Chapter 1303: Surprise Inspection Visit

Wang Yan did not linger long in the capital; he returned to his loyal Jin Ling.

The foreigner Lawrence did not leave; he still spent his days acting like a monkey, accompanied by a translator, learning about Jin Ling's strength.

At the Canton Fair, he had no clear understanding of the boundaries of Wang Yan's power.

But after arriving in Jin Ling, watching the militia and police standing guard with rifles, observing the dense crowds on the streets, seeing the various bicycles, motorcycles, and tractors, listening to the roaring factories, and hearing the clatter of assembly lines sounding like silver coins, he roughly felt one ten-thousandth of Wang Yan's power.

Without direct contact, imagination is insufficient; Lawrence's assets worth tens of millions were not even enough for him to stand out in Los Angeles, let alone California, let alone the entire United States.

The entire process from birth to death for Jin Ling's population of over two hundred thousand was entirely held in Wang Yan's hands; Lawrence only felt awe without gaining a clearer understanding, something he would never achieve in his lifetime.

But at the same time, he felt a bit of retrospective fear; if he had truly swindled Jin Ling out of money, he feared finding a good death would be difficult, and even on the other side of the ocean, it would be hard to escape such a fate.

Every person from Jin Ling he encountered possessed strong confidence and revealed a fierce style; he did not doubt that after swindling the money, the people of Jin Ling would cross the ocean, find him, and make his life worse than death.

He doubted even less whether Jin Ling had the ability to find him; after all, money makes the ghost push the mill, and there are only people who do not want to be found, not people who cannot be found—this was not a high-IQ crime requiring police investigation and pursuit, nor did it require discussing evidence, for the Chinese gangs in California were very powerful, and finding him would truly not be difficult.

After Wang Yan returned to Jin Ling, he chatted with Lawrence for a few days, detailing how to conduct marketing and development afterward, and only after such discussions did he allow Lawrence to return to the United States.

Once Lawrence returned, he would issue job invitations, and Jin Ling would then send personnel over to supervise Lawrence while secretly carrying out other tasks assigned by Wang Yan, establishing a Jin Ling family enterprise in the United States.

The selected individuals included both the young and the old; Wang Yan specially held an ideological class for them, mainly discussing the gap between capitalism and socialism, and the gap with Jin Ling, explaining the social rules of the United States and revealing the core of its operation; the glittering world dazzles the eyes, but once one sees through the essence, the feeling is not wonderful.

Especially when the capital belongs to others and one is merely a screw in that capital, replaceable at any time, it becomes even more distressing.

Of course, Wang Yan also gave these dispatched personnel great freedom, even stating things plainly: eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling were all permissible, provided they did not gamble with Jin Ling's money, harm Jin Ling's people, or touch drugs; if they violated this, they should not return, for returning would mean execution by firing squad, and whether they could survive in the United States depended on how much harm their actions caused to the Jin Ling collective.

In short, the message conveyed was simple: the interests of the collective must not be infringed upon.

Whoever destroys the collective is the enemy of the collective and must be eliminated by the collective; even if one flees to the ends of the earth, they must be killed to vent this anger.

He had already explicitly drawn the line, so committing offenses after that was simply seeking death, and Wang Yan would help them with that; from this perspective, handling matters abroad was more convenient than domestically.

However, these people would not be working there indefinitely; they would rotate once a year, allowing the people of Jin Ling to go out and see the world, and once they realized that the United States, which boasted so arrogantly and fought this one today and that one tomorrow, was just so-so, and that the American people were suffering in deep water and scorching fire, then Jin Ling would truly become awesome.

This was a matter of spirit, culture, and ideology, and naturally, it was the top priority.

In fact, Wang Yan had always been engaged in work in these aspects; to say nothing of other things, just regarding the theaters alone, Jin Ling now enjoyed a very good reputation in the quyi (folk performing arts) circle, where both adults and children loved listening to opera, and this was not limited to the province or city range, as Jin Ling had invited famous artists from across the country to hold special performances over the past two years, singing for several consecutive days, creating an excellent atmosphere in the county.

In addition, there was the protection of various historical and cultural relics; to put it simply, anything in the county with a bit of history had someone watching over it, and the county's Cultural Bureau had specially opened an office to verify these historical and cultural relics, organize various data, and invite relevant experts, while also securing funding to repair and protect these sites.

By now, the context had been clarified, and a small promotional booklet had been specially published to educate the people of Jin Ling, although the elderly of Jin Ling were not very interested in these things, while the young people were somewhat receptive, wandering around the entire county when courting, yet still not paying much attention to these matters.

However, visitors from other places were quite fond of them; numerous drivers, salesmen, and inspection teams viewed these things, as this was a segment dedicated to displaying Jin Ling's heritage, forming one part of Jin Ling's formal reception for inspection teams: looking at history, looking at the present, and looking at the planned future.

At the same time, the office under this Cultural Bureau was also responsible for organizing Jin Ling's history, and within the plans, there was to be a 'Jin Ling People's History Museum,' tracing everything from ancient prehistoric times up to the vigorously developing present.

The goal was to enhance the cohesion of the Jin Ling people and establish a sense of historical and cultural consciousness.

Furthermore, Jin Ling had a People's Publishing House, a Jin Ling People's Literature Magazine Office, a Jin Ling People's Children's Literature Magazine Office, and a Jin Ling People's Newspaper Office, encouraging literary creation by the people, encouraging the people to read, critique, and express their opinions.

In Jin Ling's newspapers, besides various major developments in Jin Ling, such as county meetings, future plans, various monthly, quarterly, and annual reviews, and commendations for outstanding workers, space was also allocated for workers to write short stories, personal summaries, and ideological reports, with reports from outstanding Party members also being published.

Jin Ling had also established a concert hall; of course, it was not specially built yet, but it was planned, and a stadium was also in the process of site selection and preparation, with plans to invite bands to perform and pop stars to sing.

However, these tasks were all initiated by Wang Yan during meetings with the county leadership to set the tone, after which the county side handled the operations; he rarely paid attention to them throughout the year, but every time he did, he would make appropriate improvements.

Jin Ling's construction of spiritual civilization was definitely lagging behind the development of material production, but overall, ideological education had kept pace with the speed of development; as long as thinking was correct, the spirit would not be lacking, and it would always be able to catch up...

After seeing Lawrence off and completing the dispatch arrangements, with various goods destined for Lawrence already cleared through customs, the year-end arrived in the blink of an eye.

Just as high-level meetings were being held in Jin Ling, conducting year-end reviews and planning for the coming year, a rather large motorcade departed from the city without anyone giving prior notice.

Flanked front and rear by police on motorcycles, the middle consisted of a line of more than ten vehicles, including normal sedans and military jeeps, as the motorcade traveled along the wide road leading to Jin Ling.

"This road is built quite well; it's flat as a pancake."

Holding a cigarette in his hand and looking at the situation outside the car window, he remarked, "There are bicycles, motorcycles, tractors, sedans, and trucks; this shows the situation in Jin Ling."

"Yes, my lord; the people of Jin Ling are among the wealthiest in the entire country, and those riding bicycles and motorcycles, as well as those taking tractors, are all going to the city for fun; when Jin Ling first became wealthy, the people of Jin Ling greatly longed for the city, coming there to buy things and enjoy themselves."

"At that time, the roads were not yet well-built, and it was Jin Ling's tractors that transported people into the city, making it very lively; but in the past two years, the people of Jin Ling have stopped going to the city, resulting in much less activity and none of the former grandeur, while instead, people from our city have started running to Jin Ling, wanting to see the excitement there."

"With so many people, travel safety for the populace is a concern; it would be best to establish a dedicated passenger line and add several buses to facilitate exchange between Jin Ling and the city."

"Yes, my lord; this matter is already being advanced; Jin Ling has paid to purchase ten passenger buses, which will be delivered and put into use by next spring; at that time, there will be a departure in each direction approximately every hour, and subsequent additions will be made depending on passenger flow."

"You have done good work," the elder nodded.

The secretary sitting in the front passenger seat subtly turned his head to glance back; the leader made a suggestion, and you say you have already completed it?

The journey of merely fifty kilometers did not take long to reach the destination.

The motorcade stopped outside the county town market; here, the appearance of a motorcade was particularly eye-catching, and its specifications immediately indicated the presence of a leader, yet people were accustomed to it, after all, many leaders came to Jin Ling.

Therefore, people did not pay much attention, mostly casting curious glances before returning to their own affairs, though many still gathered to watch the excitement, keeping some distance under the maintenance of order by the police.

At the same time, the Jin Ling public security officers and militia patrolling and standing guard nearby immediately came over to assist in maintaining order, a routine they were very skilled in, partly because leaders visited frequently, but more importantly because relevant regulations existed both in the tasks assigned by the county and in their own statutes.

Soon, after space was cleared, the door of the vehicle in the middle position opened, and a leader dressed in a Lin Zhongshan suit underneath and wearing a overcoat on top stepped out.

It was at this moment that the onlookers became excited.

In an instant, everyone was in an uproar.

"Captain..."

A police officer maintaining order stared blankly at the captain beside him.

That captain swallowed hard, came to his senses, and then slapped the back of his subordinate's head with a crisp 'Pa!'

"What is there to ask? The leader is inspecting; hurry up and report the news! Go quickly! There's a phone over there; make the call immediately."

While speaking, he kicked the subordinate lightly but firmly, urging him to quickly spread the word...

Thus, more than ten minutes later, over twenty high-level county leaders who had been in a meeting rushed to the location, some in vans, some in sedans, and some on tractors.

At this time, the inspection team was in the market, engaging in cordial conversations with street vendors and investigating the people's conditions.

Wang Yan and the others quickly squeezed into the crowd, gathering behind the main leader.

"Greetings, Commander."

The leader nodded gently but did not acknowledge Wang Yan and the others, continuing to speak with the vendors in the market, asking where they sourced their goods, what the costs were, what the selling prices were, how much they earned in a day, how many people were in their families, and how their food and drink situation was.

These were questions leaders always asked, but this year was somewhat different, because at last year's conference, the concept of a moderately prosperous society had been proposed, though it had not yet been specifically defined.

According to the public itinerary Wang Yan knew of, before arriving in Jin Ling, the inspection team should have been conducting investigations in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, asking the local leaders whether they could double residents' income again in the new year.

With only a few days left until the New Year, this visit was likely a spontaneous decision that broke the fixed schedule, making a detour to take a look at Jin Ling; after all, four years had passed, and Jin Ling had created such a massive momentum as the vanguard of reform that a visit was certainly warranted.

Thus, they launched a surprise attack, allowing no time for preparation, so they could see the most authentic situation directly.

The result, of course, held no surprises; one needed only to look at the sea of people in the market to feel Jin Ling's prosperity.

"You've done quite well."

Wang Yan attended closely at their side; the leaders of Jin Ling were not in a position to speak up, and they knew their place well enough to follow behind.

"It will be even better in the future. This year, the state provided us with talent; as time passes, our various industries will achieve greater and better breakthroughs. Chief, Jin Ling still has a long road ahead."

As they walked along the streets of Jin Ling, people on both sides of the road greeted them enthusiastically, while ahead, Jin Ling's publicity personnel and the reporters who had accompanied them snapped photos continuously—click, click, click—all along the way.

Wang Yan saw clearly that in just this short while, five rolls of film had already been exposed; truly, they were photographing everything from every angle.

"When you came to Beijing before, I forgot to ask your views on a moderately prosperous society; tell me your thoughts."

"Chief, how could I possibly comment on this? This is a grand strategy for the national economy and people's livelihood; a small factory director like me cannot say anything meaningful. However, according to the intent you expressed at last year's meeting, we in Jin Ling already achieved it last year."

The members of the inspection team waved to the onlooking crowds while laughing heartily as they replied.

"You have done exceedingly well, but we still have nine hundred million people. Without speaking of distant places, let's just talk about your county: tell me, how will you develop, and how will you achieve a moderately prosperous society?"

"Chief, during my report last year, I stated that with Jin Ling's development, we must carry out industrial transfer, moving our backward industries, which we can no longer attend to, to other places; in this way, we reduce our burden, while other places gain livelihoods and can earn more money.

For instance, what we are currently researching is transferring the breeding industry to the neighboring XX County, expanding the scale of breeding to raise pigs, chickens, ducks, and geese, thereby providing Jin Ling with a more stable supply of meat and eggs.

We plan to abolish the production of building materials throughout the entire county, while simultaneously taking shares in related industries in other counties to help the city improve productivity and, at the same time, supply Jin Ling's needs.

In terms of machinery manufacturing, we also intend to take shares in related factories in other counties, transferring part of the component production work to factories within the city.

In garment production, we will take shares in shoe and clothing factories in other counties, open branch factories, assist in production, and increase supply capacity.

In beverages... beer... fruits and vegetables... textiles...

In this manner, after a period of time, the areas surrounding Jin Ling will be able to provide employment for more people; once the people have rice bowls in hand and work steadily for a few years, keeping in step with one another, within three to five years, the two surrounding counties will roughly reach the level of a moderately prosperous society. At the very worst, they can at least reach the living standards Jin Ling had in 1980..."

Wang Yan spoke at length, detailing the more refined plans for the recent years; these involved every aspect, but primarily concerned the merger of the three counties.

The relevant officials nodded repeatedly, and so they continued walking until they reached the industrial zone, stopping at the entrance of the shoe and clothing factory.

Someone offered cigarettes, handing one to Wang Yan as well; Wang Yan, being sensible, lit the leader's cigarette first before starting to smoke his own. Having walked such a long distance, this was a moment to rest and catch their breath, so they could meet the workers in the factory with a better spirit.

He looked at Wang Yan with a smile: "Wang Yan, you keep talking about the situation in the two neighboring counties, and all the shares you mention taking are in those two counties, yet you don't say a word about the city, which would benefit even more. I think you, young man, have ulterior motives, wanting to merge the two counties and elevate the county to a city."

"Chief, your insight is as sharp as a torch; indeed, that is our intention. We are brothers in adversity, helping each other. The main issue is that Jin Ling is too small; we have basically exhausted our current labor force.

Only at the end of this year did we complete our statistics: the county's population is over 290,000, with the urban population reaching over 160,000, and over 80,000 people having been allocated apartments. Among the remaining 140,000, the elderly, young, and disabled account for 100,000; these people will enter the city to receive housing allocations as soon as the buildings are completed. The remaining 40,000 are responsible for the county's entire agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fisheries.

By the end of this year, we will have absorbed everyone in the county, all of whom can become factory workers. The elderly and disabled have been issued welfare benefits; those currently remaining in the villages are all capable of working, helping out during farming seasons and otherwise staying home to care for children.

At the end of last year, we already began recruiting labor from the two neighboring counties to carry out construction. Currently, what restricts our development is labor and productivity. We are continuously solving the productivity problem, but with development, the shortfall in labor will inevitably grow larger.

Therefore, to prepare for a rainy day, we are first integrating the various industries of the two counties, without yet having to bear the various expenditures of two counties. Although Jin Ling is wealthy, it cannot, in the short term, support the expenditures of a combined population of one million across three counties. We can only proceed gradually through Xu Xu's planning, merging slowly."

"You speak so convincingly; has Beijing agreed?"

"Chief, Beijing will certainly agree; this is the inevitable path of development. The reason we are not taking shares in the city's industries is that there are too many complications and constraints; those people are all leaders, tangled in a mess of personal relationships, which is too troublesome to handle, whereas the counties are much easier to manage. Chief, please give this serious consideration."

"When I return, I will organize relevant parties to hold a meeting and study the matter..."

After chatting for the duration of one cigarette, their breathing had evened out, and the large group entered the garment factory...