Courtyard House: From Deputy Division Commander to Civilian, Progressing All the Way

The atmosphere in the core meeting room of the National Industrial Development Leading Group was solemn and respectful.

Several veterans who followed the development of China's industry from its humble beginnings to its current well-established system and are now in charge of the nation's industrial development sat around a long conference table.

Zhao Gang from the General Administration of Machinery Industry was sitting in the back. When he saw Lin Yang push the door open and enter, he nodded slightly in greeting.

Lin Yang walked with steady, military steps to the reserved seat and sat down, his back ramrod straight, exuding an aura of seasoned veteran.

The senior leader, sitting at the head of the table, looked around the room and finally fixed his gaze on Lin Yang.

"Comrade Lin Yang has arrived, so let's get straight to the point." The old leader's voice carried a strong local accent, yet it revealed a far-sighted strategic vision. "Comrades, our country's current industrial development momentum can be described as blazing hot oil and blooming flowers. This excellent situation has not come easily."

He picked up his teacup, gently skimming the tea leaves from the surface, and abruptly changed the subject: "But the problems reported from below are alarming! Multiple management bodies and fragmented responsibilities mean that a key joint venture factory project requires over thirty official stamps from various departments at headquarters, taking half a year to get it off the ground!"

As he spoke, he gently tapped his teacup on the table, making a dull thud: "Foreign businesses can't wait, and our country's industrial development can't wait either! I've called everyone here today to make a major decision and carry out a major overhaul. The leading group, in conjunction with multiple departments, has decided to completely divest and reorganize the core functions of the existing Industrial Planning and Coordination Department, Economic Operation Department, and System Reform Office."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of several senior department heads present changed slightly. Everyone understood that this was a major reshuffle involving core powers and responsibilities.

"We will establish a brand-new core coordinating body with absolute macroeconomic control and reform approval authority." The old leader announced, word by word, "This new body will be tentatively named the National Industrial Reform and Development Coordination Committee."

A collective gasp filled the conference room.

National Industrial Reform and Development Coordination Committee.

The names may not sound as prestigious as those of traditional bureaus or departments, but who among you isn't a veteran who has spent decades working your way up in the industrial system? You can instantly sense the weight behind those dozen or so words.

By combining the three core powers of planning and scheduling, economic operation, and reform promotion, it is no ordinary industry committee, but clearly the central brain of the entire industrial system, the primary core department in charge of the approval of national industrial projects, resource allocation, and development direction.

"This coordinating committee reports directly to the National Industrial Development Leading Group," the old leader continued, his gaze sweeping across the room like a sharp sword. "After multiple rounds of careful study and repeated evaluation, it was finally decided that Comrade Lin Yang would be transferred to serve as the first director of the committee."

boom!

The appointment was like a thunderclap, exploding in the conference room.

Even Lin Yang himself couldn't help but show a hint of shock in his usually deep and cold eyes.

Let him take charge of this brand-new core organization?

This means that although his job title and rank have not changed significantly, his authority and responsibilities have completely expanded beyond the single field of heavy industry.

From now on, whether it's building inter-provincial industrial transport lines or initiating large-scale hydropower station projects across the country;

Whether it's introducing advanced Western production lines worth tens of billions of yuan or setting national guidance prices for coal and steel;

Whether it's the approval of foreign investment access in coastal provinces or the industrial land quotas in inland provinces... everything must be signed by him and stamped with the official seal of the Coordinating Committee before it can take effect.

What astonishing power and responsibility this is! It's tantamount to handing over the power to allocate national industrial resources, approve projects, and control the pace of reforms entirely to him.

"I object!"

Before the shock had subsided, Old Zhang, who was in charge of planning and finance, suddenly stood up.

This veteran comrade dedicated his life to the field of industrial planning. He was upright and cautious, and had many concerns about such a sweeping institutional restructuring.

"Old leader, this kind of institutional restructuring with such a high concentration of power and responsibility is far too risky!" Old Zhang looked at the head of the table, his words earnest yet resolute. "The Coordinating Committee holds all the power and responsibility in its hands—price approvals, foreign exchange quotas, and infrastructure projects. This excessive concentration of power and responsibility violates the long-standing tradition of division of labor and checks and balances in our industrial system! If the lifeline of the entire industry's development is handed over to one institution or one person, who will step on the brakes if a strategic decision is made wrong? Who can bear this historical responsibility?"

He paused, then looked at Lin Yang: "Moreover, Comrade Lin Yang is a military man, and he's very good at heavy industry and tackling tough projects. But industrial reform is a delicate matter, involving light industry, agricultural support, foreign trade, and many other aspects. If we push it forward with the tough, uncompromising style of the military, wouldn't it backfire?"

This questioning was undeniably sharp, and several officials present who favored a more conservative approach nodded in agreement.

Faced with direct criticism, Lin Yang showed no anger whatsoever.

He slowly stood up, raised his hand to straighten the collar of his Zhongshan suit, his posture as upright as a spear piercing the sky.

Instead of responding to Mr. Zhang's questions, he walked straight to the huge national industrial planning map at the front of the conference room.

"From the perspective of traditional industry management, Mr. Zhang's concerns are entirely reasonable." Lin Yang's voice was deep and resonant, carrying the absolute confidence and composure honed by battlefield experience. "Division of labor and checks and balances can indeed reduce major mistakes. However, our industrial level is currently decades behind the West, and we are at a critical juncture where stagnation means regression. Excessive checks and balances are a slow poison that hinders development!"

He turned around abruptly, his deep gaze sweeping over the doubtful crowd like a searchlight.

"Comrades, we are racing against time! Just last week, a special steel plant under the Ministry of Heavy Industry was delayed for three months in its attempt to import a precision rolling mill from West Germany. This was because the approval of foreign exchange quotas and land for infrastructure construction were handled by different departments, and the process was repeatedly passed around. In the end, the foreign investor lost patience and sold the equipment to our neighboring competitor!"

Lin Yang's fingers slammed heavily on the conference table, producing a dull thud that resonated in everyone's hearts.

"Just because of this wrangling over a few official seals, our country's special armor steel smelting technology will lag behind the West by another five years! If we encounter special circumstances during these five years, how many frontline soldiers' lives will we have to sacrifice to make up for this gap?"

His eyes blazed with astonishing passion and determination: "You're afraid that centralized authority will lead to mistakes? Back in the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, when we faced the American mechanized elites, if the artillery had to wait for approval from the logistics, operations, and supply departments before firing, we would have been blown to smithereens by the American incendiary bombs long ago!"

"Industrial development is like a breakthrough battle in peacetime. In wartime, there must be a unified supreme command and the ability to make decisive decisions on the spot!"

Lin Yang placed his hands on the conference table, staring directly at the senior leader at the head of the table. His voice, booming like a great bell, made everyone's eardrums vibrate: "This Coordination Committee is the supreme command center for industrial reform. I, Lin Yang, here today pledge: if this responsibility is entrusted to me, even if I am shattered to pieces, I will use this swift blade to cut off all the shackles that hinder industrial take-off! If, during my term, the reform suffers an irreparable strategic mistake, without any organizational accountability, I, Lin Yang, will bear all the consequences, voluntarily resign, and utter not a single complaint!"

His words were firm and resounding, exuding an awe-inspiring power.

The entire conference room fell silent. The older comrades, who had initially harbored doubts, were all awestruck by his iron-willed spirit of putting personal gain aside and shouldering the fate of the nation's industry, and could no longer utter a single word of rebuttal.

The senior leader in the main seat looked at Lin Yang, his eyes flashing with undisguised admiration and satisfaction.

"Excellent! This is the spirit that we industrial workers, the backbone of the nation's industry, should have!"

He slammed his hand on the table, making a final decision: "This matter is no longer under discussion. Effective immediately, the National Industrial Reform and Development Coordination Committee is formally established, with Comrade Lin Yang serving as its first director, fully responsible for the committee's establishment and subsequent reform efforts!"