Rebirth in 1989: Building a Chinese Technological Empire

The prairie was chilly at night, but the barracks at the test site felt warm today.

In order to welcome Xu Huasheng and his team, roasted whole lamb was prepared in the barracks. Everyone was very happy to eat and enjoy the food of the prairie together.

In a room in the barracks, Xu Huasheng sat with the old general and some military personnel.

"Comrade Xu, we all know that you have a long-term vision. What do you think about the development of our country's army equipment?"

The old general looked at Xu Huasheng and asked.

The old general knew Xu Huasheng's vision, and many of Xu Huasheng's opinions were currently being discussed and adopted by the country.

In particular, Xu Huasheng accurately predicted the occurrence and outcome of the Gulf War, which made the military attach great importance to Xu Huasheng's opinions.

"Old General, according to the current development direction of technology. In the future, the weapons and equipment of various countries will definitely take the path of informatization, automation, and systematization. In this system, no equipment is isolated. Every weapon and equipment in the future is like a node in a spider web, and informatization is the line connecting these nodes. These nodes and these lines form a huge network..."

Xu Huasheng began to talk about the direction of future weapon development in the room.

Even the steel torrent of the army is no longer a traditional steel torrent, but an informationized steel torrent. Every tank, every infantry fighting vehicle, even every soldier, and every piece of equipment is a node.

Tanks can be used as offensive weapons or command equipment.

When the two sides are fighting, tanks quickly attack. When encountering fighter planes, tanks can directly transmit information links to long-range fire in the rear. Long-range fire carries out long-range precision strikes based on information, and does not engage in close combat at all.

"Old General, in future wars, there will be very few opportunities for tanks to fight each other. Do you know the Dark Arrow missile of the Ministry of Aerospace Industry? That thing can hit tanks accurately, let alone our tanks. Even the American M1 and the German Leopard II can hit each other accurately. The war mode has changed. In the future, there will be very few tank-to-tank bombardments. In the future, everyone will compete with the entire combat system. Whoever has a stronger combat system will win the war..."

Xu Huasheng's words made everyone fall into deep thought.

"Comrade Xiao Xu, does this mean that the role of tanks is getting smaller and smaller? I see that some Western countries have a saying that tanks are useless. Will tanks really be eliminated in the future?"

A middle-aged man in military uniform couldn't help asking, and this made everyone look at Xu Huasheng.

"In fact, this statement cannot be said to be completely wrong. If technology develops to a certain extent, traditional tanks may not be very useful. But it is pure deception to talk about the future of a weapon and equipment without considering the times. Tanks may be eliminated in the future, but in the next few decades or even longer, tanks will still be the most important weapons and equipment for the armies of various countries. Technology is developing, and tank technology is also developing, and its role and positioning will also be adjusted accordingly. For example, in World War II, tanks were heavy cavalry that charged into battle, responsible for attacking and crushing the enemy. But with the development of anti-tank weapons, the use of tanks in the future may be adjusted, from heavy cavalry to rangers, responsible for guiding long-range firepower, responsible for rapid insertion tasks, etc...."

Xu Huasheng's words made everyone nod, and if they thought about the direction of technological development carefully, it was indeed the case.

In the current war, if you do not gain air superiority and directly send a large-scale armored force to attack, it is simply seeking death. Look at what the armored forces of Iraq were beaten into by Western countries in the Gulf War. You were bombed before you even saw the enemy.

"Xiao Xu, what do you think of the development of tanks in our country?"

Another old man in military uniform asked directly.

This made Xu Huasheng ponder, and he raised his head after a while.

"Chief, I think the development of a country's weapons and equipment needs to be determined according to the specific conditions of each country. For example, the Soviet Union and the United States want to dominate the world, so their weapons development is moving in this direction. Large transport aircraft and large ships, their main focus is global strike capability, so the equipment is also inclined in this direction."

Xu Huasheng's words made everyone look very solemn.

"For a long time, our country has definitely implemented a national defense strategy, the main focus is to protect our own country on our territory and make the enemies who invade our country pay a heavy price. This is also a helpless move, after all, our current comprehensive national strength is still too weak. Everyone wants to keep the enemy out of the country, but sometimes we have to admit the gap."As soon as these words came out, everyone sighed.

Yes, everyone wants to keep the enemy out of the country, but we have to face reality. The reality of China now is poverty and backward technology, so what China wants now is not to attack others, but to protect itself at home, or to make the enemy pay a heavy price when attacking China.

"So, when we talk about the development of our country's weapons and equipment, we must consider the national defense situation that our country will encounter in the future. Now the disintegration of the Soviet Union is almost a foregone conclusion, and it is estimated that it will be announced soon. Once the Soviet Union disintegrates, everyone, the focus of our country's ground defense will definitely change."

As soon as Xu Huasheng said this, everyone looked at Xu Huasheng, and the old general also looked at Xu Huasheng. The old general has fought all his life and has a very sharp strategic vision. He also saw these things, and now he wants to see Xu Huasheng's strategic vision.

"After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia is a mess. It is good enough to be able to protect itself. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Western countries will definitely further compress Russia's strategic space. Even if Russia takes the capitalist road in an all-round way, it will be the same. Because the dispute between the Soviet Union and Western countries is not a dispute over ideologies, but a dispute over interests. At that time, NATO will definitely expand eastward, further compressing Russia's strategic living space. Russia will definitely not be able to play with the United States. It is purely a waste of time to join the West. Even if Europe agrees, the United States does not agree. The United States does not want to see a strong Russia, nor does it want to see a strong Europe. As long as the United States does not decline, the relationship between Russia and Europe will not be too close..."

Xu Huasheng's words made everyone listen quietly.

"So, the outcome waiting for Russia in the future is that the strategic space in the west will continue to be compressed. And the relationship between Russia and Western countries will become colder and colder. The only way for Russia to protect itself in the future is to move eastward. Therefore, in the future, there will be very few military confrontations between my country and Russia. At least in the next fifty years, there will be almost no military cooperation..."

Xu Huasheng picked up a pen and drew on the world map in the room. Looking at the lines drawn by Xu Huasheng, everyone looked serious.

"So, in the future, our ground defense focus will not be in Russia. Instead, it will be in the southwestern border, where we have territorial disputes with India. India is a populous country, full of ambitions, and backed by the West. After being taught a lesson by us last time, many people in their country were not convinced. They always thought that they lost to us because they were careless..."

Xu Huasheng drew a circle directly on the map. Seeing this circle, everyone could not help but nod. They agreed with Xu Huasheng's view that in the future, the focus of China's land defense must be the west, especially the southwest.