Chapter 1061: Poked a Hornet's Nest

On the last day of March, Li Xuewu got up early and went for a walk by the big lake near his home.

It's called a big lake, but it's actually a large water puddle, with fences and viewing platforms built around it.

This kind of public facility, similar to a park, doesn't restrict outsiders from playing and sightseeing, even if it's inside the villa area.

The distance from the lakeside to the roadside is planted with many peach and apricot trees. March is the flowering period, with flowers blooming in clusters, which is very beautiful.

There are old men who get up earlier, wearing wide-brimmed straw hats, holding bamboo fishing rods, and sitting by the lake fishing.

Even the fish baskets by their feet and the small stools under their butts are made of bamboo, which is very artistic.

"Fishing in the green bay in spring, spring deep, apricot blossoms chaotic."

Li Xuewu, very pretentiously, recited a Tang poem and squatted beside an old man to take a look.

The fish basket was empty, not even a small fish or shrimp, not even as good as Banggeng.

"Your skills aren't good. Did you come too early? The fish haven't woken up yet."

"Are you related to the fish in this pond?"

The old man didn't even glance at him, "Otherwise, how do you know they haven't gotten up yet."

After speaking, he pulled back the fishing rod and grabbed the fishhook; it was an empty hook, not because the fish were small, but because the fish were old.

The small ones couldn't get into the hook, and the old ones wouldn't bite.

Li Xuewu didn't care about the old man's counterattack; he was just teasing him for fun because he had nothing to do early in the morning.

"I'm not related to the fish here. I know they haven't gotten up because there are a few turtles in this pond catching fish to eat. If the fish were out, they would be out too."

"Tsk—!"

The old man clicked his tongue, turned his head to look at the sharp-tongued young man, and asked, "Don't you have work? Why are you not out running for steamed buns early in the morning?"

"It's early. I'll go to work when it's time."

Li Xuewu had already circled the lake once. This was closer to the entrance, and he didn't want to go home early; his mother and Gu Ning and the children were still sleeping.

The old man hung the bait and cast the hook, asking casually, "Whose secretary are you? So idle?"

"Not a secretary, a driver, the one who drives."

Li Xuewu laughed, "Otherwise, why would I be so idle? I'll get a fishing rod later, I'm envious of you fishing, and I'll learn from you."

"Fine—your job is good!"

The old man didn't really bicker with him either. Young people always want to be competitive, and he didn't take the cheap talk to heart.

"What car do you drive? Is the small car class comfortable?"

"Bicycle, two wheels, not very comfortable. It bumps the butt when pedaling fast."

Li Xuewu looked at the fish float on the water, talking nonsense, "Our leader said, after he advances next year, he'll add another wheel to the back, stable."

The old man's mouth was almost twisted to his ears. In his heart, he already knew this bad kid was talking nonsense with him.

He had never heard of any leader who commuted by bicycle, and even less of a leader who commuted by bicycle and hired a driver!

If there's a driver, does there have to be a secretary?

Where does the secretary sit?

Sitting on the crossbar!

Thinking of this scene is strange enough.

It's no wonder the young people in the capital are all bad. You can't grasp his pulse; he's talking about the front gate tower, and he'll give you a hip joint.

"Then your leader has potential. If he advances one step, he adds a wheel to his car. If he advances ten steps, he'll have to assemble a train to commute!"

"Hmm, you're the one with potential!"

Li Xuewu squatted on the side and said, "Our leader at most dares to think about changing to a tricycle. You dare to say commuting by train. You're the one who's bold!"

The old man didn't want to talk anymore. If he said one sentence, this bad kid had ten waiting for him.

Feeling irritable, the fishing line in his hand trembled, and the fish float on the water began to sway slightly.

"Is there a fish?"

Li Xuewu looked at the fish float sinking and floating, reminding him softly, "You have to grasp the timing well. Fishing requires quick eyes and fast hands; if you're slow, you might..."

"Come, give the rod to you, you fish!"

The old man was annoyed by his nagging, stuffed the fishing rod into Li Xuewu's hand, stood up, took a step back, and watched him brag.

"This is so embarrassing—"

Li Xuewu smiled, looked at the fishing rod in his hand, and said, "If I really catch one, does it count as yours or mine? If it counts as yours, I'll feel bad, after all, your hand is too slow, you haven't caught a fish all morning."

"If it counts as mine, I'm younger than you, it's very embarrassing to pick up a fish from you for nothing."

"It counts as yours! Don't be fake, if you can do it, get on!"

The old man was really a stubborn temper, waved his hand, and signaled Li Xuewu to get on quickly.

Li Xuewu wasn't polite either, nodded with a smile, pulled the fishhook back, and re-baited it.

You don't say, he really hadn't fished many times. He meant fishing for real fish; the kind of fishing for people didn't count, that couldn't be counted.

If he remembered correctly, the last few times should have been fishing once with the Third Master at Kunminghu and once with Director Li in Steel City.

That time at Kunminghu, he almost made the Third Master autistic. That was during the novice protection period, catching fish clatter-clatter.

But that time in Steel City returned to normal, not showing off his skills much. He just didn't know if this time counted as the novice period.

Does the novice period last for two years?

"Young man, remember not to be impatient. Fishing can cultivate one's character, but it's too dull."

The old man stood on the side with his arms crossed and took the opportunity to say, "Your poem just proves that it's not the apricot blossoms that are chaotic, it's your heart that's chaotic."

"Shh—"

Just when the old man was talking happily, Li Xuewu turned his head and made a gesture to be quiet.

That wasn't all; he specifically reminded him, "Don't interrupt when watching others fish, it's not very polite."

"I..."

The old man listened to his words and almost held his breath and lay on the ground.

You even know that interrupting when watching others fish is not polite, but when I was fishing just now, who the hell was interrupting me!

Hey! This bad kid!

"Yo—! Your bait is no good."

Li Xuewu watched the fish float move, and his hand speed kept up, but the fishing rod he pulled up had no strength at all; clearly, the fish had run away.

However, he really had the face to say it, not saying his skills weren't good, only saying the old man's bait wasn't good.

The old man was so angry he didn't speak, standing behind with his arms crossed, waiting to see him collapse.

He also thought, if he spoke, and the fish ran away again, he would definitely blame him.

Now no one should speak, I'll just watch you quietly, see if you can catch a fish or not!

"The fishing rod is no good, the fishing line is no good."

Li Xuewu's mouth was about to be damaged to the extreme. He was leaving himself a way out, so he wouldn't be unable to catch a fish later and look at the old man with nothing to say.

It's just that he couldn't let the old man jump high and call him out. Later, he would use...

"Hey! Hey! Caught a fish!"

What's called heaven won't starve a blind sparrow!

The old man, who was standing behind with his arms crossed watching Li Xuewu busy doing nothing, was stunned.

The method of hanging the bait was wrong, the method of throwing the line was unfamiliar, and there was no technique for holding the rod, but damn, he actually caught a fish!

Is the fish in this pond related to him?

"Aha—! Crucian carp!"

Li Xuewu stood up and pulled up the fish, which wasn't big—a crucian carp the size of a palm, green scales flashing, jumping around, very happy.

He was happy, but the old man was dumbfounded.

A blind cat bumping into a dead mouse, absolutely!

He had been fishing here for half a year and had never seen such a novice catch a fish.

"Continue, I'll learn from you—"

The old man was really stubborn. Seeing Li Xuewu looking at him proudly, he raised his chin and signaled him to continue.

Li Xuewu heard this and knew the old man's heart was chaotic.

He didn't even think that he had left himself a way out when he wasn't sure if he could catch a fish.

Now that he had caught a fish, what was he afraid of? Just do it!

"Aha—!"

Li Xuewu hung the fishhook well and threw it out, sitting on the bamboo stool leisurely.

"Lazy to learn to grow melons at the green gate, just spending time fishing. Fishing is still interesting."

"Hmph—fishing or hanging book bags."

The old man stood behind and snorted, "Sour, young and groaning without illness, sour to death."

"Hmm—it is indeed sour!"

Li Xuewu pursed his lips and looked at the fish float, "If you didn't say it, I wouldn't have smelled it. Why is there a sour smell early in the morning?"

"..."

The old man was speechless by his retort. He had taken the initiative to send this opportunity over.

"Yo-ho—caught a fish!"

Li Xuewu was really lucky today. He was showing off, and the fish float wasn't stable, but there were fish biting his hook, and he caught a fish not long after throwing it down.

"Hey! Still a crucian carp, too small."

He also pretended to be dissatisfied, taking off the fish while pulling the old man, "You must be better than me, you must be the one who often catches big fish."

The old man didn't speak, stood in the shade of the tree, and felt a little dizzy from the morning sun. He didn't know if it was from anger or the sun.

"Man, can I still fish?"

Li Xuewu said with a smile, "Actually, I'm teasing you. I'm a professional at fishing. No one in this capital has better skills than me."

He patted the fish basket and said, "That's it for today. You've learned enough. If you want to learn more, you have to pay tuition."

"Fish—! I'm not afraid of paying tuition!"

The old man was also a stubborn donkey, most unable to see people bragging, especially the kid in front of him who was so annoying, taking advantage and still acting like a seller!

"Hey, aren't you embarrassing people?"

Li Xuewu said with a smile, "Accepting you as an apprentice, how can I take you out?"

"Ah, taking you out, introducing you as my apprentice, I have to provide for you in your old age. That's too much of a loss. You're not apprenticing!"

"Kid! Don't be arrogant, let's see the skills on your hands."

The old man pointed at the fishing rod by Li Xuewu's hand with a palm-leaf fan, "One more rod. If you really catch one, I'll call you master, and I'll provide for you in your old age."

"Aren't you cursing me—"

Li Xuewu was empty in his heart now. The first rod was considered a fluke, the second rod was also a fluke, can he still fluke the third rod?

He had no bottom in his heart, but he couldn't be empty on his hands. He hung a lump of bait on the fishhook, mainly probability fishing.

He hung the bait high, trying to hang two more, and threw it out amidst the old man's cold laughter.

Li Xuewu thought, no matter if he caught a fish or not this time, he wouldn't lose.

The old man was purely a stubborn species, teasing him was fine, but if he teased him until he was anxious, it wouldn't be worth the loss.

You let an old man chase you and scold you on the street. Although you don't know anyone on this street, how embarrassing is it to say it out.

Ah, such a big young man teasing an old man for fun, isn't he idle?

"Five minutes. If I don't catch a fish, it means the fish went home for breakfast. Don't blame me, I have to go home for breakfast too."

The old man listened to Li Xuewu nagging, saw he was empty, and his mouth was curled to his ears. He laughed proudly.

"You're here, Leader."

Just when the old man, Li Xuewu, and the fishing rod were in a stalemate, Han Jiankun found him.

He came down from the corridor, greeted Li Xuewu, looked at the frowning old man, and walked toward Li Xuewu.

"The office called, saying Deputy Director Zhang of the city's industrial department is going to investigate the Workers' Village construction site this morning, asking for your arrangement."

"What arrangement do I have? Just receive him normally. What are you thinking? Who called? Don't you have a brain?"

Li Xuewu frowned and stared at him, saying, "The office's stall is big, but the frame is loose. They even lost the ability to be responsible, to be the master, and to adapt to circumstances. They're almost losing people."

After complaining, he organized his mood, knowing it was useless to talk to Han Jiankun about this.

"Is breakfast ready? Don't eat it, go prepare early. Can you still hold a grudge for this kind of thing?"

He stood up, only thinking about work, forgetting the fishing rod in his hand. With such a twist, the fish float sank.

"Oh, there's a fish!"

Li Xuewu stretched the fishing rod, feeling very heavy, it was a big fish.

"Don't just stare, old man, hurry up and let it swim for you. It's been all morning, finally a big one came."

The old man stood on the side and listened for a few sentences, roughly understanding.

It turns out the young man who was teasing him was a leader, and the one reporting wasn't a secretary or a driver.

What level can be equipped with a secretary or a driver?

He was also startled when he saw the fish biting the hook. Seeing Li Xuewu greeting him, he was stunned for a moment, "This is your fish, what you said..."

"Hurry up, let it swim, it's noon, I have urgent business here."

After speaking, seeing the old man come over, he handed the fishing rod steadily to the other party.

The old man was also ashamed. The fish he just agreed belonged to someone else, and he still had to call him master.

Now the young man left in a hurry with people, and he was there holding the fishing rod to let the fish swim, just feeling that this fishing was meaningless.

You tell me, how could he catch a fish!

"Really sorry, disturbed you."

Seeing Li Xuewu get off the car, Zhang Dayong was very polite, smiled, and took the initiative to reach out and greet, "Temporary idea, time is a bit tight."

"Look at what you're saying, I already agreed with you last time, you're welcome to visit anytime."

Li Xuewu smiled and shook hands, pointing to the Workers' Village construction site, "I was answering the office phone at home, I haven't gone to the factory yet."

"I don't know which part you want to see this time, so I can have a thought preparation in advance."

"Don't be polite, Deputy Director Li. We are going to investigate the Liangma River today. There is a project that may be related to this side, so we came to see."

Zhang Dayong patted Li Xuewu's arm and signaled to walk together.

On the road by the Liangma River, he pointed to the wide river and said, "Actually, the Liangma River is not a big river. During the city expansion process, there is consideration about its arrangement and disposal."

"Is it to intercept the flow and fill the river?"

Li Xuewu frowned slightly, "We haven't heard that the city has this design plan before."

"Besides, having this river is much more influential to industry and development than not having it. It's not something a piece of land can make up for."

"Yes, you're right, we are also considering this problem."

Zhang Dayong stood under a big tree by the road, looking at the river, "The main reason for this idea is that the steel mill proposed to want land."

He pointed to the very top of the Liangma River, which was the position where the steel mill and the Workers' Village faced each other across the river, "Fill that piece, and the land your factory wants will be solved more than half."

"If you say so, fill it all the way to that end, the land our factory wants will not only be solved, but an industrial zone can be created out of thin air."

Li Xuewu spoke a bit anxiously. He pointed to the slightly simple but neatly arranged equipment and facilities on both sides, "When the steel mill designed the entire industrial zone, this piece was also included."

"It was designed with ecology combined with humanities as the theme, existing as a natural isolation belt between the industrial zone and the residential zone."

"You say you want to fill this piece now, our original ecological theme is gone. If the industrial zone and the living zone are really connected, the reaction caused is not as simple as one plus one."

Li Xuewu raised his fist and bumped it to signal, "Facing each other across the river, industry is industry, life is life, and the development of both sides complements each other."

"Colliding together, life mixed with industry, industry invading life, will inevitably cause danger, including many aspects."

"Hmm, there must be consideration in this regard."

Zhang Dayong stood on the shore with his hands behind his back, "It's still in the demonstration stage, and I was just passing by, so I called Director Li."

"He told me that he would arrange a professional person to connect with me. I guessed it was you, you introduced this side last time too."

"I participated in the design of the Workers' Village."

Li Xuewu softened his tone, "What I'm anxious about is not that the city fills this end, but that it wants to fill this section."

"Heh—can you guess it?"

Zhang Dayong smiled and didn't go deep, but gave Li Xuewu a clear signal.

Li Xuewu frowned slightly, "The steel mill wanting land is not an urgent and thorny problem, why go to such great lengths."

"I'm afraid the land in this section below is not enough, so I want to start filling from the beginning, right?"

"Still in the demonstration stage."

Zhang Dayong only answered this sentence, touched his face, and said, "You don't have to be anxious. Even if this matter is done, it will take a long time to be approved."

"That's good, I know."

Li Xuewu smiled slightly, signaled the Workers' Village, "I'll take you to see the scene."

"Hmm, go, see."

Zhang Dayong finished what he had to say and followed Li Xuewu to walk around a turn in front of the Workers' Village construction site.

Li Xuewu introduced him to the layout and investment situation of several functional areas.

He didn't stay long, leaving in half an hour. Li Xuewu watched his car get on the main road before returning to the car.

"Back to the factory, hurry!"

Li Xuewu was a bit anxious. He couldn't help but be anxious. The city coming like this was poking the steel mill's soft spot.

Not filling early, not filling late, but coming to say fill when the steel mill's Workers' Village education area started construction.

You tell me why this is?

Li Xuewu had no mind to scold people now. He couldn't say the means were shameful, only that being controlled by others would inevitably suffer criticism.

Especially at this critical moment, Li Huai De was active above, stirring the water muddy, and many things were not clear.

Dealing with the city is not just one person's business. Liu Xiangqian came and said it was good, another came and didn't necessarily say it was great.

And the steel mill's comprehensive development and block-setting factory situation made it difficult for the city.

Li Xuewu knew very clearly the purpose of Zhang Dayong's visit today, which was to form a good relationship, and also a kind of reminder and threat.

Clearly telling the steel mill that if you are not afraid of changing the plan, they will always have something to play with.

Unless the steel mill is determined to stop the school under construction and throw away hundreds of thousands.

At this stage, the steel mill wants to develop, and every cent has its necessary value.

This construction site is thrown away, and the next construction site will be hundreds of thousands less. This hole will always exist, where to dig?

Saying anxious early in the morning was because Li Huai De's attitude was unclear, making him a bit anxious.

The handling of the office can't see anything; those people are doing things according to the leader's meaning.

Last time Cheng Kaiyuan had an accident, Li Huai De found Zhang Dayong and Liu Xiangqian, and both hid.

This had to make Li Huai De resentful, so this time Zhang Dayong came to investigate, he didn't even see him, not giving any face at all.

Listen to the words Zhang Dayong said just now, he was already expressing dissatisfaction.

They are the competent department, and they are still managing the steel mill now. If they want to see you, they will see you. If you really have something, it's normal for them to hide.

If they really saw you and didn't handle things for you, wouldn't both sides look bad?

Only the city can play attitude, not the steel mill making a temper. Do you want us to apologize to you?

Li Xuewu felt that Old Li seemed a bit anxious, also because of too much pressure and too many things lately.

Pressing him to be irritable, and his handling of some things appeared urgent.

If Zhang Dayong was communicated in advance today and came to investigate at a normal time, maybe Li Huai De could really see him.

Even if he arranged for Jing Yunong to see him, this face could be considered to have passed.

Letting Li Xuewu come, this really left Zhang Dayong there, and also clearly expressed his attitude to the city.

Sitting in the command car, Li Xuewu was also very annoyed. It's really hard to do things.

What to do if it's hard? Hard and don

What can be done about the difficulty? Should we stop working just because it's difficult?

He was annoyed by the factory's attitude toward handling this matter, and also annoyed that the city was being too reluctant and nitpicky regarding its attitude toward the Steel Rolling Mill.

Actually, there was no need for this; it was nothing more than the nail that sticks out getting hammered, preventing the Steel Rolling Mill from setting a bad example for other industrial factories and starting a bad trend.

If things really escalated and the Steel Rolling Mill actually had the industrial headquarters arrange for a move to Jinmen or Steel City, the pressure the city would have to bear at that time would be no less than that of the Steel Rolling Mill.

If the fire gets too big and the board comes down, no one will have an easy time; Zhang Dayong knows this, and Liu Xiangqian knows it too.

Now it just depends on who stands on the edge first and who compromises first.

Li Xuewu cannot wait; he knows that Old Li will not bow his head, as he is also a stubborn mule.

You see him being quite easy to talk to in business on ordinary days, but in reality, he is particularly concerned about saving face.

What's stuck now is face; you want him to bow his head just when he is planning for group development and his spirits are at their highest?

If we are going to fight, let's fight properly, set out our horses and carriages; Li Xuewu never fights a battle he isn't prepared for.

In this round, he must support Old Li; even if it means suffering for the sake of saving face, he must get through this hurdle.

"What does the city mean by this?"

Jing Yunong had just come out of the office when he saw Li Xuewu going upstairs.

He stood at the doorway and waited for him for a while, then opened his mouth to ask about the morning's reception work.

After Li Xuewu returned, he did not come to find Li Huai De to report first, but instead returned to his own office to call several key connections to verify the situation.

First, he asked Ren Xiaoyu about it; the other party checked and said that this project was not communicated and promoted through the municipal office, but was being handled entirely by Deputy Director Zhang.

Upon hearing this, Li Xuewu first frowned, then asked Ren Xiaoyu for some details.

After hanging up the phone, he did not call his godfather Zheng Shusen; for matters involving specific work, especially those actively pushed by someone, it was not easy to trouble him.

As long as he asked, his godfather would certainly inquire; once there was attention, it would be alerted by the other party.

By then, this matter would be even harder to handle, and the result of mixing work with personal favors is that the more you try to sort it out, the messier it gets.

Especially now that Li Xuewu cannot gauge exactly how much ruthlessness Old Li can muster.

If Old Li chooses to compromise in advance, then the connections he entrusted would be implicated, which would be very embarrassing.

Now, the focus should be on probing, clarifying the other party's intentions and the reality of the situation, grasping first-hand information, and then going to communicate and report to Li Huai De.

Otherwise, if you just use your mouth to talk about the situation this morning without providing any solutions or the background relationships of this matter, what use is there for you to the leadership?

"It's a bit troublesome; I've asked around."

Li Xuewu frowned slightly and said to Jing Yunong, "Let's go, let's go to Director Li's place and talk together; I'm afraid the leadership will have to inquire about this personally."

"Is it still related to the site selection for the Steel Rolling Mill's new factory? I heard the city complain about it once last time."

Jing Yunong also said with a worried look, "I have already told Director Li about this; as long as the Steel Rolling Mill makes a big move, it will touch this nerve, especially when it needs the city's support."

"It's not just this matter; I'm afraid Deputy Director Zhang's sudden visit today has other intentions."

Li Xuewu narrowed his left eye slightly, shook his head gently at Jing Yunong, and then knocked on Li Huai De's door.

"Come in, Comrade Jing Yunong, Xuewu."

Li Huai De was reading documents and stood up from his seat upon hearing their voices.

"Leader, I'm here to report to you about the morning's reception work."

Li Xuewu took the initiative to greet him, and under Li Huai De's gesture, invited Jing Yunong to sit first before he sat next to her on the long sofa.

"Haiyang just mentioned this to me, saying that you were back."

Just as Li Haiyang was helping them serve tea, Li Huai De crossed his right leg, smoothed his hair, and said, "I was thinking that since you didn't come directly to me, there must be a situation."

"The situation is quite troublesome."

Li Xuewu followed his lead and said, "Deputy Director Zhang mentioned a situation: the city is preparing to respond to the Steel Rolling Mill's land application by filling in a section of the Liangma River starting from near the factory area."

"Heh—so after all this time, this is the move they came up with!"

Li Huai De let out a cold snort, nodded, and did not show too much surprise or anger.

He leaned against the armrest, narrowed his eyes slightly, and said, "Let them fill it; we will take as much as they fill, and after they finish filling, we will continue to ask for more."

It seemed as if he were venting his anger, and also as if he had made up his mind; beneath his seemingly calm exterior, he already had an opinion on this matter.

"As long as the river isn't cut off, we will move the factory area to the riverbank; I don't believe he can fill the entire Liangma River!"

"Leader, this matter should not be as simple as just filling the river to create land on the surface; I'm afraid..."

Li Xuewu expressed his concerns: "This time they are making an issue out of our need for land; if next time, the land exchange work on the opposite side encounters setbacks, we will be in a passive position."

"Hmm, I know; this matter does not lie with Zhang Dayong; it has no direct relationship with him."

Li Huai De knitted his brows, lowered his head slightly, and said, "Have you asked the Ministry of Industry about it?"

He looked at Li Xuewu and asked, "What did they say? This project has already been reported to the top, and the land application was attached to it."

"I just called Liu Shaozong, and he said he is asking; it's hard to say right now."

Li Xuewu knew that Li Huai De would ask him these things, so he said with great preparation, "I inquired privately with the city, and the situation is unclear."

"They said that this matter was pushed entirely by Deputy Director Zhang and did not go through the work process."

After glancing at Jing Yunong, he continued his report: "Deputy Director Zhang vaguely mentioned this morning that this project is still under research and discussion, and the start date is uncertain."

"He's playing tricks; do you believe him?"

Li Huai De drooped his eyelids and said, "The duration of the demonstration and the amount of investment are not for them to decide? The Liangma River is right there; it won't run away on its own. He is using this as a tightening spell."

"Do you want me to coordinate with engineering here to prepare a backup plan for this situation?"

Li Xuewu explained, "We have prepared backup plans for situations like river drying, congestion, and interception, but we haven't considered filling."

This situation is truly complex; the Liangma River channel is very wide and was used for shipping in the past, and even after so many years, it is still in use.

The Steel Rolling Mill sometimes uses river transport here, connecting directly to the big river to go to Jinmen.

If we talk about filling the river to create land, only the city could think of it; ordinary people really don't have this great power, after all, the investment is huge.

Li Huai De waved his hand and said, "It's useless; you can't prevent it or block it. Just like you said, no matter how many plans you design, it's useless."

He lightly hammered the sofa armrest and said, "If it doesn't work, cancel the construction plan; we don't want the project on the school side, and we'll continue to use it as a freight yard."

"Leader, the loss is too great."

Li Xuewu frowned and said, "The initial investment there has already cost no less than 200,000; if..."

"Don't think that way; a lesson of 200,000 is not big, at least not for us."

Li Huai De said firmly, "You organize it and first write an application report, saying that because the city has made adjustments to the land planning, the Steel Rolling Mill has to make a response plan."

"Stop all investment in the Liangma River Industrial Zone, stop all mergers and land exchange work, and notify the city to cancel the land application and construction application."

"At the same time, clearly state in the application report submitted to the Ministry of Industry that we need the Ministry to coordinate the selection of a new industrial zone address in Hebei Province or other provinces in Central China; we can sell this land and move."

"Director Li, there is no need to be so urgent about this matter."

Jing Yunong spoke up to persuade him, "After all, the city only gave a discussion suggestion; if our reaction is too strong, wouldn't the impact be too great?"

"He does the first day, I will do the fifteenth!"

Li Huai De waved his hand to press down and explained, "Writing an application is just running the track; stopping construction at the site will at most lose some progress."

"But we must make a necessary and powerful response to this kind of probing; we cannot let him climb on our noses and faces and find trouble again and again!"

He pointed at Li Xuewu and said, "Do it this way; after notifying the city, you contact Hebei Province and Henan Province to ask if they have any intention to accept the relocation of the Steel Rolling Mill."

"Yes, Leader, I will go do it right away."

Li Xuewu nodded, made notes in his notebook, glanced at Jing Yunong, and then stood up to leave.

He hoped that Jing Yunong could communicate with Li Huai De after he left; even if they wanted to create momentum and threats, they had to control the scope of the impact; if things really got out of hand, no one would have an easy time.

Indeed, if several reports and applications from the Steel Rolling Mill were submitted, the higher-ups would certainly be furious.

Forcing factories to stop construction, driving away large industrial enterprises, affecting economic construction, and especially disrupting the economic deployment work of heavy industrial transformation into comprehensive enterprises that the Ministry and even the higher-ups focused on this year.

While facing problems such as the loss of industrial foundation, loss of industrial structure, and damage to employment channels, the city would also have to face questioning and pressure from above.

It is conceivable that Zhang Dayong, who actively promoted this project, could not bear all this, and even Liu Xiangqian, who was in charge of the main work, could not catch Li Huai De's anger this time.

But, should this matter be done this way?

In Li Xuewu's view, the external situation currently faced by the Steel Rolling Mill is somewhat complex, and many difficulties have limited the development space of the Steel Rolling Mill.

If, driven by interests and influence, more departments impose excessive demands and restrictions on the Steel Rolling Mill during its transformation and development process, then for the Steel Rolling Mill, being exhausted from dealing with it would be considered light.

Therefore, Old Li's strategy of "striking one punch to avoid a hundred punches" is, from Li Xuewu's perspective, necessary.

The key is to see whether it can be controlled to a certain degree, or rather, force.

If this punch is thrown without any scruples, it is very likely to cripple Zhang Dayong, disable Liu Xiangqian, and even overturn many others.

What would be the result? The Steel Rolling Mill would have the land, and the river at the entrance would be preserved, but Li Huai De's position would collapse, and the Steel Rolling Mill's position would be awkward.

Li Huai De is of course still the person in charge of the Steel Rolling Mill, but after the upgrade and group formation, the higher-ups will not allow someone who dares to smash the pot to be in management.

Old Li's decision is a last resort; if he doesn't do this, he can't hold down the situation inside the Steel Rolling Mill, and if he does this, he might not be able to withstand the situation outside.

Li Xuewu also broke into a cold sweat for his decision and could only give maximum support in the implementation of specific work.

The application reports to the Ministry of Industry, the city, and relevant leaders were all written by him personally, and he was extremely careful in his wording, striving for stability.

At the same time, he had to fully express Li Huai De's attitude and the Steel Rolling Mill's attitude.

After the application was written, he checked it several times and asked Peng Xiaoli to submit it to Li Huai De's office for review.

After Li Huai De read the several applications, he signed them at the back, wanting to bear the consequences of this action alone.

Jing Yunong, who was talking to him in the office, looked at him and also picked up a pen to sign her name at the back of the document.

The document was submitted to the Management Committee Office; several leaders who heard about this matter all went to the Committee Office to sign their names before the document was sent out.

Even Xiong Bencheng, the person in charge of the labor union who had been recuperating in the hospital, "overcame" his physical difficulties and took the initiative to come to the Committee Office to sign his name while "ill."

The application document this time was not sent to these leaders, but they had their own persistence and understanding regarding the matter of signing.

The Steel Rolling Mill is always a united collective, and the management team is also united in heart.

At this critical moment of external confrontation, they should not, and cannot, let Li Huai De bear all the pressure alone.

The significance of Li Huai De signing and all members of the Steel Rolling Mill management team signing is, of course, different.

Just as Li Xuewu made inquiry calls to the offices of the leaders in charge of industry in Hebei Province and Henan Province, and promised to provide detailed letters after phone contact, the reaction from above came down.

First, Liu Shaozong, who received the application report, called Li Xuewu; the first sentence was "Are you crazy!" and the second was "What is your factory trying to do?"

Li Xuewu did not pay attention to his questioning but reiterated the authenticity and significance of the application report.

This let Liu Shaozong know that the Steel Rolling Mill was coming for real this time; "fish dying and net breaking" was not accurate, because the Steel Rolling Mill, this fish, would be treated as a treasure wherever it went after leaving Beijing, so it could not die.

At most, it would lose some construction costs, but compared to the preferential conditions offered by other provinces, it was not worth mentioning at all.

But for Zhang Dayong and Liu Xiangqian, who were in charge of industry, it would be troublesome; this net would definitely break.

Not getting a definite feedback from Li Xuewu, Liu Shaozong could only pass the application report layer by layer to the top.

He didn't know where it was passed to, but basically all the leaders in the factory received inquiry calls from above.

Especially Li Huai De, who received the most calls, but his answers were basically consistent.

The report written by Li Xuewu was very precise in its wording; Li Huai De had a copy in his hand, and when he answered the leaders' inquiries, the core meaning was based on this.

No complaining, no grievances, just stating facts, starting from the perspectives of humanistic education, industrial development, ecological construction, and harmonious coexistence, making this decision regarding problems such as ecological destruction and economic losses brought about by the expansion of the Steel Rolling Mill's factory area.

Li Huai De did not complain a single word on the phone, and his tone was both guilty and sad.

He regretted that the Steel Rolling Mill had not brought more development power to Beijing, and was even sadder because the factory's development had affected ecological balance construction.

Therefore, he was also very guilty, and at the critical stage of the Steel Rolling Mill's transformation and upgrading, he made the painful decision to relocate.

With the purpose of protecting the Liangma River Ecological Industrial Zone, he would rather give up his own development time and space than maintain the health of this land.

After saying this, even if the leaders above understood what was going on, they couldn't say any reprimanding words.

They could only ask about the specific situation again, as well as how big the engineering plan the Steel Rolling Mill wanted to carry out on both sides of the Liangma River, before hanging up the phone.

This day, the Steel Rolling Mill had poked a hornet's nest; Zhang Dayong, who was seen as having truly poked the hornet's nest, called Li Huai De but didn't get an answer, and called Li Xuewu but didn't get an answer either.

He knew that things were big, and someone was going to be finished.