Courtyard House: A Major Power's Heavy Industry, Hand-Crafted Nuclear Fusion

In 1978, winter passed and spring arrived.

Beijing.

A recent snowfall had just melted, and the damp air was filled with the smell of coal smoke and a restless atmosphere.

On Chang'an Avenue, people riding "28-inch" bicycles are everywhere. Green military uniforms and blue work clothes are still the main colors, but occasionally you can see one or two fashionable young people wearing bell-bottoms and sunglasses, like ripples on a calm lake.

A black Hongqi sedan with military license plates slowly drove into an inconspicuous courtyard on West Chang'an Avenue.

The sentry at the gate snapped to attention and saluted.

The car door opened, and Su Zheng got out.

Ten years have passed.

Time seemed to have left few marks on his face, except that his eyes were even more profound than they had been ten years ago, like an ancient well with no bottom. He wore an old military overcoat without collar insignia and carried the canvas briefcase that had accompanied him throughout his years in Northwest China.

"Minister Su, we've arrived."

Secretary Xiao Liu respectfully led the way, "This is the temporary office of our 'High-Tech Industry Department'."

Su Zheng looked up.

This is a dusty, three-story Soviet-style building with some peeling paint. The sign hanging at the entrance is still new, white with black lettering, and it's a bit glaring in the sunlight.

"High-tech Department..."

Su Zheng savored the word, a playful smile appearing on his lips.

Who would have thought that the power center that would one day control the largest industrial empire on the planet would now only have this one dilapidated building as its only possession?

……

Stepping into the building, a musty smell of old documents hits you.

Although it was a newly established ministry, it was quite crowded. People came and went in the corridors, and clerks carrying documents hurried along. There were arguments, ringing telephones, and a strong smell of tobacco everywhere.

"Chaos. What a mess."

Ye Xinyi, who was following behind, frowned. She was now Su Zheng's confidential secretary.

Accustomed to the militarized, clockwork-like order of Base 001, the noise here made her uncomfortable.

"Chaos is normal."

Su Zheng took off his coat and hung it on the hanger. "Because everyone is looking for a way out. The old roads are blocked, and nobody knows where the new roads are."

He pushed open the door to his own office at the far end of the second floor.

Simple and crude.

A three-drawer table with peeling paint, two old sofas, and a metal filing cabinet. The only thing that stands out is the huge world map on the wall.

Su Zheng walked to the map, his finger lightly tracing the Pacific Ocean, stopping at the other side of the ocean.

"Xinyi, do you know what happened outside while we were working hard in the Northwest for the past ten years?"

Ye Xinyi shook her head: "I'm not sure. Our place is isolated from the world."

"This decade has been a decade of explosive growth for the global electronics industry."

Su Zheng's voice was somewhat low. "Intel has developed microprocessors, Apple has assembled personal computers in this garage, and Japan's semiconductor industry is dominating the US market... As for us, although we have developed cutting-edge technology at Base 001, it's an isolated island."

"Now, what we need to do is turn this isolated island into a continent."

"Turn our technology into commodities, into foreign exchange, into the power to set the rules."

……

"Knock knock knock".

The knocking interrupted Su Zheng's thoughts.

An elderly man with thick-rimmed glasses and gray hair walked in.

"Minister Su! You've finally arrived!"

The old man excitedly grasped Su Zheng's hand. "I'm Old Chen from the Equipment Department. There's an urgent matter, and I need your advice!"

"What is it? Sit down and tell me." Su Zheng poured him a glass of water.

Old Chen didn't even bother to drink water; he took out a stack of documents from his bag and spread them on the table.

"It's about introducing a car production line."

Old Chen wiped his sweat. "People from Volkswagen in Germany have come. You know how the domestic car industry is; apart from Hongqi and Shanghai brands, it's basically nonexistent. The higher-ups want to bring in a production line and form a joint venture."

"That's a good thing," Su Zheng nodded.

"It's a good thing, but the Germans' conditions are too harsh!"

Old Chen slammed his fist on the table in anger. "Not only are they charging exorbitant prices, but they also demand that we buy their entire set of parts, claiming that our basic industrial base is too weak to produce qualified screws! This means we can only be an assembly plant, unable to earn a single screw's profit!"

"Moreover, they are only willing to provide the technology from the previous generation of Santana; don't even think about the most advanced models."

"There were two factions in the negotiating team. One faction advocated agreeing first, since we were desperately short of cars; the other faction firmly opposed it, saying that it would be a loss of sovereignty and a humiliation for the country."

"The two sides are at an impasse now, and your superiors have sent you to take a look."

Su Zheng was not angry after hearing this.

He simply picked up the German negotiation memorandum and quickly glanced at it.

"Santana..."

Su Zheng smiled.

This is a relic of an era.

In its original historical trajectory, this car was sold in China for thirty years and was known as a "legendary car." But objectively speaking, at that point in time, it wasn't exactly cutting-edge technology.

"Where is the German delegation now?" Su Zheng asked.

"At the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse. There will be another round of negotiations at 2 PM."

Su Zheng glanced at the clock on the wall.

1:30.

"Walk."

Su Zheng picked up his military overcoat and put it on. "Let's go meet these German friends."

"Minister Su, what do you plan to do? Will you lower the price, or...?" Old Chen pressed.

Su Zheng stopped and looked back at him.

There was a kind of confidence in his eyes that Old Chen couldn't understand, and a hint of... pity for his prey.

"Price negotiation? That's a game for the weak."

Su Zheng said calmly.

"I'm going to show them what... dimensional reduction attack really means."

……

Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, Fangfei Garden.

The atmosphere at the negotiating table was somewhat tense.

The German representative was a balding, middle-aged man named Schmidt, who had an arrogant expression. Behind him sat a row of technical experts and lawyers in suits.

The Chinese delegation, on the other hand, seemed somewhat lacking in confidence. Several older comrades smoked cigarettes, their brows furrowed.

"Gentlemen."

Schmidt said in fluent English, "Our conditions will not change. You must understand that the modern automotive industry is a complex system. With your country's current industrial level, it is impossible to build cars from scratch. You have no choice but to purchase our complete sets of parts for assembly."

"As for technology transfer...excuse my bluntness, but even if we give you the blueprints, you still won't be able to build it."

Just as the head of the Chinese delegation was about to retort, the meeting room door was pushed open.

Su Zheng strode in.

His old military overcoat stood out awkwardly among the group of people in suits, yet it exuded a powerful and imposing aura.

"Who are you?" Schmidt frowned.

"I am Su Zheng."

Su Zheng walked straight to the head of the table, sat down, and tossed his briefcase onto the table. "Minister of High-Tech Industries. From now on, I will be in charge of this project."

Schmidt paused for a moment, then gave a professional smile.

"Minister Su, it's a pleasure to meet you. I hope you can bring some rational voices."

"I am very rational."

Su Zheng leaned back in his chair, his fingers interlaced. "So I've decided to suspend these negotiations."

The entire audience erupted in uproar.

The Chinese delegation was stunned. A halt? What about the car project?

Schmidt was stunned, then sneered, "Minister Su, your country invited us here. If you cancel now, we'll return home immediately. But I guarantee you'll regret it. No company other than Volkswagen is willing to sell their production line to you."

No, you've misunderstood.

Su Zheng waved his hand, "It's not that I don't want to buy the production line. It's just that I think what you brought is too outdated."

"behind?!"

Schmidt seemed to have heard a joke. "The Santana is our best-selling model in Brazil and Mexico! It's durable and reliable..."

"That applies to Third World countries."

Su Zheng interrupted him, "To us, it's just a pile of scrap metal."

He took a document out of his briefcase; it was a technical decryption document he had brought from Base 001.

"Mr. Schmidt, I heard that your latest 'Passat B2' is still in the classified testing phase?"

Schmidt's expression changed: "How did you know?"

"I also know that you've encountered problems with the Bosch fuel injection system, with frequent shaking during cold starts. Also, your chassis tuning is too soft, resulting in severe body roll when cornering at high speeds."

Su said it as if she knew it by heart.

Schmidt broke out in a cold sweat. These were all top secrets within Volkswagen!

"What are you trying to say?"

"What I'm trying to say is, we don't need your handouts of outdated technology."

Su Zheng stood up, walked to the window, and pointed to the Hongqi car parked outside.

"We do have a poor foundation and we are indeed poor. But that doesn't mean we are stupid."

"Mr. Schmidt, I'd like to make a bet with you."

"What kind of bet?"

Give me three months.

Su Zheng held up three fingers. "Three months from now, I will produce a car. If its performance is even slightly worse than your Passat B2, which hasn't been released yet, I will accept all your conditions, and the price will double."

"but."

Su Zheng abruptly changed the subject, his eyes becoming sharp as knives, "If my cars are better than yours, then I want your latest engine technology, and I also want 20% of your Volkswagen global sales network."

"madman……"

Schmidt muttered to himself. "Build a car that surpasses Germany's latest technology in three months? That's simply a fantasy!"

But he looked into Su Zheng's eyes.

Those weren't the eyes of a gambler. They were the eyes of a hunter watching a rabbit fall into a trap.

"good!"

Schmidt gritted his teeth, "I'll bet you! I want to see what kind of magic tricks you Chinese can pull!"

……

After the meeting.

Old Chen was so anxious he stamped his feet: "Minister Su! You've...you've blew the sky out of the sky! Three months? We can't even make a mold! How can you compete with them?"

"Who said we needed to make a new mold?"

Su Zheng smiled and patted Old Chen on the shoulder.

"Old Chen, send a telegram to Base 001."

"Have them bring me that 'Red Star No. 1' prototype vehicle."

"Red Star No. 1? What's that?" Old Chen looked completely bewildered.

"That was a little toy we built a few years ago on a whim to test a tank engine."

Su Zheng squinted, recalling those days in the desert.

That car used an aerospace-grade carbon fiber body, an electronic fuel injection V6 engine, and independent four-wheel suspension.

In 1978, that was more than just a car.

It was an industrial monster from the future.

"Since they want to see the technology."

Su Zheng buttoned up his coat and strode outside.

"Then let's show them what...Made in China" really means."

……