Chapter 278: The Shutdown Turmoil (Part 2)

After Ren Xiaowei, the head of the Comprehensive Section, left the office, Yang Senlin sat back down. Dong Yuan originally thought the conversation was over, but unexpectedly, Yang continued, "Yiyang Native Produce Company is an enterprise that has made contributions. It was once famous throughout Lingxi and even had a reputation in other provinces. Even in its current state of decline, Tonggan Ru remains a well-known brand in the hearts of the people. Revitalizing Yiyang Native Produce is not just empty talk; it has a solid mass base."

Hou Weidong was always highly alert to anything concerning Yiyang Native Produce. He pondered, "Why is Yang Senlin suddenly talking about Yiyang Native Produce? What does he mean?"

"The old factory of the Native Produce Company is located right in the center of the county town. A large area of dilapidated factory buildings affects the city's image. Relocation is inevitable. I have read the report your New Management Committee submitted to the County Party Committee. Your thinking is very good, and I fully agree. Yiyang Native Produce Company will be the first enterprise to enter the New Management Committee's High-Tech Industrial Park. The new Yiyang Native Produce Company must be built with modern factory buildings and become a first-class enterprise. As the director of the New Management Committee, you need to use your brain more to ensure this good thing is done well."

Hearing the new term "New Management Committee High-Tech Industrial Park," Hou Weidong paused for a moment, then immediately realized that Yang Senlin was referring to a plot of industrial land in the southwest corner of the New Management Committee's jurisdiction. He said, "Secretary Yang, the land prices within the New Management Committee's jurisdiction vary from thirty thousand to fifty thousand depending on the location. We will look at the plots together with General Manager Gu and finalize the land allocation as soon as possible."

At this moment, the shouting from downstairs grew louder and more intense. Yang Senlin remained calm and said, "I have estimated that the factory buildings, warehouses, and other facilities will require about one hundred mu of land. You should keep this in mind, but there is no need to make a fuss. I am inclined towards the Wenzhou model, thoroughly transforming Yiyang Native Produce Company into a joint-stock company. The method of valuing this land needs to be studied carefully. We must neither let the New Management Committee suffer a loss nor make Yiyang Native Produce Company feel intimidated. The county finance department will provide appropriate compensation for the relocation of the Native Produce Company."

Just as they were talking, there was a knock on the door. The person who entered was Shang Guanghua, the head of the Public Security Bureau. He was not wearing a police uniform, only a plain shirt, and his back was covered in sweat.

"Secretary Yang, the protesting masses are very agitated. They have pushed over the electric gate at the entrance of the County Party Committee. The masses insist on meeting with you."

Seeing that the situation was somewhat out of control, Yang Senlin frowned and said, "Have Qin Feiyue and Zuo Guilin arrived?"

"They have arrived and are currently working on persuasion."

"We must do our utmost to meet the legitimate demands of the masses. However, those who lead the charge against the government must be dealt with strictly according to the law. As the head of the Public Security Bureau, you must grasp this point."

Hearing these words, Shang Guanghua said, "Understood, Secretary Yang. I will immediately send people to take covert photos. Officers from the First Section have already mixed into the crowd. The ringleaders will definitely not escape."

After Shang Guanghua left, Yang Senlin made a phone call to Vice County Mayor Gao. "County Mayor Gao, where are you? Come back immediately. The masses surrounding the polluting enterprises in the Development Zone have blocked the compound. You have full authority to handle this."

After hanging up the phone, Yang Senlin’s expression calmed down again. He said, "There is a Construction Association in Shazhou City, and its president is Deputy Director Liu of the Construction Commission. I have contacted him. We are striving to invite the members of the Construction Association to the New Management Committee before the end of May. The level of construction in Yiyang County is too poor. Look at the houses on the streets; they are all gray, matchbox-like structures. They are not aesthetically pleasing and look cheap. Have you seen the Shazhou New Moon Building? It is the most excellent residential community in Shazhou. In the future, all construction in the New Management Committee should take the New Moon Building as the standard."

Yang Senlin had long had his eye on the land occupied by Yiyang Native Produce Company. That piece of land was located in the middle of the old city, where foot traffic was the heaviest, and covered an area of no less than fifty mu. If used for real estate development, it would absolutely be worth more than its price.

After leaving Yang Senlin’s office, Hou Weidong went straight downstairs. The main gate was blocked tightly by the crowd, and vehicles could not get out. So he sat in his car, flipping through documents while watching the commotion in the courtyard.

The courtyard was in chaos. Vice County Mayor Gao, protected by comrades from the County Government Office and the Petition Office, was shouting loudly, but the crowd was so noisy that it was impossible to get their attention for a while.

At this time, about ten police officers in uniform appeared outside the courtyard. Not far away, several police buses were parked, containing riot control officers. Many cadres from Chengguan Town and the Development Zone had also been dispatched. They were quite familiar with the villagers in their daily work. Entering the crowd of villagers, they began to conduct one-on-one persuasion work.

By ten-thirty, the masses who had been shouting for hours were tired. They finally agreed to the opinion of the Petition Office, selecting about ten representatives to go for a symposium. The others sat around the flower beds to rest, smoking, drinking water, and some elderly people even relieved themselves by the flower beds while holding their children.

At eleven o'clock, the dozen or so representatives walked out. After a short while, the masses scattered around began to disperse, leaving behind a courtyard of the County Party Committee and County Government covered in paper scraps and debris.

Yang Senlin stood watching the overturned electric gate and called Shang Guanghua again. "How are you going to handle today's incident?"

Shang Guanghua had already made up his mind. He said, "The villagers violated the Regulations on Administrative Penalties for Public Security and affected the normal office procedures of state organs. Because there were too many of them, the law does not punish the majority. We will target the unruly villagers who led the disturbance. At the very least, they should be detained for administrative punishment."

Hearing the term "unruly villagers," Yang Senlin felt somewhat uncomfortable. However, seeing the scene in the courtyard from the window sill, he did not reprimand Shang Guanghua. Instead, he instructed, "You must act according to the law."

"Rest assured, Secretary Yang. We have video recordings, the evidence is conclusive, and the people are clearly identified. None of them will escape. We will send people to arrest them tonight. Since the villagers live in scattered locations, it will not cause a major impact."

Yang Senlin added a reminder: "Pay attention to your methods. Do not cause a major backlash."

Ma Youcai soon learned about Yang Senlin’s arrangement to arrest people over the phone. He did not express an opinion or make an evaluation, saying calmly, "Yang Senlin is a reformist. Let him do things his way. I will just focus on doing my concrete work solidly."

After hanging up the phone, he leaned back in his chair, looking at the banners opposite him, his face showing no expression.

Hou Weidong only learned about the arrests in the Development Zone the next day. Since the Development Zone and the New Management Committee were closely interdependent, he naturally cared deeply. Upon hearing the news, he immediately sent local cadres to the area near the polluting enterprises in the Development Zone to gather information.

The villagers near the four polluting enterprises were not agitated because some villagers had been arrested. Instead, with their main leaders taken away, they became timid and cautious. They went up the slope to plant vegetables, went home to play mahjong, and life went on as usual.

Learning this situation, Hou Weidong was also somewhat puzzled. "Yesterday they were fierce and aggressive in the County Party Committee compound. Why are they quieting down today?"

At ten o'clock, Gu Tiejun, the new general manager of Yiyang Native Produce Company, arrived at the New Management Committee. He had previously been the Deputy Director of the Planning Commission and was not unfamiliar with economic work. However, there was a huge difference between macroeconomics and microeconomics. It took him several months to adapt, and after surviving the Japanese capital merger incident, he gradually began to have his own ideas. However, since Yiyang Native Produce Company had been hollowed out by the previous management, it would be difficult to get out of the困境 without capital injection or thorough reform.

After a few casual greetings, Gu Tiejun said with self-deprecation, "When I was in the Planning Commission, I thought I knew everything. Now that I am at Yiyang Native Produce, I realize that the gap between textbook knowledge and reality is too wide. I am essentially relearning everything." He then added, "This morning, Secretary Yang called me and asked me to come and look at the land in person."

When they arrived at the High-Tech Industrial Park named by Yang Senlin, Hou Weidong roughly pointed out the location of the land.

Gu Tiejun’s face turned dark. He said, "Brother Hou, this High-Tech Industrial Park of yours is a misnomer. There is no water or electricity, and not even a proper road. How am I supposed to persuade the old workers in the factory?"

"Water and electricity can be resolved immediately. This main road is also in the planning stage. The New Management Committee and the Development Zone have jointly submitted a report to the County Government, and it has already been included in the financial plan."

Hou Weidong had participated in the investigation of Yiyang Native Produce Company and knew the internal situation. He asked curiously, "General Manager Gu, everyone is clear about the situation of Yiyang Native Produce Company. It has been insolvent for a long time. Without money, what miracle cure do you have to revitalize the factory?"

Gu Tiejun smiled bitterly. "I am not Sun Wukong; I cannot conjure things out of thin air. The initial plan was for the factory employees to pool funds and establish a joint-stock system. Some debts would be left on the books for now and repaid when there is money."

Yiyang Native Produce Company was insolvent and could not afford to buy land. Hou Weidong did not want to be taken advantage of in an empty-handed deal. He said directly, "General Manager Gu, I am an open person and will not speak in riddles. This land is the startup capital for the New Management Committee. Money first, goods later."

Gu Tiejun said, "Actually, this problem is easy to solve. Yiyang Native Produce Company occupies a large piece of land in the middle of the city. This is prime real estate. If we sell this land, Yiyang Native Produce Company will have money."

Hou Weidong pointed out the issue. "Yiyang Native Produce is a county-owned enterprise. The ownership of this land should belong to the county. If Yiyang Native Produce is transformed into a joint-stock company, who will own this land is still an unknown."

Gu Tiejun habitually took off his glasses, breathed on them, and wiped them. He said, "To be honest with you, Brother, I am in a difficult position now. On one hand, I need to mobilize old employees to buy shares. These old employees are themselves in financial difficulty and do not want their money to go down the drain. To mobilize them to buy shares, I even used my house as collateral and took out a loan to buy 100,000 shares. On the other hand, County Mayor Ma’s opinion is that state assets should hold the controlling stake, while Secretary Yang’s idea is for private capital to advance and state capital to retreat, thoroughly transforming the company according to the Company Law. Their opinions differ. What do you think I should do?"

When Gu Tiejun mentioned County Mayor Ma, he inadvertently glanced at Hou Weidong. Hou Weidong was very sensitive and asked, "Does County Mayor Ma have a specific operational method?"

"County Mayor Ma wants to value the one hundred mu of land in the New Management Committee as shares to achieve the purpose of holding a controlling stake." Gu Tiejun was quite interested in this plan. If this plan was adopted, he would still be the general manager of a state-controlled company. Otherwise, after working hard for the Communist Party for more than ten years, he would wake up one day to find himself a private business owner. This huge change confused Gu Tiejun greatly. His family also strongly requested that he be transferred back to a government agency.

For the New Management Committee, this plan meant losing the revenue from one hundred mu of land. Hou Weidong gritted his teeth and sucked in a breath of cold air. "Does this mean the New Management Committee has worked for nothing? This is one hundred mu of land, not one mu of private plot."

Gu Tiejun smiled. "Actually, neither of us can make the final decision. Once Secretary Yang and Ma Youcai unify their thinking, we will just follow the decision."