Chapter 391: The Rise of Industry: Adding Weapons

He drew a simple pyramid on the blackboard:

"Technological research and development requires a strong industrial foundation, while industrial development requires sufficient financial support. If we can earn foreign exchange through steel exports, on one hand, we can support the research and development of high-tech projects, and on the other hand, we can also upgrade our industrial foundation. More importantly," his voice became even firmer,

"Once Long Country becomes the world's largest steel exporter, we can grasp the power to set industry standards and become a key link in the global industrial chain."

"Control standards?" Dean He's eyes lit up, "Just like the Star-Spangled Country does now?"

"That's right," Li Mingyuan nodded, "To master the standards is to master the right to speak. If we define steel specifications today, we can influence the direction of global industrial development tomorrow. This is far more important than simply selling products."

The atmosphere in the conference room gradually became heated, and people began to see the far-reaching influence of this plan.

"Chief Engineer Li," Director Chen of the Ministry of Industry said solemnly,

"Your ideas are very forward-looking, but steel alone is not enough. We need a complete industrial system; we need machine tools, automobiles, ships..."

Li Mingyuan raised his hand: "Director Chen is right; this is exactly the second proposal I want to discuss."

He walked to the corner of the conference room, opened a large box that no one had noticed before, and took out several metal parts and a blueprint:

"This is the semi-automatic machine tool production line I designed. It adopts a modular design, which can significantly increase production efficiency. With a steel foundation, we can rapidly expand machine tool production, thereby driving the upgrade of the entire industrial system."

Director Chen took the parts, examined them carefully, and an expression of surprise appeared on his face.

"Steel is the foundation, and machine tools are the mother machines of industry," Li Mingyuan explained,

"With these two, we can build a complete industrial chain, not only meeting domestic demand but also exporting to earn foreign exchange."

The atmosphere in the conference room became increasingly heated, and experts expressed their opinions one after another, discussing the feasibility and potential impact of this bold plan.

Just then, General Liu, the representative from the Military Department, suddenly asked:

"Chief Engineer Li, speaking of exports, I thought of a question. During the war, we accumulated a large amount of weapons and equipment. Now that it is peaceful, how should these things be handled?"

This question made the conference room quiet down.

Indeed, Long Country had urgently produced a large number of weapons during the war, from pistols and rifles to tanks and artillery, and the inventory was staggering.

And now that the war was over, these weapons had become a burden overnight.

Li Mingyuan's eyes lit up: "General Liu has raised a good question. These weapons should not be viewed as a burden, but as valuable resources."

He walked quickly to the map: "There are many countries and regions in the world that are striving for independence or facing security threats. They are in urgent need of weapons and equipment, but the Star-Spangled Country only sells to its own allies, and the equipment from Beijixiong Guo is too expensive and comes with political conditions. If we can provide high-quality and inexpensive weapons, we will surely win a large market and political influence."

The head of the Military Department frowned: "Arms exports involve national security and international relations; it is not a simple commercial act."

"Of course," Li Mingyuan nodded, "We can establish a strict review mechanism, exporting only to friendly countries, and we can manage it by tiers—basic weapons for wide export, and advanced weapons under strict control. The key is that we must build a complete military trade system, including equipment standardization, after-sales service, and training support."

He took out another document: "This is the list of exportable weapons I have preliminarily compiled, divided into three tiers according to strategic sensitivity. Tier one is ordinary light weapons, which can be widely exported; tier two is conventional heavy weapons, for selective export; tier three is strategic equipment, provided only to our most core allies."

The Chief of Staff of the Military Department took the document, browsed it quickly, and an expression of surprise appeared on his face: "This list is very comprehensive, and even includes some weapons that we ourselves are still researching and developing."

"Be prepared for a rainy day," Li Mingyuan explained, "Some equipment is not yet ready for export, but as our technology develops, we will soon be able to achieve mass production. Building a complete military trade system requires forward-looking planning."

Minister Zhang pondered for a moment: "Chief Engineer Li, the suggestions you put forward today go far beyond the scope of technological research and development; they have already touched upon national strategy and economic layout. I need to understand, what is your long-term vision?"

Li Mingyuan looked around at everyone in the conference room, his tone firm and calm: "My vision is very simple—let Long Country complete the industrialization process of Western countries in ten years, catch up with the Star-Spangled Country in twenty years, and become the undisputed number one power in the world in thirty years."

The conference room was deathly silent, and everyone was shocked by this grand vision.

"This sounds like a fantasy," Dean He broke the silence, "But looking at what Chief Engineer Li has already achieved, I have to believe that this might truly be possible."

The head of the Military Department nodded: "If we can build a strong industrial foundation and export system, it will be a huge boost to our national defense construction."

Director Wang of the Ministry of Foreign Trade also expressed his stance: "From a trade perspective, this plan has great potential, especially now that the international landscape is being reorganized; it is a good time for us to expand our influence."

Minister Zhang made the final decision: "Chief Engineer Li's proposal is very valuable, and I think it is worth further study and implementation. I ask the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Foreign Trade, and the Military Industry Commission to jointly form a special task force and come up with a detailed plan within a week. Chief Engineer Li, please serve as the technical consultant for this group."

Li Mingyuan nodded in agreement: "I will organize a more detailed technical plan and implementation path as soon as possible."

After the meeting ended, Li Mingyuan stood alone in front of the window, looking at the rolling mountains in the distance.

A grand blueprint of Long Country's rise had already emerged in his mind—steel production ranked first in the world, the machinery manufacturing industry leading the world, trade networks covering the globe, and military strength that made the Star-Spangled Country look on in despair...

……

Returning to his office, Li Mingyuan immediately threw himself into work. He needed to complete three detailed lists in the shortest possible time: a steel production plan, machine tool manufacturing standards, and the most urgent one—a weapons export catalog.

He started with the weapons list first, because it was the easiest to implement. Long Country's existing inventory could meet initial demand; it only required standardization and market development.

"Light weapons category: pistols, rifles, submachine guns, light machine guns, heavy machine guns, mortars, anti-tank rocket launchers..."

"Heavy weapons category: tanks, armored vehicles, field artillery, anti-aircraft guns, radar systems, military trucks..."

Li Mingyuan quickly listed the specific models, performance parameters, and production capacity for each type of weapon, while noting which were existing inventory and which required new research and development. He paid special attention to those weapons that had performed well in actual combat; these would be the flagship products of Long Country's military trade.

"System, give me an analysis of the current political situation of countries around the world, focusing on which countries might become our weapons markets."