Chapter 803: Are You Trying to Force It on Me?

Early the next morning, Li Ye entered Lu Zhizhang's office, and the two began to "conspire."

"Old Lu, we must grow stronger as soon as possible, otherwise I'm afraid the big tree will fall too fast and hit us, and we won't be able to carry it."

Lu Zhizhang rubbed his bloodshot eyes and said in a deep voice: "I also considered it for a long time last night. Based on the results we have made now, we really can't guarantee that we can eat the main factory."

Li Ye asked in surprise: "Wow, why are you so frank? Didn't you always speak in circles and be watertight before?"

Lu Zhizhang smiled meaningfully at Li Ye: "Then didn't I meet you, this god?"

"..."

Li Ye had never told Lu Zhizhang that he wanted to "swallow an elephant with a heart that is not enough," intending to annex the main factory based on the No. 1 branch factory.

But today, Lu Zhizhang said it for him.

Li Ye must be a key cultivation object for some people, and now the No. 1 branch factory has also made achievements, with substantial profits.

It's just that in the mouths of some people, these achievements are at best just improving the old 130, new wine in old bottles.

So next, the No. 1 branch factory must take big steps forward and make more eye-catching achievements to convince people.

"Our current production capacity has reached 2,500 units per month. Give us another half a year, and our output will exceed the main factory. But with the growth of raw materials, our profits might decrease."

Lu Zhizhang took out a stack of forms, stated the existing production capacity of the No. 1 branch factory, and then looked up and asked Li Ye: "Do you have a new plan?"

Li Ye nodded and said: "I originally wanted to strive for the production of the new 1041, but now it seems impossible in the short term, so we will launch new projects ourselves."

Lu Zhizhang's eyes lit up, and he said happily: "Is what you said last time about introducing new overseas car models true?"

When people from the Zhucheng vehicle factory came to Li Ye to talk about joint operations, Li Ye proposed the idea of introducing new overseas car models. Later, there was no news from Zhucheng, so Lu Zhizhang thought it was a no-go!

Li Ye spread his hands: "Why wouldn't it be true? Old Lu, open up your pattern. Holding onto old products conservatively all day long will at most mix a warm meal in front of you, and there will be no big future."

"I know, I know, so I said you are a god!"

Lu Zhizhang rubbed his hands excitedly and then asked Li Ye: "Then what series of cars do you plan to introduce?

Now Beijing has introduced the American Cherokee, Shanghai has introduced the West German Santana, Guangzhou has introduced the French Peugeot 505, should we introduce British or Japanese cars? I think the Crown car is not bad, should we..."

"Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, you hold on first!"

Li Ye hurriedly pressed Lu Zhizhang and said with a wry smile: "Old Lu, what are you thinking? You don't know how complicated a car is. Introducing a car production line is a national-level project. We are just a truck branch factory. You are not swallowing an elephant, you are a toad eating the sky."

"..."

Lu Zhizhang was stunned and smiled awkwardly: "I was just fantasizing, just happy!"

In the eighties, the mainland did not have any modern car supporting capabilities. Wanting to introduce an advanced car like the Crown requires moving in various supporting technologies and equipment, which is an astronomical figure.

Even if Li Ye's money comes easily, even if he is willing to spend money, but when this kind of enterprise lands, can Lu Zhizhang, a division-level cadre, be

Not to mention Li Ye, who is only twenty-five or twenty-six years old and has only been working for a year or two—what qualifications do you have to command a large group of veterans who are three, four, five, or six ranks higher than you?

Lu Zhizhang smacked his lips and asked in a down-to-earth manner, "So Li Ye, what kind of car do you intend to import?"

Li Ye said, "I heard there is a type of light truck overseas that is very suitable for our rural environment in the interior, and I intend to go take a look."

"A light truck?" Lu Zhizhang asked hurriedly, "Will it conflict with the Isuzu vehicles we are importing? If there is a conflict, then it will likely be a wasted effort."

"No, it's much smaller than our 1041."

Li Ye used his hands to gesture the size, and Lu Zhizhang was disappointed.

"Li Ye, I finally understand why you wanted to hook up with Factory Manager Wang in Zhucheng; you want to make agricultural vehicles! Why import anything then? Just let the masters in our factory modify one themselves, and that should be enough!"

Seeing Lu Zhizhang's disappointed look, Li Ye knew that he, like many automotive people today, looked down on agricultural vehicles and micro-cars, and even felt that hand-crafting one was easy.

But if it were really that easy, would the automotive people in the interior still need to bury their heads and catch up for forty years?

A car's chassis has only so many parts, but when running on bumpy, broken roads, some fall apart into pieces, and the steering wheel feels like it's going to fly off with a single move, while others are solid and taut, with precise steering that goes exactly where you point it.

This is actually the gap in design, technology, experience, and craftsmanship in many aspects.

Li Ye is also willing to believe that the industrial people in the interior can slowly research a qualified micro-truck through collective efforts. But he cannot wait that long, so he decided to import from overseas first, then conduct reverse engineering, fully understand the prototype vehicle, and finally accumulate and form his own research and development capabilities.

This is also the choice of many automotive companies in the interior at this time, but many people failed, and many people were schemed against.

In the decades of development, there have been at least dozens of new car brands put into production in the interior, but unfortunately, so many "hopes" that flashed in the pan did not even leave a punctuation mark in the end.

And Li Ye knows history, so he knows which type of car will shine brightly in the interior.

First, fully understand the micro-truck, and then Li Ye wants to try to replicate that epoch-making national god-car.

"Knock, knock, knock~"

Just as Li Ye and Lu Zhizhang were discussing whether to import the prototype vehicle from Japan or the Lighthouse, someone suddenly knocked on the door outside.

"Come in."

The door was pushed open, and Master Ding's son, Ding Jiuchang, walked in, then sheepishly took out a thick envelope and placed it in front of Li Ye and Lu Zhizhang.

"Pfft~"

Lu Zhizhang laughed.

Li Ye looked at the envelope speechlessly, then looked at Ding Jiuchang, and after a long while, he asked strangely, "Brother, are you here to give a gift? There are two of us here! You only brought one envelope... do you even know how to bribe?"

Ding Jiuchang smiled awkwardly and then said, "Factory Manager Lu, Factory Manager Li, this money is not mine. I met Factory Manager Wang and the others when I got off work yesterday.

They insisted on stopping me and shoved this bag of money into my hands, saying it was to make friends, and also asked me to help arrange a meeting for you two."

Li Ye's expression calmed down, and he asked, "So you accepted it?"

Ding Jiuchang hurriedly said, "They threw the money from the car and ran away. I really had no choice, so I slept with it for a night, and today I hurried over to turn it in to the public."

Hearing Ding Jiuchang say "turn it in to the public," Li Ye's expression softened a little.

"Turning it in is the right thing to do, but Brother, next time he throws money at you again, throw it on the ground and walk away; don't accept it again."

"Yes, yes, yes, I know. It's all just stinking dog shit. Next time I see them, I'll scold them."

"..."

After Ding Jiuchang left, Li Ye pushed the thick envelope to Lu Zhizhang.

"Here, you are familiar with this kind of thing; you decide how to handle it!"

Lu Zhizhang glanced at Li Ye and said with a smile, "Are you testing me?"

Li Ye retorted, "Why, can't you withstand the test?"

Lu Zhizhang weighed the envelope and threw it on the table casually.

"My salary and bonuses for this month add up to over five hundred yuan, and it will definitely be more in the future. If they want to use sugar-coated bullets to take me down, they've miscalculated."

"Damn, then what if they give you five million in the future?"

"..."

Lu Zhizhang widened his eyes, pursed his lips, and said, "If they bribe me with five million, then what level must I be at? Once I reach that level, would I still need money?"

"..."

Now it was Li Ye's turn not to know how to respond.

So many tigers in later generations were not at low levels; why did they want both this and that?

(End of chapter)