Eunuch, do you really know these martial arts?

He hadn't forgotten what Zeng Maozhe had said when he tricked him into coming here: that as long as he came to the tank company, his current predicament would definitely be resolved.

That sounds so righteous and righteous, but what happened after I arrived? They just threw a list of materials at me and told me to get the materials?
He's the chief engineer for tank development; his time is money. To waste his time on something anyone could do—are you kidding me?

If it weren't for his good relationship with Zeng Maozhe, Yang Hongkang would have definitely turned around and left.

After all, with so many people around, even though Yang Hongkang was furious, he still managed to control his emotions—he had to save face for Zeng Maozhe. They could argue however they wanted in private, but they couldn't go too far in public.

After glancing at the list casually, Yang Hongkang planned to hand it over to the person next to him to handle.

After looking at a few items on the list, Yang Hongkang's angry expression suddenly turned to confusion.

This time, he actually read the list carefully.

His already furrowed brows furrowed even more deeply now.

"I'm telling you, do you know what these materials are for? They're just for repairing a few tanks. Tanks that are meant to be retired should be retired; stop wasting resources. Using these materials on tanks that are about to be retired is such a waste!"

If all these materials were gathered, it would be enough to assemble a new tank. Yang Hongkang stated that he would not provide them for repairing tanks that are about to be decommissioned.

The role that a new tank can play is on a completely different level compared to these tanks that are about to be retired.

He knew that the tanks in the tank company would be retired in less than six months. In Yang Hongkang’s opinion, it would be too uneconomical to carry out major repairs and replace parts at this time.

“I know. But Jiang Nian gave you this list, so just get someone to prepare it quickly. Don’t be a grown man and dawdle like a woman, wasting time!”

Zeng Maozhe said to Yang Hongkang in an annoyed tone.

It's just a list of materials. If these things could only be obtained from Yang Hongkang, Zeng Maozhe would have already called someone to arrange it himself.

"No, Lao Zeng, this amount of material is more than enough to assemble a new tank. I don't think it's appropriate to use it on these tanks that are about to be retired."

This time, Yang Hongkang took a tougher stance.

He didn't care about other things, but Zeng Maozhe's request was unreasonable, so Yang Hongkang directly refused.

"So what if they're new tanks? Let me tell you, with the materials you provide, these nine tanks, once repaired, will be even more powerful than your new tanks. You won't lose out!"

Zeng Maozhe instantly understood Yang Hongkang's thoughts, laughed heartily, and then began to explain seriously.

He's not stupid. If it weren't Jiang Nian who wanted these materials, and someone else had asked, Zeng Maozhe would definitely be on the same side as Yang Hongkang and would never joke about such important materials.

But now, Jiang Nian is doing it himself, so Zeng Maozhe has no worries at all.

Yang Hongkang was speechless.

He wondered if Zeng Maozhe had gone mad.

Otherwise, how could someone say something so illogical? Also, what does it mean that a repaired tank is more powerful than a new tank?

"Were you too tired last night and haven't fully woken up yet?"

After a long while, Yang Hongkang carefully considered his words and tentatively asked the question.

He was practically saying that Zeng Maozhe was daydreaming.

"What nonsense are you talking about? I'm not kidding you. If you don't believe me, I'll show you a tank that Jiang Nian repaired before. It was Company Commander Zhang's tank. It was severely damaged and had reached the point of being scrapped and retired, but after Jiang Nian's skillful repairs, it looks exactly like a new tank, and its performance in all aspects has been improved a lot!"

Zeng Maozhe knew that Yang Hongkang wouldn't admit defeat until he was faced with a fatal mistake, so he simply grabbed his arm and took him to see Zhang Ze's tank.

Seeing is believing, and he didn't believe that Yang Hongkang would still have this attitude after seeing the repaired tank with his own eyes.

"Jiang Nian, you guys go eat first. I'll take this guy for a walk and we'll be right back!" Zeng Maozhe told Jiang Nian, and before the others could react, he pulled Yang Hongzhe away.

"Comrade Jiang Nian, Chief Engineer Yang... seems a bit unhappy. Can he really provide these materials?"

Holding the list of materials that Yang Hongkang had just thrown at him, Zhang Ze's face was full of worry.

He had actually wanted to speak earlier, but he couldn't. When Zeng Maozhe and Yang Hongkang were talking, no one else could get a word in edgewise. Plus, given their status, Zhang Ze really couldn't just speak up unless they asked him first.

"It's alright, Academician Zeng will handle these materials. Let's go eat first. I believe they'll be back by the time we finish eating. But Company Commander Zhang, Academician Zeng took Chief Engineer Yang to see your tank. When they come over, they'll definitely ask you a lot of questions, so you should be prepared."

Jiang Nian's attitude remained the same, very casual.

If Zeng Maozhe still can't handle Yang Hongkang even after personally taking action, then Jiang Nian can only say that Zeng Maozhe is incompetent.

However, thinking of Yang Hongkang, Jiang Nian stroked his chin and remembered something else—Zeng Maozhe probably brought Yang Hongkang here not just to watch him repair tanks, right?

These senior figures are all as cunning as old foxes. Jiang Nian would never believe that Zeng Maozhe didn't have some ulterior motives.

Seeing Jiang Nian so relaxed, Zhang Ze finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He's making a mountain out of a molehill. Comrade Jiang Nian is so capable; once Yang Hongkang sees the tank with his own eyes, I believe he'll definitely agree to provide the materials.

The thought of his comrades soon being able to drive their repaired tanks filled Zhang Ze with excitement.

No need to replace the tanks with new ones, and no need to spend a lot of time and energy getting used to the new equipment, this is absolutely fantastic news for the soldiers of the tank company.

After relaxing, Zhang Ze accompanied Jiang Nian to dinner. Nothing is more important than a good meal.

As Jiang Nian had predicted, Zeng Maozhe and Yang Hongkang entered the cafeteria and walked straight toward him before he and Zhang Ze had finished their meal.

"Comrade Jiang Nian, how... how did you do that? What exactly did you modify in that tank that was about to be scrapped that made it even better than a new tank?"

Yang Hongkang sat down opposite Jiang Nian, not even bothering to eat, and stared intently at him, waiting for an answer with a hopeful expression. "Chief Engineer Yang, it's actually very simple. I just performed maintenance on all the parts and replaced some of the damaged ones."

Jiang Nian said that this is all he has been doing.

However, his repair methods are a bit different from others.

With intermediate tank repair skills, handling this kind of thing is quite easy.

He spoke casually, but Yang Hongkang's expression was very serious, showing no sign of ease.

If it were really as simple as Jiang Nian said, why couldn't the repair crew fix that tank?
At the time, Zhang Ze's tank was severely damaged, and Yang Hongkang had personally inspected it. As the chief engineer for tank development, he saw the details more thoroughly. Because of this, he knew that the tank was indeed beyond repair. At least, given the current capabilities of the entire military region's maintenance personnel, it was impossible to completely repair it.

It would be uneconomical to waste too many materials repairing a tank that is on the verge of being scrapped. Therefore, Yang Hongkang decided to temporarily transfer Zhang Ze to operate the new tank that was still under development.

Zhang Ze is very capable. Having him operate the new tank under development will surely provide Yang Hongkang with many valuable suggestions.

But now, Zhang Ze's tank has actually been repaired?
If Yang Hongkang hadn't personally seen Zhang Ze's repaired tank, he would never have believed it, even if Zeng Maozhe had told him.

Originally, Yang Hongkang was really looking forward to Jiang Nian answering his questions, but Jiang Nian's casual reply left Yang Hongkang feeling somewhat rebuffed.

He knew that he wouldn't get any concrete answers from Jiang Nian, at least not.

"Company Commander Zhang, you should have already operated the repaired tank, right? What are your impressions?"

Yang Hongkang turned his gaze to Zhang Ze. He had seen the repaired tank; it looked no different from a new one, but he was still unsure about its performance after the repairs.

"Chief Engineer Yang, it's like this: I tested the repaired tank at the test range yesterday. Indeed, it has significantly improved in all aspects of performance. Faced with the same crisis situation, the repaired tank will definitely perform better than the previous one!"

Zhang Ze's words were not an exaggeration at all.

In the same crisis, the tank's significantly improved aiming accuracy, increased range, and shortened reaction time are enough to catch the enemy off guard.

Zhang Ze's explanation made Yang Hongkang eager to know more.

He can't wait to see the scene after Jiang Nian has repaired all the tanks.

This time, he decided to stay and watch Jiang Nian repair the tank himself. He refused to believe that he wouldn't understand the intricacies of the process once he observed it firsthand.
Thinking this, Yang Hongkang suddenly stood up.

His action startled the seated group, who were puzzled as to what the chief engineer was up to.

"Comrade Jiang Nian, all the materials you listed will be delivered tomorrow. However, I have one request!" Yang Hongkang said to Jiang Nian with a solemn expression.

If Jiang Nian didn't let him go in and watch the repair process, Yang Hongkang felt he would be extremely frustrated.

"What are your requirements?" Jiang Nian asked, puzzled. Since Yang Hongkang had already agreed to deliver the materials, what other requirements could he possibly have? Could it be that he wanted to recruit him?
Jiang Nian knew that Yang Hongkang was in charge of the development of the new tank, and that he might be interested in Jiang Nian's tank repair skills and wanted to recruit him.

There's nothing I can do; I'm just that outstanding. Wherever I go, people are eager to stay. Jiang Nian says that being too popular is actually quite a nuisance.

Fortunately, no one knew what Jiang Nian was thinking at that moment; otherwise, someone would definitely want to give him a good beating. After all, comparing yourself to others can sometimes be really infuriating.

"I want to be there to watch you repair the tank the whole time. I'll also send tank maintenance specialists over. I hope you can teach them some techniques so they can learn from you."

During the development of new tanks, various problems inevitably arise. Therefore, Yang Hongkang has specialized technicians responsible for tank maintenance. Compared to Jiang Nian, Yang Hongkang feels that his maintenance personnel definitely need to improve their skills. Now that Jiang Nian is their mentor, and given that he's not unintelligent, he's sure they'll learn a lot.

"That's a small matter, I agree."

Jiang Nian had already prepared himself for how to politely decline if Yang Hongkang tried to recruit him. But then, he heard Yang Hongkang make such a simple request. Without a second thought, he agreed immediately.

As long as they're not trying to recruit me, everything is negotiable. Besides, there are some skills that even if they watch for a long time, they might not be able to learn them.

The military region's maintenance crew couldn't repair Zhang Ze's tank, but the research institute's maintenance personnel were far more skilled than ordinary maintenance soldiers. The fact that they couldn't fix it shows that their skills were still insufficient.

Although the skills provided by the system cannot be taught to others, some general basic repair techniques can make repair personnel more skilled. Jiang Nian was naturally very happy to help with this.

Sitting to the side, Zhang Ze finally felt completely at ease.

I finally got rid of a big worry, and I felt much lighter all over. I even ate more at this meal.

Yang Hongkang is very proactive.

He said he would deliver the materials the next day, and sure enough, a convoy of vehicles carrying various materials arrived early the next morning.

Five maintenance technicians also came with them.

"Chief Engineer Yang, why did you call us all over here? Is it because the tank company's tanks all need major repairs?" The five men walked up to Yang Hongkang, all looking puzzled. One of them couldn't help but ask.

"Chief Engineer Yang, we've delivered all the materials. Wasn't Company Commander Zhang's tank going to be scrapped and retired? Are we going to reassemble one for him here?"

The other person thought more deeply. They had all reviewed the materials, which led to their guess. After all, Zhang Ze's tank had been sent to the research institute before, but they hadn't been able to fully repair it.

"I've brought you here so you can learn from Comrade Jiang Nian. Starting this afternoon, Comrade Jiang Nian will personally repair the tanks. I'll be with you all, watching from the sidelines. If you have any questions, just ask. Make sure you improve your repair skills!"

When facing these five people, Yang Hongkang had a serious expression and told them the matter directly.

After hearing Yang Hongkang's words, the five people were first taken aback, and then a look of doubt appeared on their faces in unison.

They're maintenance technicians from the research institute, okay? They usually repair tanks that are still under development. How come they're suddenly being sent to the tank company for training?
Besides, if there really were such skilled people in the tank company, how come Zhang Ze couldn't fix his tank back then?
If Yang Hongkang hadn't looked so serious when he said this, they would have thought he was joking.

Moreover, it would be highly inappropriate to use so many materials brought in on tanks that are about to be retired.

They simply couldn't believe that Yang Hongkang would make such an irrational decision. (End of Chapter)