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

Beijing, South Railway Station freight yard.

Three o'clock in the morning.

A military train from the northwestern desert slowly pulled into the station. The piercing sound of brakes broke the silence of the night.

Su Zheng was still wearing that old military overcoat, standing on the platform. Behind him was Old Chen, who looked anxious, and several young technicians from the ministry.

"Minister, is this...is this it?"

Old Chen rubbed his frozen hands, looking at the tightly wrapped flatbed carriage. "The 001 base is moving too fast. The telegram was only sent three days ago."

"That's because you don't know how efficient they are over there."

Su Zheng smiled and said, "For Base 001, transporting this thing is much simpler than transporting a missile."

As the canvas was lifted, a huge wooden crate was revealed. The crate had no markings, only a string of red numbers painted on it: HX-001-P.

"Unload the truck!"

At a command, several soldiers deftly operated the crane.

The moment the wooden crate hit the ground and was pried open with a crowbar, everyone present held their breath.

Under the dim light of the platform, a black sedan was quietly parked inside.

It doesn't seem to be a product of this era.

In 1978, when the streets were filled with boxy old Hongqi and old Shanghai cars, as well as the newly emerging square-headed "Santa-type" sedans, the car in front of me had lines so smooth they were breathtaking.

The car has a low-slung front end, a streamlined waistline, and a slightly upturned rear end.

It resembles a cheetah crouching in the night, exuding a certain violent beauty.

"This...this is something we made?"

Old Chen nearly dropped his glasses. He couldn't help but reach out to touch the car body; it was icy cold to the touch, yet had a strange texture.

"Not a steel plate?" Old Chen asked in surprise.

"Carbon fiber reinforced composite materials".

Su Zheng patted the roof of the vehicle. "It used to be used on the wings of fighter jets. This one was made from scrap materials left over from destructive experiments, so it looks a bit pieced together, but it doesn't affect its performance."

"..."

The young technicians around them looked at each other in bewilderment.

Using materials meant for fighter jets to build cars? That's incredibly extravagant!

"Don't just stand there."

Su Zheng opened the car door and got into the driver's seat.

Although it was "experimental waste," the interior of this vehicle was anything but lacking. After all, to make the tedious desert tests a little more fun, Su Zheng specially found some high-end sofas that had been seized in the old warehouse and modified them.

He turned the key.

There was no tractor-like roar as I had expected.

It was just a slight tremor, like the low growl of a beast.

The V6 engine has been revived.

"Get in the car."

Su Zheng rolled down the car window and waved to Old Chen, who was still standing there in a daze. "Let's go for a drive. We'll also prepare a 'surprise' for Mr. Schulz from the Hans country."

……

three days later.

A closed test track in the suburbs of Beijing.

This place was originally used to test military trucks. The road conditions are complex, with straight tracks, bumpy gravel roads, and sharp bends.

The delegation from Volkswagen Group arrived early.

Schultz, wearing a thick coat and holding a cup of hot coffee, looked somewhat impatient.

"What is Minister Su up to?"

He complained to his assistant, "Does he really think he can conjure up a car in three days? We're made to stand here in the cold wind?"

"Maybe they modified a Hongqi sedan?" the assistant shrugged. "Or maybe they found an American car that was captured before?"

"snort."

Schultz sneered, "No matter which one, they're all garbage compared to our technology. Our 'Passat-type' B2 represents the highest level of mid-size sedans in the world today."

Just then, a deep engine sound came from afar.

The sound wasn't loud, but it was very dense.

That's the sound unique to high-revving engines.

"They're here."

Schultz squinted.

At the end of the track, a black dot rapidly grew larger.

fast!

too fast!

Schultz was an expert; just by looking at the speed at which the black dot was moving, he could tell that the car was definitely going over 160 kilometers per hour!

In those days, the top speed of ordinary civilian cars was usually only around 140 km/h.

"What kind of car is that?"

As the black dot drew closer, Schultz made out the outline of the car.

The streamlined body reflected a faint black sheen in the sunlight. Lacking the abundant chrome trim common in this era, it exuded a cool and mysterious aura.

"squeak--!"

A beautiful drift.

The black sedan came to a smooth stop in front of everyone. Its tires traced two perfect arcs on the ground, and the air was filled with the smell of burning rubber.

The car door opened.

Su Zheng came down. He was still wearing that military overcoat, with a faint smile on his face.

"Mr. Schultz, I'm sorry to keep you waiting."

Su Zheng pointed to the car behind him, "This is the product we're going to compete with you on. Code name: 'Red Star One'."

Schultz's coffee cup wobbled slightly.

He stared intently at the car.

As a seasoned automotive engineer, he immediately recognized the car's extraordinary nature.

This aerodynamic design...this low center of gravity chassis layout...and that bodywork where you can't even tell what the materials are...

"This...this was designed by you yourselves?" Schultz's voice was somewhat hoarse.

"certainly."

Su Zheng leaned against the car door. "Let's cut to the chase. The cars are here. How are we going to compete? Lap races? Or a comparison of comfort?"

Schultz took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

"A beautiful appearance does not necessarily mean good performance."

With a wave of his hand, the technical team behind him immediately drove over a brand-new silver sedan.

This is the prototype they brought – the "Passat" B2, which is still in the confidential stage.

"Since Minister Su is so confident, then let's compete in three events."

Schultz held up three fingers.

"First, straight-line acceleration. Let's see whose engine is more powerful."

"Second, slalom test. To see whose chassis is more stable."

"Third..." He pointed to the gravel road in the distance, "the passability and comfort test. We'll put a cup of water in the car and drive these few kilometers on this rough road to see who spills the least water."

"fair."

Su Zheng nodded. "Then let's begin."

……

The first item is linear acceleration.

The two cars were parked side by side on the starting line.

On the left is the silver "Passa type," representing the pinnacle of Western industry.

On the right is a black "ghost" from the eastern desert.

As the starting flag was waved.

boom!

The "Passat type" had a very stable start; after a slight slip of the front wheels, it quickly gained grip and surged forward.

however.

Just as it had rushed out less than ten meters.

The black shadow beside it was like a black lightning bolt, instantly leaving it behind!

The acceleration was on a completely different level!

"My God..."

Schultz's telescope nearly fell off.

He clearly saw that the front of the "Red Star No. 1" lifted slightly the moment it started moving, and the rear wheels seemed to have a terrifying grip, which directly "bounced" the car out.

This is the stance of a high-horsepower rear-wheel-drive car!

The finish line.

When "Red Star No. 1" crossed the finish line, "Passa" was left a full fifty meters behind.

Sold out instantly.

A complete and utter annihilation.

……

The second item is slalom.

This segment is a performance show by "Red Star One".

Schulz's once-proud German chassis tuning seemed like an underage toy compared to Su Zheng's "modified active hydraulic suspension".

The "Red Star No. 1" maintained an incredibly stable posture through a series of S-curves.

No matter how sharply you steer, the car maintains a strange balance, as if it's flying close to the ground.

In contrast, the "Passat" exhibited significant body roll during high-speed lane changes, with its tires emitting a piercing screeching sound, and it nearly understeered off the track several times.

……

The third item is that glass of water.

When Su drove the car over the bumpy gravel road and returned to the destination.

He picked up the glass of water that was on the dial.

Full to the brim.

Almost not a drop was spilled.

The water in the "Passat" car had already been spilled halfway, and even the tester's pants were wet.

Dead silence.

The scene was deathly silent.

The members of the Hans' delegation turned ashen-faced, as if they had seen aliens.

Schultz walked up to "Red Star One".

His hands trembled as he stroked the warm hood.

"What... what kind of engine is this?" he asked dreamily. "This smoothness, this explosive power... this is something a four-cylinder engine can't achieve."

"This is V6."

Su Zheng casually lifted the hood.

What was displayed before everyone was a huge heart, packed full of energy. On the red cylinder head, a line of conspicuous Chinese characters was engraved: First Mechanical Research Institute.

"Although it's a V6, we used some special combustion chamber design and fuel injection technology."

Su Zheng said casually, "Not much horsepower, maybe 220."

"220 horses..."

Schultz felt a sudden darkness engulf his vision.

Their "Passat" model only has 75 horsepower!

This isn't racing; this is bullying!

"Minister Su... Minister Su."

Schultz swallowed hard, looked up at Su Zheng, his arrogance completely gone, replaced by a deep awe, even... fear.

"Are you... really going to mass-produce this kind of car?"

If this kind of car were to enter the international market at a low price, it would be an absolute disaster for the Western auto industry, which has just recovered from the oil crisis!

"Mass production?"

Su Zheng closed the hood and patted the dust off his hands.

"This is only a semi-finished product. It's too expensive and not suitable for ordinary families."

Hearing this, Schultz breathed a sigh of relief.

But Su Zheng's next words made his heart leap into his throat again.

"However, if we could cooperate..."

Su Zheng smiled like an old fox, "Using the technology on this car, we'll make a simplified version. In other words... a version that delivers a devastating blow."

"For example, replace the V6 with a four-cylinder engine, replace the carbon fiber with a steel plate, and replace the active suspension with a regular independent suspension."

Even so, its performance is still far superior to your current products.

Su Zheng walked up to Schultz and extended his hand.

"Mr. Schultz, I have won the bet now."

"Do you want to go home with that pile of outdated blueprints, watch us build this car ourselves, and then squeeze you out of the market?"

"Or... accept my terms and trade your technology and sales network for a ticket to the future?"

Schultz looked at the hand.

At this moment, in his eyes, this Easterner in the tattered military coat was more authoritative than the directors at their headquarters.

This is someone who has mastered core technologies.

In the industrial world, technology is truth, technology is God.

a long time.

Schultz bowed deeply.

"Minister Su, you've won."

"On behalf of Volkswagen... no, on my own behalf, I salute you."

"Regarding the details of the cooperation, we can accept your proposal in its entirety."

"Including the latest engine technology, and... the global sales network you want."

Upon hearing this, Old Chen, who was standing to the side, burst into tears.

Become!

It's not just about introducing a production line.

This marks the first time that China's automotive industry has stood at the negotiating table on an equal footing, or even with a superior attitude!

Su Zheng grasped Schultz's hand.

"It's a pleasure working with you."

He turned his head and looked at the setting sun in the distance.

The black "Red Star No. 1" shimmered with golden light in the setting sun.

This is just the beginning.

Now that we're back, now that we're in this position...

Then he would transform the world into the way he wanted it to be.

……