The train driver in the courtyard

The warm winter sun shines on people's bodies, making them feel sleepy instinctively.

But looking at the Oriental Train Boy standing on the flower bed, the representatives of all delegations perked up.

They wanted to know what methods this oriental train boy had to achieve a win-win situation for both parties.

Li Aiguo swept his eyes across the representatives' faces and said slowly, "You are all technical experts in the railway field and often pay attention to the status of patent applications.

We have applied for 53 patents for our railway automatic signaling, while the Russians have applied for 378 patents for their single-track DC track. "

"Does this mean that the technical content of railway automatic signaling is far inferior to that of single-track DC track?"

Xitie Laokang stood up immediately and said: "Driver Li, your railway automatic signal uses magnetic pulse signal encoding and electron tube computers.

These are the most advanced technologies. The single-track DC track still uses ordinary electrical signals, and the technical level cannot be compared with the railway automatic signal at all.”

The representatives were also clear about the specific details of the two technologies and nodded in agreement with Lao Kang's opinion.

Lao Kang is a good comrade. Li Aiguo nodded and said, "Have you ever thought about why the number of patents we apply for is so much less than that of the Russians?"

The originally noisy garden suddenly became quiet.

The representatives looked at each other, all with confusion in their eyes.

It is common sense that the higher the technological level of a product, the more patents it can apply for.

Lao Kang raised his hand again: "Dear train driver, do you mean that you deliberately gave up the application for a large number of patents?"

Li Aiguo stretched out his hands, waved them, and said loudly: "Those patents are our gifts to everyone!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the scene suddenly became lively.

"Gift? What does Driver Li mean?"

"Think about it. If we use the railway automatic signal system of Dongda, since Dongda has not applied for so many patents, we may also develop our own railway automatic signal system in the future."

“Aren’t those unapplied patents a huge gift?”

"Hiss, how can Dongda be so generous?"

For a moment, the representatives at the scene were talking to each other, and the buzz was one after another. People's eyes were full of curiosity, doubt and expectation.

"Just now a comrade asked why we are so generous. This is a good question!"

Li Aiguo's voice was as loud as a bell, standing out from the noise and instantly grabbing everyone's attention.

Wait until the scene is completely quiet, so quiet that you can almost hear the sound of sunlight falling.

Li Aiguo took a deep breath, which seemed to contain a great force. His chest swelled up, and then he said loudly: "Because we walked together shoulder to shoulder for a common goal."

His words echoed in the air, and every word was like a stone thrown into the lake of heart, causing ripples.

"We are friends, brothers!" His voice became more and more passionate, and every syllable was full of affection and strength.

Before he finished speaking, he raised his fist high. That fist seemed to embody the faith of everyone, and he swung it down heavily with an indomitable momentum.

In an instant, a heavy and majestic voice was heard at the scene.

"Brothers should stand shoulder to shoulder!"

This sound penetrates into everyone's ears, roars in the ear canal, and goes straight along the nerves to the depths of the soul, making everyone feel an impulse that makes their blood boil.

Some representatives looked excited. They stood up and applauded.

"Yes, we come together for a common goal. We are brothers."

"We shouldn't be like you're higher than me, we're equals and should help each other!"

"There is no such thing as a big brother lecturing a little brother."

Although Li Aiguo did not mention Big Brother, every sentence he said was about Big Brother.

Those representatives who had been lectured by Big Brother for years stood up one after another.

At first, only some young brothers from Eastern Europe applauded.

Then came the representatives of Gilgit-Germany, Latvian, Moldovan, and finally even the representatives of Azerbaijan.

There was continuous applause at the scene.

Liu Guozhang was standing in the distance and was worried about Li Aiguo at the beginning.

After all, Big Brother has been the leader for so many years, and his position cannot be easily shaken.

Now seeing this scene, the heart that had been hanging in my throat finally settled down.

Liu Guozhang glanced at Chen Dong who was standing in the distance.

Chen Dong seemed to have noticed his gaze, turned around and left the garden quietly.

Chen Dong knocked on Minister Teng's room, closed the door and opened the suitcase, which contained a device that looked like a large radio.

Twist the button and the radio starts buzzing.

"Minister, just now..." Chen Dong recounted what happened in the garden.

Minister Teng sat in the chair at first with a look of disapproval on his face, as if he thought it was just an ordinary matter.

However, as Chen Dong's story progressed, Minister Teng's expression gradually changed.

His brows furrowed slightly, and the contempt in his eyes was gradually replaced by solemnity.

"We are friends, brothers and brothers should stand shoulder to shoulder!" Minister Teng repeated this sentence unconsciously, as if he was savoring the deep meaning of it.

"This slogan makes even my blood boil." He shook his head slightly, seemingly surprised by its powerful appeal.

"This driver Li is also a good hand at publicity work." He muttered to himself, with a glimmer of admiration in his eyes.

After a moment of silence, Minister Teng spoke again: "No, maybe it's not propaganda, but he really believes in it and is willing to work hard for this goal."

His eyes became profound, as if he saw a deeper meaning through the scene before him.

Chen Dongyuan was about to turn off the "radio", but after hesitating for a moment, he retracted his hand that was about to press the switch.

"Minister Teng, what Driver Li said seems to be beyond the scope of the statement. Will it cause trouble?"

Minister Teng looked at Chen Dong in surprise. Comrades in this special department usually just do their work and rarely express their opinions, let alone worry about others.

But he was in a good mood today, so he didn't think too much about it. He smiled and said, "You worry too much. Both us and the Russians are very clear about this matter. The matter is only limited to the railway. Otherwise, the higher-ups wouldn't have allowed Driver Li to act so recklessly."

Hearing this, Chen Dong secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He also felt that he seemed to have lost his composure, so he quickly pressed the switch of the "radio", closed the box and carried it out of the room.

The door closed, and Minister Teng sat back in his chair, muttering softly, "I brought this guy here just to gain some fame. Now that he has played this trick, maybe he can really get the right to formulate standards. It seems that we should make preparations early to prevent those people from doing unwise things."

Minister Teng thought for a long time, and finally picked up a pen to draft a telegram and handed it to Chen Dong.

"Send this telegram back home immediately. Remember, use the encrypted code."

"Understood!" Chen Dong had returned to his usual self. With a blank expression and a cold voice, Minister Teng smiled and said, "Actually, I like you better the way you were just now."

Chen Dong, who had already walked out of the door, almost tripped when he heard this. He adjusted his posture and managed to stand firm. He hurriedly ran away with the telegram.

Looking at Chen Dong's back, Minister Teng smiled like a child.

In the following few days, Li Aiguo repeated the previous operation and continued to recruit people, and the garden had become the home court of Dongda.

Popov also began to visit the delegations personally.

As the vice president of the Russian Railway Transport Science Research Institute, and accompanied by the vice minister of the Ministry of Railways, anyone who met him had to give him some face.

Popov also achieved considerable success.

Representatives of several companies, including Belarusian Railways, Albanian Railways, and GRU Railways, have pledged to fully support Popov's technical standards.

The two sides seemed very friendly and the situation was calm, but undercurrents were surging secretly.

As time went by, observers from several international railway unions, including French Railways, British Railways, German Railways, etc., also arrived in Sofia.

After negotiations, the meeting of the Fifth Special Committee of the Iron and Steel Group was finally scheduled to be held on February 1959, 2 in the conference room of the Sofia City Hall.

February 2th was New Year’s Eve. The comrades in the delegation were in a foreign country and had no way to reunite with their families. Due to special reasons, they could not even make phone calls.

On New Year's Eve, Minister Teng gathered everyone together and held a simple party, taking into account that everyone was homesick.

Li Aiguo asked Slavchev for help and bought vegetables, spices, and meat in the city. He also borrowed three iron basins and dozens of kilograms of charcoal and set up a small hot pot in the house.

Comrades from the foreign affairs department stationed in Sofia sent dumplings.

The hot pot was bubbling with steam, and the house was filled with the unique aroma of hot pot.

Li Aiguo picked up a plump white dumpling and put it into the steaming hot pot with a smile.

The soup base in the hot pot is bubbling happily, and the red soup is jumping like a raging fire.

After the dumplings had rolled twice in the pot, Li Aiguo picked them out with chopsticks. The dumplings were still dripping with soup, as if they were wrapped in a layer of crystal clear coat.

Then he carefully placed a few fresh green vegetables on the dumplings.

"Minister, please try it." Li Aiguo placed the plate in front of Minister Teng.

"Hot pot dumplings, you are really good at making something new." Minister Teng's eyes flashed with curiosity. When the dumplings were put into his mouth, he just chewed them for a while, and in an instant, his eyes widened.
Compared with ordinary dumplings, these dumplings have a richer flavor, with both the unique taste of dumplings and the rich spice aroma of hot pot base.

Paired with fresh and tender green vegetables, it is simply a delicacy.

Minister Teng gave a thumbs up at that time and said: "Aiguo, your hot pot dumplings can be recorded as a famous dish in the future."

"This is because Lao Chen makes great dumplings." Li Aiguo nodded gratefully towards several comrades from the foreign affairs department.

It must have taken some effort to purchase all the ingredients for making dumplings thousands of miles away from home.

At this special place, Li Aiguo's hot pot dumplings light up everyone's heart.

The steaming dumplings are like an emotional bond that brings everyone together closely.

Laughter and joy rose and fell, like happy notes dancing in the air. This joyful atmosphere was like warm sunshine, shining into everyone's heart and dispelling the lingering longing for home.

After the simple banquet, Slavchev played Bulgarian folk music for everyone with Gadulka.

Accompanied by music, several female comrades from the foreign affairs department stood up and invited the young comrades in the delegation to dance. Our Li Aiguo was also among those invited.

She was a little girl with a ponytail and she was very good at ballroom dancing.

The atmosphere of the banquet was warm and pleasant, and everything was so wonderful. It would have been even better if Li Aiguo hadn't stepped on the little girl's feet so many times.

"Sorry, I'm not very good at dancing." Li Aiguo looked apologetic and quickly let go of the little girl's slender hand. He leaned back slightly, ready to take a rest.

"It's okay," the little girl's voice was soft, with a hint of helplessness.

Being able to dance with this "great hero" in everyone's eyes was an opportunity she had always dreamed of.

But now this situation made her feel miserable.

If she jumped again, she would probably swell up like a steamed bun, so she could only swallow her regrets.

Finally, she forced out a sweet smile, bowed slightly, then turned and left, her eyes searching the crowd for the next suitable dance partner.

"I thought Driver Li was a know-it-all, but it turns out there are things he's not good at." Deputy Chief Engineer Wang had a few drinks and his face was flushed. He joked with a smile.

"There's nothing I can do. I'm a worker, a rough man. I can't handle this kind of cultural style."

Li Aiguo turned around and returned to his seat, picked up the teacup and began to drink leisurely.

Liu Guozhang saw this scene and nodded slightly.

This guy is really trustworthy in doing things.

The first day of the Lunar New Year is the day when the conference is held.

Early in the morning, Liu Guozhang had just got up and was standing in front of the mirror tidying up his appearance when he heard a knock on the door.

I opened the door and saw Li Aiguo outside.

"Aiguo, why so early? The meeting doesn't start until nine o'clock, we can just leave on time at eight o'clock."

"Teacher, I wish you a happy Chinese New Year! In the new year, let us work together to contribute to the construction of our motherland and strive to achieve greater success in labor production, just like the trains we manufacture and the rails we build, which will be as prosperous as ever!"

Li Aiguo cupped his hands and spoke some auspicious words.

"Happy New Year, and be patriotic." Liu Guozhang replied.

Seeing Li Aiguo still standing there, he asked in confusion: "Aiguo, do you have anything else to say?"

"Teacher, you can't be so stingy. I am your junior and I just wished you a happy new year. Shouldn't you give me lucky money?" Li Aiguo said with a smile.

Liu Guozhang was stunned for a moment, his eyes suddenly moistened, and he nodded heavily: "It should be given, you wait."

He turned around and went into the house. After a moment, he took out five dollars and put it into Li Aiguo's hand.

"Teacher, you are so generous! Your career will surely make great progress this year."

After putting the money in his pocket, Li Aiguo left happily.

Liu Guozhang laughed: "I haven't enjoyed the feeling of giving out New Year's money to others for many years. This feels pretty good."

He turned around and went back into the house, stood in front of the mirror and adjusted his collar, the smile on his face gradually disappearing.

"After months of hard work, success depends on today!"

On the minibus, all the comrades in the delegation looked very serious.

They know clearly that the results of this meeting will affect the country's railway development plans in the next few years.

It is also clear that this is a difficult war.

The minibus drove forward in a tense and silent atmosphere, along the wide street, and finally stopped in front of Sofia City Hall.

At this time, Popov had just arrived and was greeting representatives of several delegations with Fedorov.

Seeing Liu Guozhang and Li Aiguo and others coming over, Fedorov greeted them with a smile.

"Everyone, if you need to purchase single-track DC track technology in the future, we will definitely give you a big discount. After all, it is our responsibility as big brothers to help the younger brothers."

"If that day comes, we will definitely thank you. If you want to learn automatic signaling, you are welcome to come to our Railway Research Institute at any time. However, we are not as wealthy as Big Brother, so we cannot reduce the tuition fee by a single cent."

Li Aiguo responded with a smile and walked into the city hall carrying his briefcase.

"Damn, this guy has no manners at all!" Fedorov was about to get angry, but was stopped by Popov.

"Okay, now is not the time to use force to pressure others. Don't you see that you have caused dissatisfaction among other delegations?!"

Fedorov turned his head and saw that there were indeed several delegations looking at him in surprise.

Popov regretted bringing Fedorov with him.

Fedorov is a capable and sensible man, but he has the shortcomings of most of the Russian high-ranking officials - arrogance.

If it were in the past, it wouldn't matter, after all, they do have the right to be proud.

But now they need others to vote on their side. If they continue to be arrogant, they will inevitably arouse public anger.

"Professor, you are too cautious. The technology of the University of Tokyo cannot compare with ours. In my opinion, this vote is just a formality."

Fedorov was about to continue speaking, but when he saw Popov turned and walked inside, he quickly closed his mouth and followed him.

The meeting of the five specialized groups of the Iron Group was officially held at nine o'clock in the morning.

Perhaps realizing the importance of this meeting, all members of the five specialized committees on infrastructure and rolling stock were present.

The Chairman, Vice Chairman and Ministers of 14 Railway Ministries of the OSJD Organizing Committee sat on the rostrum.

The level of the meeting is comparable to that of a ministerial meeting.

In addition, representatives from French National Railways, British National Railways, German National Railways and other companies attending as observers sat on the east side of the venue.

It can be said that most of the railway workers in the world gathered in the venue.

Under the guidance of the waiter, Li Aiguo and Liu Guozhang sat next to the Iraqi representative.

The chairman of the committee made a brief speech and reviewed the contributions made by the Fifth Specialized Institute over the years.

"The formulation of the Rules for the Interchange of International Combined Transport Vehicles (Truck Rules) makes cross-border railway transportation more convenient and settlement more convenient. The formulation of the Agreement on the Direct International Combined Transport of Passengers and Baggage by Rail (International Passenger Agreement) and its Operating Rules has effectively guaranteed the smooth operation of cross-border passenger transport."

Then he said loudly: "The track circuit transmission rules to be discussed in today's meeting are related to the safety of railway transportation. Currently, there are two application proposals submitted, one is the single-track DC track technology of the Moscow Institute of Railway Transport, and the other is the railway automatic signal technology of the Beijing Railway Research Institute.

Now, please allow each representative to briefly explain the two technologies. "

The Chairman looked at the Russian delegation sitting in the first row.

Popov straightened his collar and walked up slowly.

As a veteran of many battlefields, Popov is no stranger to this situation.

He did not limit himself to the technical details. After quickly explaining the technology, he focused on the promotion of the technology and helping the younger brothers.

"As you all know, our railway technology is at the forefront of the world, and we can provide you with a lot of financial and personnel technical support. With our help, you will soon be able to build the safest railway signal system."

He spoke passionately for nearly half an hour, painting one big picture after another.

After the speech, there was warm applause from the audience.

Popov got off the stage and sat back in his chair. Fedorov whispered, "Professor, I heard the enthusiastic applause. It's enough to show that the teams from all countries recognize us. Our technical plan will definitely be approved."

"Maybe"

For some reason, Popov always felt something was wrong.

He turned his head to look at the East District and immediately frowned.

The person who stood up and prepared to speak on stage was Li Aiguo, not the director of the institute.

According to the original plan, Liu Guozhang should have represented the Railway Research Institute to explain the technical details and prospects.

But Popov's speech just now reminded Liu Guozhang.

This is not a technical meeting, but a battlefield.

Although Liu Guozhang was reluctant to admit it, he had to admit that Li Aiguo's ability to deceive people far surpassed his.

So he gave the right to speak to Li Aiguo.

Li Aiguo didn't expect this either.

But with so many people watching, there was no time to hesitate.

He strode onto the podium and, like Popov, gave only a brief introduction to the technology, then focused on its development.

“The maturity of every technology is a long process. Even if it matures, new technologies may be developed based on the old technologies.”

"Track circuit transmission rules are related to transportation safety and are the most important and core rules in railway technology."

“So it can be expected that research on rail circuit transmission will never stop.”

"We at the Beijing Railway Research Institute are willing to work with all of you to research track circuit transmission technology and find ways to ensure the safety of railway transportation."

"Thank you!"

The words fell.

There was thunderous applause.

Several delegations, including those of Iraqi Railways and Hungarian Railways, stood up and applauded.

Representatives from French National Railways, British National Railways, German National Railway and other companies who attended the conference as an observation group were supposed to observe the entire process, but they also applauded and stood up.

The study of track circuit transmission rules is not just an internal affair of the Organization for Cooperation Between Railways (OSJD). The International Union of Railways also urgently needs a signal system that can ensure railway safety.

It is obvious that dealing with the University of Tokyo is more comfortable than dealing with the Russians.

Popov's face had turned pale at this time.

He didn't expect that these representatives would publicly oppose Big Brother.

Popov looked up at the old Russian minister sitting on the podium.

The Russian minister didn't seem to notice his predicament and was whispering something with Minister Teng.

It is obvious that the higher-ups have no intention of getting involved in this fight.

Popov's mood hit rock bottom.

"Professor, don't be anxious. The current popularity of Beijing Railway doesn't mean anything. When we vote later, we will definitely have an absolute advantage in the number of votes." Fedorov said confidently.

Popov nodded.

At this moment, panicking is of no use.

We can only hope that the title of Big Brother will play a role.

(End of this chapter)