In 1978, I was admitted to Harbin Institute of Technology

Chapter 224 Old Man Li has brought the sheep; let's see how Xie Wei fleeces them.
"Don't rush, come with me to the cafeteria. I haven't eaten or drunk anything all day!"

Exhausted, Li Rui waved his hand to interrupt Xie Wei's questioning.

"You all come with me to the guesthouse canteen; consider it a late-night snack."

Seeing that Zhai Xinguo and Wang Zheng had also come out after hearing the commotion, Li Rui greeted them, "I know you have a lot of questions, let's go to the cafeteria and talk while we eat."

Seeing Li Rui's attitude, the group, despite having countless questions, ultimately couldn't bring themselves to ask them.

So he simply followed Li Rui to the guesthouse's canteen.

"This is a logistics outpost of the military here. Although it's currently in a semi-abandoned state, it can still meet basic needs..."

Upon arriving at the guesthouse canteen, apart from Li Rui and his group, there were practically no other diners.

Clearly, the guesthouse had received prior notice and had left chefs and service staff on duty.

Li Rui ate the same food as Xie Wei and the others: a large plate of hand-pulled mutton as the main dish, a bowl of mutton offal soup, and a bowl of steamed corn bread.

"Suck~"

Li Rui held a cornbread in his left hand and chopsticks in his right, supporting himself on a large earthen bowl of mutton offal. He rested his mouth on the rim of the bowl, slurped up a mouthful of mutton offal soup, took a bite of the cornbread, chewed it carefully, and then slurped up another mouthful of mutton offal, his face full of enjoyment.

"Ah, this flavor can only be truly authentic on the grasslands! Don't you want to try some?"

After expressing his feelings, Principal Li took care of the group and wanted them to try the stewed mutton offal.

"No, no..."

Xie Wei and the others quickly shook their heads.

Just kidding!
That evening, while they were having dinner, they overheard the short, stout chef at the guesthouse canteen proudly introducing his hand-pulled mutton, saying it was authentic and delicious, and his mutton offal soup was especially outstanding, praised by countless comrades who had visited the guesthouse. Xie Wei was persuaded and took a bite of the mutton offal soup...

Then there is no more then.

The mutton was indeed pure and unsalted, with no salt added; one bite and your mouth is filled with the strong, gamey flavor of mutton. The mutton offal was also pure and unsalted...

At least, Xie Wei felt it smelled even stronger than uncooked pork intestines; it not only had the original smell of sheep's large and small intestines, but also the strong smell of mutton...

So, the four of them barely ate a few bites of the mutton from the pot.

As for the lamb offal soup, some of them could barely stand the smell.

The bowl that Li Rui was eating from should be the one that Xie Wei and the others hadn't touched.

"Clap~"

Looking at the expressions of the others, Li Rui patted his head with his left hand, which was still stuffing a small piece of cornbread into his mouth.

"Gulu~"

After swallowing the cornbread and drinking a bowl of mutton offal soup, Principal Li said to the group, "Look at my memory, I forgot you haven't tried this before and aren't used to the taste. It's a pity it's not the right season; if only we had wild leek flower sauce to go with it..."

"Old man, let's not talk about food yet, let's talk about this matter. You're making it sound like we're having a clandestine meeting, people who don't know better will think we're up to something bad!"

Xie Wei couldn't listen anymore.

I didn't come here to listen to Old Man Li talk about delicious food.

Although I enjoy eating it myself, the hand-pulled lamb I like is definitely not this kind with a strong gamey smell!
"Principal, we just want to get something that can improve the combat effectiveness of the troops."

Zhai Xinguo emphasized that he was afraid that Principal Li's departure would leave him with a hidden problem.

I just wanted to do some research.

No, to be precise, I just wanted to guide my students in their research; this project was done to help them.

"No need for that. Do you think it's still ten years ago?"

Li Rui gave Zhai Xinguo a disgruntled look, took another sip of mutton offal soup, and explained softly as he ate, "This live-fire test was something I convinced General Pashin Danasong to do, and I also guaranteed sales to the Precision Machinery Import and Export Corporation. The higher-ups in the military were unaware of it..."

"Would Norinco agree to this?"

Xie Wei astutely seized upon the loophole in Li Rui's words.

The company responsible for exporting tanks and armored vehicles was the China North Industries Corporation, while the Precision Machinery Import and Export Corporation was under the Seventh Ministry of Machinery Industry.

"Yes, I agree. Otherwise, how can we conduct the live-fire test? The test site will have not only the client but also military logistics and General Staff leaders present. The live-fire test is time-sensitive, which is why we urgently sent you here with your equipment..."

Xie Wei didn't believe Li Rui's explanation at all.

When Zhai Xinguo and Tang Daoxian, who were unaware of the inside story, heard that the military leaders would also be visiting the site, they immediately felt relieved.

None of them were in the mood for drinking; they were exhausted after a day of being on a slow-moving plane.

So I simply said goodbye and went back to rest.

"It can't be that simple, can it?"

Xie Wei didn't leave, nor was he in the mood to drink with Li Rui. After Zhai Xinguo and the others left, he lit a cigarette and looked at Li Rui, who was enjoying his meal without saying a word.

Xie Wei couldn't help but ask.

Wang Zheng, who was standing to the side, was also very curious. Xie Wei did not signal him to leave, which meant that he also wanted him to listen.

"Don't bother asking about the specifics. I used almost every connection I had to make this happen. As long as it doesn't seriously affect the already agreed-upon orders, there won't be any consequences. Besides, this is a prerequisite for exporting equipment to Pakistan; they need to understand its specific power..."

what?
Why are we bringing up Pakistan again?

Xie Wei's mind raced.

Since the Second Indo-Pakistani War, the friendship between China and Pakistan has rapidly warmed up. The Pakistani army has purchased a considerable amount of Chinese weapons and equipment, and may even purchase more in the future.

But what does this have to do with the Thai military's procurement of weapons and equipment?
Suddenly, Xie Wei remembered that Pakistani President Zia-Haq visited China in May.

It's May now, has President Zia-haq left or not?
Whether they come or not, they will definitely discuss cooperation, not only in economic aspects, but also in military aspects, especially after the Soviet army invaded the Imperial Graveyard at the end of last year and occupied the main cities and border routes of the Imperial Graveyard in just over a week, especially the border route between the Graveyard and Pakistan.

Starting in February of this year, the Soviet army began a large-scale sweep of insurgent groups in the cemetery. Because there are many refugee camps along the border, some insurgent groups are hiding in the refugee camps. The Soviet army often uses this as a pretext to bomb targets inside Pakistan...

Upon thinking of this, Xie Wei's eyes lit up as he looked at Li Rui.

It seems the old man's judgment was indeed quite good.

"How does this relate to Pakistan's arms procurement?"

Wang Zheng was completely bewildered.

Li Rui glanced at Wang Zheng with a deep look, then turned to Xie Wei, "The school cannot obtain the rights to export weapons, nor can it possibly do so. The school-enterprise cooperation office will not be involved in the production, manufacturing, or export of military equipment in the future..."

"I'm going back to sleep now."

Upon hearing this, Wang Zheng knew perfectly well that Principal Li was unhappy that he was staying there.

She gave Xie Wei a resentful look, then reluctantly took her leave.

"Isn't this the right place to talk?"

Xie Wei wasn't embarrassed at all; he was just too lazy to relay the message to Wang Zheng for the sake of convenience later on.

"Since you're sure he's not suitable, there's no need to involve him in everything..."

"Isn't it because there's no one here? The school-enterprise cooperation office is in complete chaos, and I want to fix it, but there's no one. Especially someone with extensive management experience and familiarity with foreign trade..."

Meeting Li Rui's disapproving gaze, Xie Wei shrugged and helplessly spread his hands, "Even a clever cook can't make a meal without rice."

"Don't take every opportunity to complain to me about manpower shortages and harsh conditions! Which unit in the country isn't facing difficulties? If there are conditions, we should do it; if there aren't, we should create them! Let me tell you, if we do well this time and can persuade the Pakistani representatives to agree to provide funding, we can help develop an air defense missile project..."

"What?" Xie Wei stared wide-eyed at Li Rui. "Aren't you just messing around? Our ministry has several units that specialize in anti-aircraft missiles. I'm telling you, Principal, can you be a little more reliable? Does our school even have the necessary expertise?"

The old man won't rest until he's ruined the school!
Are schools now installing air defense missile systems?
What are the conditions?

"Why not? The air-to-air missiles you modified before had pretty good performance, didn't they? I asked, and the technological difference between anti-aircraft missiles and air-to-air missiles isn't that big, and they need man-portable ones..."

"Pfft~"

Xie Wei almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

Are anti-aircraft missiles and air-to-air missiles similar?

Who the hell was so irresponsible as to tell Principal Li this?
"It's not just about the project itself, but also about the school's development... Pakistan wants to establish its own military industry, and we can work on that. If the project succeeds, they can send students to participate in the project's research and development..."

"..."

Upon hearing Principal Li's introduction, Xie Wei's mind went completely blank.

He was mentally prepared for history to be changed.

But this change is far too frightening.

Old Li actually offered to train missile design and manufacturing engineers for someone else's project?
The first batch of international students admitted to Harbin Institute of Technology was in 2001, after the turn of the 21st century, and they were all in the field of software, a fact that Xie Wei was aware of.

Did they start accepting international students in the early 80s?

If the deal can be reached, it will be of great benefit to the school's future development: with international students, the higher authorities and the country will surely consider allocating more resources to help the school grow.
Moreover, Harbin Institute of Technology primarily trains chief engineers and chief designers for national defense...

"Pakistan is very interested in this kind of cooperation, but they need to see our capabilities. If it's effective, we'll not only get orders for rocket launchers and sniper grenades, but the cooperation will also continue... Anyway, I've done everything I can. After I stop working at the Seventh Ministry of Machinery Industry, the school's development will depend on you..."

"Although Pakistan is poor, they have American aid, so they're considered relatively easy targets right now. I've caught the sheep for you; now it's up to you how you fleece them..."

"I'm still a student..."

Xie Wei didn't know how to respond for a moment.

As soon as he mentioned that he was still a student, Old Man Li curled his lip and looked at him with a mocking expression.

"Okay, what do we do now?"

Knowing the old man's personality well, Xie Wei didn't ask him which unit he went to after leaving the Seventh Ministry of Machinery Industry. It was very likely that he would go to the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, which was already in the process of being established.

Changing the subject is the most appropriate course of action.

"Wait."

Li Rui didn't say anything more, "Really, how about a bowl of mutton offal soup? You can hardly find such authentic mutton offal soup anywhere else but on the grasslands..."

"If you want the authentic version, you don't have to wash it properly. I can't stand this..."

Xie Wei said with a sneer.

The group stayed at the guesthouse for three consecutive days. Xie Wei was so bored that he felt uncomfortable all over. Finally, he saw Qin Weidong again.

Qin Weidong led his men to pick up the group and take them to the shooting range.

We set off at around 4 a.m., driving from the outskirts of the city. It took us more than three hours to reach our destination, following the roads worn into the grassland by tank tracks.

The test range was covered with tracks, and on a small hill on one side, some concrete tank targets were built.

Three tanks with hemispherical turrets are positioned in the distance, and they are virtually indistinguishable from each other in appearance.

"1, 2, 3..."

"What are you doing?"

Wang Zheng watched curiously as someone covered their eyes with their left hand and pointed at the tanks in the distance with their right hand, counting them.

"Count the road wheels. Five pairs!"

Xie Wei sighed.

Even though he knew that the Type 69 tank, like the Type 59 tank, had five pairs of road wheels, Xie Wei still hoped that history would deviate from its intended course.

As it turned out, history was exactly as it appeared.

There's no terrifying turret; it still has five pairs of road wheels.

"Tanks have always had five pairs of road wheels. There aren't any new models. The number of road wheels isn't important; what's important is that the firepower is strong enough!"

Qin Weidong, who was standing to the side, was stunned for several seconds after hearing Xie Wei's words before he spoke.

He didn't understand what Xie Wei meant by that.

Even if you've never seen a tank up close before, shouldn't you focus on the tank's main gun's thick barrel the first time you see one? Why did you notice the road wheels first?

Xie Wei naturally couldn't explain it.

He also knew that domestically produced tanks did not get rid of the five pairs of road wheels until the Type 80; and it was not until the Type 85 that the round-headed cast turret was changed to a square-headed welded turret.

Of course, the WZ-122 tank prototype displayed in that classified workshop at Harbin Institute of Technology, although it had a wedge-shaped turret with a square head, still couldn't get rid of its five pairs of road wheels.

"The more road wheels a tank has, the heavier it is, allowing it to withstand the recoil of larger caliber artillery; it can also have thicker armor..."

Xie Wei said calmly.

Even though he knew that tanks with five pairs of road wheels had become the main battle tanks of the armored forces after the Type 96 and Type 99 became the main battle tanks, tanks with five pairs of road wheels continued to be modified.

Even with a stabilized fire control system and a 125mm smoothbore gun, the five-road-wheeled tank still can't compare to the Type 99.

Who wouldn't want their country's tanks to be the most advanced in the world?
"What's the process?"

Xie Wei glanced around and saw an observation post on a small hill not far behind them.

There were only some staff members in military uniforms; no visiting leaders or foreign clients were seen.

"In a moment, the Type 69 tank will fire at the Type 59 tank, which will be used as a target, from different distances to test the firepower intensity; then we will use rocket launchers to fire at the Type 59 tank..."

Qin Weidong was arranged by Li Rui and knew Xie Wei's identity, so he didn't hide it from him.

"You guys fight?"

Tang Daoxian was displeased.

Looking at the Type 59 tank in the distance, he couldn't help but lick his lips. "I'll be the one to test the anti-tank rocket launcher we developed!"

Take down the tanks!

Can a designer of an anti-tank rocket launcher who has never fired a tank be a good anti-tank rocket launcher designer?

When it was first developed and tested, the rocket launcher wasn't aggressive enough.

Moreover, they were hitting concrete targets.

What could be more satisfying than simply carrying a raging gun and taking down a real tank?

Qin Weidong glanced at him, then turned his head away with a look of disdain.

"Squad leader, didn't you say before that I had to do it myself? If I can't experience it firsthand, I'm afraid it won't be easy to improve in the future..."

Tang Daoxian knew that going to Qin Weidong was useless, so he went directly to Xie Wei.

For the sake of his own experience, his mind became more agile at this moment.

(End of this chapter)