My Realistic Simulation Game

Chapter 126 What is the overall situation, and what is the general trend?

The Kuibyshev Aircraft Plant is located on the banks of the Volga River, a full 1,000 kilometers from Moscow.

The aircraft manufacturing plant was moved here because the Germans reached Moscow during the Great Patriotic War.

In order to ensure that industrial manufacturing could continue normally during the war, an order was issued to relocate most of the factories located in Ukraine and around Moscow to the Far East.

The Moscow No. 1 Aircraft Plant moved to Kuibyshev, which is now the Kuibyshev Aircraft Plant.

Along with them moved in, aircraft engine manufacturing plants, tank and armored vehicle factories, artillery and ammunition factories, Moscow No. 1 Bearing Plant, and heavy machinery and machine tool plants.

In order to safeguard this strategic rear area of ​​the Soviet Union.

In addition to the military factories that have been relocated here, the power system, chemical system, locomotive transport production line that supports the Volga River, as well as canneries and flour and bread factories have also been moved here.

This can be described as the Soviet Union's Third Front construction.

If we were to discuss which factory was the most important, it would undoubtedly be the Kuibyshev Aircraft Plant.

During the Cold War, the Kuibyshev plant became the main production base of the Tupolev Design Bureau, undertaking the manufacturing of Tu-95 strategic bombers, Tu-154 passenger aircraft, and An-140 transport aircraft.

The Tu-154, with a cruising speed of 900 km/h, became the most successful jet airliner in the Soviet Union, with a total production of over a thousand aircraft.

However, the Tu-154 also has its own technical limitations, such as its fuel efficiency being only three times that of its Western counterparts.

However, as the most successful civilian airliner of the Soviet Union, the Tu-154 certainly had its own advantages, such as its robust structure, low maintenance costs, and typical Soviet product, being large and durable.

The so-called fuel efficiency problem was not considered a drawback at all during the Soviet era.

Because the Soviet Union itself was one of the world's largest oil producers.

However, not every country is a major oil producer like the Soviet Union, so it is impossible to sell oil on a large scale to countries outside the Soviet system.

Therefore, the market is very limited.

However, this shortcoming was not a problem for China at that time, at least not for Sichuan Airlines and Xiamen Airlines, which were seeking to expand their air transport capacity on a large scale.

Whether they were misled or not, after 2000, Russia actually preferred to spend a lot of money to import Airbus and Boeing aircraft, and instead phased out the Tu-series civil airliners due to their environmental and economic disadvantages.

Russia has also lost its wisdom.

However, this was actually inevitable. The Kuibyshev Aircraft Plant operated under a design bureau collaboration model and belonged to the Tupolev Design Bureau's production system.

The design bureau is responsible for research and development, while the factory is responsible for mass production, forming an integrated "design-manufacturing" chain.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, a large number of engineers from the Tupolev Design Bureau left, and were poached by Boeing and Airbus in droves. Even some were taken by domestic companies.

Without engineers, how can we produce anything?
After all, during the Russian era, there was so much military technology that in order to maintain production, we had to go back to archaeology.

Qin Yuan knew some of these historical facts, and some he didn't, but even so, it didn't stop him from taking risks.

After flying from Yanjing to Moscow, he contacted the Soviet Aviation Authority through his connections in the military and banks. The other party was both surprised and delighted to hear about the order for seven Tu-154s, as they hadn't received any orders for their aircraft for a long time.

However, whether the order can be fulfilled depends not on the aviation bureau, but on the Tupolev Design Bureau and its production base—the Kuibyshev Aircraft Plant.

So, Qin Yuan came here.

He was received by Alexei Andreyevich Tupolev—the son of the legendary aircraft designer Andrei Tupolev.

The equally renowned aircraft designer is now also at the helm of this factory.

Alexei Tupolev is over sixty years old. His father's fortitude can still be seen in his brows, but his eyes reveal weariness and worry.

He knew better than anyone the factory's predicament: few orders, lack of funds, delayed wages for workers, and low morale.

Even more serious is that Kuibyshev, as an industrial island far from Moscow, faces extreme difficulties in supplying materials!
The workers lived in poverty, and even basic necessities like meat and fruit became luxuries.

Qin Yuan's arrival, along with his order for seven Tu-154s, can be said to have solved Tupolev's urgent problem.

The only disagreement was over the payment method.

Alexei wanted US dollars and rubles to buy advanced equipment from international sources to complete the next phase of the design bureau's research.

However, Qin Yuan and the Civil Aviation Administration agreed to a barter system.

They used a large amount of supplies to exchange for these seven aircraft.

At this point, the two sides reached a stalemate.

“This Alexei is a real stubborn man, just like his old man.”

The Civil Aviation Administration staff complained: "Why can't they distinguish between what's important and what's not? Can the equipment bought with US dollars be eaten? Right now, so many people in the administration and factories are starving. If we could get all these supplies in return, not only would the Kuibyshev Aircraft Manufacturing Plant be comfortable for several years, but the entire aerospace system and the entire Kuibyshev would benefit from it."

As he said this, his eyes kept drifting towards Qin Yuan.

Clearly, he was saying this to Qin Yuan.

The goal was to keep Qin Yuan calm and prevent him from losing patience and thus losing this hard-won order.

Seeing that Qin Yuan had no reaction, the section chief from the Civil Aviation Administration said, "Mr. Qin, don't worry, I will help you persuade Director Alexei. He is a person who considers the big picture."

"Considering the bigger picture," Qin Yuan smiled but remained silent.

Standing on the second floor of the Kuibyshev Hotel, looking at the lights in the distance, he asked, "Section Chief Xie Miao, what are those factory buildings over there for?"

The balding man, whose full name was Semyon Mikhailovich, walked to the window and looked in the direction Qin Yuan was pointing: "Oh, that's the Kharkiv Aircraft Engine Plant over there. It used to be the No. 337 Engine Manufacturing Plant. During the Great Patriotic War, the country was worried about German air raids, so they urgently built the plant with 90,000 prisoners. I heard from the older generation that in order to build this factory, more than 30 people died every day from exhaustion."

He seemed to still have lingering fears when he said this: "It was really terrible back then. We had to evacuate and relocate on one hand, and produce on the other. There were tasks every day, and I heard that if you missed a task, you would be shot. Some workers couldn't stand this kind of high-intensity forced labor and would rather self-harm to go to the front line to fight the Germans than stay in the factory."

"Fortunately, the sacrifices of these comrades were meaningful, and we ultimately won the victory!"

Qin Yuan ignored these complaints and instead looked further into the distance, surveying his surroundings.

"Are there factories next to the engine plant? Are there factories over there and over there too?"

"Yes, over there is the Lavskigrad Tractor Plant, over there is the Kharkiv Tank Plant, and here is the Kramatorsk Heavy Machinery Plant. This is where the largest bearing plant in the Soviet Union is located. You could say that the entire aircraft manufacturing industrial system can be found in Kuibyshev."

Upon hearing this, Qin Yuan's eyes lit up.

Consider the big picture and be mindful of the overall situation.
What is the big picture? This is the big picture.

Alexei was a noble man, wholeheartedly dedicated to contributing to the country, thinking about how to make good use of every penny for research, and to contribute to the country's military and civilian aircraft.

However, not everyone can be as noble as Alexei.

Qin Yuan understood this better than anyone else.

Because of the existence of human nature.

For example, why was Section Chief Xie Miao so eager to facilitate this "canned food for airplanes" deal?
Because he could genuinely obtain a large amount of supplies from this "barter" to improve his life, and even resell them for wealth. And how many people in Kuibyshev were like Semyon?

How many people can be like Alexei, abandoning their families and careers, living frugally, and neglecting their loved ones, wives, and children?
Too few, far too few!
That's good, that's great.

This is great news for Qin Yuan.

"Section Chief Xie Miao, is the news that I came to Kuibyshev to buy an airplane known outside?"

Qin Yuan turned to look at Xie Miao and suddenly asked.

“They probably don’t know that,” Semyon replied instinctively. “Only I, Alexei, and a few people around him know about this.”

At this point, Xie Miao suddenly stopped.

Because he suddenly understood what Qin Yuan meant.

"Section Chief Xie Miao, this is such a big matter, shouldn't we let everyone know about it? After all, it involves seven airplanes and supplies worth 200 million rubles!"

"People should have the right to know, after all, building an airplane is not something that can be done by just one factory."

When Qin Yuan said this, he felt like he was a bad guy who was corrupting the Soviet Union.

But Semyon laughed heartily: "Yes, yes, yes, everyone should know about this. Everyone should know that so many supplies have been delivered to Kuybyshev, so their children can wear the most fashionable clothes, and their wives don't have to worry about not having enough butter."

"At least we should know that we won't have to worry about freezing or going hungry for the next few years, and we'll be able to eat canned meat every day."

He became more and more excited as he spoke, "Mr. Qin, wait a moment, I'm going out for a bit."

Qin Yuan smiled as he saw Xie Miao off from the hotel, watching her car disappear from sight.

Then the smile on his face quickly vanished.

Qin Yuan felt no emotional reaction to being forced into this situation by a true patriot.

Consider the big picture and the overall situation.

What is the big picture, and what is the general trend?

This could be a philosophical question.

The next day, things went as Qin Yuan had expected.

No one knows what method Semyon used, but in just one day, the entire Kuybyshev became lively.

It seems everyone knows that soon they will receive 200 million rubles worth of supplies.

Canned meat, canned fruit, warm and stylish clothing, the latest microwave ovens, bread makers, and even various light industrial daily necessities...

Everything that the workers and designers in Kuibyshev urgently needed was readily available.

This news was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly creating a huge wave in the industrial city of Kuibyshev!

The factory managers and supervisors of other factories couldn't sit still any longer!
Kuibyshev is more than just an aircraft manufacturing plant!

There are also massive engine manufacturing plants, precision instrument factories, chemical plants... all of which together constitute this industrial powerhouse.

But at this moment, they all face the same dilemma—a shortage of supplies!
"Alexei, promise him, you must promise him!"

"Comrade Tupolev, this is not just a matter for your family; it is a major issue concerning hundreds of thousands of working-class families in Kuibyshev!"

"We need those supplies; the workers need to be well-fed and clothed!"

"We can exchange our factory's products for bearings, valves, and chemical raw materials, as long as Far East Trade needs them!"

The factory directors flocked to the office, completely surrounding Alexei Tupolev's office.

They are inherently connected; aircraft manufacturing cannot function without the support of these factories, and these factories cannot function without the orders from the aircraft manufacturers.

These factory managers and workers were all Alexei's old friends and comrades-in-arms.

But at this moment their faces were filled with urgency and pleading, and their voices carried an undeniable determination.

When Qin Yuan arrived at the design bureau, he stood aside and calmly watched this scene.

He knew that Alexei Tupolev's personal pride was insignificant in the face of the survival needs of hundreds of thousands of working-class families and the collective will of the entire industrial city.

This is the overall situation right now!

Alexei, the proud man, sat in his office.

He opened his mouth, instinctively wanting to refuse.

How could the prestigious Tupolev Design Bureau, the pride of the Soviet aviation industry, have fallen so low as to exchange airplanes for canned food?
However, the words of refusal stuck in his throat.

He looked at the workers in front of him, dressed in faded overalls and with pale, sickly faces.

Looking at these talented engineers in the design studio, who looked haggard due to malnutrition;
Looking at my wife in the crowd, I remembered that she had been complaining that morning that she couldn't even buy decent butter at the market;

I remembered the longing in the children's eyes for new clothes...

"Mr. Tupolev,"

Qin Yuan walked over, his voice calm yet powerful, as if he could see through his struggle.

"Technology needs to be passed on, factories need to operate, and workers need to make a living. Dollars and rubles cannot solve Kuibyshev's practical difficulties. But supplies can!"

"It can immediately improve the lives of the workers, boost morale, and revitalize this great factory!"

"You should think about them."

As soon as he finished speaking, almost everyone looked at the elderly man.

Alexei fell silent, a fierce internal struggle raging within him.

Pride versus reality, dignity versus survival...

Alexei raised his head again, scanning the familiar yet anxious faces before him. Listening to their earnest, even pleading, words, his last line of defense crumbled.

He took a deep breath, turned to Qin Yuan, his eyes filled with complex yet unwavering determination:
“Mr. Qin…we can discuss the details now.”

A barely perceptible smile appeared on Qin Yuan's lips.

The overall situation is decided!

(These two chapters total 8,800 words. Shouldn't that include the bonus chapters from chapters 1483 to 1683? The next chapter will have a bonus chapter for 1883 monthly votes.)

(End of this chapter)