Chapter 15: Seal the Deal! Let's Do It!

After Wang Ye finished speaking, the conference room fell silent once again, with only the sound of cigarettes being lit.

Finally, after a few seconds, Zhao Laohan, who was sitting there, glanced at Liang Jinsong and Li Gang, the two superiors, and then hesitantly ventured, "Although I, Zhao Laohan, haven't read many books, I feel that Director Wang's words make a lot of sense! This is just a gas cylinder. We sell gas cylinders, and the factory can be self-sufficient with its products, while also earning foreign exchange for the country. As for what foreigners do with it after they buy it, it's none of our business, right? Besides, if our gas cylinders can help those countries in need of these weapons, isn't that a good thing?"

As Zhao Laohan spoke, the room remained silent, and he wasn't sure if what he said was right or wrong. He hesitated for a moment and hurriedly gave an example to support his argument, "Speaking of which, what kind of weapons did we have when we were fighting the Japanese? When I first joined the army, we couldn't even get one rifle per person. Later, when we left the base, the battalion only had two Czech-made light machine guns. Later, we confiscated a mountain cannon from the Japanese, and the whole battalion treated it like a treasure. In terms of power, I feel that the mountain cannon is far inferior to our gas cylinder. After all, the size of its shells is not on the same level. If we had this gas cylinder back then..."

Finally, Zhao Laohan's words seemed to evoke his own memories, and he sighed nostalgically, "If we had this gas cylinder back then. We could have taken a shot at the Japanese convoys, bunkers, trenches, and firing points. How many brothers could have been saved? How many years could have been shaved off the war? Back then, who dared to imagine what we have today? The country's weapons were so abundant that our military factories stopped production? I dare not imagine it! Really dare not imagine it..."

Zhao Laohan's voice echoed in the smoke-filled conference room. Liang Jinsong forcefully extinguished his cigarette and looked up at Wang Ye, saying, "Wang Ye, tell me the truth. Did you come here with a national mission? Was this plan requested from above?"

To Liang Jinsong's question, Wang Ye shook his head without hesitation and said, "Of course not. Although I did come to Hongxing Machinery Factory with a mission, there was only one mission, and that was to successfully transition the factory from military to civilian use. As for this plan, it's my own idea. As I mentioned to you before, I have several ideas about the post-military transition development plan for the factory, and this one, in my opinion, is currently the most suitable."

After Wang Ye finished speaking, Liang Jinsong lit another cigarette. Perhaps he sucked too hard, as he began coughing violently. When he finally caught his breath, he looked at Wang Ye again and said with a strong cough, "In principle, I agree with your plan. But there are two points I must make clear to you beforehand."

"The first point is that your gas cylinder absolutely cannot be sold domestically. How to sell it abroad and find suitable customers is a problem you need to solve. Don't try to involve the country. I can tell you right now, if you want to produce the gas cylinder and have the country find customers for you, that's impossible."

Hearing Liang Jinsong's words, Wang Ye smiled knowingly and nodded, "Naturally. With the market opening up, the economy is gradually becoming more active. Our own products naturally have to find customers on their own. What's the use of relying on the country?"

Seeing Wang Ye still confident and composed, Liang Jinsong nodded and continued, "You have the right mindset. Then, I'll move on to the second point."

"Although you say this thing is a gas cylinder, it does have the potential to be modified into a weapon. If in the future, you really manage to sell this thing abroad and it causes certain diplomatic issues, when the country wants to question you, don't blame me for not warning you. After all, this is military equipment, and it might even end up in a military court!"

"Our country has provided support in the past to some countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America with our weapons. Although the market is open now, and there are cases of arms sales, it's still a matter at the national level. As for you, or rather, Hongxing Machinery Factory, even without considering that it has already completed the military-to-civilian transition, it's still just a military factory and doesn't have the authority to export military equipment on its own."

"Wang Ye, do you understand?"

"In case things go wrong, have you thought about the consequences?"

With these words, Liang Jinsong sat back in his chair and paused for a second before continuing, "Wang Ye! Let me speak from the heart."

"I know your good intentions, and I know that everything you're going to do next is for Hongxing Machinery Factory, and even for this country."

"But... goodwill doesn't always bring good rewards. The world is complex. I'm already fifty years old, and even if I really end up in prison, it's not a big deal, after all, the country still takes care of me."

"But you're different. You're a high-achieving graduate of Huaching University, and you're only in your early twenties."

"Now is the era of openness, but no one can guarantee that there won't be any setbacks. In case..."

In fact, Liang Jinsong's worries were the worries of many people in China at the moment. After all, the sudden implementation of reform and opening up and the differences from the previous policies were too great. No one knew what waves all this would cause, so many people today still act with fear and trepidation. They are still worried.

At this moment.

Upon hearing Liang Jinsong's words, Li Gang sat expressionlessly in his chair, while the six heads of the machinery factory looked nervous. After all, they were all older, with more experience, and understood what Liang Jinsong was talking about.

But unexpectedly, Wang Ye still looked relaxed and smiled as he shook his head, saying, "Director Liang, I understand what you're saying. But this time, I choose to trust our country."

After Wang Ye finished speaking, Liang Jinsong silently nodded. Finally, he looked at Li Gang, indicating that he had nothing more to say. Li Gang pondered for a second before saying, "I have no objections, because what we're exporting is just a gas cylinder. But I agree with Director Liang on one point: Wang Ye, you'll have to find customers yourself."

Seeing that these two leaders had agreed, Wang Ye couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, feeling lighter all over. Although he did have other plans, those plans had issues such as long cycles and poor effectiveness. Only this plan had the fastest development and the best results. If he hadn't received the approval of these two leaders, everything would have been in vain, and he would have to start from scratch.

"All right, since both of you have agreed."

"Next, let's sign the documents for the military-civilian transition of Hongxing Machinery Factory, then stamp my transfer order and appointment letter. After that, we can produce a sample of the gas cylinder. With the sample, finding customers will be easier."

"However, I'd like to ask both directors to allow me to keep a surprise. I promise it will be a pleasant one!"

As soon as Wang Ye finished speaking, Liang Jinsong threw him a pack of cigarettes and couldn't help but laugh and scold, "Surprise? I think it'll be a shock! Hahaha!"

Then, the entire conference room erupted in relaxed laughter, filled with anticipation for the future.