Great Power Reclamation

The changes in Junken City are becoming increasingly significant. If it was a small border town ten years ago, it has now become a large city with a permanent population of five million.

The key issue is the sheer number of migrant workers and businesses here, especially after the establishment of Warrior New Energy Group, which led to an explosive growth in population.

There was no other way. Ever since Ye Feng took over the Warrior Group, although he rarely came to the Warrior Group headquarters and was mostly in the United States, Warrior New Energy had already established a global presence.

If Warrior Automotive's engines and chips once monopolized certain technologies in the world, then Warrior New Energy has become a global behemoth.

Although the Warrior Group has numerous branches and overseas production bases, its layout is too large, and the core components must be produced in the military reclamation city, so the pressure is unimaginable.

Originally, Wei Yuxiang, the former general manager of the Steel Industry, Ni Lao from the Military Reclamation Machinery and Electrical Industry, and Li Lindong from the Automobile Group were all supposed to retire. However, because Ye Feng was stationed in the United States, and his brother companies in the United States were also under Ye Feng's command, these veterans had no choice but to continue to exert their remaining strength and contribute their remaining energy.

On the contrary, Wang Lina, who recently took over the Warrior Engine Group, found a capable assistant, Wang Nannan, after establishing the New Energy Group, and is now in a semi-retired state.

Warrior Steel is the first group company to complete its global layout. The boss, Wei Yuxiang, who is Ye Yuze's childhood friend, has invested all of his share dividends from the past years into the company's operation.

Later, Ye Yuze orchestrated a share swap, acquiring all the shares of the Warriors Group except for the 49% held in the Military Reclamation City. This caused strong dissatisfaction among Wei Yuxiang's wife, Yu Lan, and they eventually divorced.

Wei Yuxiang now resides in Nepal, where he has two daughters.

Wang Lina, on the other hand, married Wei Xiang, the eldest son of Wei Yuxiang, and had another son when she was over fifty.

Now Wei Xiang and Wang Lina have four children: Wang Yu and Wang Shuang, two daughters adopted from Tian Qing, and Wang Xue, a child born to Wang Lina and Yang Geyong.

With their youngest son, Wei Fei, also busy, Yu Lan, who had a very bad relationship with him, had to put aside her prejudices and help them take care of the children.

Wang Lina, one of the first talents introduced by Ye Yuze, was originally best friends with her mother-in-law, but now they are mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, which is actually quite awkward.

However, Wei Xiang loved Wang Lina very much, and the children also liked this stepfather very much. For the sake of her grandson, Yu Lan had no choice but to accept it.

Wei Xiang has officially taken over as the vice president of the Military Reclamation University, and concurrently serves as the principal of the Military Reclamation Technical School.

Originally, Zheng Lanzhi, the president of the Military Reclamation University, should have retired long ago, but the city has kept her in office until now. There's nothing that can be done; the Military Reclamation University has too great a reputation and is already a national key university.

However, the Military Reclamation University did not want state funding, but only autonomy. Therefore, although the president had a high rank, the power to appoint personnel still belonged to the city.

Military reclamation university is the only university that does not admit international students. Of course, foreigners who want to study in military reclamation city can only go to military reclamation technical school, and of course, they have to choose their major.

Even at military reclamation technical schools, foreigners can't just get in whenever they want; some majors aren't open to foreigners.

There's no way around it; both the Military Reclamation University and the Military Reclamation Technical School have very close ties with the enterprises in the Military Reclamation City.

Every student who graduates is a highly qualified skilled worker or engineer, because both schools offer a significant amount of practical training, including factory internships.

Moreover, on-campus research and development has become the norm, and some students have already earned substantial research and development bonuses before even graduating.

Therefore, the student body of these two schools is mainly composed of children of military reclamation workers. Children of the entire Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps in northern Xinjiang have much lower scores to enter these two schools.

Meanwhile, students from other provinces are taking the exams and their scores are almost on par with those of Tsinghua and Peking Universities. After all, even graduates from Tsinghua and Peking Universities don't have the same job prospects as those from military reclamation universities.

The expansion of enterprises has also brought enormous pressure to the city. It's not that the city is worried about finding workers. Nowadays, the military reclamation city is not worried about a lack of labor. It not only has a large number of migrant workers, but also has signed long-term labor contracts with several Central Asian countries.

As the head of the military reclamation city, Yifei was extremely busy. She should have been promoted to a leadership position at the Corps headquarters long ago.

However, as Ye Feng's wife, she considered things more carefully. After all, the policies were what they were, so she decided to stay in the military reclamation city and work there until retirement.

Of course, this must have been approved by her superiors. In fact, after Ye Feng took over the Warrior Group, she even tried to resign, but her superiors did not approve it.

Ye Yuze's second younger brother, Ye Yufan, has become a powerful figure in Beijing, while Ye Feng's younger brother, Ye Mao, has become the youngest leader in a ministry.

With the addition of the Warrior Group and the American Brother Group, their power base was quite deep-rooted. However, they were also becoming increasingly cautious.

Since ancient times, the issue of officials and merchants in China has always been a very sensitive one.

The night in Junken City is brightly lit. This small town, which was once sleeping in the northwest border of the motherland, has now become a true city that never sleeps.

Standing before the floor-to-ceiling windows of her office on the top floor of the municipal government building, Yifei gazed at the city she had poured her heart and soul into. Five million permanent residents, nearly one million transient residents, and tens of thousands of businesses and research institutions filled this city with both vitality and challenges.

The internal phone on the desk rang, and the secretary reminded her, "Boss, Chairman Ye Feng has arrived."

Yifei turned around, a gentle smile appearing on her face. Married for many years, she and Ye Feng had long since developed an unspoken agreement—no work-related conversations at home, no family matters in the office. But today's meeting was different; it would determine the future direction of the Warrior Group.

"Invite him in."

Ye Feng walked into the office, his suit jacket casually draped over his arm, and his tie slightly loose.

Over the years, he has frequently traveled between the military reclamation city and the United States, managing two business empires. Time has etched its marks on his face, but it has also given him a more composed demeanor.

"The old man and the others have arrived at the small conference room."

Ye Feng walked to his wife's side and gently hugged her. "This personnel reshuffle must have been quite stressful."

Yifei nodded: "Several veterans have reached retirement age, and the issue of successors cannot be delayed any longer. Especially Uncle Wei and Elder Ni, the leaders of the Corps have inquired about them several times."

“I know.” Ye Feng sighed. “When my father handed the company over to me, he instructed me to properly handle the retirement and succession issues of the veterans. It’s just that we’ve expanded too fast in recent years and haven’t had time to deal with it properly.”

The two walked side by side to the conference room, where several founding members of the Warrior Group were already seated.

The small meeting room was filled with smoke. Wei Yuxiang, who was nearly seventy years old, still sat upright, maintaining the demeanor of a soldier.

Beside him stood Old Ni from the Military Reclamation Machinery and Electrical Engineering Department. Although his hair was completely white, his eyes were still bright and piercing. Li Lindong was making tea nearby, his movements unhurried and deliberate, as if this were just an ordinary tea party. When Ye Feng and Yi Fei walked in, the three old men stood up at the same time.

"Sit down, sit down, we're all family, no need to be so polite." Ye Feng quickly waved his hand and walked to the head seat to sit down.

"Ye Feng, I think this meeting today is absolutely necessary."

Wei Yuxiang got straight to the point: "Last month, I fainted while inspecting a branch factory in Nepal. The doctor said it was due to overwork. I'm getting old and useless."

Mr. Ni nodded: "My eyesight is getting worse and worse. The doctor said it's glaucoma. If I don't have surgery soon, I may go blind. Junken Electromechanical needs a more discerning eye to keep track of technological developments."

Li Lindong smiled and said, "I don't have any major problems, but I feel like my thinking is not keeping up with the younger generation. The automotive industry is changing too fast these days, with electrification and intelligentization, and it needs fresh blood to lead the transformation."

Ye Feng listened quietly, and only spoke after the three elders had finished speaking:
"Uncles and elders, you have dedicated your lives to the Warriors Group, and my father and I are always deeply grateful. We have invited you here today to discuss the issue of succession and ensure a smooth transition for the group."

Yifei chimed in: "The city is also very concerned about this issue. The Warrior Group is the backbone of the military reclamation city. Personnel changes not only affect the company itself, but also the city's economic development and social stability."

Wei Yuxiang stubbed out his cigarette: "For the Warrior Steel plant, I recommend Zhao Xiaogang to take over. He started as an apprentice and has been with me for over twenty years. He's familiar with all the business processes. Five years ago, I sent him to Africa to oversee the steel plant, and he did an outstanding job."

"Zhao Xiaogang is indeed excellent," Mr. Ni agreed. "Last year, during the technological transformation of the African steel plant, he led his team to overcome many technical challenges."

Ye Feng wrote the name down in his notebook: "I will talk to him personally. Mr. Ni, what suggestions do you have for Junken Electromechanical?"

Mr. Ni pushed up his reading glasses: "I have two candidates: one is Zhang Mingyuan, who has followed me for fifteen years. He has a solid theoretical foundation and strong management skills."

The other is Zhou Zixuan, a young technical genius, only twenty-eight years old, but who has already led his team to complete three groundbreaking innovations. I suggest that Zhang Mingyuan be appointed general manager and Zhou Zixuan as technical director, to complement each other.”

"This arrangement is very reasonable." Ye Feng nodded. "Uncle Li, what about the automobile group?"

Li Lindong took a sip of tea: "I suggest implementing a dual CEO system. Let Liu Jian, who has a sales background and a keen market sense, and Wang Zhiguo, a technical expert, lead the company together. The automotive industry is currently in a period of transformation, requiring both a grasp of market trends and technological breakthroughs. The two of them working together should be able to meet the challenges."

The meeting lasted for more than two hours, and preliminary succession plans were determined for each branch company. Only the selection of a successor for Warrior New Energy remained.

"Wang Lina has been in a semi-retired state for three years, but in reality, it is Wang Nannan who has been managing the New Energy Group."

Ye Feng flipped through the data. "The performance is quite impressive, with an average annual growth rate exceeding 30%."

Wei Yuxiang's expression was somewhat complicated. Wang Lina had once been his subordinate, but later became his daughter-in-law; this change in relationship left him unsure how to evaluate it.

“Nan Nan is indeed very capable,” he concluded, “but sometimes she’s too aggressive, and we need to be careful about risk control.”

Ye Feng agreed: "I will have the board of directors strengthen risk oversight. If there are no objections, I will formally appoint Wang Nannan as the CEO of Warrior New Energy."

After the meeting, Ye Feng stayed behind alone, standing by the window gazing at the Warrior Group headquarters building in the distance. Yi Fei gently walked to his side.

"Are you worried?" she asked softly.

Ye Feng held his wife's hand: "A little. The empire that Father built is too vast, and every decision he makes affects the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of employees."

“You’ve done a great job,” Yifei comforted her. “Without your global expansion over the years, Warrior Group wouldn’t have reached its current scale.”

Ye Feng turned to look at Yi Fei: "Sometimes I think, should we learn from the practices of large international companies and introduce a professional manager system instead of always promoting from within?"

“Different national conditions lead to different corporate cultures,” Yifei rationally analyzed. “One of the core competencies of the Warrior Group is the combination of tradition and innovation. Complete externalization may result in the loss of this culture.”

Ye Feng nodded: "You're right. But I still want to try some things, to introduce fresh blood while maintaining the core culture."

A week later, the Warrior Group held an expanded board meeting and officially announced the new personnel appointments.

Most of the arrangements were approved by all parties, except for the appointment of Warrior New Energy, which caused some ripples.

Wang Nannan stood at the front of the conference hall, confidently showcasing her plans for the future of new energy:

"Within three years, we will increase the energy density of sodium-ion batteries to the level of lithium-ion batteries; within five years, we will achieve the initial commercial application of nuclear fusion."

Below the stage, several veterans whispered among themselves. This CEO, only thirty-five years old, was too ambitious and his plans too radical, which inevitably caused concern.

After the meeting, Ye Feng specially invited Wang Nannan to dinner.

“Nannan, your plan is brilliant, but I’m worried about the risks of implementation,” Ye Feng said bluntly.

Wang Nannan smiled confidently: "President Ye, the new energy industry is changing rapidly. If you don't move forward boldly, you will be eliminated. I have detailed phased goals and risk control plans."

She took out her tablet and showed Ye Feng a detailed plan spanning hundreds of pages. The more Ye Feng read, the more astonished he became; this girl not only had ambition, but also a meticulously crafted plan to match it.

"I noticed you plan to build a new factory in Brazil. Why did you choose that place?" Ye Feng asked tentatively.

“Three considerations,” Wang Nannan replied immediately. “First, proximity to lithium resources reduces transportation costs; second, the Brazilian government offers tax incentives for new energy companies; and third, it’s part of a strategic plan to penetrate the South American market.”

Ye Feng finally revealed a satisfied smile: "Very good, it seems Wang Lina didn't recommend the wrong person. However," his tone turned serious:

"As CEO, you not only have to consider business development, but also focus on team building. I heard you are quite strict with your subordinates?"

Wang Nannan looked slightly embarrassed: "I admit that sometimes my expectations are too high. But I believe that great companies are not built from comfort zones."

“Moderate pressure can unleash potential, but excessive pressure can lead to talent loss,” Ye Feng cautioned. “How about this, I’ll assign you a senior HR director to help you improve your team building skills.”

Wang Nannan thought for a moment, then nodded in acceptance: "Thank you, Mr. Ye. I will pay attention to this." (End of Chapter)