Chapter 242: Aboveboard
Deputy Minister Zhou nodded. "You're right, Haitang. You must be careful during this period. If you can avoid going out, try not to."
Everything else would be fine, but Vice Minister Zhou was really worried that Jiang Haitang would be in danger.
As if to confirm their speculation, the hotel front desk received several morning newspapers the next morning.
The front page of one tabloid prominently featured several blurry but recognizable photos of Jiang Haitang entering the old building, accompanied by a sensational headline: "Shadows of Technical Exchange? Chinese Female Engineer Secretly Meets with Krupp Core Figures!"
Although the article did not directly accuse technology transactions, its wording was highly suggestive, full of words such as "secret location", "long stay", "sensitive technology field", and "questionable motives", leading readers to associate the worst.
Almost at the same time, the delegation also received an urgent notice from the embassy: Country D’s security department and the embassy’s military attaché office had received anonymous letters of complaint and photos, expressing “serious concern” about Jiang Haitang’s private meeting with Wolfgang and demanding an explanation from the Chinese delegation.
At the same time, the report also mentioned that Jiang Haitang himself might reach some cooperation with Wolfgang.
The meaning of his words was clear. If the embassy and Vice Minister Zhou had not known in advance that Jiang Haitang was going to meet Wolfgang, they would probably have suspected Jiang Haitang.
But even if they had never doubted Jiang Haitang, the pressure was like an invisible boulder that suddenly pressed down on every member of the delegation.
The relaxed atmosphere, which had been created by Jiang Haitang's outstanding performance at the Krupp factory and the goodwill shown by Dr. Schmidt, disappeared in an instant.
Jiang Haitang looked at the secretly taken photo in the newspaper and tightened her fingers slightly.
Her eyes quickly calmed down from the initial shock and anger to the calmness of an icy lake.
Hans's trick was despicable, but his purpose was clear, which was to use stigmatization to force the delegation to retreat, especially her, who they thought was the most dangerous. She must be kept away from Country D's core technology and completely cut off the possibility of China using this exchange activity to obtain advanced technology.
Because of what happened to the delegation, Counselor Zheng also came to the hotel where they were staying.
"Vice Minister Zhou, Counselor Zheng," Jiang Haitang raised her head and said in a clear and firm voice, "I believe that those who are innocent will be cleared."
Counselor Zheng nodded. "We all believe you're innocent, and we know our interactions were within acceptable limits. However, now that the newspapers have reported this, many people who don't know the truth will become suspicious and even boycott it."
"Counsellor Zheng, what will be the outcome?" Jiang Haitang asked calmly.
"We may launch an investigation into you. If there is anything suspicious during the investigation, you will be deported." Counselor Zheng was very troubled.
"Counselor Zheng, they only have secretly taken photos of the meeting and no real evidence. I am willing to accept any investigation at any time and explain the situation to the relevant departments and embassy of Country D. This meeting was purely Mr. Wolfgang's personal invitation to discuss a technical problem. I attended out of courtesy and respect for technology. During the meeting, I strictly adhered to the communication rules and did not discuss anything beyond the scope of public communication."
Jiang Haitang was not panicked at all. That was the fact. Although Wolfgang did have some small calculations and wanted to reach an unreasonable cooperation, she refused. She felt that Wolfgang himself would not tell anyone about the conversation at that time.
Then she should be safe. After all, during this period of time, she kept all the knowledge she acquired in her mind, not in a notebook.
"We are really backward. If we could be more developed and stronger, we wouldn't be so guarded against when we are abroad, and we wouldn't have to suffer these grievances." Vice Minister Zhou slammed the table hard.
He was really angry, but even though he was angry, he had no choice but to accept it.
"Deputy Minister Zhou, in fact, Hans's behavior also tells us that they are also guilty." Jiang Haitang thought for a while and said.
Vice Minister Zhou asked, "What do you mean?"
"I think the more frantically Hans counterattacks, the more it proves that we have become a deterrent in their eyes. Moreover, they may also doubt that we can master their technology this time and bring it back home."
"I think we absolutely must not back down because of this. Instead, we should more actively and openly advance the established exchange programs. As long as we act uprightly and stand tall, his slander will only backfire on him!"
Vice Minister Zhou and Counselor Zheng looked at each other and saw approval and determination in each other's eyes.
The calmness, wisdom and courage displayed by the young girl before them under tremendous pressure far exceeded their expectations.
"Well said!" Vice Minister Zhou nodded repeatedly. "They think they can use such despicable tactics to force us to retreat? Dream on!"
Counselor Zheng thought for a moment and said, "Comrade Haitang, prepare a detailed written explanation of yesterday's meeting, which was purely a technical discussion."
"Okay, Counselor Zheng." Jiang Haitang agreed immediately.
"On behalf of the embassy, I've taken the initiative to meet with officials from Country D's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and security departments. We'll openly explain the situation and clarify the facts!"
"At the same time, we must demonstrate a strong attitude and inform Dr. Schmidt that all requested subsequent exchange programs must proceed as planned. Not a single one must be canceled! Not only must we participate, but we must do so with dignity and confidence!"
Comrade Jiang Haitang, a young girl, can be so calm. Why shouldn't people like them be even more calm?
As embassy staff, we must safeguard the interests of the delegation and argue for our rights.
Now that the storm has arrived, we can only choose to brave the wind and waves instead of turning around and avoiding it.
The storm of public opinion carefully planned by Hans, like a cold tide, instantly swept through some media and certain political circles in Country D.
The tabloid report was like a stone thrown into a pond, and the ripples it caused quickly spread.
Several right-leaning media outlets began to hype the issue, questioning the true purpose of the Chinese delegation and insinuating that Jiang Haitang's actions might involve "technical intelligence gathering." They even directly quoted anonymous "security sources" to suggest that an investigation was underway.
Based on the anonymous report received, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Security Department of Country D also formally submitted a cautious but pressured diplomatic note to the Chinese Embassy, requesting the Chinese delegation to make a "clear and convincing explanation" for the private meeting between Jiang Haitang and Wolfgang, and to "ensure that subsequent exchange activities strictly abide by the framework of the agreement between the two parties."
Outside the hotel where the delegation was staying, some unfamiliar faces appeared and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.
However, the reaction of the Chinese delegation was beyond the expectations of Hans and those who fanned the flames.
They did not retreat into defense or panic, but chose the most direct and upright way, which was to respond to the storm head-on.
Under the arrangement of Counselor Zheng, a special press briefing was held in the embassy conference hall.
Facing the reporters from various countries who filled the hall, as well as the specially invited representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Security Department of Country D, Vice Minister Zhou attended in person with a frank and confident attitude.
"Dear journalists, ladies and gentlemen," Vice Minister Zhou said in a steady and powerful voice. "Recent reports and speculation regarding a private meeting between Comrade Jiang Haitang, a member of our delegation, and Mr. Wolfgang of Krupp have caused some misunderstanding and confusion. Today, we solemnly clarify the facts and set the record straight."
He signaled Jiang Haitang with his eyes.
Jiang Haitang stood up. Facing countless cameras and scrutinizing gazes, she appeared unusually calm, her eyes clear and determined.
"My own meeting with Mr. Wolfgang was purely based on shared technical interests."
Jiang Haitang's voice was clear and her words were fluent. She simply stated the facts to ensure that everyone present could understand.
"Mr. Wolfgang is a respected technical expert. He invited me to visit his private studio out of a passion for technical exchange. We had an in-depth discussion on some technical issues. However, throughout the meeting, our discussions were limited to basic theories and technical principles that can be found in public literature. We did not touch on any sensitive technical details, and there was no so-called 'trading' or 'stealing' involved."
She paused, her eyes scanning the questioning faces, and continued, "I understand everyone's concern about this matter. To support my statement, I am willing to publicly explain the specific technical issues we discussed."
"For example, Mr. Wolfgang's proposal for nonlinear modeling of the microstructural evolution and fatigue life of materials under alternating stress is not off-limits in your country. After all, the basis for this is found in Professor Gerhardt's paper, "Quantitative Analysis Model of Metal Grain Boundary Sliding Under High-Cycle Fatigue," published this year at the Department of Materials Mechanics at the University of Stuttgart..."
Jiang Haitang spoke eloquently, citing classics and accurately pointing out the name, proposer, publication journal and time of the relevant theoretical model, and even mentioned the source of specific experimental data.
Her statement was logically rigorous, her evidence pointed to clear public documents, and her attitude was neither humble nor arrogant.
When reporters tried to interrupt with sharp questions, she was always able to quickly and accurately grasp the core of the problem, resolve it with solid professional knowledge, and always keep the topic firmly locked in the scope of open and pure technical discussion.
Many reporters who originally had a curious mentality were impressed by Jiang Haitang's amazing professional depth and frank attitude.
Some relatively objective media have begun to adjust their reporting direction, focusing on describing the technical proficiency and fluent responses demonstrated by Jiang Haitang at the briefing.
More importantly, representatives from Country D’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and security departments participated in the briefing throughout.
They witnessed Jiang Haitang's performance and carefully reviewed the detailed written statement submitted by the delegation, which also cited a large amount of public documents as evidence).
Although they said they still needed to "verify certain details" for procedural reasons, their attitude was obviously much softer and the implicit aggressiveness disappeared.
After all, the information mentioned by Jiang Haitang is not confidential, which only proves that Jiang Haitang is a person who is willing to learn.
Although Wolfgang was not present, Jiang Haitang believed that as long as what she said today was made public, Wolfgang would definitely continue to say what she meant. After all, he did not want his honor to be damaged.
Sure enough, after Jiang Haitang publicly explained the situation of the meeting that day, some reporters also interviewed Wolfgang, and what Wolfgang said was similar to what Jiang Haitang said, and both parties confirmed that the meeting between the two parties was a normal meeting and was conducted based on good communication.
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