Love in the Courtyard: Starting with Engineers

Wang Jianjun patted Li Yu on the shoulder, his tone full of encouragement.

"Chief Engineer Li, with these cannons, our Weihai is truly armed to the teeth! Those old cannons were only good for dealing with fishing boats; they were useless against enemy planes. Now, let's see if those foreign devils dare to swagger around our doorstep!"

Three days later, the Weihai entered the South China Sea and spotted the islands and reefs blockaded by the enemy fleet in the distance.

On the sea, three destroyers and two frigates formed a circular formation, completely surrounding the island reef. An electronic warfare aircraft with unfamiliar markings was circling in the airspace, releasing strong electromagnetic interference waves.

"Report to the captain! Enemy electronic warfare aircraft are releasing jamming signals, and the radar signal is weak!" The radar operator's voice was tinged with anxiety.

Wang Jianjun's eyes sharpened. "Activate the adaptive frequency hopping radar! Let them taste our power!"

"Enemy electronic warfare aircraft detected, 8 kilometers away, 2000 meters altitude, diving towards our position!"

"Anti-aircraft guns, prepare for free fire!" Wang Jianjun's roar echoed across the bridge.

Ten shipborne anti-aircraft guns roared simultaneously, spewing dazzling tongues of fire from their muzzles. Dense shells wove together an impenetrable net of fire, enveloping the diving electronic warfare aircraft.

Before the enemy plane could react, its wing was hit by several shells, instantly billowing black smoke as it plunged into the sea like a kite with a broken string, creating a huge splash.

"Enemy aircraft hit! Enemy aircraft hit!" the observer shouted excitedly, his voice trembling.

The enemy fleet on the sea was thrown into chaos. Three destroyers simultaneously turned their guns and launched anti-ship missiles at the Weihai. Several white streaks ripped through the sky, hurtling towards it with a deathly whistle.

"Attention all anti-aircraft guns! Lock onto anti-ship missiles and intercept!" Wang Jianjun roared hoarsely.

With a series of deafening explosions, the shells struck the missiles with deadly accuracy, as if they had eyes. Flames shot into the sky as all six anti-ship missiles detonated in mid-air, failing to even touch the Weihai.

"Well done!" Wang Jianjun stood on the ship's side, looking at the panicked enemy fleet in the distance.

The enemy fleet was clearly unprepared for the Weihai's formidable anti-aircraft firepower. After a brief moment of surprise, the two escort ships attempted to turn around and flee.

Wang Jianjun wasn't about to let this opportunity slip by. He waved his hand and shouted, "Aim the main guns at the enemy frigate and fire!"

The main guns of the Weihai roared, and the shells accurately hit the stern of one of the frigates, the huge explosion directly severing its propeller.

Seeing the situation was not good, the other frigate accelerated and fled towards the high seas, but was chased and fired at by the anti-aircraft guns of the Weihai. The ship was hit in many places and fled in a sorry state, billowing black smoke.

Seeing that they could not gain any advantage and were wary of the Weihai's firepower, the remaining three destroyers dared not launch another attack and could only slink away from the sea.

On the island, besieged for several days, the soldiers guarding the island cheered and shouted towards the direction of the Weihai: "The Weihai is awesome! Longxing Machinery Factory is awesome!"

The news of the Weihai's decisive victory over the enemy fleet was disseminated immediately through a public telegram. Throughout the country...

In the afternoon, when people were supposed to be leaving get off work, a red banner was hung in the square of Longxing Factory that read "Warmly celebrate the great victory of the Weihai ship in the South China Sea".

Standing on the high platform, Li Yu looked at the cheering crowd before him, a surge of warmth welling up inside him. He raised his arm and waved it vigorously, instantly silencing the noisy crowd and drawing all eyes to him.

"Comrades! The victory of the Weihai is the result of the tireless efforts of every single person at our Longxing Factory! It is our working class that has forged an iron wall to protect our homeland with our own hands!"

Just then, several military jeeps sped over and stopped at the entrance of the square.

The leader, a general with a star on his shoulder, was accompanied by the Minister of Industry and Qin Zhengguo, with leaders from the Navy and the First Ministry of Machine Building following behind.

The general, with a smile on his face, walked up to Li Yu and gave him a solemn military salute.

The general's voice boomed, "Chief Engineer Li, on behalf of the Naval Headquarters and all the officers and soldiers guarding the island, I extend my highest respect to you and to all the staff of Longxing Factory!"

He paused, then continued, "The central leadership has already read the report of victory and highly praised Longxing Factory's contributions! They have decided to award Longxing Factory the title of 'Pioneer Unit in National Defense and Military Industry' and to award you the Special Merit Medal!"

As soon as he finished speaking, two soldiers came up carrying medals and a banner.

On the bright red banner, the eight gold-stamped characters "Pioneer Unit of National Defense and Military Industry" gleamed brightly.

Li Yu accepted the medal and banner, his heart filled with mixed emotions. This was not only an honor, but also a heavy responsibility.

Li Huaide, standing to the side, was grinning from ear to ear. Ever since he got on Li Yu's good side, he had also basked in a lot of honors. Now, his father-in-law was practically second only to the top official in the Ministry of Industry.

"Thank you for the trust placed in us by the Party and the country! All employees of Longxing Factory will continue our efforts to produce even more advanced weapons and equipment!"

Another burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted from the crowd.

After the celebration party ended, the general and Li Yu went into the office and closed the door.

The general's smile faded slightly, and his tone became serious: "Chief Engineer Li, although the victory in the South China Sea is inspiring, we cannot let our guard down. According to reliable intelligence, several Western countries have held an emergency meeting to plan the development of more advanced anti-ship missiles and electronic jamming equipment, which are specifically targeting our shipborne anti-aircraft guns."

Li Yu nodded; he had anticipated this: "The devil is always one step ahead. They upgrade their weapons, so we develop even stronger defense systems."

"Well said! Headquarters has decided to allocate a substantial additional R&D grant to Longxing Factory, and will also allocate top-tier resources nationwide to support you. We hope that Longxing Factory can quickly master the two core projects: the shipborne vertical launch system and the anti-submarine torpedo!"

A glint of light flashed in Li Yu's eyes.

In fact, he had already exchanged the technical drawings for these two projects through the system, but he just hadn't had time to implement them yet.

Li Yu stood up and said, "Please rest assured, General! Longxing Shipyard guarantees that within six months, we will produce prototypes of a shipborne vertical launch system and anti-submarine torpedoes!"

The general smiled with relief: "I'm relieved to hear that. The motherland and the people await your good news!"

After seeing the general off, Li Yu picked up the phone and dialed the Bai family's number.

On the other end of the phone, I heard my wife's gentle voice and my child's babbling.

"Xiaoling, we won." Li Yu's voice was much gentler.

"I know, it's been broadcast on the radio."

Bai Ling's voice was tinged with laughter, "When are you coming home? The child is babbling and waiting for you to hold him."

"Once I've settled on my new project, I'll go back to be with you and the baby."

After hanging up the phone, Li Yu turned around and walked to his desk, where he spread out a stack of brand-new technical drawings.