The Red Era: Living in Seclusion in a Siheyuan as a Boss

Chapter 661 "Samsung Project"!!!
Let’s go back to a day in March four years ago.

On this day, the chilly spring air brought with it dust and sand, hitting the windows of the gray building of the Logistics Department.

The smoke in the conference room on the top floor was so thick that it could not be cleared. A dozen or so department heads attending the meeting were staring at the "Age Structure Analysis Report of the Leaders of Logistics Disciplines in the Whole Country..." in their hands with frowns on their faces.

“Senior experts aged 60 or above account for 34 percent.”

Chen Guodong, director of the Cadre Bureau, was the first to break the silence. He pushed his glasses up and said, "The average age of the academic leaders is 55.7 years old."

He paused and emphasized his tone. "The most critical assessment result is here - if the current senior experts retire according to the statutory age within five years, 27% of our logistics disciplines will face the crisis of 'decapitation'."

In the corner, the young clerk Zhou Rui was taking notes quickly, the tip of his pen making rustling sounds on the paper.

He had just graduated from the National Defense University as a graduate student and was assigned to the Personnel Bureau. This meeting that determined the fate of logistics made his palms sweat.

"Headless?" Deputy Minister Zhao, who was in charge of scientific research, suddenly put out his cigarette butt. "You mean, there is no successor to these core disciplines, such as fuel storage and safety, pathological protection of missile propellants, and first aid for high-altitude combat injuries?"

"Yes." Chen Guodong flipped open another document, and the paper made a crisp sound. "Let's look at the brain drain. In the past three years, the four military medical universities have lost more than 240 doctors and masters, and more than 70 professors and associate professors. The most difficult thing is——"

He raised his head and scanned the room. "Director Liu Mingyuan of the Department of Pharmacy of the Second Military Medical University and his entire core research team transferred to the Jingxi Pharmaceutical Group last week."

A suppressed gasp was heard in the conference room.

Liu Mingyuan's name represents the top level of pharmacy in Xia State.

"What price did the local government offer?" Liu Zhiye, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke. His voice was not loud, but it stopped all the whispers instantly.

"The annual salary is fifteen times that of the army." Chen Guodong's voice was dry, "Plus a commercial house for each person, a spouse with a job, and children going to key schools. Start-up funds for scientific research..."

Liu Zhiye's face suddenly looked a little embarrassed. He really didn't know about this. He had let go of the development of Liujiazhuang for a long time.

I didn't expect that the "Beijing West Pharmaceutical Group" would be so wild that it even dared to poach talents from the Military Medical University.

He recalled that when he inspected a missile base in the northwest last month, an old expert who was about his age held his hand and said worriedly: "Leader, I can't find anyone to take over my business. I'm really going to die with it... But who among the young people nowadays is willing to stay poor and pursue this endless research?"

This is not the dilemma of one individual, but a conflict that arises when the entire wave of market economy comes.

Liu Zhiye retracted his gaze and tapped his fingers heavily on the heavy mahogany tabletop, making a dull echo: "This is not a matter of personal choice, but of us... We can't blame the young people for yearning for a better life. If we have to blame someone, we should blame ourselves for not creating a soil that can retain and inspire talents!"

He stood up, his tall body like a mountain, "The cliff is right in front of us, we have no way out. We, the logistics department, must come up with a 'talent rescue plan' that can turn the tide within three months! I've even thought of a name for it, it's called - 'Samsung Project'!"

……

From then on, the lights of the "Samsung Project" planning team were kept on all night in the General Logistics Department building.

As the youngest member of the team, Zhou Rui was entrusted with the important task of collecting top talent training models from home and abroad.

He buried himself in a vast amount of information, from America's "Manhattan Project" talent strategy, to Japan's post-war scientific and technological revitalization's "industry-government-academia" combination, to the country's emerging "211 Project" blueprint.

Pressure is always there.

Late one night, Zhou Rui was carrying a stack of documents back to the office and ran into Director Chen Guodong who was smoking alone at the corner of the corridor.

Amid the smoke, the old soldier, who was known for his strictness, could not hide his fatigue and anxiety on his face.

"Xiao Zhou," Chen Guodong's voice was a little hoarse, "Tell me, can the conditions we offer compare with the money? Can they compare with the houses and cars?"

Zhou Rui shook his head and told the truth: "It's difficult, Director. Our funds are too limited."

"Yes, it's difficult." Chen Guodong took a deep puff of his cigarette, the spark flickering in the darkness, "But the army has its own advantages! What we have is the call of duty of 'the most important weapon of the country'! It is a lofty platform for serving our country! It is the sense of honor and belonging that is unique to soldiers!
The 'Samsung Project' is to retain people with careers, warm people with emotions, and activate people with mechanisms! We want gold to shine the brightest here! "

These words were like a bolt of lightning, splitting the confusion in Zhou Rui's heart.

He recalled his original intention of giving up the high salary in the local area and choosing to join the army.

Yes, some values ​​cannot be measured by money.

Three months later, the "Outline of the Logistics Department's Plan for Building Excellent Scientific and Technological Talents across the Century - Samsung Project", which embodied countless efforts, was officially released.

The core of the document is to build a three-tier talent team of "Gold Star", "Silver Star" and "Rising Star", as well as a series of unprecedented ice-breaking measures:
Breaking the "iron rice bowl": For the first time, the entire logistics system implemented term target assessment for senior cadres.

When the news came out, there was an uproar.

Wang, a highly respected researcher at a certain research institute, slammed the table and shouted: "I have been doing research for decades, and I still have to take an exam? This is an insult to us old comrades!"

However, when the strict assessment results were announced, three people with poor achievements, including Researcher Wang, were "sent off with red cards" and six people were given yellow card warnings.

In addition to the shock, a sense of urgency of "not making progress or being eliminated" began to spread among the logistics and scientific research team.

The second measure taken by the Logistics Department is to use the “green channel” to attract top talents: the policy shows amazing courage when it comes to top talents.

When Yao Kaitai, an internationally renowned oncology pharmacologist and academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, expressed his interest in military scientific research, the Logistics Department specially approved: tens of millions of yuan in start-up research funds, his spouse was specially recruited into the army and arranged a job, and his children were directly enrolled in the best Bayi School for Children in Yenching!

Academician Yao was finally moved by the sincerity and led the entire team to join the Academy of Military Medical Sciences and became the first batch of candidates selected for the "Venus" program.

When the news came out, the whole world was shocked.

The most controversial case is the case of Professor Jiao Binghua's team from the Second Military Medical University.

The new anti-cancer drug "Shengmaisu" that they developed over ten years achieved a major breakthrough, and a large pharmaceutical company offered 4500 million yuan for the transfer.

As a rule, the results belong to the unit and individual rewards are minimal.

However, the Samsung Project leadership team overcame all objections and made a bold decision: the research team received a 900 million yuan reward, of which Jiao Binghua personally received more than 300 million yuan!
The expression “participation in distribution according to knowledge contribution” appeared for the first time in the official document of the Logistics Department.

In an era when egalitarian ideas are deeply rooted, this is tantamount to dropping a bombshell.

Some people cheered that knowledge was respected, while others questioned whether "the spirit of hard work can be maintained."

Zhou Rui participated in the formulation of Jiao Binghua's reward plan and the handling of the incident throughout the process.

He saw the old professor's hands trembling and the tears in his eyes when he received the check, and he also heard the heated argument in the corridor.

Only then did I realize that the breaking of this "ice" sends a strong signal of respecting creativity and encouraging innovation.

The tentacles of the "Samsung Project" extend not only into the domestic market, but also to talents far away overseas.

How to make those "golden phoenixes" who have already flown out remember to return home? The logistics department has come up with the trick of "flexible flow".

Dr. Yin Zhengqin, who is studying at the Royal College of Ophthalmologists in Melbourne, Australia, is a rising star in ophthalmology carefully cultivated by the Third Military Medical University.

The excellent scientific research conditions and the olive branches extended by foreign institutions made her feel conflicted about whether to stay or leave.

On her birthday, an airmail letter arrived from her motherland.

There was no official document in the envelope, only a handwritten greeting card from the president of his alma mater, the Third Military Medical University. The handwriting was warm and powerful: "Comrade Zhengqin, happy birthday! Your alma mater is proud of you! Your laboratory and colleagues are always waiting for you to come back and lead us to reach new heights!"

Attached to the letter was a photo of her empty but spotlessly clean director's office, with a pot of her favorite Clivia on the desk.

A warm current instantly hit the softest part of Yin Zhengqin's heart.

Not long after, when four top foreign research institutions simultaneously offered her high-paying jobs, she politely declined and resolutely boarded the flight back home.

Facing the school leaders who came to meet her at the airport, she said emotionally: "What holds people's hearts together is never the cold salary figures, but the heavy respect and expectations!"

The wisdom of "flexible flow" is also reflected in the "kite without breaking line" plan.

Zhang Haitao, a doctor of virology at the Academy of Military Medical Sciences, was allowed to go to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for a two-year collaborative research. Before he left, the academy not only did not take back his research project, but instead gave him a national key project on rapid detection of new viruses, allowing him to use advanced foreign equipment to complete key experimental parts.

"No matter how high you fly outside, the thread is always in the hands of the motherland. Your research is rooted in the army and used on the battlefield!" The words of the institute leader were loud and clear.

Zhang Haitao lived up to expectations and made breakthrough progress during his time at NIH. Not only did he complete the project ahead of schedule, he also saved the institute tens of millions of dollars in equipment purchase funds.

At the same time, the "chief expert system" began to take effect in key areas.

Zhou Guotai, a 45-year-old protection expert (later elected as an academician), was appointed as the chief scientist for the research and development of the individual protection system.

In the past, similar projects were often led by administrative leaders, and technical routes were often constrained.

Now, as the chief expert, Zhou Guotai has the "right to vote" on project direction, technical route, and funding use.

He led his team to work day and night and successfully developed bulletproof fibers and new bulletproof plates with independent intellectual property rights, breaking the foreign military's technological monopoly in one fell swoop and making our army's individual soldier protection capabilities rank among the best in the world.

The innovation of mechanisms even extends to seemingly unrelated areas.

Professor Wang Shulin, a food science expert at the Military Quartermaster University, is a "genius" who studies military field rations.

He was obsessed with various food preservation and nutrition fortification technologies, but due to the limited application scenarios in the army, many innovative ideas could not be put into practice.

The "Samsung Project" encourages talents to "release their potential through part-time work". Under the premise of strict confidentiality, Wang Shulin was specially approved to serve part-time as a technical consultant for a large dairy group in northern Xinjiang.

Wang Shulin made the military antifreeze and storable fermentation agent technology he had devoted himself to researching for civilian use, which solved the problem of yogurt production in the north during winter and created huge benefits for the company.

In return, Wang Shulin used the company's production line and R&D resources to successfully develop our army's first high-energy, freeze-resistant, probiotic yogurt specifically for plateau border defense forces, which greatly improved the nutritional status of officers and soldiers stationed in the "forbidden zone of life."

When he brought the first batch of samples to the outpost at an altitude of more than 5000 meters, and saw the young soldiers holding the sweet and sour yogurt with smiles on their faces as if they had found a treasure, the serious professor's eyes became moist.

"It's worth it!" He patted Zhou Rui (who went with him as a liaison officer from the General Logistics Department) on the shoulder, his voice choked with tears, "This is what we call applying what we have learned and serving to win the battle!"

The fertile soil of the "Samsung Project" not only attracts mature people, but also gives birth to dazzling new stars.

In the spring of 1997, an appointment caused quite a stir at the Academy of Military Medical Sciences: Chen Wei, a 29-year-old female doctor of pharmacy, was exceptionally appointed as the director of the Molecular Biology Laboratory!

Doubts followed: "Can a yellow-haired girl hold the fort?"

"How many papers has she published in top journals? Is she qualified enough?"

“So many old comrades are waiting for positions. Is this fair?”

Faced with doubts, Chen Wei demonstrated a calmness and sharpness beyond her age.

On her first day in office, she called a meeting of all staff members. Without any pleasantries, she got straight to the point: "I know everyone has doubts. Time will tell.

Now, I just ask one question: Who is willing to join me in challenging this national project on genetically engineered interferon? "

Her eyes were burning as she scanned the entire room, "The goal is to provide our warriors with an extra life barrier against possible biological threats in the future!
This time the development cycle is long, the pressure is high, and there is a possibility of failure.

If you are willing, stay.

If you have concerns, you can apply for transfer now.”

Chen Wei's determination and clear explanation of her mission impressed a group of young people who were eager to start a career.

A research team with an average age of less than 35 was quickly formed.

For the next 13 months, the laboratory became their home.

On countless brightly lit nights, Chen Wei and her team groped repeatedly in the maze of genetic sequences and learned lessons from the failures of cell culture.

As a liaison officer of the Cadre Bureau of the General Logistics Department, Zhou Rui often "raided" the laboratory late at night. He always saw Chen Wei in a white coat, either concentrating on observing in front of a microscope or having heated discussions with colleagues in front of the laboratory bench. There were bloodshot eyes, but her voice was still full of power.

An experiment encountered a major setback. The construction of the key carrier failed seventeen times in a row, and the team's morale was extremely low.

Chen Wei locked herself in the office for a day and a night. When she came out, her eyes were bloodshot but unusually bright, and she held a brand new technology roadmap in her hands: "We are going in the wrong direction! Let's change our thinking and start with the phage display library!" This bold turn eventually proved to be a successful breakthrough.

When the final high-activity, low-side effect genetically engineered interferon showed perfect protective effects in animal models, the entire laboratory was boiling!

This achievement has enabled our military's ability to protect itself against biological warfare agents and highly infectious diseases to leap forward by ten years.

At the celebration banquet, Chen Wei raised her glass, her voice choking: "Some people say that Samsung Engineering is an exceptional promotion and a risk.

But I want to say that it doesn’t look at your background, age or even gender. It only asks: Do you dare to charge for victory? Are you willing to burn for the mission? "

Chen Wei's words revealed the soul of the "Samsung Project".

Beneath the brilliant achievements, undercurrents are still surging in the deep waters of reform.

At the end of 1997, an incident that shocked the General Logistics Department occurred in an important equipment research institute: three core members of the institute submitted their transfer reports within the same month!
Although the institute offered the highest possible compensation in accordance with the "Three-Star Project" policy, they ultimately chose to leave in the face of sky-high annual salaries and equity incentives offered by local companies.

At the reflection meeting urgently convened by the Logistics Department, the director of the institute, a nearly 60-year-old expert, was heartbroken and in tears: "We can't give them commercial housing, and we can't give them a million-dollar annual salary.

But can we give more? Give careers a bigger stage?

Give more freedom to explore the unknown?
Give their achievements more respect and value?
Just talking about dedication and sentiment is not enough to keep everyone's hearts!"

This wake-up call made the promoters of the "Samsung Project" more sober.

The battle for talent is a protracted war without the smoke of gunpowder, and mechanism innovation must continue to deepen.

The following year, three more groundbreaking reform measures were implemented:

The first is the "Academician Incubator" plan: 26 of the most promising top scholars will be selected from the existing "Gold Star" and "Silver Star" talents to establish a special project for "reserve academicians".

Each person will be given special "seed project" funds, allowing them the freedom to form interdisciplinary teams and choose topics independently, with the goal of being elected as a national academician.

This paves a visible upward path for top talents.

The second is the "Peacock Blue" civil service plan: the first pilot large-scale recruitment of non-active civilian professional and technical personnel to create a "civilian reservoir".

Wang Qingyi, who graduated from Huaqing University with a Ph.D. in fluid mechanics, gave up a high-paying offer from General Electric and resolutely applied to become one of the first "peacock blue" civilian staff members of the Biomechanical Engineering Research Center of the National University of Defense Technology.

"Here, my research can directly serve the most lovely people, and this sense of value is irreplaceable." Her words represent the patriotism of the new generation of intellectuals.

The brand new "peacock blue" uniforms have begun to form a beautiful landscape in military scientific research institutes.

The Logistics Department also co-established the "Future Logistics Joint Laboratory" with top universities such as Huaqing University and Xiake Academy.

What is even more remarkable is the bold exploration of the transformation of cutting-edge technologies from private enterprises into military applications.

A high-precision laser repair technology developed by a private laser technology company has been successfully introduced into the battlefield rapid maintenance system of military radar equipment, increasing efficiency by more than ten times.

The game and breakthrough of reform reached a symbolic climax this winter - the "Century Spark" National Logistics "Three Star Project" Award Ceremony.

Amid the solemn military music, the spotlights lit up one by one.

262 carefully designed Gold Star, Silver Star and Rising Star medals are worn on the chests of logistics and technology talents from all over the world and in different positions.

Among them are white-haired old academicians, young and energetic subject leaders, and young and energetic scientific research newcomers like Chen Wei.

(End of this chapter)