Chapter 1600: Lone Spear, Single Horse

At the Group's economic development work conference, Li Xuewu emphasized the need to accelerate the advancement of economic construction and solidify the foundation for the Group's industrial economic transformation...

What he spoke was not empty talk; it was core theory and the Group's important future development direction.

To put it bluntly, from the decision-making level to the execution level, clear instructions generally require about a week; with the General Manager's signature, the Vice General Manager personally executes it in three days at most.

As for the tone set by relevant business work conferences, it generally extends to half a year or a year.

In other words, Li Xuewu had obtained the approval of the Group's Management Committee, and the speech he delivered was merely the guiding policy for the Group's operations over the coming year.

So what?

He came and went in a hurry; in half a month, he traveled back and forth to the capital twice. In reality, it seemed there was no change in work; it was as if the meeting had never been held.

At least in the eyes of ordinary employees, this was the case; some employees didn't even know he had made a trip to the capital.

This situation was normal. Not just anyone could enter the General Manager's office; even for the most ordinary signature requests, it had to be for important work at the very least.

Since the Red Star Factory era, the Group had formulated a strict office management system. Wanting to take an application for buying two shovels to find the leader for a signature—wasn't that a joke?

This was the norm for government organs. You might see him as not busy, but in reality, his work schedule for the coming week was already set; any change was a disaster for the secretary and the office.

What time to see whom, what time to study, what time to process application documents, what time to go down for research—it was almost set in stone.

Of course, the secretary would leave free time in the schedule plan; if there was no work, it was the leader's rest time; if there was work, it would be inserted.

After returning from the capital, Li Xuewu threw himself into a tense and busy work schedule; he even had to use his lunch hour to see some people.

The change of driver was silent, except for the audience who were concerned about the dog-blood affair between Zhang Meili and Yu Zhe, who felt a sense of pity.

That's right, the Steel City at the end of May was about to welcome the warm summer, and even the wind carried a trace of dry heat.

Just as described in the animal world: spring has come, and the animals have reached...

It must be said, daring to engage in such things openly without worrying about damage to their reputation, the two of them had indeed played "love" into a variety of patterns.

One was a driver, the other an ordinary clerk; there were no conflicts of interest, no impact on work, and even less impact on anyone else. This was the purity of true love—purely disgusting to others.

"Do we have to write a mid-year work summary?"

Wang Min, with both hands tucked behind his head, looked at Zhou Peilan and asked, "Help me write one too?"

"You might as well be lazy to death—" Zhou Peilan rolled her eyes at him and said unpleasantly, "If you talk nonsense again, I'll tell Director Zhang that you're slacking off."

"Good! Good—" Wang Min had the look of a rogue, shaking his head and saying, "Not even a bit of classmate sentiment, not even a bit of revolutionary friendship, right?"

"You still have the nerve to say that—"

Zhou Peilan stopped the work in her hands, turned her head to look at him, and asked, "I asked you to help me keep an eye on Yu Tiecheng's family; did you help?"

"Is there still any point in keeping an eye on their family?"

Wang Min said indifferently, "Those who should go to school go to school, those who should go to work go to work; they've already returned to normal life, right?"

"You haven't gone even once, have you."

Zhou Peilan glared at him fiercely and said, "The leader didn't say it wasn't necessary to keep an eye on them, which means there is still significance in continuing."

"Good, good, good!" Wang Min raised both hands in surrender and said, "I was wrong about this matter; I'll go after work today."

"No need, I'll go myself."

Zhou Peilan said word by word, "You'd better hope you don't have any trouble in the future; if you do, don't come looking for me."

"What's going on here?" Zhou Linghua walked in holding documents, "I heard you arguing from the doorway; what's wrong now?"

"Ask him—" Zhou Peilan glanced at Wang Min with dissatisfaction, turned back, and continued writing her materials.

Zhou Linghua looked left and right, helplessly carrying the documents back to his own seat; he really didn't have much influence in the office.

Zhou Peilan was the only female comrade, with a straightforward personality; Wang Min was humorous and liked to joke; Li Muqin worked seriously and spoke little.

As for himself, being able to be in a relationship with Zhou Peilan, their personalities must be complementary.

"Comrades, good news."

Office Director Zhang Jing walked in, clapped his hands, looked at the few of them, and said, "New comrades have arrived at their posts; your bitter days are over."

"Director—my kin—"

Wang Min expressed his joy affectionately; he didn't even want to write the materials in his hands anymore, preparing to hand them over to the new clerk.

"Don't be happy too soon—" Zhang Jing pointed his finger at him and emphasized, "The ones coming this time aren't experienced hands, but new recruits."

"That batch that just graduated?" Zhou Peilan raised her head, looked at the Director, and asked, "Didn't they say they only graduate in June?"

"That's right, they only graduate in June."

Zhang Jing nodded at her and said, "But they have already completed the written test and interview stages, leaving only the final organizational procedures."

"The Group considered the situation of lacking manpower below, and also out of care for them, tried to open a special channel, so they have come."

He spread his hands, raised his eyebrows, and said, "Why? Not happy? Give some reaction!"

"Happy, of course happy—"

Wang Min stood up smiling and applauded, "We've finally made it through, and we can finally crawl out of the pile of documents."

"What did I just tell you?"

Zhang Jing pointed at him again, raised his eyebrows, and reminded him, "They are new recruits; perhaps the school considers them qualified to participate in work, but they absolutely lack work experience."

"So—" He looked at the four of them and said with a smile, "Who was it that promised you before that they wanted to build their own team?"

He paused here, looked at the four people's stunned expressions, and laughed, "Now is the good time for you to perform."

"Director, what do you mean by this?"

Wang Min didn't quite understand and asked suspiciously, "Shouldn't it be their turn to perform? What are we performing?"

"Leading a team." Zhang Jing nodded as a matter of course and said, "At least three spots per person, no limit on more."

He pointed his hand toward the door and said, "Whoever leads the soldiers, they belong to whoever..."

"You guys stay calm, I'll go explore the reality first—" Wang Min was the most cunning; before Zhang Jing finished speaking, he was the first to run out.

Zhou Linghua was still standing in place, stunned; Li Muqin and Zhou Peilan had already sprung from their seats, pushed past Zhang Jing, and ran out.

"Linghua! Let's go—" When she discovered her partner hadn't followed, Zhou Peilan ran back, hating that he wasn't living up to expectations, and shouted, "What are you still stunned for!"

"You guys..."

Zhou Linghua looked blankly at his girlfriend, then looked at Director Zhang, who was smiling without a word; he was still hesitating, but was immediately pulled out by Zhou Peilan.

"How do we divide this stuff?"

Li Xuewu held the receiver, opposite him was Xu Sinian of Yingcheng Shipbuilding, who was pestering him for a few more graduates.

"Do you think this is dividing bread, giving you an extra bite and taking half away from him?"

He said amusedly, "Stop talking nonsense; all graduates are allocated according to need, and they come with hats on."

"I don't believe it—" Xu Sinian acted like a rogue, "Who knows if there's one more or one less."

"Do you think I'm stupid, or do you think others are stupid?" Li Xuewu reminded him unpleasantly, "The distribution list was set long ago; if there's one less quota, you make it up?"

"Alright, it is what it is; it's not bad that I'm not coveting your shipbuilding ones, and you still want to covet the government organ's?"

He snorted and said, "Wait a moment, let Zhang Jing argue with you?"

"Forget it then—" Xu Sinian said with some regret, "I was thinking this only happens once a year, so I'd grab two more if I could."

"You need to change this bad habit of taking more than your share; it affects unity—"

Li Xuewu lectured him, "If everyone were like you, could this work still be done?"

"Let's end this matter here."

He emphasized, then said, "I'll ask you one thing; is your report for the shipyard expansion still going to be submitted? It's almost mid-year."

"Submit, submit, I'm even more anxious than you." Xu Sinian explained helplessly, "United Construction has already sent people to survey, just waiting for the data."

"Don't blame me for not reminding you—" Li Xuewu said lightly, "As soon as possible, don't miss the time and end up eating cold leftovers again."

"Don't worry, I'll definitely do it as soon as possible."

Xu Sinian agreed first, then asked hesitantly, "About the iron ore screening plant... has Yingcheng talked to you about it?"

"Hmm, Wang Lu gave me a call."

Li Xuewu didn't hide it from him and said truthfully, "The conditions offered are okay, it's just that there are a few too many requirements."

"She wants to build an industrial zone, right?"

Xu Sinian asked bluntly, "Is it also to expand the scale of the existing port area?"

"You know it and still come to ask me?"

Li Xuewu said lightly, "Currently, the Group has no new investment plans; her ambition is really too big."

"If, I'm saying if—" Xu Sinian asked, "Just like United Energy, can't it be realized through a joint operation model?"

"What do you think?" Li Xuewu asked back, "If it were one factory or two, it wouldn't matter, but this also involves issues like land use."

"Ahem—"

He cleared his throat and emphasized, "The Group hopes that subsequent investment projects can be as convenient as possible to manage and clarify management authority."

"In other words, either manage everything, or manage nothing."

"So that means we have to wait? Is that what you mean?"

Xu Sinian hesitated for a moment and asked, "Can't we use the port area project to build together?"

"Give up that idea." Li Xuewu said lightly, "Does she think she can just say investment and it happens?"

"Do you know how much money needs to be thrown into a shipbuilding integrated manufacturing industry?"

He snorted coldly, "The Liangma River Industrial Zone is about to be completed, but the construction of the Steel City Industrial Zone is underway, and there's also the Fengcheng Machinery Factory."

"Isn't Fengcheng a renovation project?" Xu Sinian asked suspiciously, "Even adding the Tadong Airport, our Group shouldn't be like this."

"Have you ever thought, even if an integrated industrial structure is realized, so what?" Li Xuewu asked, "Your production capacity and costs have improved in a short time, but do you have so many orders to support it?"

"Looking at the orders now, if you really go full throttle, half the people will be waiting to eat idle rice; furthermore, your technology isn't fully mature yet."

He said a lot, picked up his teacup and took a sip, caught his breath, and continued, "When it's time to invest, we will invest; when it's time to upgrade, we will upgrade."

"I'm just afraid there won't be enough time." Xu Sinian said with worry, "In case Yingcheng can't wait and finds other enterprises to come over..."

"What do you want me to say?" Li Xuewu said lightly, "Give you a guarantee? Or tell you clearly that this is a gamble?"

"I don't care what they think; the Group's construction capacity is only so much, it's impossible to fight on multiple fronts; you think about it yourself."

After finishing this point, he emphasized, "Submit the report as soon as possible; this year's production tonnage must also be improved, otherwise you won't be able to account for it."

After saying this, he didn't want to listen to Xu Sinian's nagging anymore and reached out to hang up the phone.

Zhang Enyuan organized the documents on the desk that he had read, preparing to take them to the office for distribution and organization.

"How is the situation over at Steel Auto?"

Li Xuewu remembered something and asked without raising his head.

Zhang Enyuan knew what he wanted to ask about—the landing of East German technology and equipment installation upgrades.

"I asked the day before yesterday; some workshops have completed construction work and are deploying and installing equipment; the workers are also doing final training."

"Tell them as soon as possible; installation is not the goal, the goal is normal production."

Li Xuewu raised his head and urged, "Try to complete trial operation production work before winter; the cost of these Germans is not low."

"Good, I'll go make the call now."

Zhang Enyuan nodded and asked hesitantly about the Steel Flight side, "The Third Ministry of Machine Building sent a letter directly to Steel Flight; you haven't decided whether to reply yet."

"Just leave it to the Group to handle." Li Xuewu thought for a moment and said, "Report this matter to Deputy Director Cheng and ask for his opinion."

"Understood, I'll go notify Factory Director Kong."

Seeing the leader lower his head to continue reading documents, he quietly left the office and went to his own office.

Ma Baosen heard footsteps and followed, asking curiously, "Why so many documents?"

"You came just in time." Zhang Enyuan waved his hand, pointed to the documents piled on the sofa, and said, "Those are no longer needed; send them to the confidential room."

"Quite a few new people have come to the government organ."

Ma Baosen didn't go to move the documents immediately and reported softly, "When will the Northeast Company be established?"

"How many people came this time, and you dare to bring up the Northeast Company?" Zhang Enyuan glanced at him and said, "It's still early."

"There must be more than ten people."

Ma Baosen picked up the documents and reminded him, "I thought I could be liberated."

"What? Tired?" Zhang Enyuan raised his head to look at his apprentice and asked, "Or is there an imbalance in your heart?"

"No..." Ma Baosen held the documents and stood there, unable to explain a reason.

"Go send the documents first; I'll talk to you when you get back." Zhang Enyuan glanced at him and started working on his own tasks first.

Ma Baosen was quite obedient, trotted out the door, and went to the confidential section.

Visits, research, inspections, negotiations...

Li Xuewu was busy until mid-June; he didn't even go back to attend the completion ceremony of the Group's guesthouse, let alone the completion ceremony of the Riverside Garden residential area.

He was indeed busy; most of the East German projects had to land in Steel City, involving technical transformation and equipment upgrades; he didn't watch on the front line, but he was responsible for overall planning work.

The Tadong International Airport renovation project was fully rolled out; all business was suspended, and all personnel participated in job training work.

The Personnel Department officially sent commissioners to station there, combed through the airport's personnel structure, re-established personnel files, and adjusted the heads of some positions.

At the beginning of June, Li Xuewu went to take a look; the engineering project had already started, and the personnel training effect was good; he also held an office meeting with the comrades of the temporary command headquarters.

Regarding the determination of the head of the Tadong Airport Management Office, Li Xuewu didn't give any suggestions; Old Li didn't seem to be in a hurry to decide either, dragging it until now.

Li Xuewu didn't care about this; when he went to Fengcheng, he went to the machinery factory first; he was more concerned about the production and research work of CNC machine tool equipment.

Red Steel Group, heavy industry and light industry, including the production front line, were all carrying out equipment renewal and renovation projects.

CNC machine tools were the focus of this equipment innovation; according to Li Xuewu's requirements, mechanical processing should realize CNC as much as possible.

Especially for high-precision parts produced in batches, industrialization and integration should be formed on the basis of CNC.

Ordinary machine tools were also being produced at the machinery factory, but production capacity was gradually decreasing, moving more toward CNC machine tools.

Starting this year, as the results of Red Steel Group's industrial upgrading leaked, more and more enterprises contacted the Group, wanting to buy CNC equipment.

Gao Yaqin specifically discussed it with him, and finally made the decision to open up sales, even providing customized services together with the Beijing Machinery Second Factory.

He cared more about the machinery factory because Tadong Airport never intended to be handed over to him for management from the beginning, and his research was also done in the capacity of Secretary-General.

But the machinery factory was indeed within his scope of responsibility and also bore management responsibility.

One was the machinery factory, the other was Yingcheng Shipbuilding; one in the south, one in the north, they needed more attention than the other factories.

Relatively speaking, Steel City Rolling Mill was a newly built factory; equipment and technology were new, and the workers were all selected top-notch ones; production capacity was quite stable, so he didn't worry much.

What he worried about were Steel Flight, Steel Auto, and Red Star Electronics.

Steel Flight had two projects that needed to complete assembly and production in the shortest possible time, namely the Alouette III and Puma models, in addition to the KH-4.

Li Xuewu had been watching the Alouette III, because compared to old models like the KH-4, the Alouette III and Puma were the latest.

To truly form export competitiveness, it had to be these two aircraft.

One KH-4 export price was 50,000 USD, but one Alouette III could sell for 500,000 USD.

This wasn't just a ten-fold gap in selling price; it was a gap where you might not be able to buy it even if you wanted to.

When the Santa Ya Group provided these two production lines, they emphasized that they would never admit that they were sent by them, nor would they endorse the aircraft export.

Without the influence of a brand, export trade could only be carried out without affecting the French sales interval.

This had many more restrictions than the KH-4.

The KH-4 could be sold at will because this model was already rotten in the streets, and anyone could imitate it.

So could the Alouette III also be said to be imitated?

Yes, because the mainland had bought it; in 1964, 30 SA319B models were bought for army aviation training.

This was the first type of French helicopter purchased by the mainland, and also the first batch of Western helicopters purchased, compared to the domestic Z-5, this model belonged to the world's advanced ranks.

500,000, it looked quite bluffing, but in reality, from design to production, this aircraft didn't have much technical content compared to a three-wheeler.

If you look at it with the eyes of later generations, if you can repair a tricycle, you can repair this aircraft.

But the simple structure and sturdy characteristics didn't affect its essence as a multi-purpose helicopter.

The military version of the Alouette III helicopter could be equipped with a 7.62mm machine gun or a 20mm cannon, and could also carry 4 AS11 or 2 AS12 wire-guided missiles, which could be used to attack tanks and small warships.

The Alouette III also had a ship-borne anti-submarine model, carrying torpedoes and magnetic anomaly detectors, and some were also installed with a rescue winch capable of lifting 175kg.

Maximum takeoff weight 2200kg, maximum range 540km, maximum flight speed 220km/h; it wasn't big, but everything was geared toward multi-purpose.

If Steel Flight could realize production this year, it would be another money-printing machine for Red Steel, and there wouldn't even be a need to consider the export issue.

Foreign selling price 500,000 USD, how much is left after truly beating down production costs?

Li Xuewu didn't pay attention to the Third Ministry of Machine Building's inspection letter, but the purchasing units introduced by the Light Weapons Institute came to test drive almost every month.

They had fully understood the performance of this aircraft and were just waiting to see if the aircraft could realize mass production before deciding whether to place an order.

If Steel Flight was a money-printing machine, then Red Star Electronics was a game console.

When Li Xuewu mentioned in private exchanges with some leaders of Liaodong Industry that Red Star Electronics hadn't made much money in the past few years, they didn't believe it.

But the facts and data were right before their eyes.

The domestic electronics industry started very late, and the development speed was also very slow; when Red Steel Group established the electronics industry, there wasn't even a color TV production line in the country.

But at that time, many years had passed since the invention of the color TV; this was the limitation and barrier of system technology.

Even if you know how a color TV works and is produced, you just can't build it; even if you get it out, you can't mass-produce it.

The simplest way was to introduce the production line as a whole and spend money to buy time.

The first production line for all electrical appliances of Red Star Electronics was introduced from abroad, and it was Japanese engineers who taught Red Steel engineers and technical workers how to operate it hand-in-hand.

This process lasted for more than a year; the costs and price paid for this meant that the electronics factory hadn't paid off its debts even after two years of formal production and operation.

Moreover, the introduced production line technology and equipment were relatively backward; the cost only maintained a relatively suitable export price after offsetting labor costs.

This was the restriction caused by being tied up by the Sanhe Stock Company, artificially controlling the development speed of Red Star Electronics.

But from the beginning, Li Xuewu didn't intend to act according to the contract; the production capacity of the electronics factory was scattered overseas in addition to supplying the domestic market.

It was to impact the market of Sanhe Stock Company, forcing them to take the initiative to open up the technical gap; even if it meant continuing to bear debt, they had to complete technical upgrading and renovation as soon as possible.

Currently, the effect was not bad; some small household appliances had already started replacement and upgrading, and the technology was basically synchronized with Japan.

But for more complex technical appliances like TVs and refrigerators, Sanhe Stock Company was still holding them back.

When Red Steel Group returned from East Germany and clearly learned that they had obtained some technology, they rushed to the door to take the initiative to propose negotiations.

Negotiation was nothing more than testing the bottom line.

They just wanted to see how much advanced technology Red Steel Group had mastered and find a balance point in technology.

Li Xuewu dragged them for half a year, also doing psychological warfare, while giving the country time to digest East German technology, so they could be more confident when walking to the negotiating table.

On June 10th, he received a letter from Gucang, the representative of Sanhe Stock Company, mentioning that the headquarters would arrange for a negotiation team to come to the mainland for consultation work in the near future.

Li Xuewu was very anxious; if he could bring out the first-generation industrial chip before the other party sat at the negotiating table, it would be much easier for the negotiation.

It was a pity that the Optoelectronics Research Institute could only provide chips produced in the laboratory, which were still made by Peter, and could not be mass-produced quickly.

So game theory and testing were still the main means before the negotiation.

Li Xuewu went to the electronics factory many times for research for this reason; on one hand, it was to improve his own confidence, and also to improve the confidence of Red Star Electronics.

He couldn't face Sanhe Stock Company directly and say don't play this set of technical barriers, because these were key technologies in their eyes, and they would be obsolete in a few years.

Home appliance technology was never the forefront of science and technology; Singapore's electronics industry had already started, and even with the dumping of the Santa Ya Group, it hadn't been resisted.

It must be said, that country that was disliked by Malaysia could actually create industrial value on barren land, which could be called a miracle.

People who hadn't been to Singapore really couldn't understand their history of independence, and even less could they understand how such a small place carried out an industrial revolution.

In the eyes of ordinary people, it was good enough that they could survive; could a country that couldn't even guarantee fresh water still develop?

The result was very unexpected; the economic and industrial development of that small place blinded many people, especially the home appliance industry.

Saying it didn't make money, that was really not making money.

The export brand Yazhi of Red Star Electronics was seen by many countries as the lowest-end product and also the cheapest industrial product.

The reason for this was that the policy and purpose pursued by the channel was dumping, breaking and disrupting the market in the dumping area to carry out technical isolation.

The mainland market was broader, why didn't we see TV dumping?

Very simple, no foreign exchange reserves, couldn't afford to buy, and didn't dare to buy; they would rather not watch than let dumping destroy the domestic electronics industry foundation.

But for some small countries, they didn't have this ability to resist and could only passively coordinate and defend.

The most miserable was actually South Korea; although the Han River had started to develop, the electronics industry suffered a devastating blow.

The "Maritime Coachman" created by Li Wenbiao was extremely insidious; the home appliance industry that hadn't fully developed yet directly encountered a critical hit.

Cheap, too cheap, but any family that could afford it would choose Yazhi brand electrical appliances that didn't know where they were shipped from.

Under the promotion of some people with extremely sensitive capital sense of smell, this open smuggling completely realized the success of the Coachman plan.

Wen San'er had been nailed in Yingcheng since coming to Liaodong, which was enough to prove the success of the Coachman plan.

"Did she give birth to a son or a girl?"

Li Xuewu put his handbag in the cabinet, looked toward the living room, and asked, "When was it born?"

"I heard it was last night, it's a girl." Yu Li walked over and introduced with a smile, "I asked him if he needed me to go over and help, he said no."

"Go take a look, there are two other children."

Li Xuewu changed into slippers, walked into the living room, and said, "Can she take care of it alone?"

"That's what I thought too." Yu Li said helplessly, "I told Fei Shanying to return to the capital early, or come to Steel City; it's better than guarding him in Yingcheng."

"With that kind of behavior, what's the use of guarding him."

"Hehe—" Li Xuewu said with a light laugh, "It seems she's going to be disappointed."

"Still talking about it—" Yu Li looked at him amusedly and said, "I heard Wen San'er was quite happy on the phone, saying he just likes girls."

"What's the use of him being happy; Fei Shanying is determined to compete with him and insists on having a son." Li Xuewu smiled and picked up the hot tea she had prepared long ago, took a sip, and said, "Tomorrow, you go see her on my behalf tomorrow; I won't go."

"I'll go persuade her and ask if she's returning to the capital." Yu Li said, "Returning to the capital, there's still Xiaoyan and Guodong to help; who can reach out to help here."

"Hmm, you ask." Li Xuewu nodded and looked out the window, not knowing what he was thinking.

Yu Li tidied up the kitchen and started making dinner, still chatting about Wen San's affairs.

"You say this, no father, no mother, and can't even count on her own sister; is this relative still called a relative?"

"Are you talking about Biaozi's mother?"

Li Xuewu came back to his senses, walked to the sofa and sat down, drinking tea while saying, "Even Biaozi can't count on his family, can he still have hope?"

He said this and remembered Li Wenbiao, so he asked, "Didn't you ask if Mai Qinglan is going?"

"I asked, Wen San'er specifically told them not to go."

Yu Li said across the window, "But Aunt Hu asked me today if we should go together."

"Hmm, they are real relatives."

Li Xuewu nodded, looked at the study, and asked, "Where did Banggeng run off to? Let him accompany you guys tomorrow; it'll be good to have someone to look after you on the road."

"It's not that far." Yu Li also looked toward Banggeng's room and said, "I've been back for half a day, and I haven't seen him; I don't know where he went crazy."

Ring~ Ring~ Ring~

Just as they were talking, the phone rang; Li Xuewu picked up the receiver nearby, and it turned out to be the voice of his brother-in-law.

"You're in Liaodong?"

"Hmm, just got off work." Li Xuewu responded and asked, "So sudden? Is there something up?"

"Are you responsible for your Group's helicopter production work?" Gu An spoke very directly, because both knew the phone wasn't secure.

"Steel Flight?" Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows and said, "I'm responsible for the Group's light and heavy industry in Liaodong."

"Hmm." Gu An paused on the other side and said, "The higher-ups arranged for us to receive ten helicopters; do you know about this?"

"Don't know." Li Xuewu frowned and asked, "When was this?"

"The order came down this morning." Gu An knew there must be something here and reminded him, "We are taking the train over; help coordinate accommodation."

"That's a small matter." Li Xuewu said calmly, "Then let's wait until you come?"

"Good." Gu An said, "Arriving the day after tomorrow afternoon, that's it."

His own brother-in-law, the two had no conflicts, and their relationship was quite harmonious, but on the phone, they were like strangers, with official faces.

The other party's tone was cold, and Li Xuewu was also indifferent; this kind of tacit understanding wasn't communicated once, but cultivated over a long time.

Compared to Gu Yan, Gu Haitao thought more highly of this son, so the dialogue with Li Xuewu was partly informed to him.

He had long known that his brother-in-law wasn't an ordinary person; being able to struggle from an ordinary family to that position wasn't something one or two connections could achieve.

With his father's trust, he had a relatively deep conversation with his brother-in-law, and afterward, he admitted that he was inferior to Li Xuewu in some aspects.

A very simple comparison: Li Xuewu could return to the army and plan to a key position; he couldn't achieve this kind of operation.

This was assuming no outside help; if Li Xuewu were in the army, he would definitely do better than him.

Conversely, if he went to work in the local area, to the Red Star Factory, he really wouldn't dare to compare with Li Xuewu; Dong Wenxue's evaluation was the most objective.

How long does it take to stand firm in a big factory alone?

Li Xuewu only took three months, and he was only 19 at the time.

Gu An admitted that without family support, he absolutely wouldn't have reached this position.

So there was an extra layer of respect in his relationship with his brother-in-law; this advance phone call was exactly that.

The higher-ups suddenly issued an order requiring them to form a helicopter formation, with aircraft coordinated and borrowed from Red Steel Group; this order was too strange.

Sure enough, one phone call revealed the problem; he couldn't solve this problem and could only hand it to his brother-in-law to handle.

How did Li Xuewu handle it?

"Hmm, I'm Li Xuewu."

He first called Steel Flight Factory Director Kong Xiaobo and asked directly, "How many KH-4 stock aircraft are there?"

"Not enough, urgently produce three more."

Hearing there were only seven stock aircraft, he decisively issued a production order; the parts were all there, it was just troublesome to temporarily increase assembly tasks.

Three days absolutely wasn't enough, but temporary production and ongoing production were two different things.

After hanging up the phone, he deliberated on his words, made the call to the capital, and while waiting, he thought through the problem inside and out.

Until Old Li answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Director Li, I'm Li Xuewu."

Li Xuewu didn't beat around the bush and asked directly, "Is there a plan from above to lend helicopters?"

"Helicopters? When?"

Li Huai De didn't know either, his voice filled with doubt as he asked, "Where did you hear this news?"

"Xijing."

Li Xuewu gave the answer, but it left Li Huai De completely stunned.

"Xijing? You... over there?"

Li Huai De had long known the phone wasn't secure, so he only used words that the two of them could understand to communicate.

"Right, he's responsible for receiving, arriving in Steel City the day after tomorrow afternoon." Li Xuewu narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "You don't know this, I don't know this, then who knows?"

"You wait." Li Huai De thought for a moment, then asked, "Did he say which type of aircraft to borrow?"

"KH-4 helicopter." Li Xuewu reminded him, "Currently, the stock is insufficient; I've already notified Steel Flight to increase production tasks."

"Wait for my call." Li Huai De thought for a moment, gave an instruction, and then hung up the phone directly.

After Li Xuewu put down the receiver, his fingers tapped lightly on the sofa armrest, his gaze deep, still thinking about the significance behind this matter.

The phone never rang; he didn't know if it couldn't get through or if it wasn't called.

Yu Li walked out of the kitchen, glanced at him, and reminded him hesitantly, "Dinner is ready."

"Hmm, eat." Li Xuewu paused, finally opened his palm and patted the armrest, supported his body and stood up, saying, "Heaven and earth are big, eating is the biggest."

"Banggeng hasn't returned yet." Yu Li asked with some worry, "Should I go out and look for him?"

"15 or 16 years old, can he still get lost?"

Li Xuewu waved his hand and said, "Don't worry about him; he knows when to eat; he won't starve to death."

"It's so late, it shouldn't be."

Yu Li thought for a moment and said, "Should I call the pier and ask if he's there?"

Because Li Xuewu was waiting for a call, she didn't dare to disturb him, and she had been anxious just now.

"If he were at the pier, would he not know to call back and tell you?"

Li Xuewu turned back to look at her and waved his hand, "Call, call, otherwise you'll keep worrying."

He was more broad-minded than Yu Li; this wasn't winter, people wouldn't freeze to death outside, and Banggeng wouldn't run to the countryside; at most, he'd be hungry for a night.

Besides, if he were really caught by a patrol, he would know to come home and report.

So he walked to the dining table very relaxedly, sat down, picked up his rice bowl, and started eating.

Yu Li called the pier, and also asked the club and the recycling plant; they all said he wasn't there, and he hadn't even gone there today, making her heart even more anxious.

"Should I..." She walked to the kitchen door and asked hesitantly, "Should I send someone out to look?"

"Do you think this is your village?" Li Xuewu looked at her and asked, "Steel City isn't big, but the people you have in your hands scattered out would be like looking for a needle in a haystack."

"Then what should we do?" Yu Li was anxious, frowned, and said, "He has never had this situation before; what if he really encountered danger?"

"Listen to me, sit down and eat."

Li Xuewu pointed his chopsticks at the seat beside him and said calmly, "It's useless for you to be anxious now; I don't have any way either."

"If we really mobilize connections to search, no one can say where he went."

He took a bite of rice, picked up some vegetables, and said, "When the time comes, making a big fuss, if we really find something, it'll be hard to clean up."

"But..." Yu Li's heart was hanging, she walked to the dining table and sat down, but she didn't eat well, looking toward the door from time to time.

Li Xuewu slowed down his eating speed, just wanting her to eat a little more; if he left the table, Yu Li definitely wouldn't eat anymore either.

"I'm done."

Waiting for her to put down her rice bowl, Li Xuewu stood up and went to the living room, still at the position by the phone, picking up a newspaper to read.

This phone call wait lasted until midnight; Yu Li couldn't help it anymore and fell asleep on the sofa, but in her dream, she was still frowning.

Li Xuewu answered the phone at the first ring; Yu Li's eyelids just jumped, then there was no movement, and she fell asleep again.

"It wasn't promised by the First Ministry of Machine Building, nor the Third Ministry." Li Huai De's voice was very serious, reminding him, "But you don't stop it; just keep the receiving materials well."

Li Xuewu listened, but saw movement in the courtyard; not long after, he saw Banggeng sneaking into the living room like a rat.

The moment the two met eyes, Banggeng was startled, the schoolbag in his arms fell to the ground, making a clatter. ===== CHAPTER 1601 =====