"My idea is very simple. No matter what changes happen in the Fifth Ministry of Machine Building, as long as the country needs me, I will do my best to help!" Xu Qiang said straightforwardly.

Xu Qiang's answer was also quite simple and clever. No matter how the superior department changed, he was just a working technical expert, and it was his duty to obey orders.

"You are right. If the country needs us, we should do our best to help." Zhang Zhen was obviously very satisfied with Xu Qiang's answer, and then asked, "As for you personally, do you have any good ideas and plans?"

"Minister Zhang, I think the projects I participated in before need to continue, such as the 8702 project this time. The model of the new high-energy explosive is CL-01. Since we have product No. 2, we must continue to develop No. 3, No. , and even more products in the future. Each generation must be stronger than the previous one. Only in this way can our country occupy a more powerful position in the field of world military development, and even surpass the United States to become the strongest in the world. It is not impossible..."

Xu Qiang's idea is that the more projects he takes over, the higher his status will be in the eyes of his superiors. Only in this way can he maintain his position as the director of the Shanghai Research Institute for a long time. He wants to be a "sharp knife" in scientific research in order to exchange for more power and resources from his superiors. Xu Qiang is clearly aware of this.

"Your idea is consistent with mine. You are still very young. As long as you dare to struggle, your future is limitless." Zhang Zhen nodded and said, "In fact, it is not only about high-energy explosives. Your previous aramid long fiber research project must continue. Generally speaking, I rarely hand over multiple key projects to one person. After all, human ability and energy are limited. But you are different. I think you can take on multiple scientific research tasks at the same time, and you will bring us more surprises..."

"Thank you Minister Zhang for your trust in me!" Xu Qiang said quickly.

"In addition, I plan to expand the Shanghai Institute of Chemical Engineering, and at the same time expand your staffing. If the people from the previous 8702 project team are willing, I can directly transfer their household registration and relationships to Shanghai..." Zhang Zhen thought for a moment, and then said: "As for the joining of other personnel, they can be assigned by the ministry, or you can directly select from the graduates of several domestic universities directly under the ministry. As long as they are willing to follow you, I can approve it."

"Uh." Hearing this, Xu Qiang was somewhat surprised.

What Zhang Zhen said actually gave Xu Qiang a lot of power in personnel matters.

You should know that currently college graduates in China cannot choose their own jobs after graduation; they are all assigned jobs by the state.

Moreover, throughout the 1980s, the country produced very few college students. No matter which one of them entered the enterprise, they would be given important positions, and most of them would become senior cadres capable of standing on their own two feet after a few years. This shows how precious college students were in this era.

Zhang Zhen asked Xu Qiang to go directly to several universities directly under the Fifth Ministry of Machine Building to select talents. This was actually a very "luxurious" thing, because every college student trained was of great value to the country. As the director of a research institute, Xu Qiang was able to have such a "privilege", which was a very rare thing.

But to be honest, Zhang Zhen had his reasons for doing so. The projects developed by Xu Qiang were indeed of great value. Both aramid paper and high-energy explosives were the most technically difficult scientific research projects in the country and were crucial to the country's military and industrial development. Based on the principle of "using good steel on the blade", it was completely reasonable for the ministry to give Xu Qiang such a "privilege".

"Finally, what I want to say is that if you have any scientific research projects you want to apply for, I will approve them for you! I will do my best to provide you with as much funding and support as you need, but you have to hurry up, because I may have to retire around May this year..." said Zhang Zhen.

"Thank you, Minister Zhang!"

Xu Qiang understood that Zhang Zhen's last words meant that he hoped Xu Qiang and his Shanghai Research Institute could continue to exist for a long time after his retirement.

After all, the more projects Xu Qiang is responsible for, the more attention his future superiors will pay to him. Even if they want to replace him, it will not be an easy task. After all, with so many major projects, it is not easy to find the right person to take over. Zhang Zhen just wants to leave a few more "amulets" for Xu Qiang before he leaves.

With Xu Qiang's intelligence, he could naturally understand what Zhang Zhen meant, so at this moment he was full of gratitude towards Zhang Zhen.

"There's something else I want to say to you..." Zhang Zhen pondered for a moment, then continued, "In fact, in our era, people engaged in technology and political work took two completely different paths, working hand in hand but not interfering with each other. But in today's era, many technical personnel also want to take the path of political work. Although I don't advocate it, I don't oppose it either. After all, some people are from a technical background, but they are not actually proficient in technology, and it is too difficult to excel in technology now. In addition, there are some people who are engaged in scientific research, but they always think about making a lot of money. This is actually a very dangerous path..." "Minister Zhang, I understand what you mean. To be frank with you, the reason why I want to serve as the director of this institute is, on the one hand, for scientific research, and on the other hand, I really want to take advantage of the convenience and make some money..." Xu Qiang pondered for a moment, then continued, "But I promise that I will never delay the scientific research tasks assigned to me by the country, and I can use the technology I have mastered to promote the development of the domestic economy. This is also in line with the country's advocated policy of 'military-to-civilian' military enterprises, which is a good thing for the country and the people..."

"You're right. I can totally understand this kind of thing, but the premise is that it doesn't affect scientific research. However, if the Fifth Ministry of Machine Building is reorganized in the future, the new leadership team may have a different view on this..."

Zhang Zhen was obviously hinting at Xu Qiang's private business activities and told him that this was risky, especially after the department's reorganization, as it would likely become a major "stain" that would affect his future prospects.

In fact, someone had already reported Xu Qiang's business dealings in Shanghai to Zhang Zhen, including the office director Guo Tiemin, who strongly opposed Xu Qiang's business dealings, but they were eventually suppressed by Zhang Zhen.

Moreover, if Xu Qiang had not successfully completed the sample test of the 8702 project, Guo Tiemin would most likely have directly "taken down" him as the director. However, the final result was good. After achieving the desired results, Guo Tiemin never mentioned the matter again, and his impression of Xu Qiang also changed greatly.

"Minister Zhang, thank you for giving me the instructions. I will handle this matter properly." Xu Qiang said.

In fact, it is impossible for Xu Qiang to give up business and focus on scientific research now. From his personal point of view, serving as the director of the institute and being responsible for the research and development of national key projects can indeed bring him some power and honor, but if Xu Qiang wants to fulfill his dream and build a real "chemical business empire", making money is the only way to realize this dream.

Therefore, even if Xu Qiang is dismissed from his post, he still has to do business and make money. After all, human nature is selfish, and Xu Qiang never thinks of himself as a selfless person.

"Then you just take care of yourself in the future. I don't think there is any need to say anything else. After all, you are a very smart young man. Everyone has their own aspirations. As an old man, I can only give you some simple instructions..." Zhang Zhen looked directly at Xu Qiang and said after a moment.

Zhang Zhen understood that Xu Qiang had his own plans and it was impossible to do things completely according to his thinking.

"Well, thank you very much, Minister Zhang." Xu Qiang expressed his thanks.

"You should prepare well today. I will arrange for you to visit Professor Xu's family tomorrow morning. The success of the 8702 project can be regarded as the fulfillment of one of Professor Xu's wishes. However, you must guard against arrogance and impatience and always maintain a humble attitude..."

"Ok."

"That's it, you can go now." Zhang Zhen said, signaling Xu Qiang that he could leave.

"Thank you Minister Zhang for your sincere guidance. I will keep your words in mind!"

After Xu Qiang stood up, he bowed deeply to Zhang Zhen.

Then, he strode out of the minister's office... (End of this chapter)