Back in 1978, I was admitted to Northwestern Polytechnical University.

Chapter 350 Construction Begins on the Type 052 Air Defense Ship

Eastward, Northwestern Polytechnical University.

"Indeed, all imperialism is a paper tiger, and the atomic bomb is a paper tiger too," Qin Liang remarked.

"Yes, it's said that the British were going to openly use mushroom bombs against the Weeping Nation this morning, but after the Conqueror was placed in the dock, the British fell silent and made no further moves." Principal Luo said with emotion, "Liangzi, when the Weeping Nation captured the Conqueror, you were already thinking of doing this, weren't you?"

"Ahem, no, Principal Luo, please don't think too highly of me. The idea of ​​a dirty bomb is something I only came up with recently."

This was, of course, an opinion raised by countless netizens before the rebirth, watching the two countries clash.

When others say you have something, you'd better actually have it! Those who don't have it have been dealt with, like Shadak, while others are still doing well, like the most arrogant post-80s generation.

Although we don't have camels, we can definitely make dirty bombs. Let's see if the squid are scared.

As for Lang Tuo not listening to netizens' suggestions, that's understandable. After all, it's not the first time he's backed down. If he backs down once, he can back down countless times.

"The mushroom bomb threat is Britain's last resort. If this threat is neutralized, then Britain will have no more cards to play and can only watch as the crying nation makes a perfect exit." Principal Luo said, "We have received a message from the capital that they are very satisfied with the additional requirements you put forward for the export of H-6 bombers. If the British still want to buy them, they will have to go to the capital to negotiate and sign the relevant agreements before they can make the purchase."

Qin Liang smiled and said, "Well, the British have already broken their backbone. They will face reality. Of course, it's possible that the Iron Lady won't be the one to sign it; she might already be out of a job."

Principal Luo's expression was complicated. Qin Liang, well... how to put it, no matter who he looked at, he always had an arrogant attitude, as if he had already jumped out of this world.

"Oh, by the way, I have an invitation here. It's for you."

Seeing the invitation letters in the thick stack of documents that Principal Luo took out, Qin Liang understood that the Navy had already sent him an invitation, but Principal Luo had stuffed it into some obscure corner. He guessed that the Navy had called again, and that's when Principal Luo remembered it.

Qin Liang opened the invitation and glanced at it.

"August 1st, Jiangnan Shipyard? This... there's only one day left? Principal Luo, you..."

That's really unfair of you.

"We've already booked your plane ticket. You'll be boarding in half an hour and will arrive in Shanghai before dawn."

"Alright." Qin Liang finally realized that Principal Luo had talked to him for so long, and this was the real point at the end. Everything before was just a prelude; he brought up the invitation to avoid upsetting him...

In 1865, the Qing government acquired the ironworks in the Hongkou area of ​​Shanghai and merged two foreign artillery bureaus into it to form a new factory, named the Jiangnan Arsenal. In 1905, the shipbuilding business was separated from it, and from then on, the Jiangnan Shipyard officially became an independent entity.

In 1949, Jiangnan Shipyard returned to the hands of the Chinese people and began a glorious new life.

The first submarine, the first frigate, the first 10,000-ton cargo ship, and the first 10,000-ton hydraulic press were all put into production at Jiangnan Shipyard, writing a new chapter for the shipyard.

After the country opened its doors, Jiangnan Shipyard not only had to complete national tasks, but also had to go global and manufacture export-oriented ships.

As a veteran in the shipbuilding industry, the brand-new Type 052 destroyer is being produced here.

The Navy also has the most trust in Jiangnan Shipyard. Back then, when so many shipyards in China started building the Type 051 destroyer at the same time, the one built by Jiangnan Shipyard achieved a high speed of 37 knots in sea trials, leaving its competitors far behind!

As dawn broke in the east, Navy Leader Ye, who had finished breakfast, finally grew impatient.

"What's going on with Qin Liang? We sent him an invitation a long time ago. Today is the day the Type 052 destroyer officially starts construction, why isn't he here yet?"

"Director Ye, please don't worry. There are a lot of things going on at Northwestern Polytechnical University lately, so he might not have time for the time being..." Director Huang from the Third Department quickly stepped in to explain.

"If he doesn't come soon, our navy will send someone to invite him! We can delay the start of construction by a day..."

Just then, the secretary rushed over: "Leader Ye, Comrade Qin Liang just got off the plane and called us from the airport. He'll be here soon!"

Leader Ye finally smiled, knowing that he wouldn't miss the time to attend the naval equipment exhibition, which showed the importance of the navy in his heart.

"Hmm, not bad, finally here. Give me another bowl of porridge!" Overjoyed, Leader Ye ate an extra large bowl of porridge for breakfast.

"Report, Leader Liu is here too! He met Comrade Qin Liang at the airport, and they will come together."

Leader Ye has not been in charge of the Navy for long and is now retiring, while Elder Liu has been selected as the next head of the Navy.

This was also an important scene where the old and new leaders attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the modernization of naval equipment together.

"Okay, great!"

In the car, Qin Liang's eyelids were drooping. For some reason, he always thought about all sorts of things on the plane, and then... he couldn't fall asleep.

Meanwhile, Old Liu was still talking non-stop.

"Our navy plans to start construction on two Type 052 destroyers, which will take our navy's modernization to a new level, directly competing with Aegis warships in one step. This is something the navy never dared to dream of before."

"I heard that Northwestern Polytechnical University is already designing a 4,000-ton displacement frigate. That's great, you really think what the navy is thinking. Our navy will order at least ten of these frigates, and the navy's main equipment can also enter the period of upgrading and replacement."

"Once the escort fleet is in place, the navy's aircraft carrier should be on the agenda, and your Northwestern Polytechnical University..."

Old Liu turned to look at Qin Liang: "You didn't sleep on the plane?"

"Ah."

"What are you thinking about?"

"The new international order brought about by the complete victory of the Crying Nation in the naval battle."

Qin Liang admitted that he wasn't in that position, yet he still had to worry about these things.

What benefits would the evolving landscape of South America bring us? Could we expand our influence from the "Crying Country" to the entire South America? These were indeed the questions Qin Liang was considering, and as an arms dealer, he had even come up with a point of entry.

Brazil also has an outdated aircraft carrier, just like the one belonging to the crying country. It is a giant-class carrier, and the fighter jets used on it are the even more outdated AF-1 carrier-based attack aircraft, which are due for replacement.

Looking at the whole world, only our Super 7 is suitable. Dassault's Super Etendard? Hahaha, garbage. It hasn't been tested in actual combat. How can it compare to our Super 7!

The US Navy's carrier-based aircraft are powerful enough, but they are all suitable for large aircraft carriers. The Tomcat goes without saying, and even the Great Bug is not suitable for warships with a displacement of less than 40,000 tons. Light aircraft like the Super-7 are definitely the most suitable.

As for the claim that single-engine aircraft are unsuitable for carrier operations... that's just a way of showing off after people have become richer in later times. In the era of propeller-driven fighters, how many carrier-based aircraft were twin-engine? Weren't they all just a propeller in the nose and an engine in the back?

In the early days of the jet age, the F-8, F-9, and later the A-6, weren't they all single-engine designs? The reliability of jet engines at that time was quite low. If we weren't worried about that back then, why should we be worried about it now?

If you can win over Brazil, could we also get a piece of Brazil's rich iron ore resources? Those mining giants have been reaping monopoly profits for years; shouldn't they return the mines to the state?

This is a grand strategy, far beyond Qin Liang's control. However, thinking about these things, Qin Liang is also looking forward to it. So... he thinks about all sorts of things and then can't sleep.

"No matter how the world order changes, development is the only way forward. Our country's economy must develop, and our military strength must also develop. Only when we are strong can we have a voice in the international arena," said Mr. Liu.

That's absolutely true! Qin Liang nodded: "That's right."

"You can sleep for a while. We'll wake you up when we get to our destination."

Perhaps it was Old Liu's words that had an effect, because Qin Liang leaned his head against the car window and quickly fell asleep. When he woke up, he heard the sound of a military band playing.

We've arrived at Jiangnan Shipyard!
Anyone visiting a shipyard for the first time will be awestruck. The rail-guided slipways, the gantry cranes on both sides, the sparks flying from the slipways, the scaffolding erected by the workers... it's a truly magnificent sight.

As a backbone enterprise of Dongfang Shipbuilding, Jiangnan Shipyard is no exception. This shipyard occupies a large area by the sea, looking like a town, and the red cranes form a steel forest.

Spectacular, absolutely spectacular!

In later years, this place was also the construction site of the 003 aircraft carrier. In order to build the aircraft carrier, three huge weather shelters were even specially built to build the hull inside the shelters, which is enough to show the importance attached to the aircraft carrier.

It's not as big as it is in later years, but the row of slipways is still quite spectacular.

The sound of the military band was coming from the No. 1 slipway, where colorful flags were hanging, clearly indicating the site of the groundbreaking ceremony.

The car slowly came to a stop, and a large crowd had already gathered around.

"Mr. Liu, welcome to our Jiangnan Shipyard!"

"Old Hu, the Navy has entrusted you with such an important mission. Are you confident?"

"Please rest assured, leaders, we will absolutely not let the Navy down, nor will we fail the expectations of the motherland and the people!"

"Hmm, not bad. Seeing how confident you are, we feel relieved."

"The key is the cooperation with Northwestern Polytechnical University. The important equipment on the train was all handled by Northwestern Polytechnical University. We were just building the shell. Moreover, the shell was designed using computer science. We sent people to Northwestern Polytechnical University to receive the data in advance. The train cars were all coordinated. Unexpectedly... we actually got a hard drive. All the data was on it!"

Director Hu of Jiangnan Shipyard spoke of these events with deep emotion: "After returning, we quickly purchased computers and printers to print out these design drawings. We heard from people at Northwestern Polytechnical University that once our shipbuilding equipment is upgraded to CNC, we won't need to print the drawings anymore; we can produce directly on the computer..."

Old Liu chuckled: "Liangzi, did you hear people praising you? Aren't you coming down?"

Qin Liang rubbed his eyes and got downstairs.

There were many people around, most of whom were from the shipbuilding industry. He didn't recognize them. The teachers and students from Northwestern Polytechnical University were isolated by the crowd and couldn't squeeze in at all.

"Comrade Qin Liang, we hope to send a team to your Northwestern Polytechnical University to learn computer operation. Without computer skills, we won't be able to build ships in the future."

"Comrade Qin Liang, we have received an international order, but we are worried about design problems. Could you put our product design on your computer and let us run the data?"

"Comrade Qin Liang..."

"Alright, stop crowding around Comrade Qin Liang. He's here for the groundbreaking ceremony! Now that it's almost time, make way for Elder Liu and Comrade Qin Liang to come up to the stage!" Leader Ye's voice rang out.

The crowd then made way.

Qin Liang looked at Leader Ye striding in, his expression complex. From anti-aircraft guns to four-sided phased array radar and vertical launch system, the technological leap of this warship is enormous. If it were an ordinary leader, he certainly wouldn't have made such a great leap forward. It's all thanks to Leader Ye's support!

"Leader Ye, we are very pleased to hear that the air defense ship is about to start construction. The work done by Northwestern Polytechnical University in recent years has been recognized by our superiors, and we at Northwestern Polytechnical University will continue our efforts..."

"That's for sure. The brutality of the Falklands War has made the navy realize that without advanced air defense ships, they're just sitting ducks at sea! Four-sided phased array radars and vertical launch systems are essential. And Northwestern Polytechnical University has the technological reserves, so what are we waiting for? Let's go up on stage!"

"Should I skip it?"

"Without you, our navy might have already imported the Sea Dart. You saved the navy from many detours and provided a shortcut. How can you not go? Old Liu, get to work!"

Old Liu smiled and patted Qin Liang on the shoulder: "Let's go!"

on the rostrum.

"Comrades, today is an important day. In the Falklands War, the C801 anti-ship missile sent the Invincible-class carrier strike group to the bottom of the sea, and then the supersonic anti-ship missile sent the Queen Elizabeth-class carrier strike group to the bottom of the sea! Without modern warships, we will be attacked at sea!"

Leader Ye spoke first, his tone somber: "Our Eastern Navy, backed by the advanced technology of Northwestern Polytechnical University, can finally upgrade its capabilities and build a new class of destroyers! Four-sided phased array radar and universal vertical launch systems provide us with a powerful guarantee of force. The Spey frigate refit allows us to enter the gas turbine era, and our anti-submarine capabilities will be further enhanced with the addition of shipborne helicopters..."

The weakest point of the Eastern Navy is air defense, followed by anti-submarine warfare. Originally, they planned to import towed sonar from France, but now... the towed sonar of the Conqueror is already being transported back to China, and the corresponding model will be copied soon.

Ahem, it wasn't from the Conqueror; it was clearly caught by our fishermen while they were fishing.

"This brand-new warship, Type 052, will initially have two vessels built, named 112 and 113 respectively..."

By looking at the hull numbers of the warships of the Eastern Navy, you can know their affiliation. Those starting with 1 are destroyers. The next two digits, up to 30, belong to the North Sea Fleet, from 31 to 60 to the East Sea Fleet, and the last two digits belong to the South Sea Fleet.

This reserved hull numbers for over a hundred destroyers. At that time, no one knew that the Eastern Navy would later face a shortage of destroyer hull numbers, and that the number of destroyers would exceed one hundred!
Currently, the Navy only has the Type 051 and Type 052 destroyers in service, which is of great significance. No matter what, the capital is always the most important. Therefore, the first two ships were also commissioned into the North Sea Fleet, and their mission is to protect the security of the capital.

After Leader Ye finished speaking, it was Leader Liu's turn.

"Comrades, these two destroyers are just the beginning. In the future, our navy will have more warships, aircraft carriers, carrier-based aircraft, and true blue-water power..."

Everyone was even more excited, their eyes filled with anticipation.

"Now, let's hear a few words from Comrade Qin Liang!"

Qin Liang was dumbfounded. In such an important occasion, how could it be my turn to speak?

However... if I don't go up and say a few words, it seems like I'm not giving Old Liu face...

Qin Liang had no choice but to go up.

"Striving for maritime power and pursuing our dreams in the deep blue sea! Our navy will inevitably move from coastal waters to the open ocean, and from defense to offense and defense. Northwestern Polytechnical University is willing to develop more advanced and efficient equipment for the navy! Although we may not be able to compare with powerful countries in terms of quantity, we will definitely surpass them in terms of quality!"

"Strive for strength by the sea, pursue the dream of the deep blue!" Old Liu recited these eight words, his eyes shining brightly.

"Now, I hereby announce that the Type 052 destroyer has officially commenced construction!"

start!
The steel plates were in place, and the designs were drawn. The experienced craftsmen lit the cutting torches and cut the first steel plate according to the design. Then, the plate went into the bending machine and was repeatedly bent to form the corresponding shape...

The construction of the 112 destroyer began at this moment!
The modernization of the Eastern Navy has also turned a new page! The outside world is currently unaware of just how advanced this warship is. Only after the ship is completed and undergoes sea trials will countless people realize that the Eastern Navy's equipment will soon surpass that of the world's leading navy, the United States!
Shipyard, canteen.

"Distinguished leaders, welcome to our Jiangnan Shipyard. Our shipyard will certainly live up to your expectations and complete the construction of the two destroyers in the shortest possible time!" Director Hu raised his glass and reiterated his commitment.

"Director Hu, does our factory have the capacity to build other warships?"

Factory Director Hu's eyes lit up: "Of course! Comrade Qin Liang, does Northwestern Polytechnical University have other projects?"

"Well, the export warship project hasn't been finalized yet..."

Most of the people present were unaware of the situation and stared wide-eyed.

Foreign trade warships! Not counting previous military aid, not a single warship has been sold in the current arms sales. Is this a breakthrough in exporting warships?
"President Qin, why don't you come and take charge of our shipbuilding industry? We've been working hard for the past few years, but we haven't made any progress. We never expected that Northwestern Polytechnical University would actually get its first business deal!" The relevant department leader present was beaming with excitement.

Qin Liang humbly replied, "It was just good luck. Northwestern Polytechnical University doesn't have the qualifications to export warships. This business still belongs to the China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation. Northwestern Polytechnical University doesn't want a single penny; we're transferring the order to you!"

"That won't do! How can we let Northwestern Polytechnical University students work for free!" Leader Zhou waved his hand: "Half of the profits from these exports belong to Northwestern Polytechnical University! By the way, what kind of warships are being exported?"

(End of this chapter)