Chapter 352: Modu Automobile City 2.0

"Li Ge, this is the address and phone number of Jiang Zhenbei, the Deputy Factory Director of the Shanghai Rolling Mill. If you need anything when you get there, just go find him. I helped him out some years ago; just mention my name and it will be fine."

"Hahaha, good."

Li Huaide was stunned upon hearing this; it seemed that by sending Zhang Ping'an to Modu, he already had this kind of connection with a Deputy Factory Director.

"Li Ge, I think we should still distribute some profits locally when we get to Modu."

"Hmm? Ping'an, are you talking about the local power brokers?"

"Yes. No matter what, it's their home turf. Only if we share some profits will they protect us. Besides, neither you nor I can stay in Modu for the long term; we need someone to hold down the fort."

"Hmm, that's true."

Li Huaide knew clearly that in his own territory in Sijiucheng, no one dared to touch him, but that wouldn't work once he went out, unless his own background was an all-powerful unit with real authority.

"Then what about Jiang Zhenbei?"

"He can be considered a backup option. He might not necessarily agree. I'll call and ask tonight."

"That works then."

To be honest, Li Huaide was somewhat unwilling to hand over profits to others, but having spent decades in officialdom, he still understood the principle that a powerful dragon cannot suppress a local snake.

Zhang Ping'an suddenly remembered Wang Guoqing from Jinmen a few days ago.

"Li Ge, how is that Wang Guoqing doing now?"

"He went back to Jinmen. We didn't have any extra cars for him here every day. His group of five waited in line, bought five cars, and drove off."

"Ping'an, you were really right. We have quite a few people here who came from Jinmen, and some of them know that Wang Guoqing. He really is a middleman. It's a good thing you exposed him back then."

"Heh, I just saw he wasn't very old and didn't look like someone who ran a company, so I guessed."

"Haha, regardless, it's good that we didn't let him take advantage of us."

"Mm."

After returning home in the evening, Zhang Ping'an called Jiang Zhenbei.

"Jiang Ge, this is Zhang Ping'an. There is a matter I might need to trouble you with, Jiang Ge."

"Go ahead, little brother. I can still have a say in this neck of the woods in Modu."

"To be honest, brother, we plan to go to Modu to build an automobile city."

"Wait, little brother, that De'an Automobile City in Sijiucheng—you weren't the one who started that, were you?"

"Hahaha, brother, you've heard of it too?"

"More than just heard of it. I have quite a few friends here who bought cars in Sijiucheng. It's a pity they are too popular; many people are still on the waiting list."

"If you like it, brother, I'll send you one when the time comes."

"Hahaha, little brother, it's enough that you have the heart. The car I'm driving now is already too high-profile; let's talk about it later. By the way, you just said you're opening a De'an Automobile City in Modu?"

"That's right. I plan to get it done before the new year and start sales after the new year."

According to Zhang Ping'an's estimates, the production capacity at the Mechanical Factory would soon increase. It was only July now, and there were still five months until the end of the year; by then, a daily output of a thousand vehicles should not be a problem.

This way, the automobile city could also be allocated about two hundred vehicles per day, enough to handle both automobile cities.

"Hmm... alright. Come over, and I'll take you around. I can also recommend some places to you."

"Brother, it's not me going over, but my business partner. He is the former Factory Director of our Rolling Mill; you should know him too."

"Li Huaide?"

"Yes."

"I didn't expect him to jump into the sea of business. I remember he hadn't reached retirement age yet, right?"

"Li Ge had enough of being in the system and feels more at ease being out."

"Hahaha, that's true."

Jiang Zhenbei naturally didn't believe it; there must be some hidden story, but since the other party didn't say, he couldn't ask too much.

"Jiang Ge, if you are interested, you could also take a stake in the Modu branch of De'an Automobile City."

"Hmm? Ping'an, wouldn't taking a stake now be like getting a free handout? That wouldn't be fair to you and Li Huaide."

Jiang Zhenbei didn't believe they would be foolish enough to hand over profits on a silver platter; there must be more to it.

"Hahaha, Jiang Ge, De'an Automobile City will still need your care in Modu when the time comes."

"Hahaha, Ping'an, I understand. Let me consider it."

To be honest, Jiang Zhenbei was very tempted, but he felt a bit embarrassed. After all, Zhang Ping'an had helped both him and his nephew advance further back then; he felt like he was taking advantage of the situation by taking a stake now.

It was reasonable for him to look after De'an Automobile City in Modu, but it was still hard to refuse such huge profits placed right in front of him.

"Good, then Jiang Ge, I'll wait for your good news."

"Mm, good."

Jiang Zhenbei immediately went to the study to ask for the opinion of his father, Jiang Zhangsheng.

"Heh, you are too close to the situation to see it clearly. If their automobile city wants to enter Modu, they have to find a local power to cooperate with, no matter who it is."

"But you are undoubtedly the one they are most familiar with. Just agree to it. Since you are taking a stake, just bring out enough sincerity; that way you won't have to feel guilty."

Jiang Zhangsheng's meaning was simple: buy in with money, and pay a high price at that, since De'an Automobile City already had a small reputation.

"Mm, Father, I understand. Then who should I send to the automobile city?"

"Send Jiancheng. Although he jumped out of the pig farm these past few years, he has always been stuck in the middle. It would be better for him to come out."

"Good. It just so happens that Zhang Ping'an and Jiancheng are familiar with each other, so perhaps the cooperation will be more pleasant."

"Mm."

The Jiang family could only be considered mid-tier among the noble families in Modu, but this automobile city was still very weak at the moment; with the Jiang family behind them, they could also gain a firmer foothold in Modu more easily.

Zhang Ping'an hung up the phone and thought about it, then decided to go to Modu with Li Huaide. With him there, many things could be laid out clearly.

"Li Ge, I'll go to Modu with you tomorrow."

"Great, with you there, I'll be even more confident."

The next morning, Zhang Ping'an and his companion flew directly to Modu, and as soon as they landed, they felt the prosperity of Modu.

"This place does indeed look more prosperous than Sijiucheng."

"Mm, that is more favorable for the development of our automobile city."

"Hahaha, that's right."

"Li Ge, I'm going to make a phone call first."

"Go ahead."

Although they were not completely clueless about Modu, they were not much better off, and having a local guide could save them a lot of time.

"Jiang Ge, it's me, Zhang Ping'an. We are at Hongqiao Airport now."

"Little brother, you should have told me when you arrived. I'll have Jiancheng go over to pick you up right now."

"Alright, sorry to trouble you, elder brother."

"Don't mention it, he'll be there in a moment."

"Mm, alright."

Twenty minutes later, a Longteng car stopped in front of Zhang Ping'an and his companion.

"Director Zhang, Factory Director Li."

Jiang Jiancheng was very grateful to Zhang Ping'an; back then, it was Zhang Ping'an who helped him revitalize the pig farm, which led to his current division-level status.

"This is..."

"Li Ge, this is elder brother Jiang's nephew, Jiang Jiancheng."

"Oh, oh, hello. Don't call me Factory Director anymore, I've already retired."

"Alright, then I'll call you General Manager Li. I borrowed this car from a friend; it was also bought from your De'an Automobile City."

"Sure, hahaha, your friend has good taste, it's even from the high-end series."

"General Manager Li is right, your cars are very popular. Being able to open an automobile city in our Modu this time will also make it convenient for us to buy cars."

"Let's get in the car first. I'll be your tour guide today. Director Zhang, General Manager Li, just tell me where you want to go today, and I'll take you wherever you point."

"Jiancheng, where do you think it would be appropriate to open an automobile city in Modu?"

"Well, it definitely has to be a place with high foot traffic, like the areas around Nanjing Road, The Bund and Huangpu Park, People's Square, Jing'an Temple, and so on, all would work."

"Alright, then let's go take a look at them one by one."