The Grandmother in the Siheyuan

Chapter 473: Inspiring Generals

The Type 052 was initially designed based on the Hyundai-class destroyer. The Hyundai-class is still doing alright now, but in a few years, it will become obsolete.

However, there's nothing we can do about it. Our country is developing rapidly, and our military equipment is being updated quickly. In addition to the yellow washbasins, the army has even gone through several rounds of changes in its military boots.

Unlike the Americans, who are sentimental and nostalgic, the B-52 entered service in the 1950s and remained active for another twenty years. The Ticonderoga also entered service in the 1980s and is still going strong forty years later.

Liu Hua's assistant pushed a cart and distributed the thick indicator manual to each researcher.

The small auditorium was completely silent as the students eagerly flipped through the handbook, unaware that it was created by their boss.

Everyone assumed the manual was from the Navy. The thought of being able to participate in the research of the next generation of main warships after graduation filled them with excitement; the future seemed promising.

These young people have clearly overestimated themselves. How could we possibly let them design the next generation of main warships for the Chinese Navy? They're either overthinking it or underthinking it.

They never dreamed that this was their boss's private act, but what normal person would think that a private company owner would suddenly want to build a warship? No one with a sound mind would do that.

"Boss, this diesel-gas alternating current power system is quite interesting." One student scratched his head: "But there's no precedent for it in our country."

"They have it abroad, but we don't. As students majoring in marine power design, don't you want to say anything about it?"

Sometimes, provocation is the most effective way to win over these passionate young people. After all, once they get their blood boiling, the blood flowing through their veins might be as hot as 60 or 70 degrees Celsius.

All my words can be summed up in one word: Do it.

“How can this be? How can we not have it?” The boy who had just spoken rolled up his sleeves and raised his right arm: “I can’t stand being provoked. It’s just diesel-fired power, right? We’ll definitely make it.”

"Count me in."

"I'll join in too."

Liu Hua was so excited that he could hardly contain himself. He couldn't suppress the smile on his face, and the corners of his mouth turned up, the curve getting bigger and bigger.

I'm so happy, these kids really gave me face.

The ship designers recruited by Dijun Company have been arriving at their posts one after another, which has also attracted attention from other places.

For example, some top students were originally reserved by research institutes, but Dijun Company offered higher salaries and was a domestic company, so some students went directly to Dijun Company.

This directly led to some research institutes becoming extremely unpopular. They had planned to recruit new talent this year, but unexpectedly, the ones they were most optimistic about did not come.

So the heads of these research institutes were extremely anxious. It was one thing that the funding they applied for couldn't be secured, since they had limited funds, but they also couldn't recruit the necessary personnel. What did this mean?
After careful investigation, they finally discovered that these students had gone to a company called Dijun.

The people at the research institute thought, "This is like using a cannon to kill a mosquito—it's a waste of talent. With a little training, these kids could be excellent candidates for designing warships. How can they be used to design civilian ships?"
Everyone at the research institute regarded Dijun Company as a private shipyard, so they wanted to apply to the branch office to have Dijun Company return the graduate to their research institute.

Several research institutes applied to the General Logistics Department, but the department realized this was a case of "the flood washing away the Dragon King's temple"—they were turning their own people against them. The General Logistics Department could only advise the institutes: they couldn't directly interfere with graduates' employment issues; graduates had their own choices, and it was impossible for higher-ups to intervene. In the future, if similar situations arose, they should reflect on whether they had failed in their duties.

After criticizing the research institutes below, the leaders of the General Logistics Department thought to themselves, "Dijun Company has produced light infantry fighting vehicles and is still producing engines for main fighter jets."

So here's the question: why is he recruiting talent in ship propulsion design and ship design? Does Liu Hua want to be a general in the army, navy, and air force?

At the leader's command, someone was sent to inspect the work at Dijun Company to see what kind of tricks Liu Hua was up to.

The inspection team arrived at Dijun Company in a low-key manner, catching Liu Hua off guard. He had only rushed to Dijun after receiving a notification.

"Boss, you've set me up in a trap! Why didn't you give me any warning beforehand?"

"That's exactly what we're going to do, we'll see if you hide all the good stuff," the leader said with a smile. "Your Dijun Company is amazing, your light armored personnel carrier is selling like hotcakes overseas, the African guys are using it as heavy armor firepower."

Liu Hua smiled but didn't say anything. "Just listen to the praise from the leader; don't be modest."

"And the latest fighter jet engines have also solved the problem of our airspace in the South China Sea."

Liu Hua nodded: "This is all as it should be. If there were no other way, who would be willing to set aside the disputes and develop the project together?"

The leader smiled and said, "You've hit the nail on the head. Now we only have one warship left that can carry the main battle. Although we signed an agreement with Russia to import two Sovremenny-class destroyers, they are not our own good ships."

Liu Hua looked at his superior, smiled, and said, "Sir, have you heard something?"

“I haven’t heard any rumors, but I’ve received complaints. Someone from the research institute said that your Dijun Company has poached all the graduates they had their eye on to work for your company.”

Liu Hua said frankly, "You don't need to hide it, it's true. I've recruited nearly five hundred graduates from several majors, including marine power and ship design."

"Are you really going to design a warship? Why didn't you report it to us?" the leader said, frowning. "You're not thinking of building one yourself, are you? A warship isn't cheap."

“It’s not that I can’t afford it,” Liu Hua said with a smile. “Besides, the project has just been approved and there’s no progress yet. How can I submit a report? In the end, I’m not a directly affiliated research institute that lives off funding. We are entirely self-funded.”

"Right."

The leader nodded and said, "This is not the place to talk. Let's go to your office. I want to hear your thoughts on what kind of main warship you are designing."

As Liu Hua led the way, he couldn't help but joke, "Boss, how can you be so sure that I've designed a main battleship?"

"What's there to be unsure about? You've got too big for your britches. Your Dijun Company's first product, the light infantry fighting vehicle, was just a practice run. The second product is the engine for the main fighter jet."

(End of this chapter)