Chapter 1105: Treating the Red Star Factory like a fish on a hook?

Liaodong, Fengcheng.

Train No. 41, arriving from the direction of the capital, began to pull into the station, the sound of the locomotive echoing through the terminal.

This train was under the jurisdiction of the Fengcheng Railway Bureau, originating from the capital with Fengcheng as its final stop.

On the platform, three black Volga-21 sedans and one minibus were parked at the end of the train, waiting quietly.

Beside the motorcade, uniformed security personnel were maintaining order, preventing passengers on the platform from accidentally wandering into the motorcade's area.

As the train pulled in, the people in the cars stepped out one after another and stood on the platform, as if waiting to welcome someone.

Passengers waiting on other platforms or in the waiting room watched this scene with curiosity.

Some speculated that a high-ranking official had come down to inspect work, while others guessed that some incredible foreign guests were coming to Fengcheng for a visit.

Opinions varied, and there was much discussion, but no one could say for sure or make a definitive guess.

However, what they could be certain of was that with such a grand display—a motorcade of sedans and a minibus—the other party's background must be significant.

In truth, one couldn't blame them; this kind of arrangement to meet a train on the platform, accompanied by a motorcade, was truly rare.

Especially with security personnel arranged around the motorcade to provide protection, it appeared even more unusually mysterious.

Not until the train came to a complete stop did the curious passengers discover, to their further surprise, that none of the carriage doors had opened, except for the door of the very last carriage.

Several people from the welcoming party entered the carriage first, and within a minute, one after another, many people emerged, all uniformly dressed in white shirts, black trousers, and black leather shoes, carrying identical black leather bags.

Who on earth had arrived?

This formation was truly impressive; seeing these people board the minibus, one knew there must be even bigger leaders following behind.

Sure enough, after these people disembarked, others dressed similarly, though fewer carried leather bags, stepped off the train accompanied by the few who had gone up earlier.

These people did not linger on the platform; clearly, they had already completed the greetings and introductions inside the carriage, and after only a few words, they boarded the sedans under the guidance of the reception staff.

Only waiting for the sound of the last car door in the motorcade to close, the entire reception procedure was completed in less than 7 minutes, and the motorcade slowly started up and drove toward the other end of the platform.

Under the signalman's direction, the carriage doors of Train No. 41 were opened in unison by the train attendants, and the passengers on board finally filed out, discussing what they had just witnessed while carrying their luggage, ending this 732-kilometer journey.

It was May, and spring was in full bloom.

The temperature in Fengcheng was a bit lower than in the capital, but the difference was unlikely to exceed 5 degrees Celsius.

After the motorcade left the train station, it drove along a wide, straight avenue; high-rise buildings were visible everywhere, the citizens on the street had a good spirit, and the stream of bicycles was endless.

If the impression the capital gave Li Xuewu was one of seriousness and solemnity, then sitting in the car looking at Fengcheng, one could feel a sense of substance and breadth, along with a touch of youth and vitality.

This was the administrative center of Liaodong, and also its industrial center; besides the high-rises visible in the distance, the towering chimneys were countless. Those chimneys were not emitting smoke, but rather the breath and vitality of the Liaodong heavy industrial base.

The land here was flat, rich in resources, with a superior geographical location, extremely excellent water resources, and precious historical and cultural wealth.

Along the way, the Liaodong industrial department office staff responsible for the reception introduced Li Xuewu to the history of Liaodong's industrial development and its founding.

Whenever they passed a landmark building or area, the young man in his thirties, wearing a blue cloth shirt and black-rimmed glasses, would quote classics and praise his hometown to the skies.

During the introduction and narration, he would also occasionally steal glances at the young leader in the back seat whenever he turned or looked back.

Yes, a leader even younger than himself.

He was thirty-four this year and had been promoted to deputy section-level officer last year; he had heard that this deputy department-level leader sitting in the back was only in his early twenties.

Of course, the capital was full of distinguished guests, and young, promising people in their early twenties were as common as crucian carp crossing a river.

Having spent half his life idling in his unit, he had long since lost the blind arrogance of his youth.

From the moment he got in the car, this Deputy Director Li had spoken very little, only observing the buildings outside the window, which was why he had started the introduction.

Also riding in the car was Liu Li Xin, Deputy Director of the Steel City Industrial Bureau, who was also in the welcoming party this morning, having come with Hu Ke, Deputy Director of the Liaodong Office in the Capital.

The object of this reception task was very clear: the Director of the Management Committee and the Deputy Director of the Management Office of the Red Star Rolling Mill in the capital, along with other accompanying personnel.

Logically speaking, personnel like a Deputy Director of the Management Office did not require someone like Liu Li Xin to accompany them, and might not even require him to serve them individually.

It was simple: the Deputy Director of a general enterprise's Management Office was usually the secretary to the Director of the Management Committee, or the head of secretarial operations.

But judging from Deputy Director Hu Ke's arrangements, the situation was clearly not like that.

Just now on the platform, he hadn't been qualified to board the car to welcome them, but he had seen that when this Deputy Director Li got off the train, he walked behind Deputy Director Hu Ke.

And in the car arrangements, this vehicle had long been designated to be responsible for receiving this Deputy Director Li.

He and Liu Li Xin had already confirmed they would be in this car before setting off in the morning.

Therefore, combining all the clues, it indicated that this Deputy Director Li was not just a Deputy Director of the Red Star Factory's Management Office; he should have other identities, or his status and position were relatively special.

In government work, chaotic situations never occur; everything has rules, and one is one, two is two.

Not to mention that he, sitting in the front passenger seat, couldn't figure out this Deputy Director Li's background, even Liu Li Xin, sitting in the back, was completely confused.

To keep the atmosphere in the car from becoming awkward, and to avoid a lull in conversation, he could only continue talking and introducing, seeing if that Deputy Director Li was willing to listen to these situations.

"How is Steel City's development this year?"

Just after he finished a section, the Deputy Director Li in the back suddenly spoke up, asking Liu Li Xin, the Deputy Director of the Steel City Industrial Bureau sitting beside him.

"Um, Steel City industry, um..." Liu Li Xin was also taken aback by the question, but his reaction was quite fast; someone had already introduced him on the platform, and he knew the other party's basic identity.

"This year's industrial development has improved significantly compared to last year," Liu Li Xin introduced. "Although one cannot say there has been a earth-shaking change, thanks to the vigorous development of the iron, steel, and coal industries, the total industrial output value has been steadily increasing."

Liu Li Xin knew that the other party was not his leader, nor was he an official from above.

But the Red Star Factory where the other party worked had a branch factory, namely the Red Star Steel City Steelmaking Plant, which was within his jurisdiction, or rather, within the territory of Steel City.

The word "jurisdiction" was really hard to say now; after all, the management authority for factories with a head office basically rested with the head office.

Especially since he had heard that the Red Star Factory was organizing and preparing for promotion and group formation; whether he could manage it later was really hard to say, or rather, very difficult to say.

Deputy Director Hu Ke had returned the day before yesterday, and the main itinerary was to arrange this visit by the Red Star Factory. Deputy Director Lu, who was in charge of industry in Liaodong, was going to receive them and hold a working meeting.

The level of this reception was very high, and the level of the meeting was also set very high.

Liu Li Xin's introduction was concise and to the point, summarizing the overall industrial development of Steel City over the past year while highlighting the development of several key industries and types.

Among them was the Red Star Steel City Steelmaking Plant, as well as the Red Star Industry invested in and built by the Red Star Factory here, speaking about the situation from a local perspective.

Li Xuewu listened very carefully, even more carefully than when listening to the "tourist commentary" from the reception staff in the front passenger seat.

He did not interrupt during Liu Li Xin's introduction, but only asked a few questions after the other party finished.

They were not about the steelmaking plant, but about the iron, steel, and coal industries, as well as transportation and service industries, etc., the overall industrial situation.

Liu Li Xin answered very cautiously and carefully; he could see that this Deputy Director Li was not a greenhorn, nor was he a person with connections, but a high-level, high-quality industrial management cadre.

His caution and care were not to guard against this Deputy Director Li, but for fear of showing ignorance.

The questions the other party asked became more and more professional and profound, and he even carefully inquired about several industrial data points for comparison and analysis.

During the conversation, he was almost stumped and frozen by Deputy Director Li's questions, and his back was sweating.

If he were really stumped in front of the other party and lost face, then he would have truly lost it, lost it all the way to the capital, and it might even affect his personal career.

"Steel City still has great development potential. I also agree with the point you just mentioned about using heavy industries like coal and steel as the industrial pillar to build an important bridge connecting the primary and secondary industries."

Li Xuewu nodded slowly and said, "I have been to Steel City many times and have a deep impression and good feelings about the place."

"You went to the steelmaking plant, right?"

Liu Li Xin said with a smile, "I often meet with Director Dong of the steelmaking plant; he is a person with great level and cultivation."

"Haha, yes, that's our Director Dong," Li Xuewu chuckled and nodded. "At the Red Star Factory, Director Dong also serves as the head of the security group, and I am the deputy head of the security group; we are members of the same team."

"Oh, no wonder when I heard you ask about industrial management, I felt it sounded familiar."

Liu Li Xin said with a smile, "Director Dong has told me many times about the Red Star Factory's development theory in Steel City, which is consistent with the direction of your questions; it is indeed worth our thinking and learning."

"You are too kind. We are an enterprise, and we should communicate and exchange more with the local area."

Li Xuewu said politely, "My connection with Deputy Director Hu Ke also came about because of business communication; it was his matchmaking that facilitated today's trip."

Seeing that the two leaders in the back seat were already talking about Steel City industry, the reception staff in the front passenger seat chose to shut up at the right time.

However, he was also listening carefully, pondering and thinking in his heart.

People of his age had long since lost the confidence to forge ahead, and more of their energy and thoughts were spent on thinking and guessing.

The opportunity for progress was slim, and there was only one last path to take, which was to be resourceful.

Understanding the ways of the world is learning, and being sophisticated in human relations is an article; even if one is not very learned, being resourceful is also an advantage and a reason to be valued.

Just now he had observed that this Deputy Director Li did not look like a vicious person; no wonder he held a part-time job in the security department, it was a perfect match.

However, listening to the other party's conversation and Liu Li Xin's reaction, he also knew that this person was not a reckless man of the world or a rustic, but rather had great learning.

This truly lived up to the saying: one cannot judge a person by their appearance, just as one cannot measure the sea with a bucket.

The motorcade slowly decelerated and turned into a high, wide gate, where guards on both sides saluted; the motorcade accelerated again and drove toward the reception guesthouse.

The Liaodong Reception Guesthouse was divided into two parts: the front was the external reception guesthouse, and the back was the internal reception guesthouse, separated by a wall.

The motorcade stopped in front of the gate of the internal reception guesthouse section; the guests from the Red Star Factory would rest here for one night and take the train to Steel City tomorrow.

"Deputy Director Li, you've worked hard."

As soon as the vehicle stopped, a young man beside the car door Li Xuewu was in helped open it.

Before he had even stood steady after getting out, Hu Ke, who had gotten out of the car in front, walked over to shake his hand and greet him.

This shocked Liu Li Xin and the reception staff who had gotten out of the front passenger seat.

What was this Deputy Director Li's background, and why did Deputy Director Hu Ke value him so much?

"Deputy Director Hu, let's not be so polite," Li Xuewu said with a smile as he shook his hand. "We've arrived at your home; the guest should follow the host's convenience."

"Hahaha—" Hu Ke laughed and said politely, "The reception has been inadequate, please bear with us."

In the car in front, the car he had just gotten out of, Li Huai De had just stepped out.

Hu Ke guided Li Xuewu forward, met up with Li Huai De, and exchanged a few more polite words, making up for the hurried discourtesy on the train station platform just now.

A team of cadres walked out of the reception guesthouse lobby, and Hu Ke introduced both sides with a smile.

The other party was the Executive Deputy Director of the General Office, surnamed Yu, named Yu Han, who, as the person in charge of reception, expressed his welcome to Director Li and his party from the Red Star Factory.

Li Huai De also expressed his gratitude for Liaodong's reception and hospitality while shaking hands with the other party; the greetings between the two sides were very enthusiastic and sincere.

According to the reception procedure, everyone from the Red Star Factory received their room keys, and service staff guided them upstairs to store their luggage and rest briefly.

Deputy Director Yu Han also left with Hu Ke after brief communication and exchange with Li Huai De and Li Xuewu, sending them upstairs.

The Red Star Factory's research team had about twenty people; except for Li Huai De and Li Xuewu who had single rooms, everyone else was in double rooms.

It wasn't that Liaodong was stingy, nor that there were too few single rooms in this reception guesthouse, but rather work needs, work requirements, and the unspoken rules of reception.

Organizational and business work, business trips, regardless of day or night, are all counted as normal working hours and must comply with unified work and rest management.

Double rooms provided office staff with the need for cooperation and office work, and also provided conditions for mutual supervision and assistance.

Leaders living in single rooms was not for the sake of being special or enjoying anything, but to find people for talks and work discussions more conveniently.

When away from home, how good could the accommodation conditions be? Could they compare to home?

Especially in this era, as long as business trip accommodation wasn't sleeping in the open, it was already very good; no one would be picky or demand accommodation conditions.

However, to be fair, the conditions of the Liaodong Reception Guesthouse were truly very good; one could see the charm of history, just like the International Hotel.

After returning to his room, Li Xuewu let Peng Xiaoli help him tidy up his luggage briefly and went to the bathroom to take a shower.

From last night until now, he had only washed up briefly on the train this morning; the fatigue and exhaustion brought by the long-distance travel needed to be relaxed and washed away.

Hot water could not only promote blood circulation and take away the fatigue of the body, but also wash away the sweat and the smell of travel, so as not to lose courtesy in the upcoming meeting work.

Arriving at the reception guesthouse at 8:30, the Red Star Factory party rested for an hour.

Li Xuewu went downstairs ten minutes early and met Deputy Director Yu Han, who had come to welcome him, downstairs.

The two had already been introduced by Deputy Director Hu Ke, and both had a preliminary understanding of each other.

During the brief time he had just left, Hu Ke had also communicated briefly with Yu Han, who was responsible for reception, and confirmed the information.

Regarding Li Xuewu, Hu Ke had long since submitted his information to the leaders.

And Yu Han had made reminders and special annotations during the exchange process.

Although he was only the Deputy Director of the Red Star Factory's Management Office, Li Xuewu was also the actual person in charge of the factory's security group, and the part-time head was in Steel City, serving as the Director of the Management Committee of the Red Star Steel City Steelmaking Plant.

Another layer of identity was the Garrison District, the First Deputy Political Commissar of the Garrison Third Regiment, and also the Deputy Regiment Commander.

This Deputy Director Li was young, with a deep and complex background, and his appointment relationships were complex and multifaceted; the work he was responsible for in the factory was even more complex and important.

According to the content emphasized by Hu Ke, Li Xuewu was responsible for the coordination and management of all business work at the Red Star Factory, including joint industry and tertiary industry.

The joint industry and tertiary industry currently under construction in Steel City, as well as the newly invested metallurgical industry and the shipyard located in Yingcheng, were all promoted and started by him.

This Deputy Director Li had high influence in foreign trade and joint trade; he was the cadre with the most comprehensive management authority in the Red Star Factory after Li Huai De, and even in specific projects and business, he was more comprehensive than Li Huai De.

Hu Ke's guess was that for this meeting, in terms of general direction, Director Li Huai De might be the one in charge of the conversation, but in terms of specific business, it should be with this Deputy Director Li Xuewu.

How could Yu Han dare not value Li Xuewu, and how could he dare to ruin the affairs of Deputy Director Lu, who was in charge of industry? Therefore, the exchange with Li Xuewu was very harmonious.

This truly made the accompanying reception cadres drop their glasses; no matter how they looked at this Deputy Director Li, they felt he was a monster.

If he were young and incapable, and just making up the numbers, that would be one thing, but standing there talking and laughing with Deputy Director Yu Han, he didn't lose the slightest bit of composure.

If one were to compare composure, Deputy Director Yu Han was already fifty years old; standing in front of Li Xuewu, who was in his early twenties, over 1.8 meters tall, with a straight posture and an imposing appearance, he really wasn't enough to look at.

The two spoke a few words about their respective feelings regarding the historical evolution and customs between the capital and Fengcheng, as well as the current changes and differences.

This didn't count as work; it could only be said to be mutual probing and cognition, facilitating the subsequent conversation and communication, and also serving as a way to show themselves to each other.

Just Li Xuewu's appearance had actually shocked some of the reception cadres present.

Yu Han was actually a person who knew how to talk and receive guests; he didn't beat around the bush and asked Li Xuewu directly about the scar on his face.

Why did he dare to ask directly?

The reason was simple: having a scar during student days didn't matter; education wouldn't discriminate against anyone.

But it was different when assigning work; the reason for the scar would be reviewed layer by layer, and to a certain extent, it would affect one's future.

If a young person couldn't even manage their own face and protect it properly, what else could they accomplish?

However, at another time, if this scar was left due to injury while on duty during work, that was another matter entirely, even a world of difference.

After they learned that Li Xuewu's scar was left because he participated in the counterattack mission abroad in the south, the look they gave Li Xuewu became one of awe.

Young, capable, and having connections, it was normal to walk fast; they were envious, jealous, and hateful.

But for someone who had fought so hard, they couldn't be jealous at all, and dared not hate even more.

To say envious, they didn't even have the qualification to be envious; if it were them going to the south, fighting with real knives and guns, they wouldn't dare to say it.

Therefore, no matter how fast or how far people like Li Xuewu walked, they weren't envious.

After chatting for a while, Li Huai De and the others came downstairs one after another; only waiting for everyone to be present, they boarded the motorcade they had arrived in again and drove toward the office building.

Later, Li Xuewu would accompany Li Huai De to meet Deputy Director Lu, who was in charge of industry.

Then, both sides would hold an office meeting in the large conference room to discuss the issue of the Red Star Factory landing and taking root in the two regions of Liaodong.

Finally, responsible by the Liaodong reception group, this afternoon they would accompany the Red Star Factory party to visit the Fengcheng First Machinery Factory, and tomorrow morning they would go to the Tiexi Workers' New Village for observation and research.

After lunch tomorrow, there would be an industrial symposium, and after it ended, the Red Star Factory party would be sent to the train by the reception group, accompanied by the Steel City person in charge who had come to the meeting, to go to Steel City for research.

"Oh my, welcome, welcome."

On the third floor, in the reception room, Lu Qiming came out to meet the visiting Red Star Factory party.

Both sides shook hands and exchanged greetings in front of the reception room door.

With Yu Han and Hu Ke as the reception heads, introductions were made for both sides.

Li Huai De did not flinch at all when facing Lu Qiming; don't look at the fact that his level couldn't compare with the other party, but in terms of comprehensive strength, he was not inferior at all.

Moreover, this meeting and exchange was proposed by Liaoning Province, or rather, the Deputy Director Lu in front of him, and he was just giving face.

Since the invitation and the procedure determined in writing that it was a meeting, it already explained the problem.

Otherwise, it would have been an audience and reception; still the same saying, there are no mistakes in the government.

Lu Qiming invited Li Huai De, Li Xuewu, and their party into the reception room; both sides sat down on the sofa, and after the work and service staff tidied up the scene, they quickly withdrew.

Inside the reception room, there were only the leaders of both sides talking, as well as personnel from the Propaganda Department and the General Office taking photos and recording.

"I still remember the year the Red Star Factory acquired the Steel City Steelmaking Plant."

Lu Qiming sat on the sofa, tilted his head slightly, looked at Li Huai De, and introduced with a smile, "That year I happened to be working in Steel City, and I caught up with this acquisition work; I remember it vividly."

He looked at the accompanying personnel on his side and said, "Just after liberation, the whole country's industry was in recovery and construction, and all localities took the degree of importance of industry very seriously; we treated it like a treasure."

"However, for the sake of the whole country's chess game and the great development of industry, we could only bear the pain of parting with our love, contributing labor and effort to support the country's industrial construction."

Lu Qiming looked at the Red Star Factory party, nodded, and said, "At that time, Zhou Lie, who was in charge of industry, told me, 'It hurts.' I said, 'It hurts, but there's no way; if we don't hurt, the country's industry will be missing arms and legs, and it won't be able to stand up even if it wants to.'"

"Therefore, today when I see Director Li of the Red Star Factory, I have to say a few words."

He waved his hand with a smile and said, "Of course, I'm not here to collect debts from you, and even less to ask for benefits; I want to express pride and gratification!"

"What we once supported and paid for has finally borne excellent fruit today."

Clap clap clap—

After Lu Qiming finished speaking, sparse but enthusiastic applause rang out at the scene.

Li Xuewu was also clapping; he knew this was Lu Qiming playing the emotional card, that he was indeed collecting debts and asking for benefits, but he had to admit that for so many years, the Northeast had always been providing blood for the country's industrial development.

Lu Qiming could say without any hesitation that the whole country's industry had the shadow of Northeast industrial support; it was precisely because of Northeast industry that the whole country could quickly complete industrialization development and construction.

Truckloads of timber, truckloads of coal, truckloads of oil... The Northeast was the mother of the country's industrial development, using its own blood and sweat to support the development of the country's light and heavy industries.

However, looking through history, this mother was aggrieved and had raised many unfilial sons.

In later generations, how many people still remember the Northeast heavy industrial base, and how many people remember using the timber and coal supported by the Northeast?

And how many heartless people are there who, seeing Northeast industry exhausted, spit on it and dislike it?

When drinking water, don't forget the well-digger; here, because of history, resources, and other reasons, there was great industrial development and an important foundation.

But also because of history, geography, and the era, it caused the industry here to never develop completely, always cautious and careful, guarding against things.

Therefore, Lu Qiming talked about contributions, grievances, pride, and gratification, and Li Xuewu was listening to all of it; this was the treatment they deserved.

Li Huai De responded to Lu Qiming's words in his speech.

He mentioned that North China industry and Northeast industry were separated by a pass, but the pass could not block contact, could not block cooperation, and even more could not block the trend of the times moving forward.

Heavy industrial development had inevitable conditions and requirements; the Red Star Factory was born in the capital, grew up in North China, and blossomed and grew vigorously in the Northeast.

The Red Star Factory had always attached great importance to the development of heavy industry, and even more to the construction and planning of heavy industrial bases, which was why the automobile manufacturing plant was located in Steel City and the shipbuilding project was anchored in Yingcheng.

In his speech, Li Huai De mentioned that from last year to now, the total investment of the Red Star Factory in Steel City and Yingcheng had exceeded 15 million yuan.

What kind of concept was this?

Just check the gross national product from 1966 to 1967, as well as the total annual tax revenue, and you would know.

15 million yuan revolutionized the metallurgical technology of the steelmaking plant, acquired the shipyard, accelerated the completion of infrastructure construction, invested in key projects including electronic industry, automobile industry, hardware industry, etc., and created a myth of industry and infrastructure.

Why was the Red Star Factory's development achievement over the past year able to make this name appear in Mr. Z's notebook? It was all relying on hard power.

Many orders, high earnings, many investments.

On the basis of gradually improving the welfare and treatment of factory workers, the Red Star Factory invested more in hardware facilities and pioneered new industrial projects.

With more projects and more workshops, there were more employment positions provided.

With more employment opportunities for unemployed personnel, social stability would improve, and residents' living standards would improve.

Industrial development is seriously related to people's livelihood development; this is an absolutely positive influence.

Even Mr. Z attached special importance to the development of the Red Star Factory, so how could the Red Star Factory, which had invested more than 15 million yuan in Liaodong one after another, not be valued by Lu Qiming?

At the end of his speech, Li Huai De mentioned that the Red Star Factory would not be a speculator of resources.

In the subsequent development layout and planning, the Red Star Factory would continue to increase investment, transfer heavy industry and part of light industry to Steel City, and form a light-heavy mixed industrial cluster.

The Red Star Factory wanted to industrialize the Northeast's resources on the spot, turn them into pieces of commodities, and in the process of commodity trade, leave wealth and opportunities on this selfless black land.

His speech received the recognition and affirmation of all the Liaodong cadres present, which could be heard from the applause fed back from the scene.

The look in Lu Qiming's eyes when looking at Li Huai De was very satisfied and also very gratified.

In the subsequent communication and exchange, the person in charge of industry introduced the support and policies of Liaodong in industrial development this year and the next few years to the Red Star Factory.

On the Red Star Factory side, Li Xuewu was responsible for introducing the industrial layout of the Red Star Factory in Liaodong within the next three years to Liaodong.

In the introduction, Li Xuewu distinguished by industrial category and narrated the current investment and construction situation and future development situation one by one.

Especially in joint trade, he said a few more words, emphasizing the importance of joint trade running through the cooperative enterprise industrial system.

This also laid a negotiation foundation for the subsequent meeting and exchange between the two sides.

After the meeting ended, Lu Qiming invited Li Huai De to go to the large conference room together to participate in the meeting with the established agenda.

The conference hall was very large; the conference table couldn't accommodate so many people, so only the main negotiators sat on both sides, and others sat in the second row on the periphery.

At the meeting, both sides discussed and exchanged views on the issue of the Red Star Factory landing and taking root in the two regions of Steel City and Yingcheng in Liaodong.

At the meeting, there were not only Liaodong's industrial management cadres, but also deputy directors in charge of industry who had rushed over from Steel City and Yingcheng.

At the meeting, it was the persons in charge of industry in the two places who spoke first.

It was also what Lu Qiming wanted to hear, and what he wanted the Red Star Factory to hear: what the industrial management departments of the two places had done for the Red Star Factory, what opinions or suggestions they had, or what their hopes were.

After the persons in charge of industry in the two places finished speaking, it was the Red Star Factory's turn to speak, responding to the management and suggestions of the two places and putting forward requirements and suggestions.

This part was the speech made by Li Xuewu; his words were very sharp, very sincere, hitting the nail on the head.

At such a meeting, in front of Lu Qiming and the industrial heads of the two places, he directly spoke about the obstacles and difficulties encountered by the Red Star Factory in the development process, and also spoke about the support and help needed by the Red Star Factory in the future development process.

Although this era emphasizes unity and harmony, work is still serious and earnest; Li Xuewu spoke the truth, spoke the facts, and spoke with a high level, and no one would feel he was impolite or talking nonsense.

Li Xuewu also made a speech centered on ecological industry and sustainable development, targeting the actual situation of industrial development in the two regions and the opportunities and conditions that the Red Star Factory could provide in the development process.

After his speech ended, the scene paused for a moment before enthusiastic applause rang out.

The applause was enthusiastic; part of it was for the reality in Li Xuewu's speech, and part of it was for the strength in Li Xuewu's speech.

Every word was a gem, and every word had substance.

Especially when Li Xuewu was speaking, he basically didn't lower his head to look at the manuscript.

This kind of extemporaneous speech, and speaking so well and so clearly, was still rare in the workplace.

Especially regarding industrialization, the several suggestions and opinions he put forward really hit the mark, making these persons in charge feel a bit of pain.

In the final discussion and research, regarding the Red Star Factory investing 10 million yuan to build a new rolling mill in Steel City within three years, Wang Lu, the person in charge of Steel City industry, made a statement.

Regarding the Red Star Factory investing 2 million yuan to improve and build a shipyard in Yingcheng within one year, Ge Ping, the person in charge of Yingcheng industry, made a statement.

In his final speech, Li Huai De spoke about the Red Star Factory's industrial adjustment plan, as well as strategic layout and goals in the next few years.

There was hope to build an industrial joint system in Steel City and Yingcheng and realize integrated management.

He also spoke about the Red Star Factory's joint trade system, which would complete its layout and development in the three Northeast provinces within the next year.

The Red Star Factory would present itself to the elders and fellow villagers of the Northeast with more extensive industrial construction and development.

The meeting was successful, and the conference was a surprise.

Both sides were very satisfied with this meeting, and the lunch was even more enthusiastic and sumptuous.

At the dining table, there was not only Lu Qiming, who was in charge of industry, but also the Director of Liaodong and several other deputy directors; the reception standard was very high.

To tell the truth, this was the first time Li Xuewu had encountered such a scene at a dinner party.

Of course, he and Li Huai De had come to Fengcheng with more than 10 million yuan to throw down; even if it were three feet of ice, throwing down this 10 million yuan would have to cause a stir.

Judging from this meal, the stir was indeed not small.

This year's industrial development was actually not very good; even though Liu Li Xin had concealed it during his introduction to Li Xuewu, Li Xuewu could still tell; data wouldn't lie.

The real is real, and the fake is fake.

Otherwise, students wouldn't say that mathematics wouldn't lie; if you learn it, you know it, and if you don't learn it, you don't know it; there is no ambiguity.

The overall industrial industry was marking time; compared to the industrial development of 10 or 20 percentage points in previous years, now there were only 4 percentage points, which was really not enough to look at.

You say 4 percentage points is a lot?

That was in later generations, when the economy was highly developed and the level of industrial development had achieved modernization.

At this time, everything was waiting to be done, the development speed was very fast, and the data was also very high.

Especially with the country's industrial development base as it was, Liaodong, as a key industrial base, any development and improvement of large projects were solid achievements.

The tens of millions invested by the Red Star Factory, the actual industrial value created, was absolutely more than this; hundreds of millions could absolutely be had.

It just depended on time, production, and cycle; but the factory was here, the workers were here, and this output value was settled here.

Especially the stir the Red Star Factory made in the capital, creating the rumor of a total investment of 80 million, completely made Li Huai De the favorite and darling of these persons in charge of industry.

Alcohol was drunk at the lunch dinner party, but no one drank too much; they just had a little bit.

After all, they were all leaders of this level; no one would be greedy for the cup, and even less would think of communicating and exchanging feelings by drinking.

Look at those people who drink too much and hug each other to brag; how many of them are capable?

At the dinner table, he dares to say he will lend you 100,000 yuan casually, but when it comes to settling the bill, he isn't even willing to treat you to this 200-yuan meal.

The more people use alcohol to talk about things, the less reliable they are; the more people sing "My Good Brother" in KTV, the less true friendship there is.

Just think, do true good brothers and true friendship need to be sung out?

It's shabby and tooth-aching.

At 2:00 PM, after the Red Star Factory party had rested at noon, accompanied by Yu Han and Hu Ke, and accompanied by the main industrial persons in charge from Steel City and Yingcheng, they visited the Fengcheng First Machinery Factory together.

In this era, the Fengcheng First Machinery Factory was a big factory that could be counted and ranked.

Its main production was lathes, drilling machines, milling machines, boring machines, and various other machine tools.

The Beijing Second Machinery Factory, which cooperated with the Red Star Factory in mechanical design and imitation—that is, the factory where Cheng Kaiyuan served as director before transferring to the Red Star Factory—was completely incomparable to the Fengcheng First Machinery Factory.

Look, its scale wasn't very large before, but in the nearly 20 years of development, it gradually became an important machine tool production unit in the country.

Many factories' production machinery was sent out from here; calling it an industrial beehive was not an exaggeration, as it had high strategic value.

The person in charge of the machinery factory accompanied the visit and research, told Li Huai De and others about the development history of the machinery factory, and introduced the current trump card products.

Actually, the person in charge knew very clearly why the higher-ups arranged for the Red Star Factory to come to the factory for observation and research.

With investment in the millions settling in Liaodong, the Red Star Factory's investment in Steel City and Yingcheng was huge, and the need for industrial machinery was also huge.

Even if the Red Star Factory was more inclined to import production equipment and machinery from abroad, there was no need for basic industrial machinery.

Therefore, this wasn't an observation and research visit; wasn't this just the "Party A father" delivering himself to the door?

Li Xuewu hadn't done industrial processing, and even less had he participated in industrial labor at the grassroots level, but he understood industry and understood the parameters of these things even more.

Therefore, the person in charge spoke, and he had to ask, and ask clearly, and ask thoroughly.

Many processing machines were not common, but they were inevitably present in industrial production processes; the First Machinery Factory did very well.

Li Xuewu took imported machinery and equipment to ask questions and compare with the person in charge, and also spoke about foreign concepts in industrial production management.

The purpose was only one: to see if the Fengcheng First Machinery Factory had the willingness to engage in joint industry.

Treating the Red Star Factory like a fish on a hook?

That was impossible; the Red Star Factory was known as the "Iron Rooster" in Li Xuewu's hands. ===== CHAPTER 1106 =====