The Sweetness of the Seventies-Chapter 1246 - 1214: A Tool for Burning Money, Too Poor

Time flies, and the year 1991 arrived swiftly.

This was a year marked by the situation in Country S, and Gorbachev’s reforms, which led to extraordinarily complex and turbulent social conditions.

Every small nation had its own calculations to make.

Huo Yingjun, with his relatively junior standing, worked in the embassy in Moscow for a time before being assigned to Ukraine.

The situation in Ukraine was even more complex than in Moscow.

Domestically unstable, with economic turmoil, soaring prices, declining standards of living for the people, and escalating internal and external tensions.

Huo Yingjun began to strategize within the Soviet Union, especially in Ukraine, after obtaining information about the turmoil in Country S from his brother.

In pursuit of acquiring more military equipment and technology, Huo Yingjun sought assistance from domestic sources in secret and gained the support of the domestic military establishment. As long as it meant obtaining advanced technology, paying a hefty price was acceptable.

Faced with foreign technological embargoes, the domestically sourced equipment, all of which were civilian technologies, were often neutered versions from developed nations.

Now, amidst the turbulence in Country S, an excellent opportunity presented itself.

The message received domestically also came secretly from Huo Yingjun.

Domestically, opinion was divided into three camps: one in favor of Huo Yingjun’s intelligence, believing the disintegration of Country S was just a matter of time; another believed the great and mighty Soviet regime would never collapse, that the massive Soviet Union would not disintegrate; the third camp maintained neutrality, observing the changes quietly.

Huo Yingjie co-signed a report to the top leadership, stating that if they could get their hands on some relevant equipment and technology, they would possess the capacity to build aircraft carriers.

Upon hearing "aircraft carrier," the eyes of the leadership lit up.

However, most people were disbelieving, thinking that with the existing technology, it was simply impossible to construct such a thing.

Even with the technology and equipment, successful construction was not guaranteed.

Still, Huo Yingjie insisted it was possible, arguing that even if it wasn’t feasible now, it didn’t mean it would be impossible in the future. Amidst the heated debate, intelligence was passed from Huo Yingjun suggesting that Ukraine was considering a private sale of an aircraft carrier.

Whether they could build it or not, they ought to buy it first for study.

To realize leapfrog development in science and technology, foundational technology is a must.

As long as they had an aircraft carrier for reference, Huaxia Country would always be able to build its own.

Yet, they faced a problem – no money!

Therefore, the top brass had yet to give approval.

Watching the Soviet Union about to disintegrate, they could take advantage of the chaos to gain success, but due to financial reasons, the decisions were delayed.

Upon learning that in later years Varyag would be bought back a decade later and the setbacks experienced during that time, which could not be described in just a few words, Huo Yingjie knew that if they took advantage of the current chaos, the acquisition could be easily made. However, missing this chance meant experiencing the same frustrations as in the previous life, which would be costly and time-consuming.

Consequently, Old Master Huo called together his eldest son, second son, and his grandson Huo Yingjie, for a family discussion.

This time, he also invited the Tang family and the Ma family.

Reliant solely on their own family, they couldn’t possibly accomplish this task.

Old Master Huo’s study was not small, but with so many people arriving today, it felt somewhat crowded.

Here, Huo Yingjie, being the youngest, took on the role of serving tea and water.

"Today, I’ve called you all here to discuss the aircraft carrier purchase that was debated earlier," Old Master Huo said, "My eldest grandson is still in Ukraine. Although merchants are leading this initiative, I can guarantee, with the Huo Family’s reputation, that this is genuine. As long as we can get approval from above and have sufficient funds, we’ll be able to make the purchase!"

For a long time, everyone understood the importance of the navy, but development is costly!

However, the navy isn’t something that can be built overnight, especially its cutting-edge equipment.

"Of course, we shall sell," Old Master Huo asserted firmly, "Even if it’s a sham, I still want to give it a try, not to mention this intelligence comes directly from my eldest grandson. An aircraft carrier is not just an aircraft carrier; it represents the most advanced productive forces. If we get it, not only will we see significant advancements in the military arena, but it will also bring enormous assistance to other areas."

"Yes, I absolutely understand the importance of an aircraft carrier," Ma Guoxing mused, "Country M is so arrogant, isn’t it because it has several advanced aircraft carriers? When I visited Country M before, and stepped onto their aircraft carrier, I felt as though my eyes were glued to it. It’s truly magnificent, with highly advanced military equipment. But that’s Country M’s; I can only envy. If you are certain, I’ll handle it with my workplace, but as for the money, I’m afraid I can’t help." freёnovelkiss.com

Hearing his two friends speak thus, Old Master Tang looked at his own eldest son, then at Huo Zhekun, sensing that it was time for a big move.

"The matter of funding should be figured out by Tang Li and Zhekun," Old Master Tang suggested,

Huo Zhekun, being part of the family, understood his own family’s affairs. Sharing a look with Tang Li, he chuckled bitterly, "But we can’t come up with that much foreign currency!"

Thinking about the exorbitant sum reaching into the millions, everyone fell silent.

Money is sorely missed when it’s time to use it; a single penny can stifle a hero, let alone tens of millions of US dollars.

The country’s foreign currency reserves are absolutely not to be touched arbitrarily!

As Huo Yingjie poured tea for everyone, he overheard his father asking, "Father, how much money is needed altogether?"

"Twenty million US dollars," Tang Ji replied, "The country cannot spare that much."

"So, how much can the country spare in total?" Huo Yingjie asked, since he was serving the country, he couldn’t be expected to foot the entire bill by himself.

Tang Li extended a hand, showing all five fingers: "This is the figure I’ve gathered."

"Five million?" Huo Yingjie frowned, which seemed too little—less than a quarter; with the addition of shipping fees, the cost might double.

Hearing this, the expressions on Tang Li and Huo Zhekun’s faces grew even more awkward.

Tang Li bowed his head, silent, letting Huo Zhekun speak.

Huo Zhekun, unable to find words, reluctantly mustered the courage to say, "Five hundred thousand US dollars!"

"Cough, cough!" Upon hearing this, Huo Yingjie couldn’t stop coughing, choking quite severely!

Five hundred thousand?

That wasn’t even enough to cover the staff’s travel expenses!

"Only half a million, and expecting to buy an aircraft carrier?" Huo Yingjie’s voice rose; his elder brother and the Huo Family had gone to great lengths to enhance military technology, break foreign technological embargoes, and achieve leapfrog development for Huaxia Country.

Yet everything was ready except for the crucial element!

But that crucial element just wouldn’t materialize!

Originally, Huo Yingjie had thought five million US dollars was a bit low, but to his surprise, what they could afford was even less—half a million US dollars!