The Red Era: Living in Seclusion in a Siheyuan as a Boss

Chapter 656 "A big harvest"!!!
Liu Aihua actively recruited talents. He hired German technician Friedrich and Japanese technician Nakata Eiji on their advice.
Aihua Group sent its employees to study abroad, designed and constructed its own elevated silos, replacing the original manual loading.
It not only reduces the labor intensity of workers, but also has the function of evenly feeding and mixing ingredients. The monthly output of pig iron has jumped from 5000 tons to 8000 tons.

In the blink of an eye, it is the end of the year. Can the "Aihua" Group's "Meet in 1998" "dance through the silence of winter" and then "meet in the sweet spring breeze, meet in the eternal youth"?
On this day, just seven months after the "mobilization order" was issued, Liu Aihua led the group's middle and senior management to visit all major factories of the "Aihua" Group and visited the construction results of the concerted efforts of all employees over the past year.

Standing at the highest point of a factory, one newly built project after another came into view. Everyone was a little excited and could hardly hide their inner joy. The shadow brought by the financial crisis had long been swept away.

In just 7 months, the "Aiwa" Group reaped great results according to the established plan and created a miracle of counter-cyclical development in the business history of Xia State.

After the ten projects are completed, the annual output value of Aihua Group will increase from 1.5 million yuan to 3 million yuan, and tax revenue will increase from 500 million yuan to 1000 million yuan.

Moreover, while increasing production capacity, the ten projects also tapped into potential. The carbon dioxide plant will reduce the cost of salicylic acid by 400 yuan per ton, the No. 2 blast furnace will reduce the cost of iron by 130 yuan per ton, and the power plant will generate greater benefits out of thin air...

Faced with these achievements, Liu Aihua has increased his confidence in facing severe market challenges.

By May and July of next year, and the beginning of the year, the No. 5 coke oven, No. 7 blast furnace and power plant will all be put into operation.

By then, all ten projects in Liu Aihua's grand blueprint of "Big 98" will be successfully put into production.

Last year, the output value of "Aihua" Group was 1.5 million yuan, this year it reached million yuan, and next year it is very likely to exceed million yuan, basically completing the goal of "doubling"!

The Aihua Group achieved a complete victory in the fierce battle against the financial crisis, greatly enhanced the company's strength, achieved great development and great leaps, and laid a solid foundation for future stable development.

Later, this extraordinary period of history also became the most shining page in the history of the development and growth of "Aihua".

“When you’re sailing against the current, if you don’t move forward, you’re going to move backward.” Liu Aihua feels the same is true for running a business.

Development in favorable circumstances is natural, but development in adverse circumstances requires a spirit of courage and wisdom.

Crisis is not scary; what is scary is not having the courage to fight it.

Liu Aihua looked at the modern equipment standing in the factory, with a determined look in his eyes.

He turned to the cadres around him and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, our success is not accidental, but the result of our courage to seize opportunities in crises.

But the development of the enterprise will never stop, and we will work harder on automation transformation next."

At this moment, the technical director came over quickly and reported excitedly: "Chairman, our cooperation with Siemens has made new progress. They are willing to provide us with the latest automation control system."

Liu Aihua's eyes lit up when he heard this. This was exactly the next move he had been planning.

As night falls, the Aiwa Group's conference room is still brightly lit.

Liu Aihua pointed to the planning map on the wall and said: "We will invest in the construction of a digital control center on the existing basis to achieve intelligent management of the entire production process.

This will not only make our product quality more stable, but also reduce energy consumption by another 10%.”

When the CFO raised the issue of funding pressure, Liu Aihua said confidently: "I have reached a consensus with several banks. They are optimistic about our development prospects and are willing to provide low-interest loan support.

In addition, the municipal government has also promised to provide subsidies to high-tech enterprises.”

Outside the window, the newly installed solar street lights illuminate the factory area.

These details all demonstrate the Aiwa Group's determination to pursue excellence.

Liu Aihua knows that the real challenge has just begun, but with this daring and hardworking team, he believes that "Aihua" will surely usher in a more glorious tomorrow.

His Aiwa Group found opportunities in this crisis and more than doubled in size.

Correspondingly, the amount of tax paid also doubled, from 500 million yuan to less than 1000 million yuan.

The confidence of all Jingye Group employees has doubled. They not only "crossed" such a big hurdle, but also took several big steps forward. In the future, what difficulties and obstacles can they not overcome?
Konosuke Matsukami, founder of Matsukami Electric Co., Ltd. in Japan, once said: "Crisis and opportunity are essentially the same. As long as you change your mindset, re-evaluate, and take advantage of the opportunity, the crisis will turn into an opportunity."

The "1998" battle allowed the "Aihua" Group to truly turn crisis into opportunity, crisis into turning point, and crisis into preemptive force.

Through substantial and reasonable expansion against the trend, "Aiwa Group" has greatly enhanced the company's hard power and achieved great development and leap forward.

This battle allowed the fighter jet of the Aihua Group to fly through the cloudy sky during the climb period and enter the relatively stable stratosphere, laying a solid foundation for future stable development.

Later, taking advantage of crises to develop against the trend and even "not letting go" of any crisis became the unique shining point of the "Aiwa" Group.

While working hard in 1998, Chairman Liu Aihua raised the development goals of the Aihua Group and made relevant plans for after the New Year.

Once, Liu Aihua was invited to attend an industry forum.

He said in a public speech, "In the seven years since the plant was put into operation, I have had ideas, initiatives and projects every year.

By the new millennium, our company's output value will increase from the current 3 million yuan per day to 10 billion yuan.

The Aihua Group has not only gained a pivotal position in Beihe Province, but also dominated the entire Huaxia region, and has brought the living standards of the local people to a higher level.”

Opportunities do not only favor those who are prepared, but also favor those who are prepared and have ideas.

In the later period, low cost, high efficiency, large production capacity and fast operation speed have created the "Aiwa" Group's strong market competitiveness and business moat.

It turned out that Liu Aihua was not bragging. After the haze of the Asian financial crisis dissipated;
Some competitors with extensive management, lack of planning, and little emphasis on innovation have closed down one after another;
Only the Aiwa Group continues to move forward towards the ambitious goals it has set.

This year, "Liu's Overseas Investment" also expanded rapidly during this financial crisis.

In early January in Y City, Borneo, the air seemed to be filled with a sense of anxiety.

Liu Shudong stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window of Soekarno International Airport, looking at the sporadic takeoffs and landings of planes on the runway with a frown on his face.

The exchange rate of the Borneo Rupiah against the US dollar jumped wildly on the electronic screen behind him, plummeting from 2400:1 to 14000:1 in just two weeks.

"Chairman, here is the information about PT Group." Secretary Li Saifeng handed over a folder and an acquisition agreement.

This giant, which controls 23% of Indonesia's palm oil production, is now offering a price that is less than one-tenth of its pre-crisis price.

But when he turned to the equity structure page, Liu Shudong's pupils suddenly contracted - the third largest shareholder was clearly marked as "TNI-AD" (Borneo Military).

Late at night in the Mulia Hotel suite, the ceiling fan above my head made a lingering hum.

The local broker Agong wiped the palm wine on his beard and said, "Mr. Liu, Commander Su's son-in-law, Commander Pura, asked me to tell you something. Either you pay 2000 million US dollars to the "Community Development Fund", or tomorrow's Kompas newspaper will have a headline about the scandal of "a Hong Kong capitalist plundering Borneo resources."

Liu Shudong picked up the teacup and took a sip, and the mellow taste of Wuyi Rock Tea melted on his tongue.

He remembered his elder brother Liu Zhiye's advice before he left Beijing: "Southeast Asia is not a chessboard, but a spider web. You have to follow the silk thread to find the hand holding the web."

At this moment, a piece of news broadcast by CNN on TV made him feel something.

——Students from universities in Borneo City Y are holding up banners that read "Reform" and gathering in front of the Borneo G Club Building...

"Go back and tell Commander Pura," Liu Shudong suddenly spoke in fluent Malay, startling Agong so much that he sat up straight, "PT Group's plantations in Borneo ship 12 tons of palm oil to Europe through the Strait of Malacca every year. If the production line stops working..."

Liu Shudong opened the window, letting the roar of the first tropical rainstorm of the year pour into the room. "Do you think Lijiapo Temasek will be interested?"

Three days later, the motorcade of "Liu Overseas Investment" arrived at the official residence of the Minister of Economic Affairs of Borneo. Liu Shudong and Borneo Economic Minister Suboti stepped into his office side by side.

When the gilded wooden door was closed, the documents spread out on Suboti's desk showed that Hong Kong's "Liu Overseas Investment" promised to provide Borneo with a low-interest loan of no less than 50 billion US dollars - on the premise that the "PT Group" would be acquired by "Liu Overseas Investment".

……

The glass curtain walls of the Twin Towers shone coldly under the scorching sun. Liu Bencheng loosened his tie in annoyance, but his eyes were fixed on the flickering eyes of the Malaysian officials across the conference table.

The tin mine acquisition agreement that was supposed to be signed between "Liu Overseas Investment" and Malaysia today was suddenly stopped by Malaysia on the grounds of "selling resources at a low price".

"Mr. Liu, we are very touched by your company's sincerity." Dato Sri, Chief Economic Affairs Officer, turned the jade ring on his index finger, "But Morgan Stanley submitted a new offer last night, which is 15% higher than yours.

The one who pays the price wins! You Xia people have a good old saying, 'Even if the deal fails, the friendship remains', ha ha ha..."

At two o'clock in the morning at the Shangri-La Hotel, Liu Bencheng poured whiskey into the potted plants.

On the computer screen were secretly photographed photos just sent by the intelligence department of "Liu's Overseas Investment". American engineers were actually entering the survey sites of several mining areas that were supposed to be acquired by "Pacific Mining Group".

Seeing this, Liu Bencheng smiled coldly. He decided to let fat and big-eared "worms" like Malaysia taste the price of betrayal.

So he picked up the phone and dialed three numbers: the first was to the investigative reporter of Nanyang Siang Pau, who attached the receipt of his son-in-law's casino in Las Vegas to the email;

The second one was connected to a heavy industry group to finalize a memorandum of understanding for the annual purchase of 20 tons of refined tin;
The third overseas call was made to New York, where my Harvard classmate was now serving as Assistant Secretary of Commerce of the United States.

In recent years, this old classmate has risen rapidly with the help of their "Liu's Overseas Investment", and it is time for him to play his due role.

Three days later, one morning, when Datuk Seri opened Sin Chew Daily, he was stunned by the headline of the newspaper: “Transnational capital colluded with officials to sell national resources at low prices, and tin mines worth hundreds of billions of yuan are suspected of being used for profit transfer.”

"Fuck! These damn Hong Kong guys! What do they want to do!" Datuk Seri roared and smashed everything on the table.

Then, Dato slumped down in his chair, and after a while he said to the people around him: "Go tell the Americans that our cooperation is cancelled!"

At the same time, the "Rabbit" announced a zero tariff policy on imported refined tin.

Two weeks later, Hong Kong's "Liu's Overseas Investment" acquired the mining rights at 30% of the original price with a plan of "technology upgrade + underwriting 75% of production capacity".

The cargo ships on the Chao Phraya River blew sad whistles. Liu Shudong stood on the rooftop of the Peninsula Hotel, looking at the World Bank building on the opposite bank.

At this time, the confidential phone of Siamese Finance Minister Somchai rang: "Mr. Ma, Mr. Xie from the Charoen Pokphand Group is here with me. He said you have a way to prevent the cement plant from falling into the hands of American capital?"

Three hours later, in a private club on the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, cigar smoke and sandalwood rose in the air.

Xie Guomin pushed a stack of photos across the table: a blueprint for the deepwater terminal at Qinzhou Port, a construction schedule for the Kunming-Bangkok Highway, and an estimate of concrete demand for the second phase of the Three Gorges Dam project.

"We will need 1.2 million tons of high-grade cement in the next three years," Liu Shudong tapped the blueprint with his index finger. "CP Group will be responsible for production, and Liu Group will be responsible for transportation. What can the US capital do to compete with us?"

While representatives of Quantum Fund were still calculating the profits from shorting the Thai baht, the Siamese Ministry of Industry suddenly announced the implementation of a quota system for cement exports.

The next day, the futures exchanges in Hong Kong and Singapore simultaneously raised the margin requirements for Southeast Asian cement contracts, which was a rare move.

Soros smashed his coffee cup at the morning meeting: "These damn Chinese investors have turned industrial capital and financial capital into nunchakus!"

Two months later.

When Liu Shudong's black Mercedes-Benz convoy drove into the Samsung Electronics' Gumi factory in South Korea, the ink of the slogan "Protect National Industry" on the factory wall was not yet dry.

Inside the workshop, a representative from the US-owned Carlyle Group was using a laser pen to scribble across a list of equipment: "This DRAM production line is worth at most $1.2 million, but Mr. Liu is willing to offer $2 million? It seems that the Xia people are so hungry for technology that they have lost their minds."

Liu Shudong sneered and pushed the copy of the contract across the negotiation table: "After the acquisition, Carlyle will dismantle the equipment and ship it to Texas, but our agreement clearly states that your country's R&D team will be retained and only 30% of the production capacity will be transferred to Xiaguo."

Data appeared on the screen behind him at the right time - Xiaguo's semiconductor self-sufficiency rate was less than 1997% in 5, while Samsung's debt ratio had soared to 366%.

That night, Park Jimin, director of the Blue House Economic Secretary's Office, secretly met with Liu Shudong.

"Samsung cannot fail, but the Americans require us to open up foreign investment to 100%." ​​Park Jimin's pen hovered over the "technology export license" clause for a long time. "Liu's plan may allow the president to explain to the people that this is a 'strategic cooperation' rather than a bargain sale."

Three days later, the front-page headline of the Korean newspaper Dong-A Ilbo was eye-catching: "Hong Kong capital injects capital into Samsung, semiconductor autonomy is in doubt."

In the accompanying picture, in the background of the photo of Liu Shudong shaking hands with Samsung representatives, the slogan "Pay US$300 million in patent fees to American chip manufacturers every day" above the assembly line was deliberately retained.

Some Korean workers who were unaware of the truth were exploited by Liu's Overseas' competitors, and thousands of workers blocked the factory gate.

The representative of "Liu's Overseas Investment" climbed onto the loader platform, and the Seoul dialect coming from the loudspeaker temporarily stopped the commotion: "Samsung Semiconductor paid 11 billion US dollars in patent fees to the United States last year, and our technology transfer agreement can allow the Korean side to pay 30% less!"

He held up a document with the Blue House seal and said, "We promise that within three years, the number of Korean employees at the Gumi factory will not decrease, and their salaries will be paid by our Liu Overseas Investment!"

Behind the crowd, the saboteurs planted by the United States who were mixed in with the protesters suddenly changed their expressions - their conspiracy was about to fail.

……

In the archives of the Daewoo Auto Parts Factory, Liu Shudong ran his fingers over the yellowed General Motors cooperation agreement.

The gearbox production line, which was put into production in 1992, was forced to shut down due to the parent company's 527% debt ratio.

Ma Zhong, a representative of the Asia Pacific Bank, whispered to the Korean Central Bank: "The foreign exchange reserves of the Korean Central Bank are only 39 billion US dollars, but Daewoo owes 80 billion in short-term debt to Western banks."

At the negotiation table, the Korean deputy chief of economics' teacup rippled: "The acquisition price of 20 billion US dollars is too low. A certain American fund offered 30 billion US dollars."

Ma Zhong stood up and opened the window, letting the biting cold wind from Seoul pour into the conference room. "Your Excellency, Deputy Chief, why don't you ask the American consortium if they are willing to accept debt denominated in Korean won?"

He handed over a document, saying that the "Asia Pacific Banking Group" could promise to provide you with more than $300 billion in trade financing guarantees, provided that "strategic asset transactions with Xiafang enterprises are given priority."

On the night of the signing of the agreement, Daewoo Chairman Kim Woo-joong received a mysterious phone call on his private yacht in Incheon Port.

The next day, the Dong-A Ilbo exposed evidence of Daewoo transferring billions of dollars in assets overseas through shell companies, completely cutting off the Korean government's way out of protecting Daewoo.

Jin Yuzhong stood on the deck of the yacht, and the salty sea breeze slapped the hem of his suit.

The Swiss banker's German-accented English came over the satellite phone: "Mr. King, the federal prosecutor in Zurich has just frozen your trust account in Liechtenstein."

When Kim Woo-jung pounded his clenched fist on the teak railing, Liu Shudong was sitting in the executive lounge of the Seoul Hilton reading the Dong-A Ilbo.

In the porthole of the white yacht in the front-page photo, Jin Yuzhong's distorted profile can be vaguely seen.

Ma Zhong pushed the whiskey glass over and said, "The China Securities Regulatory Commission has just approved our tender offer. Now 78% of Daewoo Motor's patented technologies belong to us."

Three days later, a crane at Incheon Port lifted a gearbox production line module printed with the "Daewoo" logo and slowly loaded it into a cargo ship of the Global Shipping Group.

As the freighter sailed towards the mainland, an emergency meeting of South Korea's Ministry of Industry, Trade and Resources was still going on.

Under the blue light of the projector, the deputy chief stared at a copy of the $100 billion letter of credit issued by the Asia Pacific Bank, and suddenly discovered that Item 17 of the guarantee clause was marked in very small font: "The effectiveness of this agreement is subject to the creditor's acquisition of ownership of Daewoo Motor's Jeju Island test site."

(End of this chapter)