Chapter 10: Purchasing Arms

"Is it for you?" "Oh, I have some business; I think you might be interested!" Unexpectedly, this African man's Yanhuang language was very fluent. Although his pronunciation was somewhat strange, it was indeed very clear. Who exactly was he, and did he have any connection to Wang Fan? The answer was that he *was* Wang Fan. How could he have become like this? It turned out that the Plane Ring itself possessed a specific function: when conducting plane transactions, the items being traded were sometimes very sensitive yet extremely precious—such as high-level civilization memory crystals of dubious origin. Therefore, the Plane Ring provided a "disguise" function, which transformed the ring owner into a completely different person in the eyes of others. Since this was a simulated transformation utilizing the chains of laws, not only could height, weight, and skin color change, but even body odor, fingerprints, pupils, voice, and consciousness waves could be altered. This allowed both parties to conduct transactions with peace of mind, without worrying about being targeted by those with ulterior motives. This was originally merely an auxiliary function for transactions between Plane Merchants, but because Wang Fan was currently the only Plane Merchant in his home plane, Yadi Azure utilized this function flexibly. First, he used the ring's spatial scanning to check the area 300 kilometers away; after confirming it was safe, he performed a teleportation. Through multiple teleports, he smuggled himself into Abu Dhabi, UAE, thereby solving a series of problems such as passports and exit approvals. It took only ten minutes in total, covering over 4,000 kilometers through a dozen short-range blinks (it should be noted here that Plane Merchants rarely use blinking within a plane because it consumes "Yu" matter; "Yu" matter is extremely precious, with its global supply calculated based on the remaining amount in each universe, so ordinary Plane Merchants cherish it and only use it for cross-plane travel). Wang Fan relied on the massive amount of "Yu matter" Yadi Azure had left him, combined with the need to race against time and avoid the hassle of visa approvals, to resort to this tactic. Using the ring, he searched for several photos of Africans online, and after referencing them, transformed himself into an African man. Wang Fan arrived at the booth of the Northern Industries Company of the Yanhuang Republic, speaking Mandarin with a deliberate "foreign accent" (the ring automatically added the seasoning to ensure an authentic foreign flavor). After a few rounds of polite greetings with Lieutenant Yan, Wang Fan stopped the Lieutenant's attempt to pitch multiple rocket launchers and said, "I am a merchant and wish to purchase some items, but I estimate only your superiors have the authority for this. I would like you to help me contact them; this is a partial list of the goods I wish to purchase. Take a look!" Having said that, Wang Fan handed a piece of paper to Lieutenant Yan. Upon unfolding it, the Lieutenant saw the following written

1. Type 56 semi-automatic rifles: 1,000,000 units; matching ammunition: 500,000,000 rounds; matching magazines: 10,000,000 units. 2. Type 56 light machine guns: 50,000 units; matching ammunition: 100,000,000 rounds; 100-round belts: 1,000,000 units. 3. Type 75 14.5mm anti-aircraft machine guns: 3,000 units; matching ammunition: 50,000,000 rounds. 4. Wooden-handled grenades: 5,000,000 units. 5. Type 63 60mm mortars: 5,000 units; equipped with 500,000 shells. 6. Type 63 107mm rocket launchers (12-tube): 00 units; equipped with 000,000 shells. 7. RPG-7 rocket launchers: 000 units; equipped with 00,000 rockets. 8. Type 54 76mm cannon (ZIS-3 type 76mm cannon): 300 units; equipped with 150,000 shells. 9. Type 59 tanks: 1,000 units; equipped with 500,000 shells. 10. 500kg aerial bombs: 5,000,000 units. 11. Military trucks: 5,000 units. 12. Military jeeps: 1,000 units. 13. Man-portable surface-to-air missiles: 1,000 units; matching missiles: 100,000 units. 14. Additionally, 300 units of 155mm howitzers with 300,000 shells, etc...

"Hiss~~" Lieutenant Yan sucked in a breath of cold air. He knew that if this person was not a liar or a madman, then this order was too massive—so massive that it would directly alert the highest levels of the military. "Please maintain confidentiality. I would like you to notify your superiors, and we shall find another location to talk." Ten minutes later, Wang Fan and Lieutenant Yan acted as if the deal had failed to reach an agreement. They dispersed, looked at other booths for a while, and then separately walked out of the exhibition hall. They met again at a corner of the exhibition grounds, got into a sedan, and wound their way through various streets to a remote small tea garden in the southwest of the city. While tea houses with an Oriental charm were rare in Abu Dhabi, there were always a few dotting the city's building blocks. The "Zhonghua Drama Tea House" was one such place; while it operated for profit, it also provided a favorable venue and cover for the Yanhuang Republic's operations. Upon entering the private room, Wang Fan saw a middle-aged man around 50 years old, dressed in civilian clothes, with very little emotion on his face and carrying the crisp, efficient aura unique to the military. "Hello, my name is Zhao Yang!" the middle-aged man said, extending his right hand. "Hello, my name is John!" Wang Fan knew deeply that when conversing with such a battle-hardened old fox, it was easiest to fail by saying too much. Thus, his strategy was simple: speak little, speak according to his own thoughts; to use the words of the Great Ancestor: "You do your thing, and I'll do mine." "Mr. John, your fluent Chinese surprises me, and the order amount surprises me even more. If it is convenient to answer, could you tell me which country you are from?" "Mr. Zhao Yang, my time is limited. I need to finalize this order contract during the exhibition, so let's get straight to the point. First, the list on the paper is only my initial purchase volume. If our cooperation is pleasant, there will be more orders later. I want to ask, can your country provide the above goods?" "This quantity is extremely large." "If you have difficulties, I can look elsewhere!" "Mr. John is quite impatient. We can meet the demand, no problem; especially since the weapon models you specified are from my country." "My client has one more requirement: the goods must be fully prepared within 12 days." "This is asking too much. Sea transport alone takes more than 12 days. Where in Africa do you plan to ship them?" Zhao Yang felt that only the war zones in Africa would require such a large amount of obsolete weapons. "We can find our own shipping company for sea transport. Your country only needs to guarantee that the goods arrive at the designated domestic port warehouse within 12 days. Is that possible?" "I need to consult my superiors. I will give you an answer tomorrow." "I'm sorry, with such a massive deal, I need to find a suitable seller during the exhibition, so time is tight. I will wait here for one hour, okay?" "Damned African," Zhao Yang cursed inwardly. "If it weren't for the sake of the money, hmph!!" Within the Yanhuang Republic, there were internal quotas for weapon exports, increasing by a certain percentage every year. This contract was not only high in total value but could also greatly clear the military's previous inventory. The production cost was zero, and since the military also required considerable expenditure for the annual preservation and destruction of weapons, once this business was completed, the net profit would be extremely substantial. This order was reported directly to the African Department of the National Defense Ministry of the Yanhuang Republic via encrypted email. The staff did not dare to make the decision themselves, and seeing the urgent tone in the document, they reported it directly to the Vice Minister in charge of the Army. The Vice Minister also did not dare to be negligent and immediately consulted General Xu, a Republic general currently working in the capital. The 68-year-old General Xu was known for his fiery temper, rigorous military management, and tough style; he never procrastinated. After seeing this contract, he thought for a moment, made two inquiry calls, and then issued an instruction: *Approved! Dealing with our military's outdated inventory and accelerating weapon upgrades and replacements will help improve our combat effectiveness. Please have the Northern Company handle the coordination. It is suggested to require the buyer to pay the full deposit before allocating military supplies to avoid being swindled!* Upon hearing this result, Comrade Zhao Yang immediately conveyed the domestic opinion to John while inquiring about the payment method. "Provide me with an account, and I will first pay 10% of the total goods value as a deposit. However, before that, we must discuss the price!" Comrade Wang Fan did not know that because of General Xu's instruction, this contract had become a political task that had to be completed, which left the officer Zhao Yang feeling immense pressure. Looking at the weapons Comrade Wang Fan had chosen: first, they satisfied the massive inventory; second, the unit price was low; third, they were easy to maintain and quick to master. The Type 56 7.62mm semi-automatic rifle (the Type 56 automatic rifle is the AK; Wang Fan had his own ideas, and this procurement did not involve it) was modeled after the former Soviet SKS semi-automatic rifle. In 1956, the Yanhuang Republic introduced the complete set of technical data from the former Soviet Union for imitation. Its improvements included: replacing the original sword-shaped bayonet with the Yun-type bayonet (both types of bayonets were used for the 56 semi-automatic), embedding the receiver cover into the handguard, replacing the wooden stock with a fiberglass stock, and replacing some die-cast parts with stamped, riveted, or precision-cast parts. Performance data: Caliber: 7.62mm; Muzzle velocity: 735m/s; Effective range: 400m; Rate of fire: 35–40 rounds/min; Magazine capacity: 10 rounds; Total length: 1260mm (bayonet attached) / 1010mm (bayonet folded); Total weight: 3.85kg (unloaded). "The Type 56 semi-automatic rifle has an allocation price of 600 per unit. I'll just give you the allocation price, how about it?" "Too high. The quantity I need is very large. If our cooperation is pleasant, I will buy several million more later. A fixed price: 300 yuan." "That is too low! How about 500 yuan?" "Let's say 400 yuan." "Fine, that will be 400 million yuan!" "The bullets are 0.4 yuan per round, so that's 200 million. Adding 50 million for the magazines, the total is 650 million." The Type 56 7.62mm light machine gun was an imitation of the former Soviet RPD light machine gun. It was standardized in 1956, and in 1963, it was improved and redesigned as the Type 56-1, which was widely equipped in the troops. The gun uses a gas-operated automatic principle, a bolt-locking mechanism with a locking piece, and is fed by belts and ammunition boxes, capable only of burst fire; it uses a fixed barrel. Caliber: 7.62mm; Total length: 1037mm; Barrel length: 500mm; Sight line length: 596.5mm; Total weight: 7.9kg; Muzzle velocity: 735m/s; Theoretical rate of fire: 650 rounds/min; Combat rate of fire: 150 rounds/min; Maximum range: 1000m; Effective range: 800m. "000 yuan per unit? Too high, let's say 1000 yuan!" "The minimum is 1,000 yuan; that is the bottom price." "Fine, then including bullets, belts, and so on, the total cost is 85 million yuan." The Type 75 14.5mm anti-aircraft machine gun was a product designed and improved by our country with reference to the former Soviet BYB 14.5mm anti-aircraft machine gun, standardized in 1981. The gun consists of one Type 56 14.5mm anti-aircraft machine gun body and a mount, with the lower mount using a tripod. The sighting device consists of an anti-aircraft sight and a direct-fire sight, with the direct-fire sight fixed onto the body of the anti-aircraft sight. The anti-aircraft sight is an optical miniature annular sight, and the direct-fire sight is a Type 58 dual-link anti-aircraft machine gun sight. The gun uses a gas-assisted short-recoil automatic principle, with a rotating bolt head and a locking mechanism where the interrupted screw connects to the barrel; it uses closed-type belts and ammunition boxes for automatic fire and features a gas-cooled, replaceable barrel. Caliber: 14.5mm; Body length: 3900mm; Barrel length: 1342mm; Total weight: 140kg; Single barrel weight: 19.5kg; Muzzle velocity: 980–995m/s; Theoretical rate of fire: 550–600 rounds/min; Combat rate of fire: 80 rounds/min; Effective range: 000m (anti-aircraft) / 1000m (direct fire); Magazine capacity: 80 rounds; Ammunition: Type 56 14.5x114mm. This item was finally closed at 200 million yuan. The 1963-style 60mm mortar (referred to as the Type 63 60mm mortar). This mortar was designed and standardized in 1963, and production and troop deployment began in 1964. The Type 63 mortar has a barrel length of 618mm, a tube length of 550mm, a total mass (excluding the sight) of 12.5kg, an optical sight mass of 0.3kg, a barrel mass of 4.5kg, a mount mass of 4.6kg, and a baseplate mass of 3.4kg. Maximum range is 140m, minimum range is 70m, maximum rate of fire is 30–35 rounds/min, elevation range is 40°–80°, and traverse is 4.2° to the left and right. Maximum muzzle velocity is 140m/s, minimum is 70m/s. It is carried by one person, and the mortar crew consists of 5 people. This item was closed at 500 million yuan. The RPG-7 40mm rocket launcher has a thin tube wall, small mass, great power, long range, small backblast, and a sturdy, durable structure; it can be fired from both the left and right shoulders. The accompanying PG-7V and PG-7Vm HEAT rounds have penetration thicknesses of 350mm and 400mm respectively against rolled homogeneous armor, with a direct fire distance of 300m. The contract price for this item was 300 million yuan. The 107mm rocket launcher—usually, people group the AK-47 assault rifle, the RPG-7 rocket launcher, and the 107mm rocket launcher together as the three most famous conventional weapons in the world. Tactically speaking, the AK-47, RPG-7, and 107mm rocket launcher each have their own roles. For targets beyond 300 meters, only the 107mm rocket launcher is a simple, practical, cheap, and reliable weapon. The Type 63 107mm 12-tube rocket launcher was developed in 1961 and standardized for mass production in 1963, being widely equipped in the troops. Caliber: 107mm; Total weight in marching state: 385kg; Total weight in combat state: 613kg; Length in marching state: 2600mm; Width in marching state: 1400mm; Height in marching state: 1100mm; Director length: 900mm; Total projectile weight: 18.8kg; Muzzle velocity: 31.4m/s; Maximum flight speed: 372m/s; Maximum range: 8500m; Firing interval: 0.6–0.8 seconds; Elevation range: 0°–60°; Traverse: 15° to the left and right; Crew size: 5 people. The Type 54 76mm cannon is an imitation of the Soviet ZIS-3 76mm cannon, primarily performing infantry support, fire support, and anti-tank missions. The gun crew consists of 8 people: 1 commander, 1 deputy commander, and 6 gunners. The commander is responsible for training gunners and commanding the crew in combat; the deputy commander also serves as the aimer, responsible for aiming the sights and firing; the first gunner is responsible for opening and closing the breech and checking/reporting recoil; the second gunner is the loader; the third gunner is the fuse setter, responsible for setting fuses and passing shells; the fourth, fifth, and sixth gunners are ammunition handlers responsible for preparing shells; during marching, the fifth and sixth gunners serve as horse drivers or vehicle drivers. It is fast-firing, accurate, and reliable; various types of trucks or even jeeps can be used for towing, and in emergencies, it can be pulled by livestock or artillery teams. The Type 59 medium tank's main weapon is one 100mm rifled gun, with a barrel length of 5350mm and a maximum rate of fire of 7 rounds/min. The vehicle carries 34 shells, and auxiliary weapons include one 12.7mm anti-aircraft machine gun mounted on top of the turret, one 7.62mm coaxial machine gun mounted to the right of the main gun, and one 7.62mm front machine gun mounted in front of the driver on the right. It uses rolled homogeneous steel armor, with a maximum thickness of 00mm. The hull is welded from rolled steel plates. Additionally, there are man-portable anti-aircraft missiles, 155mm howitzers, and several shells, etc. The total cost of the above contract was 8.2 billion RMB, which is approximately 1.54 billion USD. Looking at this contract, Wang Fan couldn't help but sigh; previously, with a salary of over 10,000, he felt it was hard to save money, but now spending 8.2 billion felt no different from spending 82 yuan—he felt nothing at all! Do not underestimate this amount; one must know that the total contract value for Abu Dhabi in 2013 was only around 300 million RMB, which was created by 1,112 enterprises from 59 countries and regions worldwide. This single contract accounts for nearly one-third of Abu Dhabi's transaction volume, and it is exclusively for the Yanhuang Republic! Especially since it is a clearance of inventory, the production cost is zero, and it can simultaneously save on maintenance and disposal fees; the contract profit margin is nearly 100%—how bountiful! How massive is the gap!! For those 1,100-plus non-Yanhuang military industrial enterprises, besides weeping, do they even have any other choice?