Siheyuan (traditional courtyard house): Starting with the Korean War, returning home to take charge

Beijing winters are dry and cold, but the conference room was unbearably hot.

The radiators were scorching hot, the windows were tightly shut, and more than twenty people were crammed around a long table on both sides. Some were smoking, teacups were clinking, and the noise of their argument was enough to lift the roof off.

He Yuzhu sat by the window, which was closed. He didn't move, his eyes fixed on the stack of blueprints on the table, his knuckles turning white from gripping them so tightly.

The meeting was chaired by Commander Chen of the Armored Corps Headquarters, a man in his sixties with a deeply lined face but frighteningly bright eyes. He tapped the table three times with a pencil, and when no one responded, he tapped it three more times.

"Alright! One at a time. Anyone who keeps arguing, go outside and get some fresh air."

The chubby middle-aged man sitting opposite him threw his cigarette butt on the ground and stomped it out. He was Chief Engineer Liu from the Northern Industrial Research Institute, wearing thick glasses with reflective lenses.

"Commander Chen, let me speak first." His voice boomed like thunder. "This plan of mine took three years, over 120 drawings, and is based on the Soviet T-54. Why? Because this path is viable! What we lack now is time, not some damn pipe dream!"

He practically shouted the last four words, glancing sideways at the person opposite him.

The tall, thin man sneered and slammed the pencil in his hand onto the table. He was Engineer Zhang from Shanghai, who had studied abroad, and was wearing a faded blue work uniform over his suit.

"Chief Engineer Liu, your T-54s are based on models from the 1940s. The Soviets themselves were preparing to phase them out, yet you're still clinging to them like treasures. Three years? If you keep carrying this bunch of old workhorses for another three years, have you thought about what the Americans will be able to build?"

Chief Engineer Liu's face turned a deep purplish-red, and he suddenly stood up, the chair legs scraping against the ground with a screeching sound.

"You're talking nonsense! You think I'm carrying an old ox? I've seen your plan. You've completely dismantled the American Patton series, even copying the torque of the suspension bolts. Do you think Americans are saints? Their tanks are for their roads, their soldiers, their fuel. If you bring them over, they'll fall apart after just two miles on our frozen ground in Northeast China!"

Engineer Zhang also stood up, his finger almost poking Chief Engineer Liu's nose.

"Falling apart? Have you ever seen an American tank? Have you ever been abroad? Do you even know what torsion bar suspension is? Your T-54, fast? If it was fast, how come it was captured in Vietnam?"

The room exploded with a "buzz".

"What did you say?"

"I was talking about your T-54—"

"Enough!" A middle-aged man in military uniform slammed his hand on the table and stood up. "What about the Vietnam War? That was fought with our soldiers' lives! Stop making veiled accusations!"

"Am I making veiled accusations? I'm sticking to the facts! If we don't bring up the battlefield, what else can we use to argue about technical issues?"

"You're bringing up the battlefield? Have you ever been to a battlefield?"

Mr. Zhang choked.

Another person stood up next to him, Engineer Li from the Sixth Ministry of Machinery Industry. He wore black-rimmed glasses and hadn't said a word until now, when his face turned red.

"Engineer Zhang, your engine has 1,500 horsepower, which is theoretically good. But can our current industrial base even manufacture it? Last year, your prototype only ran for 47 minutes on the test bench before the cylinders seized. Why didn't you mention that?"

Zhang's face also turned red.

"That's a materials problem! Materials problems can be solved!"

"Solve it? With what? With that foreign knowledge you gained while studying abroad?"

"You—what do you know? You Soviet-educated traitor, all you know is how to cling to the Soviets!"

"What's wrong with those who studied in the Soviet Union? The Soviets helped us build 156 projects. What did you Americans help us with? Helped you realize your dreams of studying abroad?"

Chief Engineer Liu seized the opportunity to chime in, raising his voice even louder.

"Exactly! You Chinese who studied in the US, you're always talking about Americans. Do you think Americans pay your salaries?"

Engineer Zhang was trembling with anger. He grabbed a teacup from the table—but didn't smash it, and put it down again. He pointed at Chief Engineer Liu.

"Fatty Liu, stop trying to pin this on me! What's wrong with me studying in the US? I learned advanced technology, not sold out my country! But you, with your T-54 blueprints, are you afraid to even change a single dimension? Are you afraid your Soviet father will disown you?"

Chief Engineer Liu's face turned ashen, and he walked around the table, about to rush over.

"Say that again, you fucking idiot!"

Several people quickly intervened, causing chairs to tip over. Teacups overturned, and tea spilled down the edge of the table. He Yuzhu sat by the window, watching the tea pool slowly flow to his feet, without moving.

This time, Commander Chen didn't knock on the table; instead, he slammed his hand on it, making even a pencil jump.

"Sit down, all of you!"

No one is sitting here.

"I said sit down!"

The group, panting heavily, slowly sat back down, glaring at each other.

Commander Chen took a breath, glanced around, and his gaze landed on He Yuzhu.

"Xiao He, you haven't said anything. Tell us what you want to say."

The room fell silent for a few seconds. All eyes turned to He Yuzhu. Some were disdainful, some curious, and some gloating, waiting to see him make a fool of himself.

He Yuzhu stood up and walked to the front of the blackboard. He pasted the drawings he had brought one by one, filling the blackboard with six drawings. His movements were slow and steady, and his fingers did not tremble.

"My proposal is to use the diesel internal combustion engine we just developed, with 1,500 horsepower. The armor will be a composite structure, with a high-hardness steel outer layer, a ceramic middle layer, and a tough steel inner layer. The turret will be redesigned to reduce the frontal projection and increase the probability of ricochets."

Some people below started to murmur.

Composite armor? Dream on!

"1,500 horsepower? Didn't their engine fail?"

He Yuzhu didn't stop, pointing to the blueprints and continuing to speak.

"The vehicle is eight tons heavier than the T-54, but its engine has 400 more horsepower, resulting in a higher power-to-weight ratio. It uses a torsion bar suspension, which increases off-road speed by 30%. The cannon has a 100mm caliber and carries 42 rounds of ammunition."

After he finished speaking, he turned around and looked at the people below.

The room fell silent again.

Chief Engineer Liu spoke first, his voice dry and monotone.

"Xiao He, I know you're capable. But where did you get this data? We've never worked on composite armor before. What makes you think you can achieve those specifications? Just these few blueprints?"

He Yuzhu looked at him.

"Theoretical calculations. Mechanics of materials, ballistics, thermodynamics—I can calculate them all."

Engineer Zhang chimed in from the side, his tone softening slightly, but still carrying a condescending air.

"Calculating and building are two different things. Your data is too advanced and unrealistic. In all my years, I've never seen anyone turn composite armor from blueprints into a real product within a year."

He Yuzhu nodded.

"Therefore, actual vehicle verification is required."

Chief Engineer Liu was taken aback.

"Real-world vehicle verification? Do you know how much it costs to build a prototype? Six hundred thousand! That's enough to buy so many Soviet parts!"

He Yuzhu didn't answer him, but turned to Commander Chen.

"Commander Chen, I request permission to manufacture a prototype. If it's not completed within a year, I will take full responsibility."

The voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear.

No one spoke inside the room.

Chief Engineer Liu opened his mouth, as if to say something, but didn't. Engineer Zhang, standing beside him, frowned, staring at the blueprints with a complex expression.

Commander Chen looked at him without saying a word for a long while. Then he put down the pencil in his hand.

"Is a year enough?"

He Yuzhu nodded.

"enough."

Commander Chen stood up.

"Then let's build it. I want to see a prototype a year from now."

He walked to the door, then turned back.

"Old Liu, Old Zhang, don't just sit around doing nothing. Each of you send one person to learn from Xiao He. You can't learn technical skills by arguing."

The door closed.

The people inside looked at each other, but no one spoke.

Chief Engineer Liu stood up, walked to the blackboard, and stared at the blueprints for a long time. Then he turned around and looked at He Yuzhu.

"Xiao He, are you really confident in your composite armor?"

He Yuzhu nodded.

"have."

Chief Engineer Liu's lips moved as if he wanted to say something. In the end, he simply picked up his briefcase and left. He paused at the door, but didn't turn back.

Zhang Gong also stood up, walked up to He Yuzhu, and lowered his voice.

"Your internal combustion engine, 1500 horsepower, have we tested it over there?"

He Yuzhu looked at him.

"The Ministry of Industry held an evaluation meeting. You weren't there?"

Engineer Zhang paused for a moment, then gave an awkward laugh.

"Busy, so busy."

He left too.

The remaining people in the room gradually dispersed. He Yuzhu was tidying up the blueprints when he paused—one of the blueprints had been pinched by a fingernail, almost breaking it.

He rolled up the blueprints and went out the door.

He Yuzhu returned to the lab around 10 p.m.

The corridor was dark, except for the light in the archives room. Ma Yuejin was waiting for him at the door, his expression strange.

"Dean, something's happened."

He Yuzhu looked at him.

"What is it?"

Ma Yuejin lowered his voice.

"Tonight, someone sneaked into the archives. Old Zheng, who was on duty, heard the noise and went to take a look. He saw a figure climb out of the window and run away. Old Zheng chased after him for a couple of steps, but couldn't catch up."

He Yuzhu's hand tightened slightly.

"What's missing?"

Ma Yuejin shook his head.

"Nothing was missing. Old Zheng said that person was discovered as soon as he went in, and didn't have time to take anything. But—"

He paused for a moment.

"But that person was after the safe. When Lao Zheng went in, the safe's combination lock had been tampered with; there were sweaty handprints on it."

He Yuzhu didn't say anything and walked towards the archives.

The lock on the archive room door had been pried open and was lying askew. He pushed the door open and turned on the light. The room was a mess; drawers were open, cabinet doors were ajar, and blueprints were scattered all over the floor.

He squatted down, picked up a blueprint, and looked at it.

It's a sketch of the tank design, not the core part.

He stood up and walked to the safe. The safe was intact, with no signs of forced entry. He crouched down to examine the combination lock; sure enough, there were sweat stains on several keypads, glistening slightly under the light.

Ma Yuejin followed behind.

"Dean, should we call the police?"

He Yuzhu thought for a moment.

"No need. Old Sun will check."

He walked to the window and looked outside. It was pitch black outside, and he couldn't see anything. The window was ajar, and a cold wind was blowing in.

"We've increased staffing these past few days. The archives room needs to be staffed 24/7."

Ma Yuejin nodded.

"clear."

He Yuzhu returned to his office, took the tank blueprints out of the safe, and flipped through them page by page.

They're all there.

He put the blueprints back and locked them.

The wind blowing in from the window is a bit chilly.

He recalled the argument at the afternoon meeting, Chief Engineer Liu's flushed face, Engineer Zhang's words "unrealistic" and his subsequent sneer, and the blueprint with slap marks on it.

Now, someone is trying to steal the blueprints.

He sat down, took the gloves out of the drawer, and put them on.

The fabric is like a woven cloth, and it's quite warm to wear.

He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

One year.

365 days.

A prototype vehicle has to be produced.