Chapter 74

The scale of the car factory left Xu Zengliang and Wang Guoxi thoroughly intimidated. The two watched as Lin Qiangsheng entered the factory office and, after a short while, came out with a contract.

Lin Qiangsheng stamped his own fingerprint and signed his name, formalizing the agreement between Guoxi Watch Factory and the car factory.

Actually, this was not entirely standard and would not be recognized legally, but everyone did it this way, and it had become a customary practice.

The three got into the car, and Lin Qiangsheng handed the contract to Xu Zengliang, saying, "This means our village and the factory are co-operating. We just need to pay an annual management fee to the factory, and we can use their channels."

Xu Zengliang squinted and looked at the contract, saying, "Oh, it's all words! I can't make out anything!"

Lin Qiangsheng smiled and started the car.

Actually, bringing these two into the city was mainly to intimidate the local tyrant Xu Zengliang, to prevent him from having any other ideas. Additionally, Lin Qiangsheng controlled the sales of the watch factory, which provided him with double insurance. Otherwise, the village secretary could easily team up with Wang Guoxi in the factory to kick him out.

1978 quickly passed, and Lin Qiangsheng welcomed 1979. He had been back for nearly two years and felt quite satisfied and happy. The only thing that was lacking was that he hadn't focused on his studies or spent more time with Chen Yao, his second wife from his previous life.

So, during the final exam period, Lin Qiangsheng studied hard to avoid getting poor grades and giving the teachers a handle on him!

The biggest event at the start of 1979 was the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States on January 1st.

When this explosive news spread in the university, Lin Qiangsheng was taken aback for a moment, then smiled. He wasn't sure what emotion it was, perhaps joy at witnessing history, or perhaps delight at being part of it.

The teachers and students were all quite surprised. We, the socialists, were going to be friends with the imperialists! But everyone soon calmed down. After all, ordinary people were far removed from national affairs, and it had nothing to do with them. They just discussed it and focused on their final exams.

On January 7th, the Vietnamese army occupied Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. Ordinary people couldn't feel the tension between countries, but Lin Qiangsheng could.

Gao Jun and Dong Cheng went to the car modification factory every day, from morning till night, almost sleeping there.

Under their supervision, the modification of the vehicles accelerated. To improve production efficiency, Lin Qiangsheng instructed the workers to disregard the appearance and install non-standard armor on the vehicles.

The workers wielded hammers and hammered the cut iron plates, roughly fitting them onto the car bodies, and other workers welded them. The grinding workers used sanders to smooth out the irregular surfaces, and sparks flew as they worked.

This method of modification made the vehicles look like giant monsters. Their large, rugged bodies resembled warriors just returning from battle!

The power team invited several master mechanics from the original repair factory to lead the modification of the Hummer's engine. The KKK diesel turbocharger, manufactured by the Special Materials Research Institute, was installed on the engine.

Of course, adding the turbocharger increased fuel consumption and wear on the engine, but the power boost was significant, increasing the average power by 20-30%. The engine power reached the level Lin Qiangsheng expected, exceeding 100kw, with a maximum speed of 100 km/h and significantly improved off-road performance. The survival capability on the battlefield was greatly enhanced.

Dong Cheng and Gao Jun drove a few laps, and the Hummer with the turbocharger easily climbed a slope over 35 degrees.

Dong Cheng stopped the car with a screech, patted the body, and laughed, saying, "Great! Now this car is much more powerful! It's not sluggish at all!"

Lin Qiangsheng waved his hand, dispelling the smoke from the car, and said with a smile, "I hope these cars can be put to good use! They're not suitable for border patrols, they consume too much fuel!"

"Exactly!" Dong Cheng laughed.

Gao Jun got out of the car, walked around the front, and said to Lin Qiangsheng, "Finish the remaining vehicles as soon as possible, time is running out!"

Lin Qiangsheng nodded. They had assembled over 20 Hummers, and there were still over 20 left to modify.

He said to Gao Jun, "Sure! I'll try to complete them within 15 days!"

Gao Jun nodded and said with a smile, "I came today to inform you that you need to go to the division headquarters. A superior officer wants to see you!"

"Oh? Who is it?" Lin Qiangsheng asked.

"Let's go, you'll know when we get there. I received the order temporarily and don't know much," Gao Jun said.

Lin Qiangsheng got into the Hummer, which had been painted green. He had to admit, he had never seen a Hummer painted olive green before; it looked really ugly! It seemed to lower the car's class, making it look bad overall!

After driving for over half an hour, they circled around most of the city and arrived at the division headquarters in the southeast of the city.

The Hummer was driven into the gate, and the guards watched this strange jeep they had never seen before with great curiosity.

Speaking of the 23rd Army of H Province, its headquarters was in Yangcheng, L Province, not in Bin City. Therefore, the 23rd Army's entire garrison in the province implicitly regarded the 69th Division headquarters in the provincial capital as the leader.

Lin Qiangsheng walked to the entrance of the military office, combed his hair, put on his cap neatly, and tidied his clothes.

Gao Jun watched Lin Qiangsheng's actions and said, "Pretty standard, have you been trained?"

Lin Qiangsheng smiled and said, "Yes, for a year." In those days, few young people didn't dream of joining the army, so it wasn't strange.

Gao Jun smiled and said, "Wait a moment, I'll go in and report."

Gao Jun went in, and after a short while, Deputy Division Commander Zhang Tixin came out, smiling and said, "Comrade Lin, you're here! Let's go, some comrades from the military industry want to see you and ask about your mine-clearing vehicle idea."

Lin Qiangsheng was very surprised, never expecting that his simple mine-clearing vehicle would interest people from the military industry!

Gao Jun also got into the car, and they drove to the division's outdoor training ground. From a distance, they saw a vehicle similar to a large tractor, slowly moving forward as if it were crawling on the ground.

As they got closer, Lin Qiangsheng immediately recognized it as the simple mine-clearing vehicle he had modified, now completely transformed!

"It's been changed like this!" Lin Qiangsheng said softly after getting out of the car.

"The mine-clearing vehicle you modified was tested, and although it moved smoothly and quickly, it was still too light! The superiors decided to add some weight, so it became this!" Gao Jun said.

Lin Qiangsheng nodded and said, "I understand!"

As they got closer, he saw that the front of the mine-clearing vehicle had been transformed into an Oriental Red tractor, with the high driver's seat removed and a flat armor welded on with an iron frame.

The iron poles for detecting mines were densely welded with iron spikes, and hammers were hung on them. The sides were supported by steel wheels, and the connection to the front was reinforced with a cannon base. Lin Qiangsheng touched his chin and nodded; this was much more impressive than his original simple mine-clearing vehicle!

Deputy Division Commander Zhang Tixin said a few words to the onlookers, and a few people came over.

"You're the designer of the mine-clearing vehicle? So young!" a middle-aged man in his forties with glasses asked.

Division Commander Wang Jin smiled and said to Lin Qiangsheng, "This is Comrade Zhang Han from the National Defense Science and Technology Commission! He came specially to our 69th Division to inspect the mine-clearing vehicle."

Lin Qiangsheng greeted Division Commander Wang Jin, who was already in his sixties but still serving as division commander. At that time, there were many high-ranking officers in the military.

Lin Qiangsheng said to Zhang Han, "Hello, I'm Lin Qiangsheng. That vehicle was indeed modified by me, but I wouldn't call it a design."

Zhang Han looked at Lin Qiangsheng and said with a smile, "I didn't expect you to be so young. How did you come up with the idea to modify a mine-clearing vehicle?"

Lin Qiangsheng said, "I thought the Vietnamese would certainly lay a large number of mines on the border to defend against our army. The mine-clearing vehicle can not only clear mines quickly but also ensure the safety of our sappers!"

Zhang Han nodded and said with a smile, "Yes, young man, you did a great job!"

He looked at Lin Qiangsheng and, feeling there was no need to hide it, said to the group, "The mine-clearing vehicle you reported to the division headquarters gave the higher-ups a wake-up call. They specifically ordered the front-line troops to investigate the border between China and Vietnam. The results were shocking and disturbing!"

Division Commander Wang Jin asked in surprise, "What happened?"

Zhang Han looked approvingly at Lin Qiangsheng and said to the group, "The results were unexpected! Our reconnaissance troops found that the Vietnamese had laid a minefield several kilometers deep along the border with China! This was discovered even before the front-line troops went deeper. It's clear that the Vietnamese have more defenses behind!"

Division Commander Wang Jin slapped his hand and said angrily, "These ungrateful Vietnamese! We fed them and gave them weapons and ammunition to help them defeat the Americans! And now, these bastards are a bunch of ingrates, plotting against us!"

The other officers were also shocked and cursed the Vietnamese. After all, during the wars against France and the United States, the Chinese had taught the Vietnamese how to fight, even how to lay mines. Now, the Vietnamese were using our methods against us!

Zhang Han nodded and said, "Even the higher-ups didn't expect this! The various units in the southern border region are taking this situation very seriously and are looking for solutions!"

He looked at Lin Qiangsheng and said with a big laugh, "I didn't expect that your 69th Division would be the first to create a mine-clearing vehicle, such a powerful tool! Thanks to your report, the front-line troops discovered this situation, and the solution will depend on you! It's like the one who tied the bell must untie it!"

Lin Qiangsheng smiled and said, "You're mistaken, I didn't tie the bell! I didn't lay those mines!"

Everyone laughed heartily.

Zhang Han also laughed and said, "Yes! Lin Qiangsheng, your deeds have been reported to our commission, and you will definitely receive a military medal!"

Lin Qiangsheng quickly waved his hands and said