1988: Back to the human world for a few years

Chapter 560: Paradox (2)

As we all know, for local governments, every super project is not only a series of coordination tasks with extremely high comprehensive difficulty, but also a rare feast and an opportunity for industrial development that can produce qualitative changes.

This is the case with the nuclear power plant that was launched with gritted teeth in the mid-1980s, the Three Gorges Project that was demonstrated for decades, the Jiuquan wind power base that is not well known to outsiders, and the Ningdong Energy and Chemical Base in Ningxia... The same is true for the Isolated Island No. 2 project, which is much smaller in scale and did not appear in the original historical timeline.

Therefore, although Yang Mo did not want to be involved in too many causes and effects within the system and never intervened in the specific work of the preliminary infrastructure projects of the Isolated Island No. 2 project, after becoming the general manager of Dezhou Urban Property Fund Company, he reached a consensus with his father-in-law on some directional matters.

There was no other way. He was now shouldering the heavy responsibility of industrial upgrading in DZ City. With such a big project in front of him, it would be foolish not to lend a hand.

However, it is obvious that from the materials submitted by Zhuo Mali, the opinions reached at the beginning have produced some changes that seem to be minor but are actually completely contrary to his plan.

So he immediately waved away Zhuo Mali, closed the office door, thought deeply for a while, and finally picked up the phone on the table and dialed.

………………

"Dad, I want to know,"

Ring ring ring~
Yang Mo, who finally got a call back, took a deep breath and picked up the phone: "Hello."

On the other end of the phone, after receiving a report from his secretary, Mu Siyuan even paused a meeting and returned to his office to call his son-in-law back. His voice was still as amiable as ever: "Hello, Xiaomo, you haven't informed me and your mother of your safety for a while. Why did you suddenly think of calling me today... Did you encounter any problems at work?"

My son-in-law usually doesn't call me during working hours. Since he called me at this time, he must have something important to tell me.

Yang Mo's voice was as gentle as ever: "I have been busy with work recently and have not been able to find time to visit my parents in Dongying. When Yaer returns to China next month, I will definitely go home and apologize to my parents... By the way, Dad, do you know about the temporary modification and adjustment of the soil foundation plan for the Solitary Island No. 2 project?"

Mu Siyuan on the other end of the phone was silent for a moment, and said calmly: "I know about this situation. In fact, your Uncle Lin, Uncle Song and I worked together to strive for the temporary modification of the soil foundation plan... The headquarters also voted and approved it at the meeting."

Yang Mo frowned: "Did you and Uncle Song fight for it together?"

Mu Siyuan hummed: "I know what you want to ask, Xiaomo, no need to ask... We are also striving for changes in the equipment plans for major facilities such as the main engine, explosion-proof electrical equipment, steam/distillation towers, and reactors."

Students who are more familiar with industry know that the infrastructure plans of many industrial projects are essentially just for the dumplings made with vinegar. To put it bluntly, there must be an equipment plan first, and then the main equipment to be used must be determined. Only after the main parameters and properties of those equipment are understood, can the next step of plant planning and foundation construction plan be determined.

So as soon as Yang Mo asked about the modification of the soil foundation plan, Mu Siyuan knew what his son-in-law really wanted to ask.

When Yang Mo heard Mu Siyuan admit it, he frowned even more deeply: "But didn't we set the tone at the beginning? Even if we face difficulties such as greater R&D and design difficulty, higher manufacturing costs, and relatively weaker equipment performance, we still have to take advantage of the opportunity of the Solitary Island No. 2 project to strive to achieve domestic substitution... But why did it suddenly become a model of importing the main engine + supplementing domestic auxiliary equipment?"

The Isolated Island No. 2 Project is a large-scale, comprehensive crude oil processing station. A crude oil processing station cannot exist independently, and it must be surrounded by a large number of petrochemical supporting projects.

Petrochemical industry is a huge and complex field. In the upstream link of oil refining alone, the supporting equipment required includes six categories: solid material processing, liquid material processing, chemical furnaces, heat exchangers, mass transfer equipment, and drying equipment. If the transportation and delivery links are added, even more equipment will be needed.

The total investment budget for the Isolated Island No. 100 project is as high as more than ten billion yuan. Such a large-scale project means that if we can unswervingly promote % domestic substitution, it will not only mean that we can support thousands of related manufacturing companies, but also force the upgrading of related scientific research and manufacturing industries by appropriately raising technical indicators.

Don’t think that proposing 90% domestic substitution in the early 100s was a joke. Those who truly understand this history know that this is not YY at all.

First of all, although the oil system seems to be far less dazzling than the aerospace industry, nuclear industry, and military industry, it is a truly high-tech industry. Moreover, relying on its own benefits that far exceed those of other industries, its scientific research capabilities have always been in the first echelon in the country, and its scope of coverage is very wide... Apart from other things, the domestically developed tunnel boring machines that broke the monopoly of foreign high-end equipment, which were talked about in later generations, had a considerable part of their technology assisted by equipment manufacturing units under the oil system; and high-end equipment such as offshore drilling platforms and subsea drilling, China in later generations put foreign counterparts under great pressure (don’t mention that more than 90% of pumps and valves in later generations still need to be imported. Anyone who knows a little about the situation knows that this thing could have been replaced long ago, but it has not been done for non-technical reasons).

Secondly, for a long time, China
The chip war in later generations has clearly proved that with the amazing resilience and intelligence of the rabbit, unless there is really not enough profit driving force, otherwise, if you dare to close a window for it, it will chisel a door for you... Even technologies such as Super 7, chips and even lithography machines (factories) can be born after being blocked for a period of time. Do you think that petrochemical equipment cannot achieve 100% domestic substitution?

Therefore, Yang Mo's original idea was to use this opportunity to carry out central-local linkage, with the Dongying Command Headquarters presiding over technical development and guidance, with its equipment manufacturing companies as the backbone, to drive industrial enterprises in Dezhou and Lanling to join in this high-standard research feast;

Of course, Yang Mo will not specify any specific companies, nor will he interfere with the selection of the winning bidders. He only has two directional requirements: 1. Follow the market principle, zero threshold bidding, everything depends on technology and solutions. 2. Under the same circumstances, give priority to manufacturing companies in Dezhou and Lanling.

These two points were not difficult for Mu Siyuan to accept. After all, his original proposal was to upgrade the internal technology. Otherwise, he would not have thought of joining hands with Wang Yinuo to build the petrochemical industrial park in Linyi County. Moreover, Yang Mo was his son-in-law and one of the main contributors to the approval of the Isolated Island No. 2 project. Without affecting the technological dominance, it was not difficult to give priority to local enterprises in Dezhou and Lanling.

However, Yang Mo never expected that the most foolproof link, which he originally thought was foolproof, would encounter the most fatal change - in the newly revised equipment plan, a large number of equipment from the sub-island country appeared, and they were the most important core equipment.

This means that nearly 40% of the budget for the Isolated Island II project will flow into the pockets of the island country's equipment manufacturing companies, and more than companies in Dezhou and Lanling will directly or indirectly lose a huge order... The most important thing is that in addition to the economic benefits, these companies have also lost an extremely rare opportunity for technology accumulation and upgrading!

Putting aside the fact that several of the 200 companies that missed the opportunity had cross-shareholdings with Tugou, from a broader perspective, this will have a huge negative impact on Yang Mo's industrial upgrading plan... In the current Qilu region, it is difficult to find a "sucker" richer than the oil system.

………………

Hearing the questioning that could not be concealed in Yang Mo's tone, Mu Siyuan was silent for a while, and then he sighed tiredly: "Xiao Mo, I know it's hard for you to accept, but I have no choice... This is what the leader wants."

lead?

Yang Mo was stunned. He naturally knew that the "leader" that Mu Siyuan mentioned was unlikely to be the general manager of the command center. This old father-in-law, who had more and more power in his hands, would not usually use these two words to address the other party.

and so……

Yang Mo quickly reacted: "Is this what the ministry meant?"

Mu Siyuan hummed softly into the microphone: "It can't be said that it is the intention of the ministry. It's just a small suggestion given by some leaders recently after careful research and comparison."

Although it was said obscurely, Yang Mo understood it immediately: "Why? Why are you adjusting the equipment plan at this time?"

Mu Siyuan sighed again: "Because the Solitary Island II project is a large-scale comprehensive chemical project invested by our Qilu Petroleum System, and before the Solitary Island II project was approved, Ningbo was already building a large-scale chemical project... Although this is funded by the ministry and is also a key project of the ministry, the ministry is also divided into many departments."

Yang Mo opened his mouth with some difficulty: "Dad, what do you mean...?"

Mu Siyuan's voice was inarticulate. "The large-scale chemical project in Ningbo is based on a production capacity of 300,000 tons of ethylene, which is among the top in the world. Coupled with Ningbo's natural port advantages, it is easy to achieve results both internally and externally... At least it is better than the project we applied for approval in Liaocheng."

"So, although the equipment plan we originally decided on based on the Solitary Island II project can effectively train the equipment manufacturing technical team, its production capacity and quality, especially its production capacity, is at least one level lower than that of Ningbo... At present, the domestic economy is recovering, and the demand gap for various chemical raw materials is getting bigger and bigger. The organization pays more attention to the production capacity of various major chemical raw materials."

"To put it bluntly, the current reality is that production capacity is king... So, do you understand?"

With the foreshadowing and reminders in the previous section, Yang Mo understood the reasons behind this, but he still found it hard to accept: "But why us? Why is it the Solitary Island II Project?"

Mu Siyuan sighed: "It's all because the Solitary Island II project is a project invested by our Qilu Petroleum System. It's all because the brand overseas expansion plan you and Yaer came up with was too successful."

Yang Mo frowned: "Dad, you mean... foreign exchange?"

Mu Siyuan smiled bitterly on the other end of the phone: "That's right, Xiao Mo, do you know that a year and a half ago, when China encountered an export freeze, the country stopped a large number of projects under construction due to the pressure of insufficient foreign exchange reserves... All infrastructure projects in various places that required a large amount of imported rebar and high-grade cement were stopped."

"For the same reason, the ministry also had insufficient foreign exchange reserves, and even the Planning Department had to fight for a budget of 20 million US dollars. As a result, it had to kill more than a dozen large-scale chemical projects that had undergone technical demonstrations in the same period, and only retained several large-scale chemical projects with obvious location advantages, huge development potential, and sufficient room for upgrading, including Ningbo." "Although it was out of helplessness at the time, it inevitably dampened the enthusiasm of many people. After all, you know that there are many units in our system, and the projects that were reported at the time not only contain the hard work of each unit, but also represent a series of brilliant report cards."

"But the situation is different now. Although the foreign exchange in the department is still tight, with the brand overseas expansion plan that you and Xiaoya are working on, the foreign exchange generated by the Dongying Command has suddenly become abundant... Although these foreign exchanges are mainly in Japanese yen and all have to be deposited into the account of the Foreign Exchange Administration, you also know the actual situation. Our Dongying Command has a considerable right to make suggestions on the use of these foreign exchange revenues."

"Having foreign exchange means we can buy more advanced foreign equipment;"

"Having more advanced foreign equipment means higher production capacity of chemical raw materials;"

“Having higher productivity means it is easier to achieve results;”

"And grades mean progress...Xiao Mo, do you understand now?"

Yang Mo's eyes twitched: "Dad, I know a little bit about the situation you are talking about. But...isn't this too wishful thinking?"

"You know, when the Ningbo petrochemical project was first launched, foreign exchange reserves were the biggest constraint; but now... with the Batumi list getting smaller and smaller, even if you have foreign exchange, you can't import the equipment the ministry wants, right?"

Mu Siyuan smiled bitterly on the other end of the phone: "Xiao Mo, you have been in China all the time, and you have had little contact with Xiao Ya recently. You may not be very clear about some situations... Although the Batumi list drawn up by America has been tightly controlled in the past two years, it has shown signs of loosening recently."

"Over on the island country, due to the deteriorating economy, many petrochemical equipment manufacturing companies have been unable to hold on. Therefore, after the recent rounds of contacts, the other party has shown signs of loosening up. In addition, among the major oil systems in northern China, only our Dongying Command generates the most foreign exchange, and it happens to be mainly in Japanese yen... Therefore, everything is going smoothly."

At this point, Mu Siyuan sighed again: "Xiao Mo, you are not from a technical background, so it's not your fault if you don't understand some things."

"Let me put it this way. If we were faced with the same situation three years ago, the ministry might not have been so decisive. After all, the gap between our domestic and foreign chemical equipment was not so obvious at that time. Whether we should tighten our belts and achieve complete domestic equipment substitution is indeed something worth repeatedly demonstrating and trying. "

"But with the popularization and application of computers in various fields, we have entered an era of rapid technological development. In just two or three years, our domestic chemical equipment manufacturing technology has fallen behind the international level by one generation or even more... Especially for high-end equipment such as large polyolefin extrusion granulators and cracking units, unless foreign companies open up to us and transfer technology packages free of charge, it will be difficult for us to catch up with the international mainstream level in the short term."

"Although it is difficult to accept emotionally, this is the result reached by domestic experts in related fields after repeated comparisons and demonstrations after overseas inspections. We cannot help but believe it."

"So, when domestic technology cannot reach the international mainstream level in the short term, it is easy to understand the choice of whether to continue to pursue domestic substitution upgrades full of uncertainty, or to prioritize production to meet the increasingly strong domestic demand for chemical raw materials... Besides, don't forget that we are in the north of China, while Ningbo, which is in the limelight, is in the south."

Mu Siyuan said it so clearly, how could Yang Mo not understand?
MD, what that fat guy said was indeed right. He just didn't expect that even though he had tried his best to avoid any involvement with Mr. Wang, this pool of muddy water, which was much larger than he had imagined, finally rolled up to his feet.

Hearing Yang Mo's silence on the microphone, Mu Siyuan tried to comfort him, "Xiao Mo, don't be too discouraged. Although the full domestic substitution plan we decided on is no longer realistic, I still persuaded the leadership to control the proportion of imported equipment in the equipment plan on the grounds that it would affect the follow-up work of the brand's overseas expansion plan... At the very least, those auxiliary equipment will still be mainly domestically produced."

"Of course, I know that this incident will have a certain adverse impact on the work you are currently in charge of, so as compensation, I finally persuaded others at the meeting to slightly tilt the production tasks of these auxiliary equipment towards your local companies in Texas... We are father-in-law and son-in-law, and we are a family. I naturally know that the industrial upgrading work you are currently in charge of in Texas is very important. Don't worry, I will do my best to give you full support!"

Mu Siyuan's words were not nonsense. According to the original equipment plan, the production budget indicator for core equipment allocated to Texas was approximately 3 million yuan, and the production budget indicator for auxiliary equipment was approximately 1.5 million yuan.

And now, although the production budget indicator of core equipment has been reduced to zero, the production budget indicator of auxiliary equipment has been raised to 2.3 million yuan, and it has been directly distributed to dozens of key municipal production enterprises, which has greatly extended the life of these enterprises... If it were not for such a cause and effect, how could Yang Mo's two extremely difficult to implement proposals at the city meeting today be so easily ignored and supported by the city?
Yang Mo listened to the affectionate words of comfort from the father-in-law and son-in-law, but he really didn't feel very moved.

This "compensation plan" seems to be for his own good, but in fact it makes him more passive, and it is inconsistent with his original intention at the time - if they just take advantage of others and ignore the technical parameters and bidding rules reported by each company, those non-key companies will have no chance at all!
Taking a deep breath, Yang Mo's voice was as calm as ever, but with a hint of indifference: "Dad, let's put the affairs of the department aside for the time being. You have quietly distributed the orders for those auxiliary equipment to the key units in the city. I can also not discuss it with you for the time being;"

"But... my mother and her relatives and friends have invested in or directly registered more than 50 companies in Xinyang County. They have won more than 30% of the consumables, storage tanks, skid-mounted equipment, pipe fittings and other orders for the Solitary Island No. 2 project. How do you explain this?"

"Dad, you should know that although the technical content of these equipment and consumables is not that high, it is precisely because of this that they are an important part of my incubation of the strong village companies in Dezhou and Lanling... A full 1.4% of the orders, the contract amount directly exceeds million!"

"Without such a big push, how can my plan to sink manufacturing into rural areas be implemented as planned, and how can those strong village companies be incubated? "

That’s right, whether it’s the core equipment or the auxiliary equipment of the Isolated Island No. 2 project, they are not what Yang Mo cares about most... As a reborn person, he naturally knows that by the end of this year, when the Russian Bear Country falls, and with the rapid economic development after the comprehensive reform and opening up, it won’t take long for China’s petrochemical equipment manufacturing level to impress the whole world. Whether it’s a few years earlier or later is not something he cares too much about.

But the Strong Village Company Incubation Plan is different. Coming from the future, he knows very well that if the foundation is laid well from the beginning, the tone is not set well, and the model is not established, it will be difficult for village collective enterprises in various places to enter a satisfactory positive cycle of development after missing this precious window period... Although Qi and Lu have always been economically strong provinces ranked among the top in the country, that is from a macro perspective. In fact, just like the neighboring Henan Province, the income of the grassroots people in most rural areas of Qi and Lu is definitely not as optimistic as outsiders think (don't confuse growers with ordinary farmers).

However, due to the limitations of the current industrial technology level in rural areas, products such as consumables, anti-corrosion materials, prefabricated steel structures, pipe fittings, and refractory materials, which have large usage and are not very technically difficult but not low in difficulty, are definitely the most suitable entry points for strong village companies in various places to improve their own technology and product competitiveness.

A good start is half the battle. Seeing such a rare window of opportunity being blocked, how could Yang Mo not be furious?
Yang Mo's plan and ideas were no secret to Mu Siyuan, so after hearing his son-in-law's slightly cold question, he was silent for a long time, and then he sighed softly: "Xiao Mo, I'll say it again, we are a family... a family that needs to help each other;"

"I know you attach great importance to your strong village company incubation plan, and I also know that you attach great importance to the grassroots rural areas in Dezhou and Lanling;"

"But have you ever thought about it? No matter how good outsiders are, they are still outsiders after all. Once they follow you and have no food to eat, no one knows when they will jump up and stab you in the back."

"And you've already done enough. The current situation is becoming more and more confusing. It's time to think about yourself."

"Everyone knows that a tall tree attracts the wind. I also know that there are countless eyes staring at you now, and there are some things that are inconvenient for you to do."

"so……"

At this point, Mu Siyuan paused slightly, but chuckled: "Don't you think Yangxin is a good place? It's your mother-in-law's hometown, and there are a large group of reliable clansmen... It's helping the local economy. Taking advantage of the great opportunity of the Solitary Island No. 2 project, develop Yangxin into your second solid backing. Isn't there anything wrong with that?"

At this point, Mu Siyuan said meaningfully: "Your mother-in-law and I are both Hui people, and Yangxin County is not an economically developed county. Believe me, no one will really jump out to object to my allocation of orders... and with the Lin family's case in front, don't you think that a thriving wife's family will be more beneficial to your future development?"

Listening to Mu Siyuan's seemingly normal but extremely informative advice, Yang Mo's face was as gloomy as water: "Dad, things have their priorities, and I don't have any moral obsessions. I can turn a blind eye to some things. After all, this is the rule of the game;"

"But, Dad, let me be frank. In the current Mu family, I am the decisive factor, so... I hope you can give priority to my feelings."

"Besides, we can only share the spoils if they are dirty. As long as I can successfully promote the industrial upgrading work in Dezhou and Lanling and incubate those hundreds of strong village companies, will my mother-in-law's clansmen still lack a fair way to make money... Why are we in such a hurry?"

Mu Siyuan also frowned: "Xiao Mo, I know that I distributed these orders without informing you, which makes you unhappy, but I also have my considerations... How about this, you are in a bad mood now, it is not a good time to communicate, why don't you just call Xiaoya first, and wait for you and your wife to talk, and then we can talk when your emotions have stabilized."

After saying that, he made up an excuse and hung up the phone.

Hearing the beeping sound coming from the phone, Yang Mo's face suddenly turned gloomy.

Obviously, with the change of circumstances, the old father-in-law, like Mr. Wang before, has relied on a certain big boss, so he has regained the psychological advantage when facing his son-in-law.

Ah……

Is my father-in-law taking things for granted?
But don’t forget that the Solitary Island 2 project is located in Texas after all.

Sitting quietly in the chair and thinking for a while, Yang Mo's mouth showed an inexplicable arc, then he picked up the phone and dialed again: "Hello..."

(End of this chapter)