Chapter 78

East, Capital.

"This time, Comrade Qin Miao and Comrade Chu Miaomiao, representing Bei Fang Industrial Company, went abroad and achieved great success! Countries such as Yi Tuo and Yue Tuo have shown great interest in our East-produced Truck Cannon!"

Old Zhang's face was full of smiles: "This is a good start! Since we changed military aid to military sales, the East has never exported large quantities of ground weapons products; Comrade Qin Miao and Comrade Chu Miaomiao will achieve a breakthrough from zero in our ground weapons military sales!"

The people from Bei Fang Industrial Company who came below straightened their backs.

Zhang Wanhe, attending the meeting, couldn't stop smiling—his daughter, son-in-law, cough cough, prospective son-in-law, had rendered great service to the nation!

"From now on, all departments must work closely together; whoever screws up this military sale, I'll smash his rice bowl!"

Under Old Zhang's stern gaze, several people lowered their heads.

Old Zhang, it's not that we won't cooperate; it's that Qin Miao kid didn't explain the situation beforehand!

"In the future, to better conduct military sales, the senior leadership has approved that Bei Fang Industrial Company can set up accounts in foreign banks, depositing a portion of sales funds there for convenience in subsequent work."

Whoosh! The leader of the Foreign Exchange Administration stood up.

"Old Zhang, I admit that in our previous work, the Foreign Exchange Administration had made mistakes; the responsible persons have already been severely criticized by us. We guarantee that comrades going abroad to promote military-industrial products will priority receive foreign exchange. However, the management of this foreign exchange… should remain with us; we are all one chessboard nationwide..."

"Back then, AVIC went abroad to promote sales but couldn't get foreign exchange; they brought back a few dollars with other overseas comrades to sell in Ei Tuo! An overseas promotion team had only a few dollars of foreign exchange in hand—hum, this is the drawback of unified foreign exchange management!" Old Zhang gave that leader a glance and started settling old scores.

"The era of the whole nation being one chessboard is over! Those who keep running ahead will have others dragging their legs behind! Departments that earn foreign exchange can't use it, while those that don't earn foreign exchange flood the skies with reports! Whoever earns foreign exchange is qualified to spend it! Of course, under the current situation, we also cannot be overly indulgent."

Old Zhang's face turned solemn: "According to the senior leadership's suggestion, departments earning foreign exchange through exports may retain two percent of the foreign exchange for continued promotion use, while the remaining ninety-eight percent shall still be turned over to the state for unified distribution; the pilot will start with a few military-export departments."

Two percent sounds like a small proportion, but… the trade volume of arms exports is huge!

Just like this time, if we export products worth fifty million USD, Bei Fang Industrial could retain one million USD of foreign exchange! That's a huge sum!

The leader of the Foreign Exchange Administration had a complex expression.

Two percent sounds not much, but once this opening is made, they will no longer control it! Other foreign-exchange-earning departments will also demand the same treatment, and this proportion may continue to expand…

That damn fellow, if he weren't blocking Bei Fang Industrial's foreign exchange, would this kind of thing happen?

"Zhao Gang, as the person in charge of Bei Fang Industrial Company, tell us, what is the future development direction of Bei Fang Industrial Company?"

"Well, leaders, the export of Truck Cannon is just a start; subsequently, we also hope to export tanks, armored vehicles… all kinds of ground weapons can be exported to Yi Tuo! Of course, considering our company has just started and lacks experience, we will still need the help of Comrade Qin Miao and Comrade Chu Miaomiao…"

Going from zero to one is the hardest; as long as we start military sales, subsequent promotion will be to existing customers, making it much easier!

When drinking water, remember the well-digger; Qin Miao and Chu Miaomiao must still be credited— for every future military sale, regardless of their participation, they must be given a share of the merit!

"Alright, the ground weapons industry has begun; next, AVIC and CSSC also need to step up!"

The good news from the Truck Cannon promotion excited the East's military-industrial workers; they seemed to already see that, as the Iran-Iraq War progresses, rolling profits will follow.

Meanwhile, in Yue Tuo, Qin Miao looked at the people welcoming him at the gate, feeling moved.

Abdullah II! The eldest son of the current king Hai Shan, the crown prince candidate of Yue Tuo!

This person coming to greet me really gives face. This elder brother can also speak fluent English; Chu Miaomiao came out this time as interpreter, then discovered… she seemed to have no role to play.

"Your Royal Highness, I didn't expect you to personally come greet us; we are deeply honored."

"It's only proper; Yue Tuo and the East have always been good friends… come, everyone, let's go inside!"

The main hall of Ragha Dan Palace lacks a bit in grandeur, giving a down-to-earth feel; inside, a white-haired middle-aged man sits on the throne, not wearing local traditional robes but a Western suit and leather shoes, giving a modern impression.

His eyes emitted a sharp gleam.

King Hai Shan, the third-generation king of the Yue Tuo Hashemite Kingdom, born in 1935, officially crowned and enthroned in 1953, at the time just turned eighteen!

His life has been tumultuous and grand!

In 1956, he removed General John Glubb's command, taking back military authority from the British; in the Black September incident of 1970, he became a target of retaliation by Ba Tuo radical organizations; from before his ascension to his abdication, he endured countless assassinations…

Yue Tuo, a country squid-next-door, it is difficult to guarantee its national interests are not infringed; the person before us has spent his life surviving and developing in the cracks between great-power contention and various forces; many peace agreements in the Middle East region have been successfully signed under his mediation, and his adaptability is admirable.

Qin Miao doesn't want to deal with smart people; it's too taxing on the brain—his actual targets are Uday and Kusay, those two brothers…

"Qin, Chu, welcome to Yue Tuo!" King Hai Shan's face broke into a smile: "You are about the same age as Abdullah, you've now met, and you will surely become good friends…"

This old fellow, his first words are complaints; to make contact, you should be looking for Abdullah—you're giving merit to Hasan, some pearls cast in darkness…

The problem is, we as a couple came directly to visit Abdullah; will this elder brother warmly receive us?

"Yes, upon arriving here we felt the warmth of Arab brothers; the saying 'Third World brothers are one family' is no empty slogan."

"Yeah, Third World brothers are one family; we Yue Tuo, Yi Tuo are Third World brothers—is Lang Tuo also a Third World brother?"