1968: Started from breeding

The train pulled into the newly built Huangkou Railway Station in the special economic zone.

The scene before my eyes was quite different from when I left six months ago.

The platform has been expanded, the exit road is wide and flat, and the newly planted roadside trees stand tall in the cold wind.

Since the expansion of Huangkou Station, their special economic zone has finally had its own train station.

I don't need to keep going to Xuzhou Railway Station anymore.

Su Wenchen and Zhou Qiang walked out of the train station with their luggage.

Zhou Qiang, who usually drives, accompanied Su Wenchen to Beijing.

Therefore, Su Wenchen notified Zhao Weiguo to come and pick him up.

Upon seeing Su Wenchen emerge, the other person immediately stepped forward to take Su Wenchen's luggage.

"Director, you're finally back."

“You’re not in the special economic zone, so you don’t know how it is. We feel like we have no one to rely on when we’re working.”

"If you hadn't come back, we wouldn't know how to take care of you afterwards."

Su Wenchen simply waved his hand.

"Alright!"

"You've already been flattering me all this time, let's go back first."

As he spoke, Su Wenchen took the lead and walked out of the station.

On the way back, Su Wenchen looked out the car window at the outline of the factory buildings that had already been connected and the towering crane booms.

They are all clearly intended to be newly built.

He asked curiously.

"Who arranged this?"

What are you planning to build?

Zhao Weiguo glanced outside and thought for a moment before speaking.

"It seems they're going to build a warehouse, I heard. It's supposed to be a joint project between Xiao County and our Special Economic Zone Supply and Marketing Cooperative."

"Director, you have no idea how sought-after our fast-growing chickens are right before the New Year."

"Especially now in winter, after we slaughter the animals, we sort them, load them onto trucks, and send them to major cities."

“Those big cities have a surprisingly high acceptance of this kind of pre-sorted and categorized chicken.”

"When the scheduling of these wagons is tight, the goods get crowded, so our supply and marketing cooperative approached Xiaoxian County to build some warehouses in Huangkou."

Su Wenchen nodded.

It's developing little by little now, and Su Wenchen believes that there will be more and more products from this special economic zone in the future.

Zhao Guohua from Xiao County clearly saw it too.

They have already begun mobilizing resources in their county to build warehouses and factories near Huangkou.

Since this area is close to the train station, Su Wenchen thought that planning it as an industrial zone would be a good idea, as it would facilitate the transportation of goods.

However, he still needs to hear their report before deciding what Xiao County is thinking.

The jeep drove all the way back to the Special Economic Zone.

Although it had only been about a month since Su Wenchen left.

However, the atmosphere was much more lively than before Su Wenchen left.

For most people, the Spring Festival is far more important than New Year's Day.

Thanks to the increased autumn harvest and the nascent scale of the aquaculture industry, the special economic zone has a much more abundant supply of goods for the Lunar New Year than in previous years.

The supply and marketing cooperative was bustling with people, and the variety of non-staple foods available through ration coupons had increased considerably.

In particular, "blue water white feather fast-growing chickens" have become a hot commodity for the New Year, due to their affordable price and high meat yield.

It has become a must-have meat dish for most families.

After all, for most ordinary people, taste is actually a secondary consideration.

The jeep came to a steady stop in front of the Special Economic Zone Management Committee office building.

The biting wind couldn't dispel the eagerness on the faces of the cadres waiting there.

At the entrance, cadres from the Special Economic Zone Management Committee, along with the main leaders of the four counties and their core team members, came to greet them, their eyes filled with anticipation and barely suppressed excitement.

Before setting off, Su Wenchen wasn't sure how many projects he could bring back from Beijing.

After all, he was competing with important departments across the country, so he naturally couldn't make any guarantees.

However, even after the success, news still came back.

This is also why the officials in the special economic zone are excited, as all four major projects have been implemented in the special economic zone.

It's impossible for it not to develop!
Of course, their most important purpose in gathering here is twofold: one is to welcome Su Wenchen, and the other is to try to secure the location of these four projects in which county.

Although to the outside world, the special administrative region is a unified entity.

But internally, there's also competition!
So if they can get a chance, they will naturally try!

Su Wenchen had just gotten off the bus with his simple luggage.

"Thank you for your hard work, Director!"

"Director, was the journey smooth?"

Immediately, everyone gathered around to greet them.

Su Wenchen smiled and nodded, his gaze sweeping over everyone.

"Thanks to everyone, everything went smoothly this time!"

"It's cold outside, so let's not stand here anymore. Let's go upstairs and talk in the conference room."

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately surrounded Su Wenchen and led him up the stairs.

Inside the conference room, the charcoal fire burned brightly, dispelling the chill, and a sense of scorching heat seemed to permeate the air.

Everyone quickly took their seats, but their eyes were still fixed on Su Wenchen, who was in the main seat.

Su Wenchen placed the rattan box at his feet, and without exchanging pleasantries, went straight to the point.

He knew that the project's implementation was just the beginning; only by efficiently and reasonably allocating and balancing the development of each county could the entire special economic zone take off.

"It seems the news has all been relayed back."

"This time in Beijing, we went through multiple rounds of reporting, discussions, and efforts to secure our support."

"Our special zone has four projects: a large-scale fertilizer production line, a large-scale feed amino acid production line, a breeding poultry hatching environment control system, and a precision fermentation and centrifugal separation equipment for edible fungi."

"All have been approved and officially included in the procurement catalog of the 72nd Plan!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a series of suppressed gasps and murmurs filled the conference room.

Although I had already heard the good news, the shock and joy of receiving the most authoritative confirmation from Su Wenchen himself was still incredibly strong.

Everyone's eyes lit up.

Su Wenchen continued in a calm voice.

"This is a great recognition of our special economic zone's past achievements by the nation, and also a high expectation for our future development!"

However, he then changed the subject and his tone suddenly became serious.

"All four projects were carefully selected and are interconnected."

"Fertilizer is the foundation for increasing land productivity, feed is the key to expanding poultry farming, incubation systems are a powerful tool to break through the bottleneck of breeding poultry, and microbial equipment is the source of deep food processing and the future bio-economy."

"The purpose of combining these elements is to create an efficient industrial chain from 'field' to 'table'."

"Our goal is to ensure that the agricultural and livestock products of our Huang-Huai-Hai Special Economic Zone not only supply the local area, but also reach the surrounding areas, and eventually go global and earn valuable foreign exchange!"

"Of course, it is too early to talk about exporting processed products at this stage."

"However, I hope that everyone still has goals!"

"The higher authorities have decided that for every dollar of goods we export, they will subsidize us by one dollar."

Su Wenchen paused, his sharp gaze sweeping over the four county magistrates.

"Therefore, the decision to locate a project should not be based solely on the gains or losses of a single place or county."

"We must consider transportation and logistics, industrial support, existing infrastructure and development potential, and even more importantly, the driving effect on the development of the entire special economic zone and even the future region!"

"The completion of these four projects is not the end, but the starting point for our industrial upgrading."

"Everyone must remember this!"

Su Wenchen's words were both an encouragement and a warning.

The atmosphere of eager anticipation and preparation for the county to compete for projects was immediately suppressed by Su Wenchen's emphasis on "overall interests" and "development pattern".

Everyone's expressions turned solemn, and they could only nod in agreement.

"Understood, Director! We in Peixian will follow the organization's arrangements and serve the overall situation!"

"Director, Xiao County has always considered the entire Special Zone as a unified whole!" "Director, just make the arrangements directly; Feng County will have no objections!"

Wang Rongshan from Dangshan County hesitated to speak.

But seeing everyone in front of him pledging their loyalty, he finally said...

"Director, we in Dangshan County have no objections and will resolutely obey the organization's arrangements."

Su Wenchen nodded slightly before getting to the specifics of the discussion.

He took out his notebook and opened it.

"Now, let's discuss the initial site selection concept for the project in detail."

"Everyone is welcome to speak freely about their strengths and ideas."

Zhao Guohua immediately straightened his back.

“Around the railway station, we have leveled a considerable amount of industrial land, and warehouse facilities are under construction.”

"From the import of raw materials to the export of finished products, this place undoubtedly has the most convenient transportation and the lowest logistics costs."

“Especially for large-scale fertilizer production and feed processing, the transportation volume is enormous. I think Huangkou is the most suitable location for a large-scale fertilizer plant.”

Upon hearing Zhao Guohua's words, Li Kun from Pei County immediately retorted.

"County Chief Zhao is right."

"Huangkou's location as a transportation hub is indeed irreplaceable, but Peixian County has a good foundation in the feed industry, and we can obtain raw materials directly from the local area. I think large-scale feed mills are also suitable for us."

Wang Rongshan from Dangshan County added.

"Director, we also have a Dangshan station in Dangshan County. Although it's a bit small, it's fine for the fertilizer plant to be located here."

Zhao Guohua immediately stood up and retorted.

"Your station used to be a small one, it was fine for loading ordinary goods, but could it handle the transportation of large quantities of goods?"

"Now our Huangkou Station has expanded into a first-class station like Xuzhou Station."

Wang Rongshan naturally did not want to give up.

"Director, if it really does fall into our Dangshan County, we will fund the expansion ourselves!"

Su Wenchen simply waved his hand.

"Alright, in the special zone's plan, Dangshan County will mainly develop orchards and high-end under-forest broiler chicken economy. We won't arrange for industries with chemical properties like fertilizer production there."

"Comrade Rongshan, you must remember that if you want to build a high-end broiler chicken brand, you must not get even the slightest bit of pollution on me."

"If a fertilizer plant were built next to the orchard, let's not even talk about whether it would have any impact."

"Others would probably shake their heads if they heard that?"

Wang Rongshan nodded upon hearing Su Wenchen's words.

"I understand, but Director, can our Golden Feather Chicken really be exported?"

Su Wenchen waved his hand.

"Don't worry about that, I'll figure something out!"

As he spoke, he looked at Shi Yingduan in Feng County.

"What are you thinking, Feng County?"

Upon hearing Su Wenchen's question, the other party replied directly.

"Director, Fengxian County will fully obey the organization's arrangements. We will carry out whatever arrangements the organization makes."

Upon hearing Feng Xian's words, the other three rolled their eyes.

However, they also knew that Fengxian was actually the closest to the core area of ​​the special economic zone in terms of distance.

Naturally, all we need to do is follow the development of the special economic zone.

Su Wenchen raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything more about it.

Although the group maintained a restrained and objective tone, their words still revealed their intention to secure resources for future development.

Each suggestion represents a different chain of advantages and regional interests.

Su Wenchen also spoke directly.

"Alright, let's take into account everyone's remarks and the overall plan for the special economic zone."

"Let me share my opinion!"

Upon hearing this, everyone picked up their notebooks and opened them, because they all knew that it was an opinion.

But that's the settled conclusion.

"My suggestion is to plan an industrial development zone near Huangkou in Xiaoxian County."

"Large-scale fertilizer plants related to industry should, in principle, be given priority in being located in Huangkou Development Zone, Xiaoxian County."

Hearing Su Wenchen say this, the others naturally didn't say anything more.

"The feed mill was later located in Peixian County."

"You have a solid foundation. Taking advantage of this opportunity, your feed industry must set an excellent example for the national feed industry in the future."

"Regarding the breeding poultry hatching environment control system, the farm will take the lead in selecting a suitable location near the farm area to build a large-scale modern breeding poultry farm and hatching center."

Guo Xiangyang, who had remained silent until now, nodded.

"Yes, Director. We will begin the site selection process for the incubation center when we get back."

The project on precision fermentation tanks and centrifuges for edible fungi will be implemented at the research station.

"You people from Fengxian should visit the research station more often when you have time."

"We will collaborate with their research station to plan as many edible fungi-related projects as possible."

"We can even explore various derivative products such as soy sauce, vinegar, and monosodium glutamate, and even expand into industries such as pharmaceuticals and alcohol."

Upon hearing Su Wenchen's words, Shi Yingduan smiled and nodded vigorously.

"Director, rest assured, we will definitely live up to your expectations!"

Su Wenchen looked around.

"Does anyone have anything to add?"

"If not, this is the preliminary opinion. As for the final settlement plan, we still need to conduct a detailed survey of the geological, hydropower, and environmental carrying capacity of each site."

"After connecting with the technical parameters of the subsequently introduced equipment, a final report will be generated and submitted to the higher authorities."

Upon hearing this, everyone shook their heads.

"Director, we have no objections."

Su Wenchen stood up.

"Okay, that's settled then."

"After going down there, the relevant counties should take immediate action, establish special teams to coordinate projects, and the Special Economic Zone Management Committee will also set up a project coordination group to promote the projects in a coordinated manner."

"Time waits for no one, and the date for the US president's visit has already been decided."

"The delegation is expected to arrive at our special economic zone airport at noon on February 25, stay for one day, and then fly to its next stop, Hangzhou, on February 26."

"That means we have a maximum of fifteen days to prepare."

"This time, the other side also brought hundreds of accompanying journalists and set up satellite communication equipment in Beijing, with live broadcast signals covering multiple countries, including the United States."

"It can be said that this is the largest foreign journalists delegation they have ever received since the founding of their country."

"So we'll be very busy this Spring Festival!"

"After you go down there, you must also fully unify the thinking of the cadres in each county."

"Gentlemen, this time, we are forging a new path on saline-alkali land and building a golden granary in barren fields."

It hasn't been easy to get this far, and we're nearing the end. Everyone needs to stand firm in this final post and prevent any accidents from happening.

"I'd like to emphasize one last point."

"First, we must ensure that the people can have a peaceful and safe Spring Festival; second, we must strictly prevent any mistakes in the reception of visitors; and third, we must simultaneously advance the site selection and preparation for the four projects."

"A joint command will be established here in the special zone, and I will personally take charge. Leaders from each county will be members of the command."

"We will communicate any problems promptly."

"Everyone must work together as one, cooperate with each other, and complete this mission successfully!"

As soon as Su Wenchen finished speaking, a firm and energetic response rang out in the conference room!

"Yes! Promise to complete the mission!"

After the meeting, Su Wenchen carried his luggage out of the building and walked to the vicinity of the family compound.

He responded to each person who greeted him.

On one hand, you could hear the sound of firecrackers going off every now and then, and you could also hear a group of little children running around and laughing.

A feeling known as the spirit of the New Year gradually emerged in Su Wenchen's heart. (End of Chapter)