In 1978, I was admitted to Harbin Institute of Technology

Chapter 429 Wedding Gift: 10 Kilograms of Gold, Iraq Gave Too Much

"They actually participated in real combat? And achieved significant results?"

Xie Wei's thoughts became complicated.

The situation has changed considerably since then.

He did not expect that, without the knowledge of other countries, the young officer corps led by Yitzhak, after several years of training and integration following its reorganization, would once again participate in actual combat and achieve results that shocked Saddam Hussein.

Military observers were unaware of this information.

Feng Ke was unaware of this news.

“Yes. During the Battle of Fao, we encountered the Persian armored forces. Following your previous suggestion, I directed armored vehicles to accompany tanks, and during tank battles, the armored vehicles would deploy armored troops carrying anti-tank rocket launchers to the battlefield…”

Hey!
Xie Wei really wanted to say, "Don't mention my advice!"
"We lost seven Dragon tanks and destroyed 127 tanks of various types belonging to the Persian armored forces... However, the accompanying Soviet air defense system was too poor. If the Persians hadn't had a small number of F-14s, our tanks would have been almost completely wiped out..."

No wonder.

Xie Wei took out a cigarette, gestured to Yitzhak, and only after the other party did not object did he light it.

"Give me one."

Yitzhak asked Xie Wei for a cigarette.

"???"

Xie Wei looked puzzled. According to the other party's religious beliefs, smoking was against the doctrine.

"Just don't smoke in public."

Yitzhak said awkwardly, "We also cannot damage the country's image in public..."

At this moment, Xie Wei suddenly remembered that when Shadak gave speeches on television, he would smoke a cigar while speaking.

He handed Yitzhak a pack of cigarettes that had just been opened and only smoked a few times.

To Xie Wei's surprise, Yitzhak actually held the filter between his thumb and forefinger when he smoked.

No wonder this guy was able to gain Saddam Hussein's favor in such a short time, becoming a major general in his early thirties!
Although an Iraqi major general is worthless.

"Thanks, as a friend, I hope you can help me..."

Itzhak took a deep drag of his cigarette, letting the smoke swirl in his lungs for a while before exhaling. With his other hand, he picked up a metal briefcase from beside his feet, placed it on the table, and opened it.

The moment the box was opened, a burst of golden light almost blinded Xie Wei's 36K titanium alloy eyes.

Yitzhak looked at Shevchenko with a sincere expression.

"what do you mean?"

Xie Wei looked away from the neatly arranged gold bars in the box and glared at Yitzhak with displeasure.

"I heard you've gotten married. This is a wedding gift from the president. It's not much, just ten kilograms of gold."

Hey!
As expected, the country may be poor, but the president is not.

He spent 10 kilograms of gold in one go.

15 US dollars!

In an era when the average annual income per capita has just exceeded 1,000 yuan, this is a huge sum of money!
A traditional courtyard house in the second or third ring road of the capital only costs 10,000 to 20,000 yuan, enough to buy dozens of such houses.

"This gift is far too precious."

Xie Wei shook his head.

I really want to accept it, but I can't.

This is completely different from the gold bracelet that Feng Ke gave to Mo Lingyu.

"This thing is worthless."

Yitzhak shook his head. "We sincerely hope to reach a cooperation agreement. Except for its power system, the Dragon tank is far superior to the Soviet T-72 in every other aspect... Moreover, I hope the price can be reduced to below $200 million..."

"General, the issue now is not whether to lower the price or not, but that we simply cannot complete the delivery of such a large order within two years."

Xie Wei stubbed out his cigarette hard, his face full of bitterness.

"Didn't you build the largest tank factory in Asia?"

"General, we did build the largest tank factory in Asia back then, but construction had stopped when you visited last time. The production plant has also begun to transform... In recent years, our country has been continuously reducing its military and cutting military spending."

Xie Wei paused here before adding, "The tank factory is a production line designed for the production of the Type 59 series... even the Type 69II and Type 69III are not a problem. The WZ-122G tank no longer has the original cast turret, but welded composite armor, and the chassis is also brand new..."

Yitzhak simply didn't believe it.

He looked at Xie Wei, his expression turning serious: "If it's a matter of price, as long as it's not too outrageous, we can accept it. Also, the tank order isn't just for 600 tanks... there might be more later."

"It's really not a price issue."

Xie Wei raised an eyebrow and looked at Yizak in surprise.

“If you are unable to complete the delivery, the shortfall may be ordered from the Soviet Union. As the commander, I do not want to see that happen.”

Yitzhak reminded Shewe.

Threat?

Xie Wei did not believe that Yitzhak said this to threaten him; if he were threatening him, he would not have said it when the two met in private.

Although Xie Wei was accompanied by a translator and Qin Weidong.

Those two were just background figures.

"General, may I ask why there's such a rush?"

Xie Wei frowned and asked.

Understanding the course of history seems to be of little use; at least in history, after Iraq purchased a large number of Type 69II tanks to replenish its losses in the Iran-Iraq War, it did not purchase tanks from China again.

"The Republican Guard will be expanded to 6 divisions and 28 brigades next year. The Tikrit Mixed Brigade will serve as the core force model. The T-72 tank is too poor in performance."

These words made Xie Wei's lips twitch violently.

I completely forgot about that!
The Iraqi Republican Guard was expanded in 1988, from seven brigades to six divisions and 28 brigades.

Initially, Iraq was equipped with only over 500 T-72 tanks. However, after Saddam Hussein launched his invasion of Kuwait in 90, the United Nations imposed an arms embargo on Iraq. During the Gulf War, Iraq suffered heavy losses of its T-72s and eventually had to rely on domestically assembled simplified versions of the T-72s to arm the Republican Guard.

Could it be that Saddam Hussein is now considering taking action against Kuwait?
Xie Wei couldn't ask about his suspicions.

"It's not that the T-72's performance is bad, but rather that the version exported by the Soviet Union was different from the version used domestically. Unlike the Soviet Union and the West, the version we exported was even better than the one we used domestically..."

Xie Wei sighed.

During the Fifth Arab-Israeli War, Syria's T-72 tanks completely outclassed the Patton tanks, who were considered troublemakers.

It was this war that made the T-72 famous and led to a flood of orders.

The T-72 was even once considered a nightmare for Western tanks.

However, the T-72s that Syria initially purchased from the Soviet Union were not significantly different in performance from the versions used by the Soviet Union itself.

Later, as orders increased, in order to reduce costs and increase profits, the Soviet Union further reduced the configuration of the T-72 tanks while raising the export price.

Thus, during the Gulf War, facing the West's third-generation tanks, the T-72 began to gain a bad reputation. Until the Chechen Wars, for various reasons, both the T-72 and T-80 performed extremely poorly on the battlefield, suffering heavy losses and their reputations were completely ruined.

It wasn't until the T-90 withstood the test of war in several small-scale conflicts in the Middle East that the reputation of Soviet tanks was reversed.

Yitzhak noticed that Xie Wei's expression had become complicated: Logically speaking, international arms dealers, even if their weapons and equipment are inferior to those of others, would not admit their shortcomings.

As expected, Xie Wei was still a friend.

"Therefore, I prefer to use the Dragon tank. 600 vehicles, I think based on your production capacity, delivery within two years should not be a problem."

Yitzhak's face was full of sincerity.

In his view, Xie Wei's disagreement was definitely not a matter of production capacity.

Last time, Iraq ordered more than 2000 tanks from China, and they were all delivered in a short period of time.

With only 600 vehicles produced so far, Xie Wei actually claims that production capacity is insufficient!
If you want to raise the price, just say so!

It's not like I'm not helping Xie Wei. Anyway, the oil belongs to the country, the gold and dollars belong to the president, only the fighting power of my own troops truly belongs to Yitzhak.

"Adjusting production lines and expanding capacity are generally done in years. Even if all the preparations can be completed within a year, there's only one year of production time..."

Yitzhak remained silent, simply staring at Xie Wei.

He stared blankly at it.

Xie Wei continued until he couldn't continue.

"Thank you, this is a huge order of over 50 billion US dollars. Even on the international stage, it is not a small order."

"Ugh!"

Xie Wei sighed. He knew all too well that this was a big order.

"Three years! It must be at least three years for us to complete the delivery of all the weapons. During this period, all related orders for our troops will have to be postponed..."

"I can only give you a maximum of 27 months. Thanks, I'm only being honest with you as a friend. And once the contract is signed, deliveries must begin within 8 months, with the first batch consisting of 36 vehicles or even more..."

"Yzak, my friend, now that the Dragon tank has seen combat, can you tell me about its specific performance?"

Xie Wei did not continue to argue with the other party about the delivery date.

Tanks are only one aspect.

The key lies in air defense missile systems and long-range rocket artillery systems. Large orders have just begun to be put into production, and now so many more have been added, so you can imagine the production pressure.

Where is Xie Wei?

As soon as he got off the plane, Long Yaohua asked Liu Debao, who was there to greet him, with great eagerness.

“Speak with Yitzhak alone at the Northern Building.”

Liu Debao deliberately emphasized that he communicated with Yitzhak alone.

What was he thinking?

"The delivery timeframe requested by the other party is too short. The batch of WZ-122G tanks previously supplied to Iraq was the only batch produced. Although more than ten were produced later for testing and improvements, that batch of tanks is no longer suitable for delivery..."

Liu Debao reported the situation to Long Yaohua while in the car.

Ultimately, even with the initial order of 36 WZ-122G tanks from Iraq, Pakistan did not place any further orders after delivery, nor did the military place any orders, and the production line was never built.

"Adjusting the production line at 617 shouldn't be a big problem, right? And there's also the 541 base. Although it's not fully completed, several core component factories have already been built and put into operation. Adjusting the production line shouldn't be a problem either."

Long Yaohua's face darkened. Was Xie Wei really going to give up such a massive business?

How can that be!

"Sir, there's no problem with tank production capacity. The WZ-122G tank uses an improved 780-horsepower engine, but there's no large-scale production capacity available right now; and the various materials used in the composite armor haven't had mass production lines established..."

The main gun, chassis, and other components can be easily adapted to the existing production line.

The problem is that we never expected such a large order to suddenly appear.

After listening, Long Yaohua fell silent.

After a long pause, he finally spoke: "If we expand production now, how long will it take at the earliest?"

“We’ve contacted the supporting manufacturers, and they’ve been focusing on technological improvements all these years. They’re also doing experimental production, and small-scale production takes at least eight months. Initially, they can only produce in the laboratory… Large-scale mass production will take at least 33 months…”

Liu Debao's reports were all given in months.

This shows that they have thoroughly analyzed the issues of production capacity and delivery time.

"There aren't many problems with the tanks. If cost isn't an issue, delivery can be completed in two and a half years. The biggest problems right now are the air defense missile system and the rocket artillery launch system..."

"Shouldn't we be worried about the production of rockets and missiles?"

Li Rui, who had been silent all along, asked in confusion.

“There are many units under the aerospace industry with production capacity… Xie Wei said that if there is really no other way, we can find two or three main manufacturers to be responsible for the final assembly, and integrate the production capacity of the entire aerospace system and cooperate with each other… It will take more than 30 months to complete the production.”

Liu Debao has been in charge of coordinating military production for many years and has a very detailed understanding of the actual production situation.

"Alright, let's go back to school first. When Xie Wei returns, have him come to the school."

Long Yaohua began, "A $50 billion order opportunity is rare. Once you miss it, it's gone forever."

His last words revealed to everyone why it had come to the school at this time.

After learning about the situation, a passenger plane was immediately arranged, and then a helicopter was used to land at Factory 122.

50 billion US dollars!

"Boss Long Yaohua is here again? Isn't he busy at all?"

When Xie Wei finished talking with Yitzhak, it was already past midnight.

When he heard Ge Jianjun, who came to pick him up at the Northern Building, say that Long Yaohua had come again, he couldn't help but roll his eyes.

Such a high-ranking leader!
"..."

Qin Weidong's lips twitched several times, but he decided to pretend he hadn't heard what Xie Wei said.

"What is he here for?"

Xie Wei asked Ge Jianjun.

"We must secure this order, even if it means mobilizing all our production capacity."

"It's only $50 billion, is it really that big of a deal?"

Xie Wei said speechlessly.

Listen!

Listen!

Is this even human language?

What do you mean by "it's just $50 billion"?
Why not?
When did Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) become so inflated that it no longer finds orders worth $50 billion attractive?

Or does Xie Wei think that China's military-industrial complex can disregard a $50 billion arms order?
Sitting in the passenger seat, Qin Weidong turned to look at Xie Wei, but couldn't see Xie Wei's face clearly at all, and felt that Xie Wei was not human.

"Bang~"

Xie Wei slammed the metal box in his hand heavily onto the principal's desk.

The old principal's desk collapsed again.

"Bang~"

"680 yuan. Cash or deducted from salary?"

Zhang Mingqiu spoke without even looking up.

Long Yaohua, who had just brought his teacup to his lips, twitched his lips violently, but ultimately said nothing and continued drinking his tea.

Prices have gone up again.

Last time it was 580 yuan.

That 580 yuan was paid out of Long Yaohua's own pocket! Now, instead of banging on the table in his own office, he first has to check if the desk is sturdy enough.

Xie Wei completely ignored Zhang Mingqiu. "This broken table should be thrown away. It's shameful for a president of a prestigious university to make money in this way!"

As he spoke, he walked toward the box.

"You're going to lose money anyway. If you can earn an extra dollar for the school, that's fine, there's no shame in it."

Zhang Mingqiu had a big smile on his face.

Is this all for the sake of some compensation from others?
It's to prevent others from banging on the table in front of them—of course, you can bang on the table, but you have to pay!
"Principal Zhang, how about we rephrase our statements?"

Xie Wei opened the box.

Under the lights, the golden light instantly stunned the group of bigwigs.

(End of this chapter)