In 1978, I was admitted to Harbin Institute of Technology

Chapter 258 Damn it! Even buying five battalions can't get you a 50% discount!
In the end, Principal Li resisted the urge to take action.

"this is the last time!"

The words were squeezed out from between Principal Li's teeth, "I don't know what I did wrong in my past life to have to run into a bastard like you!"

"Comrade Principal, you are a Party member, and Party members are staunch atheists!"

Xie Wei grinned.

He had already decided on this outcome before bringing Li Rui back. Although he was scolded, wasted a lot of breath, and even almost got beaten up in the process, as long as he achieved his goal, that was enough.

"Can rocket launchers really be sold?"

Li Rui asked Xie Wei, his expression immediately turning serious, "If the amount sold is too small, this matter will be difficult to handle."

What is the standard for "too little amount"?

Xie Wei asked hurriedly.

Unfortunately, all I got in return was a cold shoulder.

"That's a difficult situation."

In fact, Xie Wei was not in a difficult position at all.

Long-range rocket artillery is already expensive on the international market. In addition, Iraq purchased the Scud-A, a short-range tactical missile with a range of 130 kilometers, from the Soviet Union. With a price comparison, the price should not be a major issue.

The only question is how much procurement quota Abdullah has, and how many battalions of long-range artillery they can procure at once.

"Tell us more about the investment company in Hong Kong..."

Li Rui was too lazy to chat with Xie Wei, but wanted to know exactly how Xie Wei planned to operate in Hong Kong to make money for the school internationally.

"The company over there, first and foremost, has to appear to have no connection with the school..."

Xie Wei didn't hide anything and began to explain his plan to the group in detail.

He made no mention of the investment company needing to operate according to his own requirements, and even if he had, he couldn't explain it.

Wang Zheng would definitely not tell Li Rui on his own initiative.

Old Li only cares about investment returns, not how he made them. Even if he makes a lot of money, he will only think that it is because of the expertise of international professionals.

Moreover, Xie Wei had mentioned at the beginning that he needed intelligence and information from outside.

None of them knew anything about investing, let alone securities in the international market, but they raised a variety of questions from their perspective.

Although many of the questions were unprofessional, the fact that the group consisted of highly educated individuals actually made Xie Wei's plan more comprehensive.

This conversation lasted until 3 a.m.

Li Rui didn't stay at the guesthouse; he stayed at Du Guowang's house to sleep. Zhang Mingqiu, Liu Debao, and the others didn't go home either; instead, they walked towards the school with Xie Wei.

We walked and talked about the rocket artillery export issue with the Iraqis tomorrow.

"Even if we're willing to sell the technology, they need to have enough supporting equipment to produce it. Let alone production, they might not even be able to handle maintenance..."

When Liu Debao worried that Iraq acquiring the long-range rocket artillery technology would lead to the leakage of the school's technology, Xie Wei replied dismissively, "Besides, although the range of the ones sold exceeds 150 kilometers, the accuracy is still relatively poor, and the warhead weighs only 420 kilograms with a kill radius of 120 meters... Didn't Director Fang say at dinner earlier that once the funding is available, we should immediately begin the design work to improve the model?"

Hearing Xie Wei say this, the two were immediately relieved.

With Principal Li taking the blame above and Xie Wei raising money and securing projects below, all they need to do is wait for results in their positions.

Why not?
The two had originally planned to ask Xie Wei about his plans for Xie Rou, but now they had no interest in asking.

They'll handle whatever arrangements Xie Wei makes, as long as they don't violate any principles.

As for them, as school leaders, wouldn't it be a loss of face for them to listen to Xie Wei, a mere student?
How much is face worth?

Can saving face help one improve?

Or will it allow me to achieve greater success and thus shoulder heavier responsibilities?

"When did you get back? Why aren't you resting?"

When Xie Wei returned to the office, Mo Lingyu, who had just returned, was not resting but instead drawing on the table. Since joining the program-controlled exchange project, they, lacking basic knowledge, had spent most of their time studying.

The experimental class has too many courses to learn, and no one gets to do anything except for summer and winter vacations, or even weekends.

This summer vacation, Mo Lingyu received a telegram from her family saying that her father was seriously ill, so Mo Lingyu took leave and went back home.

Unexpectedly, this woman is also a career-oriented person. After returning to school from home, she immediately threw herself into work and study without taking a break.

Seeing Xie Wei return so late, Mo Lingyu, who was drawing, looked up, a fleeting look of worry on her face, replaced by a sweet smile: "Class monitor, why are you so late?"

"I need to talk to Principal Li and the others about something. Our Iraqi clients are here these days, and I'm busy discussing business with them."

Xie Wei did not hide these things from Mo Lingyu.

With Mo Lingyu around, he felt that his work was much easier.

Mo Lingyu looked at Xie Wei, her lips moved, but in the end she said nothing.

Exhausted, Xie Wei didn't notice that he was already carrying a mouthwash bowl, a towel draped over his shoulder, and heading towards the bathroom next door.

The teaching building itself did not have a washroom, but since many project staff spend a lot of time resting in the design studio and office and do not return to the dormitory for long periods of time, they specially asked the logistics department to renovate a small washroom.

"Sigh, the class monitor is already very busy, so don't bother him with my personal matters..."

Watching Xie Wei's departing figure, Mo Lingyu murmured to herself.

Thinking about things at home, he suddenly became irritable and regretted why he had gone back after receiving the telegram.

Xie Wei was unaware of Mo Lingyu's worries. He was already extremely tired, so after washing up, he set up a folding cot behind his desk. In the summer, there was no need to make a bed, and soon he began to snore softly.

When I woke up the next morning, Mo Lingyu was no longer in the office. On Xie Wei's desk was an aluminum lunchbox, and next to it was an enamel bowl with two fist-sized buns, a boiled egg, and some pickled vegetables.

"Indeed, it's much more convenient for me to live with Mo Lingyu here."

Xie Wei couldn't help but sigh.

When Mo Lingyu returned, he found it extremely difficult to adjust, mainly because there was no one to help him get food, and if he went late, there was hardly anything left to eat in the cafeteria.

While eating, I reminisced.

This is perhaps what the leaders mean when they say, "If you can't even handle the logistics, how can you expect your staff to focus on their work?"

After finishing his meal, Mo Lingyu still hadn't appeared. Xie Wei washed the dishes and realized he still had plenty of time, so he didn't waste any. Instead, he sat at his desk and continued working on some design plans for the program-controlled switchboard.

"Sigh, without a computer, so much of my work is so slow!"

During this period, Xie Wei often lamented that the main reason was the slow progress of the school's microcomputer project.

He needed a computer capable of running computer-aided design software, which placed demands on memory and graphics cards, and the school's research on computer hardware could not meet these requirements.

To develop computer-aided design software, computers are needed.

The supercomputer at the National University of Defense Technology is not yet fully successful. Its peak computing speed of hundreds of millions of calculations per second is simply not enough for the university's many projects, yet they still cannot obtain a supercomputer capable of hundreds of millions of calculations per second.

Xie Wei wanted the microcomputers provided by the school to have multitasking capabilities, which would place higher demands on the hardware.

The Department of Electronic Engineering and the Department of Computer Science devoted almost all their efforts to this project.

Without key research equipment, all supporting facilities are incomplete. This is why Xie Wei confronted President Li about the electron microscope issue. Previously, when the school needed these high-end scientific research equipment, President Li assured him that he would get it done.

result……

After a moment of worry, he quickly threw himself into his work.

"Dingling bell~"

Xie Wei, engrossed in his work, was interrupted by the sudden ringing of the telephone.

"Have you forgotten something? What time is it?"

As soon as he got the phone, Li Rui's dissatisfied voice came through the receiver.

Xie Wei raised his wrist and saw that it was already 8:55, just 5 minutes before the 9 o'clock appointment with Abdullah and the others.

"Go directly to the assembly workshop over at the wind tunnel lab; the car should be here soon."

Before Xie Wei could explain, Principal Li hung up the phone after saying just one sentence.

Xie Wei frowned.

The rocket launcher assembly workshop is right next to the wind tunnel laboratory. There are some things there that even people who are not qualified enough to go to school are not suitable to understand. Why would they directly send Abdullah and his party to that workshop?

Aren't you afraid of leaks?
Thinking that Li Rui wouldn't disregard confidentiality rules, Xie Wei stopped worrying.

"I don't think I'll be back for lunch, so don't bother getting me food."

As soon as they arrived at the door, they encountered Mo Lingyu, who looked haggard and worried. Clearly, she hadn't slept all night.

Xie Wei, who was in a hurry to leave, did not notice Mo Lingyu's expression at all. He left behind these words and rushed downstairs.

"Looks like I was just being presumptuous..."

Mo Lingyu stared blankly at Xie Wei's departing figure for a moment, then shook her head with a wry smile and said with a self-deprecating tone. She then went into her office and continued her work.

Xie Wei went downstairs and got into the school's jeep before it had even come to a complete stop. The car then sped off towards the workshop near the wind tunnel laboratory.

When Xie Wei arrived, Zhang Mingqiu, Liu Debao, and others were accompanying Abdullah and his entourage as they got off the bus.

Li Rui was not among the accompanying personnel.

"Xie, where did you go?"

Before Xie Wei could come up with his explanation, Yitzhak walked towards him.

"I was busy finishing my homework last night..."

What?
Yitzhak thought he had misheard.

Was Xie Wei rushing to finish his homework last night?
Could it be?

"I'm very sorry I couldn't greet you. Come on, I'll show you around our 150mm long-range rocket launcher."

Xie Wei didn't want to explain, as it would be very troublesome.

Yitzhak, however, keenly picked up on Xie Wei's mention of "doing homework," thus deducing that Xie Wei was still a student. This deduction shocked him even more—Xie Wei, so young, was able to lead their negotiations with the school, while the school principal and secretary were merely supporting characters.

Xie Wei's identity is about to be revealed!

You must cultivate good relationships with people like this.

Xie Wei had no idea that a casual excuse would lead Yitzhak, a lieutenant colonel who was quite familiar with Chinese culture, to imagine a great deal. He walked up to Abdullah and his group, greeted them, and then led them into the workshop.

In the assembly workshop, many items were moved away overnight, and the remaining items were covered with tarpaulins.

In the center of the workshop was the rocket launcher vehicle that Yitzhak and the others had seen the night before.

Because the tests were conducted in the wild, in very harsh environments, even though the entire exterior of the vehicle was wiped very clean, the paint in many areas was already peeling.

The front of the vehicle is nothing special, just a square shape; behind the front are two sets of four-tube launchers connected together, with no way of seeing the rockets loaded inside.

As soon as Abdullah and his entourage entered, they were drawn to the missile launcher in the very center.

"We can't see what's inside."

Abdullah frowned.

The Scud missiles they purchased from the Soviet Union used liquid fuel, so each launcher could only carry one missile, and the missile's shape could be clearly seen from the outside.

You can't even see the shape of it right in front of you.

"General, this is Professor Fang, the chief designer of the YH-150 long-range rocket artillery. Let's have Professor Fang introduce the specific performance of this long-range rocket artillery..."

Seeing that Fang Pengju showed no sign of trying to make an impression, Xie Wei decisively gave up on introducing him to Fang.

Yitzhak understands Chinese, and at a very high level.

Translation cannot be done casually.

Hearing Xie Wei's words, Fang Pengju, who was standing to the side, became somewhat anxious.

Didn't we agree to hand it over to Xie Wei?

I don't have Xie Wei's ability to make the dead seem alive without deviating from the facts.

"Professor Fang, could you please introduce the specific details of this long-range rocket to our esteemed client? ... Please provide a truthful description."

Xie Wei knew Fang Pengju's concerns.

Performance data is useless if you're just bragging.

If we conceal anything from our clients in this regard, our reputation will be ruined once they find out.

Not suitable for later market expansion.

Xie Wei was afraid that if he started boasting, he wouldn't be able to stop, and given the cultural level of the Iraqi rank-and-file soldiers, the gap would be even greater.

“YH-150远程火箭炮，采用固体燃料推进剂……口径320毫米，长度11.87米，战斗部重量420公斤，杀伤半径120米；最大射程165公里；圆概率误差在射程150公里为200米……”

"The launch container uses modular loading. After firing, the empty launch container on the launch vehicle is directly disassembled and the launch container on the ammunition vehicle is hoisted directly..."

"Advanced technologies such as ballistic computers are employed. Once a target is identified, the ballistic computer will provide firing data..."

"The maximum road speed is 80 kilometers per hour, and it only takes a maximum of 7 minutes to transition from driving mode to launch mode..."

"What is the margin of error when the range reaches 165 kilometers?"

After hearing the introduction, Abdullah was somewhat disappointed.

The range is quite long, but the accuracy is somewhat poor.

The kill radius is only 120 meters, but the error reaches 200 meters.

The other side claimed that at a range of 150 kilometers, the circular error of the bullet impact point reached 200 meters. Although the maximum range only increased by 15 kilometers, the error may not be just an increase of ten or twenty meters.

"Without specific testing, our theoretical range is 150 kilometers, and 165 kilometers is the maximum range... General, rocket artillery is different from tactical missiles. Its purpose is not to precisely strike targets, but to provide ultra-long-range fire coverage for saturation bombardment of enemy armored formations and concentrated troops..."

Seeing that the other person was frowning, Xie Wei took the initiative to speak.

Compared to the Scud-A missiles that Iraq purchased from the Soviets, which had a maximum range of 130 kilometers, an error of about 120 meters, and a warhead weighing 860 kilograms that could produce a kill radius of 150 meters, the Scud-A missiles could effectively compensate for their lack of accuracy by utilizing the kill radius.

The key thing is that it's a missile!

And it uses liquid fuel.

“Unlike missiles, rocket artillery is inexpensive. Even when using saturation attacks to compensate for the lack of accuracy, it is not only cheaper than missiles but also more powerful… In fact, at a range of 100 kilometers, these rocket artillery pieces can be used just like missiles!”

Upon hearing this, Abdullah was tempted.

With a range of 150 kilometers, it was significantly longer than the Soviet Union's cumbersome Scud-A missile, but its accuracy was insufficient and its power was much weaker.

The problem is, this is a rocket!

"What about the price?"

Clearly, Abdullah knew that these heavy equipment items would not be as cheap as rocket launchers, and he did not place an order without even asking about the price.

"The launch system costs $320 million, and each rocket costs $8... Of course, if the purchase quantity is large, the price can be discounted to some extent, but not by much."

Xie Wei has made an offer.

The price hasn't increased much compared to the bottom price.

The price surprised Yitzhak and his men. The launch system was indeed a bit expensive, but its user-friendly operation was very convenient for their troops, who were not highly educated.

At $80,000 a rocket, the price of one Scud-A could buy three rockets. Three rockets with a warhead of 1260 kilograms each are much more powerful than a Scud-A, and their effect on the target is definitely better than that of a single Scud!

The key price is negotiable.

"This price is too high!"

Seeing the joy on Yitzhak's and the others' faces, Abdullah glared at them.

That damn dog, it can't hold its breath at all.

If we make it so obvious, won't the other party be unwilling to budge on the price?
"The launch system costs $1.6 million, and the rockets cost $40,000. Give us five battalions!"

Adhering to the principle of cutting the price in half, Abdullah quoted such a price directly.

However, he discovered that the Harbin Institute of Technology leaders, who had initially been friendly to him, suddenly lost their initial enthusiasm.

Could it be that their cost price is more than that?

"General, we have shown enough sincerity; we haven't even equipped our own troops..."

Xie Wei was unhappy.

MMP!

Who taught those oil-selling nouveau riche to cut prices in half when buying weapons in China?

Even if you buy 5 battalions, you can't bargain down the price by half.

Why didn't those bastards cut the arms purchases in half when negotiating with the Soviet Union and the West?
They treat people differently based on their status; they're utterly despicable.

"This price is non-negotiable. It doesn't even cover production costs, let alone the more than $6000 million we've invested in research and development for this project..."

"..."

Upon hearing Xie Wei mention that the R&D funding exceeded $6000 million, not only Zhang Mingqiu and others, but even Fang Pengju's eyes widened in astonishment.

That's quite a boast!
If he really had $6000 million, Professor Fang felt he could at least develop a rocket launcher with a range of over 1000 kilometers.

The entire long-distance rocket project, from start to finish, seems to have cost less than 600 million yuan, right?

(End of this chapter)