The Fiery Era: Becoming an Industrial Giant

Chapter 147 Preliminary Results
dong dong!

"Zhiqiang".

Chen Weiguo called out a few times from outside the door, and Zhou Zhiqiang quickly came to the front yard to open the door for him, smiling and saying, "You've come just in time, I've just finished cooking."

"If you're going to treat me to dinner, you'll definitely have to come early. I've left the work at the institute to other people."

Chen Weiguo held up the gift in his hand and said with a smile, "This is my first time visiting your home. I brought some milk cake for my nephew."

He reported the kidnapping to the deputy director, and after recounting what had happened, he left the police station and headed straight for Zhou Zhiqiang's home.

On the way, I passed by a supply and marketing cooperative and bought a box of pastries, since it was my first time visiting.

During the Chinese New Year, Chen Weiguo and Zhou Zhiqiang had a good relationship at home. This time, when Zhou Zhiqiang saw him chasing after a kidnapper, he directly stepped in to help.

After Chen Weiguo came in and looked around, he said in surprise, "Your house is really nice. It's decorated so well, and the space is quite large. It feels even better than my dad's house."

Zhou Zhiqiang laughed and said, "The courtyard where my father-in-law used to live was slightly modified after he and his colleagues went to the Northwest to help with the construction."

Now their house is quite impressive; there are grapevines in the corner, a swing in the yard, and a permanent little rocking horse.

It gives people the first impression of being like a small amusement park.

Chen Weiguo sighed, "It's so nice to have your own yard. These kinds of houses are very expensive now, and you can't even buy one if you want to."

“Two or three thousand yuan a couple of years ago, my father-in-law bought it a long time ago, for about a thousand silver dollars.”

After thinking for a moment, Zhou Zhiqiang continued, "It's fine to buy it in ten or twenty years. It will probably only cost a little over three thousand yuan then."

After listening, Chen Weiguo clicked his tongue and said, "More than three thousand yuan? Only you can make it sound so easy. I only make forty-nine a month now, and even with my wife's, it's only eighty."

His and his wife's salaries weren't very high; combined, they weren't even as high as his sister's. One was an ordinary policeman, at best a section-level cadre, and the other was a sales clerk.

The couple's salaries were enough for their daily household expenses, but they could only buy a two-courtyard house in Beijing if his father provided some financial support.

"How about you change positions? You can still be a police officer, but in a different place."

Zhou Zhiqiang asked, "How about coming to our factory? Our security department only has one section chief; we're short a deputy section chief."
Previously, the security department wanted to select someone directly from the factory, but neither the factory nor the armed forces department agreed, so it's been delayed until now.

"If you come, I'll help you get a report. If you let them through, they can definitely come; they'll be patrolling the factory, catching thieves, and protecting important national assets."

Zhou Zhiqiang's words surprised Chen Weiguo. He was there as a guest for dinner, so why were they talking about work?
But after listening to Zhou Zhiqiang's words and thinking about it, it seems that it really is possible.

The responsibilities and powers of the security department and the police station are almost the same; both are responsible for maintaining public order within their designated areas.

These days, a factory's security department is basically equivalent to a police station. If they catch a thief, they can interrogate him internally and then hand him over directly to the court.

Moreover, it can also manage the families of factory workers, and its jurisdiction is much larger than that of a police station.

Chen Weiguo turned his head and asked, "You called me here, not just to talk about this, right?"

"It must have been a coincidence that we invited you to our house for dinner; the idea came to us on a whim."

Zhou Zhiqiang explained, "Our factory's security department is a bit lax, and the head of the security department doesn't seem to be very capable."

I've been observing him for the past couple of days, but the rectification seems to be only so-so. So I'm looking to find someone trustworthy to work in the security department. Besides, our factory is sure to have some major achievements in the second half of the year.”

Even if it's not promoted this year, the factory will definitely be upgraded to a large-scale factory directly under a ministry at the bureau level next year or the year after.

Once we develop and produce several high-precision machine tools, the second machine tool factory will definitely be taken seriously, since these are machine tools needed by the military and national defense industries.

The Security Section can also be promoted to a higher level, becoming the Security Department. Joining the Security Section at this time will also be beneficial in the future.

For a normal person, getting promoted one level every three years is already considered good; if you get promoted along with the factory, that's extremely lucky.

When Dafeng Agricultural Machinery Equipment Factory was upgraded to a factory directly under a ministry, it could lead to promotions for many people.

"Well... I can't say for sure yet. It's not up to me to decide where I'll be transferred."

Chen Weiguo said somewhat hesitantly, because the place he was being transferred to was the security department, which was basically just a police station with a different name.

If it were any other supply and marketing cooperative or finance bureau, Chen Weiguo would definitely have refused without hesitation.

"If you have any ideas, I'll help you submit a report, but once you arrive, you'll have to properly regulate the security department's discipline."

Zhou Zhiqiang said, "The current section chief may be too focused on personal relationships. He treats the security guards below him like a childish brother. I need someone to help me reorganize the security section."

Otherwise, he would worry about security and confidentiality issues even while at the factory.

Zhou Zhiqiang is now the deputy factory director in charge of the factory's responsibilities, so he also bears responsibility for any safety issues that arise in the factory.

It's better to find a reliable acquaintance to help than to entrust the task to someone he doesn't trust.

"Okay, go ahead and write the report. If I get any news, I'll go see the leader right away."

"Then it's settled."

Zhou Zhiqiang said, "Let's go eat first, or the food will get cold. You're lucky to have met us today; we just happened to have some delicious food at home."

Chen Weiguo laughed and said, "Then I'm really lucky. Not only did I catch the runaway kidnapper, but I also got a free meal."

The two then went to the backyard to prepare dinner, and neither of them mentioned the kidnapping.

Chen Weiguo did mention that their institute might come to thank them later, and there might even be some cash or bonuses, since they had helped them.

As for the slightest inconvenience in determining the force of the blow, that's no big deal.

Chen Weiguo didn't fire today because there were too many people around. He raised his gun twice but was worried about hitting people, so he kept chasing.

Chen Weiguo had a good lunch at Zhou Zhiqiang's house today, with two meat dishes, two vegetable dishes, and a soup, and the taste was almost the same as that of a state-run restaurant.

This made Chen Weiguo feel a little embarrassed; he had come to express his gratitude, but ended up getting a free meal.

After finishing his meal, Chen Weiguo prepared to leave, as he still had many things to do at the institute.

However, before leaving, Chen Weiguo patted his chest and guaranteed that he would definitely invite him back in a few days.

Zhou Zhiqiang smiled and saw Chen Weiguo off.

"No need to see me off, Yuting. I promise I'll be back within half a month this time."

Inside the train station, Zhou Zhiqiang, finding it somewhat amusing, assured Guo Yuting.

His wife wasn't particularly clever, and her cleverness was rather clumsy. Right now, she was holding their son, babbling something like, "Daddy's leaving," and "I don't know how long he'll be gone this time."

The sound wasn't loud, but he managed to hear it—what a clever trick!

However, Zhou Zhiqiang was quite happy to see that his wife and son were so looking forward to his return.

"Master Ma will take you home later. Be careful at home."

Zhou Zhiqiang gave a few more instructions, and then, seeing that it was almost time, he boarded the train with the others to head to Henan Province.

Accompanying Zhou Zhiqiang was a research team organized by Tsinghua University, consisting of nine people, all of whom were talents in the field of optics.

This collaboration with the research institute in Henan Province can be considered a powerful alliance.

The Second Machine Tool Factory also initially transferred 100,000 yuan in R&D funding, and will continue to transfer funds if needed.

Zhou Zhiqiang had arranged everything in the factory beforehand, so even if he wasn't there, there wouldn't be any trouble in the short term, especially with Secretary Li Younian there.

He can usually ignore things, but if Zhou Zhiqiang isn't around, Secretary Li must take responsibility.

Chen Weiguo was also transferred by the Armed Forces Department to the Security Section of the Second Machine Tool Factory as deputy section chief, having just served as a meritorious official in the previous kidnapping case.

When the Armed Forces Department and the Second Machine Tool Factory needed Chen Weiguo, the Work Safety Bureau released him without hesitation and promoted him to the rank of deputy section chief.

Moreover, Chen Weiguo's arrival has already yielded initial results in the reorganization of the security department.

A gatekeeper should stand guard at the gate, not hide inside to rest; a patrol should cover every corner of the factory, not just circle around halfway and then leave.
Although the security personnel were somewhat dissatisfied with the transfer of a deputy section chief from outside, Chen Weiguo had Zhou Zhiqiang backing him up, and Secretary Li didn't interfere in matters.

They couldn't say anything during normal conduct rectification, otherwise Zhou Zhiqiang could have sent a letter to the Armed Forces Department at any time, asking them to replace some of the personnel in the Security Section.

That would essentially ruin the future of the security personnel who were transferred, and they might end up in a less desirable position.

In addition to the arrangements made by the Henan Provincial Research Institute, Director Ren from the ministry also helped him contact the Russians for instruments and equipment.

Moreover, the Russians agreed very readily, even providing the design drawings, but they weren't without their demands.

The Russians are very shrewd, especially when it comes to exploiting their brother countries; that's how clever they are.

They don't dare to use their iron fist against capitalism, nor against the domestic bourgeoisie and aristocratic forces, but against their brother countries that are weaker than them, they unleash a series of iron fist attacks!

The reason is that Dafeng Agricultural Machinery Equipment Factory has manufactured the combine harvester.

From the end of last year to the beginning of this year, Zhou Zhiqiang helped make a lot of high-precision sealing parts. The remaining parts were also tackled and produced by Dafeng Agricultural Machinery Equipment Factory.

It's quite efficient and particularly suitable for harvesting in large plains areas.

Initially, the Russians were unwilling to provide such crucial technical assistance, but the First Ministry of Machine Building presented a prototype of the combine harvester to negotiate with the Russians.

They were also shown the work efficiency and functions.

The Russians quickly discovered that this combine harvester was well-suited to their Great Plains farms, much better than the ones they produced themselves, and also significantly improved their work efficiency.

They're currently clearing land, and they desperately need this kind of highly efficient agricultural machinery.

After negotiations, the two sides agreed to import this combine harvester and promised to exchange it for the technology needed by the Ministry of Machine Building.

Fortunately, the Ministry of Machine Building was aware of the situation. It was a prototype. If it were to be mass-produced now, it would likely delay this year's foreign trade orders, and they wouldn't be able to produce many units.

They insisted that the Russians provide the technology first, and that they would only start production next year, with the first batch likely to be delivered around the middle or end of next year.

The Russians had a huge appetite; they wanted 3,000 units. Although the first batch consisted of only 700 units, it was enough for Dafeng Agricultural Machinery Equipment Factory to produce for a long time.

Not only could they exchange technology, but Dafeng Agricultural Machinery Equipment Factory could also take the opportunity to make some money, though they probably won't.

The Russians probably don't intend to pay at all, and will just use their existing debts to settle the matter.

However, the same idea exists in China; using industrial products to settle debts is the best option for them.

Using agricultural products and precious metals would be too much of a loss for them.

Currently, an Aramco combine harvester costs around $10,000, which is about 23,000 to 24,000 Chinese yuan.

After discussions between the Ministry of Machine Building and the Ministry of Foreign Trade, they planned to price their combine harvesters at 17,000 Chinese yuan, which would be about one-third cheaper than Aramco's combine harvesters.

Because its overall performance is indeed inferior to that of Amway, it only excels in certain aspects and functions, but its maintenance and lifespan are slightly inferior.

But if the price is one-third cheaper, that's a completely different story. Any Russian who isn't stupid will know which one to buy.

Besides, even if the price is 17,000, they will still make a good profit, just not as much as Amei.

Three thousand combine harvesters can offset more than fifty million yuan of foreign debt, which can alleviate a lot of pressure.

Moreover, the Russians will definitely continue to purchase more, since they still need to grow corn, and the more land they reclaim in the future, the more agricultural machinery they will need.

Zhou Zhiqiang recalled that the Russians purchased tens of thousands of agricultural machinery and equipment from the West, and these three thousand units were probably just an appetizer.

The conclusion of this foreign trade deal to offset foreign debt even alarmed the top leaders.

They even wrote a few words for Dafeng Agricultural Machinery Equipment Factory: "Research and Development Helps the Country!"
Director Zhao and Secretary Yan were so pleased that they typed these four characters into a factory slogan and hung it next to the factory's name at the main gate.

However, they simply cannot achieve large-scale production of combine harvesters this year; whether they can produce them depends on the actions of the Second Machine Tool Plant.

In Zhou Zhiqiang's future plans, the production of combine harvesters cannot be separated from a high-precision machine tool.

However, it was good to get the technology from the Russians first. This was thanks to the negotiations between the Ministry of Machine Building and the Russians, otherwise it wouldn't have gone so smoothly.

Of the three major challenges in developing and producing high-precision coordinate boring machines, two have now been resolved. The technology from the Russians and some high-precision components have been largely solved.

Zhou Zhiqiang is now going to Henan Province to work with the research institute there to solve the last problem.

(End of this chapter)