Siheyuan: I eat melons while doing scientific research

Chapter 1258 begins (4k, 8k more to come)

But this slight difference in direction, while increasing the rate of fire, solved the problem encountered when the two cannons were originally arranged side to side.

As expected of Committee Member Gao, even his laziness is so pleasing to the eye.

“Okay, then I’ll make the necessary preparations accordingly. It’s better to have something and not need it than to need it and not have it. It’s just adding pipes, no problem. But…” Professor Liu didn’t bother with thanking him or anything like that. They were already so familiar with each other, and if he were to thank Gao Zhendong, there would be so many things to thank him for, it would never end.

"But what?"

Professor Liu frowned, his thoughts drifting far into the future: "But if we go this far, when will we ever finish building all these tubes if we encounter missiles with even higher speeds?"

Gao Zhendong chuckled: "Professor Liu, missiles with even higher speeds are not a problem that anti-aircraft guns can solve; other technologies are needed. No matter how fast the gun's rate of fire is, when the incoming missile's speed reaches a certain level, there won't even be an interception window. A few tubes are actually no longer important because the gun simply won't be able to hit it."

Professor Liu scratched his head: "Hey, you're right, hahaha, I was just worrying unnecessarily. There are other comrades here, why rely on artillery to conquer the world?"

Gao Zhendong's heart skipped a beat, as if he remembered something: "You know what, Professor Liu, don't just think about speed. I think you could consider going at a lower altitude, slower speed, and smaller target. And... and the ammunition should be cheaper."

Professor Liu looked completely bewildered: "Wait, do we really need anti-aircraft guns for this kind of thing? Why not just use bamboo poles to shove it down?" Committee Member Gao's words were completely contrary to the current needs of combat.

The only concern now is that the strike range is not high or far enough, the altitude is low and the speed is slow, so there is no need for such advanced equipment to strike.

Yes, radar-controlled anti-aircraft guns were undoubtedly high-end equipment back then, and even decades later, they wouldn't be cheap. For example, the price of a German 35mm anti-aircraft gun was higher than that of a tank. Of course, the high price of German-made equipment was certainly a contributing factor.

Gao Zhendong couldn't say anything about this, mainly because the demand wasn't urgent at the moment, and there wasn't even a clear direction for its application. However, Gao Zhendong was still good at talking nonsense.

"Think about it, helicopters are low and slow, aren't they?" Gao Zhendong's words were perfectly correct.

"Hiss... That's right. Judging from the situation on the battlefield in Vietnam, there are indeed more and more of these things now, and the threat is very direct." The speed of helicopters is generally only around 200 kilometers per hour. There is no essential difference between good and bad ones, and they fly at low altitudes.

Gao Zhendong's ultimate goal was not helicopters, but using helicopters as an example is very appropriate.

"That's right, and the combat altitude of helicopters, you could even say it's about fighting for the height of a tree. At this altitude, the impact of clutter and other objects is very significant, so it's something worth studying," Gao Zhendong continued to bluff.

The phrase "fighting for the height of a tree" was frequently used in domestic military science publications when armed helicopters were first emerging, and it is also often depicted in movies and TV dramas. Unlike fixed-wing fighter jets, which are often portrayed as swooping down from high altitudes with a majestic presence, helicopters in movies and TV dramas are often depicted as suddenly appearing from mountaintops or treetops, emphasizing an unpredictable and mysterious quality. Combined with the extremely close proximity and the distinctive sound, they create a similarly oppressive atmosphere.

With Gao Zhendong as the starting point, Professor Liu was no fool: "Hmm... Moreover, due to the terrain and altitude, helicopters could suddenly appear at extremely close range, which would be difficult for missiles to react to, or even be within their firing range. In that case, artillery would have to solve the problem. Hmm, I need to think about it carefully."

Gao Zhendong said, "At this distance, radar may not be very effective, especially against low-speed, small targets. I would suggest that you consider combining optical and infrared thermal imaging to solve the problem."

"Okay! I'll consider it later. Whether we'll need it or not is another matter, but having it at all is something we need to figure out. But why should the shells be as cheap as possible? What about their performance?" Professor Liu was overjoyed. Even before the 625 was finalized, he already had ideas for subsequent improvements, so he wasn't worried about not having work to do.

"The cheaper the better, isn't that always our requirement? At least make a shell with similar ballistic performance but cheaper. As for armor penetration, it just needs to be roughly the same. We won't feel bad about spraying water on it, haha."

Gao Zhendong couldn't very well say that the low-speed, small targets he was actually aiming at had no armor at all, and that a 7.62mm shell could easily penetrate them. In reality, whether it's cruise missiles or other low-speed, small targets, they have almost no protection capabilities; a single shot can penetrate them. When using a 25mm gun to shoot at these things, the main advantage is range, not armor-piercing capability.

"Yes, that makes sense. The soldiers are reluctant to use good ammunition during training." As long as the trajectory is consistent, the cheaper the ammunition used for training, the better.

Professor Liu bid farewell to Gao Zhendong, even humming a song as he walked away.

Watching his retreating figure, Gao Zhendong smiled, wondering what his expression would be when the real low-key moment arrived.
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In any case, at least the comrades on the relevant front can feel that as the high-tech exhibition draws closer, the spies entrenched and lurking here have become much more obedient. Although there is no evidence, as those in charge of related work, they can clearly sense this, a feeling that only those in this industry can have.

Finally, finally, the exhibition has finally started. The reason I say "finally" is because Lou Shouxing has been eagerly anticipating this day.

He not only has a booth, but he also visits the exhibition, killing two birds with one stone.

He originally wanted to drag Gao Zhendong along, but Gao Zhendong politely declined without giving a reason. However, Lou Shouxing was very understanding and let it go. His brother-in-law always had his reasons for doing things.

He dragged the newlywed He Wu along, and called his younger sister to go. Lou Xiao'e didn't want to go at first, but Gao Zhendong urged her to go. These kinds of exhibitions are very interesting and can broaden one's horizons. Gao Zhendong liked to visit these kinds of places when he was in school.

These days, there are few exhibitions like this, and even fewer high-tech ones. It's a rare opportunity, so it wouldn't be bad to let Lou Xiao'e go and take a look.

Upon arriving at the exhibition hall, I learned that an invitation was required for entry, and the number of invitations issued in China was limited.

There's no other way. If we don't do it this way, given the current situation in China, it's almost certain that a significant portion of products will have no place abroad. They'll sell out in no time, and they definitely won't be able to compete with our domestic counterparts.

While the country may be relatively poor, consumer enthusiasm remains. The only products likely to escape unscathed are radios and similar items that have already begun to be sold freely; everything else is uncertain.
Proportionally, not many people can afford this amount of money, but as the old saying goes, even the smallest thing becomes a big deal when multiplied by X billion. The proportion may be small, but the absolute amount is not small, not to mention this is Beijing, where there are many people who can afford it but cannot buy it.

However, invitation letters were no problem for Lou Shouxing and his team. Lou Shouxing had his own, and as for Lou Xiao'e, well, let's just say that Gao Zhendong could get as many as she wanted from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with just a phone call.

At the entrance of the exhibition, a large banner gives people a different feeling. The reason why I say "block" instead of "strip" is because this thing is indeed a block, a very large block!
Directly above the entrance, a red outdoor LED screen remains bright and gleaming even in the sunlight.

"A warm welcome to friends from all countries to visit the exhibition!" In addition to this sentence, information such as date, weather, and temperature are displayed on a scrolling screen, giving it a modern feel.

This single screen alone has attracted many foreign visitors to stop and take photos, resembling a modern-day Instagrammable spot. Taking photos at tourist attractions isn't just popular with Chinese people; foreigners enjoy it too—it's a way to create memories and prove something.

Seeing so many foreigners, Lou Shouxing and He Wu were alright. Lou Shouxing had been to the Bailing Electronics Exhibition and had seen many foreigners from various countries. He Wu was from Hong Kong Island and had seen John's people quite often. But for Lou Xiao'e, she had never seen more foreigners in her entire life than she had seen in this one glance today.

Firstly, she only became fully aware of things after the founding of the People's Republic of China, and her memories of the past were already blurred. Moreover, before the founding of the PRC, Beijing was not the capital city, and there weren't that many foreigners.

Secondly, since she married Gao Zhendong, it has become even more impossible for foreigners to come to them. Even people from the Great White Bear cannot come, so she has hardly ever seen them.

"Come on, brother, let me take a picture of you two!" Although Gao Zhendong couldn't come, Lou Xiao'e, who knew the reason, didn't care much. It was something to be happy about; if he couldn't come, so be it. I'll visit the exhibition for him!

Lou Shouxing and his wife gladly accepted Lou Xiao'e's offer. As newlyweds, they felt it would be a waste not to take a picture during this grand occasion.

Lou Xiao'e also took a picture with great enthusiasm, and then the group went inside.

There was a notice board by the entrance with exhibition-related information posted in various major languages, but they didn't need it; the exhibition guidelines included with the invitation were already there.

Upon entering, one sees a long queue of people, and many others crowding around an open space nearby, completely obscuring the exhibits in the center, making it impossible to see what they are.

"Big brother, what's this? Come on, let's go see." It's human nature to watch the excitement, and Lou Xiao'e was no exception. Besides, she always liked to sit around and watch the gossip in the courtyard.

There were people busy at Zhenxing Electric's booth, so Lou Shouxing didn't need to personally take charge. He leisurely observed the exhibits. Hearing Lou Xiao'e's words, he became quite interested in what was so captivating.

He Wu wasn't familiar with the area and still had some preconceived notions. After hearing what the two said, she walked over with them, laughing as she went, "Maybe it's local specialties or ethnic handicrafts?"

Generally speaking, apart from these two things, there shouldn't be anything else that would arouse such great interest among foreigners. People are always curious about things they haven't seen before, and apart from these two things, there probably aren't many other things that so many foreigners haven't seen before.

Lou Shouxing smiled but didn't say anything. It was hard to say, but he didn't object to his wife's words. Seeing is believing, and nothing is more effective than seeing it for yourself.

Bypassing the queue and approaching this group of people, you can already hear voices talking and scrambling, but unfortunately, you can't understand them; it's all just chatter.

There are three people here: two speak English and one speaks Russian. However, there's no doubt that this language structure is insufficient for today's situation. In the current environment, English is almost impossible to hear. After all, those who speak English are unlikely to be present in official capacity, which limits the scale of the event. Even if you occasionally hear a sentence in Russian, it's almost drowned out by the other languages.

At this moment, their feeling was probably similar to that of people decades later when computers were just becoming popular. They would open a text document encoded in UTF-8 and stare blankly at the phrase "锟斤抄烫烫烫" in the file, as if they had discovered something but did not understand it at all.

Although I couldn't understand what they were saying, I could tell from what they were fighting for. The exhibition staff on the side tried their best to maintain order, but it wasn't very effective.

Lou Xiao'e had a sudden inspiration and asked the exhibition staff next to her, "Comrade, what exhibits are on display here?"

I don't necessarily have to see it; I can just ask.

The staff did not change their attitude just because they were domestic. In fact, anyone with a brain would know that Chinese people who swaggered in at this exhibition, which was mainly for export, were probably more important.

"This is a television set, or more precisely, a combination of a color TV and a VCR," the staff member explained with a smile.

The three suddenly realized why everyone was scrambling to see it and even queuing up.

This thing is almost nonexistent, not to mention other places, even among our comrades in the north.

Although this item was already on display at the last exhibition, it is still in short supply, especially in the Third World, where it is truly rare, particularly among Third World organizations.

Another reason for the scramble was the video recorder—the only way to enjoy color programming in countries without color television signals.

Even though color TV signals seem simple in the future, they were actually unavailable in most countries back then.

Of course, the polar bears do have them, but they don't have color TVs! They have to steal them!

Lou Xiao'e looked at the scene and didn't want to squeeze in anymore. She already had these things at home, so she didn't need to look at them. She found it quite amusing to see the foreigners squeezing around here.

Lou Shouxing laughed and said, "Xiao'e, you don't know the real reason they're fighting over this, do you?"

"I don't know, what is it?" Lou Xiao'e asked innocently.

"They're seizing the opportunity to make money..." He Wu was no stranger to this; following his family to the sea was all about buying low and selling high.

(End of this chapter)