask him in the conference room.

So the main agenda items of the meeting were passed so quickly that it felt like a dream to Mr. Peng.

After the meeting, Yang Xiaotao was called here by President Peng, and the other three followed him in.

He wanted to see what Yang Xiaotao was really up to.

"Tell me the truth, kid. Did you agree so readily because you had something else in mind?"

“In the past, every time I asked you for some money, you would give me this reason or that question, and you would only give me a penny when you had to hold it in your hand until it was warm.”

"This time it was surprisingly quick; something's definitely fishy. You'd better tell me the truth, kid, don't hide anything!"

There's no formality when it comes to Mr. Peng; the enamel mug on the table is always filled with plain water, and he speaks very directly.

Old Zhou from the Sixth Ministry of Machine Building had the same expression when he heard this.

In the past, when I needed money or resources, it has never been this easy.

Of course, compared to others, the Nine Departments are relatively easy to talk to.

At the very least, they never delayed funding the construction of their aircraft carriers.

When the other two heard what Boss Peng said, they couldn't help but take another look at Yang Xiaotao.

It's well known that Mr. Peng rarely jokes, and those who can joke with him are usually close friends. Both men smiled, equally pleased.

After hearing what Boss Peng said, Yang Xiaotao spread his hands and said, "Boss Peng, what you said has really chilled me to the bone!"

"I came all this way, drank a few sips of your plain water, and then gave away over 10 billion! And you doubt the revolutionary consciousness of your comrades like this?"

"This is so heartbreaking!"

"No, no, I can't be a good person anymore."

"Well, what we just said doesn't count. We're not going to deal with the Han Wudi, the Orca, or any other cruisers. We're not going to deal with them anymore."

Yang Xiaotao feigned a wronged expression and waved his hand, but Boss Peng, knowing that Yang Xiaotao was joking, still put on a stern face and said, "That won't do. It's all written down in black and white. You can't go back on your word!"

Old Zhou also took the opportunity to laugh and said, "That's right, how can we just say it's not going to work out now that it's been decided? This isn't child's play."

Yang Xiaotao rolled his eyes. "Old Zhou, whose side are you on? You're Lao Liu, and we're Xiao Jiu. We're actually on the same side."

Old Zhou patted his chest proudly and said, "If this were anywhere else, we would definitely be on the same side."

"But here it is, sigh!"

At this point, Old Zhou's tone became slightly heavy as he said, "You're the one giving money, and I'm the one asking for money. How can we be in cahoots?"

Yang Xiaotao was stunned for a moment before he immediately realized what was going on, and then looked at President Peng, "Oh, I see."

At first, Zhou Lai's words sounded good, but when he started talking about "giving money" and "wanting money," Peng realized that Zhou Lai was definitely in cahoots with Yang Xiaotao.

Peng gave Old Zhou a disapproving look and said indifferently, "If you were like the Ninth Department, you could also be paid employees."

"We no longer need to go around asking for funding."

Upon hearing this, Old Zhou quickly lowered his head. If they really had that ability, would they need to ask the Nine Departments for help?

Without the support of the Nine Ministries, the Han Wudi ship in the Shanghai shipyard probably wouldn't even have been able to have its frame erected.

Not to mention subsequent construction plans.

He now realizes that building an aircraft carrier is something an agricultural country simply cannot afford.

To have an aircraft carrier, one must have a complete industrial system; otherwise, it will remain just a pipe dream.

Seeing that Mr. Peng said this, Yang Xiaotao picked up a glass of water, took a sip, and then said, "Old Chen mentioned this to me before I came."

When Yang Xiaotao spoke, Peng and the others all looked over.

"I thought about a lot of things at that time."

"I thought of Zheng He's voyages to the Western Ocean during the Ming Dynasty, the burning of opium at Humen, the Sino-Japanese War, and now."

"I've thought about it for a long time, and I've thought about it a lot, but I still don't understand why just a few ships and a few cannons blocking the entrance can be so frightening?"

"We are a nation of 400 million people, accounting for half of the world's population, and we have a history of 5,000 years."

Yang Xiaotao's voice wasn't loud, but it made the faces of the people in the room turn somber.

Especially the two people beside him, each clenched their fists, their faces serious.

"Later, I understood."

Yang Xiaotao looked at the water in the enamel mug and said, "When those cannons appeared at the door, they had already trampled our dignity underfoot!"

“When we put away our claws, we have already shown our cowardice.”

"When we lose that fighting spirit, we have already lost the opportunity to become powerful."

Peng listened without saying a word, but his fingers gently rubbed the table, his eyes flashing with a cold light.

Old Zhou raised his head, took a deep breath, as if suppressing the turbulent emotions within him.

The two middle-aged men in military uniforms gripped their trouser legs tightly, their sense of responsibility and duty transforming into motivation.

Suddenly, Yang Xiaotao finished drinking all the water, put it on the table, and laughed, "How should I put it? I feel a little uneasy, don't I?"

Mr. Peng laughed and said, "Who didn't go through that phase?"

"Who didn't experience that period of history?"

Yang Xiaotao nodded, "We've gotten a bit off-topic. President Peng, Director Wang, Director Huo, let's get down to business."

The group was curious when they heard Yang Xiaotao say this, especially President Peng. He knew Yang Xiaotao well; this guy always did things methodically and never made empty promises.

"Actually, we also had some selfish motives this time."

After Yang Xiaotao finished speaking, he looked at the other two people and said, "Gentlemen, you must be aware of the economic development situation in the past two years."

The two men looked at each other, then nodded. One of them said, "Leader Yang, we have also gained some understanding of the development situation in China over the years."

"Exports have been increasing year by year, and the nine departments have played a leading role in this."

Yang Xiaotao waved his hand and said, "Our Ninth Division is just taking this first step; we can't say we're leading the way."

"But you are absolutely right. Exports have been increasing year after year, that's a fact, and that's what I wanted to say to you both."

The two looked at each other again, then looked intently at Yang Xiaotao.

Then Yang Xiaotao continued, "Our development over the years has actually revolved around several regions."

“This area includes the old city of Beijing, Shanghai, and the Guangdong region.”

"But future development cannot be limited to these three regions."

"Therefore, our future development direction is towards cities in coastal areas."

In an instant, everyone in the room understood what Yang Xiaotao meant.

Economic development has been restricted in recent years due to concerns about security in coastal areas.

They want to develop, but they are also worried about security.

As for Shanghai and Guangdong, both had fleets stationed there for protection.

Can a few ships really cover such a long coastline?

Obviously not.

At this moment, they understood why Yang Xiaotao had readily agreed to allocate funds to build the fleet.

"Peng, you have your way, and we have our way."

"Although the methods are different, the goal is the same."

"This is also the attitude of our Ninth Department."

"We can live without money, but we cannot live without dignity!"

Upon hearing this, General Peng stood up from his chair and said with a solemn expression, "Don't worry, and please rest assured, comrades of the Ninth Department as well."

“Every penny you spend will be used wisely.”

"I promise."

Yang Xiaotao nodded with a smile, "We can't completely trust the guarantees from other people."

"But your promise is a promise kept, and we truly believe it."

General Peng laughed heartily, then looked at Yang Xiaotao and said, "How about this, since your Ninth Division has put in so much effort this time, we can't leave without showing our appreciation."

"How about I give you a military rank?"

Upon hearing this, the three of them looked at President Peng in surprise, and then all looked at Yang Xiaotao.

I thought Yang Xiaotao would happily agree, but to my surprise, he shook his head like a rattle drum, and hurriedly said, "No, no, when I came here, Old Chen said that he would be happy to treat me to a meal and drinks, but this is the only thing I can't do."

The others had already guessed the meaning behind the words.

Peng thought to himself, "As expected, that old fox Chen had been on guard all along."

At the same time, it is clear that Yang Xiaotao's current status would require a military rank.
Besides, the bigger the tree, the more the wind will blow against it.

"Alright, let's go drink now."

President Peng didn't care whether Yang Xiaotao had that stripe on his shoulder or not; it didn't affect his support for them.

Upon hearing about drinking, Director Wang and Director Cai both laughed, and the group went outside.

(End of this chapter)