Great warships

Chapter 1261: Even as the General Manager, He is Still a Puppet

Nicholas still held the check in his hand, but the expression on his face was extremely cold.

"Back to Moscow."

Inside the tall spire-roofed building in Moscow, Nikolai looked at the man in front of him and handed him a check for two million dollars.

"I can conclude that in the past few years, the Little Star Shipyard has not done any repair work. They haven't even put up a scaffolding. In the past few years, all the grants have gone into their pockets. I was the last to know about it. They wanted to use this money to shut me up."

"For years, our domestic shipbuilding industry has been like this. No one has thought about making any contribution to the country or the military. All they care about is how much money they can put in their pockets."

"I know that I was a little impulsive today, but I also know that if I use normal means to deal with them, these people will go unpunished. They will bribe the judges who try them and give them the opportunity to flee our country and go to the West to enjoy the money they embezzled."

"so what?"

"Our country is in such a mess that we simply cannot continue to complete the task of repairing submarines." Nicholas said, "I have always believed that it is best to hand over our repair tasks to the East."

"I know some people will say that I am close to the East, but I am doing this for the strength of the navy. If it weren't for the East helping to repair the aircraft carrier, our Kuznetsov would not be able to come out of the dock for ten years, and it might even be completely scrapped in a fire. Without the East, we would not have amphibious ships and frigates."

"I know that from the perspective of the country, it is the best option to hand it over to our domestic repair companies, but I don't trust them. Our funding will only go into their pockets. We originally wanted to support these companies, but in the end, the result was that they fled to the West with the embezzled money."

The man sighed, stood up, walked to the window and looked into the distance.

"Nuclear submarines are our biggest secret and an important means for us to maintain national security. How could we hand over nuclear submarines to Orientals for repair?"

"The Eastern nuclear submarine technology has long surpassed ours," Nikolay said. "Although only the Type 093 has been observed by the outside world, they must have built more. The performance of their nuclear-powered attack submarines is comparable to that of the Seawolf. The displacement of their ballistic missile nuclear submarines has probably reached 13.5 tons. I heard that they have the world's largest plate bending machine, which can roll up a pressure hull of up to meters."

The Typhoon class has a displacement of 40,000 tons, but it is just two pressure hulls put together. They cannot make a large pressure hull, but Dongfang can, they have the most advanced technology in the world!
With a strong industrial base and advanced electronic technology, Dongfang's submarines are already one generation ahead of Russia. What's the problem with handing over the submarines to Dongfang for repair? It's definitely better than repairing them yourself.

"In fact, we can definitely order nuclear submarines from the East. Of course, my proposal will not be passed. After all, many people have criticized me for being close to the Orientals. I just want to say that since I am in charge of the navy, I have to consider the navy..."

"Understood, you go down."

Nicholas came out.

Domestic shipbuilding companies are shameless, and so are ship repair companies. The fire that broke out during the repair of the Smolensk caused the entire submarine to be scrapped. This is definitely not an isolated case. Next, the men inside will know the truth by just going to various shipyards to see other submarines that are being repaired.

It is indeed good to make it by yourself, but when you have lost this ability, purchasing from outside is the best option. After all, you have your best brothers in the East!

It was snowing heavily in Moscow. Braving the snow, several Norwegians visited Rosatom, which currently operates all of Russia's nuclear-powered icebreakers.

The matter was of great importance, so Orjan personally stepped in. When he arrived at Rosatom, he was warmly welcomed by the other party.

"Welcome everyone, I'm Khlebnikov. If you have any needs when you come to our company, just tell us and we will fully meet them."

"We would like to ask your nuclear-powered icebreaker Fifty Years of Victory to open the way for us to take the Arctic route. This voyage is very important. We hope that you can take us through the Arctic route within ten days."

"So that's what it is about, Zaitsev, Zaitsev!"

Zaitsev smiled and nodded: "Everyone, leave it to us! It is the wisest choice for you to choose our nuclear-powered icebreaker!"

"So, let's sign the contract first?"

"of course can."

Oryang read the entire contract carefully and did not find any problems. The price of the nuclear-powered icebreaker was normal and was not much more expensive just because of the winter.

Over the years, Russia has been vigorously promoting the Arctic route, and many ships have begun to take the Arctic route, which saves both money and time. At first, they only sailed in the summer, but now it has gradually expanded to the winter, and in the future they will be able to sail in all seasons!

"Can this clause include the requirement to cross the route within ten days?"

What they lack most right now is time!
"You can add it, but if you add this clause, the fee will have to go up by 50 percent."

"why?"

"Can the price of express and regular trains be the same? If you want to enjoy the fast service, you have to pay extra. In fact, even if we don't add this clause, we will definitely complete the task in the shortest time. After all, we have a lot of pilot tasks and we won't waste time for you."

In fact, Oryang still wanted to add a time limit, but when he thought about the increased cost, he felt the pain. What they lacked most now was money! Without money, nothing could be done.

"Don't worry, we have often sailed this route before. Our Fifty Years of Victory has sailed this route more than once before. There will be absolutely no problem."

"Well, I hope your ship will be waiting for us at the entrance of the Arctic route in three days."

Since it was a standard contract, there was no big problem, so Oryang signed the contract and then waited for the payment.

Watching the Norwegians leave, Khlebnikov breathed a sigh of relief: "Fortunately, they didn't insist on adding a time limit, otherwise I really don't know what to do."

"That's not difficult," Zaitsev said. "We have the kind of ink that is very clear within half a month and loses its effect after half a month. If they want to add more, we will use that ink to write."

Khlebnikov paused for a moment. Is there such a thing?

“What if they pull out a pen?”

"There are so many ifs. Is there a force majeure factor in our standard contract? If we suddenly encounter a cold wave that exceeds the icebreaker's direct navigation capability and has to repeatedly impact it, can we be blamed? If we suddenly encounter a magnetic storm and lose our way and end up at the North Pole, these are all force majeure factors."

Khlebnikov felt a chill.

“Will this affect our reputation?”

"How is that possible? We have done our best to maintain the smooth flow of Arctic shipping routes. It's just that they were unlucky. Can they blame us?" Zaitsev said, "They want to transport the drilling platform to compete with us for the market. We do this for the national interest. Do you understand?"

"Ok."

Dongfang, Tianchuan Heavy Industry.

Drilling platforms were loaded onto semi-submersible vessels one by one.

Oil drilling platforms have a special structure, which is usually tens to a hundred meters high above. The depth below depends on the sea water, which can be as high as four or five hundred meters. Many skyscrapers do not have such a height, so they are lying down during construction and during transportation. When they arrive at the destination, one end is filled with water and the oil platform is erected.

Eight drilling platforms require eight semi-submersible vessels. Fortunately, there are several Norwegian semi-submersible vessels unloading nearby, so they can just make it in time. If we rent a few more from the island countries and the South Korean country, they will be enough.

Eastern?
The East also has a large number of semi-submersible vessels, but the prices offered are too high and the conditions are too harsh, so they are useless.

On the heavy semi-submersible ship Docwise Pioneer, Soltello watched the bow of the semi-submersible ship sink, then gently move under the drilling platform, and finally raise its head. Then, the huge drilling platform was loaded onto the ship, and his heart was filled with annoyance.

Humph, what insurance money? There is no need for it at all. The Orientals just want to make a little more money from him.

But it doesn't matter. This is the last deal. After he leaves with these drilling platforms, he will never come again. He has had enough of the East!

The eight semi-submersible vessels were finally fully assembled.

"Let's go!" Soltello glanced at the calendar. It was December 12th, and tonight was Christmas. Unfortunately, he couldn't see Santa Claus.

However, I am Santa Claus and I deliver the most needed supplies to the country myself!
"Bon voyage!" Qin Haiyang stood on the dock and shouted to the departing fleet.

"Director Qin, this deal has finally been done, and our Tianchuan Heavy Industry has successfully gotten rid of the crisis!" Xia Yu's voice rang out from behind: "I'm so happy!"

Of course Xia Yu was happy. The deal was finally done, which also meant that she would become the general manager of Tianchuan Heavy Industry, unless Director Qin objected.

However, he had just taken over Tianchuan Heavy Industry and had made it clear at the beginning that whoever sold the eight drilling platforms would be able to become the general manager! If he goes back on his word now, would anyone still believe him in the future?

If people's hearts are broken, it will be difficult to lead the team.

"Secretary Xia has made an indelible contribution to the success of this deal." Qin Haiyang certainly would not forget this. He looked at the people present and said, "Now, I declare that from this moment on, Secretary Xia is the general manager of our Tianchuan Heavy Industry!"

Applause broke out all around. Although they may have had many doubts about Xia Yu in the past, and even looked at her with strange eyes, now that Xia Yu helped sell the drilling platform, Xia Yu could sit in that position!

"Let's go to the conference room. We'll ask President Xia to talk about the next development plan."

Sitting in the conference room, Xia Yu looked at the people below, feeling so happy in his heart.

"I think that our Eastern shipbuilding industry has developed too large. Every heavy industry group is building ships, and we at Tianchuan Heavy Industry do not have this advantage. Initially, we chose to build drilling platforms because we could not compete with others." Xia Yu began to talk about his development plan.

"Drilling platforms take a long time to manufacture, and there may be many changes during the process. If customers cancel their orders midway, they will encounter the same type of problems. So, I think we should give up this business."

Many people below were surprised.

"So what shall we build?"

"Yeah, we can't make anything else!"

"We have a relationship with Mr. Qin, so we can take orders from Mingzhou Group in the future. If they can't make something, they can give us some. We will make whatever they have."

Qin Haiyang frowned: "Let me repeat, Tianchuan Heavy Industry is Tianchuan Heavy Industry, Mingzhou Group is Mingzhou Group, these are two different units, we have to rely on ourselves for our development, don't think about relying on my father."

Xia Yu nodded: "Okay, then we will rely on ourselves. Now that we have so much capital and the energy market is very good, I think we can set up a financial department. We can also make a lot of money by speculating in energy futures..."

"No, we need to do business, and only business can make the country prosperous!"

"How about we go into real estate?"

"We are a heavy industry group!"

Every time Xia Yu said something, Qin Haiyang denied it. Xia Yu still had a smile on his face, but he began to hesitate in his heart.

Could it be that Mr. Qin was here to deny me? He just wanted to embarrass me. He just wanted me to know that even if I became the general manager, I was still not the top leader and I needed to report to him for everything I did!
"Boss Xia, let's do this. During this period of time, you and others should work out a future development plan for Tianchuan Heavy Industry. We are not in a hurry. Let's stop here today and adjourn the meeting!"

Xia Yu stood up and said, "Send Director Qin off."

Mingzhou Group.

"Haiyang has appointed Xia Yu as general manager. However, Xia Yu was suppressed at the meeting just today." Xu Zhengyang reported.

"Well, this guy already knows that Xia Yu is a traitor, but he still dares to promote Xia Yu to the position of general manager. Of course, he won't let Xia Yu call the shots in this position." Qin Tao nodded.

"However, Haiyang will have to go back to school sooner or later, so the general manager of Tianchuan Heavy Industry still needs a reliable person to be appointed."

"Let's not worry about it. Let's just wait and see what he arranges."

"Okay, then we don't need to give them the order yet, right?"

"Of course not. If we give in now, wouldn't that be giving Xia Yu a bargain?"

"Then should we solve Xia Yu's problem?"

"No, let Haiyang handle it himself. I always felt that he was planning to kill someone with a borrowed knife."

"Well, those people will soon find out that they have been fooled." Xu Zhengyang said, "There is another thing. The Russian submarine Smolensk caught fire during repair. Nikolay went to inspect it. At the scene, a strange thing happened. The director of the shipyard stepped on empty air and fell into the dock. The director died on the spot."

"Well, it seems that Nicholas is really pissed off. Maybe we can even contract the Russians' nuclear submarine maintenance business in the future."

"How can this be?"

Qin Tao smiled.

Qin Tao knew what the shipbuilding industry in Russia was like. Funds were allocated from above but embezzled from below. It was estimated that not a single ruble was used for repairs, otherwise Nikolai would not have been so angry that he took action on the spot.

Once this kind of atmosphere is formed, it cannot be changed at all, no matter who takes over.

Just like Zhu Yuanzhang did back then, he killed batches of corrupt officials under his command, and used tricks like skinning them and stuffing them with straw to warn future generations, but he still failed to ensure the integrity of the officialdom.

How can they continue if the roots are rotten? They want to save money and be efficient, so the best way is to let them repair it themselves.

However, it is estimated that someone will complain again, so Qin Tao has no idea how it will develop in the end.

If I repair it, I can practice my skills. The Russian Type 949 nuclear submarine has an underwater displacement of more than tons, which is larger than many ballistic missile nuclear submarines. Its biggest feature is the anti-ship missile launchers placed obliquely on both sides.

In the era of the Red Empire, this anti-ship missile was a powerful weapon for attacking aircraft carriers. It had a maximum flight speed of 2.5 Mach and a maximum range of over 750 kilometers. In addition to being equipped with a -kilogram semi-armor-piercing warhead, it could also carry a nuclear warhead.

But now, this type of missile is too outdated. Therefore, if this world's only remaining cruise missile nuclear submarine is to be improved, the main modification plan is to replace it with a new submarine-launched missile launcher. This device can launch multiple types of missiles. It can also have a plum blossom-shaped launcher like the Ohio-class, which can stuff several missiles into one tube, greatly increasing its power.

But... you don't have to worry about it. Just see how the Russians arrange it.

The Arctic Ocean is very cold in winter. The only species that can live here are polar bears and Russians who look like polar bears!
Even though the heating temperature in the cabin had been turned up to the highest setting, Sollot still felt very cold. He wrapped himself in his Adidas down jacket but could not feel any warmth.

"Damn it, why is it so cold here?" Sollot couldn't help but say, "I feel like I'm about to meet Santa Claus!"

"It's OK." The bearded captain said, "We didn't feel particularly cold. Where did you buy the down jacket you're wearing?"

"Dongfang, I found a store that specializes in selling down jackets. The owner recommended this down jacket to me. It's an international brand..." said Sollot.

"Then you have to open it and see if it says MADE IN CHINA." The bearded captain said, "Actually, it doesn't matter if you buy products from regular manufacturers, but I'm afraid you'll buy imitations from small workshops."

Trembling, Sollot unzipped the zipper and found the trademark sewn inside. Sure enough, the English word was clearly visible.

"Damn it, do Orientals only produce counterfeit and shoddy products? What on earth is stuffed in my clothes?"

"No, no, you just bought some inferior products. This doesn't mean that all Eastern products are of this quality. There are two types of people in the East. One type tries to cut costs and the products they make are of very poor quality. The other type has very good quality and the products they make are better than those in the West!"

The bearded captain pointed to his down jacket and said, "This one of mine is also made in China. It's of very good quality and very warm. By the way, have you heard about it? The US military seized a batch of fake shoes. They found out they were fake because they were too durable. They were not really that wear-resistant. Finally, they were found to be from the East!"

"Damn it, how did I buy a fake one?"

"Generally speaking, the quality of the products they export is very good, but they have to be careful about the ones they sell themselves."

"Damn it, why hasn't the icebreaker arrived yet?"

(End of this chapter)