Chapter 32: Keeping Su Dingping in the Navy in Broad Daylight

The afternoon sun slanted into the room, bathing Su Dingping in its warm glow. Coupled with the steady, fervent gaze of the naval officers and men, Su Dingping looked radiant at this moment.

Sun Yongguo and the others stood there, staring blankly at the scene before them. They had expected Su Dingping to lead everyone in a simple oath before starting the 956E dismantling project. They never imagined he would perform far beyond their wildest expectations.

"Firing the first shot in the counter-attack against Western technological blockades"—that single sentence surpassed any formal oath. What immense courage!

The group exchanged glances, their faces filled with disbelief. Hadn't he said he wouldn't do it? Hadn't they agreed that Dean Sun would be the one to speak? Had they spent all that time worrying and offering encouragement for nothing?

Sun Yongguo sighed inwardly, thinking, "It’s a good thing I didn't go up there; otherwise, we wouldn't have achieved such an effect."

The emotions of the naval personnel had been completely stirred up by Su Dingping. Each of them was now eager to step onto the "corpse" of the 956E and look toward a future that belonged to the Navy itself. For a moment, everyone felt a complex mixture of emotions. Was this the ambition a nineteen-year-old youth should have? Perhaps it was precisely because of his youth that he possessed a madness they could not match. Perhaps it was that very youth that fueled his indomitable spirit—the attitude of, "Who says we can't? I will show you that we can!"

In a daze, Sun Yongguo and the others recalled a moment in Zhang Gongnong’s laboratory when Xu Dongguo had asked Su Dingping what reward he wanted. Su Dingping had replied, "What Westerners can do, we Chinese are not lacking in intellect; we can do exactly the same!"

Looking at the current scene, everything seemed to be moving in that direction.

"Making Comrade Dingping lead everyone was the right decision," Lu Guangjun whispered.

"Indeed," Sun Yongguo agreed with emotion. "If it had been me, it probably would have been just another set of bureaucratic platitudes. But Dingping is different; he possesses a drive that we simply lack. It is as if nothing in this world can stop him."

Lu Guangjun glanced at Sun Yongguo and teased, "To be honest, if you had gone up there and said those things, I might have suspected you were talking nonsense. But hearing those words from Comrade Dingping, I don't know why, but I truly believe we can do it!"

Sun Yongguo did not take offense at the jest. Different levels of competence naturally bring different levels of conviction to one's words. He acknowledged that he lacked that level of persuasive power. Everyone could see Su Dingping’s capability, so they placed absolute trust in his words.

"A hero emerges from the youth—the Chief was right!" Zhang Gongnong sighed with deep emotion. His own student, in just half a year, had gone from silence to a thunderous debut.

***

"Dean Sun, Dean Lu, I leave the next phase of the task to you." Su Dingping returned the salute of the naval officers and then turned to address Sun Yongguo and his colleagues.

The group snapped back to reality from their shock. "Don't worry, we won't hold you back!"

Following Su Dingping’s command, the massive 956E dismantling project began with a roar.

"Follow me, we are responsible for cutting the naval guns."
"Over here, the anti-aircraft guns are our responsibility."
"The external structure of the Fregat radar is our task. Everyone be careful and follow the steps I’ve outlined..."

The professors worked in pairs, each leading a dozen naval personnel to tackle their respective assignments. Meanwhile, Su Dingping returned to his quarters.

The deafening sound of cutting was pervasive, but for Su Dingping, it was no distraction. After reviewing the blueprints on his desk, he quickly entered the Military Industry Catalog forging space. The shipyard, once crowded with machine tools and instruments, was now largely cleared out, with new design blueprints spread across the surrounding area.

He picked up a document at random; it was titled "A Discussion on Several Issues in the Overall Technology of Shipborne Guided Rockets." These were classified documents that Lu Guangjun had managed to bring over from the 408 Research Institute. In order to secure two learning spots, he had disregarded whether these materials were sensitive. In fact, Lu Guangjun had already drafted a report taking responsibility, waiting for an opportunity to submit it to Xu Dongguo. Su Dingping, however, was unaware of Lu Guangjun’s plans.

"...After the rocket leaves the rail, the disturbances encountered during unguided flight also affect launch precision. The eccentricity of the engine’s thrust is influenced by multiple complex additional moments..."
"...The swaying of the orientation instrument produces a certain coupling phenomenon..."
"...How can the probability of this coupling phenomenon be minimized? The 'Spudasi' fluid mechanics hypothesis inferred by Dean Lu and his team may not be the right path..."

While reading, Su Dingping took out paper and pen and began to calculate according to the formulas mentioned in the document.

That evening, in Xu Dongguo’s office, watching the video on his screen, Xu Dongguo could not help but exclaim, "Good!"

The video was the footage of Su Dingping’s declaration in front of the 956E earlier that afternoon. Closing his laptop, Xu Dongguo mused, "If every young descendant of our China were like this, why should we worry about the success of our great national rejuvenation?"

He shook his head with a smile. He knew he was being too greedy. If everyone were like Su Dingping, challenging the hegemon of the world would only be a matter of time.

***

But as things stood, let alone the world’s hegemon, even the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force—the self-proclaimed "little hegemon" of the Asian seas—was enough to give the Navy a headache.

Bringing his thoughts back, Xu Dongguo asked, "How is the 956E dismantling project progressing?"

Sun Yongguo replied, "Report to the Chief: with the cooperation of the professors and the many naval personnel, everything is proceeding smoothly!"

"That is good. I leave this matter to you. With Comrade Su Dingping overseeing it, I am at ease."

"Comrade Dingping returned to his quarters later; I didn't see him before I came here."

"He is still young, and to have such a heavy burden placed on his shoulders so suddenly—my heart aches for him." After a moment of thought, Xu Dongguo said, "Let him have a good night's rest."

Sun Yongguo nodded and continued, "Chief, this is the application for the military funding required for this project. Would you please take a look?"

Xu Dongguo took it and glanced over it. It totaled over 35 million. Just for dismantling? He scanned further down, and his eyebrows jumped. It also included subsequent consumables, repairs, and other costs. Compared to the 1.5 billion budget, this was a pittance.

"Will this be enough? Why not apply for more? At this critical juncture, just ask for whatever you need; I will find a way if it’s not enough!"

"Chief, it is enough! Comrade Dingping listed the detailed costs, and this amount is perfectly sufficient. With Comrade Dingping keeping a tight watch, many unnecessary expenses can be avoided. He has saved us a massive amount of military funding!"

Hearing this, Xu Dongguo signed the funding application. The ease of this approval surprised Sun Yongguo slightly; he knew that at the end of the year, the Navy’s budget was already scraping the bottom of the barrel. He had wondered where the thirty-plus million would be squeezed from.

Taking back the signed document, Sun Yongguo tucked it away carefully. "Chief, this is a report I drafted. Please take a look and see what you think."

As he spoke, he handed over the proposal he had drafted last night regarding conferring a rank upon Su Dingping. Xu Dongguo opened it and glanced through; his eyes lit up.

Confer a rank on Su Dingping! Why hadn't he thought of that before? This would allow him to keep Su Dingping in the Navy in a formal and legitimate capacity.

"Comrade Yongguo, you have done well!"