Chapter 303 Talented People Everywhere in the Martial World: The Badger in the Melon Field

The cafeteria was bustling with activity from then on.

With several major universities and research institutes from Jiangdong and Jiangbei provinces joining in, the entire canteen became a pot of boiling dumplings.

No, to be more specific, it was a large-scale debate.

However, this debate does not have separate affirmative and negative sides; teams are randomly assigned.

Some people here say that if carbon fiber is unavailable, metal fiber can be used as an alternative.

The other side countered that domestic stainless steel fibers are generally 20-50μm in diameter, with a breakage rate >5%, and actual surface resistance fluctuations reaching ±2 orders of magnitude. In contrast, Japanese insulators are 10μm in diameter with a breakage rate <1%, and the two cannot be compared at all.

They've turned the tables on us, so how do you think they can replace it?

Without hesitation, the person on the other end replied, "Fill it with charcoal black."

Then a third party chimed in from the corner: "Carbon black won't work. Uneven carbon black dispersion will cause the resistance distribution to be discrete, by at least ±3 orders of magnitude."

Uh, Wang Xiao really wanted to raise his hand and ask, what is carbon black?

However, the scientists quickly ruled out this option, so she could only silently hold the plum juice in her hands and drink it sip by sip.

Ivanov was an even worse student than her, and he also ate watermelon bite after bite.

By the time he finished eating a piece of melon, the core of the debate had shifted to nano-silver technology.

Wang Xiao thought the technology sounded familiar; it seemed like it would be a hot topic for the next few decades.

Unfortunately, before she could hear a few more words, Professor Zheng, who had been gentle and refined but was gradually revealing his true nature during the debate, slammed his fist on the table and stood up: "Nano silver, bullshit! Even micron-level dispersion equipment, like twin-screw extruders, are imported in China. What kind of nano silver are we talking about! Who's going to do it? Who has the ability to do it?"

The person opposite him was equally red-faced and visibly angry, slamming his fist on the table with an even more imposing air: "I'm talking about the lab's research direction."

"Go to hell with your lab!" Professor Zheng reacted instantly, like an ancient cat whose tail had been stepped on. "All these years, how much have we wasted in the lab? The last thing is useless, just sitting on the shelf! What a waste! A complete waste of time and money!"

The person on the other end retorted, "You can't say that. If we don't do it, we'll fall even further behind."

Secretary Sun, fearing they might escalate from polite words to physical violence, quickly stepped in to smooth things over: "Alright, alright, let's discuss how to implement industrialization now."

A voice emerged from between the money tree and bougainvillea in the corner of the cafeteria: "Graphite flakes, I think you could use graphite flakes as a substitute, as a filler."

The expert who proposed the nano-silver technology waved his hand: "That's too coarse, it's graphite flakes! I went to Shandong University to see their project, their graphite modification scheme, but they've already given up on it."

The person behind the money tree and bougainvillea, adjusting his glasses, emphasized: "The thickness isn't the point; the point is that it's good enough. Since you're talking about industrialization, you have to consider reality. The reality is that the maximum particle size that domestic open mills can disperse is 50μm. If you don't consider equipment capabilities, what you develop in the lab can't be produced!"

At this point, the debate in the cafeteria was roughly divided into two factions.

One group believes that we should proactively align ourselves with international mainstream standards and avoid constantly resorting to opportunistic and short-sighted projects.

Township and village enterprises, with their makeshift management style, could still survive in the 1980s by taking advantage of market gaps, but now that it's the mid-1990s, they can't survive anymore.

The other side believes that we should consider practicalities and prioritize keeping the factory alive.

The government leaders at the dinner table didn't say a word, just listened intently, already mentally categorizing the speakers.

The former are mostly academics who have been doing research in universities and laboratories.

The latter generally worked as Sunday engineers. That's right, just like when Wang Xiao first traveled through time in 1990, they went to provide technical guidance to small and medium-sized enterprises and township enterprises. Besides the engineers from large factories, there were also technicians like her.

Anyone who has actually worked in a factory knows that for a factory, survival is the primary task.

The leaders remained unmoved, while Wang Xiao and Ivanov were like badger in a melon patch, busy as bees, their heads practically turning into windshield wipers.

When the left side talks about new technologies, their minds immediately turn to them.

When the people on the right argued that it was unrealistic, their minds immediately shifted to the other side.

Everyone who said something seemed to make sense to them; no one was exaggerating or spouting nonsense, and the data came one after another.

But this brings its own set of problems. Everyone has their own version of events, so whose version should be taken into account?

In the end, the argument escalated to the point of resembling a United Nations meeting, with the only thing missing being the throwing of shoes at each other.

Wang Xiao finished her plum juice and was about to sneak off to get a watermelon when she was called out.

"Hey, Mr. Wang, don't go." Professor Zheng, who was sweating profusely from the argument, called out to her, "Tell me, what exactly do you want?"

Wang Xiao wasn't actually hot, because she was an observer and her enthusiasm was limited. Besides, she was sitting under an electric fan, and the airflow from the window was blowing directly on her.

But at this moment, under the watchful eyes of everyone, she still broke out in a sweat.

Okay, okay, let's stop arguing.

"I have a few questions. First, do you have any process data for the graphite micro-flakes you mentioned?"

"Yes!" the researcher who suggested graphite microsheets immediately replied, "Jilin Carbon Plant produced data on 50μm particle size and 30% filling content."

He then enthusiastically promoted the technology, saying, "Really, this is the easiest technology to implement."

Wang Xiao smiled without saying anything, and then asked a second question: "The copper fiber nickel plating you just mentioned, um, does it have a local foundation?"

"Yes!" someone else answered. "The continuous electroplating project at the Shenyang Metallurgical Research Institute is doing just that. We have abundant copper resources in China, which we can use ourselves. However, the raw material for stainless steel fibers—304L steel strip—has to be imported from Japan. At the current international price, it costs $25,000 per ton. Not only is it twice as expensive as using copper-based materials, but you also have to worry about raw material blockades."

Wang Xiao nodded again, raising his third finger: "Then I'll ask you one last question: do we have the capability to solve the problem with the combing machine?"

She uses a combing machine imported from Japan to make fleece, and it's not cheap.

“It can’t be solved now.” Chief Engineer Zhou of the Electronics Industry Bureau shook his head, but offered a second-best solution: “Hong Kong businessmen are reselling discarded carding machines from Japan. They are models from Showa Denko in the 1980s. I heard that Shanghai No. 2 Textile Machinery Plant is doing reverse engineering. The performance is estimated to be a bit worse, around 65%, but it’s still usable.”

This is also the most reliable and common technology input mode since the reform and opening up.

Against the backdrop of "processing with supplied materials, processing with supplied samples, processing with supplied parts, and compensation trade", mainland enterprises acquired second-hand equipment through Hong Kong businessmen, and then state-owned enterprises like Shanghai No. 2 Textile Machinery Co., Ltd. carried out "reverse engineering" and localization.

Indeed, this closed loop of "introduction-digestion-low-end application" does not yield any high-end technology; what can be mastered are low-end or even obsolete technologies.

However, it is practical, has a huge market for applications, and can save a lot of foreign exchange.

Conversely, you spend a lot of money to directly use the latest technology—

Firstly, given the objective existence of international restrictions, you have to seriously question whether they will even sell to you.

Secondly, even if someone sells it to you, do you have the money? First-hand goods are much more expensive than second-hand goods.

Thirdly, even if someone sells it and you have the money to buy it, can you really control it? Many foreign equipment imported decades ago are still gathering dust in the corners of various factories and mines.

Wang Xiao didn't care whether other people's equipment would gather dust or not; she simply couldn't stand by and watch the project she was leading do something so foolish.

She clapped her hands, concluding the matter: "Alright, now that the core issues have been resolved, let's start making the gloves we can. Don't try to achieve everything at once!"

She stopped those who wanted to argue, saying, "We need to be realistic and see things clearly. We must now follow the path from usable to easy to use, and then to replacement. Keeping the factories afloat is our top priority."

The canteen suddenly fell silent, with only the cicadas and katydids chirping in the courtyard and a chorus of frogs in the distance.

Vice Mayor Huang was the first to jump out and support Wang Xiao's plan: "This is good, we'll take it."

They know their own limitations.

Township and village enterprises in Jiangbei are famous, so famous that people all over the country envy them for making big money.

However, the drawbacks of township enterprises are also very obvious: they have a weak industrial foundation, small scale, little capital, and do simple work with low technical content.

So if you want something high-end and sophisticated, then Vice Mayor Huang really can't advocate for the township enterprises in Jiangbei.

Otherwise, it would be a joke if the top salesperson secured orders but the boss couldn't take them.

Instead of focusing on what you can do, take action now.

The only regret is that this graphite micro-sheet technology still needs to be developed in cooperation with Northeast China, as he originally hoped to complete it within their Jiangbei province.

Secretary Fang was not to be outdone. It was Jiangdong Province's home turf, and so many people had been discussing it for so long that they almost overturned the tables in the provincial government's canteen. If all the projects ended up in Jiangbei Province, it would be utterly ridiculous!

"We need to get started first; only after we've mastered micrometers can we move on to nanometers."

This made many people nervous.

Xiao Gao and Xiao Zhao cried out in their hearts, "We're doomed! The two leaders are going to start arguing and fighting again."

Good heavens! Before they were discharged, they watched as leaders from various units vied for equipment, spitting as they spoke, practically ready to tear down the conference room.

At the time, they thought that this was the style of military generals.

Now that they've retired from the military and are following their boss around, they've discovered that when it comes to arguing with Bao Wenchen, they're all capable of rolling up their sleeves.

As a result, the fierce battle they had imagined never materialized.

Amidst the thud of watermelon being sliced, Professor Zheng went straight to the point: "So, who among you makes the graphite microsheets? Who makes the copper fiber nickel plating?"

Vice Mayor Huang once again took the initiative, asking, "Which of these two is easier to do?"

"Graphite microsheets." The guy under the bougainvillea's shade, who was the first to propose graphite microsheets, has already moved out to drink mung bean soup. Hearing this, he actively promoted it, saying, "This has low investment costs and is easy to implement."

He was probably too eager to sell, so he actually stabbed Jiangbei Province in the back, saying, "As for copper fiber nickel plating, don't even think about it. It's absolutely impossible for Jiangbei to do that."

Wang Xiao immediately turned her head to look at the twinkling stars outside the cafeteria, the swaying shadows of trees under the streetlights, and the fireflies twinkling in the grass; she certainly wasn't going to watch a scene of carnage.

Dude, do you researchers really have no sense of social etiquette? How could you slap someone in the face like that?

Fortunately, Vice Mayor Huang was very magnanimous and didn't lose face at all. Instead, he cheerfully took the initiative to take responsibility: "We have a weak foundation, so we will start from small things and from the basics."

Unexpectedly, "Brother Graphite Microsheets" praised him highly: "You are a down-to-earth cadre who doesn't aim too high. What about copper fiber nickel plating? Is what can be done in the laboratory the same as what can be done in the factory?"

He showed no mercy to his peers, launching directly into a critique: "The core equipment of an electroplating production line—precision wire drawing machines and automatic testing systems—can we make them? Absolutely not! We'd have to get those from Germany's Schlafhorst and Japan's Orbotech."

The guy who recommended the "copper fiber nickel plating" solution, forgot all about eating his watermelon and immediately started fighting for his solution after wiping his mouth: "You can't say it like that, you have to start from scratch."

Then, the brief peace was broken again, and the cafeteria once again became a pot of boiling dumplings.

Terms like "insufficient purity of raw materials" and "inadequate equipment and processes" are flying around.

Wang Xiao understood some of the words. She didn't understand others.

But whether she understood or not, she felt she couldn't stay any longer.

She was so annoyed by the noise that her forehead hurt, and she couldn't stand the smell.

These guys couldn't even shut their mouths while they were arguing; one after another they lit cigarettes and kept talking while smoking.

The cafeteria is huge, but the kitchen stoves are nothing compared to the smoky atmosphere they create.

Wang Xiao gave Ivanov a wink, and the two of them, without saying a word, quietly slipped out of the cafeteria, finally able to breathe some fresh air.

Vice Mayor Huang also came out and joked, "You guys really know how to enjoy yourselves."

The topics discussed in the cafeteria were too advanced, and he felt that Xiao Zhou wouldn't need them for the time being, so he didn't want to get in Fang Secretary's way.

Wang Xiao laughed: "Ah, I thought you were going to discuss the production of filter cotton with someone, Mayor."

Vice Mayor Huang was momentarily caught off guard and paused for a moment: "Filter cotton?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he quickly realized what was happening.

SEG Group used filter cotton to renovate its electronics factory.

Everyone, including him, was optimistic about the production and consumer market behind refrigerators and color TVs. That's why they opted for a less ambitious approach: producing anti-static gloves for these electronics factories first. The plan was to eventually expand from rural areas to urban areas, gradually penetrating the market through technology, and eventually producing anti-static gloves to support the semiconductor industry.

So, the first thing they should do is produce filter cotton in Jiangbei to supply these electronics factories with their self-modified cleanrooms.

In producing filter cotton, Jiangbei, as a traditional textile powerhouse, has a natural advantage.

Vice Mayor Huang immediately promised, "Mr. Wang, just wait, I'll definitely bring you the sweetest and most delicious peaches and bayberries later!"

Why bother with the wind, the walk, or the fresh air?

The air in the cafeteria didn't seem to suffocate anyone!

After giving his greetings, Vice Mayor Huang turned around and went back to inquire about the filter cotton.

What kind of technical standards are needed? Tell me, don't keep it to yourself.

Inside the provincial party committee compound.

The early summer evening breeze has washed away the daytime heat, leaving only coolness and softness, carrying the sweet fragrance of gardenias, like the steam emanating from a freshly cut watermelon, the kind of watermelon that has just been rinsed with well water.

Fireflies busily lit their lanterns, illuminating the cicadas that crawled out of the soil and darted quickly to the treetops.

The latter's entire life seems to have been dedicated to this one night of singing.

With a loud "bang," someone in the cafeteria slammed their hand on the table and stood up: "Let me tell you, don't put your old ways on..."

The technical terms that followed were so obscure and difficult to understand that Wang Xiao and Ivanov looked at each other blankly, completely unable to comprehend them.

But not understanding the words didn't stop them from laughing out loud in unison.

"This is hilarious!" Ivanov was laughing so hard he almost cried.

Such lively scenes only happened when he was in school, during the school debate team's time.

I never imagined that these elderly scientists could argue like this.

Wang Xiao smiled and sighed, "See? This is our current strength. Even this glove has to overcome many obstacles."

As soon as she finished speaking, the song "You carry the load, I lead the horse, welcoming the sunrise, seeing off the sunset..." drifted from the storefront of the service company outside the provincial party committee compound.

Well, it seems they think passing five checkpoints and defeating six generals isn't enough; they need to overcome eighty-one tribulations!

Wang Xiao laughed at himself.

Although Ivanov couldn't understand the lyrics, he had watched the TV series "Journey to the West" and liked it quite a bit. He immediately understood what Wang Xiao was laughing at and burst into laughter along with him.

Although the streetlights in the provincial party committee compound are old, they are of good quality and the government is willing to turn them on.

Therefore, even through the window and the shadows of the trees, Secretary Fang, standing by the canteen window, could clearly see the smiling faces of the people in the courtyard.

Secretary Sun's ears were also hurting from the experts' argument. He came over and handed his boss a bowl of white fungus soup. Following his boss's gaze, he instantly regretted being so proactive.

The book "The Art of Serving the Chief of Staff" makes it very clear that as a secretary, one should not get too involved in the chief's private life.

Secretary Fang had her eye on Wang Xiao as her daughter-in-law, but she had to give up the idea. Although she hadn't missed a single word from beginning to end, Secretary Sun, as the chief secretary, knew exactly what was going on.

Therefore, at this very moment, the sight of Wang Xiao and her old Russian friend leaving everyone else to go for a walk alone in the provincial party committee compound, chatting and laughing, is probably going to offend the leaders' eyes.

Secretary Sun deliberately played dumb, pretending not to see anything, and prepared to leave as soon as she put down the white fungus.

He also had to serve the scientists as the leader's representative.

Secretary Fang sighed leisurely, "How comfortable!"

Secretary Sun felt she could salvage the situation once more, silently interpreting the statement as the unbridled freedom of scientists banging on tables and throwing chairs during debates.

He also tried to turn his head towards the direction of the cafeteria.

However, the leader did not let him off the hook. Instead, he called him out directly: "Tell me, what are they discussing? They're talking so enthusiastically."

Secretary Sun's attempt to feign death failed, and he could only manage a dry laugh: "I guess, I guess they're discussing antistatic gloves."

He waited for his leader to give him a meaningful look, pondering the best angle to present his bowed posture.

Surprisingly, the leader nodded, sighed, and looked quite curious: "I wonder where they're going to find outside help."

Before the secretary could rack his brains to come up with an answer that would satisfy the leader, Secretary Fang turned his head and looked at the scientists in the cafeteria who were drawing charts and reporting data. He actually nodded and smiled: "This is quite good. We spend half a day in meetings and still can't get anything out of it. It's better for everyone to sit down together and have a few arguments, and that will be enough."

Secretary Sun could only laugh awkwardly: "There's nothing we can do. The problem of decoupling study tours from government policies is everywhere."

During the transition from a planned economy to a market economy, the original system for studying industrial transformation had begun to collapse, and a new system had not yet been established. Everyone was closing themselves off and doing their own thing.

It's just like the Peach Blossom Spring described in the story: people live close by, yet never visit each other until they die.

Secretary Fang nodded, making up his mind: "We need to hold more of these meetings. We can't just rely on the materials submitted. There are some things they can do, but they won't write them down. And there are some things they can't do, but they dare to boast about on paper."

Secretary Sun smiled without saying a word, only nodding repeatedly.

Some things are better left unsaid, even if you see them clearly. What industry doesn't have its own intricacies?

Wang Xiao felt that the Soviet Union should have known about antistatic technology.

Despite the fact that the Soviet Union had not developed its semiconductor industry, news of television set explosions was still common in the Soviet Union.

But the Soviet Union had a highly developed aerospace industry. Didn't they need anti-static gloves when producing aerospace electronic equipment?

The Star Wars program, although later proven to be an American conspiracy, ended abruptly due to historical limitations, with both sides failing to fully commit to it.

However, during this process, the Soviet Union also made real investments in developing space stations, artificial satellites, and so on.

When it comes to the imagination and creativity of brilliant scientists, the Soviet Union was certainly not inferior.

As a chemical expert, Sister Miao felt she had little room to perform in the cafeteria debate, and since she also disliked the smell of smoke, she also ran away.

Hearing Wang Xiao and Ivanov discussing Soviet antistatic technology, she took the initiative to join in and even brought up historical evidence: "In the 1950s, there was an expert named Wang Chenghan who studied electrostatic dust removal technology with Soviet experts. The results were very good, and the dust removal efficiency was successfully improved."

What does this mean? It means that the Soviet Union had already been researching electrostatic control for some time.

If they can use static electricity to do work, it means they must have a way to eliminate static electricity.

However, this area was outside her research scope, so she knew very little about it.

Ivanov perked up and cheerfully called out to Wang Xiao, "Wang, let's go back to Moscow and ask around."

The loquats from Jinning and Xiaozhou are both good, and the watermelons are delicious too.

But it was so hot here that he felt like a concubine in the summer longing to be banished to the cold palace, desperately missing the chilly Moscow.

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morning!