128: Chapter 128 Strategic Counterattack with Three Fronts

December 11th, one day before the Double Twelve shopping festival.

At the Xinghuo Electronics headquarters, the atmosphere in the war room was even more fanatical than at Red Flag. Zhang Yang stood in front of the big screen, which displayed 3D models of the six main products.

“Tomorrow, we are going to fight a battle,” Zhang Yang’s voice was crisp and powerful. “It is not an ordinary promotional war; it is a battle to defend the dignity of domestic goods.”

He pulled up the proposal:

Theme: Domestic Goods Rise Up, Xinghuo Illuminates China.

Discount: 20% off across the board, 30% off on select items.

Slogan: Every cent spent is a vote for technological self-reliance.

“Six blockbuster products must all become number one in their categories,” Zhang Yang pointed at the screen. “Drones, benchmarking against DJI; action cameras, benchmarking against GoPro; smartwatches, benchmarking against Apple and Samsung; Bluetooth earphones, benchmarking against AirPods; for power banks and smart speakers, we will define new standards.”

The Marketing Director raised a hand: “CEO Li, with a 20% discount, our profit margin...”

“Don't worry about profit margins,” Zhang Yang interrupted. “The state has provided 30 billion in consumer electronics subsidies, and the group has provided another 20 billion in discounts. With 50 billion in ammunition, it is enough for us to fight a price war for a year. What we want is market share, user mindshare, and dominance in the supply chain.”

He pulled up the competitor data: “DJI drones have an average price of 8,000 yuan, we sell for 7,200 yuan. GoPro has an average price of 4,000 yuan, we sell for 2,799 yuan. Apple watches have an average price of 3,000 yuan, we sell for 999 yuan. The price difference is our moat. Moreover, our technology is not inferior, and in some areas, it even has advantages.”

Six blockbuster products:

Xinghuo No. 4 Drone: Original price 8,999 yuan -> 7,200 yuan. Selling point: “Equipped with self-developed Flint chip, more stable flight.”

Lingmou 3 Action Camera: Original price 3,499 yuan -> 2,799 yuan. Selling point: “5K image stabilization, half the price of GoPro.”

Xingguang Smartwatch 2nd Gen: Original price 1,299 yuan -> 999 yuan. Selling point: “20-day battery life, surpassing Apple and Samsung.”

Xingguang Bluetooth Earphones 2nd Gen: Original price 999 yuan -> 599 yuan. Selling point: “Self-developed chip, lowest latency.”

Spark Power Bank (New): 299 yuan -> 199 yuan. Selling point: “100W fast charging, fully charges a phone in 30 minutes.”

Xinghuo Smart Speaker (New): 599 yuan -> 399 yuan. Selling point: “Equipped with ‘Xinghuo Large Model’ beta version, smartest in Chinese.”

“But what about performance?”

“Performance is not inferior,” Zhang Yang said confidently. “The drone is equipped with the self-developed Flint chip, and the flight control algorithm has been optimized for three years. The action camera uses image stabilization technology transferred from military to civilian use. The smartwatch has a 20-day battery life because it uses Spark Power’s battery technology.”

He paused: “More importantly—emotional identification. Buying Xinghuo now is not just buying a product; it is expressing an attitude. This value cannot be measured in money.”

December 12th, midnight, the battle began.

On the Taomao Xinghuo official flagship store, the homepage image was changed to the “Domestic Goods Rise Up” theme. At 00:01, the first wave of flash sales began.

The data started jumping crazily:

00:01-00:05: Sales exceeded 500 million.

00:05-00:30: Exceeded 2 billion.

01:00: Exceeded 4 billion.

The Jingdong self-operated store and Pinyixi’s 10-billion subsidy session also soared. By 3 a.m., Xinghuo Electronics’ total channel sales exceeded 8 billion.

Zhang Yang stared at the data in the war room, his eyes red but bright. He saw an interesting comment from user “Old Wang Drives Red Flag”:

“Lost 1.6 million in stocks, bought 30,000 in products. Supporting domestic goods is supporting my own stocks. This logic is correct, right?”

He smiled. This Old Wang was Wang Jianguo, the taxi driver who held 5,000 shares. From investor to consumer, from investment support to consumption support, he had completed the closed loop.

By 12:00 a.m. on December 12th, the 24-hour battle report was out:

Total sales: 15 billion yuan.

Orders: 7.8 million.

Best-sellers:

Drone: 760,000 units, 5.5 billion.

Action camera: 1.25 million units, 3.5 billion.

Smartwatch: 3 million units, 3 billion.

Bluetooth earphones: 2.5 million pairs, 1.5 billion.

Power bank: 5 million units, 1 billion.

Smart speaker: 1.25 million units, 500 million.

Shen Nanpeng analyzed: “15 billion in single-day sales proves three things: First, the domestic market is enough to support Xinghuo’s survival; second, patriotic consumption has become real purchasing power; third, product power + emotional identification = invincible combination.”

The Sudden Appearance of Xingchen Electric

December 11th morning, Xingchen Heavy Industry Industrial Park.

The new CEO of Xingchen Electric, Gu Yanting, stood in front of the newly built factory, behind him was the newly hung plaque: Xingchen Electric Co., Ltd. Simple five characters, yet bearing the heavy trust of a country.

Su Chen arrived in person. He did not speak, just unveiled the curtain with Gu Yanting. The red cloth fell, and the plaque shone in the sun.

“CEO Gu, the 10 billion startup capital has arrived,” Su Chen said. “In the four major engine fields, I want you to produce prototypes within 3 months and mass produce within 6 months.” Su Chen used the system to exchange for four engine technologies (all reached 2020 international levels, cost 2.4 billion system funds, and the system also provided 4 scientists).

Gu Yanting nodded and then announced Xingchen Electric’s first product plan:

Car engine: NE2.0T inline four-cylinder, max power 260kW, thermal efficiency 42%, benchmarking: BMW B48 high-power version.

Aero engine: WS-500 small turbofan, thrust 5000kgf, used for drones, trainers, and business jets; Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC), benchmarking: Canadian Pratt & Whitney PW500 series.

Marine engine: CS12V-2000 diesel engine, power 2000kW, meets strictest emission standards; use: inland vessels, maritime surveillance ships; technical highlights: high-pressure common rail + SCR, meets IMO Tier III emissions. Benchmarking: Germany MAN D2676.

Rocket thruster: LH2/LOX liquid oxygen liquid hydrogen engine, vacuum thrust 10 tons, benchmarking: European “Vulcain” engine.

Applause sounded from the audience, but there was more suspicion—these parameters had already reached or exceeded international advanced levels, could it really be done?

The answer was revealed that afternoon.

Four flights landed at Shenzhen Baoan Airport one after another. Four middle-aged men walked out of the airport; they looked ordinary, but their eyes had the focus and sharpness unique to engineers. The 4 scientists rewarded by the system had arrived.

Zhang Qihang, 45, American, former GM global powertrain chief engineer, specialty: high-efficiency internal combustion engines, hybrid systems. System rating: [Automotive Power Master].

Chen Feiyu, 52, American, former GE Aero Engine division senior expert, specialty: turbofan engine aerodynamic design, turbine blade cooling. System rating: [Aviation Power Authority].

Wang Yuanyang, 48, German, former MAN Diesel & Turbo technical director, specialty: marine low-speed diesel engines, dual-fuel engines. System rating: [Ship Power Expert].

Liu Yuhang, 41, French, former European Space Agency propulsion systems engineer, specialty: liquid rocket engines, propellant management. System rating: [Aerospace Propulsion Rising Star].

They met in the airport lobby, nodded to each other, no small talk. The Xingchen Electric staff picking them up held signs and were stunned when they saw all four walking over.

“Are you... all here for Xingchen Electric?”

“Yes,” Zhang Qihang smiled. “CEO Su said this place would let us build the most advanced engines in the world.”

The four got in the car and headed straight to Xingchen Heavy Industry Industrial Park. On the way, Chen Feiyu looked at Shenzhen outside the window and said softly: “Twenty years ago when I left China, this was still Baoan County. Now... it is already a world-class innovation center.”

“That is why we came back,” Wang Yuanyang said. “In Germany, I could only ever be a high-level wage earner. Here, I can participate in creating an era.”

In the industrial park, Gu Yanting and Su Chen were already waiting for them.

No formalities, they went straight into technical discussion. The whiteboard in the conference room was soon filled with formulas and sketches.

Zhang Qihang pointed to the car engine blueprint: “To achieve 42% thermal efficiency for the NE2.0T, we must use Miller cycle + high compression ratio + low friction design. The difficulty is in combustion control...”

Chen Feiyu continued: “The difficulty of the aero engine is in turbine blade cooling. The pre-turbine temperature of the WS-500 must reach 1600K, existing materials...”

Wang Yuanyang: “The key to the marine diesel engine is the high-pressure common rail system, the injection pressure must reach 2500bar...”

Liu Yuhang: “The difficulty of the liquid oxygen liquid hydrogen engine is in propellant management and turbine pumps...”

The four talked back and forth, all hard-core technical discussions. Gu Yanting recorded on the side, his eyes getting brighter—these people were real experts.

The discussion lasted three hours. At the end, Su Chen only said one sentence: “Whatever you need, make a list. Money, people, equipment, will be in place within three days.”

Zhang Qihang answered on behalf of the four: “CEO Su, we don't want high salaries or privileges. We only want two things: First, sufficient R&D autonomy; second, to see the day the products fly, run, and start.”

“You will have it,” Su Chen promised. “And that day will not be too far away.”

December 12th late night review.

In the war room, data was summarized on the big screen:

Three-day results:

Red Flag Automobile: 100,000 orders, 14.2 billion yuan.

Consumer electronics: Double Twelve 15 billion yuan.

New company: Xingchen Electric established, four major engine layouts.

Funds: 930 billion in place.

Technology: Automotive parts + four major engine technologies received.

Su Chen looked at these numbers, finally a smile on his face.

“Today proves three things,” he summarized. “First, the state is our firmest backing; second, China is our most powerful market; third, technological breakthrough is our sharpest weapon.”

He paused: “But this is just the beginning. chips, lithography machines, materials, these hard nuts are still ahead. Starting tomorrow, all resources will be tilted towards these fields.”

“Red Flag must continue to expand its achievements, consumer electronics must consolidate the market, and Xingchen Electric must accelerate R&D. As for the chip team—” he looked at Li Weimin and Zhang Wei, “Tomorrow I want to see a detailed roadmap for 14 nanometers.”

Li Weimin stood up: “CEO Su, we have already digested one-third of the technical data. The difficulty is in the lithography link—we need our own lithography machine.”

“The Dupont team is already working on it,” Su Chen said. “But the lithography machine is a system engineering project, it takes time. Before that, we must use multiple exposure and other technologies to achieve 14 nanometers on existing equipment.”

“It can be done, but the yield will be low.”

“Low is fine, just make it first,” Su Chen said decisively. “We want to prove to the world: blockades cannot kill us, they will only make us stronger.”

The meeting ended at 1 a.m. After everyone left, Su Chen stood alone by the window.

Shenzhen’s night sky was still brilliant, but tonight, those lights had a different meaning in his eyes—under every light, there might be a family that had just bought a Xinghuo product, an ordinary person who believed in Chinese technology.

He swiped his phone, it was the Chinese microblogging platform post published by Wang Jianguo. He showed his purchase record: drone, action camera, smartwatch, total price 30,000. The text was still that same sentence: “Supporting domestic goods is supporting my own stocks.”

Su Chen liked it: “Thank you. Xinghuo will not let you down.”

Outside the window, a new day was about to begin. And in every corner of Shenzhen, in the factory in Changchun, in the workshop in Xian, in the laboratory in Hangzhou, countless people were fighting for the same goal.

This was a war, a war without smoke but one that determines the national destiny.

And today, they fired the first shot of the counterattack.

Dawn is coming.