Siheyuan, Shazhu: I have both parents in this life

Chapter 313 Marching Communications
“Computer technology. In North America, the concept of the personal computer (PC) is emerging. Although it is still in its early stages, its emergence may profoundly change the operating model of many industries, just like the steam engine did in the past,” He Yuzhu said.

Director Zhang clearly understood what He Yuzhu meant by personal computer, but he still responded based on what he knew: "Computer? You mean those huge machines with all the wires plugged in? I saw them when I was in Beijing. They need to be placed in a separate place. As for how to operate them, someone did explain it to us, but I still don't understand it."

"Oh, so Director Zhang has seen computers before. I was referring to the kind that can be placed on an office desk."

"Wow, technology is developing so fast?" Director Zhang exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes, the speed of technological iteration is beyond imagination. Perhaps in less than ten years, it will be widespread throughout the world."

"What does Mr. He mean by telling me this?"

"What I mean is that the Special Administrative Region needs to look to the future, and it may be time to start paying attention to talent and technology reserves in this area now; it doesn't necessarily have to invest a lot of resources, but it needs to be aware of this and keep an eye on it."

"Thank you, I'll have someone keep an eye on it when I get back." Director Zhang's words were rather perfunctory.

"You're welcome. I just wanted to remind Director Zhang that things are developing very rapidly outside."

"Thank you. The special economic zone is designed to connect with external development. If you need anything in the future, Mr. He, please help me out."

"We can discuss anything within our capabilities," He Yuzhu replied.

"."

The reminder had been given, and He Yuzhu really couldn't control what to do after returning. The people from the special economic zone didn't stay long and returned to the special economic zone the next day. On the Yellow River side, personnel from real estate and ports were transferred to the special economic zone to prepare for project docking.

Things were progressing smoothly here, but what He Yuzhu didn't know was how much impact his manuscript had after he left Beijing; it triggered a nationwide industrial census.

The purpose was to find out exactly how much the difference was between this and the previous document, but the results of the census made the higher-ups very worried.

The reason is not just a matter of being backward or not, but that many things that were not backward before have been wasted in the past ten years or so and cannot be picked up again, or have to start all over again.

The only relatively better sectors are probably the steel industry and rocket industry.

So the question is, how do we catch up?

Industry-specific conferences were held in batches across various sectors, primarily to exchange experiences and seek breakthroughs, on an unprecedented scale.

On August 17, He Yuzhu received an overseas phone call from North America.

Thomas, who is in charge of AMD's business, reported in a phone call that its main competitor, Intel, has signed an agreement with a small company called "Microsoft" to provide a disk operating system called "DOS" for its new personal computers. The system is currently in the final testing phase and commercialization is imminent.

“Boss, Intel is moving very fast. They’re trying to build an alliance of hardware and basic software, which is very disadvantageous for us.” Thomas’s tone was urgent.

He Yuzhu was surprised by how capable his subordinates were in business. He had completely forgotten about this; he only remembered the graphical user interface operating system, which wouldn't be available for several more years, so he wasn't in a hurry.

This also reminded him that his opponents are improving, and he can't just focus on his own small territory.

He Yuzhu said into the phone, "Thomas, immediately set up our own software lab. The initial investment is set at fifty million US dollars, with no limit. There is only one goal: to recruit as many top and promising talents as possible in the fields of operating systems, programming languages, and human-computer interaction throughout North America. Don't be afraid to spend money."

“Understood! Boss, should we benchmark against DOS, or…” Thomas sought more specific instructions.

"No, DOS is just a command-line interface; the future belongs to the graphical user interface (GUI). Tell those experts and geniuses that what we need to research is a more intuitive and user-friendly system that can be operated by clicking icons with a mouse. This is a long-term direction, and let them explore it freely."

"Graphical interface? Well, research in this area is still in its early stages and will require a lot of investment." Thomas was somewhat surprised by his boss's forward-thinking approach. Since he started working with AMD, he had gained a detailed understanding of computer technology, so he had a certain understanding of the current market and the next steps in development. That's why he reported to He Yuzhu immediately upon receiving the message from DOS.

"Precisely because it is at the forefront, we need to plan ahead; this is a strategic reserve." He Yuzhu's attitude was very firm.

"Understood, boss. Is there anything else you need?"

How much do you know about Unix?

"Should we also make a system that serves minicomputers?"

"Go and find out about their copyright fees and other terms first. You need to know that we will also be making minicomputers in the future, and we can't be controlled by others. Give me a report after you have made a detailed assessment."

"Okay, boss."

Finally, remember, people are the key.

“Yes, I will try my best to recruit talent,” Thomas said.

In September, I received a call from China; it was from Lao Fang.

"Zhu Zi, I've made arrangements for Yu Yan. I gave him a few places to choose from, and he chose the airborne troops."

"Airborne troops?"

"What, can't we have airborne troops?"

"No, that's not what I meant. Where is the military base located?"

"Hubei Province, I can't tell you the specifics."

"Where is that girl?"

"He's still studying, but it seems that kid saw Lao Zhou. Lao Zhou sent someone to investigate him."

"The investigation led them to your location?"

"Yeah, they couldn't find it down there, so they came to me. Don't worry, it'll be fine."

"That's good."

"Oh, right, there's something else. Several seminars have been organized in China recently."

What kind of seminar?

"The things you wrote about industry have caused a huge reaction. Several ministries conducted a thorough investigation, and the results were appalling," Lao Fang remarked.

"I can think of that, considering how long it took. And then, you're not just going to tell me this news, are you?"

"I want you to help me get some information. Don't worry, it's not about core technologies or anything like that. It's just about what's currently available outside and their next development direction."

“That’s no problem. Our group is also collecting these, otherwise I would fall behind my competitors,” He Yuzhu said.

"That's great! When can I have it?"

"I'll have my staff tidy it up. You can arrange for someone in Huacheng to handle the coordination, and I'll have someone deliver it over there."

"Okay, write down a phone number, just call that number when the time comes."

"Row."

"By the way, I heard you've already signed a contract with the special economic zone for a project worth hundreds of millions. Aren't you a bit too extravagant with money?" Old Fang said.

"What, are you worried I'll lose money, or do you lack confidence in the special economic zone?" He Yuzhu laughed.

"Won't this affect your business in Hong Kong, given how large the investment is?"

"It's alright. You need to have confidence in the special economic zone. If you all don't have confidence, where do we investors get our confidence from?" He Yuzhu teased.

"I can't argue with you, and I don't understand this stuff either, but it's still necessary to be cautious. It's not easy for you to work hard out there," Old Fang said.

He Yuzhu felt a warmth in his heart and replied, "I understand, we should do what we can!"

"That's exactly what I mean. Even if you want to give back to the country, you can't let yourself be the only one affected."

"Uncle Fang, your reminder is a bit too much!" He Yuzhu said with a smile.

“You’ve already done enough, and you can’t do it all by yourself, right?” Old Fang said dismissively.

“You’re right. I’m just doing what I can right now, otherwise I wouldn’t have refused what you said later.”

"Understood. Don't worry about your fifth son. I know all the leaders in his unit. There won't be any problems."

"Thanks, Uncle Fang. I'll treat you to drinks again when I have time!"

"Then I'll be waiting," Old Fang said with a smile.

After hanging up the phone, He Yuzhu called Chen Sheng. He was currently handling the business intelligence matters in Hong Kong. Chen Sheng said it would take a week because there was a lot of information and it was very complicated. He Yuzhu told him to work on it first, and if it didn't work out, to organize it by industry.

When Xiaoman got home that evening, she mentioned something to He Yuzhu before resting.

"Brother Zhu, Rainwater called me today."

"Don't you talk on the phone often? Is there anything special about today's call?"

"Well, that girl was too embarrassed to say it before, but she's having some trouble with her work in the semiconductor industry."

“What does she want to do? She chose this path herself,” He Yuzhu said. “Isn’t it better to hear your advice first?” Xiaoman said softly.

"Why didn't she come to me herself? Why did she ask you to whisper sweet nothings in my ear?"

"Go away, she was just venting. She got married, and her family life probably isn't going smoothly either. Plus, there are work problems. That's why she came to me. Why would I tell you?" Xiaoman said.

"It's not impossible!" He Yuzhu said.

"Do you still think of her as that little girl when she was a child, telling you all her thoughts?"

"Okay, I guess you're the only one willing to talk to me about my feelings now." He Yuzhu said helplessly.

"No, that's not it. What your family wants to tell you is that you're too busy. We handle all the little things ourselves."

“Am I very busy? No, I don’t think so!” He Yuzhu said.

"You just don't realize it yourself," Xiaoman said.

“Okay, so how do you plan to deal with the rainwater?” He Yuzhu asked.

"I do have an idea, would you like to hear it and see if it works?"

"Okay, you say."

“Yu Shui studied communications from vocational school, and she’s actually worked in communications for many years. Why don’t we let her go back to her original field?”

“Radio?” He Yuzhu asked.

"What's there to do with that? Our vehicle-mounted and airborne systems are very advanced, and there are always people in charge."

He Yuzhu was taken aback, and a thought suddenly popped into his mind—communications.

The future will definitely be the era of information and communication!
Pagers, mobile phones, and mobile networks—these are the things that can truly change the efficiency of society.

Moreover, this is an entry point that can both generate commercial profits and effectively improve the foundation, and many things in the future will be closely related to it.

"Then let her study pagers."

"Huh? A pager? What's so interesting about that?" Xiaoman didn't expect He Yuzhu to jump to such a big question.

"Who says there's nothing to research? We can thoroughly understand motorcycle technology, surpass it, and register our own patents. Even though this thing is already widespread, it just displays a string of numbers on it, and you can't return the call, so you're just left feeling anxious!"

“That’s one way. What, you have a new idea?” Xiaoman was all too familiar with her husband’s sudden state of deep thought.

A glint of light flashed in He Yuzhu's eyes: "It's not a new idea, it's a direction that should have been planned a long time ago, I overlooked it. Xiaoman, what do you think, how about we start a telecommunications company?"

"A telecommunications company? Making phones? Or a paging service? And what's the market like now?"

“After registering, I heard that mobile phones have appeared in the west. We can look into that too,” He Yuzhu said.

"Then I'll go and find out how this industry operates tomorrow."

"no problem."

"By the way, you didn't finish talking about pagers earlier. What's next? We can't just move beyond that and be done with it. Should we go for the digital system too?"

"My idea is to make a pager that displays Chinese characters. Wouldn't it be very attractive to Chinese users to have Chinese characters displayed directly on the pager?"

"I think I've heard my subordinates complain about this. They just wanted to pass on a message, but it took them ages. If there weren't any phones around, it would really cause a lot of trouble."

"Since no one else is doing it, let's do it first. The team is already in place. We'll bring a group from Singapore and set up a laboratory in Hong Kong. First, we'll thoroughly understand Motorola's existing hardware technology, and then we'll focus on tackling the technical challenges of Chinese character transmission and display."

After listening, Xiaoman said, "This is indeed suitable for her, but she probably can't handle the main responsibility, right?"

“You have another task: to assess whether your sister-in-law has a talent for business. If she understands technology and knows how to manage, then she can manage the telecommunications company. If not, then she can continue working in technology,” He Yuzhu said.

"I hadn't thought about this before, and she doesn't seem to have any interest in it. Let me see," Xiaoman said.

"Okay, let's settle on this for now. You go and investigate, then you'll take command. If you need support, come to me."

"I knew I shouldn't have talked to you about the rainy season job. You've already arranged a new job for me instead." Xiaoman punched He Yuzhu.

"Hahaha, who can blame me when my wife is such a heroine!" He Yuzhu laughed.

"I'm not."

"Rest now. We can think about tomorrow's problems tomorrow."

"You're so mean, leaving me with such a huge problem, how can I sleep?"

"Go to sleep, think about it tomorrow."

The next day, Xiaoman began her research work, and this was not something that could be accomplished overnight.

She not only conducted a detailed investigation into the operation, equipment sales, and user situation of paging stations in Hong Kong, but also collected the latest market reports and technological developments on wireless communications, especially cellular mobile phones and pagers, from Japan, South Korea, Europe, and the United States through the group's overseas offices.

The report shows that although Motorola's analog cellular phone system has emerged, it is extremely expensive and limited to a very small number of high-end users.

The pager market is growing rapidly, especially in the business sector, but as He Yuzhu points out, digital displays limit the efficiency of information transmission.

Although the Chinese character pager is only targeted at the Chinese market, Xiaoman trusts He Yuzhu's vision. If this segment is successfully developed, then other languages ​​should not be a problem.

A week later, Xiaoman presented a thick analysis report to He Yuzhu.

"Brother Zhu, the research results are pretty much in line with your judgment. Mobile phones are the future, but at this stage, network construction and terminal costs are too high, and large-scale popularization will take time. The pager market is booming, especially if the problem of displaying Chinese characters can be solved, it will definitely be a killer app in the Chinese market," Xiaoman concluded.

He Yuzhu flipped through the report and nodded: "Okay, let's proceed in two steps. First, establish the communications company, focusing on paging services. On one hand, we'll start building our own paging stations to seize the market; on the other hand, the laboratory will focus all its efforts on developing Chinese character pagers. Mobile phone tracking and research will proceed simultaneously, but as a long-term technological reserve."

"Okay. Shall we name the company 'Yellow River Communications'?" Xiaoman asked.

“Yes, you can serve as the chairman of this company, responsible for the overall strategy and resource allocation; for specific technology research and development and daily operations, we need to find a professional manager,” He Yuzhu said.

"The rainwater?"

"Let her join the lab first to participate in the research and development of Chinese character display technology. This is her area of ​​expertise, and it will also allow us to see where her abilities and interests lie. If she is interested in management, we can give her another chance later."

The matter was settled.

Soon, "Yellow River Communications Company" was registered and established in Hong Kong.

Xiaoman was simultaneously searching for experienced managers in the communications industry and connecting with semiconductor laboratories in Singapore.

Therefore, she and He Yuzhu made a special trip to Singapore to have an in-depth conversation with Dr. Peterson, the head of the semiconductor laboratory.

Although Peterson's main focus is on chips, he is also very interested in the communications field and thinks the company made the right move.

Of course, he also raised practical difficulties: "Mr. and Mrs. Ho, it's no problem to transfer a team to support Hong Kong. But as you know, our own research tasks are also very heavy, and you'll have to find a way to replace the people who are transferred."

He Yuzhu nodded and said, "I will take care of the manpower problem. I will ask AMD in North America to increase recruitment efforts, and I will send those who are willing to be sent abroad to your side."

“That’s great, but Mr. He, I only want the elites. The ordinary ones can stay at AMD as production line technology.”

"I know that. It just means that AMD's core team needs to develop some things in North America. Otherwise, I would have sent them over."

“I understand. Actually, the batch that the boss sent over before was quite good, and they adapted to it quite well here.”

"I'll do my best. You know how fierce the competition is in North America right now; every company wants to get ahead of the competition."

"Yes, that's why I said we're short-handed. We don't want the company to be embroiled in patent disputes, so we need to speed things up even more."

"Okay, then the lab will be in your hands, Doctor."

"I'll do my best!"

Not long after He Yuzhu and his team returned, a research and development team departed from Singapore for Hong Kong, and He Yushui was one of them.

He Yushui had no idea that her brother and sister-in-law had made such a big move because of her few complaints; all she knew was that she had returned to her area of ​​expertise.

Therefore, after arriving in Hong Kong, she first praised her older brother's wisdom and bravery when she got home, which made He Yuzhu both laugh and cry.

After Huanghe Paging's business was launched, it performed unexpectedly well. This is the effect of brand. Huanghe has surpassed most companies in Hong Kong.

Within a month of operation, the paging center was overwhelmed with traffic, and the second phase of construction has already begun.

(End of this chapter)