Chapter 226: We Don

Mr. Qin, Steyr is controlled by the Austrian Bank; they have this convenient condition, which we don't. Karl Kensper said: "However, we can offer you other superior conditions—for example, we are willing to authorize you to produce the NG73 heavy‑truck technology in full—this has never been done before!"

Qin Miao shook his head: "We don't want the old model."

Later, when the NG80 heavy‑truck technology was negotiated with the Germans, it was already 1988; at that time, the NG80 wasn't even an advanced heavy truck, because the NG85 had already come out!

The Germans peddled secondhand foreign junk to the East, and the East actually lapped it up—quite a spectacle. Take the masses, for example: Europe had been using the brand‑new 1.5‑ton engine for three or four years, while the East was still using the old 1.4‑ton, yet sales were booming.

You can fool others, but trying to push old products through Qin Miao's channel? No way!

Mr. Qin, although the NG73 is 1970s technology, it's still higher than the Steyr technology you've introduced; the NG80 is more advanced, but it's hard to produce—for example, the variable‑cross‑beam needs special stamping equipment…

Whether we can produce it is our business, but if we import, we must import advanced products in sync with the world. Qin Miao said: "You won't loan us money, nor will you give us new models—how can we talk cooperation? Forget it!"

Qin Miao finished speaking and strode inward: "Right, when we were modifying the Mercedes‑benz heavy‑truck chassis, we ran into a few small problems—since you're here, you might as well fix them!"

Since you're here for technical guidance, we certainly won't let you go— as for cooperation, let's put it aside for now!

Okay.

Outside, the sun set westward and the sky gradually darkened.

You've all worked hard; let's go to the cafeteria—I'll have a few drinks with everyone…

Okay, but we can't down the local baijiu.

I know; let's drink beer—our Ha Cheng beer, founded in 1900 by Russian merchants, the East's first brewery. Try it later and compare it with German beer.

Okay.

The factory leaders accompanied them, though mainly just doing odd jobs; the one really talking with the Germans was Qin Miao.

Come, this first drink—thanks to everyone for taking time out of your busy schedules to come guide work in the East!

Qin Miao finished speaking, lifted his head, glug‑glug…

A beer went straight down!

You Germans look at me, I look at you—beer isn't normally drunk like this! You usually have a beer and a sausage after work as dinner; now, gulping it all in one go—what's going on?

Come, this second drink—thanks… huh, you haven't finished your first drink? Are you saving it for the fish? Drink, drink!

Karl Kensper imitated Qin Miao, raised his cup, glug‑glug…

After finishing, he only felt his stomach uncomfortably full—he'd never drunk like that before.

Glug‑glug… the second drink was poured.

This second drink is to thank the Mercedes‑benz heavy truck for giving us such a reliable chassis—our Truck Cannon's strong sales are inseparable from that chassis… Come, drink!

Glug‑glug…

Three drinks down, the Germans felt their stomachs stuffed to bursting; finally, someone couldn't hold out.

Excuse me, where's the restroom?

Over there!

A few dozen seconds later, another German stood up: "Sorry, I need to go to the bathroom..."

Soon, all the Germans ran off.

Watching Karl Kensper's back, Qin Miao also stood up and followed toward the restroom.

After relieving himself, Karl Kensper felt refreshed all over; just as he was about to leave, he saw Qin Miao's silhouette appear beside him.

I originally thought you could hold your liquor, but after all that, you're just here to pee!

Mr. Qin, before coming to the East I'd heard you could drink like a Russian, but I didn't believe it at first…

That's natural; when we go back we'll keep drinking—this beer is basically malt juice, low alcohol, I could easily down forty bottles!

This…

Mr. Qin, we can't drink that much… we're actually here hoping you'll abandon the Steyr project and cooperate with us…

Smack!

Karl Kensper felt a hard slap on his shoulder; looking at the hand resting there, which even had a glistening droplet, he felt waves of nausea…

Brother, I can't go into detail in front of everyone, but the NG73 heavy truck—we really don't need to import it; do you know what our East's ancestral craft is?

Karl Kensper froze, then reacted: "Counterfeit? Damn it, you're ignoring our intellectual property, counterfeiting our heavy trucks, you lot…"

"Shh! Don't let those outsiders hear!" Qin Miao's fingers gestured before his lips; Karl Kensper had already forgotten his earlier feeling, eyes wide: "You really…"

It's not us—Ha Gong Da doesn't do that. A few years ago, the First Machinery Department went to Europe; after you presented excessive conditions, the leadership got angry, and then the Sichuan Province Iron Horse Factory applied for reverse engineering, and the higher-ups allocated two Mercedes‑benz 2026 vehicles… So, your NG73? We have no need to import it at all—if we import, it must be the NG80!

NG stands for the German words "Neuen Generation," meaning "new generation"; the Mercedes‑benz 2026 is actually correctly called Mercedes‑benz NG2026, a variant of the NG73.

The Germans want a high price—so we'll fall back on our old trade: reverse engineering and copying! Copying it is our forte!

Historically, at the end of 1982, the Iron Horse XC2030 heavy truck was successfully finalized, though it was traditional hand‑built, low output, unstable quality. Even later, the Mountain City Iron Horse Factory remained a marginalized entity.

But now, using this as a condition to kill the Germans' desire to dump foreign junk is still necessary.

Let's go, head back, keep drinking!

Karl Kensper followed Qin Miao back to the dinner table, his mood complex, his face gloomy, his mind in turmoil.

The East can copy—why spend money to buy technology?

Forget the NG73—only the NG80 will do… but that's Mercedes‑benz's most advanced technology; how could we export it to this backward Eastern country?

Hold on!

Hasn't the Steyr engine's performance been greatly boosted here? We also have advanced tech—if it's tech for tech…

Thinking of that, he spoke again: "Mr. Qin, may I ask how you boosted the Steyr engine's power so much?"

Qin Miao felt a flicker of delight—all right, the deception begins again!