Chapter 179: First Meeting with Li Yunlong

"I, Li Yunlong, hate these flowery, pretentious things the most. Come, let's first take a look at the new gadgets you've prepared this time. I heard there's something good you want us to get a first taste of?"

Li Mingyuan nodded and led Li Yunlong and his staff team into the exhibition area.

To his surprise, Li Yunlong's understanding of weapons far exceeded that of an average commander; for almost every exhibit, he could quickly grasp the key performance parameters and raise some highly practical questions.

"This machine gun, the rate of fire has increased, but has the overheating problem been solved? We were fighting in the southeast, and one time the machine gun fired continuously until the barrel turned red-hot, and it even burned through the soldier's gloves."

"It has been solved," Li Mingyuan answered confidently, "The new barrel uses a special alloy, increasing heat dissipation efficiency by 30%, and a quick-change mechanism has been designed, allowing the barrel to be replaced within 10 seconds during combat."

Li Yunlong nodded with satisfaction and walked toward the next exhibit: "What kind of thing is this?" He pointed at a black, cylindrical device.

"This is our newly developed 'Flying Dragon-1' man-portable anti-aircraft rocket," Li Mingyuan introduced,

"Specifically designed to deal with Star-Spangled Country aircraft. It weighs less than 15 kilograms, can be operated by a single ordinary soldier, has a range of 4,000 meters, and is equipped with an infrared seeker that can automatically track the heat source of an aircraft's Engine, with a hit rate as high as 70%."

Li Yunlong's eyes lit up instantly: "Are you serious? One soldier can shoot down an airplane?"

"As long as the training is proper, that is indeed the case."

Li Yunlong slapped his palm down hard: "Damn it, now that's what I call a weapon! Those sons of bitches, the Star-Spangled Country pilots, are showing off above our heads all day long; it's high time we gave them a taste of their own medicine! Tomorrow, for the live-fire demonstration, we must see the power of this thing with our own eyes!"

"Of course, there will be a complete live-fire demonstration tomorrow," Li Mingyuan assured him.

After visiting all the exhibits, Li Yunlong invited Li Mingyuan to have dinner together.

They were in a simple restaurant next to the shooting range, gathered around a crude wooden table with only a few home-cooked dishes and a bottle of strong white liquor on it.

"Come, Xiao Li, let's have a drink together!" Li Yunlong poured two glasses of liquor, handed one to Li Mingyuan, and picked up the other himself, "A toast to you, to you, this remarkable weapons expert!"

Li Mingyuan clinked glasses with him and took a small sip; the spiciness of the alcohol burned all the way from his throat to his stomach.

Li Yunlong, however, downed his in one gulp and slammed the glass onto the table with a bang:

"Refreshing! Xiao Li, I've wanted to meet you for a long time. Do you know why?"

Li Mingyuan shook his head.

"Because you, kid, understand the battlefield!" Li Yunlong tapped the table, his tone incomparably certain,

"Those other experts, all they know is theory, theory, theory all day long. The things they come up with might be pretty, but in actual combat, they're worth shit! You're different; every weapon you design is damn well suited to the needs of the battlefield, as if you've been to the front lines yourself!"

"Speaking of the battlefield," Li Mingyuan changed the subject, "How does the General view the current situation? Especially regarding the threat from the Star-Spangled Country air force?"

Li Yunlong's expression turned serious all of a sudden:

"It's not optimistic, brother. Those bastards from the Star-Spangled Country have ten times more planes than we do, and more. Especially that 'Sabre' fighter of theirs; it's fast and has heavy firepower, and our existing Anti-aircraft Guns simply can't stop them. If a real fight breaks out, what I worry about most is the issue of air superiority."

He took a swig of liquor and continued: "You know it too; without air superiority, ground troops are like targets pinned down, waiting to be slaughtered. Even my unit, if we don't have effective anti-aircraft means, will be torn to shreds by their air power."

Li Mingyuan nodded thoughtfully: "The General is quite right. However, perhaps things aren't that pessimistic."

"Oh?" Li Yunlong raised his eyebrows, "Xiao Li, what kind of devious idea do you have?"

Li Mingyuan smiled slightly: "Consider it a welcoming gift for the General; you'll know once you see the live-fire demonstration tomorrow."

"A welcoming gift?" Li Yunlong became interested at once, "What kind of welcoming gift is so mysterious?"

"A weapon that will make Star-Spangled Country pilots tremble with fear," Li Mingyuan teased, "I guarantee it will satisfy the General."

Li Yunlong slapped the table in excitement: "Good kid, mysterious enough! Come, come, let's have another drink; I'll be waiting to have my eyes opened tomorrow!"

The two clinked glasses and chatted, from the battlefield situation to weapons development, and from personal experiences to military anecdotes.

Li Yunlong told stories of the front lines vividly, sometimes impassioned, sometimes solemn; those vivid battlefield experiences were an eye-opener even for Li Mingyuan, a person from a later age.

Before they knew it, the bottle of strong white liquor was empty, and the relationship between the two had grown much closer.

"Xiao Li," Li Yunlong's voice became a bit slurred due to the alcohol, but his expression was exceptionally earnest,

"Do you know, I've fought countless battles in my life and seen countless people, but talent like you is truly rare. If it weren't for the country needing you to do research and development in the rear, I'd really want to bring you into my unit!"

Li Mingyuan smiled: "General, my job is to ensure that you and the soldiers have the best weapons; that is my responsibility."

Li Yunlong waved his hand: "Don't give me that, it sounds too fake." He suddenly lowered his voice, "Seriously, Xiao Li, do you think this war can be won? The Star-Spangled Country is so powerful, and they even have that kind of Mushroom Bomb..."

This was the first time Li Mingyuan had seen Li Yunlong reveal a worried emotion; this iron-blooded general, when talking about the military strength of the Star-Spangled Country, actually had a flash of anxiety in his eyes.

Li Mingyuan was silent for a moment, then said firmly: "We can, and we must win. General, tomorrow you will see that we are not without the power to fight back. The power of technology can sometimes create miracles, and we people of the Long Country have never lacked the courage to create miracles."

Li Yunlong stared at Li Mingyuan for a good while, as if trying to see something in the eyes of this young man.

Finally, he smiled, and that smile revealed a sense of relief from regaining confidence: "Good! Just for those words of yours, I must take a good look at how powerful your 'welcoming gift' really is tomorrow!"

The night grew deeper, and the two continued to chat incessantly, as if they had an endless supply of topics.

That night, a technical genius from the future and a military legend tempered by the fires of war came together because of a shared mission; no one knew how this meeting would change the course of the coming war.

……

The next morning, just as the Taiyang climbed over the mountaintop, Li Mingyuan had already brought his technical team to a remote valley twenty kilometers away from the main shooting range.

The terrain here was hidden and surrounded by mountains, making it an ideal place for testing high-power weapons.

"Deploy according to the blueprints," Li Mingyuan directed several staff members, "Place the 'enemy' tank models in the central area and set up infantry bunkers around them to simulate a chaotic defensive position."