Courtyard House: From Deputy Division Commander to Civilian, Progressing All the Way

Lin Yang stood up and looked down at the completely collapsed KGB "Swallow," exuding a ruthless killing intent that seemed to command thousands of troops.

"I, Lin Yang, crawled out of piles of corpses at Changjin Lake. I've seen more corpses than you've seen living people!"

"Trying to corrupt me and blackmail the Chinese delegation with such despicable tactics? You're utterly blind!"

"Take your files and get out of my room! If there's a next time, I wouldn't mind adding another Swallow corpse to your KGB archives!"

"roll!"

A furious shout, like a thunderclap.

Katerina trembled violently with fear. Her proud mental defenses were shattered in the face of this man's domineering aura.

She didn't even dare to say a word in rebuttal. Grabbing the documents on the table, she staggered out of the suite like a frightened quail.

Outside the door, He Yuzhu coldly watched Katerina flee, his gun already half-drawn.

"Commander, are we just going to let her go like this?" He Yuzhu asked, somewhat unwillingly, as he entered the room.

"She's just a third-rate agent; killing her would only give people something to talk about."

Lin Yang walked to the window, looked at the deep Moscow night sky, and a cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"Khrushchev is testing my limits. Now that he's shown his hand, the real battle at the negotiating table begins tomorrow!"

……

The next morning.

The snow in Moscow is falling even harder.

The delegation's inspection tour has officially begun.

The first stop was the Ural Heavy Machinery Plant in the Soviet Union.

This was the absolute pride of Soviet industry, known as the "Father of the Factory." It possessed the world's largest heavy machinery production line at the time, and countless tanks, artillery pieces, and large rolling mills were manufactured here.

Deputy Minister Arkady personally accompanied Lin Yang and his delegation on their visit.

Inside the enormous factory, the roar of machinery was deafening. Several-story-high hydraulic presses were forging red-hot steel ingots, sparks flying and waves of heat washing over the workers.

Arkady walked ahead, his face full of pride and arrogance.

"General Lin, look at this. This is the industrial power of our great Soviet Union! In all of Asia, only we are capable of manufacturing such heavy equipment."

Arkady pointed to a 10,000-ton hydraulic press that was in operation.

"According to the preliminary agreement we reached, the Soviet Union will assist you in building a heavy machinery plant. However, considering the relatively weak technical skills of Chinese workers, our expert group suggests that we first provide you with the blueprints for a 3,000-ton hydraulic press. After you have digested this technology, we can consider higher-level equipment in ten years."

These words were spoken.

Chief Engineer Shen Zhiyuan, who was walking behind Lin Yang, changed his expression instantly.

He angrily pushed up his glasses and said to Lin Yang in a low voice, "Minister! They're playing tricks! A 3,000-ton hydraulic press is simply incapable of forging the main shaft of a large aircraft engine, let alone producing armor for heavy tanks! They're trying to fool us with outdated and obsolete technology!"

Qiao Jian clenched his fists angrily, waiting for Lin Yang to say something.

Lin Yang stopped in his tracks.

He didn't look at the huge hydraulic press, but turned his head and stared intently at Arkady.

"Deputy Minister Arkady."

Lin Yang's voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears with exceptional clarity amidst the roar of the machines.

"I traveled all the way from Beijing to Moscow by train for several days, not to visit your industrial museum, nor to scavenge your discarded junk!"

Qiao Jian immediately translated Lin Yang's words into extremely stern Russian.

Arkady's face darkened, and he said with some displeasure, "General Lin, what do you mean by that? The Soviet Union's aid of 3,000-ton-class equipment is already a huge support! Your workers struggle even to understand Russian blueprints. If we gave you a 10,000-ton-class hydraulic press, could you even build it?"

Whether we can manufacture it or not is a matter for us Chinese!

Lin Yang suddenly stepped forward, his powerful aura forcing Arkady to take a half step back.

"Since it's one of 156 key projects requiring assistance, it must involve the latest and most cutting-edge technology!"

Lin Yang pointed to the 10,000-ton hydraulic press.

"What I want isn't three thousand tons! I want the complete design drawings, process flow, and the mother machine for producing the core components of this ten-thousand-ton hydraulic press!"

"Not just hydraulic presses! For the next aircraft engine factory, I need the latest jet engine blueprints for the MiG-19, not your retired MiG-15 junk!"

"Tractor factory, I need the chassis and suspension technology of the T-54 tank, not the obsolete T-34!"

Lin Yang, like an enraged lion, slammed his bottom line into Arkady's face without any attempt to hide it.

Arkady was so angry he laughed; he thought the Chinese general was simply insane.

"General Lin! You're daydreaming! These are top-level Soviet state secrets! We would never hand them over to you! Even if Comrade Khrushchev himself gave the order, our Heavy Machinery Department would absolutely not agree!"

"disagree?"

Lin Yang sneered, turned around, and looked at Arkady's arrogant face.

"Deputy Minister Arkady, you seem to have forgotten something."

Lin Yang extended a finger and jabbed it heavily into Arkady's chest.

"When American bombs fell on the banks of the Yalu River, when MacArthur threatened to bring the war to Siberia!"

"Who was it that, in the minus forty degrees Celsius at Chosin Reservoir, used their flesh and blood to stop the American tanks?!"

"Who was it that shed their last drop of blood in the tunnels of Shangganling, driving the so-called UN forces back to the negotiating table?!"

Lin Yang's voice suddenly rose, booming like thunder in the factory.

"It's us! It's the Chinese People's Volunteer Army!"

"The blood we shed on the Korean Peninsula not only protected China, but also the absolute security of your Soviet Far East! We used the lives of hundreds of thousands of soldiers to win this war for the founding of the nation for the entire socialist camp!"

Lin Yang stared intently at Arkady, his eyes reddening, and spoke slowly and deliberately.

"We bled! We risked our lives! Now, I've come to get a few sets of industrial blueprints, and you're trying to fob me off with outdated, defective parts?!"

"Let me tell you! We Chinese will never eat other people's leftovers!"

"You won't give me the core technology? Fine!"

Lin Yang suddenly waved his hand, his expression resolute.

"Old Zhao, Qiao Jian! Pack your things! We're buying train tickets and heading back to China today!"

"We don't need those 156 projects! Without Soviet aid, we Chinese can still build heavy industry even if we have to dig with our bare hands and bite with our teeth!"

After saying that, Lin Yang turned around without hesitation and strode out of the factory.