The door of the courtyard house has been welded dead

They brought a squad carrying a vehicle-mounted artillery piece from the front lines to the capital.

So you tell me this is for exporting weapons and equipment to earn foreign exchange.

Jin Kailai considered many possibilities, but he never expected that his group of people would be recalled to do this kind of work.

The monkeys haven't had their fill of beating them yet, so the equipment they've already acquired might have to be sold off first.

Huh, this?

As a soldier, Jin Kailai had never considered exporting or doing sales, and his clients were always foreigners.

His only consideration was how to use the new artillery to win battles and accurately deliver the shells from the cannons to the enemy positions.

Alternatively, they could use information detected by the artillery reconnaissance radar of a sister unit to overturn the enemy's artillery positions.

Tell me, why are we suddenly starting to sell our assets?

"Because the development of the third-generation self-propelled artillery, the vehicle-mounted artillery, has involved a large amount of funding. With the addition of ballistic computers and fire control systems, the accuracy of the large-caliber howitzer will far exceed that of the currently serving second-generation howitzer, while also increasing its range. Of course, the cost is also much higher than that of the second generation."

"Once equipment has mass production capabilities, its importance to manufacturers and research institutions is reduced. Instead, the data it represents becomes more important."

"Take the current artillery units as an example. To achieve accurate shots, we rely on the combat experience of artillery squads, which takes time to accumulate. However, third-generation artillery can store and record the accumulated data parameters in the vehicle's control system. The army remains but the soldiers come and go, but the service life of a piece of equipment is far longer than that of ordinary soldiers!"

"In this way, the combat effectiveness of all artillery squads equipped with third-generation equipment will be raised to the same level. Even new recruits who have only been in the company for a few months can easily take out a target 20 kilometers away with one shot after becoming familiar with the fire control system."

Jin Kailai worked at Factory 787, where he learned a lot of professional knowledge about vehicle-mounted artillery. When he went to Jinling Artillery School, he personally drove the first-generation prototype of vehicle-mounted artillery to the school.

The second generation, the electrically controlled vehicle-mounted artillery, was only gradually installed in the military a few years ago, replacing the first generation of vehicle-mounted artillery. The biggest improvement was in speed.

In the blink of an eye, the third generation is already here, which sounds incredibly exciting.

It's too fast. Having personally experienced the first generation of mechanical control from scratch to the second generation of electrical control, Jin Kailai said that he really wants to see the third generation that Director Li mentioned.

If each vehicle-mounted artillery piece represents an invisible, experienced sergeant with rich artillery firing skills, then the improvement of the combat effectiveness of grassroots troops can be described as a qualitative leap.

Training artillery personnel is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and very expensive. Although it's not as extreme as training pilots, it's still more demanding than training veteran Lu.

Firing a 152mm shell is equivalent to burning through a hundred or so dollars. When averaged out among artillery squads, it doesn't seem like much. But a gunner isn't someone you can train by firing just one shell.

"Currently, the main problem is still money. This is why the country is reforming and making every effort to ensure economic development, not only to solve employment issues, but also to try to narrow the gap in the field of military equipment, or at least to prevent the gap from widening further."

"For us, this is an opportunity. Research and development requires funding, and so does equipment deployment. We can replace outdated technology and equipment with foreign exchange from others. This is a worthwhile business!"

Sitting on the sofa, Jin Kailai nodded vigorously, a strange sense of unease rising in his heart. The country was about to make a big move, and he, as the leader of the team, suddenly felt a heavy burden on his shoulders, making it hard for him to breathe.

"What if the other party doesn't want to buy it? For example, they might not like it, or... the technology might be outdated!"

His face flushed red, and Jin Kailai was so anxious that he scratched his head. If Director Li hadn't told him these things, he wouldn't have been on guard at all, and of course, he wouldn't have felt any pressure.

If we recall an artillery squad that should be on the front lines, it's definitely to give those "customers" a demonstration of how powerful our equipment is. If they see it and then decide not to buy it, affecting subsequent equipment development and deployment, then we'll be in big trouble.

Even if the higher authorities, or the Red Star Factory itself, don't blame him, he still can't get over it in his own heart.

This damn sense of morality—the more someone like him feels, the greater the responsibility becomes.

"A landmine produced in the USA in 1910, after traveling across the ocean, could either explode in the Xinhai Revolution or in Goose City more than a decade later!"

"This landmine, which is from more than ten years ago, may seem obsolete to the modern world, but to others, it could hit the right person if the location was chosen correctly. Back then, not every country could produce this kind of equipment."

"The same goes for our upcoming guests. In our eyes, the technology of second-generation vehicle-mounted artillery and self-propelled artillery is outdated. But this 'outdated' landmine is an advanced weapon in our guests' hands. As long as the price is right, it can have a world-shaking, earth-shattering, and awe-inspiring effect in their hands." Jin Kailai shook his head, feeling as if the brain in his head had turned into paste.

The example given by Factory Director Li... um...!

Let alone in the decade or so after the Xinhai Revolution, even a decade or so later, the beautifully made landmines look more reliable than the black powder clay pot mines made in the border areas.

Anyway, Jin Kailai understood the gist: the clients they needed to serve might not have the capability for equipment production and R&D, similar to the situation between the two countries at that time.

For us, it is already outdated. But for third-world countries, vehicle-mounted artillery is quite impressive; at least they certainly can't build such a vehicle chassis.

"There are no unsellable products, only unsellable prices. It all depends on whether we want to sell them or not. As for whether we can sell them, it depends on what price the other party is willing to pay!"

"This part is not of much concern to you. What you and your team need to do is treat it as two exercises, except that the people watching on stage are not high-ranking commanders, but guests waving foreign currency!"

"Do your job well, just like when you're in the south, you're taking down enemy artillery positions. After all, our Red Rock Cannon is actually not bad, is it?"

“We need to work together seamlessly. You guys are responsible for piquing their interest, and I'll take care of emptying their pockets.”

Perhaps it was the confidence emanating from Director Li that influenced him, and only then did Jin Kailai feel that the burden on his shoulders had been lifted.

In that case, there's not much of a problem. They just need to focus on making the exercise a success.

Jin Kailai is not stupid; on the contrary, he is very quick-witted. He is just a bit too straightforward in terms of personality. This matter concerns the research, development, and deployment of the third-generation equipment for the artillery.

His straightforwardness is reserved only for his own people, but his quick wit has already begun to strategize how to pique the interest of his guests.

If he does his job well, then Director Li's job will be easier.

"any questions?"

"I'm fine with it, I guarantee I'll complete the mission!"

Jin Kailai stood up, raised his right hand to his eyebrows. A soldier's duty is to obey orders. Since his superiors had specifically asked him to come, he had to make this profitable deal happen no matter what.

"Don't be so nervous. In fact, we have already sold more than a thousand main battle tanks, as well as some fighter jets. The customers can be said to be our old customers. This time it's more of a formality because their equipment consumption rate is very fast."

"We are not forcing them to buy or sell. On the contrary, the customers' urgent need for equipment is higher than we expected. There will be their translators on site, and they will definitely take the initiative to ask the artillery crew some technical questions. We will authorize you to disclose confidential technical parameters to them."

"You need to show a reluctance, a slight unwillingness to cooperate, be coy and awkward, act it out, make them feel that our soldiers don't want to sell, are reluctant to sell, arouse their desire to buy. You don't want to sell? Hey, I'm going to buy anyway."

Jin Kailai stared wide-eyed as he listened to Factory Director Li giving him a sales lesson, even specifying requirements for micro-expressions. He suddenly felt his heart was tainted.

The other party wants to buy, while we clearly want to sell, to exchange the proceeds for foreign exchange to build a new factory and equip the troops with new equipment. It seems like a very complicated process of exchanging money for goods.

"I know your personality; you're very straightforward. But business is business, and foreign trade exports are essentially business. When it comes to business, you have to be tactful and strategic!"

As if sensing the confusion in Jin Kailai's eyes, Li Feng patted him on the shoulder. "Selling goods, especially large items, is something we know how to do before a real estate sales office opens to the public. How much more so should we do in a client-side market like the arms industry?"

Currently, there is a shortage of foreign trade talent. Although there have been transactions before, in Li Feng's opinion, the foreign exchange earnings are still a bit low. The rabbit is feeling guilty, worried that its own products will not fetch a good price, and dares not ask for a price, fearing that it will scare away customers. But the camel is even more guilty, worried that it will not sell!

Tanks and airplanes have nothing to do with the Red Star Factory, and Li Feng can't get involved or say anything about them. But since he's taken a liking to his own cannons, he has to have a proper discussion about it.

"Although vehicle-mounted artillery is not a particularly high-tech piece of equipment, there are still a few countries that can produce it. Our advantage is that it has been tested in actual combat and the price is lower than that of other countries."

"Don't think I'm playing tricks on them. It's not because I'm really short of money. Who would sell their assets if they weren't going to sell? If they're going to sell, they have to sell for a good price. They have to get the meat; just drinking soup isn't fun!"

"We'll make sure they buy it, and hey, they'll feel like they've hit the jackpot, coming in happy and leaving all cheerful!" (End of Chapter)