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

The three met in front of the courtyard gate.

"Chief Steward Zhao, Director Pei, it's been a long time." Lou Xiao'e smiled and nodded to the two of them.

Zhao Lichun adjusted his glasses, looking at the powerful female tycoon before him, his tone tinged with emotion: "Chairwoman Lou, the incredible contributions you've made to our country overseas over the past few years are legendary in the mainland. I heard that last month, you practically 'bought' back three top-tier precision bearing production lines from the United States?"

Lou Xiao'e smiled faintly and adjusted her shawl over her shoulders: "Manager Zhao, you flatter me. It's all thanks to the chairman's planning behind the scenes. Without the country as a strong backing, no matter how many US dollars I have abroad, I can't knock on the iron gates of those overseas tycoons."

Pei Yihong stepped forward, his bloodshot eyes gleaming with fanaticism.

"Chairman Lou, those three bearing production lines have solved a critical problem for our Hanjiang region! You don't know, the chassis of our newly manufactured heavy-duty trucks always malfunctions on rough roads because the steel balls in the bearings aren't machined with enough precision. With the equipment you sent back, next month, our trucks will be able to drive directly onto the plateau at an altitude of 4,000 meters!"

The three of them chatted as they walked into the courtyard.

Passing through the screen wall in the front yard, they arrived at the spacious and bright main hall.

Lin Yang was sitting in a large rosewood armchair.

He was wearing a simple white shirt with a dark gray wool vest over it.

At fifty-five, his temples were already streaked with silver. But his upright, pine-like figure and his deep, cold eyes, like a bottomless abyss, made him even more unapproachable than in his youth.

It was the absolute imperial power that had settled down after controlling the lives and deaths of countless people and dominating the economic trends of a nation.

"President!"

The three of them walked to the center of the hall and stopped in unison, their expressions extremely solemn.

Zhao Lichun even subconsciously bent over, as if he had returned to the time when he was in the cowshed in the basement, looking up at the gods.

"Everyone's here. Please have a seat." Lin Yang raised his hand slightly and pointed to the mahogany chairs on either side.

Tian Yu came out of the inner room carrying a tea tray, smiling as she served everyone a cup of fragrant Longjing tea.

"Yangzi, you two chat first. I'll go to the kitchen to see if Uncle He needs any help," Tian Yu said gently, then left the hall, leaving the space to these important national officials who were stirring up trouble.

Lin Yang picked up the teacup and gently skimmed off the foam.

"With the arrival of spring, how is the situation in Handong now?" Lin Yang cut straight to the point without any pleasantries.

Zhao Lichun immediately sat up straight, placed his hands on his knees, and reported in a calm and steady voice: "Reporting to the Chairman, the GDP growth rate of the Handong Region has once again ranked first in the country this year. The coal chemical industry belt and high-tech development zone we have built have formed a complete closed loop."

Zhao Lichun adjusted his glasses, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes, and continued, "As for the administrative level... Chief Gao has been keeping a close eye on me these past few years. I'm in charge of attracting investment and infrastructure, while he's in charge of the rule of law and anti-corruption efforts. In Handong, we're like two interlocking gears."

"Is there any friction?" Lin Yang asked casually.

"Yes, and there was a lot of friction." Zhao Lichun gave a wry smile, but his tone revealed a sense of relief. "In order to grab foreign investment projects, I sometimes tried to skirt the edges of policies, and Chief Gao would immediately come to me with an official document from the National Development and Reform Commission to reprimand me. Several times, the two of us slammed our fists on the table and argued at each other in the provincial party committee standing committee meetings. The cadres below all thought we were going to have a complete falling out."

Lin Yang put down his teacup and looked at him quietly.

Zhao Lichun took a deep breath, his expression becoming extremely solemn.

"But Chairman, I, Zhao Lichun, am now completely convinced by your arrangements. Friction aside, this machine is spinning faster and more steadily. With Chief Gao's legal shield behind us, I feel much more confident negotiating with foreign investors. I don't need to worry about accidentally slipping into the abyss of corruption, nor do I need to worry about Handong's interests being devoured by unscrupulous capital. Through a combination of orthodox and unorthodox methods, we've transformed Handong into the most transparent and efficient economic engine in the country!"

Listening to Zhao Lichun's heartfelt words, Lin Yang nodded slightly.

This double-edged sword, under his tutelage, finally achieved its perfect balance.

Zhao Lichun abandoned his ambition to be a "local tyrant," and Gao Yuliang stepped out of his ivory tower of study. Together, they achieved the glory of Handong.

"Yihong, how about you over there?" Lin Yang turned his gaze to Pei Yihong.

Pei Yihong's weathered face instantly radiated a fervent sense of industrial pride.

"Chairman, the heavy industry of the Han River region has been completely reborn!"

Pei Yihong's voice trembled with excitement, "Back then, you faced immense pressure and approved 5 billion yuan in infrastructure bonds for me. Now, all three deep-water inland ports with a capacity of 10 million tons each are operational. The industrial parks along the Han River are densely packed with joint ventures and wholly-owned electrical appliance manufacturers!"

Pei Yihong took a data report out of his briefcase and handed it to Lin Yang with both hands.

"By leveraging our strategy of exchanging market access for technology, we have thoroughly mastered the core technologies of motors and compressors from three major overseas home appliance manufacturers. Just last month, our domestically developed 'Red Star' brand fully automatic washing machine and frost-free refrigerator officially rolled off the production line! They have not only swept the domestic market but have even begun loading onto ships, ready for export to Southeast Asia and the African continent!"

"We are no longer just laborers smelting crude steel; we are now the largest high-end manufacturing center in the entire continent!"

Looking at the encouraging figures on the report, Lin Yang finally smiled with satisfaction.

He turned his head and looked at Lou Xiao'e, who was sitting on the far side.

"Xiao'e, has the Oceanwide Group extended its reach overseas far enough?"

Lou Xiao'e straightened her back, her beautiful eyes revealing a ruthlessness and shrewdness unique to female tyrants.

"Godfather, in the past three years, Ocean Group has registered 142 offshore shell companies overseas. Our financial network has penetrated Wall Street across the ocean and Frankfurt in the West."

Lou Xiao'e's voice was very low, but every word was as heavy as a thousand pounds.

"That so-called 'technology embargo agreement' overseas is practically a piece of waste paper in the face of our financial offensive and underground channels. As long as it's precision machine tools, semiconductor lithography machine prototypes, or special alloy formulas that our domestic military and heavy industries specifically request, I have ways to safely transport them back to our Southern Special Economic Zone through transshipment trade in South America or third-party transit ports in Africa!"

Lou Xiao'e sneered: "Overseas intelligence agencies have shut down over a dozen of our shell companies, but they'll never find the ultimate source of funding. We're like an invisible blood vessel attached to the heart of Western industry, continuously supplying the nation's industrial revival with top-quality nutrients!"