In 1978, I was admitted to Harbin Institute of Technology

Chapter 432 Even for the supporting equipment, we need to find two academicians who are good at handling explosives.

"$56.3 billion? That's a long list? The other party paid for 280 tons of gold and 1.3 million barrels of crude oil, and also completed the delivery within the specified period?"

Long Yaohua stared at the list in front of him, his eyes widening instantly despite his extensive experience.

“81式装甲指挥车、83式273毫米火箭炮、83式152毫米自行加榴炮、86式步兵战车……”

Li Rui looked at the list and read it aloud, his face growing increasingly grim as he read.

"Xie Wei, are you emptying our coffers? You're even selling off the Type 83 152mm cannon that was just equipped to the troops, and the Type 86 infantry fighting vehicle that hasn't even been put into service yet!"

If he didn't know Xie Wei well, and if Li Rui didn't believe that Xie Wei was someone he had personally promoted, he would definitely suspect that Xie Wei had betrayed the country!

"There's nothing we can do... Our resources are too weak. With just those few weapons, we simply can't raise 50 billion..."

What the hell?

Long Yaohua's murderous gaze instantly turned to Xie Wei.

good boy!
The most advanced heavy equipment in China, such as the 152mm self-propelled cannon and the Type 86 infantry fighting vehicle, were actually used to make up the order!

Who would find that comfortable?
"How dare you say that? If the tanks hadn't been so cheap, would they even be worth $50 billion? You're trading our most advanced equipment for more oil than we can use ourselves!"

Li Rui glared angrily at Xie Wei.

Xie Wei said calmly, "Boss, if you wait another ten years or so before you say you have an inexhaustible supply of oil, do you think you'll get beaten up?"

"That's more than ten years from now."

Long Yaohua looked at Xie Wei: "You've always been calm and collected, why didn't you discuss this with us first? Selling it could seriously jeopardize our national defense security."

At this moment, Long Yaohua's expression remained calm.

Those who know him well understand that this is on the verge of exploding.

"Among these, only the Type 83 self-propelled howitzer and the Type 86 infantry fighting vehicle are slightly more advanced... The things we treasure are already outdated internationally!"

Xie Wei knew that Long Yaohua was truly furious.

Regardless, the Type 83 self-propelled howitzer is currently the most advanced and largest caliber self-propelled artillery piece in the military's arsenal.

"Of course, it doesn't mean we should neglect national defense just because we're lagging behind internationally... Leader, if we don't sell them and test them in actual combat, it'll be difficult to continue improving them, won't it? Besides, even if the army takes 65% of the annual budget, how many orders can they place each year? By the time they can actually be equipped, the new self-propelled howitzer will already be developed..."

Xie Wei was well aware of the military's development prospects for the next few decades.

"The country's massive reduction of one million troops is not over yet, and military spending cuts will continue... Nobody knows exactly how long it will continue... Research and development in the military industry system will definitely not be able to function without funding... Basic supporting facilities are also indispensable... In any case, the country is currently implementing strategic defense."

Xie Wei spoke very sincerely.

From the very beginning of selling equipment, he has been pushing the boundaries of what the big shots consider acceptable—selling outdated equipment that was actually the most advanced in the country.

"If the J-10 weren't truly related to national defense security, I would even be willing to sell this!"

"..."

Long Yaohua's face instantly turned so gloomy it could drip water.

But on second thought, Xie Wei was right.

Li Rui also fell silent.

Liu Debao and the others nearby just watched silently, but in their hearts they were thinking that the leaders above were being far too biased towards Xie Wei.

If it were someone else, they would probably have been dismissed immediately, and might even have faced a military court.

Look at their attitude towards Xie Wei!

Fortunately, Liu Debao and the others are all about to retire, otherwise they would definitely be jealous of Xie Wei.

"The other party is paying in gold and crude oil. Converting crude oil into cash is not something that can be done in a short time. What are you going to do about the production costs?"

“We will cover part of the costs, and the military will cover the rest. The precision machinery import and export division will be responsible for the overall contracting work. For the others, each system will find its own people to coordinate with, and we will not take any profits from it.”

Xie Wei said calmly.

Long Yaohua's gaze towards Xie Wei suddenly sharpened.

Under Long Yaohua's sharp gaze, Xie Wei panicked. He knew that what he had done was somewhat dishonest, giving up these profits just to make his superiors take the blame.

"The military advanced the production costs of the tanks."

Long Yaohua said softly.

"Row."

So Long Yaohua and his group left, taking with them the $53.3 billion contract Xie Wei had signed with Tikrit and a long list of documents.

They also took Liu Debao and Ge Jianjun with them.

A delegation led by Tikrit also went along.

"So, does that mean we can't retire for the next two years?"

After the leader left, Zhang Mingqiu was a little unhappy. "I had already planned out my retirement life."

"What will you do after retirement? Go home and take care of your grandchildren? Is taking care of grandchildren more comfortable than being a school principal?"

Xie Wei looked disdainful.

"Bullshit! What a terrible principal I am... I've spent countless more hours sleeping in my office than at home over the years... My grandson is four years old, and I've only seen him three times..."

Zhang Mingqiu said irritably.

"If you want to complain, go find the boss. I'm just a lowly soldier under you..."

"roll!"

Seeing Xie Wei's shameless face, Zhang Mingqiu wanted nothing more than to punch him.

But he couldn't beat Xie Wei.

"Okay! Principal Zhang, would you like to see me roll horizontally, vertically, or diagonally?"

Xie Wei grinned.

He knew that Zhang Mingqiu really wanted to retire.

Since becoming principal, he hasn't had a single day off. He not only has to handle an increasing number of school affairs, but he also has to take the blame for Xie Wei.

They were about to escape their misery.

As a result, Xie Wei didn't even consult with him, and secretly asked Li Rui to go to the relevant leaders to ask Liu Debao and Zhang Mingqiu to postpone their retirement until the Iraq order was completed and delivered.

"Then roll it diagonally for me to see."

Zhang Mingqiu had a stern face.

"will not."

After saying that, Xie Wei quickly left the principal's office. "By the way, Principal, once the gold is brought back, I'll get you a gold desk!"

A golden office desk?
Watching Xie Wei's figure disappear, Zhang Mingqiu paused for a moment, then smiled wryly: "That kid! Was it really necessary!"

He also knew how important this order from Iraq was.

Once completed, it will be a huge political achievement.

After all, large orders are delivered together.

The two orders totaled over $100 billion.

This order was obtained during the tenure of Zhang Mingqiu and Liu Debao, and it was also delivered during their terms. No one can take credit for this achievement.

They might even be promoted because of their great achievements, take on responsibilities for a few more years, and then retire.

Not retiring and being rehired after retirement are two different things.

Why would I blame you?

Luo Cheng looked at Xie Wei in confusion, "I chose this myself back then, not because you tricked me into coming here."

"So, you think you got to this position through your own abilities?"

Xie Wei raised an eyebrow.

"What else? Don't think that just because I got promoted, I'll be grateful to you! That's my skill, so aside from the school-enterprise office's issues, there's no way you'll make me take the blame for anything else..."

Luo Cheng grinned.

Xie Wei rolled his eyes.

He understood Luo Cheng's attitude; he wouldn't complain even though he was transferred back and still couldn't be promoted.

"Alright, alright. Let's talk about your personal life." "Sir, you're my sir, can't we not talk about this?"

"If you prefer men, I won't look down on you..."

Upon hearing this, Luo Cheng retreated in terror, his immense strength causing the chair to overturn.

"No way! Xie Wei, you're married and about to have a child. Even if you like men, don't come to me... I don't like men, and I don't like women. I fucking love being alone!"

Luo Cheng kept his distance from Xie Wei with a look of terror on his face.

Hey!
Seeing Luo Cheng's expression and hearing what he said, Xie Wei knew that this guy also knew about the rumor.

Prejudice in people's hearts is a city like Chengdu.

"Let me tell you, if you don't want to hear rumors about the men you like, you'd better just get married honestly..."

"If you want me to continue giving you gifts in the future, I suggest you don't bring up this topic with me."

How could Luo Cheng not know?
Xie Wei also knew that this matter couldn't be forced.

"He disagrees? Didn't you say you had no problem handling it?"

Liu Mei looked at Xie Wei with displeasure, then turned around and said, "I'm going to find her."

Xie Wei quickly pulled his mother back: "Mom, look, your eldest sister is taking care of things at home now. Why don't you go back to Rongcheng?"

"Didn't you ask me to come and help you take care of your children?"

Liu Mei was displeased. "No matter how high your rank is, I'm still your mother! You can't just call me here and expect me to come; you can't just tell me to leave and expect me to leave!"

The Liu Mei of today is not the Liu Mei of back then.

He's already studied high school courses on his own, and more importantly, he has money!
He's incredibly assertive.

"No. My dad's home alone, and nobody's watching him, so he's prone to drinking too much. Think about it, if he gets drunk, the supplier or client might find a girl to take care of him..."

Xie Wei made up his mind that he could only let his father suffer.

"He dares!"

Liu Mei raised an eyebrow. "Go buy me a train ticket. I'll go back tomorrow! After the baby is born, I'll come and take care of you during your postpartum period!"

Mo Lingyu was dumbfounded by Xie Wei's conversation with Liu Mei.

She never expected that Xie Wei would actually betray his own father in order to coax his mother back to her hometown.

But she couldn't say it.

I didn't ask Xie Wei until I went to bed that night.

"If Dad finds out you're doing this..."

"So what if he finds out? At most, he'll beat me up. If I stay here, my job at the school will be affected. I used to think she was busy with something all day! Turns out she spends all her time playing mahjong with a bunch of old ladies and randomly matchmaking people up..."

Xie Wei sighed.

"what?"

Mo Lingyu's eyes widened. "She buys groceries and cooks every day, so we always have food when we come home. Where would she find the time to play mahjong?"

How much time do you need to buy groceries?

Xie Wei sighed, "I originally thought she would open a restaurant here, but it turns out she's planning to open a mahjong parlor... and she's cultivated a group of customers herself..."

He didn't know how to put it, as it was closely related to him.

Chengdu has a unique concept of entertainment.

During the War of Resistance against Japan, Japanese planes dropped bombs overhead, air raid sirens blared throughout the city, and bombs exploded nearby. The mahjong masters remained unmoved, and as a result, they were tragically killed by the bombs.

After the reform and opening up, young people liked to gather together to dance, while middle-aged and elderly people would secretly play mahjong. After the government stopped interfering with the manufacture and entertainment of mahjong in 85, the sound of mahjong began to echo in Chengdu again...

"..."

Mo Lingyu didn't know what to say.

She doesn't understand Chengdu.

"Is Mom really gone?"

Xie Rou was somewhat skeptical.

"Really, I put you on the bus this morning. No one will be pressuring you to find a partner anymore. But don't just focus on work..."

"Ha! Man!"

Xie Rou scoffed, "Men only slow down my calculations."

"..."

Looking at Xie Rou, Xie Wei didn't know what to say for a moment.

"Brother, how much is the school planning to invest in manned spaceflight? I heard the ministry will launch this project soon. What projects will the school be allocated? Will it handle them on its own or share the ministry's work?"

Xie Rou asked a series of questions.

"It depends on the tasks assigned by the ministry. If you really want to work in this area, I think you could study under Vice Minister Sun for a few more years..."

"I'm learning it now too."

Seeing Xie Wei's stunned expression, Xie Rou was satisfied with his reaction and then added:
"I don't care whether other projects have enough funding or not, but you have to guarantee sufficient funding for my project. Also, you promised to support my junior sister Zhu and me in developing hypersonic missile technology that skips across water in space. The funding and supporting infrastructure for that..."

Upon hearing this, Xie Wei's lips twitched.

Just kidding!
Are they developing hypersonic missiles now?
要搞高超声速导弹，不说需要每秒3公里-10公里的30马赫JF-22高超声速风洞，至少也得是JF-12那种可以达到每秒3公里，也就是9马赫的高超声速风洞。

This involves the smooth control of detonation wave drive.

To ensure a continuous and stable series of explosions, coupled with a corresponding detection system, is incredibly difficult…

"What? I tricked them into coming here, and now you don't want to take responsibility?"

"..."

Xie Wei looked at Xie Rou speechlessly, "If your sister-in-law heard you say that, wouldn't she misunderstand?"

"I do not care!"

Xie Rou simply feigned helplessness.

“Okay, okay, you go with her and give her 400 million in start-up funding for theoretical research. If you're going to do that, you'll need a hypersonic wind tunnel, which will require people to solve… and the high temperature and materials are the first problems that need to be solved…”

"So little! The school has so much money..."

Xie Wei stared at Xie Rou without saying a word.

Xie Rou immediately fell silent.

"This is a complex systems engineering project involving many fields such as materials, mechanics, control, and chemical engineering. Are you sure our school wants to undertake this project? The ministry doesn't even have such an idea right now, and the military won't invest in it either..."

Fang Pengju looked at Xie Wei and said, "It might take ten years to see any results. Can the university support such a huge amount of research funding?"

"Let's start with theoretical exploration."

Xie Wei did not say whether he could sustain it.

Hypersonic missiles are the future.

"This isn't just about wind tunnel design; all the supporting technologies need to be developed in tandem. For one thing, you'd need to find an expert in explosives research..."

Fang Pengju looked at Xie Wei.

"Yes, I asked Secretary Liu to help transfer Professor Wang Zeshan to the school. Also, when Professor Yu Hongru returns next year, I'll get him to the school as well."

Xie Wei licked his lips.

These are two of the top figures in China when it comes to explosives.

Professor Wang Zeshan specializes in energetic materials and currently serves as a professor at East China Institute of Technology.

Yu Hongru is currently in Germany and has not yet returned to China.

"You've been planning this all along?"

Fang Pengju was not surprised at all; he asked the question simply hoping to hear a positive answer from Xie Wei.

"It's not really that early. Anyway, in the aerospace industry, there are very high requirements for the various states and parameters of spacecraft at ten or twenty times the speed of sound."

(End of this chapter)