Do What Can Be Done, At Least Improve

Chapter 10 1.10 Doing What Can Be Done, Improving At Least

Western Calendar 1968, Luoshui Group made an investment in the Western Regions, completing the planning for six solar thermal power stations.

Such an investment, no matter how you look at it, doesn't yield much return.

Currently, the global energy sector has entered the era of the Tesla Reactor. Both Soviet Russia and Shenyang have updated their power generation technology to the latest generation of Electromagnetic Generators. Although Europe and America still use thermal power stations, they only use chemical combustion to initially bring the reactive substance to an Ionic State, which then requires constraint by Tesla devices for Magnetic Energy Reaction.

Therefore, these solar power stations consume a large amount of materials, and the energy they produce is less than one-tenth of that from new technologies. They are clearly an old technology with little benefit. However, this industry is still in the realm of boiling water, so ninety percent of the positions only require Junior High and High School education to be competent.

In this world of capital, if people have no value in production activities, then war is instigated to give value to the surplus population.

This year, Luoshui Group obtained the population data recorded during the Welfare Distribution process over the years and proposed Work Relief.

Taking over the welfare system, they took over the distribution of Food Coupons for a portion of these people, transforming them into workers. Of course, after training and transforming them into workers, the welfare amount distributed will be higher than what they originally received. And based on their long-term error-free work records, medical and educational benefits will be opened up. Where will these medical and educational resources come from? Wei Keng will draw some medical personnel from the Luoshui Group factory area as the backbone, and recruit a batch of Normal School and medical interns to fill in for now. Once they fill in, they will become the backbone.

A year ago, after Wei Keng and Ke Feijia discussed Meson-Macro Particles and the possible Spacetime Overlap of this plane.

And after discussing their personal plans in this world.

Wei Keng: "Um, I want to reform the current situation here."

Ke Feijia was silent for a moment and asked: "Do you have a plan?"

Wei Keng: "Not at the moment."

Under Ke Feijia's gaze.

Wei Keng: "But I want to do something in the commercial field, to make a change." After speaking, he handed over a proposal for investing in the education system and conducting basic Skilled Worker training.

Ke Feijia flipped through several pages. In fact, his system scanned and judged: "It's acceptable. Actually, everyone who comes here wants to change something. But, you know, this is not the main plane after all. The knowledge and awareness of the country, organizations, and the public are vastly different. Alas, your proposals might be achievable, but they will require a great deal of effort."

Wei Keng paused: "In some matters, when I don't see others acting, I usually don't act either. But, is it really like this? Staying still is even more uncomfortable. So, doing a little, even if it doesn't succeed, might prompt others smarter than me to act. I'll feel at ease then."

Ke Feijia: "There will be no Super World War in this world within twenty years, and our time stationed here does not exceed twenty years. Our mission is to obtain the main technologies of this world."

As outsiders, what can be taken from a plane are various Technical Data. If investment is made in the Infrastructure and System of the region, most of the benefits will be useful to the region and cannot be taken away. Moreover, such investment is extremely difficult.

Now, Wei Keng has experienced this difficulty.

The fundamental problem of human society is management! Using profit to motivate is the easiest thing, so most forces prioritize controlling the region's fluid capital.

But the problem is, people are accustomed to a better life. When people in a certain state become accustomed to the benefits brought by stable conditions, they lose their initial enthusiasm and require more profit to be driven. Therefore, for capital, its management becomes sluggish.

So, capital will periodically withdraw. When people in a region become difficult to manage, they will directly let the region become poor, and then wait until the economic level there is so 'simple' that "dozens of steamed buns can be exchanged for a wife" or "a meal of fried chicken wings with a meat sandwich" can make one appear sophisticated. Then they will return with the posture of "greatest charity."

Driving with material things will breed insatiable greed, so the society is reformatted every so often, making everything 'simple'. However, the operation of civilization is not like playing Monopoly. Many things will be severed with the chaos. Especially the precious continuity of Eastern civilization, it must not play the Economic Crisis Cycle of capital.

[Foodie Wei Keng: "In terms of cultural continuity, Europe's cuisine is much shallower. Thinking about it, it's all capitalism's fault."]

So, what can be used to maintain the continuous health of the management system?

The Main World has the answer, but Wei Keng can't copy it directly! He's a big shot now; no one would believe him if he preached that stuff.

Eating hot pot, holding a girl, being unrestrained, standing on a high platform to rally a group of miserable folks below.

"Shall we work together for a better tomorrow?" Wei Keng: "Disgusting, truly disgusting."

Two days later, Solar Energy Industrial Park.

"We will strive for a better tomorrow!" A red banner hung on the newly built worker dormitory building.

"Today's labor is for tomorrow's security. Let us unite under the company's leadership!" These gilded characters were inlaid on the new factory building.

And also...

'Slap,' Wei Keng slapped his own forehead. He couldn't help himself.

He, the capitalist, had actually done this disgusting thing.

The new factory, which provided an Employment Guarantee, implemented a conditional eight-hour Work System.

As part of the common people in the 21st Century, he had to have some self-respect. As a capitalist here, he had to focus on efficiency. Therefore, while implementing an eight-hour Work System, he also had to set conditions for the laborers. Eight hours of work, eight hours of sleep. The rest was the laborers' own time.

The company building had card swiping for clocking in and out of work, and card swiping was also required in the dormitories, returning to a room with "no internet, no books allowed, only a bed."

There were many unclear boundaries between Laborers and Employers in the 21st Century.

For example, if an Employer, for the sake of work progress, constantly made Laborers work Overtime, should they bear the cost of the Laborer's deteriorating Physical Health? If so, how should they bear it, and how could the correlation be proven legally?

If a Laborer, outside of work, particularly enjoyed modern consumption? For instance, playing games for extended periods, or hanging out in bars. Contributing to the prosperity of the nation's Tertiary Industry. If this resulted in poor Physical Health, should it also be entirely borne by the Laborer?

Current capitalists, former proletarians, Mr. Wei Keng felt this account should be settled clearly.

Time!

Personal free time, work time, rest time. The latter two, involving labor and employment, should be determined by a Labor Contract.

As for the impact of such a clear division?

It was clarified that within the five Workdays per week, Laborers would only have eight hours of personal time each day, divided into two segments: noon and afternoon.

Those social popular entertainments that might exceed personal time would no longer be suitable.

This factory arranged Team Competitions and Video Game Competitions, as well as other group activities. It would further strive to secure the laborers' precious eight hours of free time. Therefore, other forms of consumption would not exist.

Wei Keng: "As for not providing a market for the service industry in the market economy, and not providing employment for service personnel, what business is it of mine? Everyone here is a pauper. I never use the money of paupers to support courtesans, tobacco and alcohol merchants, or restaurant owners."

Self-reliance is a good habit. Weigh what you can do, and then determine what you can afford to consume.

This principle had not formed a conventional concept in the twentieth century of this plane.

In order to achieve complete monopoly, capitalists had completely distorted social consumption concepts, disregarding sustainable development. Many unnecessary things were forcibly promoted as necessities for entering a certain circle.

Returning to the villa, Wei Keng looked at his van and thought that this vehicle was standard equipment for upper-class groups attending economic conferences. There was also the brocade robe he was wearing, and the platinum jade belt around his waist. He felt that too many things made him suitable for the position of a hanging ornament on a lamppost.

Two months later, other company affairs drew Wei Keng's attention back.

At the total industrial base, Wei Keng attended a seminar on aerospace technology.

Shenzhou's military needed more advanced fighter jets. And as a feudal lord in Shenzhou's aviation industry, he now needed to come up with the design for the next generation of space-air fighters.

The concept proposed by the military was very vague. Wei Keng suspected that the Shenzhou military itself had not thought it through and had hastily set all the indicators in the high direction, without considering whether it could be realized or if the cost-effectiveness of use and maintenance was suitable.

As the manufacturer in aerospace, Luoshui Group needed to communicate with experts from all over the country after understanding the military's needs to determine the design direction of the prototype.

Military orders were a considerable business for Luoshui Group, and for the experts in various Institutes of Ge-Wu, securing this research and development project was worth striving for.

Therefore, these titans of the aviation industry had all flown to Xijing and began to introduce their aircraft design ideas to Wei Keng, a junior figure.

In the Main World, although Wei Keng had majored in Aerodynamics in university and had his own understanding of aerospace, he dared not express any opinions. Aviation not only involved Aerodynamics but also electronic control, radar, material strength design, and so on. If he showed understanding in one area, these great figures would focus on introducing that area, while glossing over the problems in other related fields.

Wei Keng's knowledge allowed him to know his own limitations. This prevented him from becoming arrogant when technical personnel explained things centered around him, and then making arbitrary decisions.

Wei Keng suddenly looked up and asked, "Who can elaborate on the aerial combat system of the Shenyang side?"

Upon hearing Wei Keng's question, the great figures present paused.

Shenyang? Shenzhou's main technological competitor worldwide was the European Union Legion, and the main threat on land was Soviet Russia. As for Shenyang, it was originally a vassal state of Shenzhou. While Shenzhou was mired in the quagmire of World War I, Shenyang gradually gained independence. However, as a junior member of Shenzhou civilization, people rarely paid attention to Shenyang. Of course, Shenyang's navy had received support from Western technology and had some capabilities, but that was all.

Wei Keng scanned the faces of the aviation experts sent from various Ge-Wu research institutes across the country, his gaze showing his expectation for an "answer."

After a while, a relatively young designer, certain that he could answer, stepped forward and said, "Shenyang's air force development direction is focused on a lightweight, vertical take-off and landing air force development route."

Wei Keng: "And you are?"

The other party showed his identification badge: "Xiao Sheng, a technical staff member from the Jingji Aerospace Division."

The Jingji Aerospace Division had many business areas, but the institute where Xiao Sheng worked was currently responsible for Aerial Intelligence Design. Its main business was designing Cruise Missiles, and it also participated in aircraft design, but these were all lightweight and small-scale. Therefore, among these aviation titans, he was originally an auditor just to fill a seat.

Wei Keng clicked on Xiao Sheng's file and found that he was one of the technical personnel recently sent by Shenzhou to support Shenyang, and had even been specially assigned to the Tianxi Machinery Company. Such a resume greatly interested Wei Keng.

Wei Keng seized on the key point and asked him, "Dr. Xiao, how do you think we can design to suppress Shenyang's next-generation Fighter Jets?"

A faint discussion arose from this question.

Xiao Sheng forced a smile, "Lord Wei Keng, Shenyang is currently our quasi-ally. Our main competitor in the world is the European Federation, shouldn't it be?"

Wei Keng: "One cannot change what is right under one's nose."

Xiao Sheng: "Shenyang fighter jets are very agile, with a sustained turn overload of over 8.5g."

Wei Keng glanced at the fighter jet model he had unfolded. It was a very light aircraft, with an ion cannon as its main weapon.

Wei Keng tried to prompt him, "So, energy warfare? Joint aerial information superiority?"

Aerial Energy Warfare: Pursue a heavy fighter route, quickly seize advantageous positions, form a radar scanning array, launch missiles, and have the fighter group jointly provide information for the missiles. Then disengage after this wave, never engaging in dogfights, and taking advantage of you wave after wave.

Wei Keng announced the end of the meeting and then instructed the group to host the attendees.

In the group's private meeting room, Wei Keng sought out Xiao Sheng for a detailed discussion about the prototype.

Wei Keng: "In future aerial combat, there should be an aerial wingman that possesses certain electronic warfare capabilities and can provide ground reconnaissance for the next generation air force. Our aerial combat prototype must have powerful information processing capabilities and the ability to command the aerial wingman comprehensively."

Xiao Sheng was confused by Wei Keng's proposal.

The military wanted main combat aircraft, so shouldn't discussing the payload, maneuverability, and other aspects of main combat aircraft be the priority?

Wei Keng: "As a businessman, merely selling what others propose is just the entry level. It is only by extending useful functions from the products others need and satisfying them that one can be considered to have business acumen."

Wei Keng was not confident about securing the military's air force order. The military's requirements were too stringent: fly high, fly fast, carry a lot of ordnance, and be cheap. It was impossible to satisfy all of them.

However, if during delivery, the prototype demonstrated another function as important as flying high, carrying a lot of ordnance, and flying fast, then even if his prototype wasn't chosen, other prototypes would have to incorporate this function. Luoshui Group would inevitably be in an invincible position in this military procurement order.

As for the current era, Wei Keng possessed a forward-looking perspective.

He determined that this world would enter an era of intelligence in the coming decades.

And the era of intelligence would require a large number of software programmers, meaning the participation of coders.

The 21st-century F-35 in the Main World was plagued by constant delays, all due to software issues. Due to its extremely high security classification, it couldn't be put out for public tender and had to be recruited internally, causing its price to skyrocket. It was interesting to note that at that time, American aviation had made early arrangements for engines; engine development was generally faster than fighter generations, but they lacked foresight in planning for intelligence, leading to a talent shortage. Furthermore, due to the anti-Asian sentiment that emerged at the time, the only software talent the Americans could recruit were of Indian descent.

Wei Keng was not purely trying to compete for the military's fighter jet order by promoting the concept of intelligence. He was preparing to get involved in education.

Previously, setting up the Solar Power Station, an industry with social welfare characteristics, had used the group's funds, causing some internal dissent. Now, there were 'unpleasant truths' like "a benevolent person cannot command troops, sentiment cannot establish affairs, and righteousness cannot manage finances" being recited to Wei Keng.

Now, Wei Keng was preparing to allocate resources to provide re-education for ordinary people in society. Without a suitable reason, the dissenting voices would only grow louder. Therefore, he needed to use the theme of planning for future industries to explain to the shareholders within the group: "I am still a capitalist."

Improvement was a goal he set for himself. If he said this to others, it would just be empty talk.