The train driver in the courtyard

"Mr. Zhang, we meet again."

After the meeting, the factory organized a meeting for the team members. As soon as Li Aiguo entered the hall, he saw an old acquaintance.

"Patriotic comrade, when I heard about the depleted uranium armor, I thought it was your work. I didn't expect that I was right." Engineer Zhang seemed a little excited.

So far, the nuclear industry has no substantial products, either in the military or civilian fields.

If depleted uranium armor is developed, it will also play a positive role for nuclear industry workers.

Li Aiguo also talked with the chief engineers and technicians of several other factories.

This time, because of the personal intervention of Junwei and the Armored Department, the personnel sent by each factory were all first-class technicians. For example, Engineer Chen from Factory 727 was the first technician in the country to achieve heavy uranium extraction in the laboratory.

Professor Zhang from the Military Industry Research Institute is the tank armor researcher with the most solid theoretical knowledge in China.

Any one of these people will be able to appear in the newspapers in the future, and each of them can be called a big boss.

For a moment, Li Aiguo felt his blood was burning.

The more attention your superiors pay, the greater your responsibility.

In the following period of time, Li Aiguo and a group of big guys were busy in the laboratory all day long.

Thanks to some of the technologies developed from within the system and the support of these big guys, the experiment progressed very quickly.

Engineer Zhang came up with a technical solution that used simple smelting of depleted uranium and titanium, omitted the addition of rare earth elements, and relied on rapid cooling to obtain a fine-grained structure.

When Li Aiguo took out the depleted uranium alloy plate from the copper mold used for cooling, cheers rang out in the laboratory.

The production of depleted uranium alloy means that there is basically no problem with the depleted uranium armor solution proposed by Li Aiguo.

After Director Guo learned about this, he personally came to the laboratory to praise the researchers.

After talking to several researchers, he pulled Li Aiguo aside and made a suggestion: "Comrade Aiguo, the next step should be the most difficult one. Everyone has been busy for so many days. Shouldn't they be given a day off?"

"I think so too. People are just like machines. After running for a while, they also need maintenance."

Li Aiguo announced on the spot that everyone would have a day off tomorrow.

Director Guo took into consideration the hard work of these researchers and specially took out the reserve materials in the factory.

Each researcher was given 20 kilograms of refined white flour, an old hen, and some brown sugar.

Li Aiguo, as the team leader, also received a copy.

Looking at the supplies, he was a little troubled.

Everything else is easy to deal with, but this clucking old hen is a living creature and there is no way she can bring it back to the capital.

After thinking for a moment, Li Aiguo slapped his forehead.

"How could you forget about Lu Baishan?"

Although Li Aiguo was still in the First Machine Factory during this period, he did not leave the laboratory due to confidentiality requirements and had no time to visit Lu Baishan's house.

In the evening, Li Aiguo knocked on Lu Baishan's door carrying something.

Lu Baishan was teaching Xiaoju to write. When he saw Li Aiguo carrying so many things, he quickly stood up.

"Aiguo, you are here, why do you bring so many things?"

“This is issued by the factory.”

Li Aiguo explained vaguely that although Lu Baishan did not know the details of the depleted uranium armor project, he had received instructions from his superiors. Seeing this situation, he no longer wanted to ask.

When Cao Yuehua heard the noise, she wiped her hands and walked out of the kitchen. When she saw so many things, she got angry.

"Aiguo, what are you doing? I'm your sister. I'm supposed to take care of you, but you're carrying so many things. Isn't this a slap in your sister's face?"

Li Aiguo pointed at the old hen and said with a smile: "Sister Yuehua, I still have to stay in the factory for a while. I can't work and raise chickens at the same time."

Hearing this, Cao Yuehua's eyes turned: "How about this, I'll help you raise this chicken, and you can take it away when you leave."

"alright."

Like Cao Wenzhi, Cao Yuehua has never liked to take advantage of others, and Li Aiguo did not force her.

Xiaoju was obviously very interested in the old hen, and she pulled Lu Baishan to ask him to help build a chicken coop.

Li Aiguo was an expert at making chicken cages, so he also stood up to help. He found a dozen steel bars and asked the workers to help weld them into cages.

"Xiao Ju, from now on, you will be responsible for feeding the old hens. Your labor payment is one piece of candy a day. I will pay you a week's salary in advance."

As he spoke, Li Aiguo took out a handful of candies from his pocket and handed them to Xiaoju.

Xiaoju's mouth was full of joy.

Xiaoju was feeding the old hens over there. Lu Baishan called Li Aiguo aside and handed him a cigarette.

"I have been sending people to keep an eye on Zhang Shiqi for a while, and even sent people to his hometown to investigate, but I found nothing."

"What about Baotou City? If Zhang Shiqi really has a problem, there must be someone outside to support him." Li Aiguo asked, holding a cigarette.

Lu Baishan narrowed his eyes. "Zhang Shiqi and Wang Xiaomei are getting married soon. They often go to the city to buy things and watch movies recently. I haven't noticed anything unusual."

"Keep watching. The fox will eventually show his true colors."

Lu Baishan also knew that the more cunning the enemy was, the more patient he had to be, so he nodded.

You know, before liberation, a predecessor kept an eye on a hidden enemy for three years in order to find him. Finally, due to a small mistake made by the enemy, he revealed the enemy's true identity and notified the headquarters in time to complete the transfer.

After dinner, Li Aiguo returned to the guesthouse and was about to rest when Section Chief Xing from the Qianmen Locomotive Depot called him.

After a busy period of time, the Qianmen Locomotive Depot Maintenance Workshop has manufactured 35 security doors according to Li Aiguo's drawings.

"Comrades from the Ministry of Railways have already inspected the security doors and are preparing to purchase them in large quantities."

"Large quantities?"

"The first order is for 500 doors. According to information leaked by comrades in the ministry, the ministry plans to install security doors in more than 30 large railway stations across the country, including Beijing, Tianjin, Dalian, etc., to implement a simple security inspection system."

When saying this, Director Xing Duan was filled with excitement.

What are flight attendants and police officers most afraid of these days?
These are the ones who boarded the train carrying weapons.

Because there are so many passengers, the maintenance section does not have enough manpower and material resources, and it is not realistic to check each one of them one by one.

Now that we have security gates, we can select key people.

Li Aiguo originally designed the security door to protect the factory from thieves. He was very happy after hearing the news.

With the security gate, the work pressure of railway comrades can be greatly reduced.

Thinking of this, Li Aiguo hung up the phone and fell into a deep sleep.

Just as Li Aiguo was having a sweet dream, outside the Beijing Railway Station, a young man in a worker's uniform and protective leather shoes was helping others enthusiastically in the railway station square.

A pregnant woman was about to fall, and the young man quickly stepped forward and held her up.

The pregnant woman was so frightened that her face turned pale. She thanked the young man repeatedly, asked for his address, and said she would reward him handsomely in the future.

“Do good deeds not for fame or profit.” The young man waved his hand and walked quickly into the station with his canvas bag.

The pregnant woman looked at his back and sighed: "This man is really a good person."

What she didn't know was that this "good guy" had already put the handkerchief bag in her pocket into his own pocket.

This person is none other than Yan San, the famous "Master Buddha" in the capital.

Yan San's real name is no longer traceable, but because he thought his stealing skills were comparable to those of Yan Zi Li San, he gave himself the nickname Yan San.

Yan San was not bragging. When he was young, he showed the potential to be a thief just like Bang Geng.

The only difference from Bang Geng is that he met a good master - Dongbei Zhang.

Dongbei Zhang is very famous. He is a thief who once stole antiques from Yuan Shikai and secret letters from Zhang Zuolin. He is recognized as the best thief in the world.

After completing his studies, Yan San left the Northeast and went to the capital to make a living.

Relying on his superb skills, he soon made a fortune.

He had long lost interest in money, and the reason he was going to the train overnight to commit a crime was just to fulfill a bet.

He needed to get two thousand yuan from the train within one day.

"Tsk tsk, only three dollars and fifty cents." Walking to a secluded place, Yan San opened the handkerchief bag, put the money in his pocket, and threw the handkerchief into the trash can.

Yan San took the money and the letter of introduction and bought a passing bus ticket at the ticket window.

When he arrived at the entrance to the station, Yan San always felt that something seemed to be wrong today.

"It seems like a new door has been installed? These people have no real skills, so they just do this to save face."

Yan San spat and swaggered into the station with his canvas bag.

In his opinion, the railway police officers who were responsible for checking tickets and letters of introduction were idiots.

Even if he was stealing right in front of them, these idiots wouldn't be able to detect.

"Hurry up, I'm in a hurry." Yan San saw that the railway police were a little slow and couldn't help but urge them.

At this moment, a policeman hurriedly ran out of the guardhouse, pulled out a pistol and pointed it directly at Yan San.

"You, what are you going to do?" Yan San thought he was very good at disguising himself and was not afraid at all.

The railway policeman pressed his pistol against his forehead, put his fingers into his mouth and pulled out a razor blade.

"He has a razor blade hidden in his mouth. He must be an expert. Come with us."

Yan San fell into confusion.

Hiding a blade under the tongue is a unique skill he learned after years of hard practice. It has never been discovered by anyone. How did the railway police know about it?

At this time, the pregnant woman came in with two railway police officers. When she saw Yan San was handcuffed, she breathed a sigh of relief.

The railway police reported the situation of the pregnant woman to the comrades in charge of arresting her.

The comrade reached into Yan San's pocket and took out the roll of money.

"How much is it?"

"Three dollars and fifty cents."

"How many bills?"

"One dollar, four fifty cents, and five ten cents."

The comrade in charge of arresting the person determined the amount of money and handed it to the pregnant woman.

When the pregnant woman received the money, she was so moved that tears flowed down her face.

"Comrade, thank you so much. The money that was stolen from me was for my parents-in-law's medical treatment. If I lost this money, I would be dead too."

The pregnant woman bowed to the railway police comrades, and warm applause broke out at the scene.

This kind of scene also occurred in major railway stations such as Tianjin, Shenyang, and Zhengzhou.

In just one month, the railway public security system caught more than 500 thieves and recovered thousands of yuan in losses for the people.

Those thieves were locked up in a dark detention room, and they couldn't figure out why their tools were discovered even though they were hidden so secretly.

Could it be that the professional capabilities of the railway police have improved rapidly, and that everyone has developed a keen eye?
When the local comrades saw that Big Brother Railway had made progress, they all went to him for advice. When they learned that the reason Big Brother Railway was so powerful was because of a strange door, they all made up their minds.

One company ordered 200 doors, another ordered 500. Within half a year, the Qianmen Locomotive Depot received orders for more than 5,000 doors.

The Qianmen Locomotive Depot made a lot of money from the security gates.

Of course, this is all a story for later. The scene turns back to the First Machine Factory.

The development of depleted uranium alloy armor has reached a critical point.

After the armor has completed the matrix pretreatment, the ninth-level master craftsman from Baosteel will sandblast the surface of the armor to improve the bonding strength with the depleted uranium layer.

"The next step is to carry out layered suppression with 601 steel." The depleted uranium alloy armor that Li Aiguo wants to make has 601 alloy steel on the outside and inside, and the middle layer is filled with depleted uranium alloy. Zhang Tan gave this structure a nice name - donkey meat hot pot.

The three layers of armor need to be pressed together, and the pressing plan needs to be perfected first, and then handed over to the forging workshop of the First Machine Factory for production and manufacturing.

Zhang Tan suggested that the technicians from the technical department should improve the production process.

"Team Leader Li, this project is led by our First Machinery Factory after all. Now it's time to tackle the tough problems. It should be our First Machinery Factory that takes the lead."

On the one hand, Zhang Tan's statement is indeed a sincere contribution to the military industry, but on the other hand, he also has the intention of stealing the credit.

The characteristics of depleted uranium alloy armor determine that it will leave a heavy mark in our military research and development history.

These two ideas are not in conflict.

Li Aiguo could also understand Zhang Tan and put forward his own views.

"This is a good idea, but because of the need for confidentiality, we need to carefully select a group of technicians."

"That's as it should be. Well, I'm quite familiar with the technicians in the department. I'll make a list for you to take a look at."

Zhang Tan returned to the office and selected a group of loyal, reliable and technically capable technicians and put them on the list.

After Li Aiguo took the list, he took a quick look at it, picked up a pen and marked a name.

"Zhang Shiqi?" Zhang Tan was puzzled. "Zhang Shiqi is our researcher with the highest technical qualifications and the strongest technical ability. Team Leader Li, why do you want to..."

Li Aiguo did not answer his question, but handed the list back: "Lao Zhang, select people according to this list."

"Yes." Zhang Tan thought of what happened a while ago and thought that Li Aiguo might have misunderstood that Zhang Shiqi had stolen someone else's girlfriend, but he was too embarrassed to defend Zhang Shiqi.

As soon as the list was announced in the technical department, it immediately caused a sensation.

Although Zhang Tan did not reveal the specific details of the project.

but.

The researchers in the technical department are not fools.

Recently, many researchers and professors from other places and other factories have come to the factory.

These people followed Team Leader Li and Zhang Tan and were busy in a separate laboratory building in the First Machinery Factory.

Especially a while ago, the factory generously distributed benefits to these people.

Everyone understands that this project is definitely a key project.

Those researchers whose names were called were naturally overjoyed.

Finally I was able to participate in the project.

The faces of those researchers who were not on the list looked somewhat gloomy.

They began to reflect on whether there was something wrong with their thinking or their technical level was not good enough.

The one who felt the most uncomfortable was Zhang Shiqi.

This project will directly involve the armor forging process. If you can join the project team, you will definitely be able to get 601 steel.

Feishu has promised that if he can smuggle samples of 601 steel out, he will be sent abroad and allowed to study in a foreign university.

After graduation, I will be able to work in a research institute abroad.

Drinking foreign coffee, reading materials written in foreign languages, and holding US dollars.

This is how people live.

It's all over now!

After the meeting, Zhang Shiqi knocked on Zhang Tan's office door.

"Chief, I know I shouldn't come to you, but I won't accept it."

Zhang Shiqi suppressed his emotions and said, "I think my skills are far better than Lao Wang, Da Liu and the others. Why were they selected while I was left aside?"

Zhang Tan saw Zhang Shiqi coming to him, his head was covered with lumps, he lit a cigarette, and said sternly: "Shiqi, the arrangement of work is the consideration of the superiors, what you need to do is to work diligently no matter what position you are in, and don't get emotional."

"Chief, this is unfair. I have made a lot of contributions over the years. Is it because of Wang Xiaomei's case that the higher-ups are advocating freedom of marriage? What did I do wrong?"

Zhang Shiqi knew that Zhang Tan was trying to fool him, but he still insisted. Zhang Tan waved his hand and said, "Go back."

Zhang Tan had no choice but to leave the office.

But he didn't give up.

After he returned to the dormitory, he took out a dagger from the drawer.

****
the next day.

"Have you heard? Zhang Shiqi blocked the door of Team Leader Li's office with a letter written in blood, demanding to join the project team."

"Hey, I really didn't realize that this kid is so proactive."

Zhao Qing heard the technicians' discussion early in the morning and said with a curled lip, "Zhang Shiqi is just pretending to be positive. What blood letter? Maybe it was written with chicken blood."

At this time, the technicians were already stunned by the blood letter and angrily scolded Zhao Qing.

"Zhao Qing, I know Zhang Shiqi stole your girlfriend, but it's not Zhang Shiqi's fault. How could you do this?"

"Yes, men should be more generous."

"I saw with my own eyes that Zhang Shiqi's hands were wrapped in gauze."

"Come on, let's go take a look."

The technicians ignored Zhao Qing, left the big office, and surrounded the door of Li Aiguo's office.

Zhang Tan went to work at 7:50. After learning that Zhang Shiqi had written a letter in blood, he felt something was wrong.

He didn't know why Li Aiguo had a grudge against Zhang Shiqi.

But by doing this, it was obvious that Zhang Shiqi was trying to put Li Aiguo in trouble.

"Zhang Shiqi, what are you doing?" Zhang Tan strode into the crowd and pulled Zhang Shiqi aside.

Zhang Shiqi held up the blood letter and said, "Section Chief! I want to join the project team!"

He tore off the gauze wrapped around his hand, revealing a hideous wound. Blood was still slowly oozing out and dripping onto the edge of the letter paper. "Look! This is my determination! I am willing to shed blood for the country's national defense! In order to participate in this project, I can even give up my life!"

The technicians watching exclaimed in surprise, and someone whispered, "He's working too hard!" "This awareness is beyond words!" There was a little more admiration in the eyes of everyone looking at Zhang Shiqi.

Zhang Tan's face became more gloomy. He lowered his voice and warned, "Don't mess around! The project team's personnel arrangements were decided by the higher-ups. How can you change them like this?"

"So what if it's decided from above?"

Zhang Shiqi stiffened his neck, his eyes flashing with madness, "I know Li Aiguo doesn't like me, but this is a national event. Do you want to exclude me, a person who is dedicated to serving the country, just because of his personal grudge?"

His voice became louder and louder, deliberately letting everyone around him hear, "I don't believe the organization will bury those who truly want to contribute to the country!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd suddenly became agitated.

"No way, is Team Leader Li such a person?"

"That's what I mean. The project is so important that we can't let it get delayed because of personal conflicts."

"Zhang Shiqi is in such a state. If we don't let him in, it's really unreasonable."

Hearing the discussions, Zhang Tan was so anxious that cold sweat broke out on his forehead. Things had developed just as he had expected. Zhang Shiqi had indeed put Li Aiguo on the spot.

At this time, Li Aiguo yawned and walked over from outside, holding an enamel pot.

Hearing the discussions and seeing the scene, Li Aiguo gave Zhang Shiqi a thumbs up in his heart: This kid is quite capable to be able to write a bloody book.

Seeing Li Aiguo coming over, Zhang Shiqi immediately came over holding the blood letter and said loudly: "Team Leader Li, this is my determination, please let me join the project team!"

All eyes were focused on Li Aiguo.

Li Aiguo's expression did not change at all. He did not even look at Zhang Shiqi. Instead, he looked over Zhang Shiqi's shoulder and looked at Zhang Tan.

"Chief Zhang, can an unorganized and undisciplined person shoulder such a heavy responsibility?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the faces of the technicians who were filled with righteous indignation all changed.

As a member of a collective, the most important thing is not ability, but obedience to the organization and having a sense of the overall situation.

In particular, on the issue of "whether individualism has positive effects", a large-scale discussion was organized, which completely denied the "positive effects of individualism".

Even in these days there is a word for unorganized and undisciplined behavior - bourgeois individualism.

After Li Aiguo put this big hat on him, Zhang Shiqi, who had been so aggressive just now, suddenly turned pale.

If he took back the blood letter now, his previous behavior would be just a performance.

If he still insists, I wonder what label this young man in front of him, who is good at putting labels on others, will put on him.

For a moment, Zhang Shiqi stood there in a daze, with his hands raised high, looking so funny.

Although Zhang Tan did not agree with Li Aiguo's tactic of labeling Zhang Shiqi, he also knew that this was the only option to deal with Zhang Shiqi.

"Team Leader Li, you misunderstood. Zhang Shiqi was not engaging in individualism. He completely obeyed the organization's decisions."

As Zhang Tan spoke, he secretly touched Zhang Shiqi's shoulder.

"Zhang Shiqi, you should apologize to Team Leader Li right away."

Zhang Shiqi lowered his head in embarrassment: "Team Leader Li, I know I was wrong."

"Since you know you are wrong, then study hard. Stop working for a while and go to the ideological study class for a while."

When Zhang Shiqi raised his head, Li Aiguo had already turned and walked into the office, and a cold word floated in the air.

Zhang Shiqi never expected that Li Aiguo would be so cruel.

Once he is suspended, he will never be able to touch 601 steel again.

"Chief, look at this."

Zhang Shiqi wanted Zhang Tan to plead for him, but after a moment of silence, Zhang Tan just patted him on the shoulder.

"Aren't you planning to marry Wang Xiaomei? Take advantage of this time to get married."

"."

Zhang Shiqi felt like he had lost more than he gained.

The blood letter incident caused quite a stir in a machine factory.

After learning the news, Lu Baishan from the Security Department immediately rushed to Li Aiguo's office.

He loosened the button on his collar and said, "Aiguo, why don't you recruit Zhang Shiqi into the project team? We can just put out a bait and easily catch him."

Cigarette ash fell between Li Aiguo's fingers. He pushed the cigarette box towards Lu Baishan: "Brother Baishan, do you know the anti-sand net on the Gobi Desert?"

He looked out the window at the yellow sand all over the sky. "The security department is a trap. When the prey steps on the trap, the net will be closed. But confidentiality work is a sand-proof net. Every gap must be blocked before the wind and sand get close."

Lu Baishan paused holding the cigarette and stared at the other person with burning eyes.

"The security department can deal with suspects and even deliberately set up traps." Li Aiguo crushed his cigarette butt, "but they can't keep secrets. Any attempt is like drilling a hole in a dam. Once water seeps in, the seemingly unbreakable defense line will collapse in an instant."

"How many Zhang Shiqi can you afford to fill the hole after the secrets are leaked?"

Lu Baishan was silent for a moment, then hesitated and said, "But this is a good opportunity."

"The real line of defense is not arrest, but isolation." Li Aiguo's voice suddenly rose. "It's like putting a triple safe on confidential documents. The key must be in the hands of someone who is absolutely reliable. Confidentiality is not a gamble. There is no room for luck."

"Remember, in the confidentiality manual, 'safe' is always more valuable than 'clever'."

There was one sentence that Li Aiguo did not say.

Depleted uranium armor is extremely important, far more important than capturing a hundred Zhang Shiqis.

(End of this chapter)