dognovel Chapter 1658 Robbery
Chapter 1658 Robbery
Chapter 1658 Robbery
"Zhang Minghua is an dishonest person."
Xu Sinian took a drag of his cigarette, turned to look at Li Xuewu, and said, "He's known as a sly fellow in the government."
"You know that?"
Li Xuewu glanced at him and asked, "Weren't you supposed to be oblivious to everything happening around you in Yingcheng?"
"If that were the case, wouldn't I be dead by now?"
Xu Sinian chuckled, took a deep drag of his cigarette, blew a fart, and then said, "The kind where they don't even know how they died, they'll be crippled from old age—"
Li Xuewu's eyelids drooped; he was utterly impatient with this seasoned veteran who had been fried in oil countless times.
Old Deng is not as easy to fool as Little Deng.
Someone like Xiao Ma, if you give him a sweet treat and set him up, you can treat him like livestock.
If it were someone like Lao Xu, ordering him around? Good heavens!
"This is a passive defense."
Seeing Li Xuewu looking at him, Xu Sinian reached out and patted the cigarette ash off his pants, explaining, "Not exactly cunning."
"You do have some self-awareness."
Li Xuewu looked at Xiao Ma, who had appeared at the door of the soft-pack shop, and asked, "Did you find out the reason?"
They were on a train heading to Yingcheng, but for some reason, they had been stopped in the middle of nowhere for more than half an hour.
Li Xuewu was conducting research in Yingcheng Port Area, while Xu Sinian had just returned from a meeting in Fengcheng, and they happened to meet.
“I heard it’s just a temporary maintenance,” Xiao Ma explained hesitantly, “but you know them, they never give a definite answer.”
That's true. The employees on the train are very tight-lipped; they would never tell the truth.
Even if the roadbed ahead is washed away by the flood, they will only say that they will stop when passing, and that it's not a big deal.
Of course, for railway workers, any project that can be repaired quickly is not considered a big deal.
That's how railway passenger transport is. Even if you're told why the train is stopping, what can you do but get off and help?
Li Xuewu didn't really want Xiao Ma to find out the truth; it was just that Xu Sinian had something to say and deliberately sent him away.
Seeing Xiao Ma's nervous expression, Xu Sinian chuckled and asked, "First time on a train? Scared?"
“No—” Xiao Ma explained seriously this time, “I take the train to my grandpa’s house.”
"Hehehe," Xu Sinian looked at him and found it amusing. He then glanced at Li Xuewu and saw him looking out the window.
"It's normal for this line to be delayed."
Xu Sinian, unusually patient, explained to Xiao Ma, "Now that the volume of cargo transportation has increased, there are frequent temporary tasks, and the scheduling is also a huge headache."
"Oh right, I forgot to tell you about this."
He then looked at Li Xuewu and said, "The container factory we built with Beijing Railway is now a huge success."
Seeing that he was speaking incoherently, Xiao Ma deliberately moved closer to him with the thermos, intending to refill his teacup.
Xu Sinian, finding him in the way, shifted his body to be able to see Li Xuewu, and continued, "The branch factories have all opened in Yingcheng."
"Our group holds a significant stake in that container factory."
Li Xuewu reached for a teacup on the small table, took a sip of warm tea, nodded, and asked, "Is it now under the investment company's control?"
"That's for sure, that kid Wang Yuzheng is really arrogant—"
Xu Sinian slapped his thigh with envy and said, "He used to be so arrogant when he came out of the finance department."
"In the end, he actually got a good deal."
At this point, Xu Sinian smacked his lips, raised an eyebrow and smiled, "That incident between you and Shen Fei last time really infuriated him."
Xu Sinian speaks with a strong Northeastern accent, and people who don't know him might think he's from Northeast China. In fact, he's only been in Yingcheng for a little over four years.
Northeast China is truly a magical region. Whether you are from the Northwest, the South, or even a foreigner, once you live here for a while, your accent will be assimilated into that of a Northeasterner.
Don't even bother asking him, because if you do, he'll just say, "I don't have an accent either!"
"He can do his own thing, why are you getting worked up over him?" Li Xuewu knew perfectly well what he was going to say, but deliberately dodged the question.
Xu Sinian chuckled and said, "Shenfei took most of the tertiary industry, and he's still thinking about making a big splash."
"You probably don't know this, but he's met with Wang Xin in private."
"See Wang Xin?" Li Xuewu raised an eyebrow and gestured with his chin as he asked, "Does he want to carry two loads on one shoulder?"
"Hahaha—" Xu Sinian couldn't help but laugh at the thought. He picked up his teacup and, without caring that the water Xiao Ma had just poured was hot, took a big slurp.
"You don't know him, he's just as cunning as Zhang Mingyuan."
After giving his assessment of Wang Yuzheng, he tilted his head, put down his teacup, and said, "Wang Yuzheng's nickname is 'Slave of Three Surnames.'"
"You're very well-informed."
Li Xuewu raised an eyebrow, looked him up and down, and said, "You've been back to the capital less often than I have, haven't you? How did this kind of thing get to your ears?"
"That's right! I'm afraid of dying!"
Xu Sinian showed no shame whatsoever in front of Li Xuewu; he was just as shameless as he had been when he surrendered.
He called others cunning and treacherous, but after so many years at the Hongxing Factory, and even during the group's era, as Yang Fengshan's office director, he was still able to stand firm and even thrive. How could he possibly be honest and treacherous?
However, being a fence-sitter and doing well is also a skill, and Old Deng is known in the group for his sharp eye.
When Lao Li was about to take off, he knelt down. Before Li Xuewu even took off, he only showed his ruthless side, and then he lay down.
Looking back at those people, who among them is doing as well as him?
Anyone associated with Yang Yuansong and Yang Fengshan has been marginalized by Lao Li to some extent over the years.
Besides Lao Xu, there's only one other person: Sun Jian.
Sun Jian was Yang Fengshan's secretary, and later became the director of the security department's office, which can be considered as escaping with his life.
Seeing that he had some talent, Li Xuewu began to mentor him, and unexpectedly, he really became successful.
Sun Jian is now the director of the general manager's office, having returned to the position of chief secretary after previously serving as the factory director's secretary.
He is a typical example of someone who is transferred within the organization, meaning that the secretary doesn't go to the grassroots level but instead moves around freely within the organization.
Although their foundation is not solid, they have strong overall abilities and are usually trained to become heads of organizations or personnel.
Old Li is very comfortable using him now, after all, he has the connection with Li Xuewu. Sun Jian is more capable than Ji Jiuzheng.
As for Wang Yuzheng, whom Xu Sinian mentioned, he was actually a disciple of Jing Yunong, and later became a follower of Gu Weijie.
The reason he was called a traitor who served three masters was because later, during the struggle for the Red Star United Investment Management Corporation, this guy fawned over Li Huaide again.
Jing Yunong had long given up on the idea of settling down and developing his career at Honggang Group, so he wasn't very attentive to taking care of him.
He initially helped Wang Yuzheng manage the tertiary industry in order to compete with Li Xuewu, and later deliberately bullied Li.
However, she was at a significant disadvantage in her match against Li Xuewu, so she simply surrendered and gave up.
Later, the two developed a certain "tacit understanding," and Wang Yu became a free agent for Jing Yunong.
That old fellow is a master at judging people by their appearance. When Jing Yunong ignored him, he went to visit Gu Weijie.
Gu Weijie originally intended to work with Lao Li, but unfortunately, the series of arrangements from above disrupted her plans.
The Joint Third Industry Management Office wanted to upgrade to an investment management corporation, and Wang Yu was at a loss, so he could only rely on Lao Li.
There are countless people like him within the group, but very few can truly achieve such seamless integration.
Those with a bit of backbone, like Yang Zongfang, caused Dong Wenxue quite a few setbacks in the steel city.
However, Dong Wenxue was soft-hearted and tactless, so he didn't actually punish him.
Once it falls into Li Xuewu's hands, it's a double-edged sword, with sweet dates on one side and a knife on the other. Anyone standing in the middle will get stabbed. Who would dare to rebel against him?
Li Xuewu had actually seen Wang Yuzheng quite often. Whenever Wang Yuzheng returned to Beijing, and whenever he had time, Old Li would organize a card game.
He's there eight out of ten times; he's very good at understanding Old Li's feelings and knows exactly how to make people happy.
Every time Li Xuewu saw Wang Yu fawning over Lao Li, he regretted not being able to take the position sooner.
He never disliked this kind of person; he only hated that he wasn't the one who benefited.
Just as Xu Sinian was rambling on and on, the train suddenly jolted and then slowly started moving again.
"This line is going to get busy."
He pulled back a corner of the white curtain to look outside and said, "Once Yingcheng Port opens, this will be a golden route."
Are people still hitting trains these days?
Li Xuewu had only heard Zhao Laosi mention it a few times before, which is why he became somewhat curious about the train-hopping incident.
He glanced out the window and said, "Does this only happen at night?"
"Does this job have a day and night session?"
Xu Sinian glanced at him, pulled down the curtain, and said with a smile, "But now trains are faster, especially passenger trains."
"You haven't seen them, those guys all look like mice, lying around in the wilderness."
He gestured with his hands as he explained, "When the train comes, everyone runs out to chase it, and they all get caught and rattle."
"Isn't that very dangerous?" Little Ma couldn't help but ask, hearing his exaggerated tone, "What if you fall?"
"Fall down? Heh—"
Xu Sinian finally got his comedian. He glanced at Xiao Ma and snorted, "Falling off is good enough, but I'm afraid of falling onto the tracks, 'crack!'"
As he described it, he slapped his thigh, startling Xiao Ma. Finally, he chuckled and said, "The leg is gone."
"Oh my god—" Little Horse's mind was already filled with images of blood and gore. He grinned and shook his head, exclaiming, "That was terrifying!"
Do you know how much they can earn on this trip?
Xu Sinian tilted his chin and said seriously, "The coal trucks are the fewest, and they're the most tiring. How much can you shovel down?"
“They’re targeting the shipping containers. Once they’ve set their sights on the freight station, there’s bound to be someone waiting to board the train and steal things.”
"So nobody's going to arrest them?"
"Of course there are!" He looked at the nervous little horse and said with a smile, "Do you know what kind of container is the most unlucky?"
"What?" Little Ma actually played along.
“There’s no standard kind.” Xu Sinian widened his eyes and said, “Crack! The cabinet door opens, and a gun is pointed at your head.”
"You hide!"
He's a great storyteller; he's so vivid and expressive, he even acts it out.
At this moment, Xiao Ma listened intently, as if he were the unlucky guy who had hitched a ride on the train, and couldn't help but back away when he heard a gun.
Xu Sinian was so mean; he gestured with his finger, poking Xiao Ma's forehead, and stretched his arm forward, saying, "Bang! Here's a bullet for you."
Xiao Ma was startled again, which made Li Xuewu laugh. He quickly turned to look out the window.
That's why Xiao Ma is still so inexperienced; he realized long ago that Xu Sinian was just joking around.
The story of hopping on a train may be true, but it's definitely not as vivid as Xu Sinian described, as if he had witnessed it firsthand.
He was the captain of the shipyard in Yingcheng. It would be a miracle if he encountered someone trying to hitch a ride on a train; there were clerks sitting right outside the gate.
When Lao Xu says he's afraid of death, he's absolutely not lying. He always brings a clerk with him when he goes out, but even though they're called clerks, they actually carry weapons on their waists.
Li Xuewu rarely brought his own weapons because he always carried them himself. Just looking at his face, who would dare to get close to him?
Don't doubt the intelligence of bad people; they are just bad at heart, not bad at brains.
Xiao Ma's business trip this time was great. Not only did he broaden his horizons by following Li Xuewu, but he also got to listen to Director Xu tell stories for free.
Xu Sinian was just bored. Li Xuewu was a man of few words, and he couldn't stand being alone, so he could only tease Xiao Ma.
Only Xiao Ma dared to come into this soft-packed room. If he didn't tease Xiao Ma, who else would he tease?
The train conductor did come over to greet us midway through the journey and even brought us noodles with great enthusiasm, just in time for lunch.
Xu Sinian looked down on the people working for the railway. He didn't know when he had suffered a loss, but his expression remained indifferent.
Li Xuewu was very humble, and the other party didn't ask him for anything or pretend to be humble.
Although it was more than an hour late, it was still dark when we arrived in Yingcheng.
Li Xuewu had talked a lot with Xu Sinian on the way, and after getting on the bus, he just looked out the window at the changes in Yingcheng over the past two years.
In fact, when it comes to urban development and changes, the steel city in Liaodong has undergone the most significant changes, as dozens of factories have been added in less than four years.
There are companies from Honggang Group, joint ventures, and locally established enterprises, forming a cluster industry with machinery processing as the main project.
More factories mean more workers, and workers need to earn money to live and consume. With consumption, the city's supply and demand are stimulated, and the economy improves.
With more money, cities can invest in and build infrastructure projects, which in turn can be linked with projects of the Honggang Group.
The underground engineering in Honggang Industrial Park is almost becoming a benchmark for underground air defense engineering in the Liaodong region.
If this keeps going, the steel city will start to suspect that Honggang is going to build a subway.
Each factory area in the Honggang Group Industrial Park is equipped with vertical freight elevators, and the underground areas can be used not only for warehousing but also for transshipment and transportation.
There is actually a distance between the power plant and the mountainous area, but in the past two years, the underground construction has created a small mountain along that distance.
“Yingcheng’s development is no slower or worse than that of Gangcheng.”
Xu Sinian pointed to the newly built bridge and introduced it to Li Xuewu: "It was just completed some time ago. It is the largest and widest cross-river bridge in Yingcheng."
"Look at the buildings on both sides of the river."
He proudly introduced, "If it weren't for our hard work in Yingcheng these past few years, they would have had to wait several more years."
"Ge Ping didn't ask you for alms, did he?"
Li Xuewu looked out the window at the camp, glanced back at him, and said, "Xiao Zihong has been complaining to me about this."
"He just doesn't know how to handle things—"
Xu Sinian said with a bit of a laugh, "How can you defend against this thing? You still have to give it to them, just to appease the little devil."
“If you’re a miser and don’t spend a penny, people will treat you like a business, and then you won’t be able to get the job done.”
Anyone who has managed a factory has encountered the matter of begging for alms to some extent, and Li Xuewu is no exception.
Of course, Wang Lu wouldn't dare to ask him for money openly. Even if she really wanted it, she would communicate with him in a very polite manner.
This is what is known as the customer bullying the shopkeeper.
Where does the money for these kids come from?
Anyway, they can't pay out of their own pockets, because they are all legitimate cadres.
We can't squander the factory's money, so we have to operate it cleverly, neither affecting the group's audit nor simply refusing it.
This tests a cadre's comprehensive management ability and is also an indicator for the group to judge whether a person in charge can shoulder the main responsibility.
Some people can't understand why they would try so hard to do something that is clearly wrong.
Because that's the rule of the game.
Which jobs in this era are most lacking in resource investment?
Without a doubt, it must be healthcare and education.
Just remember this: in any era, healthcare and education are always the most lagging fields compared to other jobs.
why?
Because neither healthcare nor education yields tangible results.
The healthcare and education systems are bottomless pits; no matter how much money you pour in, it won't make a splash, and you might not see any results even after ten or twenty years.
If you invest one million to build a factory in a steel city, you can earn over ten thousand a year. If you invest one million to build a hospital or a school, how long will it take to earn over ten thousand?
It's not that we don't value healthcare and education these days; even with the current environment and situation, these two areas have never been neglected.
Last year, Wang Lu wrote a note to Zhang Jing, explaining that the primary school in the village that had been relocated after the industrial zone was reorganized was in very poor condition and had no new school building.
The education funding was so limited, and there had been no news for years. The ball was passed to Wang Lu, who then passed it on to Honggang Group.
It's not that Honggang Group has to take responsibility just because it occupied the land, but Wang Lu knows that Honggang Group has money to resolve this matter.
The first piece of land was given to them by Gangcheng for free, but the later land was purchased by Honggang Group with its own money.
The money was all given to Gangcheng, so the relocated residents can't find Honggang Group.
Now that the note has been handed over, Wang Lu took the initiative to call him and said, "Brother, what are you going to do? Help me out, it's not much money."
It wasn't much money, but Li Xuewu needed to come up with a pretext to spend it.
Normally they call me Deputy Director Wang or Secretary-General Li, but now they're calling me "brother" or "elder sister" on the phone. Do you think they'll get things done?
This was no longer a simple official matter; Wang Lu was using her position and influence to ask for his help.
Wang Lu won't be in any real trouble even if she refuses the request, but she'll inevitably feel resentful. If she doesn't show it now, it will happen sooner or later.
Li Xuewu had Zhang Jing submit an application, requesting 20,000 yuan under the pretext of supporting local construction, and used an engineering company to build three rows of school buildings.
Not only were the school buildings repaired, but the playground was also leveled, and Zhang Jing was asked to get some sports equipment from the hardware factory and put it there, making it look quite presentable.
Wang Lu was naturally pleased with this generous gesture.
Why did Liu Wei risk ruining his future and enduring Fang Yuan's pressure to help Li Xuewu even though Li Xuewu didn't speak up?
Once Fang Yuan left, the joint investigation team proceeded exactly in the direction Li Xuewu wanted, without the slightest hesitation.
He didn't need to say anything. Liu Wei was a cadre in the steel city, and she understood what was going on. Wang Lu understood, and the teachers and students understood as well.
As for the group's finances, Jing Yunong understood them, so as long as the expenditures were used in the right direction, she would not cause any trouble.
Why was Xu Sinian's influence in Yingcheng greater than Xiao Zihong's in Fengcheng? The reason lies here.
"Don't drink too much tonight, I definitely can't outdrink you."
Xu Sinian escorted him to the Unity Hotel and explained softly, "After dinner, I'll arrange some activities for you to relax."
"Where do you relax?" Li Xuewu pointed to his belt and asked, "Do you relax often?"
"Hey—" Xu Sinian explained with a smile, "We'll just dance and chat for a bit, it's not like what you're thinking."
"Be serious for once. The joint investigation team hasn't been disbanded yet."
Li Xuewu nodded at him, walked into the room and said, "I would really feel bad if I sent you in."
"I'm so glad I heard that."
Xu Sinian patted his chest and assured him, "I've seen all kinds of storms, how could I possibly capsize in a ditch?"
"You don't want the boat to capsize, but you can't stop others from fanning the flames."
Li Xuewu took off his coat, gestured towards the window, and asked, "Is it noisy at night? I haven't been sleeping very well lately."
"It's not noisy..." Xu Sinian looked at him and asked hesitantly, "What's wrong? You're so young, why can't you sleep?"
"Yeah, I wrote a book, and now I have a headache."
Li Xuewu plopped down on the sofa, rubbed his head, and said, "I stayed up late writing some last night, and I'm still not feeling well."
"Then let's get some rest early tonight?"
Xu Sinian tentatively asked, "Shall we invite Lao Ge over for another drink tomorrow night?"
"Forget it, I don't want to see him."
Li Xuewu raised his chin and instructed, "Don't make anything too fancy tonight, just eat something simple."
"Tell Yu Decai that he doesn't need to come; we'll go to his place tomorrow."
When he came to Yingcheng for research, Yu Decai neither picked him up at the station nor waited for him at the Unity Hotel. This was not because Yu Decai had become arrogant, but because he did not allow it.
Zhang Jing had already issued a notice to all units through the office, stating that no welcoming or farewell ceremonies were allowed for leaders' inspections, and no social receptions were permitted during working hours.
Yu Decai knew that Li Xuewu disliked him, so he dared not come forward to run into trouble.
However, he didn't dare pretend he didn't know, so he tried to find out through Xu Sinian whether they could meet that night.
Yu Decai was being cautious. If he hadn't met the leader beforehand, he would be seen as having an unstable position.
In particular, Dong Wenxue's series of misfortunes in the past two years have affected him as well.
Yingcheng Port Area is definitely the most important unit for the group in the next ten years. He came early to reserve a spot, and I wonder how many people are eyeing him and trying to get there.
If he reveals even the slightest flaw, they will rush up and tear him to shreds.
"You're putting me in a difficult position, and you're putting him in a difficult position too."
Xu Sinian smiled and asked, "How about just the three of us? We can have something simple to eat?"
"Are you two in cahoots?"
Li Xuewu raised an eyebrow, looked at him, and asked, "Did he promise you some benefits?"
"Hey, aren't we just close and friendly comrades?"
Xu Sinian clapped his hands and said, "Alright, I know it's not easy for you to come all this way. If he doesn't see you, he won't be able to sleep tonight."
"Also, his job is difficult, and you'll suffer along with him, won't you?"
With that, he stood up and waved his hand, saying, "That's settled then. You rest for now, and I'll call you when the food is ready."
Ma Baosen saw him off and, upon returning, couldn't help but complain, "Director Xu is quite the talker."
“His mouth is rented,” Li Xuewu said, standing up while leaning on the handrail. He gestured to the inner room and said, “I’m going to take a nap. You go about your business.”
"Boss, should we call a doctor to take a look?"
Ma Baosen couldn't help but ask, "You don't look well."
"It's okay if you don't get enough rest."
As Li Xuewu spoke, he walked into the inner room, kicked off his leather shoes, and lay down on the bed.
Less than three minutes later, Ma Baosen, who was packing his luggage, heard snoring.
-
"I guess I'm incredibly lucky."
At the dinner table, Xu Sinian glanced at Yu Decai, saw his cautious look and felt somewhat helpless, then looked at Li Xuewu and said, "I still have to thank you."
Li Xuewu didn't say anything, but picked up a couple of bites of the light-colored dishes.
I didn't feel anything on the way, but after taking a nap I realized my nose was stuffy, so it seems I've caught a cold.
He is in excellent physical condition and doesn't catch a cold even once a year.
This is in Yingcheng. If it were in Gangcheng, Yu Li would have already lost her temper and used Chinese medicine and chicken soup to make up for it.
"Damn it, make me build a giant warship!"
Xu Sinian twitched the corner of his mouth, shook his head with a mixture of amusement and exasperation, and said, "If I had that guts and ability, I would have conquered the world long ago."
Hearing this, Yu Decai's heart pounded. In front of Li Xuewu, Xu Sinian was the only one in the group who could talk nonsense.
However, this also shows that the two have a good relationship. If they didn't have this trust, would Xu Sinian dare to talk nonsense?
"What did you say when he called you?"
Li Xuewu put down his chopsticks, looked at Xu Sinian, and asked, "So you said you couldn't make it?"
"How could I dare—"
Xu Sinian explained with a smile, "I agree to whatever he says, even if he asks me to build rockets, I'll say yes, yes, yes."
"Anyway, I'm not a designer or an engineer. Whether I can build it or not is up to me, but whether I can actually build it or not is not up to me."
"What about the progress?" Yu Decai finally asked. "Have you really arranged the shipbuilding project?"
"Bullshit!" Xu Sinian shrugged and said, "Does it count on the blueprints?"
"Heh—" Li Xuewu glanced at his sly look and said, "Director Li didn't ask you anything, did he?"
"No, he wouldn't ask."
Xu Sinian picked up his chopsticks again, picking at the food as he said, "He's trying to avoid this matter like the plague, how could he possibly get involved?"
“Then you need to think it through,” Li Xuewu pointed at the table, reminding him, “how to get rid of this entanglement.”
"Damn it, you can't even be related to me!"
Xu Sinian slammed down his chopsticks, cursing, and said, "I knew this wouldn't be good, otherwise why would they be the ones to find me?"
"If you really want to build large warships, can't you just issue a task through the ministry?"
He looked at Li Xuewu and said, "You have to save me. You're the only one I can count on."
"Transferred?" Li Xuewu glanced at him and asked, "I'll transfer you to the frontier. It won't be related to anything anymore."
"I might as well be dead."
Xu Sinian sat up straight and said, "Anyway, I didn't do anything. Even Professor Zhang, who was in charge of this project, is an old man who is about to retire."
"He was having a great time with those students, really thinking he had landed a big project and was ready to work for another ten years to contribute his remaining energy."
He couldn't help but laugh as he spoke, shaking his head and saying, "I told you this was a secret project, not to be told to anyone, and guess what?"
"Hahaha—" Before he even started speaking, he couldn't help but laugh. "The whole factory knows about this project, except for him and his students who don't know that the rest of the factory knows."
Xu Sinian was clever in this respect; fearing he would get into trouble, he simply leaked the project information, and the plan was thus abandoned.
Especially after the joint investigation team tracked down the Yingcheng vessel, those people dared not contact him anymore.
The rope around his neck broke, and only then did Xu Sinian have the courage to sit there and brag.
He had forgotten how terrified he was at the time; he was so scared he almost peed his pants when he received the joint investigation team's notice to return to Yingcheng to assist in the investigation.
Yu Decai was unaware of the danger of this matter, even though he and Xu Sinian were neighbors in Yingcheng.
Yingcheng Port Area is next to Yingcheng Shipyard, but he rarely goes to the shipyard, let alone gets involved in such gossip.
"We can't afford warships, but you could try patrol boats."
Li Xuewu thought for a moment and reminded Xu Sinian, "Yingcheng Port will be operational soon, and the Bohai Bay will be bustling with activity then."
“The patrol boats we have now are too small and not suitable for long-term patrols at sea. This is an opportunity for you.”
“This—” Xu Sinian’s mind worked quickly, and he looked at him and asked, “This can be considered a reason, right?”
Yu Decai, who was sitting at the same table, was slightly taken aback before realizing what the two were talking about. It turned out that they were talking about distancing themselves from each other.
"It's a normal project, and there's a reason for it."
Li Xuewu frowned slightly and said, "But explaining it clearly isn't so easy. In the end, it depends on whether Old Li will protect you or not."
"If he doesn't protect me, I'm doomed."
Xu Sinian spoke pitifully, but there was no worry on his face. It was as if he was saying that if Lao Li dared not protect him, he would drag Lao Li down with him.
However, Xu Sinian still had some influence over the years, otherwise Old Li wouldn't have been so lenient with him.
"Burn incense regularly, so you won't have to pray to Buddha at the last minute."
Li Xuewu turned to Yu Decai and asked, "How is the port area project progressing? Will it be operational by the end of the year?"
"It should be fine." Seeing that the topic had turned to him, Yu Decai sat up straight and reported, "I've been keeping an eye on the project's progress."
"It's not enough to just keep an eye on the project's progress; you also need to be fully prepared."
Li Xuewu emphasized calmly, "Within this year, all projects related to the port area's operations must be properly coordinated."
"Have the logistics and service companies contacted you?"
"Yes, we've been meeting up quite a bit lately."
Yu Decai thought for a moment and reported, "The progress of each project is going well. You can go and take a look at the site tomorrow."
"Yes, be more careful in your work."
Li Xuewu glanced at him, then dropped the topic and instead asked Xu Sinian about the spring floods.
-
Li Xuewu spent three days in Yingcheng. He first visited the construction site of Yingcheng Port Area, and then went to see the completed office building.
The next day, he met with the Yingcheng representatives on behalf of the group to solidify the relationship.
The third day was spent holding a meeting and inspecting the ore dressing plant project.
Xu Sinian asked him if he wanted to go to the shipyard, but there was no time. Hu Ke had gone to the steel city, so he had to go home.
"Why did you come without any warning? You could have given us a heads-up." Li Xuewu shook hands with Hu Ke, and Wang Lu was also present.
"Who knew you were out busy?"
Hu Ke chuckled and glanced at Wang Lu, saying, "Didn't I call you beforehand to ask?"
“This is not my fault,” Wang Lu explained with a smile. “You know, I called Zhang Jing and he said Secretary-General Li was at home.”
"If I was home that day, am I home every day?"
Li Xuewu explained with a laugh, "Yingcheng Port is almost finished, so I went to take a look."
"Hey, we were just talking about that a moment ago."
Hu Ke gestured towards the restaurant and said, "Let's go, let's eat and chat."
Does your port need a lot of workers?
As he walked, he asked Li Xuewu, "Are you recruiting locally, or are you absorbing the workforce internally?"
"What era are we living in? Still using manual labor for moving things?"
Li Xuewu looked at him with amusement and asked, "How long has it been since you went to Yingcheng, and how long has it been since you visited Yingcheng Port?"
"Really? You've become completely mechanized?"
Hu Ke was also surprised and looked at him, asking, "That can't be right. Jingu Port is advanced enough. Are you more advanced than them?"
"Yingcheng Port has both bulk cargo terminals and container terminals."
Li Xuewu walked into the restaurant and, at Wang Lu's suggestion, sat down next to Hu Ke, explaining, "The container terminal is a piece of cake; it's all about hoisting procedures."
"When we talk about bulk cargo terminals, you don't mean that bulk cargo means all the goods are loaded onto and unloaded from the ship in loose pieces, do you?"
He glanced at the people at the table and explained with a smile, "Our bulk cargo terminal mainly handles coal, iron ore, and grain."
"Just think about it, in tons, how long would it take to load and unload a 10,000-ton cargo ship? Time is cost."
"Look at the mess this has made," Hu Ke explained with a laugh. "I was thinking of solving the labor problem, but I didn't expect to make such a laughing stock of myself."
"It's hard to say now, but it was alright before."
Li Xuewu shook his head slightly and explained earnestly, "You should know that the group is currently controlling the number of employees."
"Yes, I know about your plan."
Hu Ke watched as the waiter brought out the cold dishes, but didn't interrupt Li Xuewu's conversation. She poured him wine while responding to him.
When Li Xuewu saw him personally pouring the wine, he knew something was up that night, but he could only grit his teeth and drink it anyway.
“In just the last two years, we have cut nearly three thousand jobs.”
He gestured with his fingers and said, "The current policy is that those who are short of working capacity should retire, or even be arranged to retire early."
"Those who are capable of working, unless they have sufficient self-study ability and are within the age limit, can go to production units; otherwise, they must go to construction units."
How many people does your construction company have?
After pouring the wine, Hu Ke looked at him and asked, "Is it the largest engineering and construction company in the country now?"
"No way—it's way off—"
Li Xuewu shook his head and explained, "They don't even make the top ten, and the number is only around ten thousand. The current approach is mainly to resettle them."
"When production units cut staff, they either go to service units or construction units. If the service units are full, they can only do manual labor."
He straightened up and said, "Think about it, what's the attrition rate for construction workers who do purely manual labor?"
"That goes without saying; Steel City No. 1 Construction is a prime example."
Wang Lu used the opportunity of her interruption to signal the leader to start eating, and then continued, "The old are old, the young are young, there's a generational gap."
“Our group is now located on a hillside.”
Li Xuewu gestured with his hands to explain: "From production to services, then to construction, and finally to resettlement."
"Where can the diverted traffic go? The only option is to set up a transportation company."
He picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks, looked at Hu Ke, and asked, "You just told me about the personnel resettlement issue. Have you thought about getting into transportation?"
Hu Ke and Wang Lu exchanged a glance. He knew that Li Xuewu wouldn't just talk nonsense; he had gone through all this trouble to wait for him here.
"Is there any potential in the transportation company business?"
He picked up his glass and asked, "There must be a cost involved, right?"
"What doesn't have costs?"
Li Xuewu chuckled and clinked glasses with him, then gestured to Wang Lu, "Robbery has no cost, you should look into this later."
After he finished speaking, seeing that everyone was laughing, he downed the wine in his glass in one gulp.
Hu Ke shook her head, put down her wine glass, and said, "If I could snatch it, I wouldn't need to ask you for advice. It's not like I can't snatch it now."
"See, I let it slip."
Li Xuewu nudged him, then looked at Wang Lu and asked, "What's he doing here? He's not really here to steal me, is he?"
"Hahaha—" Wang Lu was amused and kept shaking her head.
Hu Ke nodded, amused, and said, "Aren't we still friends? Why are you treating me like a jerk?"
"Being a friend like this isn't easy."
Li Xuewu said, feigning seriousness, "I have to help when there's trouble, otherwise I'll just get blamed."
"See, I told you Secretary-General Li doesn't tolerate gossip."
Hu Ke looked at Wang Lu, deliberately complained to Li Xuewu, and then touched his arm with the back of her hand to explain, "I came here for the matter of school-enterprise cooperation in setting up a factory."
He looked at Li Xuewu and asked, "Do you remember what you told me?"
"Yes, yes, I remember." Li Xuewu nodded and said, "Didn't we say we'd research how to produce it after the school got a good project?"
“This approach won’t work,” Hu Ke waved his hand and said, “It’s too slow and doesn’t provide any clear direction. You’ll still have to provide the requirements.”
He raised his chin and said, "What I mean is, do you have any projects suitable for our local universities, even if it's just an internship factory?"
"You are also aware of my conditions."
Li Xuewu said with some reservations, "School-enterprise cooperation is fine, and internship factories are also acceptable, but we must have the right to hire graduates."
He looked at Wang Lu and said, "We're not exactly saints, we're not selfless, right? We should at least get some compensation."
"I don't want more than that. As long as they are students who come to our factory for internships or participate in school-enterprise cooperation, we only need 10% of them."
"They even said I went to rob someone—"
Hu Ke looked at him speechlessly and asked, "Are you teaching me how to rob someone now?"