Chapter 129: The First Batch of Materials Arrives

"All right, thank you for your concern, Minister." He nodded, "However, I still have a lot of technology to research, and I hope these security measures will not affect my normal work."

"Rest assured, they have received professional training and will never disturb you." Minister Zhao patted his shoulder, "The country has entrusted its most precious treasure—your brain—to my care, and I must take responsibility for it."

Just like that, amidst the envious, jealous, or complex gazes of the people in the Siheyuan, two armed guards appeared at the entrance of Li Mingyuan's small courtyard, standing watch in shifts day and night.

……

The next day, another piece of exciting news arrived.

"Extraordinary good news! Our country's first batch of important materials exchanged for weapons has arrived at the northern port, totaling 20,000 tons of oil, 5,000 tons of natural rubber, and over 8,000 tons of non-ferrous metals! This marks a major breakthrough in our country's foreign trade and injects powerful momentum into national industrial and defense construction!"

Li Mingyuan, who was supervising the numerical control transformation in the workshop, received the internal newspaper and a satisfied smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

This batch of materials was the result of his initial suggestion to exchange weapons for strategic resources.

"Finally here," he muttered to himself, "Without these raw materials, even the most advanced designs can only lie on the blueprints."

At lunchtime, the canteen was packed with workers discussing the materials.

"I heard that a lot of scarce materials have arrived this time, even things like tungsten and molybdenum that we usually never see!" a mechanic said excitedly.

"That's for sure, and there's chromium, nickel, vanadium, and manganese, all essential for making special steel," an old Technician replied.

"The rarest ones are those rare metals, germanium, gallium, rubidium, and cesium; these are key materials for making electronic equipment!"

"I heard from Lao Liu of the Security Section," a young worker lowered his voice, "This batch of materials was obtained by Chief Engineer Li using our newly developed weapons. Those countries, once they saw our rocket launchers and Rifles, were scrambling to buy them!"

Li Mingyuan walked into the canteen with his food tray, and the discussion came to an abrupt halt. The workers stood up one after another, their faces filled with respect and admiration.

"Hello, Chief Engineer Li!"

"Chief Engineer Li has come to eat!"

Li Mingyuan nodded slightly and found a corner to sit down.

Ever since he wore that Five-Star Medal, his treatment in the factory had changed.

The canteen auntie gave him significantly larger portions of food than others, and the meat was in bigger chunks too.

Two security personnel stood right behind him, never leaving his side, which made him feel completely uncomfortable.

"Everyone, don't be like this," Li Mingyuan said helplessly, "Just go about your business; I'm just here to eat."

The workers then sat back down and continued eating, but they still stole glances at him from time to time.

"Chief Engineer Li," a young Technician gathered his courage and approached, "Is it true that we used our weapons to exchange for so many good things?"

Li Mingyuan chewed his food and nodded, "Partly, but this is just the beginning."

"That's amazing!" The young Technician's eyes lit up, "The weapons made by our own Long Country can also sell for a good price!"

"It's not selling, it's exchanging," Li Mingyuan corrected, "Using what we have to exchange for what we don't have—that is the essence of trade."

Just as they were speaking, a black sedan drove into the factory area, and Minister Zhao rushed into the canteen in a flurry, spotting Li Mingyuan in the corner at a glance.

"Mingyuan, come with me quickly. The first batch of materials has arrived at the warehouse, and we must hurry to formulate an allocation plan!"

Li Mingyuan hurriedly finished the last few bites of his meal and left the canteen with Minister Zhao.

The Central Material Warehouse was located in the suburbs of the city and was heavily guarded.

When the car carrying Li Mingyuan and Minister Zhao drove into the warehouse gate, two rows of soldiers with loaded guns stood at attention and saluted.

Inside the warehouse, rows of sacks, wooden crates, and metal drums were neatly stacked, and workers were busy unloading and registering the cargo.

"Look, these were all exchanged for your designs," Minister Zhao said, full of pride, pointing to the mountain of materials piled up in the warehouse.

Li Mingyuan took a deep breath; the warehouse was filled with the mixed scent of rubber, oil, and metal—for an industrial country, this was simply the most intoxicating fragrance.

"It means we have broken through the blockade and obtained the urgently needed strategic materials."

"Not only that," Minister Zhao said excitedly, "This proves that we can open up a path for survival with our own strength! We no longer have to rely entirely on the aid of the Polar Bear!"

He led Li Mingyuan toward a row of special metal crates and opened one, revealing the silvery-white metal ingots inside.

"Look, this is niobium, this is tantalum, this is rubidium, and there's germanium, gallium, cesium..." Minister Zhao listed them like a connoisseur, "These rare metals are almost impossible to produce domestically."

Li Mingyuan nodded; he was more than familiar with these elements.

In modern society, they were key elements for manufacturing semiconductors, Integrated Circuits, special glass, and superconducting materials.

In this era, being able to obtain these materials was simply a huge surprise.

"Especially germanium," Li Mingyuan picked up a piece of dark gray metal, "This is the best material for making Transistors, more suitable for early electronic equipment than silicon."

Minister Zhao was somewhat surprised, "You know about this?"

"I know a little bit," Li Mingyuan answered cautiously, not wanting to overexpose his knowledge, "I came into contact with some basic electronics while studying in Mocheng."

Minister Zhao nodded, did not delve further, and turned to discuss the issue of material allocation.

"The higher-ups have instructed that this batch of materials should prioritize the needs of military production and key projects," he pointed to the list in his hand,

"Oil is mainly allocated to refineries and the machinery industry, rubber to tire factories and military factories, and non-ferrous metals..."

He looked at Li Mingyuan, "Do you have any specific suggestions?"

Li Mingyuan thought for a moment, "Among the non-ferrous metals, aluminum should be prioritized for the aviation industry; copper should be used for power and electronic equipment; nickel and chromium should be focused on special steel plants for producing high-strength alloy steel; tungsten and molybdenum should be reserved for military enterprises for making armor-piercing warheads..."

He listed the best uses for over a dozen metals in one breath, and Minister Zhao was dumbfounded, hurriedly signaling his secretary to write it down.

"As for the rare metals," Li Mingyuan continued, "they are mainly for electronic research institutes and military communication equipment, especially germanium, which should be handed over entirely to the semiconductor research institute for the research and development of Transistors."

"Transistors?" Minister Zhao asked curiously, "What is that?"

"Simply put, they are electronic components that are smaller and more efficient than Vacuum Tubes," Li Mingyuan explained,

"They can amplify electrical signals or be used as switches, and they are the core components of future electronic equipment. If we can master Transistor Technology, our communication and Radar equipment will have a qualitative leap."

Minister Zhao was thoughtful, "Sounds very important; I will report it to the higher-ups specifically. By the way, how is your recent research work going?"