Love in the Courtyard: Starting with Engineers

In a conference room on the top floor of the Wall Street Financial Building in New York, executives from dozens of Western telecommunications giants, including Motorola, Ericsson, and Qualcomm, gathered together.

On the huge projection screen, Longteng Electronics' sales data for the past three months was displayed. In stark contrast, the financial reports of Western telecommunications companies showed a glaring red sea of ​​loss figures.

The president of the American Communications Association slammed his fist on the table. "Enough! The rise of Longteng Electronics has seriously threatened our technological hegemony! We can no longer sit idly by!"

Motorola CEO John Mitchell gritted his teeth and said, "The chairman is right! Their 2G standard has already seized the initiative. If this continues, our telecommunications industry will be completely relegated to a subordinate position!"

Ericsson's president stood up and said, "I propose the formation of a Western communications alliance to impose comprehensive technological sanctions on China!"

"First, cut off the supply of high-end chip manufacturing equipment to China."

"Second, any member state is prohibited from engaging in technological cooperation with Longteng Electronics."

"Third, jointly pressure the International Telecommunication Union to restrict the promotion of the DragonPass standard!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a chorus of agreement erupted in the conference room.

They believed that by leveraging the technological barriers accumulated over decades, they could easily strangle Longteng Electronics and nip China's telecommunications industry in the bud.

Three days later, the Western Communications Alliance was officially established, and a strongly worded sanctions announcement was disseminated around the world through major media outlets.

The global telecommunications industry was in an uproar, with many worried for Longteng Electronics, fearing that the sanctions would extinguish the flame of hope that had just been ignited within the company.

When Lou Zhenhua heard his secretary report this matter, he was at Li Yu's house with Li Yu, discussing the follow-up research and development and promotion of 2.5G technology.

Looking at the sanctions announcement, Lou Zhenhua said with dissatisfaction, "These foreigners, when they can't play games, they start acting like scoundrels. Will the cutoff of high-end equipment affect our production capacity?"

Li Yu simply smiled faintly: "We don't lack technology, we just lack time to develop it, and the Russian order should be arriving soon."

"The Russians' communication infrastructure is too weak. They pay with oil and natural gas, and we exchange base stations and technology. It's a win-win situation. When the West is down, the East will be up. Their sanctions are just making room for us."

Lou Zhenhua suddenly realized: "You were truly farsighted! Once our base stations are deployed throughout China and Siberia, any sanctions they impose will be futile!"

During this period, with the Russian order being finalized, many countries in the Middle East and Africa have also extended olive branches, hoping to introduce Longteng's 2G communication technology.

The sanctions imposed by the Western telecommunications alliance have ironically become Longteng Electronics' best offense, allowing the world to witness the hard power of China's telecommunications technology.

Meanwhile, a tremendous change is quietly taking place in the streets and alleys of Beijing.

In just one month, Longteng 2G base stations sprang up like mushrooms after rain, covering the streets and alleys of the entire city.

The "Dragon Manufacturing" logo is prominently displayed on the towering signal tower.

The GG sign at the bus stop displays the slogan for DragonMobile: "One phone in hand, connect the world."

Inside the shopping mall, a special experience zone for DragonMobile phones was set up, attracting a large number of curious citizens.

"This thing is amazing! It's so small, yet it can make calls even from dozens of kilometers away!" a worker in overalls exclaimed excitedly, holding the demo unit.

The old man next to him chimed in, "Absolutely! It's much faster than a telegram and much more convenient than a landline! This is a mobile phone we made ourselves, amazing!"

The salesperson in the experience area enthusiastically introduced the product: "Rest assured, everyone, our Longteng mobile phones offer clear calls and long standby time, making them an absolute must-have for home and travel!"

But when everyone asked about the price, their initial enthusiasm instantly cooled down.

The worker gasped. "How much? Two thousand yuan? My monthly salary is only a little over three hundred yuan. I'd have to save for more than half a year without eating or drinking to afford that!"

Those around them chimed in, "Yes, yes, it's too expensive! It's great, but the price is just prohibitive!"

Upon hearing this, the people could only shake their heads in regret.

Although everyone longed for this domestically produced mobile phone, its price of two thousand yuan was undoubtedly an astronomical figure for ordinary workers with a monthly salary of three or four hundred yuan.

Li Yu had anticipated this scenario. The widespread adoption of 2G base stations was only the first step; the ultimate goal was to make mobile phones affordable for ordinary people. And to achieve this goal, relying solely on terrestrial base stations was insufficient, in addition to reducing production costs.

"Ground base stations are expensive to build, have limited coverage, and are greatly affected by terrain. If we want communication signals to cover every corner and to truly bring down mobile phone prices, we must turn our attention to space!"

Space?

The members of the technical team standing nearby looked at each other, their eyes full of doubt.

Li Yu walked to the blackboard, picked up the chalk, and quickly sketched a diagram of a satellite constellation: "We need to develop a new generation of launch vehicles that can not only send satellites into space, but also be able to recover and reuse the rockets! In this way, the cost of satellite launches will be reduced by ten times, or even a hundred times!"

"Our goal is to deploy inexpensive communication satellites throughout low Earth orbit!"

"Build a global satellite communication network! At that time, no matter where you are, whether in the desert or the ocean, whether in the mountains or the valleys, you will receive a clear signal!"

The R&D team leader exclaimed excitedly, "Chief Engineer Li, do you mean we're going to develop satellite communications? This is an unprecedented innovation!"

"That's right!"

Li Yu put down the chalk, his gaze sweeping over the crowd. "Didn't the Western Communications Alliance want to sanction us? Didn't they want to monopolize technology?"

"We'll use space-based networking to completely overturn their rules of the game! They can sanction ground-based base stations, but can they really sanction space?"

"Great!" the technical team members shouted in unison, and applause erupted.

In the days that followed, the rocket research and development workshop at Longxing Factory was brightly lit, operating day and night.

Li Yu personally took charge, leading the technical team to plunge into the research and development of rocket recovery technology.

Optimizing rocket engine thrust, lightweighting rocket body materials, and precise control of recovery and landing... each challenge is like a towering mountain standing in our way.

Li Yu's first goal is to achieve rocket recovery. Once this goal is achieved, he will completely dominate low-altitude orbit before the new century, leaving the West with no way out.