Chapter 207: The Tug-of-War (Part 3)

Secretary of the Yiyang County Party Committee, Zhu Yan, and County Mayor Ma Youcai entered the Standing Committee meeting room one after the other.

The fifty-million-ton cement plant was of critical importance to Yiyang’s economy. Consequently, as soon as Zhang Mushan and Huang Yishu left Yiyang under the guise of other business, Zhu Yan immediately called for an emergency meeting.

With the two key figures from Qingda Group suddenly departing, Yang Dajin, the Director of the Planning Commission who had been leading the negotiations, felt quite uneasy. He spoke up, his voice tinged with anxiety. "Huang Yishu believes the land price in Shangqinglin is too high. He is demanding another ten thousand yuan reduction per mu. Our current quote is twenty thousand yuan per mu. That amount isn't even enough to cover the resettlement costs for the displaced households; the county finance would still have to subsidize the difference. Secretary Su is most familiar with this situation, as he is currently planning the new town layout for Qinglin."

Mayor Ma Youcai turned to him. "Su Ming, give us your assessment."

Su Ming was well-prepared and spoke calmly. "The old town area of Qinglin is constrained by the highway and Qinglin Mountain. It cannot expand eastward, so development must move west. We are currently drafting the plan for the new town."

Ma Youcai interrupted him. "Skip the details. Tell me the price."

"The land behind the town site is forty thousand yuan per mu. Although Tiejian Mountain is more remote, the price there is still around thirty thousand yuan per mu."

County Mayor Ma had not participated in the afternoon negotiations with Qingda Group due to other pressing matters. Hearing that Zhang Mushan and Huang Yishu had returned to their hotel immediately after the talks, leaving only their office assistant, Xiao Jia, behind in Yiyang, he was quite surprised. "Aside from the land issue, what other demands did they make?"

Yang Dajin replied, "Besides the land, they raised two other points. First, they want a three-year tax exemption. Second, they require the gravel road to be paved with concrete."

The hasty departure of the two bosses from Qingda Group had caused Deputy County Mayor Gao to lose face. He remarked, "I heard this Huang Yishu is a PhD who studied abroad. After spending a few years with the foreigners, he seems to have learned their greed. He practically expects us to give the land away for free and exempt us from all national and local taxes. There is no such thing as such a good deal in this world."

Ma Youcai said, "Paving the road is our responsibility. We can agree to that. However, we cannot exempt the national and local taxes. But, as is customary, we can consider having the county finance provide a partial tax rebate."

After a day of negotiations, Yang Dajin was somewhat bewildered by Zhang Mushan’s attitude. He could not pinpoint Zhang’s true intentions. "Limestone is not found only in Shangqinglin. The entire Qinglin mountain range produces limestone. Liangwu County in the Zhenzhou region also produces stone, and it is one of the potential sites for Qingda Group’s factory."

County Mayor Ma pressed him, "What are you implying?"

Yang Dajin said, "You can’t catch a wolf without sacrificing a child. I suggest we make appropriate concessions. Please consider this, leaders."

Zhu Yan did not immediately take a stance. He doodled circles on a piece of paper with his fountain pen, then interjected, "They are businessmen. Naturally, they seek to maximize their profits. Asking for the moon and settling for the earth is normal negotiation tactics."

Ma Youcai nodded. "Secretary Zhu hits the nail on the head. Only those who haggle are serious buyers. If Qingda Group did not intend to invest in Yiyang, they would not have proposed such harsh conditions. Therefore, we must negotiate, and ultimately, both sides must compromise to sign the contract."

Zhu Yan listened to the discussion for a while longer, then suddenly said, "Hou Weidong, you accompanied Zhang Mushan for three days. Share your thoughts."

Ma Youcai had only met Hou Weidong once, three years prior, and could not immediately recall who this young man was.

Facing the County Party Secretary and the County Mayor, Hou Weidong did not show any signs of nervousness. His confidence stemmed from his thorough knowledge of Shangqinglin and his judgment that Qingda Group was highly likely to invest there.

"I have three reasons," Hou Weidong began. "First, cement plants generally need to be close to raw material bases. Shangqinglin is the largest raw material base in Shazhou. I have visited Liangwu County. Although their ore quality is decent, it is buried deeper, making extraction much more difficult and costly than in Shangqinglin. For a large-scale cement plant, this is a crucial factor."

Back when Hou Weidong was running the Crushed Stone Association, he and Qin Dajiang had specifically inspected major ore bases across the province, including Liangwu County, so his impression was vivid.

"Second, Shazhou has developed rapidly in recent years. Its construction scale is much larger than Zhenzhou’s, and it is closer to Lingxi, giving it a stronger locational advantage. Moreover, Shangqinglin has a transportation advantage. The stone quarries in Liangwu are on Luopan Mountain, over a hundred li from the county seat and at least four hundred li from Zhenzhou, with poor road conditions. Here, the route from Shangqinglin to Shazhou is smooth, and it takes only five hours to reach Lingxi."

"Third, I have interacted with Mr. Zhang for several days. He was a sent-down youth in the countryside and served in the military. He is a man who focuses on practical results. From his conversation, I sensed that he is very interested in Shangqinglin. Of course, this is just my personal impression."

Hou Weidong grew more confident as he spoke. "In summary, I believe Mr. Zhang Mushan will choose Shangqinglin for the factory." He smiled slightly. "If he chose Liangwu, he would not be considered an outstanding entrepreneur in Lingxi."

Zhu Yan’s eyes lit up. He thought to himself, This young man is indeed impressive. His views align closely with mine.

After Hou Weidong finished, Zhu Yan spoke slowly and deliberately. "I have listened to everyone’s opinions. Now, let me share my thoughts."

Everyone listened attentively to the County Party Secretary, their pens moving swiftly across their papers.

"Regardless of Zhang Mushan’s attitude, as long as they have not signed a contract with Liangwu, we cannot give up. We are Communist Party members. For the benefit of Yiyang, we must show some 'thick black' spirit and pursue this matter to the end."

"I propose establishing a Leading Group for the Yiyang Cement Plant Project. County Mayor Ma will serve as the head, and Deputy County Mayor Gao will handle the specific operations. The members will include Yang Dajin from the Planning Commission, Liu Kun from Qinglin Town, and Hou Weidong."

Zhu Yan tapped the air with his finger a few times. "Hou Weidong must detach from his current duties and focus entirely on the investment attraction work for the cement plant. You can only return to the Organization Department once the cement plant contract is signed."

Hou Weidong was accustomed to the freedom of Qinglin Town. The idea of sitting规矩ly in the Comprehensive Cadre Section office of the Organization Department, copying and writing documents, was painful to him. Zhu Yan’s arrangement gave him significant room for maneuver, which suited his preferences perfectly. He responded, "Secretary Zhu, rest assured. I will apply the 'thick black' spirit and keep a close watch on Mr. Zhang."

Zhu Yan displayed a barely perceptible smile. He thought, Hou Weidong is only twenty-six or twenty-seven years old, yet he dares to speak eloquently in front of the County Party Secretary and the County Mayor without a hint of nervousness. Truly, the youth are to be feared.

Ji Haiyang, the Director of the County Party Committee Office and a member of the Standing Committee, had many responsibilities. Zhu Yan had long wanted to find another accompanying secretary but had not found a suitable candidate. Today, he had developed some interest in Hou Weidong.

After the meeting adjourned, Su Ming stopped Hou Weidong. "Leader Hou, since you are on Yiyang’s turf, shouldn’t you treat your fellow townspeople to a meal?" Su Ming knew Hou Weidong had money and did not mind taking advantage of him for a good dinner.

"What leader? Secretary Su, don’t tease me."

Su Ming said, "The Organization Department is the 'natal home' of cadres. When you go out, you are considered one rank higher. It is not wrong for me to call you leader."

"Being one rank higher applies to the Imperial Censors in operas. Where shall we eat? Secretary Su, you choose the place. But do not choose the Yiyang Hotel. I have eaten there until I am nauseated. It is always the same few dishes, which is boring."

Su Ming turned to Liu Kun. "Town Mayor Liu, you are a local of Yiyang City. Where is the food most expensive? Let’s go there. Please, do not be polite."

Liu Kun, newly appointed as the top leader, had not yet fully relaxed his demeanor. He pretended to be casual and said, "In terms of taste, some small restaurants are actually quite good. There is one called 'Too Lazy to Name.' The environment is nice, the food is good, and it serves authentic classical Sichuan cuisine."

Hou Weidong added, "Let me call Director Qin and invite him to join us."

When Qin Feiyue was the Town Mayor of Qinglin, he had engaged in a lively power struggle with Secretary Zhao Yongsheng. Su Ming, who had entered the town party committee as Deputy Town Mayor, naturally became a target for united front work by both sides. Therefore, Su Ming had good relationships with both Zhao and Qin.

Su Ming, Hou Weidong, and Liu Kun waited for a while before Qin Feiyue arrived. Upon entering, he cupped his hands in greeting. "Entangled in trivial matters, I kept you all waiting." After sitting down, he explained, "Two reporters from the Shazhou Daily came to interview me. They kept me waiting for half a day and then didn’t show up."

The hot dishes were served quickly. Chicken pieces, bombarded by chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns, were hunted for by chopsticks like explorers seeking treasure amidst the double spice. Because there were few chicken pieces, everyone ate with sweat on their brows, yet with great enthusiasm.

Qin Feiyue’s mobile phone suddenly rang. "Hello, Reporter Chen? I have been waiting for you for a long time. I thought you weren’t coming. Have you eaten? I just picked up my chopsticks. How about this: come to the 'Too Lazy to Name' restaurant. We can eat and chat."

After hanging up, Qin Feiyue sighed, "We cannot offend these reporters. We are frontline cadres, and mistakes are inevitable. If a reporter sets their sights on us, it could cause endless trouble."

As Qin Feiyue went out to meet the reporters, Hou Weidong suddenly thought, If the reporter from the Shazhou Daily is Duan Ying, this will be awkward. Just as he was thinking this, Qin Feiyue led the people in. The first reporter was a middle-aged man who had lost half his hair. The second reporter, however, was Duan Ying, wearing a red two-piece skirt suit.

Liu Kun’s face turned exceptionally pale.