Chapter 48: That Man's Name is Su Dingping

In the briefing hall, the commanders of the Navy's three major fleets had already gathered.

"Chief, this is against the rules," Qian Wenbing said with great dissatisfaction.

"What right does Xu Dongguo have to hold up the 956E procurement plan? When I ask him, he won't give me an explanation! His Northern Fleet is doing just fine, having been allocated a 956E, but my Southern Fleet has nothing—we're just holding the line with a single 052! But can a 052 even compare to a 956E?"

Liu Huaming, the leader, sat there calmly listening.

"Xu Dongguo's Northern Fleet is meant to guard the Capital, but my Southern Fleet is also tasked with defending the southern waters, isn't it? With such a vast expanse of sea, how can we defend it without modern warships!"

It was obvious that Qian Wenbing held a massive grudge against Xu Dongguo for his repeated "forgetfulness." He had been stewing in anger, waiting for this very day.

"I asked him for an explanation, and he said it wasn't convenient to explain! Hah, I just don't get it—what kind of secret could he know that I'm not allowed to know? Then he said he'd transfer a 956E to me. Let me make one thing clear: I'm not being unreasonable, but he keeps going back on his word!"

"He knows I'm busy and don't have time to go to Qingdao to find him, so he just plays me for a fool. Isn't that just bullying!"

"He has the 956E, so the Northern Fleet has its confidence, but what about my Southern Fleet? People are practically bullying us at our own doorstep!"

Qian Wenbing continued to rant and rave.

If the setting had allowed it, he would have lashed out at Xu Dongguo long ago if they had met privately.

If he wasn't going to give it, he shouldn't have given a hollow promise. To promise something and then fail to deliver—wasn't that just playing with people's emotions?

Was this a game of house? Did the Southern Fleet not need to eat?

If you have one, why won't you let me have one? It's absurd!

"Such a thing happened?" Liu Huaming looked toward Xiao Chongjun, the commander of the Eastern Fleet.

Xiao Chongjun shook his head.

He truly didn't know about this.

The second 956E was sitting perfectly fine in his Eastern Fleet; he didn't care about the ownership of the other one.

However, he could fully understand, because this was how things worked for everyone.

In any year when the leaders of the three fleets met, wouldn't there be some sparks flying?

There was no helping it; the Navy had limited funds and limited resources, and everyone wanted a larger share. The seas were vast and the predators were many; they had to demand more.

But there wasn't enough to go around, so they had to fight for it.

Back when they fought over the 052s, Xu Dongguo never beat the other two; it was only after that the Northern Fleet got the third 052.

Later, when fighting over the 956Es, Qian Wenbing never beat Xu Dongguo.

"Come to think of it, we are paying the lion's share for the second purchase of the 956E just to fill a gap in our Navy. What kind of saint is Xu Dongguo trying to be here?"

Qian Wenbing was determined to lodge a formal complaint and showed no sign of stopping.

"If we had the leverage, who would be willing to humble themselves and spend money to buy from someone else? I hate spending the money too, but there's no other way!"

Liu Huaming could see that Qian Wenbing harbored significant resentment toward Xu Dongguo.

He had grown accustomed to such matters.

He waved his hand to signal for the man to calm down, then spoke: "Where is Comrade Dongguo? He has never been late to a meeting before!"

Xiao Chongjun shook his head.

Qian Wenbing sneered, "Hah, he probably doesn't have the face to see me."

Just as he finished speaking, the door was pushed open, and Xu Dongguo's voice rang out.

"Who says I don't have the face to see him? Here I am!"

Xu Dongguo walked in with a smile, appearing to be in a very good mood, completely unbothered by Qian Wenbing's backbiting.

"You shameless Xu Dongguo, you actually have the nerve to show up! What about the 956E you promised!"

"It's been dismantled."

"What! Dismantled!"

Upon hearing this, Qian Wenbing flew into a rage.

If you weren't going to give it, why did you dismantle it?

Was it even yours? Nominally, it already belonged to my Southern Fleet!

"Chief, you saw that! Xu Dongguo is too shameless! To avoid giving me the 956E, he dismantled it!"

"What did we say during our meeting? The 956E absolutely cannot be dismantled; that is the bottom line! If a powerful enemy invades, we need it to meet them!"

As he spoke, he glared at Xu Dongguo: "Xu Dongguo, if something goes wrong, I want to see how you take responsibility!"

Xu Dongguo simply sat down, completely ignoring Qian Wenbing's words.

"Chief, look at him!"

"Enough!" Liu Huaming's voice rose several decibels. "If you two want to argue, go outside! Is this the place for your bickering!"

Qian Wenbing fell silent immediately, though the indignation on his face had not yet fully subsided.

Seeing that the two had finally calmed down, Liu Huaming said, "Comrade Dongguo, why was the 956E dismantled?"

"Chief, it's a long story."

Qian Wenbing muttered, "I'd like to see how you try to turn black into white."

Xu Dongguo spoke as if to himself.

"Actually, the day after I promised to transfer the 956E to the Southern Fleet, the 956E was dismantled!"

As soon as these words were uttered, Qian Wenbing was stunned.

I thought you were just using stalling tactics, but I didn't realize you never intended to give it to me at all.

"You, Xu... you..."

This time, even Liu Huaming frowned slightly.

"Comrade Dongguo, you have indeed gone a bit too far this time."

Xu Dongguo had not yet received the news that the 956E assembly was successful, so he could not answer the question directly.

Matters without a conclusion were not suitable for this setting.

"The reason!"

"Chief, before I give the reason, I want to mention something else." After a pause, he added to Qian Wenbing, "Don't worry, Old Qian, the 956E will definitely be given to you. If everything goes smoothly, it will be shipped today!"

Qian Wenbing, who had been in the middle of a rage, suddenly sensed something was off.

In a setting like this, if the other party said such a thing, he certainly wasn't trying to deceive them! But wasn't the 956E dismantled? How could it be shipped today? He didn't believe Xu Dongguo would just ship a pile of spare parts.

They were all sharp men; he clearly sensed there was more to Xu Dongguo's words.

Now, even the usually detached Xiao Chongjun couldn't help but feel a surge of curiosity.

Liu Huaming said, "Let's hear it."

Xu Dongguo placed the prepared documents on the table, took the top one, and handed it to Liu Huaming.

"Chief, this is the result of the second modification of the 051B."

Second modification?

Wasn't it a failure?

Confused, Liu Huaming took the documents and began to flip through them.

This document was exactly the encrypted telegram that Lyu Guangjun had sent not long ago.

Qian Wenbing and Xiao Chongjun looked at each other in confusion, wondering what Xu Dongguo was up to.

They looked toward Liu Huaming, only to see a visible change in his expression.

Now, their curiosity grew even deeper.

The fact that it could change Liu Huaming's expression showed the importance of these documents.

Before he had even finished reading, Liu Huaming looked at Xu Dongguo and asked, "Comrade Dongguo, is the data in here all real?"

"Yes, Chief!" Xu Dongguo said solemnly. "The avionics, the communication and transmission systems, the electronic warfare systems, the missile systems... all the core equipment on the 051B have crossed the threshold of modernization!"

"The 051B, after the second modification, has officially joined the ranks of modern warships!"

Hearing this, Qian Wenbing and Xiao Chongjun were profoundly shaken.

After flipping through it, Liu Huaming handed it to the other two to continue reading.

After they finished, they were too shocked to speak.

Our Navy has a self-developed, modern warship? Am I dreaming? We've waited so long, through so many moons, that we've grown used to disappointment—and now, at this moment, we've succeeded?

"Wasn't the second modification of the 051B a failure early last December?" Qian Wenbing asked urgently.

"Yes, it failed then. It succeeded later."

"A little over a month apart?"

"Yes!"

"How is that possible?"

"Because of one person!" Xu Dongguo looked at Qian Wenbing and said, "It was precisely because of him that I decided to dismantle the 956E I had promised you!"

Xiao Chongjun pressed, "Who?"

"That person's name is—Su Dingping!"