154: Chapter 154 Zhengzhou's Last Stand

Military Airfield on the Outskirts of Zhengzhou, December 24

On Christmas Eve, on the outskirts of Zhengzhou, the north wind swirled with fine snow across the runway.

This military airfield was hidden in the hilly terrain; looking at it from a satellite map, it appeared to be just ordinary farmland, and only when one got close could one see the hangars and radar antennas beneath the camouflage nets.

The off-road vehicle Wu Yi was riding in had to undergo three document verifications at the checkpoint before it was allowed to enter the core area.

When he got out of the car, Li Zhenguo, the commander of an airborne corps of the Air Force, was already waiting under the command tower.

This fifty-year-old major general was wearing a Type 07 desert camouflage training uniform, the stars on his epaulets gleaming coldly under the searchlights, and there was a scar on his face extending from his eyebrow bone to his chin—a souvenir from a border reconnaissance mission twenty years ago.

"General Manager Wu, welcome to the 'Sharpening Sword' base."

Li Zhenguo had a firm handshake, his palms as rough as sandpaper, "Sorry for choosing tonight, but there is flight training during the day, so this is the only time I can show you the most critical things."

The two of them ascended the command tower.

The circular observation window at the top of the tower offered a wide view, taking in the entire training ground.

Li Zhenguo turned off the indoor lights, leaving only the eerie green fluorescence on the instrument panel.

He pressed a button on the console, and the training ground's lighting system lit up in sequence.

The sight before him made Wu Yi gasp.

It wasn't an ordinary training ground—it was a "miniature battlefield" built at a 1:1 scale.

Nearby was a simulated urban block, with buildings, streets, and even traffic lights all complete; some building exterior walls had even been deliberately given battle-damage effects; in the middle was a hilly area, constructed with dense bunkers, trenches, and minefields; in the distance was a desertified terrain, with dozens of decommissioned tanks and armored vehicles arranged in a mechanized column formation.

Further away, there was even the outline of a simple airfield, with several scrapped J-7 fighter jets parked on the runway.

"50 square kilometers, equivalent to twice the total area of Macau."

Li Zhenguo's voice sounded in the darkness, "We have designed twelve terrain modules based on real battlefield environments: urban, mountainous, jungle, desert, swamp, island... Each module is embedded with thousands of sensors, which can collect real-time data on explosion shockwaves, shrapnel distribution, and damage effects."

He pulled up a tablet and swiped his finger: "If you place your production base in Zhengzhou, all of Spark's military products—drones, missiles, smart ammunition, armored vehicles—can undergo full-process live-fire testing here.

We provide standardized testing procedures, professional 'Blue Force' opposing troops, and complete damage assessment reports."

Wu Yi looked at the scrolling list of test items on the screen, from "Infantry Anti-Tank Missile Penetration Test against Third-Generation Main Battle Tank Frontal Armor" to "Saturation Attack Effectiveness Assessment of Drone Swarms against Regional Air Defense Systems," there were over a hundred items.

"These tests... what conditions are required?" Wu Yi asked.

"Three conditions." Li Zhenguo held up three fingers, "First, your products must meet national military standards—you are already a military supplier, so that's no problem.

Second, test data must be shared between both parties—we want to use your advanced equipment to temper our troops, and you must use the troops' combat feedback to improve your products.

Third..."

He paused, his voice lowering: "If major defects are exposed during testing, you must improve them unconditionally.

Because one day in the future, this equipment might be equipped in the hands of our soldiers; they might be my troops, or they might be your relatives."

Wu Yi nodded solemnly: "This is Spark's bottom line.

We don't make perfect data in the laboratory; we only make reliable equipment on the battlefield."

"Good!" A flash of appreciation crossed Li Zhenguo's eyes, "Let's go, I'll show you something real."

The two drove into the core area of the training ground.

On the edge of the simulated town, a dozen soldiers wearing starry camouflage were operating a drone control system.

Seeing the corps commander get out of the car, the captain leading the team immediately ran over and saluted.

"Report! The Third Drone Battalion is conducting a 'wasp m2' swarm combat exercise, please instruct!"

"Continue. Let General Manager Wu see the combat effectiveness."

The captain returned to the console and ordered into the microphone: "Blue Force attention, Red Force drone swarm is about to enter Airspace No. 3; execute interception according to Contingency Plan Three."

A dense buzzing sound came from the sky.

Wu Yi looked up and saw at least fifty "wasp m2" swarming out from behind the distant hills, automatically forming five attack clusters in the air, diving toward the simulated town at a speed of over 200 kilometers per hour.

Almost simultaneously, a dozen small interceptor drones rose from the ground—these were the "Falcon" air defense drones developed by the unit itself, each carrying two micro-missiles.

The air battle erupted at an altitude of 200 meters.

The wasp swarm dispersed rapidly; some climbed, some dove, and some released decoys.

The Falcon drones pursued relentlessly, their missile trails weaving into a net in the air.

In just two minutes, seven wasps were "shot down" (actually judged as damaged by the laser simulation system), but the remaining wasps had already broken through the defensive line and launched a simulated attack on ground targets.

"Stop!" Li Zhenguo ordered.

All drones returned.

The captain ran over to report: "Corps Commander, the interception success rate this time was only 35%, down 12 percentage points from last week.

The AI algorithm of the wasps has clearly been upgraded; our interception strategy needs adjustment."

Li Zhenguo looked at Wu Yi: "See that? This is the value of live combat testing.

Your algorithm engineers can optimize a hundred times in the laboratory, but it's not as good as being 'shot down' once here.

Captain, copy the data packet from this time in its entirety to General Manager Wu's team."

"Yes!"

On the way back to the command tower, Li Zhenguo pointed to a construction site in the distance: "That is the site for the 'Intelligent Equipment Research Institute'.

We are co-building it with Henan University and the PLA Information Engineering University, and have already gathered over 200 professors and graduate students; the research directions cover unmanned system swarm intelligence, human-machine collaborative decision-making, and battlefield Internet of Things—all of which are things you need."

He stopped and turned around, his eyes piercingly sharp in the wind and snow: "General Manager Wu, I know Xian has Xidian University, Wuhan has Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Chengdu has the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China.

But what Zhengzhou has is something they don't have."

"What is it?"

"It is the population scale of tens of millions, the most complete vocational education system in the Central Plains region, and the 'rooting rate' where over 60% of the 300,000 university graduates each year are willing to stay in the province."

Li Zhenguo said every word clearly, "In coastal cities, when you hire a master's degree holder, they complain if the monthly salary is 20,000; in Zhengzhou, they can work steadily for five years for 15,000.

Why? Because housing prices here are one-fifth of Shenzhen's, the density of educational resources per capita is in the top three in the country, and more importantly—"

He pointed to the city lights in the distance: "This is home.

Henan people love their home; even if they go out, they want to come back.

If your Spark settles in Zhengzhou, I can guarantee that the turnover rate of technical workers will not exceed 10% within five years, whereas in Shenzhen, what is it? 40% or 50%?"

Wu Yi was silent.

This was exactly the problem he had been struggling with these days—high-end talent can go anywhere, but the thousands of industrial workers, technicians, and engineers—their stability determines the success or failure of a manufacturing base.

"Corps Commander, you are fighting so hard for Zhengzhou, is it..." Wu Yi asked tentatively.

Li Zhenguo smiled, the scar on his face twisting: "My son is studying mechanical engineering at Zhengzhou University and will graduate next year.

I told him, don't go to Beijing, Shanghai, or Guangzhou to squeeze onto subways; just stay in your hometown.

But if there is no company like Spark in his hometown, he won't stay, and neither will millions of Henan youths."

He took a deep breath of the cold air: "General Manager Wu, what Zhengzhou wants is not your money, but your industrial ecosystem.

If you land here, bringing 50,000 direct jobs, you can keep 200,000 families here, and you can truly let a major agricultural province grow the sinews and bones of high-end manufacturing.

This is the responsibility of our generation—to build a hometown worth staying in for the next generation."

The wind and snow grew heavier, and the Christmas lights of the distant city blurred into a warm halo in the snow curtain.

Wu Yi looked at the almost tragic light in the general's eyes and suddenly understood the deeper meaning behind this "Tale of Four Cities"—

This wasn't just about where Spark chooses to build a factory; it's a country re-laying out its productivity, restructuring its talent map, and answering that ancient and eternal question: How do we let our descendants on this land live with dignity in the hometown they choose?

"Corps Commander Li," Wu Yi extended his hand, and the two shook hands tightly again in the wind and snow, "I understand.

If Spark comes to Zhengzhou, it won't just be bringing a factory."

The lights of the command tower cast his firm shadow onto the snow, long and clear, like a promise being made.