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

£2000!

An order for 1000 pieces means a full 8 kilograms of gold!

Jiang Fan gasped, covered the microphone, turned to He Xiying, and quickly repeated the other party's quote.

The moment He Xiying heard the price quote, she froze on the spot.

But then he nodded repeatedly and said:

"Say yes! Say yes right now!"

With permission granted, Jiang Fan tried his best to keep his voice calm and even.

"Mr. Guilliman, we can accept a price of £2 per coin."

"However, according to the rules of international arms transactions, you need to pay half of the deposit upfront. Is that acceptable to you?"

"Of course, this is international practice and perfectly reasonable," Guilliman replied readily on the other end of the phone, before changing the subject.

"However, I require that you deliver this entire shipment within two weeks. Can you do that?"

Half a month?

Jiang Fan quickly calculated the factory's production capacity in his mind.

The workers were still in the adjustment period before, but they produced 300 pieces in five days.

The process is now fully operational, and with the addition of more workers, producing 100 pieces per day is no problem at all.

All things considered, it should be finished in ten days.

"No problem, we can deliver on time." Jiang Fan readily agreed, and then raised the most crucial question.

"However, how should the deposit be paid?"

It's important to understand that in 1949, the newly founded People's Republic of China was in dire need of reconstruction and didn't even have a proper settlement system, let alone a remote money transfer.

However, Guilliman chuckled on the other end, clearly having already prepared a countermeasure:

"You can rest assured about that. Just tell me your specific address, and I will send someone to personally deliver the deposit to your factory within three days."

"At the same time, the specific location and method of delivery will also be communicated to you in person by my people."

"It's a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Jiang."

After saying that, the call ended abruptly on the other end.

Hearing the busy tone from the receiver, Jiang Fan held the phone for two seconds, stunned.

No... you're a buyer, placing such a big order, and you don't even do an on-site inspection before handing over the deposit?

He slowly put down the receiver and turned to look at He Xiying:

"Factory manager, the deal is done. 1000 pieces, two pounds each."

"The project will be completed in half a month. The other party agreed to pay half of the deposit first and send someone to deliver it within three days."

Upon hearing this, He Xiying's expression instantly shifted from tension to shock, and then from shock to ecstasy.

"2000 pounds...2000 pounds!!"

He Xiying excitedly grasped Jiang Fan's hand.

"Comrade Xiao Jiang, you're truly amazing!"

"Haha, if this foreign trade deal goes through, our factory will have enough foreign exchange to buy the latest machine tools from the Soviet Union."

He Xiying was so excited that she spun around the room, her mind already racing with ideas on how to spend the huge sum of money she hadn't yet received.

But after taking only two steps, he suddenly frowned and stopped.

Seeing that his expression was off, Jiang Fan quickly asked, "Factory Manager, what's wrong?"

He Xiying hissed, a hint of worry appearing on her previously excited face:

"Xiao Jiang, what if...the foreign merchant doesn't pay the deposit?"

"If he just spouts nonsense on the phone, wouldn't we be getting nothing in return?"

Uh……

Jiang Fan also pondered for a moment.

The factory manager's concerns were not unfounded. In 1949, when information was extremely limited, the credit basis for cross-border transactions was almost zero.

A foreign businessman, whom you've never met before, made a phone call that lasted only a few minutes and placed a huge order for 1000 live rounds. Anyone would have serious doubts about this.

However, recalling Guilliman's wording during the negotiations and his masterful understanding of the unspoken rules of the international arms trade...

Jiang Fan's intuition told him that this arms dealer definitely didn't seem like a swindler.

But he didn't speak too definitively, carefully considering his words before offering words of comfort:

"Factory manager, I think this deal is still reliable."

"Since the other party dared to say that the money would be delivered to their door within three days, and judging from their tone, they are an old hand in the underworld, they shouldn't be joking about something like this."

"Even if he really stood us up, our factory wouldn't suffer any actual loss."

"On the contrary, this phone call proves something great: the gas cylinders we made have already made a name for themselves on the front lines."

"Now that the reputation has spread, even if Guilliman doesn't buy it, other buyers will come knocking on our door sooner or later with money."

He Xiying's expression softened slightly after hearing this analysis, but she still couldn't help but sigh:

"Sigh, that's true, but if this really falls through and I watch the foreign exchange I've already got slip away, I'll still feel heartbroken."

That's absolutely true. If something is within your grasp and then flies away, anyone would feel upset for a long time.

Seeing this, Jiang Fan quickly changed the subject to prevent the factory director from getting stuck in his anxiety about gains and losses.

Taking advantage of He Xiying's relatively good mood, he quickly mentioned his long-planned scheme:

"By the way, factory manager, I have something to report to you while I take this opportunity."

"These past few days we've been studying that tank, and Engineer Zhou and I have come up with a rather interesting use for it. I wonder if you'd be interested in hearing about it?"

He Xiying's attention was successfully diverted.

He turned his head slightly, looking at Jiang Fan with a hint of curiosity in his voice:

"What new use?"

Right now, he has already been completely impressed by Jiang Fan's strange abilities.

A simple drawing of a tin can can be sold for the price of gold, just like weapons.

He was really curious to hear what kind of trouble this kid could cause by studying a broken tank.

Seeing that He Xiying was interested, Jiang Fan then gave a concise and clear report on his "tank-to-tractor conversion" idea that he had been thinking about for the past few days.

He emphasized the urgent need for high-horsepower agricultural machinery for the reclamation of the black soil in Northeast China, and how much it would help the country's agricultural recovery if existing scrapped tanks could be converted into tracked tractors.

Moreover, Jiang Fan also put forward a broader perspective:

"Factory manager, although gas cylinder mortars can be sold at high prices, we must have follow-up civilian products to keep up."

"Furthermore, Ansteel is not only a steel raw material production base, but should also become the leader of the country's heavy industry."

"If we can successfully develop a prototype tractor, we can outsource the manufacturing of parts to machinery factories across the country and encourage everyone to participate in construction."

"A single flower does not make spring; a hundred flowers blooming together make a garden full of spring."

"Our Ansteel must take the lead."

After listening to Jiang Fan's blueprint, He Xiying remained silent for a long time.

Then, I couldn't help but sigh:

"Comrade Xiao Jiang, what on earth is going on in your head?"

"When other people see a tank, all they think about is bloodshed and war. But you, when you see a tank, you think about going to work in the fields!"

"However... the reverse engineering order from the Northeast Bureau is a military mission, and we absolutely cannot disobey it..."

Jiang Fan frowned, but then He Xiying smacked her lips and continued:

"But what you just said does make sense; the black soil of Northeast China is indeed a treasure trove."

"If we can really turn this iron turtle into an agricultural machine that can work in the fields, as you say, it would be a way to make use of waste and save the country a lot of money on imported tractors."

Upon hearing there was a glimmer of hope, Jiang Fan immediately seized the opportunity and pressed his advantage:

"Yes, factory manager, Zhou and I have already drawn several versions of the modification sketches in the workshop."

"Once the first phase of reverse engineering is completed, if you can apply for a trial production quota, we can use that car to conduct a modification experiment."

"Anyway, that little tank is already scrapped, and the parts that were taken off will just rust and go to waste."

"If it can really be modified, the effect will be absolutely amazing when it's driven into the wasteland of Beidahuang."

However, He Xiying was ultimately a principled veteran of the military industry, and he considered obeying orders his duty.

He finally shook his head calmly:

"Comrade Xiao Jiang, listen to me. Reverse engineering this tank is a crucial foundational task that cannot be delayed."

"I can only promise you that I will submit an application report to the Northeast Bureau in the name of Ansteel later."

"Whether your idea will be approved by the higher-ups depends on their instructions."

"No one is allowed to touch the tank hull before the approval is granted."

"Your top priority right now is to hurry up and get this batch of foreign trade orders out on time, ensuring both quality and quantity."

"Don't be discouraged. Keep the blueprints for now. Once this storm has passed, I'll talk to you about this in detail."

Having said that, Jiang Fan could only helplessly agree.

After all, he was just a technician, not a factory manager, and couldn't do whatever he wanted under that military-controlled system.

All major projects must be strictly reported to higher authorities.

He Xiying's approach was very much in line with the organizational discipline of this era.

On the bright side, at least the factory manager was informed, and given the abilities I had previously demonstrated, there shouldn't be any major problems once the foreign exchange deposit arrives.

Now, everything is ready, and we are just waiting for the foreign exchange deposit to arrive!

Thinking of this, Jiang Fan looked down at the watch on his wrist.

Time is almost up again.