Return to Hong Kong Island for a Century

Chapter 427 Fat Bear's Last Performance
"Okay!" Tian Jiahui readily agreed when he heard Li Song say that.

I also know what the boss means: he wants me to neither refuse nor agree, but to find out more.

After hanging up the phone, Li Song pondered, "What exactly does McDougall mean?"

"Are they genuinely interested in doing business, or are they here to probe the truth?"

Li Song's guess stemmed from a common tactic used by capitalists: sometimes they use the guise of a transaction to probe the other party's true intentions.

McDonnell Douglas's actions this time were likely an attempt to test its own aircraft design capabilities.

Of course, it's also possible that they genuinely want to make a deal, given McDonnell Douglas's recent troubles, including being grounded by Amazon and being known as the "King of Air Disasters."

The DC10 series aircraft is almost unwanted, and there are even many complaints from passengers about airlines using this aircraft.

Airlines also feel this is a tricky situation; if something goes wrong, it could have a huge impact on the company.

Also, fearing other problems might arise, the flight was banned again.

Airplanes are such expensive things, so a flight ban would have a huge impact on airlines.

The cost of the pilot, flight attendants, and the aircraft itself.

Although Aramco does not require compensation for dismissing workers, the company generally does not dismiss highly skilled workers such as pilots because pilot training is too expensive and takes a long time, unlike that of ordinary workers.

As for Li Song's threat to Aramco's aircraft market?

Haha, there needs to be a market for it, right?
What market does McDonnell Douglas still have?
For capitalists, especially McDonnell Douglas executives, the threat posed by Li Song is not yet visible, but the threat posed by Boeing is very real.

Of course, Li Song had no idea what McDonnell Douglas's plans were.

"Perhaps McDonnell Douglas also noticed the Fat Bear military exercise?" Li Song thought of another possibility.

"Forget it, let's wait a few days and see." Li Song then stopped thinking about it. No matter what McDonnell Douglas's purpose was, he wasn't afraid. He had the technology, the money, and the market.

Boeing later sold several thousand commercial airliners in mainland China, which is a huge market.

Afterwards, Li Song looked around on second-hand platforms and found that the timing wasn't good for frigates and destroyers.

The Arleigh Burke-class destroyers were designed in the mid-to-late 80s and launched in the 90s, which is a suitable time to begin designing them.

Because the previous frigates and destroyers lacked sufficient electronic capabilities, if warships were built now, they would be outdated before entering service.

"Sigh, it's still those Eastern countries decades later in history that have such rapid ship upgrades and iterations, with a new generation every ten years. Back then, Western countries had frigates that had been in service for over thirty years." Li Song looked around and felt dissatisfied, longing for the 10,000-ton destroyer.

In just forty years, from 80 to 20, electronic technology has developed too fast.

The rapid pace of technological advancements in electronics is not a good thing for weaponry.

Just like American aircraft carriers, warships, and aircraft, historically up to the 90s, there were Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, Zumwalt-class destroyers, aircraft carriers, B-2 bombers, F-22 fighters, and F-117s.

The sheer size of the weaponry is enough to make anyone drool.

However, electronic technology developed too quickly afterward.

Amei wanted to upgrade her existing equipment, but lacked the resources.

First of all, the finances simply cannot support the replacement of all such equipment.

Upgrading and updating is difficult because of the reasons for the initial upgrade!

So they upgraded their aircraft carriers again after the initial upgrade.

Continue to use it after it has reached its designed service life.

On the other hand, the military-industrial complex is too powerful, and the manufacturing costs of various equipment are astonishing!
A bag of screws that cost $300 was priced at $90,000.

And it keeps getting delayed.

Another issue is the hollowing out of the manufacturing sector.

So you see, Li Song is in a difficult position to choose right now.

"Why don't we just talk to the mainland side!" Li Song thought for a moment and decided not to bring these things out for the time being.

We'll hear what the mainland thinks then.

If you absolutely must, then it's not too late to place an order from a second-hand platform yourself!

"Actually, having a clear weakness is a good thing, because it can make the West lower its guard!" Li Song knew that if he wanted China's manufacturing industry to reach its historical glory, he still had to keep a low profile.

For decades in history, the mainland has adopted a defensive strategy.

This strategy has proven to be very effective.

Of course, this is only one aspect; the bigger picture is the changing global landscape.

Over the next few days, Li Song kept a close eye on the people at McDonnell Douglas.

The people at McDonnell Douglas weren't in a hurry either.

At this point, Li Song had a guess: it was highly likely that McDonnell Douglas thought there might be changes on Fat Bear's side, so he was talking to him in advance.

A few days later, the Senate announced that it would vote on the new aviation safety standards in late September.

Boeing's stock price fell further as a result of this news.

The aviation sector also declined.

Since Mai Dao wasn't in a hurry, Li Song wasn't in a hurry either.

However, both sides were aware of each other's conditions.

McDonnell Douglas's condition was that they wanted to clear out some of their passenger aircraft inventory and then ask Li Song to design a new wide-body passenger aircraft.

Furthermore, it requires that the aircraft use General Electric or Pratt & Whitney engines.

Li Song indicated that he had readily available aircraft design drawings.

Then, both sides tacitly agreed not to continue discussing specific terms.

Along the way, Li Song prepared research projects related to the railway and shipbuilding industries.

There are also dozens of other research projects related to electricity.

These are the projects that Aramco is currently researching across various industries, as well as the progress of those researches.

In the field of power, the main areas of focus are materials technology, superconducting experimental projects, and so on.

These technical documents were handed over to the bodyguards and then forwarded to the mainland.

Li Song also knew that the main leaders would choose a time to come to the south for inspection.

It's almost the end of August.

Two hundred BMW cars that originated from mainland China have arrived in London.

London distributors had already started advertising.

These vehicles were transported via container, directly from Huangpu Port to London.

Dealers had been waiting impatiently for this, because these two sedans offered excellent value for money and were also very attractive.

Many people are asking questions.

These people didn't place an order until they saw the actual product.

All two hundred cars are automatic.

Two hundred cars arrived in London and sold out in just three days!

After seeing this result, other BMW dealers also requested sedans.

Unfortunately, Parkson does not have sufficient production capacity.

BMW cars are manufactured at the BMW Motors plant in Guangzhou.

However, the overseas orders were transferred from Parkson.

This can help avoid many risks.

When this news came, BMW dealers came to Hong Kong Island for a meeting.

This time, the focus is mainly on classifying mid- to high-end car dealerships.

Different levels of distributors have different quantities of goods they purchase each time, and their credit ratings are also different.

They are mainly divided into primary distributors and secondary distributors.

First-tier distributors are required to pay a deposit of two million US dollars.

The secondary distributor paid $500,000.

This deposit is not the same as the deposit used to offset the cost of goods, which was the initial type.

From now on, the payment for goods will be the payment for goods, and the deposit will be the deposit.

Li Song originally thought that these distributors would definitely be dissatisfied.

Surprisingly, these distributors agreed very easily.

It was only then that Li Song realized that it was because these distributors had different positioning.

For example, a primary dealer can take two hundred mid-to-high-end BMW cars at a time. This is nothing for Western dealers.

However, for dealers in Africa and Southeast Asia, there is a significant risk associated with having so many mid-to-high-end cars.

Dealers in these areas prefer to use minivans.

Minivans offer the best value for money and are also multi-purpose.

There's absolutely no worry about sales.

On the contrary, it's not that no one is buying mid-to-high-end cars, but rather that the proportion of customers is very small.

Then we changed the contracts with these distributors.

This has prompted several major European automakers to call on their governments to protect their domestic auto industries.

Then the America House of Representatives also voted on a new auto bill.

The goal is to impose higher tariffs on imported cars.

However, this had no effect on Li Song.

BMW has never even entered America's market!
On the contrary, European cars and Japanese cars suffered.

The small notebook contains Toyota, Honda, and European brands such as Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, Renault, and Peugeot.

The stock prices of these major automotive groups plummeted as a result!
Toyota immediately launched its plan to build a car plant in Aramco!

Historically, Toyota only began building its largest car plant there in 1985.

This is happening several years earlier than in history.

Toyota is not ready yet.

Following that, Renault also announced the establishment of a factory in Aramco.

Whether the news is true or false is hard to say, but the stock price has indeed not fallen.

Following this, Parkson announced the acquisition of the Jaguar and Land Rover brands in London, while retaining the relevant factories.

They also plan to produce luxury cars and high-end vehicles, including sports cars, in London!

This news shocked the entire automotive industry.

Especially the Volkswagen Group.

Because the Volkswagen Group had been eyeing these car brands in London for some time.

Volkswagen has historically acquired many London luxury car brands.

Then London politicians criticized America for interfering with free trade.

Right there in the midst of this bustling activity.

On September 4th, the "Fat Bear" military exercise that Li Song had been looking forward to began.

This is a military exercise that has shocked the world.

Fat Bear invited people from many countries to watch.

However, viewers were quite surprised when they saw the lineup.

Alarms have been raised all over Europe and in the Americas!
The radar is on 24 hours a day to provide early warning for fighter jet takeoff.

Because the bear assumes that Europe will suddenly launch a bomb attack on it, the bear will break through the Sanders defense line within 8 days and then quickly reach the English Channel.

因为肥熊在东欧部署了200个作战师，拥有5.3万辆坦克是欧洲的2.4倍、6.3万辆装甲车是欧洲的3倍和4.8万门火炮是欧洲的4.8倍。

The total strength exceeds 500,000, including 100,000-150,000 Flying Bear troops, two airborne divisions, and troops from several Warsaw Pact countries.

坦克1500-2000辆，装甲车及步兵战车1200-2000辆，飞机1000架以上。

The Baltic Fleet deployed ships such as the cruiser Kiev to cover the naval infantry assault.

For the first time, the most advanced T80 and T72 tanks were used in a massed assault.

The eight-day military exercise attracted worldwide attention.

Even those on the mainland are on high alert.

Because Fat Bear's strength is too abnormal.

Panic ensued among the European public, and many wealthy individuals immediately flew to Aramco!

The US and Azerbaijani troops in Europe are all on high alert.

They were afraid that the fat bear would take the act too seriously.

The newspapers on Hong Kong Island also report on it every day.

Li Song was very happy to see these reports!
Especially the photos of tanks and helicopters charging in groups.

Two thousand tanks doesn't sound like much.

However, two thousand tanks were placed on the plain.

What a magnificent scene that was!

Not to mention helicopters, fighter jets, and missiles.

The representatives from these countries who were watching were on tenterhooks every day.

They were afraid that the fat bear's army would cross the border directly.

Fortunately, on September 12, the fat bear announced the end of the military exercise.

The whole world breathed a sigh of relief!

American and European missiles are ready.

If the fat bear crosses the border, it will be World War III.

On September 13, 1981, Li Song met with the president of McDonnell Douglas on Hong Kong Island.

"Mr. Li!!" The president of McDonnell Douglas was very pleased.

This military exercise will completely reverse the political situation in Afghanistan.

Boeing's previous investments have essentially gone down the drain.

Although I've made quite a few friends, who knows if these politicians will even be in the next term!
"Hello!" Li Song wasn't particularly enthusiastic towards the other party.

Because we're going to drastically lower the price next.

"Mr. Li, the aircraft designed by your company is excellent."

“Our company, McDonnell Douglas, hopes to receive your company’s assistance,” McDonnell Douglas’s president said.

McDonnell Douglas is preparing to develop a new generation of passenger aircraft.

But the total cost is at least $150 million.

McDonnell Douglas was already in a bad financial situation, and now they're spending so much money on research and development!
One reason is time constraints.

It would take at least five years from design to finalization, requiring an investment of $150 million.

In these five years, not only did Boeing become the biggest competitor, but there was also Yum!

Therefore, McDonnell Douglas urgently needed a new aircraft in order to retain a portion of its market share.

McDonnell Douglas currently has many DC-10 aircraft, some of which have not been delivered and some are still in the semi-finished stage.

So McDonnell Douglas wanted to exchange these unsellable bad assets for aircraft blueprints.

This way, not only is there no need to invest in research and development, but it also saves a lot of money.

What are your company's requirements?

“Our company has several aircraft design plans in reserve!” Li Song asked upon hearing this.

"I wonder what exactly Mr. Li's aircraft plans are?" the president of McDonnell Douglas asked upon hearing this.

"A four-engine wide-body passenger plane!"

"A medium-to-long-range narrow-body passenger aircraft!" Li Song had no aircraft plan at all.

Once an agreement is reached with McDonnell Douglas, a reward will be offered directly on the second-hand platform within a maximum of twenty days.

"What about the price of a twin-engine, medium-to-long-range passenger aircraft?" the president of McDonnell Douglas asked.

"Two hundred million US dollars!" Li Song immediately offered two hundred million US dollars.

"Impossible. Even if we develop it ourselves, it would cost at most 150 million US dollars," McDonnell Douglas president shook his head.

"Heh, that's your current plan. It will take at least five years. How much more will that cost in the next five years?"

"And what about your market in these five years?" Li Song shook his head.

(End of this chapter)