Beijing, National Equipment Industry Corporation Conference Room.

The ceremony of announcing Luo Xiangfei's retirement and appointing Feng Xiaochen as the general manager of the Equipment Industry Company was very simple. After the officials of the Organization Department read out the appointment and removal decision, Luo Xiangfei and Feng Xiaochen walked to the front of the conference room at the same time. Luo Xiangfei reached out, held Feng Xiaochen's hand, and said solemnly:

"Xiao Feng, I will hand over this burden to you. I hope you will not let down the cause that China has fought for for several generations. I hope China's equipment industry can rank among the forefront of the world in the hands of your generation."

Feng Xiaochen turned against his previous relaxed expression, held Luo Xiangfei's hand with both hands, and replied in an equally solemn tone: "Don't worry, Mr. Luo, our generation will definitely not embarrass the predecessors. The foundation you created will definitely be carried forward in our hands."

Warm applause sounded, which contained both respect for Luo Xiangfei and recognition of Feng Xiaochen. In the past decade, Feng Xiaochen has won everyone's respect with his abilities, character and professionalism. Not to mention Wang Genji, Zhou Mengshi, Huang Ming and other colleagues of the same age, even Wu Shican, Xue Mucang and others, they admire Feng Xiaochen and are willing to accept his leadership.

Luo Xiangfei left, Feng Xiaochen moved into his office, and the Equipment Industry Company entered a new era. Everyone is looking forward to Feng Xiaochen's first "three fires" after taking office.

"Carry out high-tech equipment research and development work for the first half of the 21st century."

This was the plan proposed by Feng Xiaochen at the first middle-level cadres meeting after taking office. This plan did not surprise everyone. In fact, before Luo Xiangfei retired, there had been many rounds of discussions on this issue at the company's middle-level cadres meeting, but it had not been implemented. High-tech equipment research and development is a long-term task, and the initial stage of running-in is crucial, involving a large area, and the work is very complicated. As a leader who is about to leave, Luo Xiangfei is really not suitable to preside over such a job, so he left this task to Feng Xiaochen.

Feng Xiaochen had long thought about this issue seriously. When he organized experts from the National Industrial Laboratory to go to Yubei to help, he repeatedly discussed it with Zhang Lubin and others. These experts from the National Industrial Laboratory usually do not have rigid tasks, which is equivalent to the country spending money to support a group of idle people. These people are not born to be idle, so they can think about various things every day, and their horizons are much broader than those front-line researchers. Feng Xiaochen, with two lifetimes of experience, combined with the opinions of these experts, gradually formed a relatively complete idea. After completing the business handover with Luo Xiangfei, he could put these ideas into practice.

"In the early 1980s, when the Reinstallation Office was just established, our main task was to introduce technology, learn from advanced Western experience, and shorten the gap in equipment industry with Western developed countries. At that time, our goal was very clear, and the road was also stepped on by others. We just need to follow this road.

After more than ten years, we have initially achieved the expected goals, and the gap with Western developed countries has been shortened from being unsurpassed to being able to hear their footsteps. Although our technology is generally still behind, I believe that in another ten to fifteen years, we will be able to go alongside foreign countries.

By then, we will lose the object of catching up and imitating, the goal is gone, and the road is gone. What should we do next? We cannot wait until then to consider the development direction, but we should prepare for the future and make arrangements in advance so that we can maintain the current momentum and overtake on the curve."

Feng Xiaochen talked to everyone. Among the cadres, he was the one with the most confidence in the future. The reason was that he had witnessed China's technological catching up. He knew that even without his time travel, China could still catch up with the level of developed countries in the first half of the 21st century. Now that he is here, what he needs to do is shorten this process and avoid some errors that should not be made.

"Xiaochen said it well." Wu Shican, director of the Strategic Planning Department, nodded and praised.

When the Equipment Industry Company was first established, the department and position setting was followed by the structure of the reinstallation office. Each department was still called XX, and the person in charge was called XX. In the past two years, in line with the development of the times, the company has changed the title of the department. The Technology Department has become the Technology Department, the Collaborative Department has become the Collaborative Department, and the heads of each department have been renamed Ministers. This change in title is not an unnecessary move. It can reduce the traces of administrativeization in the company, so that internal employees and external customers no longer measure the management personnel in the company according to the official position. In addition, if the level of the Equipment Industry Company is improved in the future, various functional departments will no longer be department-level staff, and the director will be renamed to the Minister, which will be much more flexible.

When Feng Xiaochen just took over the position of general manager, Wu Shican, Xue Mucang, Liu Yanping and other elderly people changed their words to call him General Feng. The result not only made Feng Xiaochen feel uncomfortable, but Wu Shican and others were also a little awkward. Feng Xiaochen tried to keep everyone's original name and still called him Xiao Feng, but there was also a problem with this title, that is, it was difficult to form a necessary sense of authority. After all, Feng Xiaochen is now the head of the company, and he is called "Xiao Feng" by his subordinates, and he always seems not serious.

Finally, everyone tacitly chose a compromise plan, which is to call Feng Xiaochen's name. This not only makes people feel close but also shows some respect, which is a relatively common method within the system. Of course, those who can call Feng Xiaochen directly are middle and senior cadres with certain qualifications in the company. Ordinary employees such as Zhou Mengshi and Huang Ming can only be called Feng by General Feng in a regular manner.

Wu Shican shouted OK, interrupted Feng Xiaochen's words, and then continued to speak, he said:

"In the past, we were isolated from abroad for too long, and we were pulled a long distance away by others. We had to learn any technology carefully, and sometimes we couldn't learn it. But over the years, we have gradually caught up. Some technologies are not that big. Take the last time in Hezhou Power Plant. The young engineers at Longjiang Motor Factory are no worse than those of Xiyi Company's engineers, and some places are even stronger than them."

Xue Mucang, deputy director of the Ministry of Administration, took the conversation and said, "Americans are also humans, and they also have one head on both sides of their shoulders. They may not be smarter than us. In the past, we were blocked by others and had completely explored something by ourselves. We have been left behind by others. Over the years, we have opened the country, and many young people have returned from studying abroad, with a very broad horizon. In addition, they are smart and studious, and it is not a great thing to surpass Americans."

"Minister Xue, are you too optimistic? Just now, Mr. Feng just said that we can hear other people's footsteps. When you come to you, you will be more serious than Americans. This is a bit too radical." Zhong Qifan, deputy director of the Department of Law and Regulation, choked Xue Mucang half-jokingly and half-seriously. This kind of guy is a person who advocates the West and always believes that China has a big gap compared to the West, which is somewhat incompatible with the optimistic and confident emotions that are common in equipment companies. However, he is quite dedicated in his work. As the deputy minister of the Department of Law and Regulation, he has presided over many negotiations with foreign companies, but there has never been any damage to national interests.

"Qi Fan's words make sense." Feng Xiaochen echoed, then smiled and said to Xue Mucang: "Old Xue, we will surpass the Americans sooner or later, but before that, we may have to study for more than ten or twenty years. After all, they are old industrial powers, and there are many good things under the box."

Xue Mucang changed his words very quickly. When he heard Feng Xiaochen say this, he immediately responded: "I admit this. A few days ago, I went to the Pujiang Shipyard and heard them talk about the steel plate used in the United States for aircraft carriers. The yield strength reached 700 megapas, which is twice the best steel we use now. Our current level is equivalent to the level in the United States in the 1940s and 1950s. This gap is really big."

"High-strength steel, this is what we want to include in the R&D plan. High-strength steel is not only used on aircraft carriers, but also such steel must be used in nuclear power plants, large pressure vessels, rails, and construction machinery. At present, almost all the high-strength steel we use depends on imports, and this problem must be solved." Wu Shican said.

Feng Xiaochen said: "New energy, new materials, information technology, and biotechnology are key industries determined by the country. We want to compete with developed countries in these fields in the first half of the 21st century and finally determine our leading advantages in these industries. To develop and be competitive, all these industries depend on what kind of high-end equipment our equipment manufacturing industry can provide them. Without high-end equipment, no industry can occupy a leading position in technology. The research and development of equipment must be ahead of the development of various industries, which is the challenge we face."

"I can't imagine the high-tech equipment for the first half of the 21st century." Wang Genji, the Minister of the Cooperation Department, said with a bitter face, "How can we know what kind of equipment we need in the future? When I was young, I read science fiction novels and said that by the end of this century, every household would have robots. Everyone would not have to take a car when going out, but drove a spaceship in the sky. But now there are only a few years left before the end of the century. Where is our spaceship?"
Chapter completed!