Bright Sword: From Border Region Manufacturing to Major National Heavy Industry

Chapter 220 Practical Skills
Zhang Wanhe tiptoed into the conference room, almost like a thief.

He was afraid that if he made any noise, he would disturb the students' peace and cause Li Mu to lose all his previous efforts.

Seeing this, the captain of the guard smiled and said, "Minister Zhang, you don't need to be so careful. The students are very quiet now."

Zhang Wanhe peered through the window outside the conference room and looked inside.

Just as the guard captain had said, the students were all very quiet.

Those troublemakers were all quickly working out calculations and writing in their notebooks, not even looking up, as if they had no time to cause trouble at all.

Of course, after watching for a while, Zhang Wanhe felt even more that this was more like a competition.

Among these troublemakers, they were competing with each other, as if they were seeing who could solve the most problems.

Seeing this, Zhang Wanhe pulled his head back, very happy: "It seems that I really don't have to worry about them anymore."

The guard captain continued with a smile, "Once Director Li has trained them all, you'll still have to worry about them."

"What are you worried about?"

“I’m worried that when they’ve learned Director Li’s true skills and can all work independently, won’t they need even more equipment, machinery, and raw materials? Shouldn’t you, Minister Zhang, get them?” the guard captain said.

"Haha." Zhang Wanhe lowered his voice and laughed happily: "That's right, haha, that's true. It seems that I, as the logistics minister, am destined to be a worrier."

Zhang Wanhe did not leave, but continued to wait there.

The exam lasts two hours, and that time is almost up.

Li Muzhi will be here soon, and Zhang Wanhe still wants to see how Li Muzhi communicates with these students afterwards.

With just a few words, the troublemakers were appeased, and in subsequent interactions, they remained very well-behaved and did not cause any trouble.

This means that our logistics minister needs to learn from Comrade Li Muzhi how to deal with highly educated intellectuals.

For soldiers like Li Yunlong who lacked formal education, Commander Chen of the 386th Brigade only needed to shout at them.

But this doesn't apply to highly educated individuals.

Exactly two hours later, Li Muzhi arrived.

"Minister Zhang, are you waiting for me here?" Li Muzhi asked suspiciously.

"No, no," Zhang Wanhe waved his hand and explained, "I just came to see how you communicate with students, so I can learn from you in the future."

"Hehe, Minister Zhang, would you like to go in?" Li Muzhi asked with a smile.

"No need, the students get upset when they see my face, so I'd better not bother you," Zhang Wanhe quickly waved his hand.

"Alright then." Li Muzhi didn't say anything more and pushed the door open to go inside.

Upon seeing Li Muzhi enter, the students immediately put down their pens and eagerly greeted him:
"Hehe, Director Li, I've solved six questions."

"Director Li, I've solved eight problems."

"Director Li, I've solved nine questions."

"Director Li, I'm not bragging, but if I had enough time, I could finish the entire test paper," a troublemaker shouted.

……

Faced with the students' enthusiasm, Li Muzhi feigned surprise: "Really? You're not kidding, are you? I made these questions really difficult. It would be quite an achievement to solve even one or two. Could it be that I really underestimated your abilities?"

The students found Li Muzhi's attitude quite pleasing:

"Director Li, we said we wouldn't let you down, and we definitely won't."

"If we can only solve one or two problems, then we don't deserve to be called elites."

……

"I don't believe it. I still need to see for myself." Li Muzhi put on a serious expression. "Write down your names and hand in your answers to me."

Soon, twenty-eight answer sheets with their names written on them were quickly handed to Li Muzhi.

Li Muzhi quickly flipped through the papers, feigning shock: "Incredible, truly incredible! I definitely underestimated your abilities. At least you could solve six questions. The person who solved the most questions actually solved fifteen, which greatly exceeded my expectations."

"I solved those fifteen problems," one of the troublemakers said excitedly. "Director Li, if we had enough time, I could solve the rest for you."

"Liu Fuxing, since you solved the most problems, you will be the class monitor from now on." Li Muzhi announced on the spot that he would serve as the class monitor.

The training of these students takes time; it cannot be accomplished in a day or two.

Li Muzhi couldn't possibly dedicate most of his time to teaching them every day.

Therefore, it is still necessary to let them manage themselves.

Li Muzhi would provide them with different learning materials so that they could study on their own.

The highly skilled personnel recruited from the Huangyadong Arsenal would also be asked to dedicate time to teaching students according to their individual abilities.

This also allows these students to learn relevant practical experience at their posts in the arsenal every day.

For anything that was unclear, Li Muzhi would provide clarification periodically.

Upon hearing this, Liu Fuxing was incredibly excited: "Director Li, did I hear that right? Can I really be the squad leader?"

When I was in school, my teachers only treated me as a problem student, as an oddball, and even ordered me to drop out.

As for being a duty officer, Liu Fuxing had never held that position.

He was always the one who got disciplined by the class leaders.

I never expected that I would become a squad leader on my very first day at the border region's arsenal.

Factory Director Li really has a keen eye. "In my department, the more capable a person is, the more important they will be," Li Muzhi replied affirmatively.

"Director Li, don't worry, I will definitely do my job well." Liu Fuxing was so excited he almost jumped up.

"Director Li, does solving more problems mean greater ability?" another troublemaker shouted. "Maybe some people can only solve problems, but their practical skills are just average."

Li Muzhi then turned his gaze to Liu Fuxing: "Liu Fuxing, as the class monitor, your first priority is to solve problems. When a classmate raises a problem, how do you solve it?"

"I can forge iron, repair bicycles, and grow crops—I can grow all kinds of crops!" Liu Fuxing said, rattling off his skills. "When I was in university, I also learned shooting. I could hit the bullseye at a distance of 150 meters. Once, a Japanese soldier and a few puppet soldiers came to the village to rape women, and I used homemade explosives to kill them all. If any of you here think you're better at practical skills than me, you can challenge me. If I lose, no questions asked, you'll be the squad leader."

The most remarkable thing about Liu Fuxing was that he could make his own explosives and even used them to kill several enemies.

This has blocked all other people's paths.

Most of these students, let alone killing enemies, have never even seen blood. How can they compare to Liu Fuxing?

Of course, there were still some troublemakers who shouted, "My fighting ability refers to fighting. If you can beat me in a fight, then I'll respect you."

"Heh." Liu Fuxing sneered, then slammed his hand down on the table like a knife.

Click!

A crack immediately appeared on the desktop.

Liu Fuxing continued, "My grandfather taught me Iron Palm, and although I'm only so-so at it, are you sure you want to fight me?"

That silenced all the remaining dissenting voices.

With such strong practical skills, what's the point of comparing?

Otherwise, it's just that Director Li has a keen eye for talent.

They immediately picked out the most capable one to be the class monitor.

Li Muzhi said sternly, "Liu Fuxing, you must remember this: our conditions are not good, and all resources and property are precious. You have damaged logistical property without authorization, and you will receive a demerit!"

Hahaha!
The meeting room was immediately filled with laughter.

The laughter completely dispelled everyone's lingering resentment towards Liu Fuxing's appointment as class monitor.

At the same time, everyone gained a new understanding of Director Li.

If you have the ability, you will be given important responsibilities.

If you've done something wrong, you should be punished; that's fair.

Faced with Li Muzhi's demerit, Liu Fuxing had no complaints, but was somewhat embarrassed: "Director Li, I'm sorry, I acted impulsively. Next time, I will definitely handle the problem rationally."

"Okay." Li Muzhi nodded, then asked, "Do you all know each other?"

Li Muzhi only knew that these people had been sent to Zhang Wanhe's place from various places a few days ago, but he didn't know if they knew each other.

"Yes, yes, we've met Minister Zhang. He introduced us all." Liu Fuxing and the others nodded.

“Since you all know each other, there’s no need for you to get to know each other again,” Li Muzhi said. “Although the squad leader has been chosen, the groups will still need to be reorganized. I will group you according to your information. Your current task is to follow Minister Zhang to familiarize yourself with the environment of the border region’s arsenal, take a look at our military production, and see which part you like. You can then focus on learning the parts you like first.”

Liu Fuxing scratched his head: "Director Li, could you please not have Minister Zhang lead us?"

Liu Fuxing's words were quickly echoed by others.

"Yes, Director Li, we are afraid of Minister Zhang."

"Director Li, we know you're very busy and don't have time to guide us. You can find someone else."

……

Upon seeing this, Zhang Wanhe, who was standing at the door, quickly came inside.

Comrade Zhang smiled broadly and said, "Students, don't be afraid. I'm not a bad person, and I won't eat you. Come with me."

Comrade Zhang was genuinely pleased to see Li Muzhi had truly won over these students.

Of course, the students' fear of themselves is a problem that needs to be addressed immediately.

However, although Comrade Zhang had meant well and wanted to clear up the misunderstanding, the moment he showed that smile, the students all felt as if they had seen a smiling tiger.

Some of the girls even took a few steps back: "Minister Zhang, why don't you put on a serious face? We're scared of you like this."

puff!
Zhang Wan and the captain of the guard behind him couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Comrade Zhang was immediately embarrassed, his face turning red.

Seeing that Comrade Zhang's attempt had backfired, Li Muzhi came to the rescue, saying, "Never mind, let the guard captain lead you."

"Captain of the Guard, then you take them around and familiarize them with the environment. When they arrive at the workshop, have Lao He receive them," Li Muzhi said to the captain of the guard.

“Alright.” The captain of the guard nodded and said to the students, “Follow me.”

The students followed the captain of the guard. Zhang Wanhe asked Li Muzhi, "Little Li, was my smile just now really frightening?"

"Yes," Li Muzhi said with absolute certainty.

Think about it: if someone who usually has a stern and fierce expression suddenly starts smiling broadly, who would feel safe? Let alone a student.

"Then how do you think I should laugh?" Zhang Wanhe asked humbly.

"I think you should refrain from laughing for a while."

“…” Zhang Wanhe.

(End of this chapter)