ushernet Chapter 728 Nobody's a fool. Even the Gallic rooster is clever with a hint of wit.
Chapter 728 Nobody's a fool. Even the Gallic rooster is clever with a hint of wit.
"Zizzizi..."
This time, the special train didn't employ wartime maneuvers; it deliberately slowed down and came to a smooth, comfortable stop.
"Have we arrived?" Jiang Xia looked out the window curiously.
"No... we'll stop for supplies. It'll be quick, only about ten minutes. We'll also pick up some comrades along the way..." Company Commander Tang waved his hand, looking at Jiang Xia with a hint of apology: "According to regulations, special trains shouldn't carry outsiders, but..."
"Hey, it's no big deal."
Jiang Xia didn't care at all. He had seen how his predecessors, when they encountered people in trouble during their overseas visits, would always give up their cars to help in emergencies. The fact that there were only a few of them sitting in such a long carriage made him feel uneasy.
"Don't worry, no one will bother you in your carriage. Those who board will have to squeeze into hard sleeper berths with us," Company Commander Tang added.
Jiang Xia nodded, about to reiterate that he really didn't care about these things, when Class Monitor Ru waved the latest edition of the "Technical Dictionary" in his hand, grinned, and changed the subject:
"Alright, we've come this far, what's a little more knowledge? Little Jiang, can you tell us what kind of trap you set for the French? I'm really curious!" Squad Leader Ru waved the latest edition of the "dictionary" and grinned at Jiang Xia.
"It's not so much a case as a 'package,' but rather a useful 'tool,' without the core 'instruction manual.'"
Simply put, C language is a 'way of speaking' that enables computers to understand human language and perform tasks in a human-like manner.
Jiang Xia loves people who are eager to learn, and without any airs, he started his little class again.
Just then, they heard light footsteps coming from the hard sleeper carriage.
Company Commander Tang walked to the entrance of the carriage, looked around, said something to the people outside, and then opened the connecting door with a "whoosh".
Several soldiers in identical uniforms walked in. Their steps were steady, and they saluted Squad Leader Ru and Jiang Xia as soon as they entered. Their movements were uniform and did not resemble those of ordinary soldiers who had just hitched a ride.
Company Commander Tang returned the salute, gave a few brief instructions, and then the group sat down in the empty seats on the other side of the aisle. They didn't make any extra movements, but their eyes would occasionally fall on Jiang Xia with a hint of inquiry.
Even with a few more people around, there was no desire to disturb Jiang Xia's "lecture." Jiang Xia sincerely wanted to teach these "veterans" as much as possible.
With their fighting spirit on the battlefield, they'll excel at anything.
"The programming languages we use nowadays are either too rigid or too cumbersome. You need half a manual to write a few lines of code. My 'China Language' makes variables, functions, and loops simple and direct. One 'if' statement is equivalent to three lines of instructions, and a 'for' loop can save half a page of repetitive operations. And this is only a version with half the functionality cut."
"Oh..." Squad Leader Ru nodded as if he understood, though he didn't quite get it, but Jiang Xia's answer filled him with a sense of pride.
See, we Chinese are so clever! A single piece of clothing can keep foreigners busy for half a day!
One of the older soldiers, who seemed to be the leader, asked, "If the simplified version is this powerful, what did you remove? Can you give an example?"
An unfamiliar voice appeared, and Jiang Xia looked up at Company Commander Tang. Company Commander Tang nodded slightly, indicating that he could answer. He then gave a warm reply to the question.
"For example, the ability to directly manipulate the core area of computer memory is the core pointer function of the C language. There is also the ability to let the program manage its own memory space, as well as some 'techniques' that can make the program run incredibly fast, but require extremely high skills from the programmer."
The techniques involved are just minor things like low-level optimization and inline assembly interfaces. Explaining them in detail would be too complicated, so Jiang Xia just glossed over them.
He could tell that these newly emerged soldiers must have specific missions that might require some basic computer knowledge.
But seeing the sullen look in the soldiers' eyes, I thought about it again and changed my approach.
"Simply put, I gave them the blueprints and construction manual for a very beautiful, well-structured, and logically rigorous 'house.' But I didn't give them the key 'core technologies' and 'construction secrets' such as how to make the foundation of the house deeper and more stable (memory management, for example), or how to design the stairs and passages inside the house to be more ingenious and efficient (referring to pointers and underlying optimization)."
"That's it? Without a foundation and a corridor, how can this house stand?"
"It stands up! And it looks very beautiful and easy to use! Because it provides an unprecedented, clear and efficient way of 'building a house' (programming)! It is far more advanced than the 'shack-building' (assembly, early high-level languages) methods they are currently using! It is enough to amaze them and let them see huge potential."
“But…” Jiang Xia abruptly changed the subject, a sly smile playing on his lips:
"But if they want to build skyscrapers? Want to create revolutionary changes on existing 'buildings'? They'll find that without the 'foundations' and 'access routes,' they're hampered and simply can't do it! It's like a top chef; you give him a dull knife and ordinary ingredients, and he can make a decent dish, but want to create a Manchu Han Imperial Feast? No way! So..."
Jiang Xia crossed his arms and rested his chin on his palms: "So, comrades, what exactly are you all from? It's not our style to hide things from our comrades! Asking such detailed questions, you didn't come here just to listen to my lecture, did you?"
Jiang Xia then came to his senses. These people who suddenly appeared were definitely not ordinary soldiers; they wouldn't ask such detailed questions...
When Jiang Xia pointed out the mistake, the leading soldier wasn't embarrassed at all; instead, he gave a slightly approving smile. He turned around and pulled a black metal box from his chest.
Upon closer inspection, a black chain was wrapped around the handle of the box, resembling a python coiled around the soldier's waist.
"Report! Our team of five has been dispatched to escort documents. Please check them!"
After Jiang Xia nodded to confirm that he had received the document, Company Commander Tang took the bag, moved far away from Jiang Xia, and repeated the previous steps. After quite a bit of trouble, the document was finally returned to Jiang Xia's hands.
Upon opening it, I was surprised to find that it was an invitation.
“Invitation to the Technical Committee Meeting”
Below is a line of smaller print: "International Electrotechnical Commission"
"IEC?" Jiang Xia was taken aback, then realized, "International Electrotechnical Commission?!"
"Yes," the soldier nodded in confirmation.
"This was urgently forwarded through diplomatic channels. Our superiors have entrusted us to personally deliver it to you."
"What is IEC?" Squad Leader Ru walked over to Jiang Xia, shoved Old Wang's head aside, and looked at the gold-embossed invitation in Jiang Xia's hand.
Jiang Xia explained, "The IEC is the authoritative body for setting international standards in the electrical and electronic fields. From large power generation equipment to small circuit diagrams, many internationally accepted standards come from them. Our country joined the IEC in 1957, but has always been an ordinary member country."
Open the envelope and look inside: IEC TC 00101 Special Meeting.
"One of the core agendas of this conference is to discuss and initially formulate an international standard framework for structured high-level programming languages..."
Jiang Xia's fingers tightened slightly: "Interesting, they actually took the initiative to invite us to participate in the standard setting..."
"Who says the French are stupid? This is insurance for their actions..."
Old Wang, being quick-witted, immediately recalled the letter INRIA from the Frenchman. Although one was a letter and the other an invitation, their essence was clearly the same: they were both after Little Dumb Boy's C programming skills.
"Just as I expected! That's how capitalism works! They won't give up until they get what they want! One person is writing to ask for technology in private, and the other is publicly inviting you to a meeting. They're doing it all at once! Little Dumb Boy, don't get carried away and insist on going to that meeting... Once you go out, you might not come back!"
Jiang Xia waved his hand, interrupting Lao Wang, and began to rummage through the relevant information about IEC in his mind.
The IEC is truly remarkable. It is one of the three major international standards organizations in the world, along with ISO (International Organization for Standardization) and ITU (International Telecommunication Union). Its standards are regarded as a "passport" for international trade.
A point in time flashed through Jiang Xia's mind—2011! It was a time he vaguely remembered when his motherland, after decades of arduous struggle, finally became a member of the IEC Council!
It took 54 years from when I joined in 1957 to when I had a greater say in 2011!
Prior to this, the West had reaped enormous benefits by using the "WTO" as bait and standards barriers...
"Go! You absolutely must go!" Jiang Xia declared resolutely!
"You little idiot..." Old Wang was dumbfounded and tried to grab Jiang Xia, but was suppressed by Company Commander Tang with one hand.
A fleeting, almost imperceptible dimming light crossed the eyes of the three newly arrived soldiers nearby, but the leader took a deep breath and quickly composed himself. He straightened his back, his heels clicking crisply as he gave Jiang Xia a perfect military salute:
"Yes, Engineer Jiang! We understand your decision! Our superiors have instructed us that our sole mission on this trip is to safely deliver the invitation to you, and to absolutely respect your personal wishes!"
"As for the follow-up arrangements..." the soldier's voice softened, carrying a hint of inquiry, "If you agree to attend, we will fully cooperate with Company Commander Tang and be responsible for your security during this trip! If you have other considerations..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but straightened his chest again: "Whatever decision you make, we will ensure that your wishes are given the utmost respect and are carried out!"
"So it's okay if I don't come back?"
The soldier pursed his lips tightly: "Yes, sir!"
Wow, such a quick reply, it must have already been discussed above...
The little guy pursed his lips tightly, suppressing the warmth in his heart, but suddenly a bright smile bloomed on his face.
"Okay—! I've decided..."
He paused deliberately, watching as Lao Wang held his breath, Company Commander Tang's eyes narrowed slightly, and the soldiers straightened their backs even more.
"...Let Jin Zhen from 701 take Little Fatty there!"
"what!"
"What do you mean, 'huh'?" Jiang Xia looked at everyone's stunned expressions and laughed so hard his shoulders shook, like a little fox who had just stolen a chicken.
“I said ‘I definitely have to go,’ but I didn’t say I would go in person! I didn’t invent C language; I just gave it a name. Fatty is way better than me at it…”
The carriage was silent, save for the lingering sound of Jiang Xia's laughter.
Old Wang stared with his mouth agape, unable to close it for a long time, as if he had been jolted by this sudden turn of events.
Company Commander Tang shook his head helplessly, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curve upwards.
The soldiers looked at each other, then a knowing and relaxed smile flashed in their eyes.
Squad Leader Ru burst out laughing and gave Jiang Xia a thumbs up.
"Hey, by the way. How long is this stupid conference again? If it were a few days later, maybe we could give those foreigners another shock!"