Rebirth of the 1980s: The Military Industry Empire

As the sun set, the streets of the capital were filled with a surging tide of bicycles. In this era, there were very few roads that separated motorized vehicles from non-motorized vehicles, and the bicycle army occupied almost half the width of the road.

A Steyr truck, amidst the traffic, appeared particularly tall and large. The driver was also being cautious. The bigger the vehicle, the larger the blind spots. If he accidentally missed someone, the consequences would be severe.

As a result, a journey that originally took an hour now took more than two hours. Even Qin Yang felt a bit impatient. After night had fallen, he finally saw the vague outlines of a large compound under the streetlights. Outside the compound, there was even a tank.

Huai Shu Ridge had finally arrived!

If it were just Qin Yang alone, he could, of course, greet the gatekeeper and go straight in. After all, he was a regular here. As an assistant to the chief designer of the Third Generation Tank, he had the right to do so. However, this time, he was bringing a truck, so he had to follow the proper procedures and register at the gate.

Before the procedures were even completed, a figure strode over from the lights.

"Old Zhu, please slow down and be careful not to fall," Qin Yang quickly went to greet him.

"I heard you were coming. Is it about the Jaguar tank?" Old Zhu asked with a smile.

"You already know?" Qin Yang was a little surprised. In the morning, he had taken a few people to protest to the British, and as a result, he had bluffed the American, Jack. In the morning, he had discussed cooperation with Fangbei Company, mentioning the Jaguar project. In the afternoon, Qin Yang had a meeting at Factory 960, arranging the project. Learning that the tank gun was going to be put up for bidding, he hurried over. It hadn't even been a day, and Old Zhu already knew!

"Of course. Little Nie has already reported it. You don't know, everyone was shocked when they received this news," Old Zhu said excitedly, "The higher-ups are very satisfied with this project. It represents a new path for the development of our tank industry. This project will greatly promote the development of domestic tank technology."

"Great, does that mean our factory will get an extra piece of land, and the higher-ups have agreed?" Qin Yang was most concerned about this.

"Yes, we'll give you people if you need them, land if you need it, but no money," Old Zhu said, "Qin, you really are something. How could you not report such good news earlier? The American engine and hydraulic transmission system will also greatly inspire the development of our Third Generation Tank. By the way, what's in your truck this time?"

"Tank gun," Qin Yang said, "I've been busy with the Perkins engine lately. I didn't even know the tank gun was going to be put up for bidding. Old Zhu, really, why didn't you tell me about such a big thing?"

"Didn't your factory notify you?" Old Zhu asked in surprise, "Also, our bidding documents have already been placed on your desk!"

Qin Yang had become Old Zhu's assistant, so of course he also had a desk in Institute 201, right next to Old Zhu's desk. However, Qin Yang wasn't one to sit in the office. He preferred being on-site. All sorts of technical things were in his head, and he didn't need to calculate them in the office. Therefore, he didn't know about the tank gun bidding documents on his desk.

Well, it was all a misunderstanding. Everyone thought he knew.

"Old Zhu, you've really set me up," Qin Yang said, "I'm the last one to know. Now it's too late. We need the cooperation of our Institute 201."

"What kind of cooperation does the tank gun produced by your Factory 960 need from us?" Old Zhu asked.

"We need a gun mount," Qin Yang said.

"A gun mount? Can't you weld one yourself?"

"No, that would be too shabby," Qin Yang said, "We need the 1224 gun mount."

When Qin Yang mentioned the 1224, Old Zhu's expression changed, "This isn't the place to talk. Let's go inside."

At this time, the procedures were also completed. The Steyr's engine roared and drove into the compound. Qin Yang directed the driver to go directly to Warehouse No. 3.

Huai Shu Ridge was a typical case of being tightly guarded on the outside but loosely guarded on the inside. There were almost no guards inside, but Warehouse No. 3 was different. Two armed guards stood here, forbidding anyone from approaching.

Old Zhu had a wry smile on his face as he walked and chatted with Qin Yang. This was safer, so he didn't have to worry about anyone eavesdropping.

"Qin, you should know that we just completed the major event of switching the prince for a raccoon yesterday. That 1224 tank needs to be kept secret for the time being. Even Old Zhang has been holding back from coming over these past few days. We'll talk about it after the storm has passed."

The tractor chassis that had been refitted with the Perkins engine had theoretically disappeared, so it wasn't convenient for it to continue appearing.

"Yes, so we have to get this tank to the grassland. Once we get there, no one will pay attention," Qin Yang said.

Old Zhu paused for a moment. What Qin Yang said made some sense. The capital was indeed a place of controversy right now. If this chassis left the capital, it could disappear from some people's sight.

"Moreover, when this chassis appeared in front of the British, it was just a chassis. Now, we have to restore it and install the turret as well. That way, no one will associate it with the tractor chassis that was blown to pieces," Qin Yang continued.

His choice of the 1224 tank was, of course, for many reasons, including time. The chassis that was secretly dragged back from the scene didn't have a turret installed, which made it convenient for them to modify and saved them the effort of dismantling it.

"Can your 125mm tank gun be installed in its original turret?" Old Zhu was curious.

"Yes, the turret ring size is suitable. We just need to modify the inner gun shield and enlarge it by five millimeters. We can not only install the tank gun, but also cram in the autoloader. If we start working overnight tonight, we should be able to get it done by Sunday night. We'll arrange a military train to drag it over overnight so we don't delay the testing. Next week, we can show the higher-ups the overall excellent performance of our tank," Qin Yang said, "Old Zhu, think about it. Don't the higher-ups want to see advanced tanks equipped with 1200 horsepower engines and large-caliber tank guns? It wouldn't be bad to let them see it in advance!"

The tank was originally equipped with a 120mm tank gun. Changing it to a 125mm wasn't a big problem, especially since the turret ring was suitable and they could cram in an autoloader. Qin Yang had already thought of a modification plan in his head on the way here, and there was definitely no problem!

When they got to Factory 447, they would definitely amaze everyone! See if these leaders would still take a second look at the 120mm gun. It's nothing to show off on your own turf. It's more interesting to slap faces in someone else's territory.

"I can't make the decision on this. I have to ask the higher-ups for instructions."

"Time is precious. While you're asking the higher-ups for instructions, can we start modifying it first? We'll modify the turret first," Qin Yang said, "If you don't agree, we can only modify that T-72 tank chassis."

Anyway, Qin Yang was determined. It's just that he hadn't seen the T-72 tank chassis recently. He didn't know what it had been dismantled into. If even the engine was gone, they could only do a static display, which wouldn't be as fun.