My Lord, you need to stand up!

Chapter 953 Who's Next to Get on the Tight?

About a year ago, the man from Wanqing who was engaged in export trade was detained to cooperate with the central investigation team.

Wu Shengyun had already reported that this company had been trading agricultural products along the lower reaches of the Yangtze River since 82.

Don't underestimate Wanqing City. Historically, it was the capital of Anhui Province for many years. The first steam engine and motorboat were both built here.

Located between Echang and Jinling, it is not far from Dongting Lake.

It is a typical place that connects people from all over the world and is good at utilizing water transport.

So as soon as reform and opening up began, we found the right direction to exert our efforts.

This was a much faster start than when Wei Dong had to sell cured meat to accumulate initial capital.

So in 1986, when Weidong's domestic output value reached about 200 million US dollars and its overseas output value reached 60 to 70 million US dollars, its foreign trade output value had already exceeded 100 million US dollars!
Actually, you can see Wei Dong's caution at this point. Domestic is domestic, and overseas is overseas; the two don't really overlap.

There were only a few jeans and beef exports at that time, and computer OEM factories were just starting to ramp up their efforts.

This part of the foreign trade settlement was all handled by Shanghai Vacuum Electronics Factory and other relevant parties.

In 1987, Apple Computer experienced a major boom. With ample funds, it no longer had anything to do with mainland China and went directly from Hong Kong.

Moreover, upon discovering the possibility of policy criticism or potential upheaval, they immediately fled to Hong Kong like frightened birds.

They have now completely secured the computer manufacturing industry in the Shanghai area, with an annual output value of four to five billion US dollars, and are also involved in the scale of two automobile industry chains. Furthermore, they control a television station in Hong Kong.

Only then did they return safely.

Very careful.

But this one is different; like You Qili, Murong in the South and Qiao Feng in the North, he is very high-profile.

In the past two years, he has frequently appeared at various economic reform conferences, publicly speaking and promoting his foreign trade model.

He held various positions with strong support from the provincial government.

His actions were in accordance with local policies at the time.

The current situation involves a conflict between local innovation and higher-level control, and accountability will be pursued according to the new regulations.

This is going to be investigated...

Those who have experienced this situation know that the bigger the situation, the worse it gets.

Because if Wei Dong is just a melon seed seller, the biggest loss, besides the sack of melon seeds, would be the little ambition that this greenhorn has just begun to realize.

There's really nothing else to lose.

But large enterprises are a different story. With an annual output value of hundreds of millions of dollars, a cash flow shortage will inevitably lead to shutdowns and wage cuts.

Delayed payments and unpaid wages can cause the cash flow to collapse instantly.

After a year of investigation, the entire company had collapsed and fallen apart.

The only valuable asset he owns that he can sell is a fleet of ships weighing over 200,000 tons, worth more than 30 million yuan.

It can be said that during the years when this region made great strides, the main profits were used for shipbuilding.

It not only boosted the shipbuilding industry in Anhui and Qinghai, but also spurred the rapid development of the shipping industry.

This is the core issue that Wei Dong discussed with that person from the Economic Commission: even if this person's exploration has some flaws, we must clearly understand the impact on related economic development if we rashly interrupt it.

However, it seems that the opinions of the governance and control authorities prevailed, which is the biggest reason why Wei Dong went to Shenzhen and Hong Kong without hesitation when he learned of this news last year.

Just like Jiangzhou, the momentum that had just begun here has come to an abrupt halt.

This allowed Wei Dong to retreat with ease, so at least the production of the entire factory area in the Economic Development Zone was not affected in any way.

Although the production scale has not expanded, the residential area is still under construction in an orderly manner.

Shangzhou also operates within the management of the Beijiaochang Development Zone, encompassing new city real estate development and factory production.

It simply paused the momentum of development.

Observe and wait for the situation to develop.

The situation in Anhui and Qinghai is rather dire, which can only be attributed to the fact that the scale of development was too fast and too large, resulting in a significant impact.

The area where the high-speed boat docked became quite desolate.

Wu Shengyun pointed in a direction: "They are mostly self-propelled cargo ships of three to five thousand tons. They transport the cargo to the outer port of Shanghai and then transfer it to large ships of ten thousand tons, or transport it along the coast themselves. Only half of them are the kind of long-haul fleet that we usually use upstream."

The local branch manager was even more direct: "The city asked us if we could purchase and take over these ships to alleviate the current situation. More importantly, could we help the company fulfill its original soybean export orders?"

What Wei Dong saw was the mess of contracts left behind by You Qili after he was imprisoned four years ago.

He even speculated that You Qili might be trying to use these agricultural product purchase contracts scattered throughout the commune and brigades as leverage in his own negotiations. But without a word, he was arrested anyway.

In the end, it was Rang Weidong and Dong Xueying, who were learning to drive, who led the transportation company to complete the acquisition contract. To this day, they continue to acquire citrus fruits every year, and the amount of construction sand and gravel they collect has doubled.

But the soybeans in front of us are a real slap in the face to this management situation.

Wei Dong slowly tapped his fingers on the table: "Thinking deeper, could it be that someone deliberately pushed us to slap them in the face? Why is it allowed for our economic reforms but not for his? Could this become fodder for someone to cry foul everywhere?"

This is the strategic vision that comes from being used to being in charge and having seen through human nature.

Wu Shengyun and the branch manager's expressions changed slightly: "Is it that dangerous?"

Wei Dong's main point was to remind his right-hand man: "Xiao Yun, you're good at doing business, but you're prone to getting caught up in local squabbles and being blinded by short-term gains. Once you understand the ins and outs of this matter, you'll know how to handle it."

He wasn't afraid of trouble: "From our perspective, the reason they were punished is because of tax evasion, foreign exchange arbitrage, and operating under the guise of state-owned enterprises while transferring profits to private individuals. Especially the last one, which is using the private sector to undermine state-owned assets, is the key reason why many people can't stand it. We just need to address that."

Isn't this the same tactic he used to help You Qili finish his citrus and sand business?

The problem with a business deal isn't the business itself, but how the person handled it.

Wu Shengyun immediately realized: "Purchase soybean orders, pay taxes according to law, and return the profits to state-owned assets?"

Wei Dong nodded: "We won't buy these ships, but we can pay part of the funds to lease them. These funds will also help solve the survival problems of upstream and downstream companies in the process. We are just helping out to ensure that the ships are not idle, the orders are completed, and the staff continue to receive their salaries. If this guy ever comes back to the scene, we can return everything to him, from the companies to the ships."

The branch managers were all dumbfounded. Was it really just a good deed, and they didn't want anything in return for helping out?

Wu Shengyun knew the boss better: "At this stage, what we do with these ships is our business, right?"

Wei Dong smiled and said, "Actually, I suggested that we not use those soybeans for foreign trade. We are not familiar with this business route. We can transport them to Shangzhou to use our corn bioengineering for feed. This can be considered as us helping to digest the purchased agricultural products. However, these funds go directly back to the affiliated department's account and have nothing to do with us. At most, we will collect some transportation fees."

Wu Shengyun was already winking and making faces. These days, the most precious thing is actually transportation capacity!

Four years ago, it was through transporting citrus fruits and sand that Wei Dong realized this distribution and transportation capability, which led him to start a nationwide travel mode after the Spring Festival, no longer limiting himself to Shangzhou.

The situation remains the same. They deliberately avoid touching the ownership of the ship, which is worth tens of millions, and do not get involved in the ownership dispute that some people care about most at this time. They simply make use of the ship that is subject to the restrictions in the case, and once the matter is sorted out, they may even be able to return the ship and the company that operates it to the other party.

This made Wei Dong realize that the other party hadn't done anything wrong. Even if they were evading taxes, it was the same as You Qili's refrigerator business—they were exploiting policy loopholes.

It's fine to tighten and adjust policies now to close loopholes, but to use this as a basis to investigate back several years to recover embezzled funds or to set up a precedent is a bit...unpleasant.

With a shipping capacity of over 200,000 tons, Wu Shengyun's fleet size could be expanded tenfold!
His previous Yangtze River cargo transshipment capacity was only 20,000 to 30,000 tons.

Now we've upgraded our equipment; we can make a lot of money just from transporting stone.

Not to mention the various internal cargo transfers along the route now.

Wu Shengyun immediately understood Wei Dong's attitude, and deliberately waited until they left before going to talk to the city in the name of Dongsheng Shipping.

Regardless of whether the investigation team here will produce results over the years, it is merely using the name of a commercial organization to lease this part of the ships involved in the case to guarantee their use and solve employment issues.

Moreover, the vessels must clear their "debts" and have no financial problems before they can set sail.

Therefore, all the shipbuilding debts, crew wages, and fuel consumption costs involved can be resolved through this lease.

Finally, we purchased and transported the 100,000 tons of unplanned soybeans that had already been stockpiled in the city. As for where we sell them, that's our own business.

Of course, the soybean purchase price is based on the national price, so Weidong won't ask for any compensation here.

At 18 cents a pound, that's 36 million!

The key point is this: apart from government funding, it's extremely difficult for any private enterprise to come up with such a large sum of money to get out of this predicament.

Previously, it must have relied on a scheme like You Qili's, where they would collect deposits on one side and hold onto payments for goods on the other, essentially making money out of thin air. Only after the goods were shipped out and payment was received would the invoice be released.

It would collapse if it encountered this kind of investigation.

So the previous proposal was to use the money from selling the ship, which was worth over 30 million, to pay for the soybean purchases in the surrounding area.

As a result, Wei Dong and his group, being both wealthy and shrewd, were willing to pay, but refused to buy the ship, and even offered to take the soybeans themselves.

Every step they take is unexpected.

So when Wei Dong and his group stopped at Echang, it was the perfect time to eat crayfish and see cherry blossoms.

The branch manager naturally knows where to find time-honored restaurants with delicious food.

Everyone ate, shopped, and bought a lot of things before returning to the ship.

After spending two more days at Yueyang Tower eating fish from Dongting Lake, even those arrogant mechanics who only spoke English started asking about the salary and benefits they could get for working there.

When they stopped in front of the hydropower station dam to enjoy the local fish hotpot, Wu Shengyun, who had finally finalized the soybean purchase, arrived almost one after the other to meet up with Brother Jie.

(End of this chapter)