Love in the Courtyard: Starting with Engineers

Recently, Longxing Machinery Factory has been receiving a steady stream of orders from outside, which has not only brought a large amount of foreign exchange to China, but has also made the factory increasingly busy.

Li Yu had just seen off a group of foreign envoys who had come to discuss licensing of thermobaric bomb technology when his secretary hurriedly dragged him to the office door and pulled him out.

"Factory Director! Factory Director! Minister Liu from the Ministry of Industry has arrived, along with a group of high-ranking officials in naval uniforms!" The secretary's voice trembled, and she almost dropped the folder in her hand.

Upon hearing that not only Minister Liu was present but also naval personnel, Li Yu and his secretary quickly walked out.

In the open space in front of the office building, two military jeeps were parked, and a group of soldiers in dark blue naval uniforms stood beside them, the gold stars on their epaulets particularly dazzling in the sunlight.

Leading the group was Liu Jie, the Minister of Industry, and a naval vice admiral with slightly graying temples standing beside him. Their eyes swept intently over the trucks coming and going in the factory area and the towering blast furnaces behind them, while a hint of anxiety was revealed in their eyes.

The news of Minister Liu and the Navy's visit to the machinery factory spread like wildfire throughout the entire Longxing Machinery Factory.

The workers who were polishing parts in the workshop stopped what they were doing and peered out the windows. Some of them couldn't help but exclaim, "My God! It's a naval commander! Is our factory going to build warships?"

"I heard on the radio the other day that things are not peaceful at sea to the south. Could it be that they've come to ask Director Li for technical assistance?"

"Of course! Director Li can even build thermobaric bombs, what can't he handle?"

Amidst the discussions, there was surprise, curiosity, and above all, a deep-seated pride. You must understand, in an era when heavy industry was underdeveloped, for Longxing Machinery Factory to be approached by naval leaders was an immense honor.

The workers spontaneously formed two rows, their eyes fixed intently on Li Yu as he approached the group of soldiers, forgetting even to put down the wrenches and files in their hands.

Li Yu strode up to Liu Jie and said with a smile, "Minister Liu, esteemed leaders, welcome to Longxing Machinery Factory!"

Liu Jie grasped his hand, his face devoid of any smile, instead displaying a solemn expression: "Comrade Li Yu, the reason I brought the naval comrades here this time is to discuss an extremely urgent matter."

The naval vice admiral stepped forward and firmly grasped Li Yu's hand: "Director Li, I am Qin Zhengguo from the Naval Equipment Department. I apologize for visiting you, but our navy has been driven to a dead end."

Li Yu looked at the lieutenant general in front of him and said, "Let's go to the office to talk."

The group entered the reception room and had barely sat down when Qin Zhengguo took a thick battle report from his accompanying staff officer and handed it to Li Yu. Looking at the report, its cover worn and frayed, yet the handwriting exceptionally clear, each word felt like a stone striking Li Yu's heart.

"The friction in the southern seas has never stopped since last winter," Qin Zhengguo said in a hoarse voice.

"US destroyers, accompanied by their allies, are frequently patrolling outside our territorial waters, and their reconnaissance planes are flying more often than seagulls. Last month, one of their frigates directly intruded into our coastal waters, ramming two of our patrol boats. The three soldiers on board are still lying unconscious in the hospital!"

He paused, then jabbed his finger hard at a photo on the battle report. In the photo, a wooden patrol boat had been rammed through a huge hole in its hull, seawater had flooded the deck, and bloodstains remained on it.

"Our navy is too weak!" Qin Zhengguo's voice suddenly rose, and his eyes instantly reddened.

"Our main warships are still old relics captured during the Liberation War. They're slow, weak in firepower, and don't even have decent anti-aircraft guns. Their destroyers have 130mm main guns, while our gunboats only have 50mm main guns. The shells we fire can't even penetrate their armor!"

Liu Jie sighed and continued, "Comrade Li Yu, you don't know. A few days ago, the naval soldiers, relying on two torpedo boats and with the determination to ram and sink an enemy ship, finally drove those invaders out of our territorial waters. But what was the price? One torpedo boat was sunk, and twelve soldiers heroically sacrificed their lives..."

The reception room was deathly silent, with only the howling wind outside the window.

Li Yu clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white from the force. He recalled the scenes on the southern battlefield, where thermobaric bombs decimated the enemy, but that was a victory on land. Along the vast coastline, the defenses built by those soldiers with their flesh and blood were so fragile before the steel warships. A huge rock seemed to press down on his chest, making it hard to breathe; a burning anger mixed with heartache raged within him.

Suddenly, Qin Zhengguo asked, his eyes red with anger, "Why? Why should our navy suffer such humiliation?"

"Because of technology, because of industry!" Qin Zhengguo suddenly stood up, slammed his fist on the table, and said through gritted teeth.

"We lack large marine engines, making it impossible to build high-speed destroyers. We lack advanced naval gun technology, hindering our ability to penetrate enemy armor. We even have to import qualified marine steel plates! Those Western bastards, the capitalist groups of the US, not only stir up trouble on the border but also collude with Western powers to impose a technology blockade, refusing to sell us any technology related to naval equipment!"

In Li Yu's mind, technical blueprints of naval equipment from the system flashed by instantly. Gas turbines, shipborne main guns, and anti-ship missiles—technologies that originally only existed in the future—were constantly popping up in his mind.

He stood up abruptly, his gaze sweeping over every soldier present. Li Yu's voice was powerful and resonant, echoing throughout the reception room.

"Commendations, I know that the Longxing Machinery Factory has never built warships or produced marine equipment. However, we have a chemical production line capable of manufacturing thermobaric bombs, machine tools capable of processing precision parts, and a group of workers willing to sacrifice their lives for the country!"

He walked to the wall, pointed to the national map hanging there, and emphasized the azure sea with his finger: "This sea is our sea! These islands are our islands! The enemy can flaunt their powerful ships and cannons at our doorstep, but we can build warships even more powerful than theirs with our own hands!"

His voice suddenly rose, "I, Li Yu, hereby swear! Within three months, I will produce a prototype of a marine gas turbine! Within six months, I will build a main gun capable of penetrating enemy ship armor! Within one year, Longxing Machinery Factory will build the first modern warship belonging to China for our navy!"