123: Gui Tianhua confronts Shi Hangtian

"Hello, is that Shi Hangtian?" General Gui dialed Shi Hangtian's number.

"Yes, I am Shi Hangtian, may I ask who this is?" Shi Hangtian asked strangely after receiving a call from a hidden number.

"I am General Gui, the Dragon Country military procurement representative. We met when we signed the contract," General Gui said calmly.

"Ah, it's you, I remember, I remember. Are you calling about the delivery? We sent you the second batch yesterday, and we can only send another batch next week." Shi Hangtian thought the other party was rushing the delivery and quickly reported the shipping status.

"No, I'm not calling about the delivery. I have something I'd like to discuss with you privately. I wonder if you could spare some time to meet?" General Gui said.

Shi Hangtian didn't know what General Gui wanted to discuss, but the other party was from the military, so he naturally couldn't refuse. Moreover, the other party was so polite; refusing would be disrespectful.

"What's all this about 'sparing time'? Just say the word, and I'm available anytime," Shi Hangtian said with a hearty laugh.

"Alright, let's meet for tea at Tianxiang Teahouse tonight. I've already booked a room, Tianxiang Teahouse, second floor, 'Fugui Hall', eight-thirty. Don't be late." General Gui didn't waste words, directly stating the time and place before hanging up the phone.

Shi Hangtian was a bit bewildered by General Gui's inexplicable invitation. He looked at the hung-up phone and shook his head, "What does he mean? What's he up to?"

He thought long and hard but couldn't figure out why General Gui wanted to meet him privately. Did he want to purchase Xiaohang Drones again? The problem was that there was still a large portion of the quantity from the last contract that hadn't been shipped yet, so signing another contract wouldn't make much sense.

And why was he meeting with him? Why didn't he bring Liu Xiaolin?

As soon as he thought of Liu Xiaolin, Shi Hangtian suddenly felt a lump in his throat.

Recently, Liu Xiaolin's influence was clearly higher than his. Although it wasn't explicitly stated who was the main General Manager and who was the deputy when discussing cooperation, he clearly had the advantage in age. It should be natural for him to respect and obey him.

But he didn't know why the situation had become one where his word was final.

"Should I talk to him about this? Or maybe not, saying it would make me seem petty, there's no need. Let's just take it one step at a time." Shi Hangtian racked his brain but couldn't come to a conclusion, so he simply stopped thinking about it.

"After I see General Gui tonight, I'll listen to what he wants to say." Shi Hangtian calmed down and picked up the reports on his desk to read.

After finishing dinner in the evening, Shi Hangtian checked his watch. It was seven-thirty, still early, so he forced himself to watch some TV programs, enduring until eight-ten before leaving to drive to Tianxiang Teahouse.

At eight-twenty-five, he arrived at his destination and walked straight to the Fugui Hall on the second floor.

The Fugui Hall was a small private room for six people. After walking in, General Gui was already sitting inside waiting for him.

The tea was already brewing. From the smell, he knew it was Tieguanyin, that rich, fermented aroma was refreshing.

"Oh dear, Mr. Gui arrived so early, I apologize, I'm late." Shi Hangtian said while exchanging pleasantries and glancing at his watch. It was exactly eight-thirty.

"Not late, not late, I arrived early because I wanted to brew good tea while waiting for a distinguished guest." Although General Gui came from the military, his words were smooth and impeccable.

"I wonder, Mr. Gui, what kind of tea are we drinking that you asked me here?" Shi Hangtian asked calmly.

"Of course, it's fragrant and mellow Pu-erh tea. Drinking some Pu-erh in early summer is quite nice." General Gui smiled and gestured for Shi Hangtian to sit down, "Quickly, General Manager Shi, please have a seat, please have a seat."

"Mr. Gui is a bit stingy, not inviting me for a big meal, but instead inviting me for tea," Shi Hangtian teased.

"Oh, you can't say that. A big meal is definitely on the menu, but only after things are settled." General Gui was about to get down to business.

"What matter is so important?" Shi Hangtian stopped teasing.

"It's like this, your Xiaohang Drones are too powerful, and the military's intention is to stop selling them externally. You are a private enterprise, and it's inconvenient for us as the military to interfere with management, which is why we found you." General Gui laid out his difficulty.

"We truly don't plan to sell them abroad right now. However, domestic sales aren't opening up either, so we are in a difficult position." Shi Hangtian's difficulty was also obvious.

"I heard you are already developing new products?" General Gui changed the subject.

"Yes, we are developing small drones, which are more suitable for civilian use, and the price is very affordable. The design blueprints are ready, and mass production is expected to start next week," Shi Hangtian said with a smile. There was no need to hide this from military personnel.

"In that case, your products can open up sales in the civilian market, right?" General Gui continued.

"Yes, the development of the Xiao Mifeng Drone is focused on the civilian market. The model is user-friendly and the price is even more affordable, so it should have good sales." Shi Hangtian was quite confident about this.

"Since user-friendly drones are now available, can the related technology for Xiaohang Drones be transferred out?" General Gui asked tentatively.

"Transfer it out? Transfer it to whom? Who would dare to take it? If they produce according to these technical parameters, it will likely still attract a large number of military buyers, and the result will be the same passive situation as our company, right? No one would want this hot potato. Our company's future plan is to mass-produce Xiao Mifeng Drones, and Xiaohang Drones will gradually withdraw from the market after completing orders." Shi Hangtian didn't believe anyone would take over the technology for Xiaohang Drones.

"You can't say that. Private enterprises might not dare to take it, but military enterprises would!" General Gui revealed the crucial point.

"You mean military enterprises are very interested in our Xiaohang Drones?" Shi Hangtian was very surprised.

"Of course. With the technical parameters of Xiaohang Drones, they are even better than military drones. We have gone through many years of research and development, but we can't compare to your newly developed private enterprise; it's quite embarrassing." General Gui said emotionally. How could he know that the design blueprints for Xiaohang Drones were provided by the golden finger system?

"Then what should we do? Moreover, these technical blueprints were provided by General Manager Liu Xiaolin. Even if you want to purchase the technical blueprints for Xiaohang Drones, you should discuss this issue with him," Shi Hangtian asked, puzzled.

"No, no, no. We not only need to purchase the technical parameters of Xiaohang Drones, but we also need an experienced and steady management personnel." General Gui looked into Shi Hangtian's eyes and said, "After much consideration, we believe you are the most suitable. That's why I came to you."

"You need me to be a manager at a military enterprise?" Shi Hangtian was very surprised. He hadn't expected that because of Xiaohang Drones, he would actually be favored by the military.

"Yes, we plan to establish a military enterprise specifically for manufacturing Xiaohang Drones. At that time, you will be the General Manager of this enterprise, and you will be in charge of everything," General Gui said with a smile.

As soon as he said this, Shi Hangtian was somewhat tempted. Recently, his words in the company were clearly less effective than Liu Xiaolin's. Everyone had started listening to that young man's orders, and they would consult him first about anything, making himself seem quite redundant.

If he could leave, he could escape Liu Xiaolin's shadow. Moreover, the research and development personnel in military enterprises should be the elites among elites, so future R&D work would not be a problem at all. With the foundation of Xiaohang Drones, innovative R&D would not be an issue either.

"I want to agree, but I signed a cooperation agreement with Liu Xiaolin, and the one cooperating with his company is the aerospace branch under the Chunfeng Changan Group. My word alone doesn't count," Shi Hangtian stated his difficulty.

. You provided "The Rise of Heavy Industry by God Wu Ji: Building the Light of Domestic Goods".