Chapter 83

Hu Wenhai shrugged his shoulders and said, "Whether Director Lin believes it or not, I do have some ideas about the future form of warfare in my head. To be honest, I don't know if these ideas are correct or whether they fit the strategic situation and battlefield needs of our army. For example, laser guidance—developed countries like the U.S., UK, and France have all done it, but how we can use it is still a problem. Whether it's vehicle-mounted, aircraft-mounted, or handheld, what platform to use, and whether it will be effective against our current enemies—I don't know."

"Many of my ideas are actually quite simple, just hoping that heroes like Uncle Heng can shed less blood and eliminate more enemies. And since I have this ability, I did it."

Faced with the straightforward Hu Wenhai, Lin Qianjun found it hard to say anything more. After all, he was just an 18-year-old "kid" who had already far exceeded everyone's expectations.

One could say that Hu Wenhai had already achieved a perfect score, and to demand that he also excel in the extra credit questions was probably unrealistic.

Since his ideas were not yet mature, it would be unfair to burden him with expectations beyond his age.

"Alright, alright." Lin Qianjun sighed, no longer insisting on digging out every last detail from Hu Wenhai's mind. He said regretfully, "If you don't want to say, I won't force you."

"Hey, Director Lin, I didn't say I didn't want to say!" Hu Wenhai was taken aback and said in surprise, "I just said I'm not sure about these ideas, not that I lack confidence in myself!"

In a way, he had brought this upon himself. He just didn't want to appear as if he knew everything from birth. After all, military theory is a science; it's impossible to imagine it out of thin air without any foundation.

This is why many combat ideas lag behind equipment and military cases, as these theories are often summaries of reality. And as an army that tends to be more conservative in technology, they are unwilling to apply immature technologies or theories in practice.

If Hu Wenhai had immediately spouted out his theories in response to Lin Qianjun's questions, he would likely be seen as a young man's delusion.

Only military theories that have been verified by reality can be convincing.

"I mean, I can't be sure that my ideas are correct, but isn't there already some recognition of what Uncle Heng has presented? So we can try and see if this military theory fits reality. To be frank, I have the ability to verify it, and I am willing to help our people's army in any way I can."

Hu Wenhai looked at Lin Qianjun sincerely and said, "Director Lin, I have confidence in these ideas. The only question is whether they fit the actual needs of our army. I have an idea: 'One man's plan is short, many men's plan is long.' Could you give me a chance to gather more professionals to study whether these ideas are appropriate?"

"You mean you want to exchange ideas with our military experts?" Lin Qianjun asked incredulously.

At Hu Wenhai's age, he would still be considered too young to be a student of those experts. If they were to engage in equal dialogue, the likely result would be that the experts, feeling offended, would tear Hu Wenhai's theories to shreds, perhaps even scolding him harshly.

Hu Wenhai, however, smiled and nodded, "Actually, I not only want to exchange ideas with our military experts, but I also hope to gather a group of like-minded people to further refine my theories."

"Maybe I can emulate the Americans and establish a military theory think tank or something."

"Think tank?" Lin Qianjun asked curiously, "What kind of organization is that? Isn't American military theory studied by leaders of military academies?"

"This think tank is a bit like our research institute," Hu Wenhai explained after some thought. "The Americans believe that the progress of military theory is inseparable from scientific and technological progress. If only military personnel study military theory, they will never keep up with technological advancements. So they bring together military experts and outstanding talents from various fields, allowing them to inspire and improve each other, avoiding one-sided and rigid thinking."

Hu Wenhai subtly shifted the concept, of course, not mentioning that Western think tanks often become channels for capitalists and large enterprises to influence government policy. Simply highlighting the advantages of gathering experts from different disciplines, it did indeed sound appealing.

Sure enough, Lin Qianjun stroked his chin, thought for a moment, and nodded, "Not bad, the Americans' approach is indeed better. Mutual promotion and improvement do lead to a more comprehensive perspective."

"Since you can't leave here, I'll make a call and see if we can invite a few experts to Xiucheng for a discussion."

"Ah?" Hu Wenhai was dumbfounded as he watched Lin Qianjun stand up and look for a phone.

If he didn't have confidence in his theory of information warfare, Hu Wenhai might have felt like he was blowing hot air.

How could a few words from him make Lin Qianjun actually gather people? This seemed a bit too hasty.

In reality, Hu Wenhai had underestimated Lin Qianjun and the organization's attitude toward him. As he himself said, "I have this ability, so I did it."

In modern terms, Hu Wenhai had very strong execution ability.

Yes, execution ability.

In the 1980s, the military made way for economic construction, with the entire annual budget in 1985 being less than 20 billion RMB. In other words, the 2 billion RMB owed to Hu Wenhai was more than a tenth of the national defense budget for that year.

If it weren't for the strategic necessity of purchasing the F-14, the 24 million USD per aircraft would never have entered China—20 years later, even the U.S. itself would find it unaffordable!

Looking at the speed at which Hu Wenhai developed new technologies—completing the simulation machine in a month, integrating laser guidance technology in a week, and coming up with the red dot sight just by thinking about it, not to mention the blue pill, which he had never been seen researching domestically—wasn't such a genius worth taking seriously?

With money, research capabilities, and a company of over a thousand people, even if Hu Wenhai's theories were ultimately proven wrong, wouldn't it still be valuable to eliminate an incorrect option for the army?

Inviting a few experts for a discussion was nothing.

The annual salary of those experts wouldn't even cover the interest on 2.2 billion RMB for a day!

...

Xi Yazhou's name was very powerful, often praised by colleagues for choosing the right career in the People's Liberation Army, fitting the good omen of "the PLA sweeping across Asia."

Whether it was his outstanding ability or the influence of his name, Xi Yazhou's career in the Shengjing Military Region was smooth sailing. By his late thirties, he was already the director of the technical department's office in the logistics department of the Shengjing Military Region, and after 1988, he would at least be a colonel.

Of course, as the director of the technical department's office, his professional skills were quite solid. He regularly read publications like "Modern Weapons" and "Foreign Military Dynamics."

He was naturally very interested in laser-guided weapons, which he had only heard about in magazines.

However, when he thought about the 501 Factory causing a stir, he couldn't help but grind his teeth. Laser-guided weapons were high-tech, and only a few countries in the world had the capability to manufacture them.

As for China, there wasn't even a rumor of a research plan for such weapons.

It wasn't that he had a grudge against the 501 Factory, but the factory had indeed disappointed the military in the past. Moreover, it was rumored that the 501 Factory had lost its state-owned status and had become a private enterprise!

Xi Yazhou, who had been educated for decades, knew all too well what capitalists were like. Most likely, they were either swindlers or had used backdoor connections. Xi Yazhou resolved to keep his eyes open.

"Are you Director Xi from the Shengjing Military Region? I'm Lu Daming from Xinke Company. Let me take your luggage, and we'll head to the guesthouse first?"

Xi Yazhou was easy to recognize, dressed in a green military uniform. He scanned the exit and immediately headed toward Lu Daming, who was holding a sign. No need to ask, this was definitely the right person.

"Oh, where is your leader?" Xi Yazhou lifted his briefcase and looked at the overly attentive Lu Daming, asking without a hint of friendliness.

"Our President Hu is accompanying Director Lin from the General Logistics Department in the capital, so I was sent to pick you up," Lu Daming knew that this PLA officer was important for Hu Wenhai's next plan, so he tolerated his bad temper.

"Director Lin?" Xi Yazhou thought to himself, this is the backing of Xinke Company? From the capital, no wonder they are so confident!

"Yes, Director Lin is said to be a high-ranking leader in the General Logistics Department..."

"Let's go!"

Bang!

Xi Yazhou grunted and sat in the back seat, slamming the car door shut, cutting off Lu Daming's words.

"What's he so proud of? Even Director Lin from the capital isn't so arrogant," Lu Daming muttered to himself, sitting in the driver's seat and starting the car, heading toward the Xinke Company guesthouse.