In 1978, I was admitted to Harbin Institute of Technology

Chapter 245 No military commander could refuse the Type 99 modified tank.
"Director You, we've arranged a welcome banquet..."

After visiting all the school's facilities, the visit lasted from the time we arrived at the school until after 6 p.m.

To save time, You Lihua refused to go to the cafeteria at noon and had someone get her lunch delivered to Zhai Xinguo's office so she could eat with the project team.

That evening, Principal Zhang felt he should at least make a gesture.

"We won't eat. We have a general understanding of the situation. We've had a long and tiring journey, so let's go to the guesthouse to rest first..."

Before he could finish speaking, Director You, who had been full of energy, suddenly looked exhausted and waved his hand in refusal.

Just kidding!
All day long, at any project site, whether it was the accompanying school leaders or the project leader, the conversation always revolved around the lack of funding!

The other party is hosting a banquet that evening, and the topic of conversation will definitely not be the school's projects, but rather the school's lack of funding.

You can't eat.

Alcohol, especially, should not be consumed.

"Director You, the cafeteria is all set. It would be such a waste if you didn't go..."

Liu Debao looked distressed, hoping that You Lihua would attend the banquet.

Just kidding!
Today I spent the whole day telling Director You how scarce the school's funds were. The school cafeteria has also prepared a standard four-dish-and-one-soup "bitterness feast." I plan to take this opportunity to get Director You to drink more alcohol and then ask the military for some funding.

As a result, Yulihua didn't go!
So how do we perform?

"I'm not going. I'm just too tired today... Time is tight, and we need to summarize today's work tonight..."

mock up!

He's been complaining about being broke all day, how can he still drink this tonight?
The military also lacked funds.

No matter what the other party said, Director You absolutely refused to accept the school's invitation to a banquet.

"We were sent here by the higher-ups, partly to understand the situation, and partly to evaluate whether to invest in some projects... If we accept this meal and word gets out, it might cause misunderstandings..."

Since the other party is seizing every opportunity to say they have difficulties, we cannot eat this meal no matter what.

After some back and forth, You Lihua and the other two still did not agree to have the banquet at the Harbin Institute of Technology canteen. Instead, they went to the guesthouse and ate steamed buns with boiled water and pickled vegetables.

"Principal Zhang, Secretary Liu, what do we do now?"

The logistics manager looked at Zhang Mingqiu, Liu Debao, and the others with a disappointed expression.

In accordance with the school's requirements, the canteen specially arranged a four-dish-and-one-soup meal for the military leaders who came to inspect the troops: garlic sweet potato leaves, stir-fried pumpkin tips, braised sweet potato, braised beef skin, and bitter vegetable soup.

The staple foods were sweet potatoes, taro, corn, and cornbread made from a mixture of sorghum flour and cornmeal.

To ensure that the canteen staff could prepare four dishes and a soup, and that the dishes had to be from the past, they had to put in a lot of effort.

As a result, they stopped eating!

How can we then demonstrate the school's financial difficulties?
"Forget it!"

Zhang Mingqiu sighed, resigned to eating it himself.

"Director You, wasn't the Harbin Military Engineering Institute (HMEI) the one with the most military technology? Now, although HMEI has been split up, Northwestern Polytechnical University is working on aircraft, the National University of Defense Technology is working on missiles and radar, Nanjing University of Science and Technology is working on artillery, and the Armored Forces Engineering Academy is working on tanks... How come HMEI has all kinds of projects now?"

Upon arriving at the guesthouse, the three of them didn't ask the guesthouse canteen to prepare dinner. Instead, they asked for hot water and ate the steamed buns they hadn't finished on the way, along with pickled vegetables.

While munching on a steamed bun, Wei Changcheng raised his doubts.

If I hadn't come, I really wouldn't have known what kind of projects Harbin Institute of Technology has, especially since many of them are among the most advanced in China.

"Each school is engaged in cutting-edge technology research, but they don't have specific projects; they're just jumping into projects..."

Another man named Wang Nengjun also frowned.

It's not that the steamed buns are bad, or that the pickled vegetables are unappetizing.

It felt like they had arrived at a fake Harbin Institute of Technology.

No wonder Harbin Institute of Technology is always complaining about being short of money.

Those projects that specialize in researching related equipment, even with government funding from higher levels, are still short of funds.

"Before the establishment of Harbin Military Engineering Institute, Harbin Institute of Technology was the top military engineering school in China. Especially when the Soviet Union provided industrial assistance to us, it was the place where the nation trained its backbone engineers... Later, when Harbin Military Engineering Institute was established, almost half of the backbone teachers were transferred from Harbin Institute of Technology, and some military engineering departments were also merged into Harbin Military Engineering Institute..."

Yu Lihua was still familiar with the school's history.

"Could it be that Harbin Institute of Technology wants to restore the glory of Harbin Military Engineering Institute in its heyday?"

Wang Nengjun was taken aback and blurted out.

"It's not just about restoring the glory of Harbin Military Engineering Institute (HMEI). Ever since HMEI was split up and moved south, the president of Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) has been aiming to surpass HMEI... Before the policy of independent project approval was implemented, they were already raising funds to carry out some projects and research topics. Once they had the right to approve projects independently, they started to let themselves go... This is why HMEI's financial situation is now a mess, and all the presidents are seizing every opportunity to ask for money..."

"..."

The two didn't know what to say.

They were not familiar with Principal Li Rui's previous principal, nor had they heard much about him.

However, Principal Li Rui's reputation in the military was not good, not only because Principal Li Rui demanded money, but also because he threw a tantrum and wouldn't leave until he received the money.

"But what the higher-ups said..."

"Currently, the country is prioritizing economic infrastructure development, military spending is being continuously cut, and calls for troop reductions are growing louder... Many advanced military projects have stalled due to a lack of funding and are basically destined to be canceled... Harbin Institute of Technology's current situation might be able to save a number of projects..."

Yuli Hua sighed.

Otherwise, how could the military have sent just the three of them to Harbin Institute of Technology?

"Director You, the projects whose funding has been suspended were all evaluated and found to have excessively high targets, insufficient basic support, too much funding required, and too long a time requirement."

Wei Changcheng frowned and glanced at You Lihua.

There is currently a great deal of debate within the military about whether to cancel a large number of cutting-edge military equipment projects.

This has nothing to do with Harbin Institute of Technology.

Yu Lihua glanced at Wei Changcheng, but didn't argue with him. He swallowed the steamed bun in his mouth, took a sip of water, and then said, "The technical specifications for the tank cooperation project between Harbin Institute of Technology and Pakistan are already in place, but they might want to pursue even higher specifications to secure funding... And while the fighter jet project currently doesn't have an assembly project, if the opportunity arises, they will likely seek cooperation with foreign clients... The higher-ups sent us here, partly to understand the true situation of the university's projects, and partly to prevent a repeat of the situation where advanced equipment not yet used domestically is exported first..."

The superiors' meaning was clear: they would not stop Harbin Institute of Technology from selling the rocket launchers that had already been sold.

We will not interfere with the tank development cooperation projects already agreed upon with Pakistan, but we cannot sell the most advanced ones.

"The most advanced technology isn't being sold? The military is placing orders?"

The next morning, You Lihua and the others clearly stated their superiors' attitude, and Xie Wei was the first to object.

"Xie Wei, selling the most advanced technology won't do any good for national defense security."

Wei Changcheng knew Xie Wei's special status, but he was not dissatisfied with Xie Wei's words. Instead, he patiently explained.

“Section Chief Wei, it’s not that we’re disregarding national interests and defense security. Our technology is decades behind the international level. The higher-ups know how much the country is investing in this area… Other countries have already started deploying third-generation tanks, while we don’t even have the technology for second-generation tanks… Third-generation fighter jets have been in service internationally for a long time, while we haven’t even developed a J-9…”

Xie Wei has no intention of backing down on this matter.

The military had already begun taking steps to establish a military representative office at the school, but only arranged armed guards instead of sending a military representative.

The message is clear: not only must someone be sent, but someone of a significant rank must be sent. The candidate is either Wei Changcheng or Wang Nengjun, who are currently standing before us.

They were all section chiefs under the General Staff Equipment Department.

What is advanced?

There is no standard.

Once the military representative office moves in, it may not necessarily be a good thing for the school's independent projects.

"If we're not advanced enough, why would customers who have the money choose to cooperate with us? Putting aside other things, just look at the various sub-technologies of third-generation fighter jets that we're currently researching. Turbofan engines are already standard equipment in fighter jets of advanced countries around the world, and we can't even produce a medium-thrust engine... As for fly-by-wire control systems, we don't even have a simulated control system... Without foreign funding, how can we develop domestically?"

Looking at Xie Wei, who was speaking eloquently, You Lihua finally understood the real difference between Xie Wei and Li Rui in asking for money: Li Rui relied on tantrums and shamelessness; Xie Wei, on the other hand, spoke with the fact that his technology was outdated and that there was a huge gap between him and the country, leaving no room for rebuttal.

Ultimately, it's all about money!
This further confirms Yu Lihua's view from yesterday: Xie Weiyuan is much more difficult to deal with than Li Rui.

A thug isn't scary; what's scary is a thug with education!

"Xie Wei, your concerns are not unfounded, but we can't sell everything!"

Seeing that You Lihua remained silent, Wang Nengjun knew that his leader was unlikely to speak at this moment.

Zhang Mingqiu, Liu Debao, and other school leaders pretended to drink tea, giving the impression that they were just watching the show and leaving Xie Wei to handle everything.

Who exactly is the school leader?
"It's not like we'll sell everything. At least, the school doesn't have an atomic bomb, right? If the school really has the technology and can get development funding, then this thing can be sold!"

Xie Wei said without any politeness.

Wang Nengjun's heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly widened his eyes, staring at Xie Wei.

Wei Changcheng stared at Xie Wei in disbelief.

Yu Lihua's eyebrows twitched repeatedly as he looked at Liu Debao and Zhang Mingqiu.

"Uh, well, Director You... Xie Wei didn't mean that..."

Liu Debao glared at Xie Wei. This kid really dared to say that. Even if he really had such thoughts, he shouldn't say such things in front of the person in charge of the investigation sent by the military.

What if the military leaders are worried that the soldiers won't know the importance of things and will sell out all kinds of technology? What if they prohibit cooperation?
"Director You, everyone knows what the state of the military industry has been like since the reform and opening up. The annual military budget has to support millions of troops and improve national defense capabilities... The investment in scientific research is limited... Survival can't even be guaranteed, let alone development... In the short term, our military won't have much funding for upgrading heavy equipment. During this period, using outdated foreign technology to develop more advanced equipment will not harm national interests..."

Zhang Mingqiu knew he could no longer remain silent.

He knew Xie Wei's intentions.

The school's projects, especially military projects, have increased not only because Principal Li messed around, but also because many projects lack supporting facilities and foundations. Even if they want to seek cooperation with other units, they have to pay money!

Where is the money up there?

Currently, the school's biggest need for funding is for the fighter jet project, but there is not a single penny of funding from the government, and relying solely on the school-enterprise cooperation office is not enough.

Xie Wei had previously revealed to Zhang Mingqiu and others that the only way for the school's fighter jet project to succeed was to seek foreign investment. Coincidentally, Pakistan also needed more advanced fighter jets to replace its outdated ones in order to counter the pressure from their neighbor, India, which was purchasing more advanced fighter jets from the Soviet Union.

"This matter isn't urgent for now. After the establishment of the military representative office at the university, there will be more contact between the university and the military, and the military representative office will help solve problems for various projects... General Ahmed is coming to sign a contract with you soon, so Wei Changcheng can stay here for now..."

Yuli Hua sighed silently.

Despite having advanced army equipment, the military doesn't have the funds for a large-scale re-equipment in the short term.

In such a situation, it would be better to put the technology we develop into the market to obtain funding, and then develop something more advanced.

"Director You, the tank we are cooperating on with Pakistan this time is just a verification of some of our technical ideas. Even if it is successful, this tank can only be considered to have barely reached the third generation, rather than a true third-generation tank."

Knowing that Yu Lihua's attitude was crucial, Xie Wei, after expressing his own stance, felt that the military still needed to provide more support.

So he decided to use You Lihua to make empty promises to the military leaders.

"In our vision, the tanks we prepare for the troops not only need to be inexpensive, but also need to have very strong performance... As expected, the power should be at least between 1000 and 1500 horsepower. We will initially use diesel engines, but we need to reserve space for the replacement of gas turbine engines with the same horsepower, to ensure that the maximum road speed can reach more than 80 kilometers per hour..."

"The main gun of the tank remains 125 mm. It's not just about extending the service life of the gun barrel, but also about enabling the tank gun to fire gun-launched missiles..."

"The multi-layered, angled composite armor design ensures that the main armor thickness of the tank reaches 1000 mm or more..."

"The fire control system uses a stabilized fire control system and a fly-by-wire control system..."

Xie Wei became more and more excited as he spoke.

Just state the performance parameters and technologies used in the 99 major upgrade.

Also under the leadership of General Zhu, it was completed four years ahead of schedule, without even having to take any detours. As long as there was sufficient funding, the third-generation tank with the upgraded 99-class performance could have been developed from the very beginning. Although it might not have reached the level of information technology, it would definitely not have been a problem in other aspects.

Xie Wei's bluff left everyone dumbfounded.

In particular, Yu Lihua, Wang Nengjun, and the other two were very familiar with their performance!

"This...this is possible?"

Yu Lihua looked at Xie Wei with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

They're so young!

"Currently, domestic technology is definitely insufficient to achieve this, but our project with Pakistan is solely for the development of tank technology for our own use..."

Xie Wei said calmly.

"Pakistan will only provide $8000 million..."

$8000 million to develop a tank with world-class advanced technology?

Just kidding!
"This is just preliminary technology research! Our troops can't possibly want advanced tanks without spending a penny, can they? By cooperating with Pakistan, once we succeed, the foundation will be improved, and the cost will be reduced significantly."

Xie Wei said calmly.

With General Zhu in charge of the third-generation tanks, Xie Wei had no worries at all.

The total investment in the development of the Type 99 tank was 10 billion yuan. Before the tank was successfully developed, General Manager Zhu had already recouped all the research and development costs.

这也是为什么性能差不多的情况下，99坦克价格在220万刀左右，国际上同类型的豹-2A7达到750万刀、M1A3价格也到了850万刀、鬼子的90价格800万刀……

"That's right! Only by laying a solid foundation can we gradually pursue higher levels of technology!"

Yulihua was moved by Xie Wei.

Look at the current 69-III, its performance specs...

Once I get back, I must persuade my superiors to change the performance specifications of the 69-III. Although it was a transitional model prepared for the troops, we can't proceed with the current version.

Even an 82mm armor-piercing rocket couldn't stop it!
What's the point of equipping an already poor military unit?
Are we to be targets for the enemy?
Of course, we can't develop it according to the performance parameters proposed by Xie Wei. At the very least, we need to withstand the rocket launchers that Harbin Institute of Technology sells internationally!

Seeing that Yu Lihua had been persuaded, Xie Wei and the others breathed a sigh of relief.

Just kidding!
The performance of the Type 99 Avatar was still appreciated by military leaders decades later. In this day and age, how could it not impress the senior leaders of the military who were oriented towards the artillery?

Strong firepower!
Strong defense!
Highly mobile!

More importantly, the price is low...

(End of this chapter)