Chapter 153: Is My Reputation Really That Useless?

Zhang Qingling, who had followed the army for training for many years, was the first to stand up, and relying on his lean physique, he pushed through several people; just as he was about to grab Liu Mu, the hand he had reached out was grabbed by someone else a step ahead.

Qin Han: "Department Head Zhang, I was just looking for you to reconcile the accounts. Come, come, let's settle the orders for last month today, otherwise the supplies for this month won't be able to be issued!"

"Hey, hey, hey, wait a moment, I have something to discuss with the Acting Chief, don't pull..."

Seeing Qin Han intercepting the person, Jiang Hanzhong immediately caught the drift, and thinking himself clever, he squeezed toward the back door, wanting to intercept Liu Mu outside.

Regarding such a construction project, once Liu Mu's Shengli Group took it on, wouldn't a large portion of the profits go into her pocket?

From ancient times to the present, few have ever lost money by doing construction for the authorities.

He and Zhang Qingling had been misled by the post-disaster mindset and were a half-beat slow in their reaction, not daring to take it, but that did not mean the forces behind them lacked the strength to eat this cake.

It was just a pity that his corpulent body finally squeezed to the back door, but when he pulled the door open, he found that someone was already standing there.

Liu Fugui, who had just delivered coal to the Barrier, smiled and handed over the order form, "Oh, Department Head Jiang, great leader, I was just looking for you to verify the cargo list. What a coincidence, you've just finished your meeting... Come, come, let me show you the coal this time; the quality is getting better each time. Let's take this opportunity to discuss the pricing for the new coal without loss."

Jiang Hanzhong really wanted to find Liu Mu; if he could secure the project and earn a large sum, then he, an abandoned son of the Jiang Family, would surely be able to re-enter the eyes of those old fogies.

But the matter of the new coal pricing had been agreed upon earlier; if it wasn't handled well, he feared Liu Mu's people would hold him to ransom.

Because of the impact of the 'Ten-Day Burning' on the upper coal seams, the coal mined previously had been somewhat burnt, and he had suppressed the price. But based on the fact that there was only this one supplier for coal, Jiang Hanzhong had to stabilize Liu Fugui in order to be able to re-price the new coal he would inevitably need in the future.

Well, it just so happened that he ran into this critical moment, and Jiang Hanzhong couldn't help but suspect that Liu Mu was doing it on purpose.

"Fine, let's take a look first. I have something to discuss with your Boss in a moment, be quick."

Something to discuss? That's great, Liu Fugui thought. Upon seeing Jiang Hanzhong's demeanor, he immediately raised the price in his mind by another notch.

Although he didn't know what had happened in the conference room just now, Boss Liu Mu had told him to come find Jiang Hanzhong at this time, so there must be benefits to be gained!

This wave of coordination must be executed perfectly!

On the other side, after Liu Mu gave Qin Han permission to use the necessary supplies, she went straight home.

Along the way, whether it was the Barrier or the Shengli Group, it was truly a case of everything waiting to be rebuilt.

However, the Group side was still a bit better; after all, they were all familiar people, and with Li Gang and a few others keeping an eye on things, they had already cleared most of the ground. They had also built a few rows of mobile homes, which could be considered enough to shelter from the wind and rain.

Liu Mu met with Li Gang, and after inquiring about the situation on the ground, she discussed another matter with him.

"I plan to build a Plantation on the mountain nearby, mainly for growing vegetables and fruits. What do you think?"

"Xiao Feng had also mentioned the matter of a Plantation before, but we just couldn't find a suitable place," Li Gang said, holding a cigarette in his hand, which he said was given to him by people on the ship. "But, Sister Mu, we can grow fruit trees and vegetables on the mountain, but what about grain? We can't just keep sitting here and eating up our reserves, right?"

"In a few days, we'll clear a piece of land on the other side of the mountain and set up the framework for a farm. It will be fine once Big Sister finishes her seclusion."

"Clear a piece of land? Can anyone really just fence off land as their own now?"

"What are you saying? Do you know what status your Boss has now? Look at this: the highest military and administrative chief of the Haicheng Barrier and surrounding areas. From now on, ah! Right? Doesn't it mean whatever we say goes, big brother!"

Honestly, Li Gang was truly shocked. He couldn't figure out the reason no matter how he thought about it. "No, Boss, how did you end up becoming a chief after this support mission? Doesn't the Barrier still have that someone, that leader Yang Shuo? What happened, did he throw in the towel and quit?"

Liu Mu pointed to the end of the position column on the appointment letter, where two tiny characters read: 'Acting'. "Yang Shuo was seriously injured, and it's unknown if he has the life left to make it to the General Command Hospital. Sigh, I've done everything I could to help him; the rest depends on his luck."

"If Yang Shuo is gone, won't the Southeast Three Provinces fall into chaos? How many people know about this?"

"Those who should know and those who shouldn't, they should all know by now," Liu Mu replied lightly, as if she had no concerns about Yang Shuo's life or death.

"Sister Mu, what are your plans?" Li Gang didn't believe Liu Mu had no plans. If Yang Shuo died, the massive resources prepared for building the Barrier would inevitably attract a power struggle.

This pillar of stability must not die!

"Me?" Liu Mu retracted the appointment letter, folded it slowly until it disappeared into her palm, and glanced downward. "That's why the project is starting at three locations simultaneously; resources can be distributed to the three places. If they want to snatch them, they'll have to see what they want."

"Right now, it must be the steel," Li Gang was not optimistic about this. "Xiao Feng is watching things here, and I'll go to the Salt Drying Plant. The two places are close enough to watch over each other. Let those old officials at the Barrier headquarters watch the main base; they are afraid of death, so they will do their best. The Steel Factory is not only far away, but it's also the easiest to be fought over. You did this on purpose, didn't you?"

Liu Mu did not deny it and nodded slightly. "In the end, it's because the landlord's family has too much surplus grain; they haven't been starved enough. As for the Steel Factory..."

The two sat on a mound of earth dug up for the foundation. The rain hadn't stopped for long, and it was only falling lightly now.

Around the mound, people wearing Raincoats were busy clearing the original foundation, preparing for the subsequent construction.

"I, the big Boss, naturally cannot go to such a far place to suffer, so let Jiang Hanzhong go, and by the way, I can also sound out the bottom of this old fogey." Liu Mu appreciated Li Gang; he followed rules, understood human nature, and knew how to be flexible. As long as she could win him over, he would be a very good subordinate.

As for loyalty, Liu Mu didn't believe there was true loyalty in this world; shared interests were the foundation of maintaining relationships.

"You, sigh..." As soon as Li Gang heard this, he knew Liu Mu intended to hide in the shadows and deal with things, digging a pit for Jiang Hanzhong that was full of oil and water. "There won't be just one or two groups of people. There's a reason Yang Shuo was so low-key before. Even if he can control the army, other forces are also very difficult to deal with, not to mention that it's normal for them not to give you face."

"Hiss, is my reputation really that useless?"

Liu Mu was a bit annoyed. How could Li Gang not know how to save her some face when analyzing problems? "But it's fine, it's exactly what I want—for them to come."

Li Gang looked up, a glimmer of light moving in his eyes. His heart was already churning with stormy waves, but when he connected the events, he felt that this speculation was reasonable when applied to Liu Mu.

"Now that we have this appointment letter, we can be considered to have a legitimate reason, but Boss, we don't have an army, how can we fight them? Even if we add all of us together, it's impossible to contend with a regular army. And according to my investigation, the Haicheng Barrier headquarters and Xing Tianyang's Laboratory don't have many troops either."

"Yeah, where exactly did Yang Shuo hide the troops? That old guy is full of schemes, wanting to get something for nothing—impossible, pfft!"

"This... are you saying that the army scattered to build bases in various places is just a surface number, and he still has hidden strength? If I could get the accounts for the army's material transport and expenditures, I could estimate the number of people."

"I told you that you were a talent," Liu Mu revealed a cunning smile, and a tablet wrapped in a black protective shell appeared in her hand. "I'm counting on you. Since he wants me to watch the Barrier for him, we have to collect some benefits; we can't work for nothing."

The tablet opened, and Li Gang clicked on the only folder on the screen. The numbers surprised him. "You actually got this? Where did you get it?"