Returning wealthy individuals develop their hometowns and become rich in the 1980s

The news that two five-axis CNC machine tools had arrived in Tuocheng was quickly reported to the Ministry of Equipment in Beijing. Although there was a small "accident" in the middle, good things come to those who wait, and they finally arrived in the mainland and into the hands of the national authorities.

The conference hall of the Equipment Department was packed with people, and the atmosphere was somewhat tense. Just now, someone had gotten red in the face and slammed their fist on the table over the issue of allocating the two machine tools.

The people meeting in the conference hall are a group of people who can decide the future direction of China's military equipment. None of them have a general star on their shoulder insignia lower than a major general. They all stare intently at each other, and none of them give up.

The meeting has been going on for almost three hours, but we still haven't reached a conclusion. The main point of contention is that everyone wants it, but who should get it?

"Old Chen, you can't say that," Deputy Minister Liu of the Naval Equipment Department banged his knuckles on the table, his face flushed and his voice hoarse with excitement. "You've all seen the report on the 'Bohai Pearl' test platform! That's the prototype of our future new nuclear submarine!"

"Without large-diameter, high-precision, low-noise propellers, it's just a bunch of iron coffins floating on the seabed! That machine tool is the key to unlocking the deep blue ocean! We must prioritize the progress of our 'Blue Whale' project!"

Across from him, Director Chen of the Air Force Technical Bureau adjusted his glasses, which had slipped down to the tip of his nose. Behind the lenses, his eyes were sharp as an eagle's. "Old Liu, the gates to the deep blue sea are important, but isn't the sky above the Republic important too?"

His voice wasn't loud, but every word was firm and clear: "Why did the 'Kunlun' engine prototype break down? Why were the flight test data always just a step short? It's because of the blades!"

"We're currently relying on experienced craftsmen to 'rush' the production of high-temperature alloy multi-axis hollow blades by hand. How can we guarantee precision and consistency? That blade-making machine is the only hope for equipping the 'Kunlun' engine, and our future warplanes, with a 'Chinese heart'!"

"The air force cannot wait, and neither can national air defense!"

"Both leaders, please calm down, please calm down," Director Sun, who was in charge of conventional army equipment, interjected, trying to ease the tension, but there was also a glint in his eyes. "Our army's key model, the transmission system of the new generation main battle tank, has complex curved surface components..."

"Little Sun!"

"Director Sun!"

Liu and Chen turned around and glared at each other almost simultaneously. Director Sun was speechless for the rest of his sentence and awkwardly touched his chin.

Director Sun thought to himself, "Our army is the big brother, so why should the air force and navy get priority when we have good equipment?"

People often joke that the Army has issued new shoes again, but that's just a joke. Your equipment department can't really just give us new shoes!

Don't bully the older brother like that!

Liu and Chen started arguing again, neither willing to back down an inch. Since it concerned the vital interests of their department's project, neither dared to back down; they could only fight!

Vice Minister Liu threw a photocopy of the top-level directive on "gradually establishing a blue-water navy" in front of Director Chen. Director Chen, in turn, tossed out a thick, alarming stack of analyses of the aerial standoff along the southeast coast.

Even several representatives involved in aerospace and precision machinery couldn't help but whisper about the potentially "disruptive" impact these two machine tools could have on launch vehicle engines and high-precision inertial navigation platforms.

Minister Yan, who was presiding over the meeting, just listened to the representatives arguing with a frown, without saying a word. His fingers rubbed the edge of his enamel cup. As he listened to their reasons, his frown deepened.

With a weak national foundation, we managed to acquire these two precious machines with great difficulty through overseas connections, a situation where there were far more wolves than sheep.

Both projects are equally important to him, and giving them to either one would mean putting other projects on hold. These are all key national defense development projects, and it would be difficult for Mr. Yan to give up either one!

If only we could have a few more, it would be great. Unfortunately, the country's foreign exchange reserves simply cannot support such a large expenditure. Foreign exchange is needed in every aspect, and the people in the equipment department are constantly being pressured and scratching their heads.

The argument continued unabated. Just then, an elderly man in a Zhongshan suit, who had been sitting in the corner, coughed lightly, stood up, walked to the conference table, and said to the still-arguing group, "Leaders, I have heard your reasons. The Air Force needs to take to the skies, and the Navy needs to go to sea; both rely on these two pieces of equipment. But why don't we consider a compromise? Why can't we establish a new department specifically for this purpose?"

Everyone looked at the old man who was speaking. He was wearing a faded old Zhongshan suit and his back was slightly hunched. He was Qi Wangzhi, a name that was not very noticeable on the list of attendees at the meeting. He was a retired expert from a certain aerospace institute who had been rehired and had spent his whole life working on materials and special processes.

He rarely spoke in such situations, usually keeping quiet with his reading glasses on, looking at the documents in his hands. Hearing him say this, Old Yan looked over and asked, "Comrade Wangzhi, what are your suggestions?"

"Old Yan, why must we separate them, like one getting married and the other taking a wedding, keeping them in different courtyards and having children of different appearances?"

Qi Wangzhi's strange analogy surprised everyone present. Then Qi Wangzhi continued, "Two pieces of equipment are not limited to processing only one type of material. Why don't we put these two pieces of equipment together and have the Equipment Department coordinate their use?"

"You mean, setting up a new production department?"

"Yes," Qi Wangzhi nodded solemnly, "The equipment is currently in Tuocheng, and the Nanshan Precision Machinery Research Institute has also been officially established. The Equipment Department can take the lead in setting up a new department in Tuocheng, so that the equipment is not separated. This will also make it easier for the researchers at the Nanshan Institute to better survey the two machines and develop our own five-axis CNC machine tool as soon as possible!"

"Setting it up in Tuocheng would be too risky, considering it's a coastal area and a special economic zone with frequent foreign business dealings. I'm worried that if the information leaks out, it could be detrimental to the country's scientific research," Director Chen said, then changed the subject. "It would be more suitable to place it in our mountain city, which is inland and less likely to leak information!"

"We need to locate it in the Tuocheng Special Economic Zone. Only by relying on the zone's economy can we better drive industrial development. Can the economy of your mountain city compare to that of the Tuocheng Special Economic Zone?"

"The national treasury is tight. Do you expect the government to keep allocating funds to support your project?" Qi Wangzhi's eyes were piercing. "But it's different in Tuocheng. Of the country's four special economic zones, Tuocheng and Shenzhen have the greatest development potential. Now that the Nanshan Institute has been established, there's even more reason to keep the equipment in Tuocheng!"

Old Yan tapped his finger on the table, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. Qi Wangzhi's suggestion was bold yet highly feasible, and worth the risk.