In 1978, I was admitted to Harbin Institute of Technology

Chapter 401 Xie Wei is the late-stage patient with insufficient firepower and fear of cancer?
"Thank you. Since you said you'd donate equipment for a whole brigade, based on our discussions, we hope all officers and soldiers in the unit will be equipped with 40mm sniper grenades..."

Back at school, the two lost interest in visiting the school.

After having lunch at the Northern Building, he pulled Xie Wei aside to begin a new round of negotiations.

"Um, gentlemen, would you please have Mr. Tang explain the details of the sniper grenade launcher and the disposable rocket launcher?"

The other party's reaction was both within Xie Wei's expectations and beyond his expectations: even if the other party did not intend to equip every soldier with a sniper grenade, Xie Wei would have persuaded them to equip every rank-and-file soldier with one; but the other party was not prepared to spend money to buy it, but wanted Xie Wei to give it to them directly!

What a fuss!

This is completely inconsistent with the extravagance of a wealthy family.

In order not to embarrass themselves as wealthy people and to allow them to continue to maintain their extravagant lifestyle, Xie Wei could not give away all of it.

“LG-40型40毫米狙击榴，有效射程1000米，在600米射程散布范围为40×40厘米，1000米射程散布范围为1.5×1.5米……榴弹杀伤半径18米……”

With Xie Wei's signal, Tang Daoxian finally had the opportunity to introduce the performance parameters of the two individual heavy weapons to the two men.

Unfortunately, despite his passionate presentation, neither Farahleman nor Garcia Abdullah seemed particularly interested in the specific performance parameters.

He even showed impatience with Tang Daoxian for interrupting them.

"The PF-81 80mm rocket launcher has a range of 650 meters for the high-explosive fragmentation version and 400 meters for the armor-piercing version... It adopts a modular design and can use different types of warheads depending on the mission..."

Tang Daoxian carefully explained the performance parameters of the two individual heavy weapons.

After experiencing them firsthand, these parameters didn't shock the two of them much—having seen them in person, hearing the data was nothing compared to the intuitive feeling of typing it out yourself.

The only thing that concerned the two of them was whether they could equip all the troops with such weapons.

"Thanks, these performance parameters are indeed impressive... Doesn't your unit emphasize firepower? When the enemy attacks, you use grenades to cover the enemy during close combat to protect the base."

Farahleman looked displeased.

And you even said the other party was generous!
They bought $38 billion worth of air defense systems, rocket launchers, and tactical missiles from them. So what if they gave away tens of millions of dollars worth of individual soldier equipment?
"Equipment of the entire unit?"

Tang Daoxian was stunned. His team was researching the support firepower of the most basic infantry combat units, not the kind of support that was issued to every combat soldier.

Xie Wei waved his hand, signaling Tang Daoxian not to speak.

With a smile, he said to Farahleman, "Having all the equipment is certainly not a problem... However, since sniper grenades and disposable rocket launchers are among our country's most advanced weapons, employing the most advanced technology, their cost is relatively high. Our troops don't have them, and exporting them requires approval from higher authorities..."

His subtext was clear: it's not that I'm unwilling to give them away, it's just that the cost is too high and I can't afford to give away too many.

Even their own troops don't have the equipment, and they might not even get approval from higher authorities to export it.

No money?
Impossible.

"What's the price?"

Farahleman frowned.

He didn't want to pay for the purchases, not because they were short of money and wanted Sherwin to donate such a large batch of weapons to offset the cost of other purchases, but because purchasing new weapons required submitting an application to the royal family.

Very troublesome.

"The production cost of each sniper grenade is $12600; the disposable rocket launcher costs $1200 for the explosive fragmentation type and $1800 for the armor-piercing type..."

Xie Wei's offer immediately made Tang Daoxian, who was standing to the side, anxious.

Although rockets still offer high profit margins, it doesn't suit the squad leader's style at all.

Internationally, even a 40mm rocket with relatively low power costs $400 per shot.

This is an 80mm round; its lethality and range are far superior to those of a 40mm rocket.

Xie Wei gave Tang Daoxian a reassuring look, then looked at Farahleman and Garcia Abdullah and continued, "According to your army's organization, a brigade has nearly 3500 people. Even if you only equip them with 3000 40mm sniper grenades, it will still cost more than $4000 million... That's almost 1% of our country's annual military expenditure..."

His face was full of helplessness.

"Or, how about you use the previous models? The sniper grenade launcher, which has a slightly lower range and accuracy, is only $4200; the 80mm disposable rocket launcher, the explosive fragmentation type is only $800, and the armor-piercing type is only $1200..."

"Who are you looking down on!"

Farahleman was furious. "Isn't there an old Chinese saying, 'An inch longer, an inch stronger'? The longer the range, the less danger our soldiers face..."

If I weren't worried about the application process being too complicated, I wouldn't need to use the gift at all.

However, considering China's poverty, he could understand. "Then let's draft a contract. It should be based on 3000 sniper grenades and 5 basic loads of ammunition, and 3000 rocket launchers... But the quantity you donate also needs to be included in the price!"

He had no interest in arguing with the other party over tens of millions of dollars.

Moreover.

The money belongs to the royal family, not to him, a member of the royal family with whom he has very little blood relation.

But the credit belongs to oneself.

Xie Wei naturally did not object, stating that the contract would be drafted by a designated person along with other contracts.

"Squad leader, the price of rockets is still a bit low. Even the 40mm grenades are only $68 each, which is a bit cheap..."

On the way back from the Northern Building, Tang Daoxian could no longer hold back.

I finally asked the question I'd always wanted to ask.

"Old Tang, it's been quite a while since we sold the sniper grenades and rockets, hasn't it? Have you received any new orders in all that time?"

Xie Wei turned to look at Tang Daoxian.

"Uh~"

Tang Daoxian was taken aback, not understanding what Xie Wei's question had to do with selling at a low price. "No."

Aside from the small number of orders given by the military each year, there have indeed been no new international orders.

Not to mention new customers, even existing customers haven't replenished their supplies.

"Comparatively speaking, our individual support firepower is still too expensive... Internationally, you can buy a 40mm RPG for $200, and it's very easy to carry..."

"That's different!"

Tang Daoxian became anxious.

The 40mm sniper grenade is indeed less powerful than a 40mm rocket, but it is used for troop support and can maintain a continuous output of firepower...

The thing that sells for $200 internationally is something that was produced decades ago and should have been scrapped long ago.

Even the good quality ones cost $400.

"It's definitely different. But we have to consider our customer base... For example, our rocket launchers and sniper grenades work very well in the Imperial Graveyard, but why aren't we getting any orders?"

Xie Wei's question left Tang Daoxian completely bewildered.

This is a question he has never been able to understand.

"First, the price is high! The price we sell it for isn't low, and after Pakistan purchased it, they even added a price for the CIA... Second, it's not convenient to carry. For guerrillas, their physical condition can't compare to our comrades in the army... Often, a single sniper grenade requires a three-person team... But disposable rocket launchers are indeed very effective at ambushing Soviet armored vehicles; a 40mm rocket can destroy an armored vehicle..."

Xie Wei sighed.

The sniper grenade launcher was designed to alleviate the PLA's fear of insufficient firepower, and it is indeed quite powerful on the battlefield. However, for current users, it's still somewhat of a waste. "So, are the big spenders planning to equip each of them with one?"

Tang Daoxian was displeased.

The troops tried it out, and the results were quite good.

"A big spender!"

Xie Wei sighed, "They are different."

"What's the difference?"

Tang Daoxian simply did not believe such a reason.

He had never been in contact with any major powers, and all his energy was usually focused on improving the range, accuracy, and power of his shots. He had no interest in understanding the differences between the armies of other countries.

"Their own troops are just for show; they're not prepared for war at all..."

Xie Wei's words made Tang Daoxian's eyes widen suddenly.

If a country's armed forces are not prepared for war to protect the country, are they just for show?
Xie Wei didn't tell Tang Daoxian much about the wealthy family's situation. He only mentioned that the wealthy family purchased a huge amount of advanced weapons from the United States and the West every year, and that the use of these weapons and equipment even required applying for usage rights from the supplier countries...

This left Tang Daoxian speechless with astonishment.

"As long as they continue to produce oil and follow the West's lead, no one will dare to attack them. Even if they purchase these sniper grenades and rocket launchers, they won't have much time to train..."

"Is it necessary to continue improving the sniper grenade launcher?"

Tang Daoxian was confused.

There are few international orders, and although the domestic military has given rave reviews, the military, which is tightening its belt, can't place many orders at all.

"Why not continue to improve it? When our troops have more money in the future, we will definitely equip it on a large scale... You have to understand, the fear of insufficient firepower can only be alleviated by various kinds of powerful firepower..."

Xie Wei comforted Tang Daoxian.

In an army where combat units even have more than one rocket launcher on average, and where even cooks and squad leaders have to carry rocket launchers, how could they possibly let go of a weapon like the sniper grenade launcher, which has range and area-of-effect damage that can compensate for a lack of accuracy?

"Our troops are poor now, so we need to use tactical infiltration; when we become rich in the future, we will definitely need firepower coverage... Not to mention, in the counterattack in the southwest, we used 106 million shells in just 28 days to deal with a small monkey. Do you think it was just because these shells were about to expire and we needed to clear the inventory?"

"..."

Tang Daoxian stared at Xie Wei in disbelief.

like……

That's the truth.

"Weren't you accompanying a client on a tour of the school's related laboratories and manufacturing processes? How come it's so fast?"

When Xie Wei dismissed Tang Daoxian and appeared in the principal's office, Zhang Mingqiu looked surprised. "You didn't let the school leaders accompany you. Don't tell me you think we're being slighted?"

"How could that be! They came secretly, the fewer people who know, the better. They weren't interested in research and development or anything like that; they just glanced around, and in the end, they didn't even bother to visit the wind tunnel lab..."

Xie Wei gave a brief explanation of the situation.

This is actually in line with the style of big spenders: they don't care how weapons and equipment are developed and produced. If it weren't for the Counterattack series being able to intercept ballistic missiles, the Long Range Rocket Artillery-300 could cover enemy positions with dense firepower from 300 kilometers away. When the group displays their fierce firepower, the big spenders wouldn't even think about it.

Didn't you see? The weapons and equipment they purchased at such a high cost were also intended to have the Chinese military send troops to help them operate them and protect their safety.
"Another $5000 million contract?"

After explaining the situation, Xie Wei asked when the people from Poly and CATIC would arrive. Farahleman and the others were already impatient—in Xie Wei's opinion, China was actually too poor at present and had little appeal to wealthy families.

"It's just $5000 million, isn't it?"

Xie Wei calmly stated, "This money, after deducting costs, will all profits go to Tang Daoxian's individual heavy firepower R&D team..."

"Is this too much?"

Zhang Mingqiu was stunned.

According to Xie Wei, the total cost of this batch of sniper grenades and rocket launchers will not exceed $2000 million.

$3000 million was given to Tang Daoxian's team?
That translates to over 1.2 million RMB.

"Not many. Our troops can't afford them right now, not because we don't want to... but because the economy develops and military spending increases, the troops will definitely be equipped with them..."

Xie Wei did not tell Zhang Mingqiu that the funds given to Tang Daoxian's team were far from sufficient to support the projects he wanted Tang Daoxian's team to develop.

Further investment is needed.

Xie Wei wanted Tang Daoxian's team to develop a man-portable missile that could be carried on the backs of frontline soldiers and mounted on robot dogs!

If I were to say it now, I would be considered crazy.

When will the PLA, which even finds it painful to use man-portable rocket launchers, be able to afford even more expensive man-portable missiles?

What a fuss!

Xie Wei never knew that even though he hadn't joined the army, his superiors, who knew him well, always thought that he suffered from an extremely severe fear of insufficient firepower, the kind that was incurable.

Otherwise, Xie Wei wouldn't have consistently supported and promoted the development of various powerful and expensive weapons and equipment!
The ever-increasing range and power of long-range rocket artillery; the continuously improving accuracy and wider kill radius of sniper grenades and disposable rocket launchers; the counterattack series of anti-aircraft missiles; and the M7 ballistic missile with reduced range to ensure sufficient warhead charge, all of these fully demonstrate that Xie Wei's fear of insufficient firepower has worsened and continues to spread...

Even the people around him were infected.

"The people from Poly won't arrive until tonight, and the ones from CATIC won't arrive until tomorrow..."

"Such a large business, and they can't even afford to fly?"

Xie Wei was speechless.

I really don't know what the heads of these two companies were thinking.

All the contracts combined amount to a massive order of nearly $40 billion.

Is it really that unimportant?
"It's not that they're unwilling to fly, but rather that they need to arrange suitable candidates... especially from Poly Group..."

Zhang Mingqiu glanced at Xie Wei, a look of worry on his face.

"What happened to Poly? From secretly profiting from car manufacturing at the very beginning, to later..."

Xie Wei became unhappy when this was mentioned.

I haven't even settled accounts with them yet.

Just as he finished speaking, seeing Zhang Mingqiu's eyes, he understood the problem and couldn't help but sigh, "It's not for personal gain, and I'm not that unreasonable, am I?"

It seems they're afraid I'll cause them trouble.

“It’s not that you’re unreasonable. The fact that we haven’t had any new export orders in the past few years is also largely due to them.”

Zhang Mingqiu kept a close eye on Xie Wei's reaction.

"They're just following orders. If they want to find me, they should find that old guy Li Rui."

Xie Wei said nonchalantly, "You're overthinking it. With this order, we don't need to worry about those small business deals from before."

(End of this chapter)