Scholars in the courtyard.

Chapter 3083 The Gun in the Research Lab

Li Rong's words made everyone realize that sometimes, when a pie falls from the sky, you really can't catch it without some skills.

Can they finish it in a month?

None of them felt confident.

However, they couldn't get over the mental hurdle of letting go of the opportunity to make money.

No matter what, we have to give it a try.

Their expressions changed rapidly, and then they all nodded in agreement.

They just didn't say anything else.

After all, the more we talk and the more determined we are now, the more we'll be slapped in the face if we fail to complete the task.

Seeing that everyone agreed, Yang Xiaotao didn't say anything more.

Just as he was about to invite everyone to continue drinking, Li Rong didn't stop and said, "There's something else!"

Yang Xiaotao quickly turned his attention over, and heard Li Rong say, "Let's settle on this pager thing for now."

"But the computer issue needs to be decided as soon as possible."

Yang Xiaotao then remembered that Li Rong had said she came for a pager and a computer.

At first, he thought it was a pager computer.

Now it seems that they are not the same thing.

Yang Xiaotao became serious, and everyone around him turned their attention to him.

Li Rong then said, "Dawson also said he wants to buy 10,000 computers."

"Ten thousand units?"

"Ten thousand units?"

The first sentence expresses Yang Xiaotao's doubt, while the second sentence expresses the surprise of Huang Lao and the others beside him.

However, Yang Xiaotao was puzzled because the other party only bought 10,000 units, which was unexpectedly low.

Old Huang and the others were shocked that so many had been bought.

Keep in mind that these computers were all sold in US dollars.

Including the supporting equipment, these 10,000 computers would cost at least 500 million yuan.

Old Huang and the others looked shocked, but Yang Xiaotao still frowned slightly.

"He said he wants ten thousand units?"

“This is too little!”

Li Rong knew Yang Xiaotao would say that. When she set the price, she thought she would set it higher to make more money.

Yang Xiaotao, however, advocated for high-volume sales.

Therefore, the current retail price of computers fluctuates between 30,000 and 40,000 yuan.

The main selling point is that the more you buy, the cheaper it gets.

Dawson purchased 10,000 units this time, at a price of around 35,000.

If she had kept the price as it was before, she would have lost 100 million yuan on those 10,000 units.

Whenever she thought about this, Li Rong felt a pang of regret.

If she had known this would happen, she would have argued her case more forcefully.

However, it seems that the other party's 10,000 units are clearly not up to Yang Xiaotao's requirement for "high volume".

"He's planning to buy it and open an arcade on the West Coast, but he'll see how the market goes!"

"Of course, nobody knows what will happen next."

After Li Rong finished speaking, Yang Xiaotao said disappointedly, "This guy really doesn't know what's good for him!"

"Only 10,000 units? That's incredibly stingy!"

Yang Xiaotao's words were somewhat speechless, but Huang Lao, Wang Lao, and the others' eyes almost bulged out of their sockets.

They felt that buying 10,000 units was quite a lot, but Yang Xiaotao felt it was a bit too little!
In our eyes, a deal worth 500 million is already extraordinary.

But Yang Xiaotao didn't take it seriously at all.

"Moreover, this money is not paid all at once. Half is paid upfront, and the other half will be paid when we make money."

"If you agree, the deal is done."

Li Rong spoke again, and the expressions of those around her changed.

After all, there are few people doing business with foreign countries these days, and the external environment is unpredictable. There's no guarantee that tensions won't lead to trouble.

When the time comes, even if they don't give you the money, there's nothing you can do.

Therefore, it's best to avoid doing things like buying on credit.

Old Huang immediately said, "Xiao Tao, this foreigner is cunning; we must be careful."

Old Wang nodded in agreement, “We’ve suffered so many losses in the past. This computer is a valuable asset. If they try to renege on their debt, we won’t be able to find them at all.”

The others did the same, but Li Rong remained silent, waiting for Yang Xiaotao to make a decision.

Hearing everyone's concern, Yang Xiaotao didn't mind at all and said directly, "It's just ten thousand units."

"If they are so short-sighted, then they can forget about making any profits from us in the future."

"Besides, we'll still make a little profit from half of the deposit, even if it's less."

At this point, Yang Xiaotao looked at Li Rong and said, "Aunt Rong, let's do this deal."

Yang Xiaotao readily agreed, as computer production speed had increased and the market was in high demand.

Yang Xiaotao was quite disappointed that the United States market he had been hoping for was only this small.

Seeing Yang Xiaotao's disappointment, Li Rong smiled and said, "Don't worry, good wine needs no bush."

"Maybe I'll buy even more next time!"

Yang Xiaotao nodded, but he felt that something was still missing.

'It seems we need to get Xu Pengcheng to speed things up!'

Having made up his mind, he then continued to invite everyone to eat.

When people around heard about the computer, in addition to being shocked and amazed once again, they saw a bright future ahead.

Working under a leader like this gives me even more motivation.

One p.m.

In the spirit of thrift and avoiding waste of food, everyone finished all the food on the table.

After the meal, Li Rong left. Yang Xiaotao, Huang Lao, and the others went to the door to see her off to her car. After watching the car leave, everyone turned back, preparing to hold a meeting.

After all, they had just received the news today, and there were still many things to discuss. Of course, only Yang Xiaotao and the thirteen directors attended the meeting.

Upon arriving at the privately arranged small conference room, everyone took their seats, and Yang Xiaotao had tea served.

"We've eaten and drunk our fill, now it's time to get down to business."

Old Huang clutched his stomach; he was full but not satisfied with his eyes after the meal, and was still digesting.

However, as the elder brother, he naturally had to speak up for Yang Xiaotao.

"Yes, we have quite a few goals for next year."

Old Zhang spoke meaningfully to the side, and the others nodded silently in agreement.

Everyone was a hero when they were announcing their goals, but now that it's time for real combat, they're all a bit flustered.

Hearing what they said, Yang Xiaotao just smiled and asked, "What does our research lab do?"

"Isn't this it?"

Upon hearing this, Old Huang smiled with satisfaction, "Indeed."

At this moment, Old Wang was still dazed while sitting in his chair.

This guy is the kind who's both bad at drinking and addicted; after three drinks, he completely blacked out.

It's only just starting to get better.

"President Yang, just tell me, where should we aim our first shot in this research lab?"

Old Wang took a deep breath. "We still need to find this gun and the bullets."

"You've set the goal, we have the bullets, and if we all work together, we'll achieve it, won't we?"

Old Zhao, reeking of alcohol, spoke up, "Old Wang is right."

"You need to have a goal, you need someone to guide you, but more importantly, you need to be of one mind."

"Anyway, I have nothing to say. Whatever General Manager Yang says, we in the Fourth Ministry of Machinery Industry will do."

He was in high spirits today and accepted almost everyone who came after him.

But unfortunately, he didn't have Yang Xiaotao's alcohol tolerance, and he and Old Wang collapsed one after the other.

Both of them were drunk at this point, but as the saying goes, "in vino veritas," and they spoke their true feelings.

The others nodded silently in agreement.

Yang Xiaotao picked up his teacup and took a sip of tea. After hearing what the others were saying, he also had some thoughts in his mind.

After a moment of silence in the conference room, Yang Xiaotao said, "Actually, the simplest way for us now is to expand step by step according to the nine-department model."

"However, this approach is too general and will take longer to produce results."

"This goes against our original intention in establishing the research lab."

Old Qin nodded, "Yes, if we follow the steps, we can indeed copy the homework. But now we need to produce results as soon as possible and unite people's hearts."

Old Zhang nodded in agreement, “That’s right. Our superiors have brought us together. If such a large department were to do trivial things, it would be a real disservice to the responsibilities we bear.”

Everyone else was saying the same thing, and Yang Xiaotao listened attentively.

After everyone had given their opinions, he said, "As Old Wang said, we need to find the gun first."

"As the saying goes, 'A skilled craftsman must first have the right tools.'"

"I do have some ideas about this gun."

When Yang Xiaotao said this, everyone perked up their ears.

After a moment, Yang Xiaotao spoke up, "I wonder what everyone's impression of computers is?"

"computer?"

Upon hearing this, everyone present began to recall relevant information about the computer in their minds.

They were among the first people to come into contact with computers, but their understanding of them was not deep.

After a moment, Old Liu finally spoke, "We mainly use the computers we received for work."

"This computer's processing speed is quite fast, much faster than the Nine Machines No. 2 we're currently using."

"So, your impression of computers is probably more focused on calculation."

Yang Xiaotao nodded, "What you're referring to is the computer's computing power."

"We will continue to strengthen this capability in the future; of course, this requires further development of integrated circuits."

Old Liu nodded.

If the computer were to run at a higher speed, their work efficiency would be even higher.

Yang Xiaotao then looked at the others.

The group looked at each other, and finally Old Wang chuckled and said, "Where we're from, Old Qian uses it the most, for things like data storage and office work."

"I use it mostly for chatting."

Yang Xiaotao nodded, "Office use is an important function of computers."

At this point, Yang Xiaotao picked up his cup and took a big gulp, then continued, "Actually, our current computers still lag behind the computers in the United States in terms of hardware."

"The main reason we have achieved this success is the development of a Chinese operating system, which makes it more convenient for users."

"Then, we relied on games that came with computers to attract a group of people."

"Of course, there are also drawbacks. As we talked about over dinner, gamers are a niche group, and the price of these computers can be prohibitive for many."

"Therefore, computer sales are still not going up."

"But that doesn't mean computers are like that."

"The mainframe computers of the future will represent height, while these smaller computers will represent the width that fills the space."

Everyone nodded in agreement with Yang Xiaotao's analysis.

"So, this gun of yours is a computer?"

"Correct!"

Yang Xiaotao spoke with absolute certainty and without hesitation.

Others might not know, but how could he not know?
The development of computers in later generations has progressed to the point that artificial intelligence has been developed.

Robots may indeed become a type of living organism.

Computer research in China today is far more advanced than it was in the past.

The international environment was also better than in later generations.

If we don't seize this opportunity, it would be an injustice.

(End of this chapter)