Chapter 75 Tank Graveyard (Completed)...
August went by very quickly.
Since the Friendship Department Store opened, it has been packed with people every day, with demand exceeding supply. Often, as soon as the sales staff bring the goods out of the warehouse, they are immediately snatched up by the waiting customers.
Upon learning that the store in Zhongguo allowed customers to pay with a receipt, farmers from the suburbs far from the city took the bus there. They arrived clutching a light receipt, but left carrying large bags of daily necessities.
As the news spread, He Changyi received more and more vouchers, which accounted for a small portion of his turnover.
There were so many vouchers that we ran out of rubber bands to tie them up, so we had to take apart old clothes and use strips of cloth to bundle them up.
Zheng Xiaowei muttered to Geng Zhi in private, "If even the Russians don't want this stuff, is it really useful for us to keep it? If this thing is really that good, would the Russians be willing to give it away?"
Geng Zhi glanced at him and said, "If the boss is happy, what's it to you? Besides, are you smarter than the boss?"
He's straightforward and slow-witted, but he's also a bit stubborn, especially when it comes to things He Changyi decides. Even if he doesn't understand them for the time being, he'll still stand firmly on her side.
For example, he really didn't understand the purpose of the vouchers. Even if they were used to buy companies in Ego, so what? Those factories couldn't even pay their wages. They were clearly a mess. All the scrap metal in the factory would only be worth a few dollars if sold together. And they still had to take in a bunch of workers who were drunk all the time. It was a pure loss-making business.
If he had that money, he would go back to China, buy all the land next to Zheng's factory, hire a few rammed earth machines to drive piles day and night, and block off all the roads. Let's see how his factory can operate then.
Zheng Xiaowei scoffed, wondering to himself, "Could this voucher really be something good? I can't believe it..."
Regardless of what Zheng Xiaowei and Geng Zhi thought, the store received more and more vouchers, which first filled the safe and then were transferred to large cardboard boxes.
One cardboard box, two cardboard boxes, three cardboard boxes...
Then, since the finance office couldn't hold all those large boxes, they were moved to the basement of the new apartment. They were treated the same as the rubles, dollars, and contracts, with thick iron doors like a bank vault, and bodyguards on duty 24 hours a day.
The store's business was going well, and so was the scrap metal purchase.
Since the scrap steel in Vladimir could no longer meet the domestic import demand, He Changyi often traveled to the neighboring city of Kovrov.
However, as a former military stronghold of the Alliance, the locals are quite sensitive and wary of foreign faces, suspecting that she is there to steal military secrets, and are quick to report to the Federal Security Service.
He Changyi didn't want to cause trouble, so every time she drove to Kovrov, she would make sure to close the curtain on the rear window, leaving only two Ego bodyguards in the front seat, while Xie Xuejun and she sat in the back.
As people chatted along the way, the topic always revolved around the cargo ship adrift at sea.
Xie Xuejun would ask everyone he met, "Has the ship moved yet?" He even went to learn the Emei language so that he could get the news as soon as possible.
For someone who used to read martial arts novels during English class, he really went all out.
However, frustratingly, the cargo ship remained motionless for more than twenty days.
The cargo ship's food and fresh water supplies were almost exhausted. In the scorching Middle Eastern waters, the crew suffered from hunger and thirst. However, US warships and helicopters strictly prohibited the supply ship from approaching unless they were allowed to board the ship first to check for any chemical weapons materials.
Even if the United States has no evidence that the ship was carrying chemical weapons materials, it is blatantly trampling on a country's sovereignty to forcibly board a Chinese cargo ship in international waters based solely on suspicion.
The United States even threatened to sink the cargo ship if it continued sailing, which was nothing short of banditry.
Unfortunately, the Chinese navy lacks the capability for long-range escort missions and can only patrol coastal waters. It also requires the army and air force to coordinate operations, making it far inferior to the United States, a maritime superpower with multiple carrier strike groups.
Especially since the Gulf War had only been over for a few years, a desert saber fell from the sky and easily destroyed the steel torrent. The deadly highway was littered with the wreckage of tanks and armored vehicles, and burning bones clung to the rear windows, as if asking a question that would never be answered.
Faced with the vast disparity in military and economic strength between China and the United States, China had no choice but to endure. Only endurance, but—
How pathetic! So pathetic!
Several Chinese people talked about it with gritted teeth, feeling utterly resentful that they could only watch helplessly as their own people were bullied.
If the cargo ship hadn't been located in the Middle East, everyone would have loved to swim over and have a real fight with the Americans.
Even if they manage to swim across, what difference will it make? Are they supposed to fight with flesh and blood against steel?
If that's the case, the sharks in that area will be very happy.
Xie Xuejun said in Emei language, "If we also had several 'big black fish,' I don't believe the United States would dare to stand up to us!"
The Eurasian bodyguard in the front row turned around and said, "Big Black Fish alone isn't enough! Look, we have plenty of nuclear submarines, all hidden under the Arctic ice cap, but they were still dismantled, weren't they?"
Xie Xuejun said, “We are different from you. You are sick in your thinking. You surrendered before the fight even started. Who knows who would win if we really fought? If our army had as much advanced equipment as you, we would have already marched to the United States and planted the red flag on the roof of the White House.”
The Ego bodyguard laughed loudly: "If that day ever comes, I'll definitely open a bottle of the most expensive vodka to celebrate!"
The jeep drove into a military factory. Before getting out of the car, He Changyi put on a hat and sunglasses. Xie Xuejun was reminded by her actions and hurriedly took out his sunglasses and put them on as well.
The group discreetly entered the factory area and, led by their contact person, headed to the area where the "scrap steel" was located, or rather, the tank graveyard.
The scene was absolutely stunning.
The dense, seemingly endless array of tanks, with their military green and black camouflage layers, was so overwhelming at first glance that it could make one feel dizzy, like a poorly rendered game scene.
The chilling turret, the heavy tracks, and the unidentified liquid spreading on the ground—the smell was unpleasant, and every part of it was unsettling.
As He Changyi approached and saw the large areas of rust on the tank, the crooked turret, and the severely damaged hull, the aura of majesty shattered like a reflection in water or a flower in a mirror.
This abandoned area is usually deserted, and the ground is covered with wild grass, which begins to turn yellow and wither in the autumn wind.
The contact person's enthusiastic voice echoed in the empty graveyard. He said that the military factory was organizing people to dismantle the scrapped tanks. These heavy behemoths were a real treasure trove, as they could not only be dismantled to extract a large amount of steel, but also valuable metals such as aluminum, tungsten, and titanium alloys. The only drawback was that dismantling them was too troublesome and labor-intensive. If it weren't for He Changyi's desire to acquire them, they would rather leave the tanks to rust.
He Changyi listened without speaking, scrutinizing the scrap metal with a critical eye, occasionally stepping forward to tap and examine it to check the quality of the scrap steel.
Xie Xuejun was much more excited; if it weren't for the sunglasses, he wouldn't have been able to hide the excitement in his eyes.
Look, this is a T-54, a tank that the Allied forces deployed after World War II... This is a T-62, a main battle tank, which the Allied forces used to fight in the Middle East a few years ago!
Take another look, oh dear, how come there's a T-34? This is an old relic from World War II, it's a whole generation older than its father!
This was Xie Xuejun's first time coming here with his boss. He kept a straight face and tried his best to maintain a serious expression as he eagerly wandered around this huge tank graveyard.
The two Ego bodyguards were also somewhat moved, but not as excited as Xie Xuejun. During their service, they had seen too many tanks and even personally carried out combined arms tactics. On the battlefield, these steel behemoths were the most reliable comrades-in-arms.
They walked up to the T-62, patted it, and silently said, "Long time no see, old comrade. You've been abandoned, and so have I. We're both scrap products of the army."
He Changyi didn't feel much; he just listened attentively to the person in charge's introduction.
This guy was implying that dismantling tanks is laborious and polluting, and that it takes workers a lot of time to turn a complete tank into scrap metal, so—more money is needed.
He Changyi didn't rush to interrupt, but asked a question after the other party finished speaking: if she didn't come to buy scrap steel, what was the factory originally planning to do with these scrapped tanks?
The contact person got stuck.
What can we do? What else can we do but leave them outdoors to rust? Or maybe one day the higher-ups will remember and just haul these tank hulls, emptied of ammunition and fuel, to the beach and dump them there as artificial islands. That would be a green and environmentally friendly solution.
He Changyi smiled and said that she didn't need tanks. All she needed from beginning to end was scrap steel, and nothing but scrap steel.
As for what happened between the tank and the scrap metal, and how much manpower the factory invested, that's your business. Even if you sell scrapped tanks for scrap metal, you can't expect to make a fortune without any investment; there will always be some costs involved.
The contact person could only shrug, thinking that he would have to tell the factory leaders that this Ms. Zhong Guo was neither soft-hearted nor lenient, and it seemed that there was no hope of getting more money out of her.
Just as He Changyi was getting to the point, she suddenly heard Xie Xuejun calling her.
"Boss! Boss! Come quick!"
He Changyi followed the sound and walked over. Xie Xuejun excitedly pointed to a tank and said to her, "Look!"
He Changyi looked around but couldn't tell the difference between this tank and the other abandoned tanks in the graveyard. If he had to say something, it might be that the gun barrel was longer and the shape was flatter.
Seeing that she didn't react, Xie Xuejun said anxiously, "This is a T-80!"
He Changyi: "So?"
What's wrong with the T-80? All the tanks here are T-series, they're just different in number and appearance.
Xie Xuejun looked around, lowered his voice, and whispered in Chinese, "This is an active-duty tank from Russia! The most advanced kind! Not for export!"
He Changyi really didn't know this, so he asked, "How does it compare to our country's tanks?"
Xie Xuejun stamped his foot and said, "How can we compare? Our country's latest tank is only the Type 88, which is a modified version of the Union's T-54. They've already got the T-80. We can't compare at all. We're a generation behind them!"
He Changyi understood and asked him, "You want to take this tank back?"
Xie Xuejun nodded frantically, asking with a mixture of trepidation and anticipation, "Will it work? This is an active-duty tank!"
He Changyi smiled and said decisively:
"Of course not!"
How is she going to explain this to the customs officials of both China and Emei?
Is she going to say, "Hey, don't be fooled by its tank-like appearance, it's just a piece of scrap metal!"
The invisible tail behind Xie Xuejun drooped down.
"Is it really not possible? This tank has better firepower, protection, and mobility than ours. If we could get a T-80, maybe our tanks could be upgraded."
He Changyi almost hallucinated that what was standing in front of her was a human-shaped little mongrel.
Xie Xuejun looked at the T-80 with lingering affection; even through his sunglasses, his burning gaze could melt armor.
"If our weapons and equipment were as advanced as those of the former Alliance, maybe our cargo ships wouldn't be adrift at sea..."
...Who could tolerate this! No one could tolerate it!
He Changyi sighed: "We can't take it back whole, but there's still hope if we can disassemble it into parts."
Although in theory land-based tanks and naval tanks should not be related, if the development of a new generation of tanks can avoid some detours, could the saved funds be used for other projects, such as aircraft carriers?
Or a big black carp would work too! If we lined up a row of nuclear submarines to block the door of the United States, I don't believe they would still have the energy to swagger around on the high seas. It would also save other countries from laughing at Lao Zhong's submarines for being so noisy underwater that they don't need sonar to detect them.
Xie Xuejun excitedly took off his sunglasses and volunteered to find the contact person and pack up the T-80 to take away with him!
He Changyi stopped the person.
"That won't do. If you say that, we won't be taking anything with us today."
She could already guess what the contact person was going to say—"What, T-80? No, no, no, that won't do. This is our country's active-duty equipment. If I sell it to foreigners, I'll be court-martialed! Wait, you're not some American spy, are you?!"
Xie Xuejun was dumbfounded. "Then what should we do?"
He panicked for a moment, and even went so far as to think that since he had been keeping an eye on the T-80 for so long, his contact person might have already noticed him!
He Changyi said, "It's alright, let's go, let's take a look at all the tank models."
She took Xie Xuejun for a walk in the tank graveyard, and also brought along two Eurasian bodyguards. The contact person, unaware of what was going on, also came along.
He Changyi strolled around, looking at this tank and tapping on that tank, occasionally asking the person in charge what model the tank was, how many tons it weighed, and how much scrap steel could be extracted.
The tanks in the tank graveyard are from World War I, World War II, and the Middle East wars. The person in charge was not familiar with the specific parameters of these diverse tanks, so he urgently called in an old technician with gray hair to explain them.
As luck would have it, He Changyi discovered a strangely shaped, unfinished tank in the corner, which looked like an upright tire.
Everyone marveled at the sight, even the liaison officer had never seen a tank like this before.
The veteran technician explained, "This is a spherical tank."
He Changyi exclaimed in surprise, "You guys actually invented a spherical tank too?"
The veteran technician frankly stated, "We didn't invent it; it was just a failed experiment."
The spherical tank is said to be a German product from World War II, captured by the Allies from the Kwantung Army. The Allies also planned to produce a spherical tank, but due to various reasons, it only remained in the design stage and was never produced or put into service.
Unexpectedly, an experimental spherical tank was discovered in the tank graveyard today. In terms of its novelty, it far surpasses the main battle tanks in the entire site.
He Changyi said with great interest, "This is really interesting! I've never seen such a strange tank before. Would you be willing to sell it to me? I want to display it in my villa so that every guest can see it!"
She offered a price far exceeding that of scrap steel of the same weight, and the contact person readily agreed.
Since nobody really wants to build a spherical tank anyway, we might as well sell this failure for a good price.
He Changyi continued to stroll through the tank graveyard with great interest, picking out several oddly shaped tanks one after another. Most of them were old relics from World War I and World War II, exposed to the elements outdoors, with rats making nests and birds building nests, leaving only empty shells.
The contact person was overjoyed. Finally, someone was willing to pay a high price for this junk. He agreed to anything He Changyi asked for.
Finally, He Changyi got tired and casually pointed to the tanks by the roadside.
"And this, I have to show the guests some normal tanks."
The contact person glanced at it casually and agreed as before, even asking solicitously if she wanted to send a vehicle to transport all the tanks to her territory that day—hopefully the sucker wouldn't come to his senses and change his mind overnight.
Only the veteran technicians, after recognizing the tank model, looked at He Changyi with keen interest.
He Changyi seemed not to notice his gaze, waved his hand and said, "No, I can't just put the weapons in the house like this. At least you have to check that there is no ammunition in the barrels of these tanks first."
The person in charge patted his chest and assured him, "This will absolutely not happen!"
That's what he said, but he immediately arranged for people to inspect the tanks, even though he wasn't entirely sure if their ammunition compartments had been emptied...
The veteran technician quietly reminded the contact person: "There's a T-80 inside!"
The contact person said impatiently, "So what?"
The veteran technician exclaimed urgently, "This is active-duty equipment! Export is prohibited!"
The contact said, "Listen, old Ivan, as long as it can be sold for money, I'll sell it, whether it's a scrapped tank or a brand new tank that just rolled off the production line, as long as someone wants to buy it."
Old Ivan said, "This is a violation of the confidentiality clause! A military court will hold us accountable!"
The contact person said, "Let them investigate! No salary, no confidentiality clause! Don't think that just because she's a Chinese businesswoman, I wouldn't care even if she were an American spy!"
Old Ivan fell silent, and the person in charge came over and patted him on the shoulder.
"Don't overthink it. We're just ordinary people who need to eat bread. Of course, it would be even better if it came with mayonnaise and sausage."
When He Changyi left Kovrov, several huge flatbed trailers followed behind the jeep, their green tarpaulins tightly covering them, so no one could see what was inside.
Inside the jeep, Xie Xuejun couldn't contain his excitement, frequently glancing at the tow truck in the rearview mirror, his face flushed with excitement.
"Boss, you're amazing! You managed to buy the T-80 just like that!"
She didn't even have to say much; she just walked around the tank graveyard a couple of times, said a few words, and the person in charge enthusiastically presented her with a T-80 tank without even asking her what she wanted to do with it!
This is an active-duty tank of the Emei Army! The most advanced third-generation tank! The fourth-generation tank is still on the drawing board!
He Changyi leaned lazily against the window, showing no excitement whatsoever.
"It's easy to buy it, but difficult to transport it back."
Xie Xuejun said, "Dismantle it! Dismantle it into parts, mix it with the scrap metal, and ship it back to China!"
This is what the boss said before: as long as it is dismantled into small pieces, there is no need to worry about customs inspection. Do you think they can put the iron plates and bolts back together to form a complete tank?
However, He Changyi was considering changing her mind.
"It would be such a waste to dismantle the complete tank that I finally managed to get back. What if some parts are lost and we can't assemble it back in China?"
Xie Xuejun: "?"
He Changyi made up her mind: "I need to find someone to help me."
Once she understood, she stopped talking, leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes to rest, leaving Xie Xuejun with a burning curiosity.
Who is it? Who can help transport an active-duty main battle tank back to China?
Upon returning to Vladimir, He Changyi arranged for the tanks to be unloaded at a scrap metal yard, which was now fenced off and patrolled by armed security guards, so there was no need to worry about anyone coming to buy them for free.
She returned to her office and skillfully dialed a domestic number using a phone with international calling enabled.
"Hey, it's me. I just bought a T-80 tank, do you want it?"
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