Chapter 400: Long Country People Are Good at Window Dressing

"This is a journey of exploration," Lebrun, head of the delegation and a former high-ranking official of the Ministry of Economy, said to the reporters, "We hope to understand the state of Long Country's industrial development and explore potential cooperation opportunities."

But in private, his instructions to the team members were more direct: "Focus on their steel products and mechanical equipment. If the prices are indeed as stated in the brochure, we need to consider adjusting our procurement strategy."

Defense industry expert Dupont expressed skepticism: "I don't believe Long Country can provide truly high-quality products. Their industrial foundation is too weak."

Lebrun shook his head: "Do not be blinded by outdated impressions. Long Country is changing rapidly, and their performance on the battlefield has already proven this."

Technical consultant Bernard interjected: "But that so-called 'Numerical Control Machine Tool' is clearly nonsense. Even our higher research institutes are still at the basic stage; how could Long Country be ahead?"

"We will know tomorrow," Lebrun smiled, "If it is true, we will face a brand-new competitor; if it is false, we will at least know Long Country's bottom line. In any case, this trip is worth it."

Compared to the delegations of various countries in the open, the activities of intelligence personnel in the shadows were even more frequent.

The Central Intelligence Agency of the Star-Spangled Country dispatched a special team composed of technical experts and Intelligence Officers, who mixed into the delegations of various countries under the guise of "business consultants."

"I want to know the true performance of every product exhibited by Long Country," the person in charge, Woaerte, instructed at a secret meeting, "Especially that so-called 'Numerical Control Machine Tool'; take detailed photos, and if possible, obtain the technical parameters."

"And that Li Mingyuan," he added, "It is said that he is the key figure in Long Country's technological breakthrough. I want to know everything about him—background, education, working style; do not miss any detail."

The KGB of Beijixiong Guo also dispatched a powerful lineup, and their goal was more specific—to evaluate Long Country's true industrial strength, especially its military production capacity.

"Do not be deceived by superficial phenomena," the KGB head, Andelie, emphasized to his subordinates, "Long Country people are good at window dressing. What we need is hard data—production capacity, technical parameters, raw material sources; these are what reflect their true strength."

As the delegations from various countries arrived one after another, the atmosphere in Yangcheng became increasingly lively. The streets and alleys were covered with welcome slogans, hotels and restaurants were packed, and local residents also welcomed these guests from afar with great enthusiasm.

However, when these foreign representatives inspected the environment around the exhibition area, many people's attitudes began to change subtly.

"Look at these roads," Smith of the Yuegongniu delegation mocked, "Except for the main road of the exhibition area, other places are still muddy. They clearly used all their resources on the display, while actual living conditions are very backward."

Technical consultant Bernard of the Gallic Chicken country also discovered a similar situation: "The factory equipment outside the exhibition area is very old, and workers are still operating manually. This forms a sharp contrast with the modern factories described in the brochure."

Even the Taiji Tiger delegation, which had a favorable impression of Long Country, had to admit this point.

"The urban infrastructure is indeed more backward than we imagined," Pu Shenghao said to his colleague, "It seems that Long Country's modernization is still in the initial stage."

Technical consultant Li Zhitai was even more blunt: "If even the basic urban construction is like this, how could they master cutting-edge technology like Numerical Control Machine Tools? I am increasingly convinced that it is nothing more than a carefully designed marketing scam."

This skeptical sentiment even affected the delegations from Africa and Latin America.

"Perhaps our expectations were too high," President Mubeike said privately to his staff, "Long Country did indeed defeat the Star-Spangled Country, but their industrial foundation does not look strong."

Defense Minister Aobite tried to comfort him: "Don't forget, they just experienced a war. And, what is truly important is the products at the exhibition, not the appearance of the city."

Three days before the opening of the exhibition, the delegations of various countries were invited to attend a preview event, where they could roughly understand the layout of the exhibition area and the types of exhibits before the official opening.

However, this preview further deepened many people's suspicions.

Although the exhibition area was grand in scale, the handling of details was slightly rough. Some booths were still under intense construction, and the busy figures of workers could be seen everywhere. What was even more disappointing was that the Hexin exhibits, such as the Numerical Control Machine Tool and advanced weapon systems, were all tightly covered, leaving only mysterious outlines.

"This is either a lack of preparation or a deliberate attempt to create suspense," Williams of Yuegongniu commented, "In either case, it does not look like the performance of a mature industrial country."

Lebrun of the Gallic Chicken country also felt disappointed: "If they really had such advanced products, why not display them directly? This kind of concealment only makes people suspicious."

The criticisms from the technical experts were even more direct.

"Look at those semi-finished booths," Thompson, a mechanical engineering expert from Yuegongniu, pointed to a spot and said, "The welding marks are obvious, and the surface treatment is rough; this is by no means the standard that precision machinery should have."

Bernard of the Gallic Chicken country added: "And the power system looks very unstable, with many temporary wiring connections; how could this environment support the operation of high-precision numerical control equipment?"

Even the technical experts from Yinghua Guo began to waver: "Perhaps our expectations for Long Country were indeed too high. Even if they have certain technological breakthroughs, the level of industrialization still looks very primitive."

This skeptical sentiment even affected the welcome banquet organized by the Long Country officials.

In the most luxurious hotel in Yangcheng, the delegations from various countries gathered together; on the surface, it was bustling with excitement, but the private exchanges were full of suspicion and speculation.

"Did you see the Numerical Control Machine Tool?" Thompson of Yuegongniu asked.

"No, it was all covered up," Bernard of the Gallic Chicken country replied, "But judging from the outline, it was nothing more than an ordinary lathe with some casing added."

"I bet the so-called 'fully automatic' is just a gimmick," the technical expert from Yinghua Guo interjected, "At most, it's semi-automatic with manual operation."

The military experts from various countries were also not optimistic about the weapons display.

"The Type 56 Rifle series might be real," Jin Tieshu of the Taiji Tiger country said, "After all, that is equipment they actually used on the battlefield. But the so-called '107 Rocket Launcher', the performance parameters are clearly exaggerated."

The defense industry expert from Yuegongniu sneered: "Long Country has always been an arms importer; they cannot possibly master advanced weapon manufacturing technology in a short period of time."

The only thing that kept the delegations of various countries expectant was Long Country's steel products.

"The steel industry is relatively mature, and the technical threshold is not that high," Brown, a metallurgical expert from Yuegongniu, said, "If they have indeed improved the production process, a thirty-percent discount is possible."