In 1978, I was admitted to Harbin Institute of Technology

Chapter 312 Wielding a hoe against the wall of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, even my senior brother has to be brought back.
"You only need to do the work, you don't need to take responsibility. Otherwise, it wouldn't be a temporary posting but a permanent appointment."

Yulihua glared at Xie Wei.

Xie Wei smiled awkwardly, not knowing how to answer for a moment.

It can be said that this time, You Lihua did not hide anything from him and told him everything directly. He treated Xie Wei as an equal in discussing matters, rather than as a superior assigning work to a subordinate, which would normally make people feel very comfortable.

Unfortunately, the matter was too big.

"You don't need to feel any pressure. The military has always been in urgent need of a high-thrust turbofan engine, and even warships need powerful gas turbines. Even if this project ultimately fails and cannot produce results, the higher-ups will not have any complaints about you because of the lack of results."

Seeing Xie Wei's heavy expression, Yu Lihua offered him words of comfort.

"I'm not worried about my personal future, nor do I care too much about what my superiors think of me. What I'm afraid of is letting down my superiors' trust and attention, which would affect the development of the Air Force and the Navy."

Xie Wei was telling the truth.

If I had known, I shouldn't have told Li Rui that by developing the core engine, we could solve a series of power problems, such as gas turbines for power generation, power systems for large warships, and high-bypass engines for military transport aircraft.

He drew a picture of a pie.

The troops ate it.

The key point is that they are still counting on this pancake to fill their stomachs.

"I will be here during this period. The Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense has now started to activate the Military Standardization Leading Group, with Comrade Long Yaohua as the group leader and Comrade Li Rui as the deputy group leader..."

Xie Wei listened silently, unable to say a word.

Yulihua told him all this, over and over again, just to put his mind at ease.

Xie Wei had never felt the train station was so far from the school as he did now. He wondered if it was because the driver was driving too slowly. Looking outside, he realized the car wasn't heading towards the school.

"Go to Institute 703."

As if sensing Xie Wei's confusion, You Lihua spoke up.

"???"

Xie Wei was completely confused. The 703 Institute in Harbin was not the same as the 703 Institute in the capital. It was a unit that researched steam turbines, gas turbines, boilers, transmission devices, and thermal energy engineering for ships.

Although I have never had any contact with the research institutions in Harbin during my long stay here, I have some understanding of them.

It wasn't that Xie Wei was eyeing the talent in other companies, but rather that he wanted to collaborate.

"Since we're going to do it, we should definitely try to concentrate our efforts as much as possible."

Xie Wei remained silent.

The principles of gas turbines and core engines are similar, and even their core technologies are the same.

Yu Lihua's personal visit clearly indicates that the higher-ups want to take this opportunity to integrate a highly capable gas turbine R&D team.

The road from the school to Unit 703 is more than 10 kilometers long. Along the way, You Lihua gave Xie Wei a detailed introduction to some of the military's projects, especially the current fighter jets and warships.

Xie Wei didn't dare to say much, for fear that if he casually replied, the already heavy burden on his thin shoulders would be added even more.

Warships won't work.

The fighter jets are no good.

The entire national defense relies on the deterrent power demonstrated by the Second Artillery Corps' Dongfeng missiles and Mushroom bombs.

Established in 61, Institute 703 is not large in scale, but its building is incredibly impressive. Even though it has been in use for more than ten years, it shows no signs of age.

The jeep parked directly in front of the office building.

Several leaders, dressed in cadre uniforms with military overcoats underneath, were already waiting at the door.

"Director You, welcome to inspect and guide our work."

A cadre in his fifties was the first to extend his hand to You Lihua as he got off the bus, with a broad smile on his face.

The already underfunded naval equipment systems are facing even greater difficulties, especially given the continuous cuts in military spending. Even core units that research the heart of warships are struggling.

After introductions, the first person to greet me was Lin Keqin, the director of Institute 703.

"This is Xie Wei? I've heard of him many times before, but I've never had a chance to meet you. I didn't expect you to be so young!"

When Lin Keqin heard You Lihua introduce Xie Wei, he showed even more enthusiasm than he did towards You Lihua.

"Director Lin, you flatter me."

Xie Wei is slowly getting used to being known by strangers.

"It's cold outside, let's talk inside."

What's most unbearable about Harbin is the extremely low outdoor temperature in winter.

Xie Wei has been here for almost two and a half years and still hasn't adapted. He stays home whenever possible, especially when it's cold. He's nowhere near as active as when he first came here, when he was trying to persuade the city government to develop the lantern festival into an ice and snow world. Now, he hasn't been to a single place.

"Let's go check out the lab first."

Yulihua spoke.

The entire building is a combined office, research and experimentation facility. The basement contains test benches with some of the power systems that 703 is currently developing.

Led by Lin Keqin, the group headed straight for a gas turbine that occupied a large space. From the outside, it did not look much different from a turbofan engine.

At this moment, a group of technicians in work clothes are busily replacing some parts.

"This is a 6000-horsepower gas turbine currently under development, undergoing ignition testing on a ground test bench... During the last test, the surge was quite severe..."

Lin Keqin began to explain the situation from the side.

"The development of the WS-6 turbofan engine also encountered phenomena such as surge, vibration, and high temperature..."

Xie Wei spoke up, "Didn't 703 and 606 have any contact before?"

One sentence silenced everyone in room 703.

Yu Lihua looked at Xie Wei with satisfaction, "That's why I brought you here. Since you've proposed developing complex engineering system management methods and standardization to strengthen communication and cooperation among various units, let's start with the engine."

"..."

Xie Wei wanted to slap himself.

Why couldn't I resist!
It's not that he's trying to shirk responsibility, but if he focuses his energy on the engine, what will happen to the fighter jets?
Fighter jets involve a wider range of technological fields.

"We hadn't thought too much about it before. After reporting to our superiors some time ago, they instructed the institute to learn from the experience of 606. After sending out our technicians, we discovered many problems. This is the modified assembly. However, the performance of the high-temperature resistant alloy material currently available is far from meeting the requirements, and it's difficult to achieve the expected results after a long trial run..."

Chief Engineer Wang Zhiguo explained from the side.

The 6000-horsepower gas turbine developed by Institute 703 is currently facing many problems.

In the test workshop, the relevant leaders of 703 gave Xie Wei a detailed introduction and did not conceal any issues just because You Lihua was present.

"Is our engine technology really that backward?"

Even though Xie Wei had considered that domestic engine technology was lagging behind, the actual situation still exceeded his expectations.

"It's even more backward than you can see. You know that the WS-6 turbofan engine has met the technical specifications, but you don't know how many problems it has. To date, the WS-6 has overcome 114 key technologies, solved hundreds of different faults, and even achieved a lot of technological results... The performance and reliability of the 703 gas turbine have not been resolved, and its service life is even less than 40 hours. It cannot even complete a 24-hour long test run!"

Yuli Hua has now become calmer.

"If the WS-6 turbofan engine is integrated with this gas turbine, the cost will be reduced by at least one-third..."

Xie Wei understood why You Lihua had brought him here.

Integrate resources!

This is why the military, even though it can't afford to gamble, still chooses to bet on developing its own engine domestically. At noon, the two ate at Institute 703, a meal far superior to the school's farewell banquet—a large table laden with a dazzling array of dishes. Xie Wei didn't complain about the expense being too extravagant.

Yuli Hua didn't say anything yet.

"Is the situation on 606 similar to that on 703?"

On the way back, Xie Wei asked You Lihua.

"Even worse."

Yu Lihua's tone was very serious, "Many things are just literal. The WS-6 is based on the WS-5, and the WS-5 is an improvement on the WS-6 by removing the afterburner and adding a non-afterburning rear fan and zero-stage guide vanes..."

"..."

These inside details were all unknown to Xie Wei.

Unlike the WS-8, which was a copy of the JT-3D, and the WS-9, which was a copy of the Spey, the development of the WS-6 had virtually no references. It was developed by directly adding a rear fan to a turbojet engine and converting a single rotor into a dual rotor...

Without prior experience, one can only imagine the true state of this engine.

"This time, the military's plan is to draw on the best personnel from the WS-6, WS-8, and WS-9 technical teams, with Harbin Institute of Technology taking the lead, to independently develop a new turbofan engine, named WS-10! We'll start with the core engine, based on the structure you provided..."

really!

With the launch of Project No. 10, the development of the accompanying WS-10 turbofan engine was also brought forward.

Xie Wei was not surprised at all.

"What about the funding?"

Yuli Hua's words revealed the determination of the troops this time.

However, the issue of funding is unavoidable.

Xie Wei didn't want to be stared at by Liu Debao's resentful gaze every day; he was a grown man.

"The funding for the core engine will be provided by the military. This is the first project of the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense. My main task here is to oversee the project approval process for Project 10 and the WS-10 turbofan engine. In fact, the WS-10 project is given priority over Project 10."

"..."

Xie Wei didn't want to talk anymore.

Yuli Hua treated him like family, telling Xie Wei all sorts of secrets, making him realize that the old guy was definitely not hiding anything good either.

Even more difficult to deal with than Li Rui.

Back at school, You Lihua told Xie Wei to go back and rest first, and to sort out his thoughts and see how to effectively integrate resources to better carry out the project.

Without waiting for Xie Wei's response, he got out of the car and asked the driver to take Xie Wei to the Civil Engineering Building.

"Old man! You're just letting me go back to rest as a side benefit, aren't you?"

Xie Wei rolled his eyes as he watched You Lihua's departing figure, inwardly despising him.

"Hey, you've been spending a lot of time in the office lately? Any progress on the 2000-line PBX?"

Back in his office, Xie Wei was surprised to find Mo Lingyu inside again.

During this period, the 2000-line program-controlled exchange entered the final public relations stage, and all the participants lived and worked in the laboratory.

"It's done. Pre-market testing is currently underway."

Mo Lingyu replied calmly without even glancing at Xie Wei.

"Are you really planning to go abroad?"

Seeing that Mo Lingyu was in low spirits, Xie Wei took the initiative to start a conversation. He said that since Mo Lingyu went back to her hometown, she had changed a lot and was not as nice to him as before.

"Why not?"

Mo Lingyu said irritably, "The school has already given us a notice that we're leaving on February 1st."

"Aren't you staying until after the New Year?"

Xie Wei was somewhat surprised, feeling that the country was being a bit unreasonable in this regard. The Lunar New Year is on February 4th, why not leave a few days later, after the New Year?

"..."

Mo Lingyu really didn't want to continue communicating with Xie Wei.

If Xie Wei has low emotional intelligence, it's probably because he's a typical "straight man"—he handles everything at work exceptionally well, to the point that even those he's wronged are grateful to him. If you're saying he just lacks emotional intelligence with women, it seems he treats everyone the same, without showing any particular preference for any man or woman…

The demands of her studies and work left Mo Lingyu feeling exhausted, especially after deciding to go abroad, which meant she had to practice her spoken English and frantically memorize vocabulary...

Mo Lingyu knew Xie Wei was very good at English and had wanted to practice her spoken English with him many times before, but each time she saw how exhausted he was, she gave up. Fortunately, Xie Rou was a great help to her in this regard.

Mo Lingyu was about to ask Xie Wei about his winter vacation plans when she looked up and saw Xie Wei sitting in his seat, biting his pen cap, resting his chin on his hand, looking at the paper in front of him with a worried expression, seemingly deep in thought.

I instantly lost the desire to speak.

He then packed his things and headed outside.

Xie Wei breathed a sigh of relief as he watched Mo Lingyu's departing figure.

He could sense the resentment mixed with Mo Lingyu's indifference, but considering his own situation, if he were to actually be with Mo Lingyu, neither of them would be willing to make sacrifices at work. If conflicts arose, it would only lead to endless arguments and internal friction.

It's bad for your life, and even worse for your work.

"Since the Air Force is taking such a big gamble and is also bearing the costs, it definitely won't work if we stick to the original plan... Since we're going to integrate all the domestic turbofan engine technology and data, mobilize our best personnel, and appoint Zhang Enhe as chief engineer, convincing the military won't be easy... The selection of the chief engineer..."

Xie Wei quickly put aside his chaotic thoughts.

Instead, they seriously considered what was needed to develop the WS-10 turbofan engine ahead of schedule.

Zhang Enhe is undoubtedly a top-tier turbofan engine expert in China, but his experience is insufficient, having only worked on the WP-6 turbojet engine, the WP-5 turbofan engine, and then the WP-6 turbofan engine.

In particular, the development of turbofan engines for the system.

Yu Lihua specifically emphasized the performance issues of the WS-6 turbofan engine, and Xie Wei knew that he was reminding him that the military was not satisfied with his previous proposal to appoint Zhang Enhe as chief engineer.

"Who are you looking for!"

Xie Wei rubbed his throbbing temples, racking his brains for top experts in the field of power engineering in China, especially those who could technically and experientially overwhelm all the other power engineering giants in the country…

"Oh my god! How could I have forgotten about this big shot?"

After racking his brains, Xie Wei finally remembered a person who was absolutely extraordinary in this era.

It's not that I couldn't think of it before.

It was something he dared not even think about!
With the Air Force taking such a huge gamble, Xie Wei couldn't care less about poaching talent from the top engineering universities in the capital, especially academicians!

The key point is that this bigwig has even more important work to do.

who cares!
This expert is the most suitable candidate. It's probably impossible for him to be the chief engineer, but the university could appoint him as an honorary professor and consultant for the WS-10, providing technical guidance to the project in critical moments...

More importantly, this big shot has a very impressive disciple, a graduate student who graduated from Harbin Institute of Technology in 54 with a major in turbine engineering.

Where's my senior brother?
Thinking of this, Xie Wei excitedly ran towards Liu Debao's office.

Yulihua must be there right now.

"Director You, if the military really wants to do this, we need to invite Professor Wu Zhonghua to take charge. Also, we need to transfer Professor Liu Gaolian from the Shanghai Power Engineering Institute back to the school, and..."

Xie Wei rattled off a long list of names.

These names made Yulihua's eyelids twitch.

(End of this chapter)