Chapter 1684: Thirty Years

"Do you know Matsumura Kenzo?"

Li Xuewu waited for them all to leave before taking a bath and changing clothes, but before he could come out of the bathroom and put on his shirt, Gao Yaqin came back again.

"Do you not care at all?"

He said helplessly, stretching his shirt to cover his chest, which was being stared at by the other party, "Men and women should keep their distance, comrade."

"Since we are all comrades, what does looking matter—" Gao Yaqin saw that he had put on his shirt, and only then reluctantly moved her gaze away.

It wasn't that she liked Li Xuewu; it was just the uncontrollable feeling of a middle-aged woman towards youth and strength.

Li Xuewu's usual attire was a bit old-fashioned to hide his youth; seeing his chest muscles suddenly, she couldn't help but be unable to move her eyes away.

He understood Gao Yaqin's very pure lust; it didn't carry a shred of emotion, so he didn't mind much.

Just take it as a compliment to himself.

But Gao Yaqin didn't intend to compliment him, and even glanced at him and complained, "Stingy."

"Wait until we return to the country; when Big Brother is at home, I'll go to your house and let you have a good look."

Li Xuewu twitched the corners of his mouth and smiled, "See if Big Brother doesn't beat you."

"If he had your strength, even if he were just for show and not for use, I'd be satisfied—" Gao Yaqin sighed and said what was in her heart.

But for a cadre who had been married for many years and whose child was even in middle school, this kind of teasing had no pressure at all.

It was like how many people in later generations didn't believe that female squad leaders in the army were the most fierce at scolding people, and male squad leaders were all little brothers.

"What is this?" Li Xuewu looked at the card in her hand and asked, "How did you think of asking about Matsumura Kenzo?"

"He will appear at tonight's banquet."

Gao Yaqin raised her eyebrows, handed the card in her hand to him, and explained, "The invitation sent by Director Han just now."

"What does it mean? An invitation?"

Li Xuewu looked at her in surprise, took it in his hand and looked at it; it was truly an invitation with a full cultural atmosphere and exquisite style.

Do you know the difference between an invitation and a post?

Some people might think that when ancient scholars made friends and sent each other visiting boxes and visiting posts, the post should be more formal and solemn.

Actually, it's just the opposite; a visiting post is a visiting post, and an invitation is an invitation; an invitation tends to be popular, while an invitation card is more formal.

This invitation in his hand was an invitation in the name of Matsumura Kenzo, inviting the representative of the Red Steel Group to be a guest at his home in Shirokanedai, Tokyo, tomorrow night.

"You ask me if I know him?"

Li Xuewu amusedly put down the invitation and looked at Gao Yaqin, asking, "Does it mean the other party is coming for me?"

"Your supernatural powers are unfathomable in my eyes." Gao Yaqin saw him like this and knew she had misunderstood, and teased him with a smile.

This wasn't intentional; in her eyes, Li Xuewu didn't need to be surprised by anything he did, as if he always had a relationship network she didn't know.

It was like this in Beijing, like this in Tianjin, and even in Hong Kong.

"You really look highly of me," Li Xuewu shook his head and picked up his watch from the coffee table to put it on, "I don't know such a big shot."

"Then maybe it's Director Li?"

Gao Yaqin raised her eyebrows, saw him look over, and spread her hands amusedly, saying, "Anyway, it's not me; I know him, but he doesn't know me."

"That's not necessarily true." Li Xuewu smiled and said, "You have also made a name for yourself in Hong Kong in the past year or two, the mysterious Red Steel Group, huh?"

"Heh—" Gao Yaqin laughed at herself, looked at the invitation on the coffee table, and said, "Just by my insignificant reputation?"

She reached out and pointed at the invitation and looked at Li Xuewu, asking, "Is it worth this LDP elder personally entertaining me?"

"I can tell you, it absolutely couldn't be Director Li." Li Xuewu shook his head slightly and said, "He wouldn't have this kind of relationship."

"Then it's very strange," Gao Yaqin frowned slightly and emphasized, "I asked, and only we received an invitation."

"Going to his home, that must be a private meeting." Li Xuewu didn't care much and said, "How could it be possible to invite so many people."

He said this while also thinking about this old man who was about to die.

Saying Matsumura Kenzo was an old man was, of course, not an exaggeration, because the other party was born in 1883 and was already eighty-eight years old this year.

He didn't feel very surprised that the other party was coming to attend tonight's welcome banquet; he was just surprised that the other party's body was still strong.

Just like what Gao Yaqin mentioned, Matsumura Kenzo was a Japanese politician, an LDP elder, and one of the key promoters of the normalization of China-Japan diplomatic relations.

The year before last, which was '69, when he visited the mainland, Li Xuewu also participated in related activities, and it was precisely in that one that Nishida Kenichi had special arrangements for the cooperation between the Red Steel Group and Sanhe.

This was, of course, what Gucang Ping'er told him later; Nishida Kenichi asked Gucang to take him down at all costs and promote the second round of negotiations between the two sides.

The key point was one: Nishida Kenichi required Gucang Ping'er to fully grasp him, or rather reach close cooperation.

Li Xuewu, of course, wouldn't take this move, because the consequences of doing so were very serious; just look at Suwide now and you'll know.

Do you think Suwide's matter is over?

How could it be; it was far from over.

The content reported by Gucang Ping'er was already something Suwide couldn't bear; the reason he wasn't dealt with this time was from other considerations.

This had to be said to be Suwide's tragedy; don't look at him as if he's fine now, it's just that his future is ruined, but the root of the disaster has also been buried.

Letting him off the hook was because the higher-ups saw that he was too deeply involved with that person and didn't want to intensify the contradiction at this point in time.

Coincidentally, Li Huai De was sensible; going to plead for mercy at this time, he took the opportunity to give Old Li face, stabilizing that person on top and stabilizing the Red Steel Group on the bottom.

Now that he wasn't dealt with, it meant this matter was remembered, and it was still being investigated, and even being saved up to be calculated together.

Nishida Kenichi's plan didn't fall on Li Xuewu, but fell on Suwide; this was all Gucang Ping'er's credit.

Initially knowing that Gucang had a layout, although Nishida Kenichi was very sorry it wasn't him, he was also somewhat satisfied.

After all, this was also a breakthrough.

However, with Gucang's betrayal, Nishida Kenichi had already been put on the blacklist of the Red Steel Group in the mainland, an unwelcome object.

You have to know that in business cooperation, shielding the other party's person in charge is a very abnormal relationship.

But both sides were reluctant to give up the cooperation, so a strange phenomenon appeared.

Just when Gao Yaqin mentioned the name Matsumura Kenzo, he thought of Nishida Kenichi, and already had a guess in his heart.

Just check Matsumura Kenzo's resume and you'll know:

1906: Graduated from the Faculty of Political Science and Economics, Waseda University; once served as a reporter for "Hochi Shimbun."

From 1928: Elected as a member of the House of Representatives 13 consecutive times; political career nearly 50 years.

Post-war important positions: Served as Minister of Health and Welfare, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Minister of Education; later served as LDP advisor, leader of the "Miki-Matsumura Faction."

1969: Retired from Japanese politics.

Li Xuewu saying this person was a big shot in Japan was not an exaggeration; the influence would definitely cover the Sanhe Stock Company.

To talk about this person's influence, he visited the mainland five times, successively reached a consensus on "promoting officials through the people, gradual improvement," laid the foundation for LT trade, opened semi-official and semi-civilian trade between China and Japan, set up liaison offices, and sent reporters to each other.

Someone asked, does the mainland have business dealings with the outside world in this era?

The answer is definitely yes, and it's very extensive, but there are few civilian participants.

What should be noted is that the "promoting officials through the people, gradual improvement" consensus reached in '59 was still carried out under the organization of officials.

Do you want to say that the Red Steel Group's business nature counts as official or civilian?

Of course it's civilian, but the enterprise has collective attributes, so it's not purely civilian.

Being able to reach a trade agreement, setting up liaison offices with each other, and sending reporters to each other—this kind of relationship is actually already very close.

Everyone knows that the mainland and Japan will achieve normalization of diplomatic relations next year, but few people know that Matsumura Kenzo is the general contact person for the Japanese side.

Every time he visits the mainland, he is received by Mr. Z, very cleverly achieving a breakthrough through cultural exchanges such as Go and orchids, also known as Go diplomacy.

Mr. Z also gave him a precious orchid, "Global Lotus Tripod."

It was mentioned earlier that the Japanese upper class all understand Chinese, and even laws need Chinese for annotation, because Japanese annotation ability is scarce and cannot comprehensively define the rigor of the law.

Nishida Kenichi and Nakamura Shuji and others all know Chinese, and speak it very fluently, and can even quote classics, which can be called China hands.

But to talk about the understanding of traditional Chinese culture, Matsumura Kenzo can be said to have deep Han studies and is very good at using traditional Chinese theories to deal with problems.

He advocates "Asia is the Asia of Asians" and opposes camp confrontation.

In Japan, his reputation is also very good; he is clean and upright, has long been committed to agricultural policy and China-Japan reconciliation, and has high prestige in Japanese politics.

So when Li Xuewu's three people sat down according to their name tags, the few people at the table hadn't chatted for two sentences before the venue suddenly became quiet.

Everyone looked towards the door one after another; an old man with a staggering gait walked in, supported by a young man in a black suit.

Round tortoiseshell myopia glasses, graying beard, eyes slightly narrowed, looking not very healthy.

But precisely because of this, it could better reflect the importance he attached to the industrial and trade delegation's visit to Japan.

His energy was average, not enough to let everyone in the large venue hear his voice, so he just waved his hand and bowed slightly to thank them.

Minister of International Trade and Industry Miyazawa Kiichi, as the host, also bowed slightly, representing the guests in the venue to express welcome.

A very interesting scene: when the Japanese representatives bowed, the Chinese representatives sat steadily, and after the other party's welcome ended, the delegation leader shook hands and exchanged pleasantries with the other party.

Li Xuewu couldn't help but smile in his heart; the psychological game in this kind of occasion was actually the most interesting.

"Guess what you can eat tonight?"

Gu Li, sitting beside Li Xuewu, bit his voice and asked, "Will there be that kind of banquet you mentioned."

Li Xuewu almost laughed out loud, glanced at him, and answered with the same corner-of-the-mouth voice, "Keep dreaming; to eat that kind of banquet, you have to go to Shinjuku."

"I don't even dare to think about it in my dreams."

Gu Li's gaze, like his, didn't leave the leaders of both sides who were speaking in front, but his mouth chatted away.

This kind of occasion would have recording and photography; if caught with indecent actions, it would absolutely be a big loss of face.

So they sat close, chatting with particularly subtle voices, not fearing being discovered by others.

Actually, even if discovered, it didn't matter; people who often attend meetings know that when you fart, you must not have special expressions, because except for those around you, no one knows it was you.

"Tell me, when a girl lies on the table, how is the food served on her body?"

Have to say, Gu Li's curiosity was truly heavy; this kind of joke passed as soon as it was said, and he actually remembered it.

Li Xuewu was also amused and said, "Wait a few days when no one finds out, go for a stroll and you'll know, right?"

"Fuck—" The muscles on Gu Li's face were about to turn sour; he was about to be unable to hold back his laughter.

When they came, Director Han had already held a meeting for them; Japan had a red-light district; in this era, it was called a pleasure street or a custom street.

The location was actually very easy to find, concentrated in Shinjuku Kabukicho, with secondary districts such as Taito-ku Yoshiwara, Minato-ku Shimbashi, Asakusa 6-chome, Ikebukuro North Exit/West Exit, Ueno Ameyoko, etc.

Say one more thing here, the rich people living in Minato-ku were also quite a few; many Japanese tycoons or old power brokers also lived there.

Why did Han Song specifically mention this matter? Because in this era, Tokyo was the largest city that never sleeps in Asia.

1-chome was dense with custom shops, Turkish baths, love hotels, adult cinemas; 2-chome had high-end clubs and host clubs concentrated; Japanese gangs (Yamaguchi-gumi, etc.) were deeply involved, and it was quite chaotic.

"If I go and get lost, what should I do?"

Gu Li saw a leader finish speaking, took the opportunity of clapping to tease, "Why don't you take me to broaden my horizons? After all, you know a lot."

"I know you're just an old lecher with a thief's heart but no thief's guts—"

Li Xuewu couldn't help but twitch the corners of his mouth and said, "There are plenty of taxis on the street, and they are very cheap; just ask them."

"Then forget it," Gu Li said with regret after the big shots finished speaking and he turned back with Li Xuewu, "What a pity."

"What's there to be sorry about." Li Xuewu smiled and explained, "Wait until you go to see it and you'll know; actually, it doesn't look very good."

"I didn't say I had to go; I'm just curious." Gu Li still emphasized, "Just want to see the other side of capitalism."

"Heh—" Li Xuewu only felt that this explanation was a bit far-fetched and a bit funny, "If you can't explain it clearly, it's better not to speak."

Japanese-style banquets are very exquisite, all using a split-meal system; everyone has an area for dining, looking very classical.

This fuck is the aristocratic dining etiquette learned from the Tang Dynasty, only it wasn't learned completely, and it was also mixed with weird things.

From the Sui and Tang Dynasties, all the way to the Song and Ming Dynasties, this dining culture had been evolving; they couldn't keep up with the rhythm here, and were still eating weird things.

"Hello, the kaiseki cuisine has started."

A waitress wearing a kimono walked over and whispered a notification, then removed the hand-wiping towel in front of them, with small steps and a gentle tone.

Gu Li tried hard to maintain a serious face, especially when the waitress came to collect the towel; Li Xuewu, sitting beside him, noticed he was nervous.

Just a little special service and he was nervous? And he still wanted to go to Shinjuku to broaden his horizons; if he got there, he'd have to peel off a layer of skin!

Some people were curious about the nature of this service, and some expressed disdain or teased implicitly; actually, there was no need.

At least in Li Xuewu's view, existence is reasonable; the more developed a society is, the more complex the form of resource possession will be.

He was, of course, not saying that the girls in Shinjuku were all forced to do so for a living; in fact, the reasons for engaging in this profession were varied.

But in the final analysis, everyone who came out was using youth to exchange for money; no one was more noble than anyone, and no one was more lowly than anyone.

If Li Xuewu were to say it, a man must go to such a place once, not necessarily to experience it personally, but also to have some knowledge.

Only when you see it with your own eyes can you truly feel the significance and purpose behind this special activity.

Using the money for a set of clothes to exchange for her accompanying you to sing and chat, any topic she will follow you, and there won't be a shred of resistance.

At this time, you will know the power of money, will cherish the preciousness of true love, and see their hypocrisy even more—money cannot buy true love.

Using such a small price to know so much knowledge, you say, is it worth it?

Therefore, whether young people or middle-aged people struggling, only by facing the abyss can one not fear the abyss.

Someone in later generations teased Old Wang of real estate, but if he had gone to KTV to broaden his horizons, he wouldn't have been fascinated by that kind of goods.

This is vision, and also cognition.

You never know your potential and future; if one day, your cognition cannot keep up with the pace of wealth, your wealth will also flow away.

Li Xuewu teasing Gu Li to broaden his horizons wasn't entirely a joke; even if he could resist this kind of subtle temptation.

Gu Li saw the waitress leave, and only then secretly breathed a sigh of relief; seeing the smile on Li Xuewu's face, he couldn't help but twitch the corners of his mouth.

"Did you understand this in advance?"

He asked awkwardly, "How come I don't see you nervous?"

"Nervous about what? She's not a spider spirit." Li Xuewu said unhappily, "Can she pounce into your arms? Keep dreaming."

"You kid are not sincere—" Gu Li was ashamed of his ignorance and stubbornly believed that Li Xuewu had experience.

Truly wronged; Li Xuewu only remembered the 8th and the 7th, and didn't remember anything else; where would he have any experience.

"Hello, this is the appetizer, please enjoy."

The waitress who had just left came back again, holding a plate, kneeling beside them and gently serving the small dish, her tone still light.

Forget it, don't look; Gu Li couldn't even speak, his expression very stiff.

Li Xuewu shook his head amusedly, looked at the girl, nodded slightly, and said, "Thank you."

"Please don't be polite—"

The girl lowered her head shyly, smiled, and raised her hand to signal, "This is swimming crab, new rice, and shiso leaf, please enjoy."

"Good, thank you for your hard work." Li Xuewu nodded slightly to express his gratitude, and only then picked up his chopsticks and put a small piece of cooked food into his mouth.

To tell the truth, he would rather eat rice balls than try raw things in Japanese cuisine; parasites and the like are crunching on the brain.

Tonight's banquet was very grand; the ritual sense of kaiseki cuisine was even stronger than that of kaiseki cuisine, and the specifications were quite high.

Some people don't understand; what are kaiseki cuisine and kaiseki cuisine? Actually, you can understand it from the literal meaning.

Kaiseki cuisine has many dishes, equivalent to the banquet after someone dies in the village; you can eat as much as you want.

Kaiseki cuisine has few dishes, you can't eat enough, and you have to put a stone on your stomach so you won't be hungry.

The appetizer mentioned by the girl earlier isn't giving money before eating; the appetizer is the appetizer, which is the appetizer in Chinese food.

The swimming crab, new rice, and shiso leaf introduced by the girl were all seasonal ingredients, used to whet the appetite.

"What the fuck are these things?"

Gu Li couldn't care about awkwardness anymore; looking at the small thing in front of him, he didn't dare to move his chopsticks.

Li Xuewu, of course, couldn't watch him make a fool of himself, and whispered a reminder, "Pick the cooked ones to eat, you won't go wrong."

"There are raw things here too?!"

Gu Li looked at him in surprise and asked, "Treating us with raw things, it wouldn't be a show of force, right?"

Li Xuewu almost laughed out loud, lowered his head and explained, "Japanese people like to eat raw things; this is their culture."

"Then that's really weird enough."

Gu Li used his chopsticks to poke around; seeing Li Xuewu eat whatever he ate, he was really afraid of eating raw things.

After the banquet started, there was only the sound of bowls and chopsticks colliding at the scene, as well as soft conversation; rarely could one hear noise.

This is a dining etiquette; when you are not full, everyone can't take care of talking.

"Hello, this is the clear soup, please enjoy."

The girl appeared for the fifth time; the tray contained sea bream soup served in a wooden bowl.

Don't ask Li Xuewu how he knew; he couldn't tell either; it was the waitress who introduced it to him after setting the dishes.

He saw that they were all cooked dishes, so he tasted them; the taste was clear and very fresh.

It wasn't that he was picky; truly having eaten seafood, or dishes where the chef's craftsmanship was very high, you could taste the clear and fresh taste of the ingredients themselves.

It wasn't that you could taste what the ingredients tasted like, but the authentic deliciousness after processing, especially seafood.

"Hello, this is sashimi, please enjoy."

The girl came for the fourth time; looking at the dishes she served, Gu Li finally saw Li Xuewu's ability.

"Are these all raw?" He saw the waitress leave, poked it with his chopsticks, turned his head and asked Li Xuewu: "Do you dare to eat it?"

"Dare, what's there not to dare."

Li Xuewu deliberately teased him, saying, "It's okay, you eat yours; there's enough in my plate, no need for you to give."

Have to say, the tuna, salmon, and kuruma prawn served were finely cut, arranged like a painting, and paired with wasabi and soy sauce—truly delicious.

He only tasted the tuna; everyone said this thing was precious, and the taste was indeed very good.

Gu Li saw him eat it, and only then followed by eating a mouthful, but as soon as it went down his stomach, he saw Li Xuewu spit the fish he had just eaten into a napkin.

You fuck are doing this on purpose, right?

"Eat, it won't poison you to death—"

Li Xuewu saw him staring at himself while eating, and explained unhappily, "I'm not used to eating fish; I'm just tasting the flavor."

"I believe your ghost—"

Gu Li didn't dare to taste it anymore; if he ruined his stomach, it would be troublesome.

Fortunately, the dishes served by the girl next didn't have raw things.

The banquet hall where they were located had a very Japanese style; although it wasn't as traditional as a Japanese-style room, it was also more stylish than a Western-style round table.

Li Xuewu and the others listened to a five-minute opening speech, mainly Miyazawa Kiichi's welcome speech and the delegation leader's thank-you speech.

The menu was actually introduced during the opening speech stage, but the two of them were absent-minded and didn't notice.

Just when they were eating, host Miyazawa Kiichi also delivered a toast; after the waitress poured wine for everyone at the scene, Matsumura Kenzo proposed a toast.

Li Xuewu and the others knew it was "Kanpai," but on the menu program, it was written as "Kanpai," which was likely the result of not learning the knowledge completely.

The waitress softly asked them what they wanted to drink; the scene mainly provided Black Pine White Deer, local wine, and barley tea.

Black Pine White Deer is pure rice daiginjo, similar to white wine, but the alcohol content isn't high; it tastes sweet, and it's the kind that will get you drunk if you drink too much.

Li Xuewu and Gu Li both chose red wine; it tasted refreshing, and it should be top-grade, no mistake.

Until the waitress left for the last time, Li Xuewu's dining table was already filled with grilled dishes (grilled items): salt-grilled Wagyu beef that was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside; fried dishes (fried items): tempura with light and crispy batter (shrimp and seasonal vegetables); eight-inch (assorted platter): abalone, lotus root kinpira, eggplant simmered and soaked, rich in color and meat-vegetable combination; simmered dishes (stewed dishes): seasonal root vegetables and fish that were slowly simmered and flavorful, gentle and palatable; vinegar dishes (vinegar-marinated dishes): refreshing and greasy-relieving vegetable vinegar-marinated.

The closing staple food was white rice, pickles, and miso soup, which she called rice, pickles, and stop-bowl.

Just like the government canteen in later generations, there was also water confectionery at the end of the banquet, which was dessert after the meal.

Li Xuewu ate apple, yokan, and matcha.

Have to say, after such a cumbersome set of dining etiquette, he suddenly understood why the Japanese personality was so complex.

Worrying about a mouthful of food every day, how could the human heart not be complex.

You see, the variety of dishes on the table is many, but each one is only a small mouthful; after eating, there is none, and there is no such thing as asking for another portion if you like it.

You can't say if you are full or not; I'll tell you this: Li Xuewu was a bit hungry before eating; he wasn't hungry while eating, but he was hungry again after eating.

The whole banquet lasted for 90 minutes, which was an hour and a half; he just sat here, and consumed more than he ate.

Gu Li put the last grain of rice into his mouth, put down his chopsticks with lingering interest, and sighed, "They are truly too difficult; I even want to donate a bit."

Li Xuewu knew he was talking nonsense, and whispered, "I brought some specialties when I came; if you are not full, go to my place at night to pad it a bit."

"Is this appropriate?" Gu Li was actually embarrassed; since the liberation, this was truly the first time he faced the awkwardness of not being full.

If Li Xuewu were to take out a roast chicken for him now, he could call him foster father.

"Then I won't be polite."

He raised his chin, signaled the dishes on the dining table, and whispered, "Feeding a cat is more than this."

It is worth mentioning that they had all put down their chopsticks, and only then did they know that people here didn't call them waiters, but were called "okami" or attendants.

Thanks to not using their language; if they said too much and shouted "waiter," it would be lively.

Actually, the Japanese representatives' eyes looking at them already had strangeness; mainly because there were too many rules for this kind of banquet, and Li Xuewu didn't know the specific ones.

Similar to chopsticks absolutely not being allowed to be inserted into rice, crossing plates, licking chopsticks, and pointing at things with chopsticks, everyone knows.

But to talk about chewing silently while eating, sipping soup lightly; dipping sashimi in soy sauce with the fish meat facing down, not mixing wasabi into soy sauce, etc. —this was very different from everyone's dining habits.

Everyone knows politeness; it's just that they don't necessarily know it so comprehensively.

The whole banquet always had the sound of conversation, but rarely appeared loud talk; according to Li Xuewu's observation, the leaders didn't talk about work either.

"Thank you for coming to attend this banquet."

Just when Miyazawa Kiichi stood up again to summarize tonight's banquet, and after the delegation leader expressed thanks, staff came to their position, bowed slightly, and offered a gift bag with both hands.

Li Xuewu said a polite word and took it, placing it beside him; Gu Li, however, was honest, smiling and saying, "Eating and taking, how embarrassing."

"You'd better be reserved." Li Xuewu reminded him, "What's in the bag isn't necessarily good stuff."

Gu Li didn't care, saw the leaders exchanging pleasantries and leaving, and only then stood up and said, "Go to your place first; I really didn't eat enough."

"Did you eat another meal last night?"

Gao Yaqin got up very early, went downstairs for a stroll, and only then returned upstairs; seeing Li Xuewu open the door, she greeted him.

Li Xuewu waved his hand and said, "Don't mention it; the roast chicken I brought was eaten by them."

"You brought roast chicken here?!"

Gao Yaqin looked at him in surprise, complaining, "Why didn't you say so earlier; I didn't eat well last night either."

"Then who do you blame?" Li Xuewu said amusedly, "We saw you return to your room and thought you were sleepy, wanting to rest early."

"I'm truly convinced by you—" Gao Yaqin said somewhat angrily, "I'm annoyed by them smoking, that's why I came out; who would have thought you guys had another good meal."

She asked with some envy, "Roast chicken is eaten, are there any other good things? How much stuff did you bring?"

"Anyway, it's enough for me to eat."

Li Xuewu replied to her amusedly, saying, "You are a female comrade; eating a little less is nothing; if I eat too little, I'll easily get hypoglycemia."

Watching him leave, Gao Yaqin pouted, her heart determined; if she didn't eat enough at tonight's banquet, she would go to Li Xuewu's room to rob.

The first day of the official visit schedule was mainly visiting, and it was a special forces-like visiting schedule of looking at flowers while riding a horse.

Starting at 8:30 AM, the group boarded the bus after a simple breakfast and headed straight for Hitachi, Ltd. in Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku.

Tokyo's industry in this era was mainly concentrated in five major sectors: electronics, precision machinery, communications, chemicals, and automotive parts; basically, they were all leaders and technical pioneers during the period of rapid post-war growth, and mostly in the 23 wards.

Due to the concentration of industry, it also provided convenience for the first day's looking at flowers while riding a horse; they almost didn't waste any time on the road.

Starting from Hitachi, Ltd., they kept looking until Oki Electric.

Japanese enterprises were a bit like the Red Steel Group, with rich comprehensive industries and very strong competitiveness.

Take the first enterprise they visited, Hitachi, Ltd., as an example; products included large computers, color TVs, refrigerators, air conditioners, generators, elevators, semiconductors, railway signal systems, etc.

The enterprise leader who made the introduction emphasized that their enterprise completed a 1GB large storage device this year and developed a traffic control system for the Shinkansen.

In this period, the Shinkansen was the pride of the Japanese; as long as it was related to this topic, it would definitely be mentioned.

Of course, even if it wasn't related, it would be mentioned in a roundabout way, especially in front of foreigners.

The Shinkansen was indeed the achievement that the Japanese could take out in this era; even the rise of high-speed rail in the country in later generations once wanted to learn from it.

It's a pity that the pride of the Shinkansen at that time made the Japanese very arrogant, so that the country held a ruthless energy to make the world's number one.

Second stop: Tokyo Shibaura Electric (Toshiba); products mainly included black-and-white/color TVs, washing machines, refrigerators, semiconductors (early IC), nuclear energy equipment, medical electronics (X-ray machines).

The main production force was consumer electronics and industrial heavy electricity.

Third stop: Sony; products were mainly transistor radios, tape recorders, black-and-white/color TVs, VCRs (under development).

Fourth stop: NEC; products mainly included telephone exchanges, communication equipment, large computers, semiconductors (layout of DRAM this year), radar. This was the leading enterprise of communication equipment in Japan, and the enterprise market share was very high.

Fifth stop: Fujitsu; products mainly included large computers (FA series), communication equipment, semiconductors, electronic components.

This year, Fujitsu became Japan's largest domestic computer manufacturer, mainly serving banks and the government.

After leaving the electronic field enterprises, they visited precision machinery and automation, which was the core of Tokyo's manufacturing industry.

Sixth stop: THK; products mainly included guide rails, ball screws, precision mechanical components; this was the leader of industrial automation basic parts, and the core supplier of machine tools and robots.

Seventh stop: Tohnichi Mfg. Co., Ltd.; products mainly included torque wrenches, pneumatic tools, automotive assembly tools.

This year, they became the core supplier of Toyota and Nissan, and their products were exported to Europe and America.

Eighth stop: JTEKT; products mainly included bearings, machine tools, automotive steering systems; in this time, their bearing production capacity was in the forefront of Japan, and was the main force of Japan's precision machine tool exports.

From the ninth stop, it was the chemical industry, and the R&D capability was quite strong.

Hitachi Chemical; products were mainly electronic materials (copper-clad laminates, insulating materials), carbon brushes, automotive parts, resins.

They were the material core of the Hitachi Group, supporting the entire Japanese electronics and automotive industry.

Tenth stop: Tokyo Chemical Industry; leader of high-end reagents in Japan, producing organic chemical reagents, pharmaceutical intermediates, fine chemicals, similar to Beijing Chemical.

From the eleventh stop, it was the automotive industry, mainly the parts industry.

Denso; core supplier of the Toyota system, producing automotive electrical appliances (generators, starters), air conditioning systems, spark plugs, sensors.

Twelfth stop: NSK; top three in ball bearings, dual main force in automotive and industrial machinery, producing bearings, automotive hub bearings, precision mechanical bearings.

Thirteenth stop: Mitsubishi Electric; an enterprise with strong dual lines of industrial motors and home appliances; products mainly included heavy electrical equipment, air conditioners, semiconductors, elevators.

Last stop: Oki Electric; products mainly included communication equipment, printers, electronic components. Main supplier of government communication equipment.

From 8:30 AM until 6:30 PM, the group didn't stop their steps, walking while looking, and making records in their notebooks while looking.

Not everyone could persist; this required a certain amount of physical strength and energy, otherwise, by the end, they couldn't hear what the host was saying.

Li Xuewu, however, persisted by virtue of his strong body, and the notebook in his hand also recorded a lot of content.

He had to be serious; Old Li was there to soy sauce, Gao Yaqin was there to negotiate, and only he was the main force of the preliminary preparation work.

The Red Steel Group's team also participated in this visiting schedule today, with secretaries doing business communication and understanding like a wheel battle.

Li Xuewu and the others just looked at the patterns; it was mainly these secretaries and clerks who learned more about the situation from the visited enterprises.

Generally speaking, delegation members only need to focus and contact enterprises related to their own business, and don't need to follow all enterprises.

But Li Xuewu couldn't, because all the enterprises visited today were related to the Red Steel Group.

If not a direct connection in business, it was an indirect relationship in technology.

It wasn't that he worshipped foreign things, but he was truly greedy; looking at these products and these advanced technologies, he wished he could pack them all and take them away.

If the Red Steel Group could get these technologies, he dared to be sure that in less than ten years, Red Steel would absolutely become a world-class industrial enterprise.

He didn't even eat dinner seriously, and the pen in his hand didn't stop, always writing and writing.

He summarized the characteristics of Tokyo industry in 1971 in one sentence:

Electronics and electrical dominance, precision machinery foundation, automotive parts supporting, chemical materials supporting; almost all are leaders with "technology export" dual-drive, which is, of course, the foundation for Japan to dominate the world in semiconductors and automobiles in the 80s.

Li Xuewu wanted to cross the river by feeling the stones of Japan; the development idea he designed for the Red Steel Group was this.

But the gap in technology made him feel a sense of powerlessness; he didn't feel it before when he was blindly catching up without seeing it, but now that he saw the gap, he knew how great this pressure was.

Every time he returned to the research institute in Kyoto, he would talk to the engineers there, just to understand the first-hand materials of the group's research.

Li Xuewu didn't dare to say he was the most technically knowledgeable person in charge of an industrial enterprise, but in the Red Steel Group team, he was absolutely the most technically knowledgeable.

No one understood better than him what technology could bring to an enterprise, and no one knew what changes would occur due to the development of technology in the future.

This world is progressing faster and faster because of the development of technology; if you are not careful, or take a detour, you will be ruthlessly thrown behind.

Wanting to catch up isn't just as simple as finding the right trick; there are also technical barriers and patent barriers that have already been formed in front.

Take communication enterprises as an example; Nokia's reason for achieving an immortal body isn't it just a bunch of patents raising the enterprise?

Even if it went bankrupt several times, it could still be reborn from the cocoon.

The development of electric vehicles in later generations—if it weren't for bypassing the patents of fuel vehicles, who could imagine that cars could be so cheap.

Gao Yaqin saw his tension and seriousness, and didn't know what comforting words to say; even she could see how huge this gap was.

"At least thirty years are needed."

Li Xuewu sighed on the way back and said, "We must be prepared for a protracted war, fighting for thirty years."

"That's your business then." Li Huai De also shook his head helplessly and said, "Thirty years, I'll be almost eighty years old, hehe." ===== CHAPTER 1685 =====