Among the few military figures that came with Fan Fan was one with a pine green epaulette. His two golden stars were adorned with golden branches and leaves. Xia Lei’s heart thumped. This man was a general. He couldn’t help but spare the man another look. The general seemed to be in his fifties. He had a majestic aura, giving him a capable and confident image.
“A general of the ground troops. He’s probably here to check on the ZTZ100 main battle tank. We’re not finished yet and they’re already this anxious?” Xia Lei thought to himself. He immediately headed towards them to greet them.
“Old Xia.” Fan Fan greeted him passionately. “This is General Huang He from the Northern Tank Corps.”
“Hello, General Huang. Welcome to my humble factory.” Xia Lei extended a hand to shake Huang He’s hands. Upon realizing that his palms were filled with grease, Xia Lei quickly retracted his hand with a sheepish smile.
Despite that, Huang He went ahead and grabbed his hand. “This is just some grease, no? I worked with tanks all day back at my base. I absolutely like the smell of mobile grease.”
As expected, the man was here to see the tank. But Xia Lei had really liked General Huang He, he was such an unconventionally friendly general.
Following that, Fan Fan introduced the rest of the military figures that came with Huang He. They all didn’t mind his greasy palms, willingly accepting his handshakes.
“This must be the ZTZ100 main battle tank, right?” Huang He went towards the ZTZ100 which was placed on the assembly line without further ado.
Xia Lei replied, “General Huang, you have arrived a little too early. We still need another month to complete it.”
Annina said the rest of the progress would be done within half a month, but that had only meant the completion of assembly. Xia Lei had said a month to include relevant testings.
“I couldn’t wait, I needed to see it now.” Huang He was very impatient, continuing his tour of the half-finished tank.
The few military men surrounded the ZTZ100 in careful observation. Some of them had engaged a few Thunder Horse employees in conversations while some studied the prints carefully. The most impatient of them all was still Huang He, who even made his climb onto the turret to study the tank’s insides.
Xia Lei and Fan Fan watched them from the side.
“What’s General Huang He here for?” Xia Lei continued, “Our tank isn’t even done with production yet.”
Fan Fan answered him, “They visited China Industrial Group to take a look at their tanks but didn’t leave satisfied. Their visit here is a special request. They’ve requested to look at your ZTZ100 main battle tank. Hence, the authority assigned me to accompany them over.”
“What do you mean by they hadn’t fancied China Industrial’s tanks?” Xia Lei was curious. China Industrial Group’s Type 99 Main Battle Tank was still regarded as the most advanced main battle tank in the country. Though it wasn’t as good as the ZTZ100, ignoring Japan’s Type 10 Main Battle Tank and Russia’s T90 Tank, the Type 99 was still quite advanced within Asia. Plus, Type 99 was the current in use main battle tank. Many troops were equipped with it and even if the military wanted to switch over from their Type 99 to ZTZ100 completely, the switch would only be completed after a few years.
“I know what you’re thinking.” Fan Fan’s dimples appeared. “But from what I learnt, they aren’t here to scout for a new battle tank. They’re here in preparation for the tank biathlon.”
“The tank biathlon?”
“You haven’t heard of that? It’s a tournament meant for tanks. Though the Europeans and Americans hadn’t bothered to participate in it, the tournament has a great impact in Asia and third world countries. Judging it from a strategic perspective, it’s a great platform to showcase your abilities and intimidate your enemies,” explained Fan Fan.
Xia Lei commented, “That sounds rather significant.”
“Yeah, this is much more meaningful than those weapon exhibitions you’ve taken part in the past. This is a direct confrontation of tank versus tank.” Mentioning that, Fan Fan paused and sighed. “But we’ve never won.”
Tanks were the kings of ground battle. The strength of a country’s tank played a great role in its land war capabilities. If they couldn’t even damage their opponent’s tank, what do their opponents have to fear?
“I guess they’re here to evaluate if they should use your ZTZ100 to participate in it. The fact that we’ve never won any title and having India one rank above us is a reality that our military found hard to digest,” said Fan Fan.
Xia Lei smiled wryly. “My tank is just half complete now. How is it going to compete in this state?”
At this moment, Huang He leapt off the turret. He waved at Xia Lei furiously. “Comrade Xia Lei, come over here!” He seemed emotional. Not only was his voice booming loud, but his body language was also very exaggerated.
Xia Lei approached him with a bright smile. “Yes, General Huang. What can I do for you?”
Unexpectedly, Huang He closed in and wrapped Xia Lei in a firm hug. He laughed and said, “This is great! Amazing! I’m very impressed with you!”
“Uh…” Xia Lei smiled sheepishly.
Bemused, Fan Fan teased, “General Huang, I think you like the tank better.”
“Yeah, I really like the tank but I also really like Comrade Xia Lei.” Huang He beamed. “It’s an honour for the country to have talents like you.”
Xia Lei replied to the man courteously, “General Huang, your words flatter me.”
“None of it is flattery.” Huang He proceeded to point at the ZTZ100. He commented, “Though it’s not done yet, from my experience with tanks, this will soon be the king of all tanks!”
Fan Fan couldn’t suppress her joy, breaking out into a grin. From the corner of her eye, she studied Xia Lei’s reaction.
Though the praises were impactful, Xia Lei felt nothing. The man knew that his ZTZ100 main battle tank was bound to surpass the American M1A3 Main Battle Tank.
“The top ten tanks of this world had ranked America’s M1A1 as first, and that isn’t even the most advanced M1A3 Main Battle Tank. To us, a tank like this felt unobtainable. But what’s most infuriating is that the Indian Arjun Tank had ranked higher than us, following that is Japan’s Type 10 tank.”
Huang He heaved a long sigh. “We hadn’t gotten a chance to battle Japan’s Type 10 tank. During the last biathlon in Russia, we faced the Arjun Tank and we...”
The general refused to speak of the outcome.
“Some people may think that our Type 99 tank is already the most advanced in the world. They would be very wrong. For example, European and American tanks are now automatic transmissions that use gas turbine engines. The gas turbine engine not only allows the tank to travel faster but it also gives it more flexibility. Its wear resistance is three times that of diesel generators. Our type 99, on the other hand, is still using a diesel engine. How can we call this the most advanced tank?” ranted Huang He.
Xia Lei chuckled. “Those are cold hard facts. We’re constantly improving but we’re always a few steps behind the Europeans and Americans. But trust me, we’ll soon be able to catch up in the tank department. Our ZTZ100 uses a gas turbine engine and has 2500 hp to boot. Our tank will have automatic transmission too. Even if it is twelve tonnes heavier than the M1A3, ZTZ100 will be much faster and much agile.”
“Yeah, that’s the reason why I’m so moved. We’ve been dreaming of having an automatic tank and you’ve made our wildest dreams a reality.” Huang He landed a few pats on Xia Lei’s shoulder. “Comrade Xia Lei, could you please do me a favour?”
Xia Lei replied, “General Huang, there’s no need to hold back.”
“Could you rush the completion within half a month? I’d like to bring this to Russia for the tank biathlon,” said Huang He, his gaze filled with anticipation and hope.
“This…” Xia Lei was a little embarrassed to respond. “Finishing the assembly would take half a month but we still need to run some tests after that. Half a month is not enough.”
Huang He reassured him. “I know this is a little difficult for you. Admittedly, participating in the biathlon with an all-new tank that hadn’t gone through its tests poses a great risk. However, the Japanese are participating. They’re planning to use their newest improved Type 10 Tank for the tournament and it's a tank that I’ve long dreamt of defeating.”
“Why is Japan participating this time?” Xia Lei was a little shocked.
“Because Japan and Russia have initiated negotiations of the four northern islands. This competition has now become an intimidation strategy for them. I’m sure you know that Russia is in a tight spot now and they need Japan’s investments. But these are none of my concerns, the only concern I have is that we must never lose to Japan,” said Huang He.
Xia Lei pondered for a while. “Sure, I can get this done. After we’re done with the assembly, I’ll deliver ZTZ100 to Russia. I’ll just run tests on the way there.”
“You’re going too?” Fan Fan nudged the tip of her elbow against Xia Lei, seemingly a hint.
She was worried about his safety.
Huang He widened his fiery eyes. “Comrade Fan Fan, what do you mean? I know Comrade Xia Lei is a national treasure and that him leaving the country brings great threats to him. But don’t underestimate us. I’ll have one thousand elites protect him. If he comes close to even losing hair, you can have me to blame.”
“Uh…” An awkward flush appeared on her cheeks.
Instead, Huang He pressed on loudly, “Am I wrong? Comrade Fan Fan, I know that you’re his fiancee and I can understand your worries. But is my status not enough to guarantee his safety?”
“Of course it’s enough!” Fan Fan paused and looked at Xia Lei. “If he wants to go, I’m not going to stop him.”
Huang He grinned. “That’s more like it. Comrade Xia Lei, you got yourself a great wife.”
A smile was plastered on the corner of Fan Fan’s lips. “I’m only one of his wives. His real carer is Miss Liang in his office. I don’t even know where I rank at.”
Back then, the thought of becoming Xia Lei’s only woman had never crossed her mind. But as time passed and her love grew along with the little monkey in her womb, the woman couldn’t help but think about it. It was inevitable, as there was no woman in the world who could bear to share their beloved with other women. Sadly, would a man like Xia Lei only have one woman?
Most definitely not.
“Then it is decided, General Huang. In half a month, we’ll head to Russia and show them who’s the real tank king!” exclaimed Xia Lei.
Huang He’s hands were once again joined with Xia Lei’s. “Let’s make our country proud!”