Chapter 1409: Even If Jesus Came, It Wouldn't Help

"For the metallurgical industry, one must first have smelting before one can have metal."

Li Li Xuewu, pinching a pair of leather gloves in his hand and tilting his head slightly upward to gaze at the towering blast furnace, couldn't help but remark with a sigh.

The several people standing behind him exchanged glances; no one said anything, nor did anyone find his words amusing.

To be precise, wasn't this nonsense? Without a metallurgical furnace, where would the metallurgical industry come from? Was Li Li Xuewu just talking rubbish?

Yet none of those standing there were ignorant or unlearned; in their hearts, they were all pondering the deeper meaning behind the Secretary-General's words.

"To give is to receive; only by giving can one receive—"

Wang Shuqiong, dressed in a light yellow thin woolen coat with a clean and crisp short hairstyle, stood there looking very capable and efficient.

Smiling, she took up Li Li Xuewu's thread of conversation, saying, "Last year, the metallurgical plant invested a total of over 700,000 yuan in equipment upgrades and technological innovation; hearing that figure, the pressure indeed seems immense."

"700,000 yuan is enough to build an entire factory," Li Li Xuewu said, turning back to smile at her. "I recall what the preparatory funding for the Hardware Factory was initially? 100,000 yuan? It was 100,000 yuan, wasn't it, Comrade Yang Zongfang?"

"Yes, Secretary-General, it was 100,000 yuan."

Yang Yang Zongfang had changed his hairstyle after the New Year, appearing even more mature and steady. At this moment, just like Li Li Xuewu had done moments before, he was gazing up at the tall tower ahead; upon suddenly hearing Li Li Xuewu's inquiry, he nodded in acknowledgment.

Yang Yang Shuxing narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at him, then subtly cast a glance toward Yin Yin Zhongyao, who resembled an old tortoise; the look in his eyes was profound, as if even the high sun could not melt the chill emanating from him.

"They say starting a business is hard, but maintaining one is harder," Li Li Xuewu said, nodding before turning to look at the ongoing operations onsite. "Right now, I feel that starting a business is no easier than maintaining one."

"I believe matters must be viewed from two perspectives," Wang Shuqiong said, stepping forward two small paces and looking toward the blast furnace. "Precisely because of continuous investment—including 300,000 yuan the year before last, 700,000 yuan last year, and a budget of 500,000 yuan for this year—our plant has gained an opportunity for rebirth and the capability to strive for the upper ranks."

"A total investment of 1.5 million yuan?" asked Secretary Li Li Haiyang, who had only recently arrived in Steel City to assume his post, with a hint of surprise. "Is it all designated for equipment innovation and technological transformation at the metallurgical plant?"

"If we could actually secure that 1.5 million, I would chant 'Amitabha' in relief—"

Li Li Xuewu turned to glance at him and said, "This year, the Group can ultimately allocate only a 500,000-yuan budget for technological transformation; any amount exceeding that we must figure out ourselves."

"Figure it out ourselves?" Secretary Li Li Haiyang found this phrasing somewhat interesting and asked with a light laugh, "Have you thought of a method?"

"Hmm, even if we can't think of one, we must force ourselves to."

Li Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows and joked, "Internally, we tighten our belts; if that truly fails, we smash our pots and sell our iron; and if that still doesn't work, then we must resort to crying, making a scene, and hanging ourselves."

Pointing at Secretary Li Li Haiyang, he said, "In our leadership team, only the two of us are newcomers; if anyone is to demonstrate commitment, it must be us two taking the lead."

"That is indeed the case—" Secretary Li Li Haiyang swept his gaze over everyone present today and said with a smile, "In that case, shall I follow your arrangements?"

"No problem," Li Li Xuewu said, turning back and walking two steps toward them. "When the time comes, we two will go back together; I will handle the crying and making a scene."

"Oh, so I am responsible for hanging myself?"

Secretary Li Li Haiyang couldn't help but burst into laughter; seeing that the others were also laughing, he remarked, "Before coming to Steel City, my leaders instructed me to work diligently and withstand difficulties in my duties; it seems now that I might not be able to bear it—"

"Hahaha—" Li Li Xuewu laughed very casually, thereby formally introducing Secretary Li Li Haiyang to everyone and effectively circling the management team of the metallurgical plant together.

As for whether some people felt unconvinced or dissatisfied, he could not worry about that; he had stated that the leadership team must unite, and whoever refused to unite was an outlier.

The phrase 'crying, making a scene, and hanging oneself' was a joke; given the capabilities of Secretary Li Li Haiyang and Li Li Xuewu, there was no need to resort to such extremes.

To say that the metallurgical plant, in its drive for development, had fully launched new equipment and new processes, developing projects for steel smelting, special steel smelting, as well as non-ferrous metal and alloy smelting, had stretched the plant's finances to the breaking point was one thing, but claiming they had reached the stage of smashing pots and selling iron was merely a rhetorical device used by Li Li Xuewu.

However, the phrase 'tightening our belts to get by' was not empty talk; yet none of those present at the scene believed it to be the truth at that moment, assuming it, like the two phrases following it, was merely another one of Li Li Xuewu's jokes.

On March 17, at the third routine office meeting of the plant convened by Li Li Xuewu at the metallurgical facility, he put forward the requirement for a "comprehensive verification of the metallurgical plant's fixed assets."

This was not Li Li Xuewu singling out the metallurgical plant to wield his knife; rather, it was a ruthless move against all industrial enterprises under the Group in Liaodong.

Immediately after announcing this decision at the meeting on the 17th, he issued an order to the Liaodong Industrial Leadership Group Office to mobilize personnel from the administrative organs of various industrial enterprises, borrowing auditors, disciplinary inspectors, and financial staff from the Group to form an asset audit team.

He required that the Industrial Leadership Group Office serve as the primary auditing entity, with personnel from the Group's Audit Department acting as the main professional force, while mobilizing administrative staff from various Liaodong industrial enterprises to implement a three-dimensional cross-inventory.

The inventory was scheduled for the end of this month, specifically the 31st.

Regarding the time remaining until the inventory, he had allotted these industrial enterprises less than fifteen days; in other words, from the moment they received the news on the 17th, each industrial enterprise had to begin preparing to welcome the audit and inventory work.

The single phrase 'tighten our belts' spoken by Li Li Xuewu at the project site truly caused some people to break out in a cold sweat.

Since the establishment of the Red Star Plant, how many audits and inventories had there been?

They were too numerous to count; countless times, almost every year, but a surprise attack like the one Li Li Xuewu was launching was rare, almost nonexistent.

They had to cope with inspections and audits every year, so why did they break out in a cold sweat the moment Li Li Xuewu mentioned organizing an audit?

The answer was simple: the intensity of a routine year-end audit or inventory naturally differed from the audit Li Li Xuewu had requested the Liaodong Industrial Leadership Group to organize.

Previous inventories had taken the individual industrial enterprises as the primary entities, executed by relevant departments; in essence, they were checking themselves.

But now it was different; the audit team Li Li Xuewu requested to form involved personnel from three parties, and the organizing entity was the Industrial Leadership Group Office, which recognized no kinship or favoritism; how could they survive this?

They could not survive it; even though personnel from the administrative organs of various industrial enterprises would be mobilized to participate, it would be a cross-inventory.

You might say someone still has a chance?

That depends on how you look at it: whether the person you can find possesses authority, and whether they can speak a word on your behalf during the inventory process.

It was nearly impossible; according to news circulating from the Office, the personnel mobilized from various administrative organs were primarily young people who had only recently started working, selected randomly without discrimination.

Not to mention that these young people were inexperienced in worldly affairs and ignorant of social niceties; even those who understood such things would not have the authority to make decisions.

The main purpose of mobilizing them for this audit work was to get labor done, having them execute certain "physical tasks" during the auditing process.

Then you might ask, could the auditors, disciplinary inspectors, and financial personnel sent down from the Group speak up?

Perhaps, but with personnel from the three parties intermixed, who would dare to take the risk of bearing such immense responsibility for you?

Even a fool could see that the Secretary-General was igniting his second fire since coming to Liaodong to oversee industrial work.

With auditing, disciplinary inspection, and finance mutually supervising one another, those who truly determined the audit results were the people within the Liaodong Industrial Leadership Group Office.

You might say that Zhou Peilan and others in the Office are also young people, fresh out of school; how could they have the ability and responsibility to bear such a heavy task?

Do not forget who stands behind the Industrial Leadership Group Office: it is Group Secretary-General Li Li Xuewu.

On the surface, it appeared that Zhang Jing, Director of the Industrial Leadership Group Office, was leading four young college students in organizing this audit action, but in reality, it was being carried out with Group Secretary-General Li Li Xuewu at the helm, supported by the principal responsible persons of the Group's various industrial enterprises in Liaodong.

The audit work across the ten major industrial enterprises of the Group in Liaodong was proceeding almost simultaneously, leaving no time for anyone to react or coordinate.

You might say, "My side is short a piece of equipment; let the audit team come to me first, and can I borrow a piece of equipment from your plant?"

Whether that was feasible in the past is unknown, but it is certainly not feasible now, because the audit team would absolutely not give them time to coordinate equipment and assets.

The timing for the audit team's entry into each industrial enterprise had already been determined; Li Li Xuewu had intentionally left them half a month to cook the books.

During this period, Zhang Jing also had the time and energy to select and transfer personnel into the group for training, implement closed-off subgrouping, and complete all preparations for the audit.

Within fifteen days, they must either balance the asset accounts or make up for the missing items; otherwise, disciplinary action would have to be taken.

Li Li Xuewu did not wish to concern himself with the messy accounts from before his arrival in Liaodong; based on the documents he had reviewed in seclusion, following the clues, he could roughly calculate the figures in his mind, though it remained a muddled account.

There was no point in calculating the muddled accounts of the past, but from the moment he arrived in Liaodong, the ledger could no longer remain unclear; it had to be perfectly clean.

Why did Li Li Xuewu dare to propose an audit requirement at this particular time?

Was he not afraid that the feedback from below would be overwhelmingly negative?

He was not afraid, because he was not the only one who wanted to audit the fixed assets of these ten industrial enterprises; from the perspective of group management, this was a necessary task and an opportunity to plug the holes in the dam.

From the perspective of the heads of these ten industrial enterprises, they also wished to balance those past messy accounts and make a fresh start.

This time, Li Li Xuewu had given them an opportunity; past offenses would not be pursued, and from now on, their actual actions would be judged.

If, after this audit, they still did not stop their misconduct, then he would show no mercy and take drastic measures with the fury of a Vajra guardian.

He demanded that everyone tighten their belts, willing to sell pots and pans if necessary to develop industry; at such a time, crying, making a scene, or even threatening suicide would be of no use.

"Leader, Deputy President Chen has arrived."

Li Li Xuewu was reviewing documents when Zhang Enyuan lightly knocked on the door to report, simultaneously stepping aside to invite the person behind him in.

This Deputy President Chen was someone the Secretary-General had instructed him to schedule long ago, with the itinerary already fixed, so he arranged for his entry without hesitation.

The scheduling and meetings handled by the secretary were exactly like this; he would contact the other party in advance to agree upon a meeting time.

This time was basically fixed, unless the leader's conversation with someone ran overtime, in which case the secretary would need to perform remedial work.

Whether making phone calls or running errands to deliver messages, he would be busy rushing up and down.

The secretary also held certain authority, namely arranging who would meet the leader first and who would follow.

As long as it was not something Li Li Xuewu had specifically emphasized, the order of meetings was basically decided every morning on the way to work alongside the Secretary-General.

Chen Danian was the Deputy President of the Head Office of the Red Star Steel Group Joint Savings Bank. It was Li Li Xuewu who had called the Head Office, and Chen Danian had come to Steel City to meet Li Li Xuewu at the request and commission of Xie Xie Lan Zhi, the President of the Head Office.

The Red Star Joint Savings Bank had been established for only three years, yet its momentum for development was rapid; based on its head office in Jingcheng, it had established branch offices and outlets in all major important cities across the country.

In Jingcheng, the Joint Savings Bank had grown into a professional bank focusing primarily on savings, transfers, insurance, and other services, especially surpassing its peers significantly in commercial operations, qualifying it as a new rising force.

Steel City, Ying City, Jinmen, Wu City, and Yuezhou, serving as the first batch of cities for the Red Star Factory's expansion of economic and trade work, now saw their total trade volume climbing year after year, with corresponding financial services developing along the same vine.

This time, Chen Danian came to Liaodong at Li Li Xuewu's request and invitation to conduct research, with the aim of officially determining the location for the Liaodong Branch of the Joint Savings Bank and overseeing the construction of branches in other cities.

Secondly, Li Li Xuewu hoped that the Group would receive support and assistance from the Joint Savings Bank during the development of various industrial enterprises in Liaodong.

Li Li Xuewu was the Secretary-General of the Red Star Steel Group, and the Joint Savings Bank was a joint-venture enterprise of the Group; how would Chen Danian dare to act presumptuously.

Upon entering the office and seeing Li Li Xuewu rise from behind his desk, he hurriedly took two quick steps forward to grasp the hand Li Li Xuewu extended.

"Greetings, Secretary-General."

"Hello, Deputy President Chen, you've worked hard."

Li Li Xuewu gently shook his hand, then released it, gesturing toward the sofas and saying, "Please, sit down and let's talk."

"Very well, thank you, Secretary-General."

Although Chen Danian was a guest who had traveled from afar, he understood the rules well enough to wait until Li Li Xuewu had sat down before taking his own seat.

Li Li Xuewu nodded at him and asked, "Was the journey here smooth enough?"

"It was acceptable, a train ride of one day and half a night," Chen Danian smiled and said, "It happened to be snowing in Jingcheng when I departed."

Knowing that Li Li Xuewu was from Jingcheng, he added, "This was perhaps the last snowfall in Jingcheng; the plum blossoms are already in full bloom."

"Steel City is still a world of ice and snow."

Li Li Xuewu smiled slightly and remarked, "You must have felt the temperature difference clearly; the first time I came to Steel City, I only regretted not bringing thicker clothes."

"Hehehe, I have been here twice," Chen Danian said with a laugh, "This time I said I would bring fewer clothes, but my wife feared I would catch a cold and insisted on stuffing a leather jacket into my bag, so here I am wearing it."

He gestured to the leather jacket on his body, which was half-unzipped, revealing a shearling lining that looked very warm.

This short-style leather jacket had become fashionable only in the last two years; it was a tertiary industry product developed through cooperation between the Red Star Factory and the Jingcheng Leather Factory, which also collaborated with units like the Textile Factory and the First Prison to establish a ready-made garment assembly line.

The primary production focused on labor protection supplies, such as work uniforms, security uniforms, sanitation worker uniforms, and so on, along with clothing for all four seasons, gloves, shoes, and similar items.

Any factory had to consider economic efficiency; otherwise, without a surplus on the books, the performance assessment would not be passed.

Therefore, the Labor Protection Factory had also figured out how to produce long-style leather jackets, short-style leather jackets, leather shoes for all seasons, leather belts, and other products.

The quality was naturally impeccable; with supplies from Chen Jicheng and Wu City, the leather was indeed genuine, though the craftsmanship was merely average, after all, it was a Labor Protection Factory.

The ready-made garment factory cooperating with the First Prison, however, was extraordinary; supplied with leather materials by the Red Star Jiangnan Leather Factory, the leather jackets produced by the First Prison's garment factory featured novel styles and fine craftsmanship, making them very popular among the workers.

Such items were considered luxury goods in any era; ordinary people truly could not afford them, unless their families had few children to support.

A leather jacket, especially one with a shearling lining—if not for the Red Star Factory having its own channels, one couldn't save up enough coupons to buy one even if they wanted to; that was the reality of the situation.

If you saw someone wearing a shearling leather jacket in the winter in the later era within the Four-Nine City, you would surely curse them as a fool, but in this era, no matter how thickly one dressed, they still felt cold, because it was truly damn cold at this time.

The Northeast was even more so; Steel City was not even considered a northern city, yet Li Li Xuewu felt it was at least five degrees colder than Jingcheng.

He naturally possessed a shearling leather jacket himself, but rarely wore it; unless on field duty, he always wore a woolen overcoat.

Chen Danian showing off the leather jacket to Li Li Xuewu had no other intention; it was neither to flaunt wealth nor to chat idly, but to express his stance that he was prepared to stay in Liaodong for long-term work.

Xie Xie Lan Zhi had assigned him to Liaodong precisely to have him remain there, guiding and assisting in the construction and expansion of the Liaodong Branch.

"I do not smoke; please help yourself."

Seeing Chen Danian offering him a cigarette, Li Li Xuewu smiled and pressed his hand down to refuse, saying, "I quit a few years ago and have never picked it up again."

Zhang Enyuan, who had brought hot tea to Chen Danian, saw him about to light up and promptly took an ashtray out from beneath the coffee table.

With such a grand display, how could Chen Danian feel comfortable smoking; he paid no mind to Li Li Xuewu's explanation, simply smiling and waving his hand.

Zhang Enyuan did not care whether he wanted to smoke or not; he merely placed the ashtray in front of him before busying himself with other tasks.

Li Li Xuewu rested his hand on the armrest of the sofa, crossed his right leg over his left, and leaned back against the sofa in a very relaxed posture.

He used the time for small talk to carefully observe the other man a few times before steering the conversation to the main topic.

"Has the location for the Liaodong Branch been selected?"

"Yes, I prepared to inspect several locations this time," Chen Danian reported with a serious expression. "The Liaodong branch selected a few sites to report upward; both President Xie and I strongly favor choosing Fengcheng rather than Steel City."

While speaking these words, he cautiously observed Li Li Xuewu's expression, and only when he saw nothing unusual did he breathe a sigh of relief.

Li Li Xuewu also noticed his slight tension, nodding slowly as he said, "It should indeed be chosen in Fengcheng; Steel City's scale is still too narrow."

"Yes, President Xie said the same," Chen Danian's tone obviously brightened by several degrees as he continued, "However, the Liaodong branch's development focus must still remain on Steel City and Yingcheng; that much is certain."

"Mm, overall planning with consideration for all aspects, coordinated development then."

Li Li Xuewu's answer somewhat surprised Chen Danian; he had expected Li Li Xuewu to stubbornly demand that the Joint Savings Bank place its main development direction in Southern Liaoning.

"I need your support and help here," Li Li Xuewu stated frankly, "Especially regarding fund management."

He set down the teacup in his hand, looking at Chen Danian as he spoke, "The Group is implementing organizational reform; first and second-tier branch institutions will obtain certain fiscal autonomy permissions, which requires your oversight."

"Just like in Jingcheng, all fund transactions must go through the Joint Savings Bank's accounts; no cash may appear during enterprise operations."

"Understood—" Chen Danian suddenly comprehended the earnest advice and incessant admonitions President Xie had given him before he left.

Of course, of course; the Secretary-General intended to make great strides in Liaodong, necessarily using financial means to promote economic development, while also implementing the transitional phase of fiscal reform during this process.

And during this phase, the Joint Savings Bank needed to step up, strictly controlling fund transactions.

Having no cash visible in enterprise operation management prevented problems and errors procedurally; this decision could not completely avoid issues, but it increased the cost and difficulty of disciplinary violations.

All wages would go through bank accounts, with inbound and outbound movements tracked by ledgers, while public-to-public transfers were internal bank allocations, eliminating any chance for graft.

Li Li Xuewu narrowed his eyes slightly, tapping his finger on the sofa armrest as he said, "Second point: protect production and promote economy; you must prepare for long-term investment in Liaodong and developing Liaodong."

"President Xie already emphasized this before I came out," Chen Danian hesitated slightly before answering, "Regarding the investment and construction for the Joint Energy Development General Corporation and the Yingcheng Port Area, we can still guarantee it."

"Not just those two projects."

Li Li Xuewu lightly patted the sofa armrest with his palm, saying, "At this year's economic work conference, Director Li already stated that good steel must be used on the blade's edge; Liaodong is the Group's blade's edge for the next three years."

He pointed toward the office desk, signaling Zhang Enyuan to bring over the documents he had prepared, which he then handed to Chen Danian.

"The next three years are critical for the Group, representing a major opportunity for the Group's industry in Liaodong."

Li Li Xuewu indicated that Chen Danian could review that material, which was the industrial construction plan released some time ago by the Liaodong Industrial Leadership Group.

"For the Joint Savings Bank, these next three years in Liaodong are also critical; seek opportunities within development."

"Secretary-General, this—" Chen Danian lifted his head, speaking hesitantly, "Mobilizing such a huge sum of capital to invest in industrial and trade construction, especially the construction of a trade network, isn't the risk too high?"

"Risk and opportunity are twin siblings," Li Li Xuewu said, looking at him, "They exist in a state of symbiosis; without risk there is no opportunity, and without opportunity, for the Joint Savings Bank which urgently needs to take off, it would be fatal."

These words were indeed true; currently, the Joint Savings Bank appeared to be developing rapidly, but its establishment time was too short, lacking a certain foundation.

A tall tree catches the wind and falls easily; having constructed so many outlets and absorbed so many savings, what was the point of keeping it all in hand? Letting it grow mold?

Li Li Xuewu did not need to speak too plainly to Chen Danian; as the bank's supervisor, Chen Danian was more professional than him.

It was merely limited by the mental shackles of this era that Chen Danian dared not be as bold as him, nor could he peer into heavenly secrets like him.

Li Li Xuewu's meaning was actually easy to understand: the Joint Savings Bank needed to invest its existing funds as quickly as possible into the Group's industrial enterprises in Liaodong which were currently taking off, and also seize this opportunity to merge capital flows into the trade network construction he was about to advance.

Over the next three years, he would focus on two tasks: first, comprehensively constructing the Group's industrial park in Liaodong, building an integrated industrial belt spanning the transportation line from Yingcheng to Fengcheng.

The second was constructing a trade network covering all of Northeast China and influencing Northeast Asia; based on the Group Sales General Corporation and the Joint Logistics Development General Corporation, they would push Red Star products and Joint Trade products throughout the entire Northeast, then diffuse outward to influence the Northeast Asian trade market.

Such grand ambitions were impossible without money; even if Deputy Director Jing secretly supported him unconditionally, he could not blatantly make the Liaodong industrial budget boundless.

He wanted to use the short span of three years to lead the Group's industry in Liaodong to burst forth with unprecedented vitality, making leapfrog progress in industrial construction and providing leverage in market supply and demand, which required massive capital.

Money is not omnipotent, but without money, nothing can be done.

If the market gradually opened after three years but the Group's industry was not prepared to face the market's test, then one wrong step would mean every subsequent step would fail to keep up.

Yet when Chen Danian saw the plans regarding economic construction and investment that the Secretary-General had his secretary hand to him, his heart still quivered with fear.

From his perspective, the Secretary-General's investment and development plan was no different from gambling, and moreover, gambling blindly with huge stakes.

Under the premise that it was uncertain whether future industry would continue to be needed by national construction as it is today, and equally uncertain whether the future market would change, the Secretary-General wanted to push all his chips and go all-in.

Doing this would certainly stimulate the Group's industrial enterprises in Liaodong to rapidly complete technological and equipment innovation, completely changing the current production landscape and thoroughly bringing production capacity onto the track of modern industrial enterprises.

Similarly, he could also see that the Secretary-General's investment in market construction was intended to coordinate with the inventory backlog situation that would occur after the explosion of industrial production capacity, reducing middlemen earning the price difference.

But in reality, he completely failed to see any absolute submissiveness in the domestic market toward Red Star products; it was even out of reach.

Red Star Factory produced many products: automobiles, electronics, aircraft, and so on, but look at how many of these products ordinary common people could afford to buy?

To put it this way, without even speaking of Liaodong industry, just consider those products produced by the Food General Corporation; how many of them were supplied to the inland market?

Canned goods were understandable, alcohol was acceptable, but other foods, especially meat products, received a very mediocre response in the inland market.

Currently, many regions still maintained a position well below the subsistence line; if you provided them with industrial goods, even if they wanted them, they couldn't afford to buy them.

The Secretary-General had emphasized 'three years' many times; he simply did not believe that the international market would open to the domestic market after three years, providing more trade opportunities.

It was precisely based on this hesitation and worry that he had not immediately agreed to Li Li Xuewu's request, his attitude being very vague.

The Secretary-General was still too radical; currently, for the domestic market, the international trade market was not separated by merely a wall, but by a Great Wall straddling the trade line.

Not to mention anything else, the U. S. Emperor was eyeing us tigerishly, while Northern Mao wanted to perform surgery on us; where in this world were there any good people?

Chen Danian dared to assert that the Secretary-General's such radicalism must be due to youthful vigor, willing to spare no expense in money and materials to advance one further step upon returning to the Group after three years; he would even spend blood capital to pile up a mountain of achievements.

But once this mountain was piled up, without considering a way out, wouldn't the Joint Savings Bank's investment then face stillbirth?

By that time, if Li Li Xuewu just brushed off his butt and left, who would he go to cry to?

Indeed, no matter how he thought, he could never imagine that after three years, the U. S. Emperor would suddenly bow his head, even coming to our home for a meeting.

Let alone him, Chen Danian, being unable to think of it; even the Russians who wanted to perform surgery could not imagine it, being completely dumbfounded.

Since he could not figure it out, he naturally viewed Li Li Xuewu's ambition to influence Northeast Asia over the next three years and conquer the Northeast Asian market after three years as mere fantasy.

How should Li Li Xuewu persuade him?

No, Li Li Xuewu was not good at persuading others; he was good at doing.

He did not even care whether Chen Danian understood his vision or whether he would follow his plan to carry out the work.

Let alone Chen Danian; even among the entire Metallurgy Factory and the members of the Liaodong Industrial Leadership Group, how many truly understood his work methodology?

It didn't matter; they didn't need to plan, nor did they need to understand; they only needed to carry out the work according to Li Li Xuewu's line of thought.

Li Li Xuewu would direct them in their tasks; when one-third of the work was done, they might feel puzzled, and when two-thirds was complete, they would still be perplexed, but just as dawn was about to illuminate the starry sky, they would discover they had already followed the Secretary-General to the radiant shore.

This is the meaning of leadership.

If he truly forced them to understand him and fully grasp his train of thought, wouldn't Li Li Xuewu be out of a job?

He had not come to Liaodong to manage enterprises; his part-time role at the Metallurgical Plant existed because the plant's status was crucial, as someone needed to personally hold the fort to accomplish the overall transformation of the metallurgical and steel-rolling industries in the coming period.

His primary work and goal remained to stand from the group's perspective, mobilizing the entire group's resources on a macro level to layout plans for the Northeast, layout plans for industry, and boost the economic and trade capabilities of the whole group.

Taking Chen Danian's position as an example, when Li Li Xuewu discussed work with him, he only needed to say it once; it was fine if Chen understood, and it didn't matter if he didn't, but if Chen dared to obey outwardly while resisting inwardly, he shouldn't wait until it was time to shed winter coats for short sleeves—he should pack his bedding and return to Jingcheng immediately.

Li Li Xuewu would have Xie Xie Lan Zhi replace him with someone more sensible to do the work.

He was not an autocrat who refused to listen to opinions, nor was he stubborn enough to deny others a chance to speak; it was simply that standing in his position, he could not listen to opinions on every matter or heed voices from below on every issue—with so many things to handle, would there be any time left to actually work?

Sometimes, a leader absolutely needs authority and decision-making ability; one's word must carry the weight of nine tripods, and what is said must be done.

He was determined to devour this juicy piece of meat known as the Northeast Asian market; even if Jesus came, it wouldn't help, for how many divisions did Jesus have?

"Great victory! A great victory—"

"Beep—what are you doing!"

Hearing Ma Baosen's hoarse voice approaching from afar, Zhou Linghua, who was just about to head out, raised a hand to poke his forehead and reminded him with amusement, "Do you think this is the Water Curtain Cave, and you're looking for which Sun Sun Wukong?"

"Great... great victory! I said great victory, not Great Sage." Ma Baosen waved the thin newspaper in his hand and spoke excitedly, "I'm talking about a triumph report!"

"What triumph report?" Wang Min also came out of the office, looked at him, and said, "I sent you to get the newspaper; why did it take so long? Where did you go playing?"

"What playing? I was delayed reading the newspaper!" Ma Baosen spoke excitedly, craning his neck, "I was stopped in my tracks by this news."

"I think you were slacking off and couldn't walk straight—" Wang Min took the newspaper from his hand with a smile and said, "Where did this triumph report come from?"

"From the north; where else could it be from!"

Ma Baosen's voice was even trembling; it was genuine excitement, a sense of shared honor, happiness, and pride.

Although everyone had avoided discussing matters in the north these past few days, how could the massive amount of supplies withdrawn from the Ordnance Factory, Steel Automobile, and Steel Aviation remain hidden?

Actually, everyone felt fear and worry in their hearts, but due to propaganda and security requirements, they could not discuss things freely; under this deliberate neglect, life went on as usual.

It was just that some timid individuals with courtyards at home were secretly organizing to dig cellars, which were essentially air-raid shelters.

They didn't stop to think that if mushrooms really bloomed overhead, what kind of hole could protect them, unless it was a professionally excavated cavern.

With the capabilities of ordinary people, constructing such professional protective measures was absolutely impossible, and moreover, atmospheric pollution could not be blocked out.

The "Equalizer for All Beings" missile was no joke.

Ma Baosen's clamor attracted the gaze of the entire office, especially Zhou Linghua and Wang Min, who stood at the doorway holding the newspaper, watching silently as if time had stood still.

Zhang Jing came out of the office, saw this scene, and asked, "What's wrong? What's all the clamor about?"

"Director, a great triumph—"

Zhou Linghua had looked first and read the newspaper in his hand completely, but he was so immersed in that joy that he didn't notice Director Zhang Jing's inquiry; it was Wang Min who answered.

Wang Min's eyebrows danced with joy, his excitement no less than Ma Baosen's, and he shouted out in a voice that was nearly a scream.

Zhang Jing's eyebrows lifted slightly; together with the others in the office, he walked to the doorway, took the newspaper, and began to read.

March 15th... three sorties launched fierce attacks against our defenders... using various artillery... into the deep regions. Our border... dispatched helicopter formations to anticipate the enemy... fought fiercely for nearly six hours... thoroughly crushed the enemy's misguided attempts, effectively striking down their arrogant arrogance, capturing...

"It really is a great triumph—"

Zhang Jing carefully read every word of the newspaper report in his hand regarding the battle three days prior; even with his normally calm and steady character, he could not help but feel somewhat excited, and although he was not as overt as Ma Baosen and Wang Min, the tremor in his voice was undeniable.

A great victory, an absolute great victory, achieved by surprise and attacking where unprepared; the enemy absolutely could not imagine what preparations had been made here to counter their border incursions.

They still thought they were confronting the same teams as before, never expecting the involvement of so much advanced equipment and so many high-quality combat personnel, which completely trapped them and beat them into a daze.

The captures alone occupied one-third of the entire report, a long, lengthy list including both personnel and equipment, all taken as prisoners.

Not counting small arms, even tanks and artillery were captured, truly verifying the terrifying combat power of the Third Guard Regiment and, in this actual combat, thoroughly proving how hardcore the weapons and equipment produced by the Red Star Steel Group were.

How much Li Li Xuewu cherished this actual combat experience; he had even sent up the "Fixed-Point Long-Distance Expansion Experiment Equipment for Gas Storage" just to see how the divine artifact, which even Art had gone crazy over, performed in real battle.

He arrived at the office a bit late today; Huang Gan had stayed in Steel City for a few days and finally nearly finished negotiating matters, preparing to return to the capital.

As the host, he naturally had to see him off, fulfilling the duties of a gracious host.

Li Li Xuewu had no time to accompany him these past few days; it was Zhao Laosì who returned to Steel City to prepare supplies and happened to take on this task.

The two were naturally familiar; Zhao Laosì was the head of the Security Section at the club, and they had known each other for over three years.

Huang Gan's personality was very easygoing; during these few days in Steel City, he had spent considerable time enjoying himself with Zhao Laosì, which served to relax his mind and satisfy his desires.

After seeing off Elder Huang, Li Li Xuewu went to work at the Metallurgical Plant; as soon as he entered the office building, he heard conversation sounds more lively than usual.

He didn't pay much attention, but Zhang Enyuan raised his eyebrows, seeming to already know what had happened.

It was not until Li Li Xuewu went up to the third floor and prepared to walk toward his own office that he discovered many young people from the office standing near the doorway, seemingly discussing something, their faces filled with excited expressions.

"The Secretary-General is here—"

Someone uttered this reminder, and everyone immediately stopped speaking, their faces turning red from holding back their excitement.

Li Li Xuewu swept his gaze over these people, smiled, and asked, "Are we holding a New Year tea party? Why is it so lively?"

"Secretary-General, it's a great triumph." Wang Min had been speaking for quite a while, yet upon seeing Li Li Xuewu, his voice still carried a hint of excitement as he said, "Our equipment has earned merit."

"Heh, just for this matter."

Li Li Xuewu took the newspaper from Zhang Jing's hand, looked at it, nodded, and said, "Indeed, we should be happy; isn't the purpose of our hard work, developing industry, and revitalizing the economy precisely for today?"

"Secretary-General, did you already know?"

Unable to see any look of surprise on Li Li Xuewu's face, Wang Min asked with some astonishment, "Was it on the day itself? Did you know on the 15th?"

"How could it be that fast; do you think I have clairvoyant eyes or ears that catch the wind?" Li Li Xuewu smiled, returned the newspaper in his hand to Zhang Jing, and explained to Wang Min, "I only learned of this news less than five hours before you did, which was early this morning."

"So it was just before the announcement!"

Wang Min raised his eyebrows, looked at him expectantly, and said, "Secretary-General, we are all too excited; you must be even prouder and more excited than us; please say a few words to us."

"Yes, let the Secretary-General say a few words!"

Hearing Wang Min say this, the others joined in the clamor; they were all young people, otherwise they wouldn't have gathered here.

They clapped enthusiastically, eager to hear Li Li Xuewu explain the deeper meaning behind this matter.

They were younger, more thirsty for victory, and more passionate; they were the wealth and treasure of this era, and of the Red Star Iron and Steel Group.

Just as Li Li Xuewu had said, united as one, they had gathered in Steel City for a single goal, fighting hard in Liaodong; truly hearing this news, no one was not exhilarated, no one was not proud—this was the very meaning of their hard work and industrial development.

"What should I talk about? What do you want to hear?" Li Li Xuewu said with a smile, looking at the crowd. "I have nothing profound to say; let's just speak practically."

He turned to Zhang Enyuan behind him and instructed, "Notify the canteen to add extra dishes for lunch; we need meat dishes—one won't be enough, make it two."

"Hooray—"

It was still the young people who had the vitality; upon hearing there would be two meat dishes for lunch, they all clapped in unison, their cheers echoing through the entire office building.

Those cheers also resonated in the hearts of many.

Shared aspirations, shared path.