Chapter 113 - An Audience with the Chairman (Part I)

Beijing, the capital of China, is an ancient imperial city with thousands of years of history. Regardless of the rise and fall of various dynasties, it has always remained the core of the Chinese nation and the center of the country’s politics and culture. Within this central hub lies an absolute military exclusion zone: Zhongnanhai. This is the office and administrative seat of China’s top leadership and the location where the nation’s most critical foreign policy decisions are made.

As always, after a long and busy day, Chairman Hua, the country’s supreme decision-maker, returned to his lounge in Zhongnanhai to review the state decrees and documents awaiting his signature. At nearly fifty years old, he had occupied this position at the peak of national politics for five full years. While five years is neither long nor short, in that time, he had deeply felt the inadequacies and shortcomings of China compared to developed nations.

"Technology... Sigh, Old Zhu, what China lacks most right now is technology and intellectual property rights. After nearly twenty years of reform, the economy has grown, but all the country’s high-end technology remains in the hands of foreigners. If the country were to face a technological blockade, the consequences would be unimaginable. Any news from the United States? We cannot let the hawkish faction dominate the upcoming U.S. elections." Chairman Hua stared at the analytical report on high-tech proprietary rights on his desk, frowning slightly as he spoke to Zhu Guangde, who was sitting on a sofa nearby. "Old Zhu, has the Secret Service Bureau sent any reports?"

Zhu Guangde, a man in his forties with a burly build, wore the uniform of a high-ranking military officer. Seeing the Chairman’s concern, he nodded and said, "Yes, our agents in the U.S. have been reporting back secretly and continuously. The hawkish faction’s influence is indeed very strong this year, and there is a high probability they will take a dominant position in American politics. However, Chairman, don't be overly concerned, as the leader of that faction is already under the covert surveillance of our agents. I believe that even if they ascend to power, they cannot afford a direct confrontation with us. After all, the U.S. is currently bogged down in the Iraq War; it is clearly not the time for them to take a hard line against China. However, if they do come to power, they will certainly impose restrictions on our technology imports. And with the European arms embargo already showing signs of loosening, a change in U.S. leadership might mean that importing European weapons and technology will become a distant dream once again."

"Sigh, that is exactly what I am worried about." Chairman Hua shook his head with a sigh, picked up the confidential document, and said in a deep voice, "If only our country possessed high-tech weaponry and technology that no other nation had..."

"Haha, Chairman, don't let it weigh on you too much. Our nation’s reforms have just begun, and it is perfectly normal to lag behind other countries in technology. Technology is something that must be researched and caught up with slowly; one cannot reach the heavens in a single step. Therefore, the most important thing at present is how to foster the next generation's passion for technology and how to gradually increase our own intellectual property. To put it bluntly, China’s twenty years of reform have relied on growth at the cost of sacrificing national resources. We provide the labor while others hold the technology. We cannot change this situation now, but I believe we will be able to in the future."

Zhu Guangde’s tone was firm, and his words earned the Chairman’s full approval. A faint smile appeared on Chairman Hua’s face. "Old Zhu, my thoughts are exactly the same as yours. That is why I am going to meet the top three winners of this year’s high school computer competition later today. Fostering a young person’s interest in science and technology is a duty we of the older generation must fulfill. Our country has endured so much suffering, and our people understand deeply that to be backward is to be beaten. I only hope that our next generation can truly rise and become a power that the world will fear."

"Knock, knock, knock." Just as the Chairman finished speaking, a sudden knock sounded at the office door. "Come in!" the Chairman said, feeling slightly annoyed, but he called out to the person outside nonetheless.

"Click." The door was quickly pushed open, and someone rushed into the office. Chairman Hua looked up and saw his secretary, Xiao Wang. He immediately darkened his face. "Xiao Wang, didn't I tell you that Old Zhu and I were discussing matters? Don't you know that such impolite knocking interrupts our conversation?"

"Chairman... I... I have something urgent to tell you. Please listen to me, Chairman. This is absolutely explosive news. I was stunned when I heard it!" Secretary Wang’s face was flushed with excitement, seemingly indifferent to the Chairman’s displeasure. "You don't know, Chairman, but just now at the high school computer competition..."

"How could I not know? Xiao Wang, why are you so agitated today? Isn't it just a national high school computer competition? I already know about it, and I have scheduled time to meet the top three winners later. You go on out first; come back in when Old Zhu and I have finished." Chairman Hua felt quite frustrated. Secretary Wang had always been steady; why was he being so impolite over such a trivial matter today? He had already told him not to be disturbed, yet the man had barged in anyway.

"Chairman... Oh, please, just let me finish! This is urgent! I guarantee that once you hear my news, you will be just as excited as I am!" Secretary Wang seemed genuinely electrified, even failing to notice that he was acting in a way he never had before.

"This is ridiculous! What could possibly be more important than the matters I am discussing with General Zhu?" The more Chairman Hua heard, the more annoyed he became, his expression turning cold.

"Chairman, it’s not that... cough!" Seeing the Chairman’s displeasure, Secretary Wang stomped his foot in frustration and then shouted, "This year, this year at the computer competition, there was a contestant, number 75! His final entry was actually a blueprint for a vector engine! And after expert evaluation, they confirmed the design is real—it can actually be built into an engine!"

"A vector engine?" Chairman Hua didn't react immediately, but Zhu Guangde was lightning-fast. He leaped off the sofa, rushed to the secretary, grabbed him by the collar, and demanded with eyes full of shock and joy, "Is it true? Are you telling the truth? Which expert evaluated it? Speak!"

"It’s... it’s Dean She of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the one who is heading the new fighter jet project. He is the one who said it... He said this vector engine design is even more advanced than the Soviet models..." Secretary Wang gasped for air as Zhu held him, panic-stricken. "Dean She also said... that the Academy has been researching this type of engine for years and hasn't even managed to design the outer casing yet..."

"Are you saying... are you saying that this vector engine is for a fourth-generation fighter jet???" Even Chairman Hua reacted now. He stood up from his chair, his face full of shock. "Quick, tell me, where is the designer of this engine? What is his name?"

"Cough, cough..." Secretary Wang was struggling to breathe. Seeing this, Zhu Guangde finally released his collar. The secretary coughed and said, "The person is contestant number 75 from the competition. His name... his name is Xiao Qiang. He won first place. Right now... right now, he is on his way to Zhongnanhai..."

Upon hearing this, Chairman Hua broke into a smile. "A high school student designed it? Good, good! Who said my great China has no successors? I say China is a land of hidden dragons and crouching tigers! Haha, today has truly opened my eyes. I never imagined our nation possessed such talent. I must go meet him."

"Chairman, we must win this person over! A vector engine... I personally allocated billions to the Academy of Sciences for scholars to dedicate themselves to this, but after years of work, they haven't produced a single thing. And today, a high school student has actually done it! Chairman, you must pay attention to him. This is true talent, absolute talent!" Zhu Guangde, overcome with emotion, rushed to the Chairman, his old face nearly weeping. "Chairman, you don't know the suffering of our Air Force. Foreign planes are always better, faster, and more advanced than ours. It’s not that our planes are bad or that our designers are unskilled; it’s because we lack a good heart for the plane—a good engine! A vector engine, hahahaha... With this, every engine project at the Academy of Sciences can be considered obsolete and tossed in the trash!"

Hearing Zhu Guangde’s excited words, Chairman Hua understood perfectly what this meant for the Chinese Air Force. He nodded heavily and turned to Secretary Wang. "Secretary Wang, let’s go! Together, we will welcome the great hero who has allowed our national Air Force to advance by decades in a single stroke!"