Chapter 403: You Are Dumping

When the load reached 2.5 times the design standard, the experts from the Gaulish Chicken Country were already whispering to each other with grave expressions; when it reached 3 times, the entire delegation from Yuegongniu stood up and walked to the test bench for a close-up observation; when it reached 3.5 times without any deformation or damage appearing, Kovalenko of Beijixiong Guo could no longer hold back.

"Impossible!" he said, his voice trembling, "This is absolutely impossible! Even our most advanced steel mill cannot produce steel with this kind of performance!"

The scene was in an uproar; experts from various countries stood up one after another, surrounding the test bench, vying to examine the steel samples and testing equipment. Some suspected the testing equipment had been tampered with, while others believed the steel samples were specially made and not representative.

Li Mingyuan stood to the side with a light and breezy smile on his face, letting them inspect, question, and argue. He knew the real bombshell was yet to come.

When the testing concluded and the arguments subsided slightly, Li Mingyuan made a gesture to signal everyone to be quiet.

"Everyone, you have surely seen the performance of Long Country steel with your own eyes. Now, I would like to announce news that may be even more shocking."

He clapped his hands, and staff immediately projected a detailed price list and cost analysis onto the large screen.

"Thanks to our Top-Bottom Combined Blowing Converter technology, Long Country steel not only has excellent performance but also significantly reduced costs. Therefore, we have decided to export high-quality steel to friendly countries at 70% of the international market price."

This sentence exploded in the venue like a bomb.

"Seventy percent?" Smith, the economic advisor from Yuegongniu, shouted out, "This is naked dumping!"

Li Mingyuan shook his head and pointed to the cost analysis on the screen: "It is not dumping, but a legitimate cost advantage brought about by technological progress. Even exporting at 70% of the price, we still have a 25% profit margin. Please look at this detailed cost analysis."

The screen clearly displayed the production cost components of Long Country steel—raw materials, energy, labor, equipment depreciation, and management expenses, with detailed data for every item. The final profit margin was prominently written as: 25.3%.

The representative of the European Steel Federation turned livid; he stood up abruptly, fists clenched, veins bulging on his forehead: "This is impossible! You must be hiding the real costs! No steel enterprise can maintain a 25% profit margin at this price!"

Li Mingyuan looked at him calmly: "Facts speak louder than words. If your federation questions our data, you are welcome to send a technical team to our steel mill for an on-site inspection. Our factory doors are always open to friendly countries."

Victor, the chief metallurgical consultant of Beijixiong Guo, could no longer sit still; he stood up and walked quickly out of the venue, took out the special communication device he carried with him, and requested to contact the Kremlin immediately.

Inside the venue, Li Mingyuan seemed not to notice these intense reactions and continued to introduce in a composed manner: "In addition to favorable prices, we also provide comprehensive technical support and flexible payment methods, including installments, payment in kind, and other options. Our goal is to help friendly countries accelerate their industrialization process and achieve common development."

He scanned the room, his gaze sweeping from the livid faces of the European delegation to the excited expressions of the representatives from Yafelai Guo, finally landing on the media reporters in the press section busy recording and taking photos.

Li Mingyuan knew what would happen next—the news of the steel exports would spread across the globe at the speed of light, the international steel market would fall into unprecedented shock, those enterprises relying on steel monopolies to reap huge profits would be completely broken, and for the emerging countries of Yafelai Guo, this was undoubtedly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

"Everyone," Li Mingyuan's voice was not loud, but it made everyone quiet down, "what I want to say is that Long Country's steel policy is not intended to disrupt the international market, but to let steel return to its true value—as the cornerstone of human civilization's progress, rather than a tool for a few countries to control the development of others."

This sentence was like a sharp knife, piercing directly into the sore spot of the European and American delegations. They had long used technological monopolies and price controls to maintain their dominance over the global steel market, and today, all of this was being shaken.

"Of course," Li Mingyuan changed the subject, a mysterious smile on his lips, "steel is just the beginning. If you are interested in our Numerical Control Machine Tools and weapon systems, this afternoon's demonstration might bring you even bigger surprises."

This sentence made the already restless venue even more clamorous. Reporters vied to take photos, and members of various delegations whispered to each other, discussing the further shocks that Long Country might bring.

At 1:30 PM, the exhibition intermission ended, and the delegations from various countries returned to the main exhibition hall one after another, still under the lingering shock of the morning's steel demonstration. This time, their expressions were clearly different—those originally contemptuous and skeptical looks had turned into caution and anticipation.

Especially when they walked toward the Numerical Control Machine Tool exhibition area, almost everyone involuntarily quickened their pace.

Li Mingyuan was already waiting in front of the Numerical Control Machine Tool booth. Unlike his formal attire in the morning, he had changed into an engineer's work uniform, looking more like a technician than an official.

"Good afternoon, everyone," he greeted them with a smile, "In the morning we witnessed a breakthrough in Long Country steel technology; this afternoon, I would like to show you a technology that may be even more revolutionary—the fully digital control automatic processing system independently developed by Long Country, referred to as 'Numerical Control Machine Tool'."

Hearing the term "fully digital control," many technical experts exchanged skeptical glances. Thompson, a mechanical engineering expert from Yuegongniu, even chuckled softly: "Here we go again, what kind of bragging are they going to do this time?"

In the center of the booth, a machine tool with a simple design but smooth lines stood quietly. Unlike traditional machine tools, this piece of equipment had a mysterious control box installed on top, connected to a series of complex circuits and mechanical devices.

Li Mingyuan walked toward the machine tool and lightly stroked the control box with his fingers: "This is the core of our DNC-1 Numerical Control Machine Tool—the Digital Control Unit. It can convert design drawings into precise digital instructions, controlling the machine tool for fully automatic processing, with an accuracy of up to 0.01 millimeters."

"0.01 millimeters?" Bernard, a technical consultant from the Gaulish Chicken Country, couldn't help but interject, "Stop joking! Even the most advanced Semi-automatic Machine Tool from the Star-Spangled Country can only reach an accuracy of 0.05 millimeters, and it still requires skilled workers to constantly adjust it. Fully automatic 0.01 millimeters? This is simply a fantasy!"

A buzz of agreement rose in the venue. Even the representatives from countries friendly to Long Country showed skeptical expressions.

Li Mingyuan did not mind, but instead smiled even more deeply: "Mr. Bernard is right, 0.01 millimeters of fully automatic processing accuracy does sound incredible. But that is the charm of science—it can always turn the incredible into reality. Today, I do not intend to persuade you with words, but with facts."

He turned to his assistant: "Prepare for the demonstration."