Chapter 80: Joint Visit

Wang Ye certainly didn't know that the first to target the electric fan business was actually a shipyard.

But even if he knew, it wouldn't be surprising. On the one hand, the electric fan seemed to have no manufacturing technical difficulty. When the state-owned factories suddenly discovered such a lucrative market for electrical appliances, they would definitely start to follow suit.

In the past history, electric fans were one thing, after all, the technology was not complex. Eventually, everyone jumped in, resulting in a price war and squeezing each other, benefiting the consumers.

The worst were televisions and refrigerators. Because there was no domestic capability to produce cathode ray tubes and compressors, when numerous state-owned factories found a booming market for these appliances, amidst their own operational crises, they blindly entered the market.

Then, a large amount of foreign exchange was used for importing compressors and cathode ray tubes, which eventually led to price wars and mutual price suppression. By the late 1980s, at least ninety percent of the related manufacturers had gone bankrupt, leaving a mess behind.

Secondly, it was not surprising that shipyards like the one Wang Ye was dealing with entered the market.

In fact, in the entire Yuntai City, the only unit referred to as a "shipyard" rather than something else like "xx Shipyard" was the Yuntai State-owned First Shipyard. And now, this shipyard was on the verge of bankruptcy!

The entire Luqi Province, resembling a large peninsula, bordered the Yellow Sea to the south and relied on the Bohai Sea, known as the "inland sea," to the north. Yuntai City was a coastal city in Luqi Province, adjacent to the Bohai Sea to the north. This was why Wang Ye could enjoy delicious and cheap Bohai Sea grilled prawns.

After all, with the current economic conditions and poor transportation infrastructure, the prawns caught along the coast could hardly be sold inland. They had to be processed locally, and even small fish and shrimp were simply used as fertilizer.

Because of its geographical location.

In fact, the Yuntai City First Shipyard had once been glorious. Despite the long coastline, not all areas were suitable for building ports and shipyards. The location of the Yuntai City Shipyard was ideal.

During the early years of the People's Republic, when the country needed to manufacture warships, to defend against potential naval threats and maintain strategic depth, and to prevent shipyards producing warships from being exposed to potential attacks from the sea, coupled with the relatively low displacement of warships being built at that time, the Yuntai City Shipyard, backed by the Bohai Sea, had once flourished and produced many light warships and patrol boats for the motherland.

However, as time passed, due to various factors such as the increasing demands for warship tonnage, changes in control over maritime defense lines, and the development of missile technology, the Yuntai City Shipyard gradually fell out of favor. Most orders were transferred to the Dalian Shipyard across the strait and the Qindao Shipyard in the southern part of the province, which had better sea conditions and harbors along the Yellow Sea coast.

Some of this information was stored in Wang Ye's memory, while others he found when investigating the surrounding areas while targeting the Red Star Mechanical Factory in Yanjing.

After all, for a machinery factory, ancillary services were important!

That's why it was not surprising for shipyards to enter the market for manufacturing electric fans and washing machines. After all, they were already financially struggling. Engaging in other businesses to find a way out was reasonable!

Wang Ye even had to give them a thumbs-up. Mimicking was also a kind of cleverness and capability. At least they weren't just sitting idly by, right?

Because, in normal history, by next year, the Yuntai City Shipyard would be completely unable to sustain itself. Therefore, the industrial bureaus of both the province and the city, along with other units, jointly organized the splitting plan for the Yuntai Shipyard. Most of the manufacturing technical workers and their families were absorbed into the Qindao Shipyard in the south, which was located on an island with better sea conditions. The rest of the workers and their families were absorbed internally within Yuntai City.

The entire process of splitting and merging took about a year, and the final result was that the nearby Laiyang Iron and Steel Plant was completely destroyed. It was already unprofitable and absorbed a large number of additional personnel. It was an unreasonable situation even if it didn't go bankrupt!

And such cases were not uncommon in this era. After all, they were all state-owned factories, and if they went bankrupt, they still had to be taken care of. Therefore, only those factories with decent performance could merge and absorb others.

Alright, after the merger, those with good performance could barely maintain themselves, while those without went bankrupt.

This kind of operation basically continued until the large-scale transformation of state-owned factories into joint-stock companies. Then began the grand wave of layoffs, creating countless tears in the era.

"All right! All right!"

"The test for today ends here! Come on, let's give a round of applause to our test flight hero!"

"Let's celebrate the successful test flight of our first rotorcraft at the factory!"

At the same time, it was already noon, and the testing at the factory also came to an end. The most basic test items were all completed successfully. When the rotorcraft landed, Wang Ye, holding a megaphone, cheerfully shouted.

Originally, the crowd watching around was kept at a distance, as Wang Ye requested. Just in case the rotorcraft crashed, injuring a test pilot would be a severe loss. If the spinning rotor blades accidentally injured a bystander, it would be even more regrettable. Now, hearing Wang Ye's voice, thousands of people around rushed forward excitedly, accompanying thunderous applause, surrounding the rotorcraft.

Being surrounded by thousands of people, what kind of feeling was that? Chen Hang definitely knew!

"Thank you all! Thank you all! Thank you all!"

Surrounded by the crowd, under the warm and admiring gazes of countless factory colleagues, under the praise of countless words, Chen Hang appeared a little at a loss, just bowing constantly to the surroundings.

Just then, someone suddenly shouted:

"Factory Director! Say a few words! Say a few words!"

"Yes! Factory Director, say a few words to everyone!"

Then this voice dominated all others, echoing continuously in the sky. Under the enthusiastic gazes of the crowd, Wang Ye scratched his chin, smiling, and said:

"I should have prepared a speech if I knew I had to speak. I stayed up all night writing it yesterday."

"Otherwise, I might get tongue-tied at the crucial moment!"

As soon as this was said, there was laughter all around. After the laughter subsided, Wang Ye turned to look at the azure sky, then sighed and continued:

"Flying is just our first step, and only a small step at that."

"Because next, we will continue to research and manufacture, how to fly faster, higher, into the sky above the nine heavens, and into the vast and boundless starry sky!"

"And we're not just going to soar into the sky. We're also going to drill into the ground, and dive into the sea!"

"In nine heavens, embrace the moon; in five oceans, catch turtles. Nothing is impossible in this world, as long as we are willing to climb. Our footsteps will never stop, and in the future, we will conquer the entire earth, reaching for the stars and the seas above. Thirty years pass in the blink of an eye, and we will still celebrate with laughter and songs!"

"Everyone, let's join hands and move forward!"

As soon as the words fell, thunderous applause erupted once again, echoing in the sky for a long time without dispersing!

"Of course, the above is all a dream. Next, we still need to work hard on the ground."

"It's already eleven fifty in the afternoon now. To celebrate this historic moment today, lunch and dinner in the cafeteria are free. Only when we're full can we work steadfastly."

"What are you still waiting for? Let's go! Let's eat!"

"Walk ahead, don't crowd!"

After the applause died down, Wang Ye held a megaphone and said with a smile. The atmosphere instantly became lively again, and then the crowd dispersed, with the majority heading to the cafeteria.

After lunch, Wang Ye returned to his office at half past twelve.

As soon as he sat down, without even taking a sip of tea, the phone on the desk rang. Wang Ye quickly wiped his mouth and answered the call.

"Hello? Who is this? This is Laiyang Hongxing Machinery Factory, I am Wang Ye."

As soon as Wang Ye's voice fell, he heard the familiar voice of Director Liang on the other end of the phone:

"What are you busy with, kid? How come there's no one on duty in the office?"

"I called you several times this morning, but couldn't get through!"

Upon hearing Director Liang's words, Wang Ye instantly felt embarrassed. Because the test flight was such a novelty for everyone, except for the workers who had to be in the workshop, almost everyone else, including administrative staff, had gone to watch the excitement.

"Haha, sorry, Director Liang. There was a small test in the morning, and everyone went to watch the fun."

"I'm really sorry! Is there something urgent you need?"

"Wasn't it delayed?"

With Wang Ye's explanation, Director Liang surprisingly didn't inquire about what the test was about but rather, his tone became serious as he said earnestly to Wang Ye:

"I just found out the news this morning. This afternoon, leaders from the Fifth Machinery Department will arrive in Quancheng by plane."

"I estimate they will directly come to your Hongxing Machinery Factory tomorrow morning. You need to be prepared."

"And it's not just the leaders from the Fifth Machinery Department. I heard that the top brass from the Ministry of National Defense are also coming this time. I will accompany them. Kid, be careful with your words. I know you mean well, but don't blabber everything."

"If you say something you shouldn't, I won't be able to help you!"

"Do you understand?"

As soon as Director Liang's words fell, Wang Ye couldn't help but inhale sharply. Then he sighed and said:

"Really? Such a big deal? Director Liang, I'm really nervous!"

"Is it necessary? I'm just a small Hongxing Machinery Factory, just selling a few gas cylinders."

"By the way, do you know who is coming?"

Upon hearing Wang Ye's voice, Director Liang sighed helplessly and said:

"I'm telling you, from your tone, I didn't hear that you're nervous. I'm serious. You must be careful!"

"This is not a joke. The attitude above is very complicated now. If you don't believe it, call your old teacher who is the dean at Huaying and let him explain it to you."

"Got it? Be cautious!"

After hearing Director Liang's increasingly serious tone, Wang Ye restrained his smile, cleared his throat, and said:

"Anyway, thank you. I understand."

"I'll be more careful then. You can rest assured!"

After getting Wang Ye's promise, Director Liang finally relaxed a bit and nodded, saying:

"Alright, as long as you understand. I won't say much more."

"And don't make the arrangements too shabby, but also not too extravagant. Just normal hospitality will do."

"I won't remind you of anything else. If you don't understand something, let the old folks handle it. That one can talk his way through anything, and no one dares to criticize him."

"I still have a lot to do, so I'll hang up now!"

After that, Director Liang hurriedly hung up the phone. Presumably, he was also busy. After all, when leaders of ministries and commissions come down to inspect work, how could the Provincial Defense Management Office not be busy?

After hanging up the phone, the smile on Wang Ye's face gradually faded, and he stared at the phone in front of him with a sharp gaze, frowning in thought for a few seconds.

After a while, Wang Ye stood up and walked to the door, knocked on it, and shouted:

"Get everyone here, I want to have a meeting!"

Upon hearing Wang Ye's voice, the two office workers quickly walked out and went to notify the others, while Wang Ye returned to his office, spread out a stack of papers, and alternated between contemplation and writing.

Wang Ye was indeed writing a "speech draft", but not to prevent himself from saying the wrong thing, but to prevent himself from saying too little!

To put it bluntly, opportunities like this to directly communicate with higher-ups are rare. Even though he has the backing of his old teacher and some rapport with Deputy Minister Zhou, these are not the key factors.

The key is that this time it's a leadership inspection, a serious visit for work!

With such big leaders coming, although the Hongxing Factory is currently thriving, how could there not be difficulties or problems? Then they would have to seek help from leaders, express grievances, ask for assistance, and demonstrate determination. In the end, with the guidance and help of leaders, wouldn't things get better and better?

Of course, for Wang Ye, the main benefit is on the one hand, but the most important aspect is finally having a dialogue opportunity with a higher platform.

If he could hint a little and then push or change some shortcomings, such as the issue of patent law, the problem of connecting domestic and foreign patents, then Wang Ye would truly be delighted!

After a while, the conference room was filled with the heads of the machinery factory.

Upon hearing Wang Ye's words, everyone present was dumbfounded. Even though they used to be a military factory, they had never had such high-level leaders come to inspect, let alone host them!

"Old folks, let me take care of the hospitality."

"Don't make too much of a fuss, just keep it normal. The leaders are here to inspect; we shouldn't be too extravagant, right?"

Regarding Wang Ye's suggestion, the old factory director smiled happily and nodded in agreement:

"Wang Ye, you can rest assured! Leave it to me, there will be absolutely no problem!"

"Let's go, everyone! Follow me!"

A moment later, the old factory director hurriedly led a group of people away to get busy, while Wang Ye returned to his office to continue writing his memorandum.

At four o'clock that afternoon,

In Quancheng City, in the outskirts of the military base, a modified transport plane descended slowly. Wei Qingshan and Zhou Jinlie, followed by other leaders from the base and officials such as Song Zhihui and Director Liang, came out of the cabin to be greeted.