The train driver in the courtyard

This world is just so unfair.

While Bentian Company was grappling with a deep crisis, Yang Jizong was overjoyed to have obtained global sales data.

"All 100,000 motorcycles have been sold!" Even though Yang Jizong knew that the Hongxing scooter would sell very well, this number still greatly exceeded his expectations.

"Yang, as of now, the Hongxing 50CC scooter has received 3.5 million pre-orders, and the 80CC has received 1.8 million pre-orders, for a total of 5.3 million units." The dealers' voices trembled with excitement.

Although Red Star scooters adopted a low-price sales strategy, the net profit per scooter reached $100.

In particular, since reservations require full payment, they earned tens of millions of dollars in just a few days, which is even more profitable than selling laundry detergent.

According to dealers' estimates, with the development of the trend, the sales of Hongxing scooter motorcycles will further increase, with annual sales reaching eight million units.

The business of selling eight million motorcycles is no longer just about selling motorcycles.

It also represents various aspects such as transportation, after-sales service, and maintenance, all of which will become huge markets.

The market is a big cake; as long as the cake is big enough and delicious enough, it can attract more people to join.

Anyone who tries to disrupt this market will have to face the wrath of these people.

You have to understand that doing business isn't like treating people to a meal. These guys' ancestors were pirates; they're professionals at robbery.

"Yang, the European market needs Red Star as a stepping stone!"

"Yang, the North American market needs Red Star as a stepping stone!"

"Yang, the African market needs Red Star as a stepping stone!"

Faced with the checks handed over by the distributors and seeing the countless zeros on them, Yang Jizong was somewhat dazed.

"Please rest assured, we will organize production as soon as possible and deliver on time."

"Not just try, definitely! Yang, Bentian Company is now completely overwhelmed by us. We need to finish them off in one fell swoop, and from then on, we can take over the entire market."

Faced with enormous profits, these dealers now regarded Red Star scooter motorcycles as a golden goose that would lay golden eggs.

There can only be one big white goose in this world.

Yang Jizong understood the distributors' concerns, but still had some doubts: "You know the situation in the mainland. The industrial equipment is somewhat outdated, and production capacity cannot be increased."

"Equipment? What kind of equipment do you need? We can provide it. My family owns a chemical equipment factory, and we have all kinds of high-tech equipment." A distributor from France stood up.

“Do you need the most advanced lathe? As long as you can afford the price, I can get it for you.” One of the distributors from Xiaomei’s shop also raised his hand.

Chemical equipment?

lathe?

These are all things that are urgently needed in China, and in the past, it would have taken a great deal of money to obtain them.

At first, Yang Jizong couldn't believe that these guys would be so enthusiastic.

Upon closer reflection, it becomes clear that the embargo was a decision made by those congressmen.

Only the money earned from selling the equipment can go into your own pocket.

In the past, it wasn't that they were unwilling to sell, but rather that the equipment was too expensive and there were no suitable buyers.

Another issue is security; no one can guarantee that the buyer won't turn around and report the seller.

Neither of these two issues are a problem for Hextech.

The scooter industry is an emerging sector with potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in profits, and that profit is sustainable, so taking some risks is worthwhile.

Because this involved classified equipment, Yang Jizong reported to both departments separately.

When the leaders of the Ministry of Foreign Trade learned that Hextech had received an order for 5.3 million scooter motorcycles, they were all stunned.

"There can't be that many, right? Scooters aren't like cabbages, are they?"

"Even cabbages can't sell this well?!"

this moment.

The Ministry of Foreign Trade has become the Ministry of Shock.

After the leaders of the foreign trade department checked the data repeatedly, they confirmed that the Qianmen Locomotive Depot workshop had indeed launched a satellite this time.

However, they quickly realized the problem.

Given the current large-scale production, even if other factories did nothing but help the Qianmen Locomotive Depot produce parts, they still wouldn't be able to fulfill the orders.

The matter was of great importance, so the foreign trade department could only report the information to its superiors.

The higher-ups have already learned from the weather station that scooter motorcycles are selling well, and they also know that the dealers are willing to provide equipment.

"What do you think?" In the study, the superior looked at several leaders.

Suppressing his shock, Leader Teng nodded without hesitation: "Do it! Accept all the orders!"

The leaders of the First Ministry of Machine Building nodded in agreement: "This time, we have opened up the international market with motorcycles. This may be a good opportunity for domestic industrial products to go global. We cannot waste it."

Large off-road vehicles are also very popular, but they are expensive.

Furthermore, in order to maintain a high-end image, the price is set relatively high, so it can only be sold to the wealthy, and its influence is not as great as that of scooter motorcycles.

Once Hongxing Motorcycles are rolled out all over the world, people will think of Dongda University when they hear the name Hongxing Motorcycles.

Establishing a good reputation will greatly benefit the export of industrial products in the future, which is one of the reasons why Li Aiguo strictly controlled quality in the first place.

"It's not an easy task to produce millions of scooter motorcycles in a short period of time," the higher-ups said with some concern.

"Yes, the production capacity of large-scale production is almost at its limit now," the leader of the First Ministry of Machine Building nodded.

Leader Teng suggested, "I think we should listen to the opinions of Comrade Aiguo!"

"That's good. This kid's been having a pretty easy time, just messing around with the excavator. It's time to give him more responsibility." The higher-ups also agreed.

Upon hearing this, Leader Teng's heart skipped a beat.

The fact that the higher-ups knew so much about Li Aiguo's research on excavators shows that they had been keeping an eye on his situation.

This is a sign of importance, but also a pressure.

****
"So many orders?" Inside the Ministry of Railways, after hearing the report from Director Teng, Section Chief Xing broke out in a cold sweat.

"This is a conservative figure; it may be higher." Leader Teng glanced at Li Aiguo, who was sitting silently beside him, and said, "Comrade Aiguo should already know this, right?"

Before reporting to the ministries as required, Yang Jizong would always consult with Li Aiguo; this was hardly a secret.

Li Aiguo nodded. He knew that scooter motorcycles would be popular, but he didn't expect them to be this popular.

"The higher-ups mean to prioritize export demand. What are your thoughts on this?"

"Sir, the current monthly production of motorcycles is less than 100,000 units. If we want to increase production, we have to expand production." Section Chief Xing expressed his opinion directly.

Leader Teng emphasized, "Expanding production is definitely necessary, but the question is, how should we expand production?"

With an annual output of several million motorcycles, its production capacity far exceeds that of Ansteel, the largest factory in China.

Personnel allocation, material transportation, and worker resettlement are all major issues; without unified planning, they will become a complete mess.

Motorcycles, in particular, differ from ordinary steel products and require strict quality control.

Li Aiguo pondered for a moment and said, "The production of parts can be handled by local factories, or we can use an OEM model. The OEM system is already mature, so there's no need to worry about quality issues."

"The engines will still be handled by the Qianmen Locomotive Depot and the steel rolling mill. If both of them expand their operations, they should be able to manage it."

This is the advantage of the OEM model.

Breaking down the originally complex machinery into simpler components makes it easier to manufacture and scale up production.

"And what about assembly?"

Li Aiguo said, "I suggest establishing a motorcycle assembly plant."

"The final assembly plant is the head, the contract manufacturing plant is the torso, and the engine manufacturing workshop is the heart. This method has a clear division of labor and is very efficient." Leader Teng nodded, agreeing with Li Aiguo's opinion.

One leader raised a question: "Where will the workers for this final assembly plant come from? Skilled workers need training, and that takes time."

Li Aiguo said, "Leader, the first batch of students from the Industrial University have been studying for several months. We can bring them up first, and then transfer a group of experienced workers from the motorcycle workshop of the Qianmen Locomotive Depot."

This is a last resort. These days, production is like fighting a war; even newly trained recruits have to go to the battlefield.

Learning can continue after get off work hours to minimize the impact on trainees.

After discussing it for a while, the leaders decided that this was the best initial approach.

"Alright, go back and prepare. I'll report this plan to you immediately, and you can start assigning tasks as soon as you get back."

For a factory of this size, Leader Teng is already capable of making decisions, but this time, with millions of motorcycles involved, he dares not be careless.

After the meeting, Section Chief Xing took Li Aiguo in a large off-road vehicle and headed towards the Qianmen Locomotive Depot.

Throughout the journey, Section Chief Xing remained completely silent.

It wasn't until he saw the dilapidated gate of the Qianmen Locomotive Depot that he sighed and said, "Aiguo, I think our gate is a bit small. We should rebuild a bigger one."

Once the final assembly plant is built, the number of workers in the auxiliary factories within the Qianmen Locomotive Depot will far exceed that of railway workers.

Section Chief Xing was somewhat confused about whether he was a section chief on the railway or the director of a state-owned factory.

“It really should be expanded,” Li Aiguo nodded.

Back at the section, Section Chief Xing immediately summoned all the section's leaders and announced the upcoming plans to build a final assembly plant and expand the motorcycle workshop.

The expressions on those leaders' faces were exactly the same as when he was in the ministry; his jaw dropped in astonishment.

Before they could even catch their breath, Section Chief Xing dropped another bombshell.

"According to the current plan, the first batch of workers in the final assembly plant will be 8,000, including 1,000 from the motorcycle workshop of our Qianmen Locomotive Depot and 500 from the Industrial University."

The remaining 6,500 workers will be selected first from the families of railway employees; those who wish to join can apply.

This recruitment is not limited to employees' children; employees' immediate family members can also apply.

The standards cannot be lowered. If the number of applicants in our section is insufficient, all employees and their families across the entire bureau can apply.

Most of the railway workers came to Beijing with their families.

With only one person holding a formal job, the department has been quite worried about resettling the employees' families.

This is the first time in history that we haven't even had enough staff and their families to go around.

The leaders of the Qianmen Locomotive Depot seemed to feel a sense of pride.

After the news of the final assembly plant recruiting spread.

Family members of employees from locomotive depots such as Huairou North Locomotive Depot, Fengtai Locomotive Depot, and Jincheng Locomotive Depot enthusiastically signed up.

Within a few days, all 6,500 workers had arrived.

These employees were temporarily placed in the warehouse of the Qianmen Locomotive Depot.

The logistics department allocated the first batch of 20,000 jin of miscellaneous grains from the grain depot overnight. Ten large stoves were set up outside the warehouse to steam buns day and night. The railway hospital of Qianmen Locomotive Depot dispatched 15 doctors to form a temporary medical point.

Section Chief Xing also sent people to install bunk beds and ceiling fans in the warehouse, and even built two large toilets next to it.

Conditions were a bit tough, but compared to their parents' generation, life was much better, and no one complained.

Since the final assembly plant has not yet been built, they were temporarily assigned to the motorcycle workshop to assist the experienced workers and familiarize themselves with the manufacturing process.

Li Aiguo also organized a mentorship program where experienced trainees would receive 20 jin of refined white flour and be awarded a big red flower.

As for the Industrial University, that's even more exciting.

Those railway workers enrolled their children, hoping that four years later they could work on the railway.

In just a few months, they became formal employees, responsible for assembling motorcycles, and their benefits were even better than those of railway workers.

Those family members who were initially hesitant formed long queues outside the admissions office after learning that the university was recruiting students again.

At the same time, Leader Teng also obtained the approval from the lake.

The original fifteen local contract manufacturers were expanded to fifty, with these factories prioritizing the production of motorcycle parts. To facilitate the transportation of materials, the newly added contract manufacturers were all located near the railway tracks, and the Ministry of Railways leveraged its advantages to build transfer stations in the local areas.

The final assembly plant was located north of the Qianmen Locomotive Depot and was built by the First Division of the Railway Corps.

A railway was built at the beginning of construction to facilitate the transportation of building materials.

Once the final assembly plant is completed, the assembled motorcycles can be transported directly out of the factory via these two railway tracks and delivered directly to the port city.

A new round of industrial expansion thus began, and the Ministry of Railways convened a conference.

At the meeting, Leader Teng put forward the slogan of "300-day intensive work", calling on all railway workers to actively support the production of motorcycles and work overtime to complete the production task.

Of course, all the expected benefits and perks have been provided. Hextech has now reached an agreement with some distributors in South America to exchange motorcycles for beef.

The agreement clearly stipulates that one 50cc Red Star motorcycle can be exchanged for 1500 kilograms of frozen beef from South America (converted at international frozen meat prices, which is equivalent to the wholesale price of the motorcycle), and the shipping costs will be borne by the South American distributor.

Based on this, the logistics department calculated that each worker consumes about 1.5 kilograms of beef per month, which is more than enough for the 'ten kilograms welfare'.

Every worker participating in the large-scale production could eat meat every day, and each month they would receive an extra ten kilograms of beef to take home to their wives and children.

The motorcycles were shipped out, and large quantities of beef were continuously shipped in. The workers ate the beef and had the strength to assemble the motorcycles, thus creating a virtuous cycle.

"Brother Aiguo, I heard that your Qianmen Locomotive Depot is bustling with activity again."

When Chen Xueru returned home in the evening, she cooked the beef that Li Aiguo had brought back into braised beef, filling the house with a rich aroma of beef.

"They opened a new factory recently and will probably hire several thousand people. How did you know?" Li Aiguo asked, somewhat puzzled.

"I don't know where Xu Damao heard the news, but Liu Lan asked me to inquire whether Xu Damao met the recruitment standards."

As Chen Xueru spoke, she stirred the beef with a spatula. Seeing that Li Aiguo was burning the fire too high, she gave him a couple of pointers.

"This time it's still limited to the families of railway employees. Xu Damao has no connection with the railway, so it's definitely not allowed," Li Aiguo said, quoting a section of the regulations.

"Pity."

Li Aiguo still found it strange: "Although Xu Damao was criticized, he is still a projectionist. Why would he want to come to the railway?"

"I don't know either. Liu Lan asked me to ask."

After I finished speaking, the braised beef was ready, and the potatoes were almost overcooked. I sprinkled some chopped green onions on top, put them on a plate, and they smelled delicious.

Chen Xueru invited Aunt Liu and He Yushui to have dinner together.

"This beef is so delicious." It was the first time He Yushui had ever eaten such delicious beef, and she ate two bowls of rice.

While eating, the conversation turned to Xu Damao's affairs again, as Aunt Liu often gathered information about him in the courtyard.

"Xu Jixiang spent a lot of money to save Xu Damao, much of it of which was borrowed. He probably thought that railway workers' wages would be higher."

This news resolved Li Aiguo's long-standing doubts.

Compared to the original timeline, the Xu family failed to obtain the small yellow croaker from Lou Xiao'e, and their lives were only slightly better than those of ordinary families.

The Xu family had no way of coming up with the 500 yuan fine; it turned out they had borrowed the money.

This matter has nothing to do with Li Aiguo.

After instructing Chen Xueru to tell Liu Lan the recruitment criteria, Li Aiguo focused on cooking.

After finishing his meal, Li Aiguo let out a satisfied burp and went into his study to continue his work.

The final assembly plant is still using the method of simultaneous construction and production, and it will be put into use in another week.

A large number of motorcycles will be transported to the port city at that time.

There's also beef from South America and gold from Africa; it's unlikely that Yang's port alone could handle the transshipment.

We should try to buy another port.

This port is perfect as a base for ocean-going shipping fleets.

Yang Jizong is already in talks with several shipping fleets about acquisitions, and the purchase of ports should also be put on the agenda.

Li Aiguo hasn't decided which port to buy yet.

The major ports have all been divided up by the whites. Acquiring them would be too conspicuous. We need to make our fortune quietly, without attracting attention.

Small ports lack sufficient depth, preventing massive ships of tens of thousands of tons from docking.

Li Aiguo held a map of the port city and scratched his head.

The only problem is that there's no railway yet in the border region. Otherwise, we could just buy a port in Pakistan and have large warships dock there in the future.

"Hmm? Kwai Chung?" Li Aiguo's eyes lit up when he saw a familiar name on the map.

Isn't this the dock that the Li family bought first?
It was thanks to Container Terminals 6 and 7 in Kwai Chung that the Li family was able to build a vast port empire in later generations.

Back then, Kwai Chung was still a desolate area of ​​the port city, mainly used for garbage disposal, and was known as "Garbage Bay".

Kwai Chung Pier was originally a small fishing port that John Bull converted into a port to cope with the Japanese invasion. It is not very large.

However, the fact that this place later became the world's second largest container terminal shows its potential.

"That's it!"

"Aiguo, Brother Damao is here!" Chen Xueru's voice came from outside. Li Aiguo put away the map, opened the door and went out.

Compared to before, Xu Damao looks four or five years older and has lost his former vigor.

"Brother Da Mao, sit down." Li Aiguo offered him a cigarette and asked Xu Da Mao to sit down.

I originally thought Xu Damao came here because of a job transfer.

To everyone's surprise, Xu Damao immediately asked, "Aiguo, is that human-powered generator you mentioned last time reliable?"

“Theoretically speaking, there should be no problem. If you need it, I can give you a blueprint and ask Liang Ladi to make the modifications.”

Li Aiguo agreed, since they were all neighbors in the compound, and he would help if he could.

"Thank you so much." Xu Damao seemed to have other plans, but he was unwilling to reveal them.

Li Aiguo did not ask any questions.

Back in his study, he drew a diagram of a bicycle generator.

This thing is actually quite simple; it's just a pulley that drives a generator. The only troublesome part is the transformer.

This can only be purchased at specialized electrical parts stores.

"Thank you, thank you so much." After receiving the blueprints, Xu Damao thanked everyone repeatedly and excitedly ran out of the house.

This is going to be a huge windfall!

Now the steel rolling mill is doing better and has taken on more agricultural support work, showing several movies in the countryside almost every week.

If you can save half of the three yuan gas cost each time, you might be able to earn tens of yuan a month.

After receiving the blueprints, Xu Damao went to the front yard, looked around, and seeing that no one was paying attention, knocked on the door of Uncle San's house.

"It's Da Mao, acting suspiciously. Are you up to no good?" The Third Uncle became wary upon seeing Xu Da Mao's appearance.

"What are you saying, Uncle? I've come to bring you money." Xu Damao glared.

"You're giving me money?" The third uncle thought Xu Damao was trying to fool him and immediately tried to push him away.

"Don't be in such a hurry!" Xu Damao whispered a few words in the ear of the third uncle.

The old man's eyes widened instantly: "Three cents for each trip to the countryside?"

"This three cents isn't for nothing. You have to generate electricity and help me move the projector." Seeing the old man's appearance, Xu Damao felt reassured.

"Okay, okay!" The old man nodded repeatedly, then suddenly asked, "What about my bicycle? Does that also cost three cents?"

Xu Damao: "."

"make a deal."

"You'll cover the cost of modifying the bicycle and the electric mill wheel."

".make a deal!"

"Our rations for the road"

"."

Dry cell batteries for flashlights

"."

"The mountain path is difficult to walk, and the soles of my shoes will wear out quickly."

"."

"Third Uncle, just name a total." Xu Damao knew he couldn't outsmart the Third Uncle, so he asked directly.

"Eight cents!" The old man raised his hand and held up three fingers.

Xu Damao thought about it and realized that even after deducting the cost of 80 cents, he could still earn nearly two yuan each time, which was worthwhile.

Xu Damao and Uncle San made an appointment to go to the suburban commune together on Saturday night to show a movie for the commune members.

Earning eighty cents a night is practically like finding money on the street, so the old man readily agreed.

After Xu Damao left, the third aunt came out of the house and scolded, "Going to the countryside to show movies requires walking at night. You're so old, can you manage?"

"What are you saying? When I went to the countryside to exchange for grain coupons, did I never walk at night?"

Faced with a huge sum of eight cents, the old man didn't care about the little thing about walking at night.

Xu Damao then asked Liang Ladi for help to modify the bicycle, and even installed a light on the handlebars, making it more convenient to walk at night.

"Da Mao, from today onwards, we'll be a projectionist duo."

The old man had changed into a new set of work clothes and styled his hair, making him look like a young man.

The third aunt sighed helplessly. She had originally wanted Yan Jiecheng to make the trip in place of the third uncle, but the third uncle had rejected it.

The old man was less focused on making money and more on fulfilling his dream of becoming a projectionist.

The projectionist had a much higher status than the old teacher.

When Li Aiguo returned home from get off work, he bumped into the two people who were about to push their bicycles out one after the other.

"Patriotism, I'm going to show movies in the countryside!" The old man greeted us from a distance, he was so smug.

Xu Damao could only stand aside, looking dejected, as his lines had been stolen by the Third Uncle.

"Uncle, you are truly vigorous for your age."

Li Aiguo stopped, chatted for a bit, and then pushed his motorcycle home.

Upon entering the study, Li Aiguo began reading before dinner was ready.

I've been busy with scooter-related matters lately, and I only have a measly two thousand points left.

The books he chose this time were all about maritime transport.

Yang Jizong has already made contact with the Zheng family's fleet. In a few days, Yang Jizong and the Zheng family will come to the mainland to discuss shipping and port matters in detail.

The night is getting darker.

Li Aiguo turned off the lamp, embraced Chen Xueru, and drifted into a sweet dream.

Sudden.

There was a noise outside.

"Help, help!"

(End of this chapter)