The train driver in the courtyard

Section Chief's Office.

"Understood, I will attend the meeting promptly at 10:30."

Section Chief Xing hung up the phone, handed a cigarette to the deputy section chief, sat back in his chair, and said in a muffled voice, "Why does the Ministry of Machine Building always call us to meetings?"

The Qianmen Locomotive Depot was under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Railways and had no connection with the First Ministry of Machine Building.

The deputy section chief smiled and explained, "Have you forgotten? Our hydraulic presses are a benchmark in the domestic industry."

Section Chief Xing sighed, "It's just that meetings are too troublesome."

Being able to show one's face in front of the leaders of the Ministry of Machine Building is something that many people wouldn't even dare to dream of.

Seeing that even the usually honest Section Chief Xing had now learned Versailles, the other section leaders secretly chuckled to themselves.

"Section Chief, the Patriotic Grand Cross-Country is finished. Please come and take a look." Yan Jiecheng knocked on the door and entered.

"Really? Come on, come on, Old Chen, you come too."

Section Chief Xing had been keeping a close eye on the workshop. Upon learning that the car was finished, he immediately brought his superiors over.

"How's the engine? The most important part of this vehicle is the engine. The engine in that old GAZ jeep in the section always has problems."

"Yeah, I was delivering a package to the Northeast the other day and I got stranded halfway there. There was no village or shop in sight, and I even encountered wild wolves. Luckily, we railway workers are fast runners, otherwise the grass on my grave would be half a meter high."

"Don't expect too much. With our current conditions, it would be good enough if Aiguo could build an engine that is similar to the old GAZ."

Hearing the murmurs, Section Chief Xing circled the SUV, looked at Li Aiguo, and asked, "How long did the engine test take?"

"It has run for a total of 1,000 hours, and I only added engine oil. There have been no problems."

"Tsk tsk, a thousand hours! That's at least a year's worth of work!" Section Chief Xing exclaimed in surprise.

"It can last at least 150,000 kilometers." Li Aiguo nodded. In later generations, gasoline engines were already mature. As long as you don't drive aggressively or use inferior gasoline, they can run for about 200,000 to 300,000 kilometers without breaking down.

"This is really a great thing!" Section Chief Xing's eyes lit up.

Regardless of the performance of this off-road vehicle, its ability to withstand such heavy off-road driving already demonstrates its strength.

In those days of scarcity, sturdy and durable products were the best products.

When will the road test begin?

"Section Chief, you are the project leader, we are just waiting for your order."

Section Chief Xing was taken aback for a moment when he heard this, but then he understood what was going on. He patted Li Aiguo heavily on the shoulder and said, "Alright, alright, let's do the road test."

That kid is really good at getting things done.

If this off-road vehicle project is truly successful, higher authorities will definitely intervene. Currently, the off-road vehicle project is under the jurisdiction of the department, so the department can also benefit from it.

This is called "the credit goes to the big guys".

To gain credit, you have to make sacrifices.

Road testing is a dangerous job; this thing could easily overturn or explode. Section Chief Xing rolled up his sleeves and opened the driver's side door.

"I'll do it myself!"

"Then I'll stay with you." Li Aiguo also opened the passenger door.

"Okay, okay," Section Chief Xing said, knowing Li Aiguo's personality. He didn't refuse and instructed the leaders behind him, "Send a truck to follow later."

The maintenance workshop dispatched a truck, and Director Zhang, Yu Shu, and several leaders from the section all got on the truck to serve as logistical support vehicles.

When Section Chief Xing drove his SUV out of the workshop, the workers on the road were stunned. What kind of car was that?

It has a dark green paint job, a red five-pointed star on the door, and the body is a size larger than a GAZ jeep. The wheels are about the size of small millstones.

"Section Chief, where is this train from?" a staff member from the locomotive depot greeted.

"Made with patriotism." Section Chief Xing rolled down the car window and waved excitedly to the workers.

You know what, sitting inside one of these tall SUVs really changes your mood.

Even the usually reserved Section Chief Xing became smug, like a fisherman who had caught a big fish.

The off-road vehicle was supposed to leave the section directly, but it ended up driving around inside for more than ten minutes, covering all the roads.

In the words of Section Chief Xing, this is a test of the off-road vehicle's handling skills.

"Yes, yes, yes," what else could Li Aiguo say?

After circling the area enough, the off-road vehicle finally got on the road.

The cyclists and pedestrians on the roadside were all stunned. What kind of vehicle is that? How can it be so big?
The traffic police captain on the road was also puzzled. What kind of car is this? I've never seen it before.
"Captain, shouldn't we stop them?" a traffic policeman next to him suggested.

The team leader glanced at the support vehicle behind him and said, "It's from the Qianmen Locomotive Depot. They must have come up with something good again."

In this day and age, there was no procedure for road test vehicles to be reported and licensed in advance, so it wouldn't be appropriate to stop them.

The SUV sped along the street. Section Chief Xing stepped on the gas, and the speed quickly reached 80. Startled, he quickly released the gas.

"Patriot, what's the top speed of this car?"

"Probably one hundred and fifty."

"What the hell? One hundred and fifty?" After confirming that he hadn't misheard, Section Chief Xing couldn't help but gasp.

"Those GAZ jeeps in the section, even if you floor the gas pedal, they can only go 80 kilometers per hour. I'll have to try today."

The spirit of adventure is ingrained in their blood.

Humanity has made countless efforts in pursuit of faster, higher, and farther goals.

It is precisely because of these efforts that humanity has evolved from savages wielding clubs and howling into modern humans wearing spacesuits and traversing space.

When presented with such a good opportunity, Section Chief Xing was naturally unwilling to miss it.

With the city streets congested, Section Chief Xing turned the steering wheel and drove out of the city.

"Patriotism, do you think I can drive on the Third Ring Road?"

"sure."

"Then why was I stopped by the traffic police when I went onto the Third Ring Road last time?" Section Chief Xing asked, looking frustrated.

Li Aiguo chimed in, "Did you ride your bicycle onto the Third Ring Road?"

Section Chief Xing: "."

He felt that Li Aiguo, the straight man, was not cooperating at all.

The Third Ring Road in Beijing is a ring expressway built a few years ago, which only allows motor vehicles to travel on it.

Why is it called the Third Ring Road and not the Fourth Ring Road?
Because the West Ring Road was never completed, only the south, north, and east sections were built, so it was commonly known as the "Third Ring Road".

A large SUV rushed onto the entrance to the Third Ring Road. A traffic policeman nearby took one look and said, "I don't recognize this vehicle. But judging from the exhaust pipe, it's a motor vehicle. Let it go."

"See? They're letting you onto the Third Ring Road, as long as you don't ride a bicycle."

Section Chief Xing felt that Li Aiguo was rubbing salt in his wounds again, so he stepped on the gas.

Boom. Whoosh.
On the fast lane, the GAZ jeep driver rubbed his eyes: "What just went by?"

"That can't be right, we're already going 75 km/h, who can go faster than us?" the co-pilot wondered.

Li Aiguo was also startled, having underestimated Section Chief Xing's audacity.

Come to think of it, this guy killed two Japanese soldiers with an entrenching tool on the northern battlefield back then in order to repair a section of railway track. How could he be timid?

Fortunately, the Third Ring Road had only been built recently, and there were hardly any vehicles on the road. The SUV sped along at a speed of over 130 kilometers per hour, and there were no problems.

The SUV was speeding along, his blood was pumping, and Section Chief Xing hadn't felt this exhilarated in many years.

1301415
[Disclaimer: This is a professional test track; please do not imitate it.]

Seeing what appeared to be a needle on the dashboard, Section Chief Xing slammed on the gas, and the car's speed increased again. He frowned and said, "Aiguo, wasn't the speed limit set at 150 km/h?"

"This dashboard is a salvaged part; the top speed is only 150 km/h," Li Aiguo said calmly.

In later generations, the top speed of new energy electric donkeys was only 25 km/h, but in reality, it could reach over 100 km/h.

Section Chief Xing: "."

This was the first time he had ever seen a theoretical speed that was slower than the actual speed.

"Slow down, long stretch! This road condition can't handle it!" At this moment, the roadside started to bump, and Li Aiguo shouted, gripping the handrail tightly.

Section Chief Xing eased off the accelerator, and the needle dropped back to 120: "That's some serious power! I'll definitely test its limits once the road is repaired!"

That morning, Section Chief Xing finally got his fill of fun.

However, he didn't realize that the loud roar on the Third Ring Road had already been heard by drivers on the road.

So much so that when later generations listed Beijing street racing incidents, the one at the top of the list was not the "Fifth Ring Road Thirteen" or the "Lamborghini street racer," but the "Third Ring Road Off-Road."

"At the time, I thought it was a plane taking off; it was going at a speed of at least 250 km/h."

"Two hundred and fifty? Sir, are you kidding me?"

"Hey, young man, I saw it with my own eyes."

"Yes, yes, yes, two hundred and fifty." Seeing the centenarian in the wheelchair about to pick up a stick to hit someone, the reporter quickly nodded, noted this down, said goodbye to the old man, and left the nursing home.

He placed the documents on a car with a red five-pointed star logo. The cover of the documents was half-covered, but one could vaguely see the history of the rise of the world's largest automobile company.
But I digress. Let's get back to the present.

The support vehicles behind them had long since disappeared.

Section Chief Xing drove on the Third Ring Road for a full two hours, performing emergency braking and turns several times, and the off-road vehicle had no problems whatsoever.

"Good stuff, good stuff!" Section Chief Xing exclaimed repeatedly.

The deputy section chief sitting in the back row whispered, "Section Chief, it's almost 10:30. Don't you still have to go to the Ministry of Machine Building for a meeting?"

"Ah, I forgot," Section Chief Xing suddenly remembered.

It was too late to go back to the section, so I simply turned the steering wheel, drove the SUV off the Third Ring Road, and headed straight for the First Ministry of Machinery Industry.

The compound of the First Ministry of Machine Building was bustling with activity at this time.

Factory leaders from various places took this opportunity to chat and build relationships.

Upon hearing the roar of the car engine, the leaders of the Jiefang plant were the first to frown: "What kind of engine is this? A GAZ inline four-cylinder four-stroke?"

The leader of FAW shook his head: "It shouldn't be. The sound of GAZ is too rough. It sounds like a four-cylinder engine from a Willys to me."

A leader from BAIC's factory commented: "It's probably the B40 gasoline engine, which is quite rare in China."

"I think we should take a gamble. Whoever guesses correctly will treat everyone to lunch at Donglaishun."

"Ok, deal."

The leaders of the three automobile factories all looked towards the entrance of the ministry.

When they saw the large off-road vehicle arrive, everyone was stunned.

What kind of car is this?

"Brought in from abroad?"

"Impossible, even foreign Jeeps aren't that big."

The top leader of the First Ministry of Machine Building was about to convene a meeting when he saw Da Yueye and hurried over.

"Section Chief Xing, where did you get this vehicle?" A senior leader from the Ministry of Machine Building looked the large SUV up and down.

Section Chief Xing straightened his collar and said with a smile, "A while ago, Aiguo wanted to build a car, and I didn't pay much attention to it. I just gave him some things and let him tinker with it himself. Who knew he would actually build a car?"

"You built it yourselves!" (138 exclamations of surprise)

Outsiders see the spectacle, but insiders see the details. The leaders of the three car manufacturers only glanced at it a few times before realizing the extraordinary nature of this large SUV.

"Such a big engine, it must have eight cylinders, my goodness! How much power must that be!"

"The split trapezoidal beam chassis can withstand extreme impact loads."

"This reinforced double wishbone suspension is as strong as my thigh." Several people surrounded the SUV, talking non-stop. If they had a wrench, they would have taken it apart long ago.

Li Aiguo glanced at the time, still remembering that he needed to go back and optimize the Great Off-Road vehicle.

We also discovered quite a few problems during the road test just now.

At such high speeds, seat belts are necessary.

The rigidity requirements for the vehicle body also need to be increased; at least high-strength steel must be used. In addition, an auxiliary fuel tank needs to be mounted.

"Boss, if there's nothing else, I'll head back now."

"Let the people go back, but the car has to stay here." The three factory leaders stepped forward and stopped Li Aiguo.

Section Chief Xing was stunned when he heard this, and quickly said, "Sir, this vehicle is a sample and has not yet undergone system testing. It might fall apart while running."

"We have three car factories here. Hand it over to us, and we'll guarantee to test the car from front to back."

"Boss, this car is out of gas."

"We have oil here, as much as you need."

Before Section Chief Xing could say anything more, a leader from the First Ministry of Machine Building grabbed his arm: "Old Xing, don't worry, if this train really works, your Qianmen Locomotive Depot will have made a great contribution."

The meaning of this is quite clear: with someone in charge watching, no one can steal credit.

Section Chief Xing wasn't worried about that. Railway workers aren't made of clay; if anyone dared to steal something, the train drivers wouldn't mind driving their big trains to your house.

However, since the Great Wall was built by Li Aiguo, we still need to consult Li Aiguo's opinion.

Car manufacturing is different from tunnel boring machines and hydraulic presses; it requires large-scale production and skilled workers to be widely adopted.

Li Aiguo hadn't expected the Qianmen Locomotive Depot to be able to take on this lucrative opportunity, but since someone was willing to help, he was naturally happy to oblige.

Li Aiguo didn't care which factory the ministry would ultimately hand over the production work to.

"Section Chief, we're all from brother units. They want to borrow it, so we can't be too stingy."

The meaning is clear: the Great Wall was developed by the Qianmen Locomotive Depot, and none of you should forget the well-digger when you get the benefits.

Upon hearing this, the leader of the Ministry of Machine Building said excitedly, "Comrade Aiguo, I will send someone to take you back first. I estimate that we will meet again soon."

After returning to the locomotive depot in a car from the Ministry of Machinery Industry, Yu Shu and Director Zhang both squatted down next to the support vehicle.

Seeing him return empty-handed, he asked in surprise, "Aiguo, where's the car?"

"It got robbed!"

"Ah!" The group's eyes widened. "Who dares to be so bold? They must be tired of living."

"A high-ranking leader in the First Ministry of Machine Building."

"."

The whole country is now playing a big game, and now that the Ministry of Machine Building has intervened, everyone feels there's nothing wrong with it.

"Tsk tsk, this time we've built a car, we're sure to get an award."

"This is all thanks to driver Li."

"What a smart man, Driver Li is now a car manufacturing expert."

"Driver Li is the best driver I've ever met. He can drive, he can build cars, and he's not arrogant at all."

"Yes."

Discussing amongst themselves, everyone went back into the studio to continue their work.

Li Aiguo had already designed the structure of the seat belt and handed it to Yu Shu, asking him to build it as soon as possible.

"Just a rope?"

"Don't underestimate this rope."

Li Aiguo stood up, found a rope, sat on a chair, and imitated driving.

"You see, if there is a sudden stop or the car overturns, the head is the most vulnerable part of a person to injury. This rope can be used to restrain a person to their seat."

Where there are cars, there are accidents, and Yu Shu has seen quite a few.

After hearing the explanation, I instantly realized that this was a good thing.

"Patriotism, if this thing is really useful, it's a life-saving artifact."

"Go and get it done right away."

Li Aiguo then took out the blueprints and corrected the problems he had discovered that morning.

Working until the end of the workday, Yu Shu had already manufactured the seat belt and designed two buckles that could be directly fixed to the seat with screws.

Before the large off-road vehicle was returned, Li Aiguo asked Zhou Ke to find an old GAZ jeep for an experiment.

The jeep braked suddenly, and Zhou Ke instinctively covered his forehead.

The result was that there was no damage whatsoever.

He let go and laughed: "Hey, this thing is really a good one."

Seat belts are simple to make but very useful. Li Aiguo asked the maintenance workshop to help manufacture dozens of them so that the jeeps and trucks at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot could be equipped with seat belts.

By the time all these things were done, it was already evening.

Li Aiguo arrived at the parking lot, turned around, went back to the bike shed, and took out his bicycle.

There was no air conditioning in the car, and it sat in the parking lot in the sun all day. It was like a sauna inside. It's much cooler to ride a bicycle.

Li Aiguo also wanted to install air conditioning in his car, but after thinking about it carefully, he decided against it because it would consume too much fuel.

"Aiguo, did your section build a big jeep?" The third uncle asked as soon as they returned to the courtyard.

To be honest, Uncle San's physical condition is really good. He was only poisoned for a few days, and he was already able to wander around with his fishing rod.

"It was just built."

"Tsk tsk, I heard Jie Cheng say that the car is as big as a house and runs incredibly fast. Is that true?"

"About that." Li Aiguo wasn't sure how big the house the third uncle was talking about was either.

"Brother Aiguo, you've really done something amazing! Your locomotive depot is now famous." Xu Damao stopped his bicycle as he rode back.

"How did you find out too?" Li Aiguo was a little stunned.

What happened in the morning was known to everyone in the courtyard by evening. The speed at which the news spread was comparable to that of social media in later generations!

"The ministry was holding a big meeting today. After they took your car, the meeting was canceled. The ministry's top leader took a group of experts to study the car. Our steel rolling mill's deputy director, Mr. Li, told me this personally."

Xu Damao pronounced the words "Deputy Factory Director Li" particularly loudly.

Li Aiguo then remembered that the leaders of the steel rolling mill were also present, but due to the large number of people, they did not notice Deputy Director Li.

"Patriotism, did you build this car yourself?"

Seeing that Xu Damao had gotten there first, the third uncle joined in.

"What materials do you think are needed to assemble a car?"

Seeing the old man blinking his small eyes, Li Aiguo couldn't help but rub his forehead: "Old man, this is a car, not a bicycle. What are you going to use to assemble it? Do you have any screws?"

I was originally thinking of tying it with shoelaces.

"Even if you dare to build it up, people won't dare let you drive it. If you crash and die, that's your problem. But what if it falls apart and damages the flowers and plants on the roadside?"

The old man also felt that the idea of ​​assembling a car was a bit ahead of its time, and could only shake his head regretfully.

Just then, Liu Haizhong and Nan Yi arrived.

"Patriotism, I will learn from you from now on. Wow, that big car is amazing."

"Learn together, progress together."

"The neighborhood office just issued a notice that construction is planned on the west side of our neighborhood. There are bricks and tiles on the ground. When you go to work, you should take the east side instead."

Liu Haizhong has now started taking on notices from the subdistrict office.

"is it?"

Li Aiguo, who was about to go back inside, stopped and asked, "Are they going to build houses on the street?"

"No, I heard they're going to build some kind of weather observation station." Xu Damao, who was well-informed, said, "Our factory is also planning to build one. They say it will be able to forecast the weather once it's completed."

"Weather forecast?"

"It means knowing which day it will rain and which day it will be windy."

Jia Dongxu had been hiding in the distance, feeling uneasy seeing Li Aiguo build such a large car.

Now he stepped forward and said, "What a joke! Only God knows which cloud will bring rain!"

"The higher-ups have made a big deal out of it; it seems like they're going to build it all over the country. There are more than forty sites in Beijing alone."

"That's a waste of money, and I don't even know whose idea it was."

"We've talked a lot; we've accomplished quite a few seemingly unbelievable things in the past few years."

After Jia Dongxu successfully steered the conversation off-topic, the residents had differing opinions on the weather forecast.

Some people are in favor, while others are opposed.

Li Aiguo simply smiled without offering any opinion, then turned and went back into the house.

Chen Xueru had already returned. After taking the canvas bag, she placed a plate on the table.

"Brother Aiguo, this was specially made for you to celebrate your locomotive depot's successful production of the Great Off-Road vehicle."

Li Aiguo glanced at the plate and froze.

"What are these yellow noodles?"

“Potato noodles.” Chen Xueru tilted her head and looked at Li Aiguo, as if to say, “Praise me!”

Li Aiguo: "."

Just as Li Aiguo was enjoying his delicious potato noodles (Chen Xueru was watching closely; this word must not be misspelled), a high-ranking official from the Ministry of Machine Building received the test results.

"The vehicle body is welded together from two vehicle bodies, which is a level of professional skill that is daring and reckless."

"The chassis and engine are at an advanced level in the world's automotive industry."

"That blower is at the level of the automotive revolution."

Upon seeing the report, the top leader couldn't help but rub his eyes.

He knew that the large SUV was extraordinary, but he never expected it to be so powerful.

“We are studying that engine. Putting everything else aside, the design level and manufacturing process of this eight-cylinder engine are something I have never heard of before. It’s just that I don’t dare to take it apart because I don’t know the specific internal structure.”

"There's also the chassis for the large off-road vehicle. According to our calculations, this thing can drive in mountainous areas like it's on flat ground. But we didn't dare to take it apart because it's assembled too precisely."

"Based on the data we have so far, this large off-road vehicle has completely surpassed the GAZ Jeep."

"So, we've struck gold?" The eyes of the top leader of the First Ministry of Machine Building lit up.

Currently, China is producing GAZ-Jeep clones. Now that we have large off-road vehicles, why would we need GAZ-Jeep?

"Yes, we've found a real gem. There's absolutely no Jeep in the world with better off-road capabilities right now." The expert team leader nodded emphatically.

"Alright, alright, keep this a secret for now. Go back and rest, there might be another mission."

"Yes."

After the experts left, the top leader of the Ministry of Machine Building took the report and looked at it carefully twice more. He then picked up the phone and dialed a number: "Hey, Lao Teng, I need to borrow something from you."

(End of this chapter)