Chapter 3: Mastering the Core Technology of the 956E!

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The stars were scattered across the sky, and the moon hung high above the branches. At this moment, Su Dingping was hurrying toward his dormitory, clutching a stack of documents with an expression of excitement.

Every piece of material in Professor Zhang’s office that held value for him had been transported into his "Military Industry Illustrated Forging Space." This meant that while he slept at night, his consciousness could continue to conduct research within that realm. As for whether this would affect his academic performance during the day, he still needed to investigate.

As for the empty shipyard, he had already devised a plan: he would replicate it! He would replicate every piece of equipment he could lay eyes on. If one laboratory wasn't enough, he would simply visit a few more. With the vastness of Harbin Institute of Technology and its numerous laboratories, surely he could piece together the equipment required for a shipyard.

Back in his dormitory, Su Dingping washed up briefly. Once he lay down, he entered the Military Industry Illustrated Forging Space to continue his studies. Holding a document, he paced back and forth on the deck of the 956E destroyer while reading. The document in his hand concerned the decommissioned "Type 053K missile frigate, Yingtan."

"The 'Wasp Head' Type 343 fire-control radar on the 053K was an early imitation of the Soviet 'Ball-50' gun-laying radar. It was improved in the 1970s, operating primarily in the X-band, with the ability to switch to the backup Ku-band when subjected to interference..."

Looking at the external structure of the radar on the 956E, Su Dingping fell into deep thought. "The development of any radar cannot be achieved overnight; it is inevitably the result of continuous evolution. By deducing some of the performance characteristics of the 'Ball-50' gun-laying radar from the 053K's 'Wasp Head,' and extrapolating from there, one can at least gain a glimpse into the important attributes of the radar on the 965E."

He was not merely rote-learning; that would make the progress of analysis far too slow. Instead, he infused his own reasoning, knowing that drawing inferences from one instance to others would yield much more.

...

At the sound of his alarm, Su Dingping opened his eyes. He glanced outside; it was already dawn. After a brief internal assessment, he found that working all night in the Military Industry Illustrated Forging Space had not affected his state during the day. This meant he could forge ahead night and day!

Su Dingping arrived at Professor Zhang’s laboratory while munching on a steamed bun. As the door opened, he saw his fellow students busy at work. Clearly, in order to earn the chance to board the 956E, these seniors were giving it their all.

Upon seeing Su Dingping, his senior Huang Wei waved him over, calling out, "Junior, come here quickly."

Su Dingping, who had been busy replicating laboratory equipment, walked toward Huang Wei. "What is it, Senior?"

"Junior, I encountered some problems while studying the materials the professor gave us last night. Could you take a look for me?" As he spoke, Huang Wei shifted slightly to the side.

Su Dingping leaned in and saw that what the other was studying was precisely the "Wasp Head" Type 343 fire-control radar he had looked at the night before.

"It’s like this, Junior: the 'Wasp Head' radar calculates the distance between the target and the shell’s impact water column, automatically solving and correcting the firing data..."

"However, I’ve found that this doesn't avoid the issue of background scattering. The microwave accumulation equation doesn't seem to solve this problem very well." As he spoke, Huang Wei looked at Su Dingping with anticipation.

While it appeared to be related to the "Wasp Head" radar, in reality, this problem was beyond the curriculum, involving the specialized research field of doctoral candidates. Su Dingping didn't overthink it and spoke casually.

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"I considered this problem before, and it is indeed not easy to solve! However, if you add the Moxi wave principle during your calculations, you can significantly..."

Listening to Su Dingping’s words, Huang Wei’s heart skipped a beat. After a long while, Su Dingping concluded, "That’s about it."

Before Huang Wei could speak, his senior Zhao Haikuo immediately said, "What did I say earlier? I told you our junior brother would certainly be able to solve it!"

Huang Wei’s expression dimmed significantly. There was a correct answer to this problem—one he had learned by asking a doctoral student early that morning—and the answer Su Dingping provided was almost identical.

Huang Wei felt despair. It’s over; I’m afraid I can’t compete with our junior brother.

Su Dingping scratched his head, looking around in confusion. Seeing the complex expressions on the faces of his seniors, he suddenly understood. They were testing their competition.

Su Dingping quickly ducked into Professor Zhang’s private office.

Watching Su Dingping close the door, one senior said sourly, "The professor is really biased."

Zhao Haikuo replied, "What’s the point of talking about bias? If you had Dingping’s achievements at nineteen, today we’d be the ones envying you."

"Besides, Dingping is three years behind us and five years younger. If you were the professor, wouldn't you be biased too?"

With Zhao Haikuo playing the peacemaker, the group’s mood balanced out quite a bit.

Huang Wei sighed, "That’s true. Dingping’s level is almost catching up to that doctoral student. If it were me, I’d be biased too."

Patting Huang Wei on the shoulder, Zhao Haikuo said, "Regardless, we must still compete! Even if we don't end up beating our junior brother, we cannot let the students of other professors look down on us!"

In an instant, the group was filled with fighting spirit.

In the days that followed, Zhao Haikuo and the others saw Su Dingping enter the private office almost every day, and they had become accustomed to it. With Su Dingping as an example, Zhao Haikuo and the others felt a sense of urgency.

Three months flew by, and everything was proceeding in an orderly fashion. Just as everyone was sharpening their knives for their graduation projects, Huang Wei suddenly rushed into the laboratory, looking flustered.

"Guys, something has happened."

"What is it?"

"Come over here."

As he spoke, Huang Wei led everyone to the laboratory lounge. He turned on the television, which was playing a military news interview program.

[According to the latest news received by our station, Japan’s fourth Kongo-class guided-missile destroyer has entered production... Expert Liu, what is your take on this?]

[Japan’s Kongo-class is the first Aegis ship outside of the Free Nation’s navy, and its power is unquestionable. The cost of the third ship reached 6.3 billion Chinese Yuan, and the fourth is rumored to have undergone certain upgrades, so the cost should be even higher!]

[Expert Liu, there is a sentiment circulating in Japan that they claim the Chinese Navy will never be able to build modern warships! I ask you, is this really the case?]

Military Expert Liu fell silent.

The reporter continued to ask.

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[Then, what do you think would be the result if the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force and our fleet were to meet at sea?]

Expert Liu fell silent again.

[A senior captain in the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force has boasted that they could annihilate our navy within an hour. Is this truly the case?]

Expert Liu fell silent for the third time.

His silence was deafening.

The students present had complex expressions, their hearts sinking to the bottom.

"Damn it! What do they mean we’ll never build modern warships? What do they mean by annihilating us within an hour? Damn!"

"What was our navy’s total military budget last year? Was it even 7 billion?"

"It seems... maybe it was."

"So, our navy’s total annual budget is only worth the cost of one of their warships! A warship worth six or seven billion, and an Aegis ship at that—how powerful must that be!"

Three months ago, they could still confidently shout about "wolf-pack tactics." But Professor Zhang had personally admitted that the wolf-pack tactics were wrong. Now, they were truly at a loss!

Su Dingping felt a heavy heart. The pressure on the navy was growing ever greater. Although for the future 055 destroyers, the Japanese Kongo-class guided-missile destroyers wouldn't even be considered a younger brother, for the current navy, which only possessed two 956E ships, the pressure brought by every single Kongo-class ship was immense.

Zhao Haikuo looked at Su Dingping, his voice somewhat hoarse. "Junior, you know more than us. Can we really not hold out for an hour?"

Others turned their eyes toward Su Dingping. At this moment, Su Dingping had become the pillar of strength for everyone.

Su Dingping did not answer directly, but instead asked a question in return.

"Senior, do you think we can build them?"

"Core technologies, Western blockades, military funding..."

"Can we, or can we not?"

"I suppose so."

"It’s not 'I suppose,' it is 'we must'! We have no other path!"

After saying this, Su Dingping turned and walked out.

"Junior, where are you going!"

"I’m going to turn 'I suppose' into 'we must'!"

The cool wind of the October night at Harbin Institute of Technology blew fiercely, but Su Dingping’s voice remained clearly audible amidst the freezing gale.

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