Chapter 217

After all, behind any high-tech innovation usually lies the arduous effort of countless individuals.

It requires massive investments of time and money.

Moreover, even with such substantial investment, that is merely a prerequisite.

Whether results can be achieved remains uncertain for anyone.

It is quite common for many large corporations to invest astronomical sums in research and development, only to end up with nothing but empty baskets.

Therefore, regarding Lin Yi's words, Song Song Tiejun and the others raised no objections.

"Since you all agree, I must explain that producing carbon fiber models like the T1300 is extremely difficult,"

"and coupled with research and development costs, the price of this product will be very high!"

Hearing Lin Yi say this, Song Song Tiejun smiled and said:

"Of course, for such high-end products, if it weren't for Fengyi Technology, our country wouldn't be able to purchase them even if we wanted to; a higher price is only reasonable!"

"In that case!" Lin Yi immediately quoted an astronomical price:

"Ten thousand yuan per kilogram!"

Hearing this price, Colonel Song was also startled; although he knew the price Lin Yi mentioned would certainly not be cheap,

the figure of ten thousand yuan per kilogram truly exceeded their expectations.

At this price, the military would need to spend twenty billion Chinese yuan to procure two thousand tons of material.

Of course, the military could afford this sum.

It was just slightly over budget.

"President Lin, could you not make it a little cheaper?"

Song Song Tiejun asked.

"Colonel Song, this is already the lowest price; otherwise, I would rather not accept this order, as it would not only yield no profit but also incur losses!"

Lin Yi said, feigning grievance.

"This... wait a moment while I consult my superiors..." Having said this, Song Song Tiejun went to an empty office to consult with the military leadership alone.

After about ten minutes, he returned and said:

"President Lin, is there any room to lower the price? The military's finances are indeed somewhat tight!"

Seeing Song Song Tiejun speak this way, Lin Yi fell into deep thought for a long time; he even went with CEO Yang Chen to the adjacent office, where they ultimately ended up arguing.

Yang Chen slammed the door and stormed out.

Lin Yi, red-faced and ears burning, cursed:

"Can't I handle you, huh? Who exactly is the boss here? Tomorrow I'll fire you!"

Seeing his expression, Colonel Song asked in confusion:

"President Lin, what is wrong with you?"

"It's all because of that old Yang; he stubbornly refused to lower the price. I argued with him for a long time, explaining that these are for military use, concerning national defense projects,"

"and even the DWS platform requires them..."

Hearing this, Colonel Song was greatly alarmed:

"President Lin, speak carefully, speak carefully... let's not mention the DWS platform..."

"Alright, I know it involves secret national units; fine, I won't say more... I just argued fiercely with old Yang,"

"but old Yang said that selling at such a price would definitely result in losses... even the military shouldn't force private enterprises to sell at a loss, right?"

"He asked, if the company goes bankrupt, will the military take care of us?..."

"I immediately replied that even if my company goes bankrupt, for the sake of the nation, I would sell at a loss. As a result, old Yang just slammed the door and left. Colonel Song, isn't that infuriating? Anyone unaware would think I'm the employee and he's the boss. No, I must fire him tomorrow!"

Lin Yi looked as if he were so angry that his veins were bulging.

Song Song Tiejun looked at Lin Yi, who appeared utterly furious.

One might say the man was acting, yet that anger did not seem fake in the slightest.

However, as far as he knew, that Yang Chen was no simple character.

He had resigned from a high-paying position at a major foreign company to return home and assist Fengyi Technology.

It was under Yang Chen's management that Fengyi Technology's operational standards were able to improve steadily.

One could say it was Yang Chen's arrival that allowed the company to experience explosive growth.

Would someone like Lin Yi bear to fire such talent?

Nevertheless, despite his inner doubts, Song Song Tiejun still offered comfort:

"Director Lin, please calm your anger; I believe Director Yang meant well!"

"But how could he act this way? For us in business, even if we suffer losses ourselves, we must not let the nation suffer, correct?"

"If he doesn't even understand that, what kind of CEO is he?!"

Lin Yi spoke with great emotion and vivid expression.

Immediately, his words moved every one of the officers accompanying Song Song Tiejun deeply.

In their hearts, the boss before them was no longer merely a businessman;

he had become a model of patriotism.

Look at his awareness; he would rather suffer losses himself than let the nation suffer.

With such character, it would be a shame if he didn't win a spot among the Top Ten Touching Figures of Longguo this year.

They resolved to report this matter upward, ensuring the military would commend Fengyi Technology.

As for Song Song Tiejun, although he did not know whether Director Lin's impassioned speech was genuine or feigned,

he could hardly allow a private enterprise to operate at a loss while doing business with the military.

If this matter were ever leaked, how would others view the military?

Receiving such huge military expenditures annually, only to end up squeezing a single private company dry.

Thus, after a moment's thought, he said:

"Director Lin, how about this: what do you think of 9,000 per kilogram?"

Hearing this, Lin Yi fell into deep thought, appearing extremely troubled.

In reality, however, he was laughing uncontrollably inside.

Actually, although high-end carbon fiber is difficult to produce and technically demanding,

with Fengyi Technology's mass production capabilities, the cost does not exceed 800 yuan per kilogram.

This meant Lin Yi was selling it at directly ten times the cost.

Perhaps someone might ask, aren't the people of Longguo supposed to be patriotic?

But has Lin Yi not been patriotic in doing this?

From now on, the nation would no longer have worries about importing high-end carbon fiber,

nor would it need to circumvent the COCOM agreement.

Although the price is slightly higher,

the latest T1100 from Japan currently reaches 5,000 yuan per kilogram, and it is still an export-controlled product,

whereas Fengyi Technology's product is at least two generations more advanced than theirs.

Is an increase of one or two thousand per generation really expensive?

In fact, by 2016, the nation was not particularly short of funds;

military expenditures were rising every year.

The Longguo military simply did not lack these trivial sums from Lin Yi.

Furthermore, must high-tech products be sold at rock-bottom prices to count as patriotic?

If that were truly the case, it would severely damage the spirit of independent innovation within enterprises.

Moreover, actually,

any enterprise that has cooperated with the military knows that doing business with them is never a losing proposition.

The military is famously generous.

Unlike certain local situations where construction payments are arrears,

as long as your product is excellent enough to enter the military supply chain, you can basically sit back and wait for the money to roll in.

The little drama Lin Yi had just performed with CEO Yang Chen had even made Senior Colonel Song Song Tiejun feel embarrassed.

— Author's Notes —

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