Returning to 1949, I decided to hand it over to the state.

When this core practical issue was brought up, He Xiying, who had been smiling just moments before, immediately turned serious.

He stood with his hands behind his back, pondered for a moment, and then asked in return:

"Do you have any good ideas, Comrade Jiang?"

Clearly, He Xiying doesn't have any good sales ideas at the moment.

It wasn't that he didn't take it seriously; on the contrary, it was the very thing that had kept him up at night for the past seven or eight days.

Since Jiang Fan first proposed the plan of "selling gas cylinders to exchange for foreign exchange", the factory has held several secret meetings in private.

After much discussion, everyone reached only one consensus: Ansteel can indeed manufacture these products, but where exactly are the buyers?

At the meeting, someone suggested moving north and selling the goods to the Soviet Union via the railway.

But this idea was rejected as soon as it came to mind.

The Soviet Union itself was a major heavy industrial power, with steel production far exceeding ours. If we sold these low-tech tin cans to them, they could easily crack them in less than a day, and we would end up losing more than we gained.

Some suggested heading south, trying to find a way to use the secret route through Hong Kong to sell to local foreign trading companies.

But the risks of this route are too great. Hong Kong is a melting pot of all sorts of people, with intelligence agents, arms dealers, and speculators from various countries all gathered there.

Although there are opportunities, if our people are not careful and are targeted, it is common for them to lose everything, including their goods, instead of making money.

These past few days, because of this matter, and with Jiang Fan still missing and not returning, He Xiying and Zhou Chunsheng, that simpleton who only knows how to operate a lathe, couldn't come to a conclusion. So, she felt like she had a huge weight on her mind, and she couldn't eat or sleep well.

At this moment, Jiang Fan took the initiative to bring up the topic, and He Xiying also wanted to hear the opinion of this high-achieving overseas student.

Fortunately, Jiang Fan had prepared a complete strategy before he arrived, so answering the questions was effortless.

He quickly organized his thoughts and analyzed the situation carefully:

"Factory manager, here's what I'm thinking: given the current international environment we're facing, since we've produced products that are urgently needed by certain specific groups, we don't need to go around the world to promote them."

"We just need to find buyers who have the need and let them see for themselves what our product can do in real-world applications."

"Once they've seen it, are impressed by its power, and have gained its approval, people will naturally rush to buy it, right?"

After Jiang Fan finished speaking, He Xiying frowned deeply.

If I remember correctly, Jiang Fan seemed to have mentioned this theory before, but we didn't have time to discuss it in detail at the time.

Now that the old topic has been brought up again, He Xiying's keen insight as a veteran cadre allowed him to immediately grasp the most intractable pain point in the plan, and he promptly asked in return:

"Comrade Xiao Jiang, you make it sound so easy."

"But the problem is, where do we find people who have this need?"

"Currently, no country in the world recognizes our new China regime, and even formal diplomatic channels have not been fully established."

"You can't exactly carry a gas cylinder around on a street in a foreign country and hawk it, can you?"

"Moreover, Ansteel is currently at a critical juncture in resuming production, and the entire plant cannot do without you."

By the end, Director He's tone had become somewhat worried.

He was genuinely afraid that Jiang Fan, relying on his youth and impetuousness, would impulsively volunteer to run away.

After all, given Jiang Fan's background as someone who returned from studying abroad, he would indeed likely know quite a few foreigners.

However, it was the summer of 1949, and the domestic situation was not yet completely stable. There were still many spies and remnants of the Kuomintang active in various places.

If a key cadre with core technology were to rashly travel abroad at this time and something went wrong, the consequences would be unbearable for everyone.

Jiang Fan naturally understood the concern and warning implied in the factory director's words.

He quickly waved his hand and chuckled:

"Factory manager, you've misunderstood. I have no intention of going abroad."

"We don't need to travel abroad to negotiate deals; we can handle everything perfectly right here in China!"

"However..." Jiang Fan changed the subject, smiling mysteriously.

"This is something that we at Ansteel can't really accomplish on our own."

"We'll need your help to coordinate resources with the higher-ups later!"

Upon hearing that Jiang Fan didn't need to go abroad and that he already had a complete plan in mind, He Xiying's tightly furrowed brows relaxed considerably, and she immediately pressed for an answer:

"Just tell me your plans and what kind of assistance you need!"

Jiang Fan answered immediately without hesitation:

"Factory manager, this is what I'm thinking: let's not rush to sell them!"

"The southern campaign is still in its final stages. Chiang Kai-shek's remnants still hold many strongholds in the southwest and Guangdong and Guangxi regions. The task of suppressing bandits and eliminating these strongholds is extremely heavy."

"If we can produce a batch of these military gas cylinder mortars with added fuel and send them directly to the front lines, allowing the troops to achieve results and gain a reputation in actual combat, it would be far more effective than firing a hundred blank shots in our own factory."

"As long as we win a battle on the front lines, once this earth-shattering news gets out, foreign journalists, military attachés stationed in China, and arms intelligence brokers who roam around will naturally write down what they see in their reports."

"By then, we won't need to sneak out to find buyers at all; buyers will come to us on their own."

"Moreover, since this product has been tested in real combat on our own battlefield, buyers will feel more at ease using it, because we have already provided the endorsement of its real-world testing."

After hearing these words, He Xiying fell into deep thought.

He paced back and forth for a couple of steps with his hands behind his back, his mind racing as he considered the feasibility of the plan.

Jiang Fan didn't urge him, but stood quietly to the side waiting for what was to come.

To be honest, when Jiang Fan was conceiving this plan in his mind, he had already repeatedly analyzed its feasibility.

He understood better than anyone how complex international relations were in this era:

The People's Republic of China did not have a legitimate seat in the United Nations and had very few countries that recognized it diplomatically. Any form of arms export had to be handled with extreme caution, as it could easily lead to diplomatic disputes.

But what he knew even better was that the newly established country was too poor, too lacking in foreign exchange and too lacking in industrial machinery, so it had to find a way to make money without going through formal diplomatic channels!

Now, the key to unlocking this path to redemption lies in He Xiying's hands.

After a long while, He Xiying finally stopped.

He raised his head, his eyes already showing decisiveness:

"Comrade Xiao Jiang, I think your idea is entirely feasible!"