"This guy actually has the guts!" Huang He didn't know that a certain important figure was also watching the TV program, listening to Huang He's grand pronouncements.
Then he turned to an old man beside him and asked, "Mr. Huang, how much truth and how much falsehood do you think your young relative's words hold? Can it truly be realized?"
This old man was a veteran engineer of China's railway industry and also the country's top expert. After pondering for a moment, he said, "The data Huang He mentioned contains too many speculative elements, and his ideas are overly optimistic, failing to consider the numerous problems that might arise during the actual process."
"Therefore, I estimate that if the vacuum high-speed railway he speaks of is truly to be built, the actual cost will be about eight times that of a normal railway!" said Engineer Huang.
"Oh!" The important figure raised his eyebrows. "So, this vacuum high-speed railway is potentially achievable?"
"Yes!" Mr. Wang said very affirmatively. "This is not a technology beyond our era. Just as this young fellow said, both vacuum technology and maglev technology already have a certain foundation. If we focus research on this field, we will definitely achieve results."
"If no results are achieved in 20 years, then they will certainly be achieved in 30 years, but..."
"But what?"
"But it will require massive funding, a lot of money, extensive basic scientific research, and a scientific research team of tens of thousands of people to focus on this project for 10 to 20 years. The annual expenditure could be in the tens of billions!" said Engineer Huang.
"Huang He told me that 50 billion out of his 60 billion loan will be invested in this project!" the important figure said with a frown. "Isn't 50 billion enough?"
"50 billion can at most support it for 5 years!" Engineer Huang sighed. "I greatly admire this young fellow's courage, but the fact is, 50 billion is far from enough."
"Then what if we use 50 billion to undertake this project ourselves?" the other person asked.
"That 50 billion can at best support it for two years, and the results might not be as substantial as the young fellow's! After all, he has Black Gold in his hands, that stuff is too monstrous. I even think this Black Gold has the potential to become a room-temperature superconductor. And with a room-temperature superconductor, all the technical problems in maglev technology would be completely eliminated," Engineer Huang said with a wry smile.
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Sitting on the sofa in the studio, Huang He was unaware that two people were discussing the success of his project. However, Huang He himself had no doubts about it.
Perhaps many people still harbored doubts about this technology, thinking it was something Musk was boasting about. But in reality, by 2020, this technology was already largely mature, and feasible techniques had been developed in laboratories.
The scientific communities of Europe, the United States, and China had all simultaneously launched research and development efforts for this technology, so there was no doubt that it was indeed feasible.
In fact, as of 2020, the bigger issues for this technology were how to maintain the vacuum within the pipes, how to ensure the pipe materials could withstand pressure for a longer duration, and in the event of an accident during use, how to carry out emergency rescue operations to ensure human safety.
Of course, the most important point was which country had the ability to shell out trillions of Renminbi to build such a high-speed railway imbued with unimaginable technology, and how such a high-speed railway would be profitable.
Huang He believed that by initiating the research and development of vacuum high-speed rail technology about 10 years ahead of time, this extra decade would be sufficient for him to solve these problems.
And in the end, even if these problems could not be solved and the vacuum high-speed rail became a pipe dream, it would not represent a significant loss for Boss Huang.
Firstly, in the process of researching vacuum high-speed rail technology, more related technologies would inevitably emerge. The useful ones could be integrated into the various industries under Jiangnan Group.
Those that Jiangnan Group could not use could be contributed to the alliance and sold to its members.
Even if there were still a large number of technologies that were truly useless, they could still be patented to form patent barriers and to annoy competitors.
In summary, Jiangnan Group was only researching the technology, not actually building such a railway. Therefore, the future investment would at most be around two to three hundred billion Renminbi. However, Huang He believed that the various new technologies developed along the way would be sufficient to offset this cost.
In addition to this, it would help Boss Huang build his personal brand. Although Boss Huang despised guys like Musk, one thing had to be admitted: Musk's personal brand was of immense help to all his companies.
A single word from Musk could stir up huge waves, and Musk himself was seen by many as the embodiment of technology, representing the forefront of science and technology.
The benefits of this were enormous, bringing huge sales to his own products. The most significant example was Tesla's sales in China, which soared, devastating BYD, which had been accumulating for over a decade.
The last person who successfully built such a personal brand was Steve Jobs.
For example, it was like undergoing tribulation to ascend to immortality. As long as Huang He successfully built the vacuum high-speed railway, he would have successfully passed the tribulation and become an immortal untouchable by international standards, enjoying immense fame. Huang He would also become a banner of China's rise, after which he could do whatever he wanted with his five minor goals.
If he failed...
If he failed, then he failed. Huang He was still rich, with only slightly more debt.
This was precisely why Huang He was so resolutely pushing for this vacuum high-speed train. Of course, he had reported this matter to the higher-ups in advance, but they had not responded. Huang He himself did not know how they would handle this matter.
He hoped they wouldn't treat him as a mere braggart.
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"If... hypothetically, if Huang He really succeeded in his research, could it help us achieve the great historical rejuvenation?" asked the important figure earnestly in that room.
"I'm not sure about that. I'm in technology development and don't understand economic issues!" Engineer Huang paused and then said, "But I know that if we become the first country in the world to possess a vacuum high-speed rail system, the entire set of technologies brought by this system will impact hundreds of industries nationwide, leading to millions of technological innovations."
"And if it's possible to travel from the southernmost tip of our country to the northernmost tip in just one hour, and with the capacity for mass transportation, even transporting tens of thousands of people per hour, then this would be a huge advantage that no other country could possess."
"Moreover, internationally, our country will truly shed the label of a technologically weak nation. Those who make sarcastic remarks will be silenced. At the same time, we will stand at the apex of the world, and no one will dare to look down on us anymore. The United States would never dare to treat us with the current attitude, and we will definitely achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation!"
"Perhaps the five minor goals that young fellow promised could truly be realized within our lifetime!" said Chief Engineer Huang.
"I see..." the important figure pondered for a moment and then said, "Mr. Huang, aren't you close to 65 this year?"
"Yes! Next year I will reach retirement age!" Chief Engineer Huang nodded with a wry smile, understanding the important figure's intention.
"Then there's no need to wait any longer. You can retire early in the next few months, and then I'll trouble you to contribute your remaining years of expertise to that young fellow's project."
"Oh, and I've heard that the institute is having some salary difficulties, and many young people don't have housing. This is not good; they are the pillars and the future of our country, and we cannot let them be disheartened."
"So, select a few hundred people you deem essential and bring them with you. Let Huang He pay their salaries; he has 50 billion."
"Sir, you are truly devoted to helping this young fellow!" Engineer Huang chuckled. Although Huang He possessed strong research capabilities in electronic technology, the intersection between vacuum high-speed rail and electronic technology was not significant, and Huang He was practically starting from scratch in this area, with few demonstrable technical strengths.
Huang He had originally planned to recruit a large number of talents in this field over the next year. However, now, with top talent like Engineer Huang leading hundreds of specialized professionals, Huang He's team would immediately reach the pinnacle of China's capabilities.
This was indeed a tremendous help for Huang He.
"I am not helping him; he is doing well!" the important figure said with a slight smile. "You don't need to be on the front lines laboring over technical research. You just need to oversee the overall picture, guide the general research direction, and help that young fellow with some issues to prevent him from making detours."
"On the other hand, you will also keep an eye on that young fellow for me. He said he would invest 50 billion, right? You will manage that 50 billion, and you can decide how to invest it technically. Oh, and even without this 50 billion, that young fellow has plenty of money now. Let him take good care of your retirement; the money will be calculated separately!" the important figure said with a smile.
"Wouldn't that be too much of a disadvantage for the young fellow? After all, he still has to pay a lot of interest!"
"Since he dares to borrow and propose such a bold plan, he will resolve the financial issues himself. However, other problems will be resolved by me. I will guarantee him 10 years of peace and safety!" the important figure said lightly, emanating a golden aura.