My Lord, you need to stand up!

Chapter 698 It wasn't for the money that he did this.
Because the significance of the Yuepeng Expressway is unique.

The kind that's hard to find a substitute for.

There can be several docks, and highways can form a network in the future, but for the entire Pearl River Delta region, this highway, which has been built from scratch, is of great significance.

However, it is quite difficult.

The only high-grade highway under construction nationwide is the one that runs from the Santana car factory in Shanghai to the city center, a distance of about ten or twenty kilometers.

That could be described as a test road for modern car manufacturers.

Moreover, the towns along the highway are not completely closed off, and vehicles may suddenly appear at any intersection.

This first phase of the highway, stretching over ten kilometers in eastern Guangdong, can be considered a true test of a highway.

This has sparked a lot of debate: "I also want to build it, but people keep asking if it's necessary! The experimental expressway from Yuezhou to Foguan costs three million yuan per kilometer, which is already an astronomical price, and many people are complaining!"

He added, "There are even more people who make trouble for you than I am."

After all, there's really nothing wrong with Wei Dong's business; it's just that private companies make too much money and the scale is too large.

The private business owner corrected: "Three million? When was that data from? Now it's eighteen million. The actual cost per kilometer of construction is more than five million. The rest is for demolition, bridge construction... No, the cost of highways can't be calculated like that. This is called productive investment. Every penny invested drives the development of steel, cement, and manpower. All industries benefit from this financial support."

Old Fang was distressed: "I understand the reasoning, but you have to know that some people are good at fighting, and when they make judgments on this kind of thing, they think that several million per kilometer is too outrageous and they firmly disagree. That's why Guangdong first built a dozen kilometers to test the waters. Many people don't believe that there is any difference between highways and expressways."

A netizen named Wei Dong, who knows everything, commented: "When it comes to war, highways are even more necessary. A bunch of tanks can be transported to the required direction at any time, greatly improving efficiency, so there's no need to put tanks in every direction."

A former artillery regimental commander mocked the layman: "You know how to fight a war? But do you know how to have a baby? Go tell me!"

This made Wei Dong back down: "What right do I, a private entrepreneur, have to say such things? You go..."

Old Fang cursed, "I still want to work hard for a few more years, not go to jail: 'Just wait, you're only in your early twenties, what's the rush? You're forcing this old man who's about to retire to hang himself!'"

There's really no superior-subordinate relationship or age gap anymore; it's just colleagues venting to each other.

Those people at the West Wharf who usually treat Lao Fang like he's a tiger would be incredibly envious if they saw the treatment Rang Weidong is receiving.

But it was precisely this that made Wei Dong skip over the point of still caring about that; he was just as troubled: "Wait? You just said three million per kilometer, and if we wait, it will become more than five million. If we wait any longer, you should know how high prices are actually. How much will prices increase if we wait another year? It could even multiply several times over in a few years..."

He now understands why he had a stereotype that highways cost hundreds of millions of dollars per kilometer—it's inflation.

The price index has soared in the last few years.

Various statistical data can be manipulated, but the actual construction cost is what it is; if you don't have enough money, you simply can't complete the project.

Old Fang was stuck. He cursed Wei Dong for digging a hole for him and causing trouble, but he still gritted his teeth and went to talk to the people in Guangdong Province.

Actually, people in eastern Guangdong have always dreamed of building it; it's just a matter of mindset.

Two days later, when Wei Dong had basically confirmed the location of the basketball court, Lao Fang responded with a string of curses: "The province is willing to bear all the costs of demolition and land acquisition, but no bank dares to pay that much money. More than 2 billion yuan! Damn it, if we just say it's a toll road, we'll be cursed to death. Nobody wants to use this toll road. We'll definitely lose money and not be able to recover the loans... These bastards!"

Wei Dong was speechless. He drove between Yuepeng and other places and indeed felt that the traffic flow was not large enough.

After all, the more than 100 kilometers from Yuezhou to Pengzhen have not yet developed to the point where both sides of the national highway are densely packed with various industrial parks.

Even the urban area of ​​Lianpengzhen is still a construction site, and the West District Industrial Park is full of lychee groves.

However, the construction of a road takes two to three years, and this development process coincides perfectly with the take-off.

The saying "If you want to get rich, build roads first" means that you have to "first" if you want to get rich; it's a prerequisite.

It felt like when cadres from the poverty alleviation office went to the countryside and earnestly persuaded impoverished areas to build roads first, only to be met with various rejections.

depressed!

At this point, Lao Fang brought up the old topic again: "Why don't we set up the bank?"

When Lao Fang brought Wei Dong to Pengzhen last year, he said that he had already started an insurance company and was thinking of starting a bank.

Wei Dong is now on high alert: "You're not trying to lure me in, are you? I'm already the one who sticks my neck out, and I don't want to get shot."

Old Fang spread his hands: "I have no money!"

Wei Dong quickly replied, "I don't have any money either!"

Old Fang exposed him: "Your child's mother is collecting money every day when she goes back to Jiangzhou!"

Wei Dong was both terrified and amused: "That's just a small amount of money, it's all sales revenue. Banks ask for billions every time, so don't even think about my little bit."

Old Fang, who already owned an insurance company, still had more financial acumen than Wei Dong: "But you now have the ability to generate hundreds of billions of dollars in funds. This time, you managed to get over 2 billion Hong Kong dollars worth of shore excavators out of thin air. That's credit. Now that you have that credit, you can gather Hong Kong businessmen to set up a bank!" Wei Dong immediately understood: "Isn't it you who's running the bank? How come it's me who's gathering them?"

Old Fang skillfully shifted the blame: "I'm old and want to retire. You're more efficient than me, and you haven't been influenced by the state-owned enterprise style. I wanted to start this bank and insurance company by exploring the private sector model, but it's still full of the drawbacks of the state-owned enterprise system. We should bring you in as the major shareholder to completely reform this situation!"

Wei Dong remained unmoved and refused: "No, no, no, Uncle Fang, please let me go. I don't want to go to jail. Can you let me serve the people properly? I've already retreated to Hong Kong to live a low-key life!"

Old Fang was inspired by him: "This private bank is Hong Kong-funded, and you are in charge, but the money comes from Hong Kong businessmen. You are only responsible for managing the money. You don't have any money yourself. You only get a salary of one dollar a year. Isn't that what your real estate company does?"

Wei Dong frowned and muttered, "I didn't make any money, but I can make a fortune off this! That's enough for a life sentence, or at worst, a suspended death sentence!"

Old Fang laughed heartily: "Young comrade, you have a lot of complaints and grievances. Well then, let's do it this way. It means that 70% of the actual investment in the entire highway is from Hong Kong capital, but you control 21%, plus the 30% controlling stake in the provincial government's land acquisition. The bank is a subsidiary of a state-owned enterprise in Pengzhen West District. That's fine, I'll go and talk to them again!"

In fact, Wei Dong's muttering was tantamount to tacit approval.

Just as the old leaders of Shangzhou said back then, reform is still a war.

He once dedicated his entire youth to the liberation of Shangzhou, but he was also a stumbling block to the reform of Shangzhou.

This would allow Wei Dong to avoid involvement in the war and comfortably earn his own money.

But like this highway, once it's built, it can change the economy, reduce highway robbery, and save countless lives.

This is the greatest reward a lord-level leader could give to an orphan and widow after witnessing Red Spider's killing spree.

He has moved past the stage of feeling pity for orphans and widows; what he can do is to fundamentally change the face of society.

That's awesome.

Even something as simple as returning to the basketball company is like this.

Originally, Hong Kong basketball fans offered a variety of basketball court options, including open-air, indoor, university, community, commercial center, and even those on an island.

Some even received invitations from school officials, district councilors, and village chiefs acting as guarantors.

It's the kind of surplus that comes twenty or thirty years from now when the mainland economy develops and there are many choices available.

But Lao Heng called him and said there was a pier warehouse behind his group building in Tsim Sha Tsui on the Yau Ma Tei waterfront, and suggested turning it into a basketball court.

Yau Tsim Mong refers to the old town areas of Yau Ma Tei, Tsim Sha Tsui, and Mong Kok on the Hong Kong Peninsula.

Tsim Sha Tsui is the most prominent part of Hong Kong Island, separated from Hong Kong Island by the bay. It is a scenic spot, a bustling pier, and a modern and prosperous commercial and cultural center.

Mong Kok is a large area of ​​bustling and crowded small markets, the most unique streets in Hong Kong.

Yau Ma Tei is an old port and dock.

Li Bancheng and his team are currently focusing on building a new container terminal, so the old terminal is still under consideration.

Most of the crane ships that Qin Yuye used to buy up at rock-bottom prices were moored at this old dock, leaving many empty dock warehouses.

Old Heng clearly realized that this "traffic buzz" could drive up the price of the land.

The court was given to Wei Dong for free: "It's a five-year term. We'll see how things go by then. I guess you're just using it as a starting point for practice. If you want to make it big, you'll definitely need to move to another location."

During the latter part of his wife's birthday banquet, everyone asked Rang Weidong what he was doing in Hong Kong. When they told him he wanted to promote the development of basketball in Hong Kong, no one found it outrageous.

Just like how people might think playing golf or even polo is just for show, it's actually a pretty popular sport in Citibank right now, so it's kind of like pandering to Citibank.

Wei Dong went to see it, and since it was a huge, empty space, they immediately adjusted it to be similar in structure to their original food street.

Since there was enough height, a two-story steel frame was built around it.

The upper floor is filled with sloping seats, which not only allow for a view of the two basketball courts below, but also utilize the space under the steel frame on the second floor to create a beverage and food bar, quickly transforming this warehouse into a "sports arena" that can accommodate two to three thousand spectators.

The combination of the two venues is a very unique design.

At this point, Wei Dong was still focused on attracting young people in Hong Kong and enhancing his social influence; he wasn't thinking about making money.

After all, they've already opened a bank, so why would they be short of making money?

After getting Wei Dong to confirm the "ball court" project, he passed on the idea of ​​Shenzhen Investment Bank to Lao Heng and Uncle De.

They immediately approved the investment!
This is even more certain than the previous purchase of dozens of shore-based aircraft.

(End of this chapter)