In 1978, I was admitted to Harbin Institute of Technology

Chapter 269: The Chinese researchers who never rest are too abnormal and too terrifying.
"Since you're demanding it, then treat them the same as the Chinese researchers! They work, you work; they rest, you rest!"

Ahmed wanted to try to persuade him further.

Unfortunately, even a god couldn't persuade a damned ghost.

"General, rest assured, if the Chinese can do it, so can we!"

"We demand fairness! We want the same treatment as them for the same jobs!"

"Yes, we definitely can, and we might even work harder than them..."

The crowd was excited, and voices rose and fell.

This is not because they genuinely believe they are more hardworking than Chinese people, but because they think that by receiving the same treatment as researchers in universities, they can overcome the university's stringent requirements.

Chinese researchers cannot possibly be treated more harshly than them.

"General, we're here to learn!"

Seeing the general's ever-changing expression, Vanard Hulashni hurriedly spoke up, not believing that the school staff would be treated worse than they were.

"Since you've already made your decision, then fine. There's no need to arrange dorms yet, let's get on the bus!"

General Ahmed felt embarrassed by his subordinates, but he was stricter in his management and did not need to live and eat in the design room or workshop like the Chinese researchers.

Their researchers simply couldn't live like that.

Ahmed turned to Liu Debao and said, "Secretary Liu, please arrange for a driver to take them to the positions we agreed upon..."

"General, isn't this a bit inappropriate?"

Liu Debao glanced at the Pakistani technicians who still seemed unconvinced.

He didn't actually like these technical staff who had poor basic skills but demanded a lot, but in the end, each of them paid more than the $3000 international students paid per year.

Those were all included in the 8000 million yuan technology research and development expenditure.

"The country paid a high price to let them learn and build their own tank industry. Their foundation was relatively weak, and they had no experience in designing tanks... So I think they need to put in more effort!"

Ahmed glanced again at the numerous engineering and technical personnel who thought he was joking about having them pack their things and return to the car before heading straight to the design studio and testing workshop. He sighed silently and replied to Liu Debao in this way.

Compared to the design and research personnel in China, the best talents in the country under my command are simply too inferior!
"Didn't you hear me? Pack your things, get in the car, and get straight to your work station!"

Seeing that no one moved, the general became furious.

"what?"

Everyone gasped in surprise, their faces filled with disbelief. It was only a little past three in the morning. Forget about jet lag; they had barely had time to rest on their journey, from plane to train to car.

Seeing the general's anger, even the team leader, Vanad Hulashni, did not utter another word in rebuttal.

He simply didn't believe that the other party's people were still working in the early hours of the morning.

The first person led the way back to the minibus that had picked them up from the train station, and the others, with the same intention, followed suit.

"General, they have traveled a long way and haven't rested at all. How about we..."

"No! Give them the same treatment as they demand!"

Ahmed also has his pride.

“Secretary Liu, these engineering and technical personnel are the core backbone selected by Pakistan. They will be the leaders in their tank field in the future. The annual training cost of $5000 is not low! We need to do it according to the customer’s requirements.”

Just as Liu Debao was in a dilemma, Xie Wei spoke up.

The customer is king.

Immediately, fearing that the engineering and technical personnel gradually boarding the vehicle might cause trouble after learning about the daily routine of the university's research team, Xie Wei stopped Ahmed: "General, you know the work schedule of our research team. I'm worried that in less than two days, your people won't be able to handle it..."

"I'll stay here for a few days, that's what they asked me to do. If I can't keep going, I'll go back!"

The general sensed the contempt in Xie Wei's words and said coldly.

Seeing that almost everyone was on the bus, he added to Xie Wei:
"After I leave, I will leave Murita here."

"..."

Murita never expected that she would suffer such an undeserved disaster without saying a word.

What does tank development have to do with me?
I even hope to join the armored forces after I go back!
"You can work with the research and development team to learn about the tank's performance in detail, participate in testing with them, and receive training with their top instructors after the tank is developed..."

Upon hearing this, Murita was immediately delighted.

The general's words imply that he will be in charge of the training program for seed instructors of the armored forces, and may even return home after completing the training to form Pakistan's first and most advanced tank force.

The convoy set off again.

Xie Wei did not go with them, nor did he send Liu Debao.

"Won't this cause trouble? Our researchers are working day and night to design the next generation of tanks as quickly as possible, and they can't even get a break... If things get out of hand, it could easily lead to a diplomatic dispute."

Watching the convoy depart, Yu Lihua, who had been accompanying them, looked at Xie Wei with some concern.

"Yes, what if things really get out of hand..."

Liu Debao also looked worried.

Although it was the Pakistani side that was making a fuss about demanding the same treatment as the Chinese researchers, they simply couldn't resist.

"General Ahmed will take care of everything before he leaves. When they witness the relentless, day-and-night research efforts of our scientists, which they cannot withstand, they will voluntarily request to comply with the university's management regulations..."

Xie Wei said calmly.

People teach people, but they can’t teach.

A lesson can be taught, and once is enough.

"hope so."

You Lihua and Liu Debao exchanged a glance, both seeing deep worry in each other's eyes. Out of trust in Xie Wei, neither of them said anything more.

With several hours to go before work, they need to make the most of their time to rest.

The convoy quickly dispersed, and more than 60 key Pakistani technicians were assigned to different design studios and laboratories according to the list. Because General Manager Zhu's assembly team had been in the workshop, improving the design and modifying the prototype, more than 20 people were sent directly to the workshop next to the school.

Even in the early hours of the morning, Boss Zhu and his team were still working hard.

I don't know if I woke up from a nap and continued working, or if I didn't rest at all.

After receiving an order for 36 vehicles from Iraq and having sufficient funding, their work and rest schedules became chaotic, and some areas of the experimental workshop were directly set up with folding military cots.

The same is true in the nearby offices and design studios.

"Why didn't you let them rest first, it's so late? Why did you bring them here?"

General Manager Zhu's tired face was full of seriousness as he questioned Yuan Zhenyue, who was leading the team.

After Principal Li left, Yuan Zhenyue went from being the principal's assistant to a mere brick, moved wherever needed.

"Mr. Zhu, the situation is like this..."

Immediately, Yuan Zhenyue quietly explained the situation to General Zhu in detail.

"It's just nonsense!"

Upon hearing this, Boss Zhu's face turned pale with anger. "They are foreign personnel who came here for training!"

Mr. Zhu's meaning was clear: he was afraid of causing some problems and bringing negative impacts to the school.

Yuan Zhenyue naturally understood General Zhu's concerns and pointed to General Ahmed, who was accompanying him, "It's not just their request, it's the general's request too. The school can't do anything about it. Xie Wei's idea is to let them experience the atmosphere first, so they can calm down and humbly learn..." "General Zhu, please treat them equally. They not only need to learn technical skills, but also how to work hard for the country!"

Ahmed then came up and earnestly made a request to General Zhu.

Vanard Hulashni and others did not expect that the school's research team was still working at 3 a.m., with the entire workshop brightly lit.

The scene before them had completely exceeded their expectations.

Vanad Hulashni was not the only one shocked; others were too.

"It's intentional! They're definitely trying to intimidate us! I don't believe their people can work such long hours every day without rest!"

Some people think this is a deliberate attempt by the partners to intimidate them in order to make it easier to manage them later.

"Yes, it must be a show of force! That's it."

"They did this to force us to accept such a harsh system! There aren't many people in this workshop..."

After someone raised a question, everyone agreed that this was indeed the case.

Mr. Zhu did not insist on this further.

With General Ahmed's intervention, everyone was assigned to various project teams.

Language barrier?
The only problem is that the translator has to stay in the workshop with them to ensure smooth communication between the two sides at all times.

"The project team has made all the arrangements, so shouldn't we be able to rest now?"

Once the assignments were made, all the Pakistani technicians had the same thought.

The sky outside was already beginning to lighten.

However, no one said when to leave work or when to start work.

The technical backbone, who firmly believed that the partners were trying to intimidate them, gritted their teeth and persevered until breakfast was delivered, despite being exhausted.

The school prepared a breakfast specially for the Pakistani personnel, which was in line with Pakistani dietary habits: crispy flatbread, boiled eggs, hot milk, and mutton and scallion dumplings.

After all, the Pakistani military provided the money.

This meal won't cost much at all, and the school has never thought of making money off its partners in this regard.

"Colonel, after breakfast, we should be able to rest, right? They haven't arranged our accommodations yet..."

As breakfast was delivered to the workshop, many people felt uneasy, and some secretly asked Vanard Hulashni.

"Perhaps! They don't rest, we must persevere! We can't let the Chinese look down on us..."

"I'm so sleepy I can't stay awake any longer," Vanard Hulashni said through gritted teeth.

Now he was even more certain that the other party had done it on purpose.

Seeing that the Chinese researchers hadn't rested even while eating breakfast, and that many of them were even munching on steamed buns while doing calculations and drawing diagrams, and were throwing themselves into work as soon as they finished eating, the exhausted Vanard Hulashni gritted his teeth and persevered as he walked toward General Zhu's office.

"Comrade Colonel, if you are tired, there are cots over there. You can go and rest for a while."

Seeing that Vanard was exhausted, Boss Zhu pointed to the cot on one side of the office and said to him.

"Mr. Zhu, I can do it!"

Looking around the entire design studio where everyone was working, Vanard gritted his teeth and said.

General Zhu glanced at him, thinking that Pakistan couldn't even build tanks yet, and that their defense technology workers had the same thoughts as him, so he didn't say anything more.

By noon, when they saw that the meals were being delivered from the canteen, some of the Pakistani technicians were already exhausted and could no longer hold on.

It is clear that the Chinese personnel had no rest and could only grit their teeth and endure it.

Dinner was delivered as well, and they all thought the ordeal was about to end. No one could go on without sleeping or resting forever.

However, after dinner, everyone continued working, either revising designs or discussing solutions...

Some people couldn't hold on any longer and, persuaded by the Chinese personnel, collapsed onto their cots and fell asleep, regardless of the conditions...

Vanard didn't want to speak up, but when the school cafeteria delivered midnight snacks at midnight and the Chinese staff still hadn't had a chance to rest, he felt he couldn't hold on any longer.

I proactively approached Boss Zhu and asked when he would be leaving get off work.

"Off work? Colonel, the normal work schedule is from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., with a two-hour lunch break... But our project is demanding and time-sensitive, so to speed things up, everyone is living and working here. When we're tired, we rest, and when we wake up, we get back to work..."

Mr. Zhu explained.

what?
Vanard was completely dumbfounded.

Do they have no concept of going to work and leaving get off work?
"Don't you guys get a rest?"

"Take a rest. You saw it today, some comrades, when they got sleepy, just pulled out their cots and went to sleep..."

"If you're sleepy, go and rest first. The logistics staff should have brought your bedding over by now," General Manager Zhu explained.

"..."

Before Vanard could recover from the shock of the other party not resting, many of his men rushed to find him.

"Colonel, the Chinese researchers are inhuman! They don't even take a break!"

"They were just tired and took a nap. They don't usually leave the design studio. This is not a human life..."

"Colonel, we can't hold on any longer. Please talk to the general and ask if we can stick to the school's schedule. We're unfamiliar with everything now..."

Colonel Vanard felt he could still hold on.

After all, he's in charge.

However, for the sake of his subordinates' health and the country's tank industry, he still contacted the liaison officer and asked to meet with General Ahmed.

"It was you who strongly demanded the same treatment as their researchers!"

Less than 24 hours later, Vanard came to see him, which did not surprise the general.

"General, we need time to adjust..."

Vanard didn't care about saving face.

If this continues, you'll die suddenly!
Looking at Colonel Vanard, the general's expression turned serious. "Since it's your request, and it's getting late, their logistics department is already resting. Let's talk about it tomorrow!"

Vanard was helpless.

The general did not appear all day the next day. It wasn't until after 1 a.m. that the school logistics department gathered everyone in the dormitory building that the school had arranged for them.

"You demanded the same treatment as them before, and now you refuse to receive the same treatment... As the most outstanding technical backbone in the country, don't you feel ashamed? The People's Republic of China has only been established for 31 years. They have transformed from an impoverished agricultural country with nothing into a powerful nation possessing hydrogen bombs, atomic bombs, strategic intercontinental ballistic missiles... and capable of designing and manufacturing advanced aircraft, tanks, artillery, warships, etc., all thanks to the tireless research of countless national defense science and technology workers..."

The general's face was very serious.

His key subordinates all lowered their heads.

"I hope you understand why the country chose you to study here, and what your purpose in studying is... If you feel you cannot adapt to the school's arrangements, let me know now, and I will send you back! If you choose to stay, I hope you will study diligently with the Chinese teachers!"

Everyone was groaning inwardly.

There's no hope in these days.

China's R&D personnel are truly insane and terrifying.

But no one dared to say they couldn't adapt.

If we give up now, not only will our bright future be ruined, but we might even face disciplinary action from the military if we go back!
(End of this chapter)