My Lord, you need to stand up!

Chapter 594 Hey, hey, that's not what I meant.

But Lao Fang was helpless: "I certainly don't want to see this hard work turn into chaos like Pengzhen, so we must ensure that it is developed into the largest port in the country. We must adhere to my requirements of industry as the mainstay, foreign investment as the mainstay, and export as the mainstay. Can you do that?"

Wei Dong thought for a moment and nodded: "Yes, that's right. We must not get involved in financial speculation for short-term gains... Sigh... I understand why that old leader in Shangzhou insisted on detaining You Qili back then."

You Qili is a true reflection of the Pengzhen model, and even a reflection of the financial-based nation-state like Citibank thirty years later.

Even if a leader comes to power, they can still issue a cryptocurrency and go public to make money.

It was only when you arrived in Pengzhen and stood there that you felt the stark contrast and realized that You Qili's focus on reselling goods based on price differences could easily make managers grit their teeth at speculation.

The economy needs to be revitalized, but doing it this way is too much of a stretch.

The whole nation is engaged in speculation and business; this situation needs to be stopped for there to be a future.

Old Fang had this insight: "I have long observed the trend of speculating on stocks, pre-sale apartments, and housing prices throughout Hong Kong. We must not let this trend spread to the mainland. Financial instruments are certainly necessary, but they must not become a magic wand to control the economy. Once financial gains control the situation and no one develops industrial manufacturing, that would be utterly disastrous!"

Wei Dong nodded emphatically: "I can do it! I assure you, I will complete the mission without hesitation!"

People thirty or forty years from now will fully understand the difficulty and correctness of this path.

While everyone around us is making big money by speculating in stocks and real estate, we must restrain our greed and devote ourselves to manufacturing. This is the foundation for becoming the world's leading industrial power.

It really is true that you shouldn't trust the wisdom of the masses, but you must trust their power.

As long as this force is on the right track, it will surely achieve final victory.

Old Fang smiled with satisfaction: "You are an outstanding, cautious, and not greedy child, so I will entrust this to you. The other ten million US dollars will also be invested in the container company according to the same shareholding model."

Wei Dong, who was still in shock and gritting his teeth, exclaimed, "We also have to take on a company, a container company?"

I'm still thinking, what's the big deal if there are too many lice? One or two are just for show, it's not a big deal.

Unexpectedly, Lao Fang nodded and said, "Let's call the first international container company in China Guoji Group."

Wei Dong froze instantly!
Then he collapsed: "Forget it, I'll just consider my twenty million dollars as a contribution. This is a state-owned enterprise, why should a private businessman like me have a stake, and be the largest individual shareholder!"

Old Fang reiterated, "Only you can understand my purpose in not wanting these two companies to go public and avoid getting involved in financial speculation. This is the essence of reform and opening up!"

Now Wei Dong knows the weight of those three sentences.

With industry as its main focus, foreign investment as its main source, and exports as its main form of business, these three factors seem tailor-made for this port and container company.

This level of understanding is many times higher than that of the former leaders of Shangzhou City.

During this period of exploration in all directions, Jiangzhou carried out economic system reforms, and various enterprises had different plans for restructuring. The final results were vastly different.

But the idea proposed by this person was the closest to the correct answer in Wei Dong's opinion.

For the next two or three decades, China relied on exports to gradually turn around its economic situation and build its nation on industrial manufacturing.

As for the requirement that foreign investment should be the main source of capital, it is probably a precaution against the current situation in Shenzhen where it is all being speculated on with hard-earned money from various places.

Therefore, Lao Fang doesn't even trust state-owned assets or local governments; he must keep them firmly in the hands of the executor.

They could only rely on foreign investment to develop this part of the economy, but they didn't consider that private capital, like that of Rang Weidong, could develop so quickly.

Of course, without the intervention of extraordinary individuals like divine warriors in Apple's incredible undertaking, it would be very difficult for any private entrepreneur in China to invest 20 million US dollars, especially since the return would not be visible for a while.

They don't go public; they only do infrastructure construction. They only generate revenue after expanding their export trade.

Speculative capital would never choose such a thankless and arduous task.

Yu Qili would never vote for such a thing, even if he cursed loudly when he couldn't get the train cars.

This is indeed the most fundamental infrastructure for export trade during the next two or three decades of reform and opening up.

Wei Dong went to see the outer port terminal in Shanghai, and it was barely able to handle the current scale of exports.

Not to mention the export trade in the southeastern coastal areas that exploded hundreds, thousands, and even tens of thousands of times later.

Therefore, Wei Dong was willing to dedicate himself to this national strategic asset.

I don't need anything in return!

Because it is obvious that only by taking the right path can the entire economic situation be turned around and put on the right track.

But this isn't about putting myself in charge of powerful weapons!

He had initially thought it was just a small port on the outskirts of Shenzhen, or at most a container company. Taking over for the country wasn't an option; he could at least shirk responsibility by simply lending his name to it.

The result is a national-level project!

Who would dare to take this?

Not to mention the docks, Guangguo Group holds 30% of the shares.

Even a fool could imagine that this would be a behemoth worth billions in the future; how could a private entrepreneur like myself possibly hold a significant stake?

Even a fool could guess how many people would be drooling over this in the future.

He was like a kid walking through a bustling city with a gold nugget in his arms: "Uncle Fang, please don't hurt me, I beg you, look, I refused when they asked me to get involved in the bank, and you spoke up for me, I thought you were helping me, but it turns out this is going to kill me! I might as well go and take over that bank."

Unexpectedly, Lao Fang said it was possible: "I'm preparing to apply to set up a bank to attract investment during the reform and opening up period. You can do that too..."

The reason Wei Dong had heard of this bank was actually because of this!

Seeing his distraught appearance, Lao Fang chuckled: "Also, I just started an insurance company last year. Why don't you get involved there? With so many people on your team, you'd be perfect for running an insurance business."

It shattered all the bones in Wei Dong's body!
He knew this was the time for land grabbing, but he never expected that the person he was following was a bank, grabbing insurance land.

That's a really high-level game of yours.

His voice trembled: "You said you wouldn't do finance..."

Actually, I was already a bit confused. These words should have been said by the former leader of Shangzhou.

They are all veteran underground cadres who came from the war years, so it's easy to confuse them.

Old Fang's fighting strength is many times stronger: "That's right, the best defense is offense. I'll take care of the financial part first, and if others want to attack again, they'll have to fight me head-on."

My God, these are god-level strategies!

Even with his third eye open, Wei Dong felt overwhelmed and couldn't keep up: "Really, I'm telling the truth, no, leader, please let me go. I can still do many other things for the Party and the country. This burden is going to crush me."

Old Fang looked at him with a smile: "The more you refuse, the more I believe you can do this well, because you clearly see this heavy responsibility and are not blinded by position or wealth. That is the most commendable thing."

Wei Dong had no choice but to pull up a folding stool and sit down. His daughter, who was on his chest, looked back at her father with a bit of curiosity, probably feeling his intense heartbeat.

"No, no, I'm just overwhelmed with selfish thoughts. You see, right now all I can think about is how to survive. In the near future, we'll be facing disputes over the direction of reforms. How can private entrepreneurs control such a vital national asset? They'd kill me for that. In the long term, it'll be a highly coveted prize for all sorts of powerful forces. This is a path with a slim chance of survival... no, it's a path with no chance of survival at all. Really, I have two children, and parents and grandparents in their seventies and eighties to support. I'm just going to refuse to take over no matter what..."

They were thinking to themselves, "Why don't I just go and roll around on the ground!"
If Wei Dong hadn't been carrying the baby on his chest, he might have actually done it.

Old Fang laughed heartily and pulled over a stool to sit down face-to-face for a heart-to-heart talk: "That's great. Without me saying anything, you've already realized that what we have now is a struggle over policy, and what we'll have in the future is a struggle over interests. You'll definitely be able to find ways to fight against that."

Wei Dong decided to roll onto the ground even if it meant abandoning his child: "You should find a loyal and courageous guy to carry the explosives. I can't take the blast. Why should I risk my business when I'm doing a perfectly good job?"

Old Fang slowly stopped laughing: "I've said it before, I still have to teach those people, I have to scold them, and they still have to argue and negotiate with me. But you just cheat and know everything you should do. I'm retiring in a few years. Are you going to give up halfway?"

Seeing Wei Dong's expression, he knew that trying to cheat was useless, so he could only frown and remain silent.

Old Fang is indeed a veteran revolutionary. He has done great things all his life and now treats it like a piece of cake: "Your biggest weakness is that you will be targeted because of your identity as a private entrepreneur, but your biggest advantage is that you have distanced yourself from state-owned assets and the system from beginning to end, right?"

Wei Dong was left feeling powerless: "Yeah, even if I've gotten involved in the slightest thing, they can use it to punish me for embezzling state-owned assets. I understand."

Old Fang nodded: "I understand, that's why I asked you to marry that Miss Qin, obtain Hong Kong residency, and acquire shares as a Hong Kong businessman. That way, no one can mess with you."

It felt like Wei Dong had been electrocuted by 100,000 volts, with every cell in his body being shocked.

But what I was thinking was, "Old Yu, Old Yu, I'll eventually end up like you... Well, I can't possibly marry four at the same time, can I? Oh dear, how am I going to explain this to Dong Lao Er when I get home? Wait, I'm thinking about how to explain this to everyone."

Myriad thoughts raced by like a herd of horses galloping across the grasslands.

Old Fang was a man of keen insight; he believed that the young man had lost out because of his looks.

He didn't show any smugness: "I've been studying Ms. Qin's situation these past few days. She's a capable assistant to you in many ways, and she has a good reputation and influence in the Hong Kong business community, which will be helpful for your future work in Hong Kong."

Wei Dong was speechless: "I am Chinese, I live in Jiangzhou... Let me think, my mind is a bit confused, besides, I still have to talk to them about whether they are willing or not."

Old Fang stood up and patted him on the shoulder: "I've been married and divorced several times. This is the simplest and most effective insurance. You can also call and ask for advice on other matters."

Wei Dong initially thought it was the mother of two children, but the force of the pat on the shoulder made him realize there was another meaning behind it.

(End of this chapter)