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

Jiang Fan slowly walked back along the main road of the factory area, forcibly putting aside the thought of his great-grandfather going to Shenyang.

Right now, no matter what, we have to go find Director He first and report the "two participations, one reform, and three combinations" tactic of acting first and reporting later.

He was pondering how to begin when he heard a cheerful call from ahead:

"Hey, Comrade Jiang, what are you doing wandering around here?"

Jiang Fan looked up and saw He Xiying standing at the fork in the road not far away.

He was holding several telegrams in his hand, a smile he couldn't hide on his face, as if he had encountered some great joy, and he stood there looking at him.

Jiang Fan thought to himself, "What a coincidence!" and quickly took two steps forward to meet him.

"Director He, I was just about to look for you. I was with Engineer Zhou at the steel rolling mill when we heard some of the workers say that Uncle Jiang's family hadn't come to work for several days. I was thinking of going to check on them, but then the neighbors told me that the elderly couple had gone to Shenyang."

Upon hearing this, He Xiying nodded knowingly, smiled, and waved her hand, saying:

"Oh, so that's what it is. Comrade Jiang, while you were away from the factory these past few days, Comrade Jiang Daiji's son returned from his military service."

"According to the organization's unified arrangement, he was assigned to the Shenyang Third Machinery Factory, and his parents were also brought there to settle down and reunite with their family. My transfer procedures have already been approved, so you don't need to worry. This is great news; the family is finally reunited!"

Shenyang Third Machinery Factory?

Jiang Fan had originally planned to wait until things settled down here before taking some time to go to Shenyang to look for his grandfather's address from his memories, but this time he got the precise coordinates directly.

This "Shenyang Third Machine Factory" was one of the important centers of the machine tool industry in New China.

However, Jiang Fan secretly wondered to himself: Grandpa got into such a good state-owned factory, so he should have lived a very comfortable life afterward. How come the family was still so poor when I was a child?

Although he was puzzled, he smiled and nodded, "Oh, then I'm relieved. After all, he's my uncle."

Then, he changed the subject, not forgetting the main point:

"By the way, Director He, where are you going? I have something important to report to you."

He Xiying laughed heartily and waved the telegrams in his hand:

"What a coincidence! I also have some great news to tell you. Come on, Comrade Xiao Jiang, let's talk as we walk."

After saying that, he didn't wait for Jiang Fan's reply and turned to walk along the main road of the factory area.

Jiang Fan quickly followed and walked side by side with He Xiying.

Seeing him follow, He Xiying spoke as she walked, her voice brimming with barely suppressed excitement:

"Comrade Xiao Jiang, we have definite news from the Northeast Bureau: the first batch of gas cylinder mortars has been officially approved for deployment to the southern front for combat. How about that? Pretty quick, right?"

Jiang Fan's heart skipped a beat.

He originally thought that it would take several meetings and a month or two of deliberation before the approval of such a self-made new weapon could be finalized, but he didn't expect that the approval would be issued in just one day.

It seems that Chief Li must have been pulling strings behind the scenes to achieve such amazing efficiency.

He couldn't help but exclaim, "That's fast! Director He, how was the quantity determined? How many are to be sent in the first batch?"

As He Xiying walked, she looked down at the telegram in her hand and said:

"The telegram instructed us to rush to produce 300 military-grade live rounds, along with 30 sets of launch tubes. We were also instructed to send two technicians south with the vehicle to teach the frontline soldiers how to operate them."

"The Northeast Bureau has already informed the front lines. The frontline command post will set aside a test firing range. Once the equipment arrives, they will fire two rounds to test the effect. If the power meets expectations, they will immediately launch a large-scale supplementary firing."

300 live rounds, 30 launch tubes.

This number isn't huge, but it's definitely not small either.

With the current capacity of a medium-sized steel rolling mill, if all equipment and personnel are in place and working in shifts day and night, it should be possible to complete the task within a week.

However, Jiang Fan knew very well that production volume was secondary at the moment. The most important thing was that once this batch of goods arrived at the front line, it had to make a name for itself and establish a formidable reputation.

Once the first shot is fired on the front lines, there will be no shortage of people eager to pave the way for what follows.

"Alright! Director He, then leave this matter to me and Engineer Zhou to keep an eye on." Jiang Fan immediately pledged his commitment.

"I have already arranged the personnel and process framework at the steel rolling mill. As long as the raw materials can be supplied, I guarantee that the first batch of goods will be delivered smoothly within a week."

He Xiying gave him a satisfied look and said approvingly, "I knew it would be right to hand this matter over to you."

Jiang Fan was a little embarrassed by the praise.

Just as he was about to say a few words of modesty, he suddenly remembered the important matter he was supposed to report, so he continued on the topic:

"Director He, speaking of this, I actually have a rather bold idea that I'd like to report to you."

"Just now at the steel rolling mill, in order to meet the deadline, I announced a brand new management system to the workers."

"Please don't rush to criticize. Let me finish speaking before you make your decision, okay?"

He Xiying, who had been walking briskly, slowed down instantly upon hearing this and glanced at Jiang Fan.

Having led troops in the army for so many years, what he feared most was that his subordinates would disobey orders and act on their own initiative.

But Jiang Fan had handled the previous matters so well that he already had a very high level of trust in this young man.

So he didn't rush to lash out, but simply nodded calmly:

"Okay, go ahead and tell me, I'm listening."

Jiang Fan knew how reckless his "act first, report later" approach was, but he was even more aware of how powerful the "two participations, one reform, and three combinations" system had proven to be in later generations.

So he succinctly laid out his ideas, using the example of a gas cylinder production line in a steel rolling mill, and analyzed them clearly and logically:

If this is done, the workers' enthusiasm will be fully mobilized, and the driving force for technological innovation will change from "being forced down from above" to "coming up from below on its own initiative," and the production efficiency of the entire workshop can at least double.

Jiang Fan spoke very seriously, finishing his sentence in one breath before stopping, anxiously awaiting He Xiying's reaction.

He Xiying did not answer immediately.

He continued walking forward, his brow slightly furrowed, clearly deep in thought about something.

Jiang Fan followed behind him, secretly glancing at the old factory director's profile out of the corner of his eye, his palms slightly sweaty.

He knew that he was testing the acceptance of a veteran revolutionary cadre from 1949 with a management philosophy that was nearly ten years ahead of its time, and the other party might just utter a harsh "nonsense" as soon as he opened his mouth.

But what He Xiying said next completely surprised Jiang Fan.