Scholars in the courtyard.

Chapter 3074 High-tech Industry Research Office

After Lao Hong finished speaking, the conference room fell silent.

Yang Xiaotao understood the meaning of treating everyone equally.

Alternatively, all nine parts could return to the way they were before.

Or, the whole country should be like the Ninth Ministry.

But none of these are easy to handle.

The former would require workers to return to their previous living standards and eliminate their welfare benefits. If this were made public, they would probably be cursed to death behind their backs.

It's easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality

The people in the Ninth Division have become accustomed to the current system. Would they be willing to give up the benefits they have already received?

Not to mention them, even Yang Xiaotao was unwilling to accept it.

They created enormous wealth and made significant contributions to the revolution.

As a result, he received a certificate and a medal, just like everyone else.

Even if it's a spiritual satisfaction, can the effort behind it truly be reflected in a certificate?

No.

That's why the nine ministries value compensation.

This is the main reason why the unity of knowledge and action, as Li Hongfeng said, can be promoted.

Every hardworking person deserves our attention.

No one who makes a contribution will be let down by the Nine Departments.

Even the losers.

The former is not feasible, as for the latter...
Yang Xiaotao never dared to dream of having everyone in the country like the Ninth Department; what a grand dream that must be!

Although he didn't show it on his face, Yang Xiaotao had already rejected this idea in his mind.

Yang Xiaotao then gave Lao Hong's answer: "Go your own way and let them talk."

Just as Yang Xiaotao was lost in thought, Qing Lao and his uncle Peng Zong exchanged glances, and then the three of them nodded almost imperceptibly.

Cough
The eldest uncle suddenly coughed twice to attract the three's attention, and then said to Old Hong, "What you said is a solution, but it's not the most suitable one!"

"As for whether there are better ways, we don't know either. We can only keep exploring and searching in the process of development."

Old Hong nodded in agreement. He was just stating the situation; if he were to actually take action to resolve it, he would find himself somewhat powerless.

After finishing speaking, the uncle looked at the three of them again and said, "We basically understand the situation you've described."

"We are also well aware of the role and enormous contributions that the Ninth Division has played in the revolutionary construction. This is something that everyone can see and that no one can ignore. You can rest assured about this."

The three of them had a strange feeling when they heard this.

Are they going to dismantle all nine departments?

And this feeling became more and more real as the conversation progressed.

Yang Xiaotao looked at Li Hongfeng beside him, then clenched his fist, clearly conflicted.

Looking at Lao Hong again, he had lost his previous composure. He tried to speak several times, but didn't know what to say.

Even Yang Xiaotao himself was unsure.

After a while of conversation, seeing that the time was right, the three of them sat up straight and their expressions became serious.

Yang Xiaotao and the other two understood that the main event was about to begin.

The preceding events were merely a prelude; the sheer amount of prelude demonstrates just how significant the main event is.

After a moment of silence, Old Qing slowly spoke, "Old Chen, you have some health problems from your younger years."

"As he gets older, his energy and health can't keep up. It would be irresponsible for him to continue doing such heavy work."

Upon hearing Qing Lao's words, the three of them immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as this matter has nothing to do with the Ninth Department.

As long as the nine units aren't dismantled, it's fine.

Yang Xiaotao's attention was focused on the nine parts, and he didn't notice the other meaning in the old saying.

But Li Hongfeng and Lao Hong seemed to realize something, and then, looking at the current situation, they immediately turned their attention to Yang Xiaotao.

Then their eyes met, they nodded slightly, and smiled.

Mr. Qing briefly explained the situation, saying, "Especially now, the domestic economic development is very different from before, and the emergence of high-tech industries is different from the traditional ones."

"This thing spreads and updates quickly, and people who don't understand it will find it very difficult to deal with, and may even miss out on opportunities for development."

"For us, this is almost starting from scratch, and we need to explore and move forward."

Yang Xiaotao nodded after hearing this, and then, seeing that Elder Qing was looking at him, he immediately smiled and said, "Chief, in fact, it's not just us who are starting from scratch; other countries may not be any stronger than us either."

"Before we developed our pager, didn't other countries also have one?"

"The fact that we have taken the lead in this field proves that our technological development is no worse than that of other countries. In fact, if we continue to maintain this momentum, we will become the world leader in the future."

After Yang Xiaotao finished speaking, the three of them, including Qing Lao, immediately burst into laughter.

Mr. Peng picked up his water glass, took a big gulp, and then put it on the table, saying forcefully, "I like people like you—confident, energetic, and driven."

"Unlike some people, who either always want to catch up from behind or never think about rushing to the front."

"Either they shout slogans loudly, but end up doing a complete mess."

“In this respect, you are better than those guys who have been eating salt particles for more than ten years.”

Hearing Mr. Peng's praise, Yang Xiaotao smiled modestly.

As expected of someone who sponsored so much funding for shipbuilding, Mr. Peng proved to be a reliable figure in a critical moment.

Upon hearing this, Elder Qing suddenly laughed and said, "I heard that you are also planning to cooperate with the Japanese islands?"

"How's it going?"

Yang Xiaotao nodded hurriedly, "Yes, sir. They want our pager technology, but their offer is too stingy. They are a major economic power, after all. They only offer 10 billion. Who do they think they are?"

"So you're asking for 50 billion?" Boss Peng said with a smile, "Goodness, you're asking for an outrageous amount."

The uncle laughed and said, "The key is that they're actually willing to give!"

"This shows how important pager technology is to them."

Yang Xiaotao nodded, "That's right. When Comrade Li Rong told me that they had agreed, I was quite surprised."

"But then I realized that these little devils are very clever."

Since there were no outsiders in the room, Yang Xiaotao simply called them "little devils."

This suited Mr. Peng's taste perfectly, and he asked curiously, "What do you think makes them so clever?"

Yang Xiaotao picked up his cup and drank the tea in one gulp, then said seriously, "President Peng, you said they'd rather give up one-tenth of their GDP for this one technology. They're not throwing money away, so why would they be suckers?"

Without a second thought, Mr. Peng replied immediately, "Then it must be profitable. They'll only be willing to spend a lot of money if they can earn more."

Yang Xiaotao immediately nodded, "That's right, that's exactly what I mean."

"This technology is more useful to more developed countries, as they can optimize resources by leveraging the rapid flow of information, redirecting surplus resources to regions or industries that need them, and improving utilization efficiency."

"This will activate the economic cycle, and even accelerate the speed of this cycle, unifying the whole country into one big market."

"In addition, it can drive the optimization and upgrading of traditional industries, stimulate people's desire to buy, and expand the consumer market, etc."

"To put it another way, if they had this technology, it would be like adding wings to a tiger, and their economic development would be faster and more vigorous."

"If they don't want it, I really don't want to give it to them."

Yang Xiaotao spoke eloquently, and the others listened quietly.

My uncle suddenly spoke up, “Doesn’t that mean that other countries can also use it to promote economic development?”

Yang Xiaotao nodded, "That's natural. The more economically developed a region is, the greater its demand for information, and the more it contributes to economic development."

"What about us?"

Faced with his uncle's question, Yang Xiaotao scratched his head, unsure of what to say.

The current situation in China is somewhat special. If we wait another four years, or even longer, it will definitely be a huge help.

Of course, it's not entirely useless now.

Seeing that Yang Xiaotao remained silent, the uncle realized the current situation. Then, Qing Lao coughed twice and brought the topic back on track, saying, "This is the benefit of high technology. If used properly, it can be a huge boost to economic development."

"But if used improperly, it can also cause great damage, just like what happened in the League."

"I can see from you that this kind of high-tech requires more top-notch talent and more investment in research and development, right?"

Yang Xiaotao nodded again, "Yes, that's what I mean."

"Traditional industries have virtually no investment in research and development."

"Just like our old rolling mills, let alone studying them, we didn't even dare to disassemble them. How could we study them?"

"If we really wanted to do research, we would have to be prepared to spend money to buy new machines, so there was no such thing as research and development at all."

"But high-tech industries are different. For example, our research institute's annual R&D funding is equivalent to the revenue of a large factory."

"There probably aren't many people who would keep putting money into something that might not generate any returns."

At this point, Yang Xiaotao reached for his water glass again, only to find it empty. He put it down and continued, "Chief, you mentioned the Alliance. The Alliance's computer technology is a prime example of what not to do."

"Their choice of technological path, clinging to vacuum tube technology, missed the opportunity to research transistors and integrated circuits, which resulted in the entire industry falling behind."

"Furthermore, they developed a non-mainstream ternary computer, which is incompatible with the world's mainstream binary ecosystem, and is more complex to manufacture, wasting a lot of research funding."

"Finally, there is a lack of motivation for technological breakthroughs in decision-making. They always think about imitating the computers of the United States, naturally placing themselves in the position of a follower. How can they catch up?"

"All of these factors caused the United States to gradually widen the gap between them and the advantages they had built up in the early stages, and even leave them behind."

“If the other side cannot adjust its direction as soon as possible, they will be absent from the future computer revolution and may even have to rely on imported computers.”

When the eldest uncle heard Yang Xiaotao say this, he clapped his hands happily, and the others followed suit.

"The fact that they have already started purchasing our computers proves that your argument is correct."

Uncle affirmed firmly, and Boss Peng leaned close to Qing Lao's ear and said, "This kid may seem unassuming, but he's definitely got a lot of knowledge."

"Look at his analysis, there are many things we can't think of, but he can see them clearly."

Qing Lao also turned his head and whispered in Peng Zong's ear, "He has a profound understanding of the world."

"But he's like a donkey; you have to keep cracking the whip so he can run fast."

"Yes, we need to crack the whip and add more loads."

As they spoke, both of them laughed.

Tang Mingyue got up and poured Yang Xiaotao more tea, saying without any apparent expression, "Mr. Yang, please have some tea."

Yang Xiaotao smiled but didn't say anything.

However, Lao Hong and Li Hongfeng once again changed Yang Xiaotao's impression of them.

This guy always manages to surprise people.

After a moment, Qing Lao nodded, then took a deep breath, "You're right. This high-tech industry is like a road up a mountain. If you walk it well, you can reach the summit and enjoy different scenery."

"If you don't walk carefully, there will be an abyss behind you."

General Peng nodded and said again, "In war, the worst thing is to fight alone. The most important thing is to have someone command the overall situation, so that a thousand people can fight with one gun and hit wherever they are pointed."

"Therefore, if we want high-tech industries to develop well, there must be a department to coordinate them."

If Yang Xiaotao still couldn't understand this, he'd be a complete fool.

Then Qing Lao said, "After discussion and decision by the higher-level organization, a High-tech Industry Research Office will be established under the Economic Development Office to integrate domestic resources and fully develop high-tech industries."

Yang Xiaotao thought to himself, "Just as I expected," and then looked at Li Hongfeng and the other man with a smile on his face.

But their smiles were even brighter.

Qing Lao turned to look at Tang Mingyue, who quickly handed him a folder. Then, amidst the surprised gazes of the others, she looked at Yang Xiaotao and said, "We plan to have you lead and be in charge of this high-tech industry research lab."

(End of this chapter)