Courtyard House: I Rely on Time-Space Trade to Build a Nation

March 6, 1955, Beiping (Beijing).

Several days have passed since the satellite was launched, but the red flags on the streets have not yet been taken down, and the echoes of celebration can still be heard occasionally on the radio.

Zhao Ping'an is finishing up some final documents; he needs to travel to the new province in a week.

This year, we plan to spend the Spring Festival with the million officers and soldiers of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps.

To this end, Zhao Ping'an specially arranged for more than ten films, including "The Southern Expedition and the Northern War," "Taking Huashan by Strategy," "The Crossing River Reconnaissance," and "Chicken Feather Letter," to be shown consecutively, along with a gala, a New Year's Eve dinner, and a New Year's cultural performance.

Meanwhile, from the 29th to the 5th of the lunar month, Zhao Ping'an needed to visit more than ten settlements of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps.

So time is still a bit tight.

The secretary pushed the door open and came in.

"Minister Zhao, Commander Xiao has arrived."

Zhao Ping'an paused for a moment, put down his pen, and stood up.

"Please come quickly."

The door opened, and a middle-aged soldier entered. He was not tall, but he stood ramrod straight, with three stars on his shoulder insignia.

Navy Commander Xiao.

Zhao Ping'an stepped forward to greet him. He had previously met the other party in Northeast China, so they were naturally quite familiar with each other.

"Commander Xiao, what brings you here? You could have just sent someone to let me know if you needed anything, and I'll be right there."

Commander Xiao waved his hand and sat down on the sofa.

"Comrade Ping An, I came here specifically to see you today. I know you're very busy, so I had to come in person."

Zhao Pingan poured himself a cup of tea and sat down opposite him.

"Commander Xiao, please speak."

Commander Xiao picked up his teacup, but didn't drink it, and then put it down.

"Comrade Ping An, I have a question for you."

"Please speak."

"Satellites were launched, atomic bombs exploded, and missiles were launched. You were involved in all of these things."

"The Army's Type 59 fighter jets, the Air Force's Type 2 fighter jets, and I've also heard that the Army now has new tanks and armored vehicles, all of which you manufactured."

He looked at Zhao Ping'an.

"What about the navy? Our navy has been established for five years, when are you going to take charge of it?"

Zhao Ping'an remained silent for two seconds.

Commander Xiao continued, "I know that with the country newly established, the priority is to solve the problem of invasion. The army must defend the territory, and the air force must protect the skies. The navy comes second, and I understand that."

He paused.

"But Comrade Ping An, it's been five years. Our navy still doesn't have a single main warship. After the Northern War ended two years ago, someone suggested buying a few Anshan-class warships from the Red Empire. In the end, I refused. I know that those 70 tons of gold would be more useful to you."

His voice wasn't loud, but Zhao Ping'an could tell the weight in his words.

"But seeing the Army switch to the Type 59 rifle and the Air Force switch to the J-2, our Navy can only look on with envy. As the commander, I sometimes feel embarrassed to even attend meetings."

Zhao Ping'an looked at him, unsure how to respond.

Commander Xiao suddenly smiled.

"I'm here to collect a debt. Comrade Ping An, the satellite's up and running, you've pretty much finished with your work, isn't it time for the navy to take over?"

Zhao Ping'an quickly spoke up

"Commander Xiao, you're right. We couldn't focus on the navy before because of the national strategy."

Now that the atomic and hydrogen bombs and satellites have been completed, it's the navy's turn.

Commander Xiao, I do have a plan…

Commander Xiao's eyes lit up.

"You really have a way?"

Zhao Ping'an walked to his archives room next door, opened the door, and took the opportunity to select and exchange some documents from the system.

Then he came out carrying a file folder.

"Commander Xiao, take a look at this."

The document bag was marked with the words "Top Secret" in red. Commander Xiao took it, opened it, and pulled out a stack of blueprints.

The first drawing depicts the outline of a destroyer. The lines are smooth, and the turret is labeled "Twin 130mm Naval Guns".

"This is a general-purpose destroyer. The twin 130mm guns are just standard equipment."

The key feature is that it can carry area air defense missiles, anti-ship missiles, anti-submarine missiles, and even helicopters.

This class of ship has a standard displacement of 2850 tons and a full load displacement of 3500 tons. It is 126.5 meters long and 12.6 meters wide.

The design speed is 38 knots, and the range is 4500 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 15 knots.

The propulsion system is equipped with two steam turbines, twin-shaft propulsion, and a crew of 300.

Zhao Pingan pointed to the blueprints,

"The warship that this warship is comparable to is the Cotlin-class destroyer, which was designed by the Red Empire in 1953 and started construction in 54."

In terms of weapon technology, it is far ahead of the Red Empire. Simply put, they have the same tonnage and the same mission, but the technology is from a completely different era.

Commander Xiao stared at the blueprints for a long time.

Zhao Pingan then took out a second drawing.

"This is a helicopter carrier. The forward section is a cruiser, and the aft section is a flight deck that can carry more than a dozen helicopters. It's specifically designed to deal with submarines."

The third one.

"This is a nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine. It can be launched underwater and strike targets 500 kilometers away."

Commander Xiao stared at the stack of blueprints, remaining silent for a long time.

"Comrade Ping An," his voice was strained, "can we manufacture these things now?"

Zhao Pingan shook his head.

"Not yet. It's not a problem with the blueprints, it's a problem with the people."

We don't have enough skilled technicians or experienced engineers.

There was no workshop foreman with management skills. The shipyard was built, the equipment was in place, but nobody knew how to do it.

Commander Xiao remained silent.

Zhao Pingan continued, "But these blueprints have a use. They can help us build it."

Commander Xiao looked at him.

"For the Red Empire to see."

Commander Xiao was taken aback.

Zhao Pingan said, "Comrade Khru just left. They need the cooperation we discussed—corn, fertilizer, drip irrigation, canned goods, cloth, clothing, shoes, meat, radios, and so on."

The initiative is now in our hands.

He paused.

"What would they think if we showed them some of these drawings?"

Commander Xiao thought for a moment.

"They'll wonder, when will China be able to design such advanced ship designs?"

Zhao Ping'an nodded.

"Yes. After they verify it, they will feel pressured, feeling that if they don't catch up, they will be left behind."

Then we can take this opportunity to propose cooperation: we provide the design, they provide the technical expertise, and together we can build this general-purpose destroyer.

They acquired the technology and thought they had figured out our situation, while we gained a group of skilled shipbuilders.

Moreover, by showcasing our advanced designs, we are actually flexing our muscles.

This might trigger another concern of theirs, causing them to pour even more money into the military-industrial complex to catch up with our research and development…”

Zhao Ping'an paused for a moment, then continued, "When you're throwing money at military equipment, you neglect light industry."

If light industry doesn't take off, they'll have to keep buying canned goods, radios, and thermos flasks from us.

They can't decouple even if they want to. In exchange, we can get them to train batches of skilled workers for us.

And there's no need to worry about them not cooperating, or that the technicians they send over won't teach real skills...

Zhao Ping'an looked at Commander Xiao.

"What we need are the skilled workers and technology of the Red Empire. Welders, fitters, electricians, and engineers from the shipbuilding industry."

One person trains several apprentices, and after a few years, our workers are trained. The ships are built, and the people are trained.

Commander Xiao remained silent for a long time.

"Comrade Ping An," he finally spoke, "this is a grand plan of yours."

Zhao Pingan smiled.

"Commander Xiao, I'll take care of the naval vessels you requested."

But please give me some patience, not just for a year or two.

I guarantee to deliver your first fleet within 3 years.

At the same time, there is also a group of skilled workers, and the navy will have a continuous stream of warships...

Commander Xiao stood up, walked to the window, and stood with his back to Zhao Ping'an for a while.

Then he turned around.

"Comrade Ping An, I came here today to collect a debt. I never expected to get this plan instead of a boat."

He walked back and stopped in front of Zhao Ping'an.

"But you're right. We can wait. After all, we've already waited five years, so what's another three?"

He stretched out his hand.

Zhao Pingan grasped it.

"Commander Xiao, in three years, our navy will be different."

Commander Xiao nodded, released his hand, and walked towards the door.

As he reached the door, he turned back and gave him some more instructions.

"Comrade Ping An, please remember this day. The Navy has waited far too long for it."