Chapter 98: Company Approval for Establishment

"Excellent." Li Mingyuan muttered to himself, immediately taking out blueprints to begin drafting a multi-purpose engine design suited to national conditions. This engine could be used for military trucks and also modified for tractors and generators, which would greatly enhance the mechanization level of Long Country.

"To increase grain production, the key is mechanization." Li Mingyuan thought while drawing, "A good tractor is worth dozens of laborers. And the core of all this is a reliable engine."

A few hours later, a detailed engine design proposal was born.

This was a four-cylinder inline diesel engine with a displacement of 2.8 liters and a maximum power of 80 horsepower, adopting an improved fuel injection system and an optimized combustion chamber design; its efficiency was over 30% higher than current similar engines, while fuel consumption was reduced by 25%.

"I will submit this proposal to Yang tomorrow." Li Mingyuan closed the blueprints with satisfaction, "This will be our third production line—the core project of the logistics equipment production line."

……

Early the next morning, Li Mingyuan brought the engine design proposal to the Military Industry Department.

It just so happened that Yang also had something to discuss with him, and the two bumped into each other right in the office.

"Xiao Li, I was just looking for you!" Yang said excitedly, "I have good news to tell you!"

"What good news?" Li Mingyuan asked curiously.

"The superiors have approved your trade proposal!" Yang said excitedly,

"They decided to establish a specialized trade company responsible for weapon trade with Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian countries, in order to exchange for strategic materials like oil and rubber. More importantly, they have decided that you will serve as the person in charge of this trade company!"

Li Mingyuan was stunned: "Me?"

"Yes!" Yang said affirmatively, "The superiors believe that since you proposed this idea, you understand the needs and goals best. Moreover, your technical background can ensure that the traded weapons meet our standards and requirements."

Li Mingyuan did not expect the superiors to make a decision so quickly, and to directly appoint him as the person in charge.

"The company name has been decided, it's called 'Long Guo International Trade Company', with its headquarters in Jingcheng and several branch offices set up underneath it." Yang continued,

"We have already begun contacting several countries in the Middle East and some regional forces in Southeast Asia, and the response has been very positive. Especially those regions currently engaged in struggle are very interested in our weapons."

Li Mingyuan nodded: "This is a good thing. Our weapons have excellent performance and reasonable prices, which are very suitable for the needs of these regions. And they happen to possess the resources we need most—oil, rubber, non-ferrous metals, and so on."

"Exactly!" Yang agreed, "Preliminary estimates suggest that through this kind of trade, we can obtain about 500,000 tons of oil, 20,000 tons of rubber, and a large amount of non-ferrous metals annually. This will play an extremely important role in alleviating our country's resource shortages."

Li Mingyuan felt a surge of joy; although this number was not huge, for the current Long Country, it was already a considerable amount of resources.

Especially rubber, as an important raw material for military and civilian industries, which the country relied almost entirely on imports for.

"When will the company be officially established?" Li Mingyuan asked.

"Within a month." Yang replied, "It is currently in preparation, including personnel allocation, office space, operational mechanisms, etc. The superiors hope you will submit a detailed operational plan as soon as possible, including trade varieties, pricing strategies, target markets, etc."

Li Mingyuan pondered for a moment and said: "I will prepare it as soon as possible. However, I hope this company can maintain relatively independent operations, reduce administrative interference, and improve efficiency."

Yang nodded in understanding: "The superiors mean the same thing. Although this company is state-owned, it will adopt enterprise-style operations, and you will have significant decision-making power. Of course, major matters still need to be reported for approval."

The two discussed some specific matters in detail, including the initial trade varieties, mainly the Type 56 Rifle and 107 Rocket Launcher, the target markets of several Arab countries in the Middle East and some liberated areas in Southeast Asia, transportation routes, and so on.

After finishing the discussion about the trade company, Li Mingyuan took out his engine design proposal:

"Yang, this is a multi-purpose engine I designed, which can be used for various equipment such as military trucks, tractors, and generators. I would like to apply to start the third production line—the logistics equipment production line."

Yang took the blueprints and began to read them carefully.

Although he was not an engine expert, as the Minister of Military Industry, he had some understanding of this field. The more he looked, the tighter his brows furrowed, until they almost twisted into a "Chuan" character.

"Xiao Li, this engine..." Yang looked up, his eyes full of shock, "Power increased by 30%, fuel consumption reduced by 25%? Is... is this true?"

"It is completely achievable." Li Mingyuan said confidently, "The key lies in the combustion chamber design and the optimization of the fuel injection system. I have already done detailed calculations and simulations, and it is theoretically completely feasible."

Yang put down the blueprints and looked at Li Mingyuan deeply:

"You have surprised me once again. From weapons to agriculture, from resource exploration to engine design... your talents seem to encompass everything."

Li Mingyuan smiled modestly: "I just have a bit of interest in machinery, plus I consulted some foreign materials and had some ideas."

"Good!" Yang made the final decision, "I will immediately apply to the superiors to start this logistics equipment production line plan."

……

This engine was named "Longxin-1", a four-cylinder inline diesel engine with a displacement of 2.8 liters, a maximum power of 80 horsepower, and a maximum torque of 245 Newton-meters, adopting Li Mingyuan's original "Vortex Mixed Combustion Chamber" and a semi-direct injection fuel system.

Key parameters showed: thermal efficiency reached 42%, nearly 8 percentage points higher than the existing CA10 engine; fuel consumption was only 215 grams per horsepower-hour, 25.7% lower than the current active-duty engine; the total weight of the machine was only 310 kilograms, about 90 kilograms lighter than similar engines.

"This is absolutely impossible!" Expert Chen stared at the parameter table, veins bulging on his forehead,

"Even the Polar Bear's latest Yaroslavl YaMZ-238 engine only has a thermal efficiency of 37%, and fuel consumption is 240 grams per horsepower-hour! How can this kid jump straight to surpassing them?"

Chief Engineer Zhang took the parameter table, his hands trembling slightly: "Not only that, the Star-Spangled Country's Caterpillar D339 engine weighs 425 kilograms, yet this 'Longxin-1' is only 310 kilograms? The degree of lightweighting is comparable to an aircraft engine!"

The conference room was in an uproar, with some even suspecting that the data was forged.

"Even if the Polar Bear and the Star-Spangled Country joined forces, it would be impossible to build an engine with these parameters at the current stage. Even if he is a genius, he couldn't possibly do it. If this isn't wishful thinking, what is?"

"There is a problem with these engine parameters!"