Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

Tan Zhenlin nodded.

The current situation at the Ministry of Land Reclamation is that it has some money. The various reclamation units under it also have some money. Tan Zhenlin needs to calculate how much money is available throughout the Ministry of Land Reclamation.

A vaccine factory was established in the north and south respectively. Li Shaocheng's two problems were solved.

Wei Hongjun said to Li Shaocheng, "The pig production issue is very important, and there's a huge demand for it in foreign trade. However, your Ministry of Agriculture must constantly monitor the balance between pig and grain production. Pig farming shouldn't compromise national unified purchase and marketing, and thus impact food security. Food security is paramount. Pig production growth shouldn't impact food security. This balance must be struck. Increases in pig production must be balanced with increases in grain production."

"Yes."

"Also, if you discover any problems in the future that the Ministry of Agriculture cannot resolve promptly, please report them to me or Comrade Deng Zhihui as soon as possible. Rural issues are very important and must be addressed immediately. There can be no carelessness or negligence, and there can be no delay."

"Yes."

"Today's meeting ends here. Everyone go back and rest." Wei Hongjun looked at his watch. It was already ten o'clock.

Of course, the others left, but Wei Hongjun stayed behind with Deng Zhihui because the two of them still had some matters to discuss. Wei Hongjun said, "I've read the report on the free market for agricultural and sideline products. What's the next step?"

After Wei Hongjun came back, he read the reports during this period.

The purchase and sale of agricultural and sideline products has shifted from state supply and marketing cooperatives and state-owned commercial companies to supply and marketing cooperatives at the city, county, and township levels. This is the first step, separating from state supply and marketing cooperatives and state-owned commercial companies.

Of course, the central government has not prohibited state supply and marketing cooperatives and state-owned commercial companies from participating in the free market for agricultural and sideline products. If you have the ability to compete with other supply and marketing cooperatives, we have no objection.

However, the Ministry of Commerce and the China Supply and Marketing Cooperatives have already issued an order. Participation in the free market for agricultural and sideline products is fine. However, if losses occur, they will be dealt with. Under such an order, most supply and marketing cooperative officials will not participate in the free market for agricultural and sideline products. Why bother causing trouble?

"The next step is to bring those rural cooperatives into the free market." "How are the preparations?"

"Everything is basically ready. But there's one issue I need to discuss with you. The Ministry of Commerce and the State Administration for Industry and Commerce have decided that in order to prevent rural cooperatives from rushing to open supply and marketing cooperatives, they've decided that supply and marketing cooperatives must obtain a license. These cooperatives, in order to become formal commercial companies, will have to pay 50 yuan for a license. Without a license, they won't be allowed to participate in the free market for agricultural and sideline products. Once licensed, they can trade in all county and township agricultural and sideline product markets. What do you think of this idea?"

Originally, this had nothing to do with Wei Hongjun.

This is the power of the Ministry of Commerce and the State Administration for Industry and Commerce.

Wei Hongjun was in charge of the free market for agricultural and sideline products, as well as rural affairs. This liberalization gave rural cooperatives an opportunity. But 50 yuan was no small sum.

According to the current market price of vegetables, you have to sell 3000 kilograms of vegetables, or 50 to 50 eggs to earn yuan. To earn yuan, I don't know how many vegetables and eggs and other agricultural and sideline products you need to sell.

For a cooperative, 50 yuan requires careful consideration rather than blindly launching it.

"50 yuan, 50 yuan."

Wei Hongjun thought for a while and said, "Okay."

Only when there is cost can we attach greater importance to it. Ordinary rural cooperatives should honestly cultivate the land, develop more agricultural and sideline industries while fulfilling national tasks, and honestly earn money from selling agricultural and sideline products.

Matters such as doing business should be left to courageous and capable rural cooperatives.

"As long as you agree."

Deng Zhihui said: "My biggest worry now is that if some cooperatives become supply and marketing cooperatives and make money, it is very likely that other cooperatives will be jealous. If the gap between the rich and the poor in rural cooperatives widens, it will easily lead to conflicts."

Wei Hongjun nodded.

It's not the lack of wealth that's worrying, but the inequality of it. This is a saying we should always remember. Envy of others' wealth is all too common among grassroots workers. Wei Hongjun and Deng Zhihui, both of whom have spent years working in rural areas, understand this situation better than anyone else.

Once jealousy sets in, and everyone attacks, serious problems will arise. As a leader, you must consider these things. Don't wait until problems arise before you start remediating them.

Wei Hongjun thought for a moment and said, "The only solution is to simultaneously increase the income of other cooperatives. If everyone's income increases, and everyone's living standards improve, then conflicts in this area will be reduced significantly. Even if some cooperatives become richer, conflicts won't be too intense."

"Ah."

That's what it says.

But accumulation in rural areas is not that easy.

How to increase rural income and how to improve rural living standards.

Wei Hongjun said, "Actually, there's a question I've been thinking about for a long time. Could you please help me with some advice? When the First Five-Year Plan ends and we formulate the Second Five-Year Plan, we should strive to provide some support to the rural areas. The First Five-Year Plan launched too many projects, but we lacked sufficient management and technical capabilities. As a result, the output of many factories has fallen far short of their designed output. Take the steel mills we've built in recent years, for example. Most of them are producing only one-third to one-half of their designed output. This is due to our current extensive management and insufficient technical capabilities. Therefore, when formulating the Second Five-Year Plan, we should emphasize consolidation and adjustment in industry, improving our management level and technical capabilities, rather than blindly pursuing expansion. Compared to the First Five-Year Plan, the Second Five-Year Plan should invest less in industry, and our finances should be slightly more inclined towards the rural areas."

"What exactly?"

Deng Zhihui was very serious.

Because what Wei Hongjun and Deng Zhihui discussed was about the Second Five-Year Plan.

1956 was the last year of the First Five-Year Plan, and 1957 would be the first year of the Second Five-Year Plan. Furthermore, 1957 was also the year of the Ninth National Congress of the Communist Party of China, and by then, there would be new adjustments within the Party. Such policy matters could easily affect personnel appointments at the Ninth National Congress.

"My idea is that starting from 1957, during the unified purchase and sale, we must not only slightly increase the purchase price of agricultural products such as grain, oil, and live pigs in rural areas. It does not need to be too much, just one or two cents per kilogram of grain, and one or two yuan per hundred kilograms of live pigs. In this way, the annual income of some cooperatives will increase by two to three thousand yuan, and the income of large-scale cooperatives can increase by four to five thousand yuan. For these cooperatives, this is already a very high income. Although the country's fiscal revenue will be reduced by two to three billion yuan, it will greatly promote rural development. It will also increase the enthusiasm of rural cooperatives for production. In conjunction with the increase in fertilizer production and the promotion of folk varieties, it will further increase the national grain production and further increase the income of Yili cooperatives. As long as rural cooperatives develop, they can consume more industrial products, which will also increase the growth of national finances. When the Second Power Plan comes, the grain purchase price will be raised. In this way, it will gradually increase.

The living standards in rural areas will also help stabilize rural areas.”

Wei Hongjun has thought about this a lot.

It's no problem to sustain spiritual nourishment for a few years, but it's very difficult to sustain it for more than ten or twenty years.

After all, no matter how important spiritual nourishment is, if life doesn't improve year after year, people lose their original enthusiasm. This was also true for rural farmers. Land reform, which gave them arable land, brought a great liberation to the peasants. The following years saw a peace without war, bandits, or landlords. This was the second great liberation. This liberation has sustained rural production enthusiasm to this day.

The peasants who had been liberated were also willing to listen to the country's propaganda.

In order to build the motherland, farmers can pay public grain and sell commercial grain at low prices. But this enthusiasm cannot last for more than ten years.

Therefore, the only solution is to adjust the grain purchase price every few years. On this basis, we should continue to encourage and publicize the policy, and then increase grain production, so that rural income will increase significantly.

After the growth rate of rural grain production slows down and the growth of rural cooperative income slows down, the grain purchase price will be raised again to increase the income of rural cooperatives and improve the quality of life of farmers.

This allows rural areas to maintain their enthusiasm for production for more than ten years.

As long as we can survive two or three five-year plans, China's basic industrialization will be basically completed. By then, industry will be able to feed back into agriculture, truly and comprehensively solving the rural food, clothing, housing and transportation problems, and life will get better and better.

However, if the central government is really stingy and only knows how to demand from the rural areas, it will easily dampen the enthusiasm of rural production, further affecting grain production and the development of agricultural and sideline industries.

Deng Zhihui thought for a long time and then slowly nodded.

Wei Hongjun never hid his thoughts on rural areas from Deng Zhihui, because only when the two of them reached a consensus on rural issues could their work proceed smoothly.

"I'd like to have the Policy Research Office come up with a plan on this issue. You can discuss this with them when you have time."

"Yes. We still have two years. When the Second Five-Year Plan is drawn up in 1956, we can present our Rural Work Department's ideas."

More than an hour passed as the two of them talked. Wei Hongjun was still young.

After all, he was only 39. But Deng Zhihui was 58 and still looked quite tired.

So Wei Hongjun said: "Then we'll stop here today."

947 Finalized

The members of the joint group are all senior central cadres.

However, everyone had been forged on the battlefield, and industrial leadership was at a macro level. When it came to the specific technical aspects of each industry, especially regarding the import of machinery and equipment, professional involvement was still necessary. So, the next day, when Wei Hongjun convened the first joint team cadre meeting, he proposed the establishment of a technical team and a foreign trade team. The technical team would be responsible for providing technical solutions to Wei Hongjun and his team, while the foreign trade team would be responsible for liaising with Jack Perry and European companies.

Everyone agreed.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, China and Western countries have always had trade, but it was mainly trade in agricultural and sideline products and industrial products. China exported agricultural and sideline products and purchased some industrial products from Western countries.

This is the first time we've imported a complete set of equipment like this, so we've been really careful.

After several rounds of consultation, the technical team appointed Zeng Shan, Director of the Fifth Office of the State Council, as its leader. Members included Zeng Qiang, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Vice Minister of Foreign Trade; Zhong Lin, Director of the China Technical Management Bureau and Director of the Central Metrology Bureau; and Zhang Youxuan, Member of the State Planning Commission and Director of the Machinery Bureau of the State Planning Commission. Other technical experts included Sui Shier, former Vice Minister of Heavy Industry, now retired and teaching at North China University of Technology; and Hou Debang, Member of the Department of Technical Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The technical strength is still very strong.

The Foreign Trade Group appointed Ye Jizhuang, Director of the State Council's Seventh Office and Minister of Foreign Trade, as its leader. Other officials joined included Deputy Minister of Finance Fang Yi and Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade Gao Weinong. After the Foreign Trade Group was established, they immediately packed up and headed south to Guangzhou.

Their mission was to negotiate with foreign companies like Jack Perry. The joint team, comprised of several Vice Premiers of the State Council, was already very busy, and couldn't possibly be solely focused on such a matter. Therefore, the team appointed Bo Shuchun, Director of the State Council's Third Office, as Secretary-General, and Li Xuefeng, Director of the Fourth Office, as Deputy Secretary-General. They would work with the technical team and various ministries to develop a plan.

Wei Hongjun and his team mainly reviewed the final plan.

Bo Shuchun's abilities were widely recognized. Although his career was affected by the national debt crisis, he was appointed Director of the Third Office of the State Council due to his outstanding performance at the Ministry of Finance.

After receiving the order, Bo Shuchun immediately began discussing the introduction plan. Meanwhile, Ye Jizhuang and his team had already contacted Jack Perry. Jack Perry had previously relayed information to China that he could broker the introduction of a urea fertilizer plant. This was primarily because Jack Perry had heard that China, Britain, and the United States were both interested in introducing a fertilizer industry during negotiations.

But this time China wants more than just a urea fertilizer plant.

This necessitated further discussions with Jack Perry, inquiring about the possibility of importing other complete sets of equipment. Jack Perry responded with a resounding affirmative: as long as it wasn't military equipment or anything too sensitive, importing the complete set of equipment would be a no-brainer. Jack Perry even quietly told Ye Jizhuang that Britain could even sell the Viscount passenger aircraft to China if it was needed.

Now the Chinese side understood what the other party meant.

Jack Perry was not one man but a coalition of businessmen, of whom he was merely the representative.

This time, he was acting as an international intermediary. Several of the people he worked with were veterans of international trade. They could connect China with factories for whatever machinery or equipment it desired. Furthermore, Jack Perry had provided the Chinese government with a relatively detailed document.

That is, which European companies can provide which complete sets of equipment. Of course, this is just simple information.

The more core information is all commercial secrets.

As Jack Perry is acting as an intermediary this time, it is impossible for him to hand over all the detailed information to China.

The current situation is that as long as China expresses its desire to import a certain type of complete equipment, they can provide information about European companies. In other words, people like Jack Perry deserve to make money. It's simply because their service is so good.

If there weren't middlemen like Jack Perry.

If China wants to buy some machinery and equipment, it needs to send people to conduct a long inspection. Moreover, because the Chinese government and Western businessmen do not trust each other because they have never done business with Western countries, it takes a long time for both sides to communicate before they can reach a cooperation agreement.

But with Jack Perry, he was able to help connect many products. And with him as the middleman, China was able to quickly build trust with Western companies and complete transactions. Of course, he also made a lot of money in the process, as the referrals were all his clients, making money on both ends.

But even so, it is a very beneficial thing for China.

With the information provided by Jack Perry and the guarantee, Bo Shuchun's work went smoothly. Soon, Bo Shuchun and the various departments proposed the machinery and equipment to be introduced based on the current situation.

Bo Shuchun did not make the decision himself.

He assigned the technical team to review the machinery and equipment that various ministries and commissions wanted to import. They wanted to see if these complete sets of machinery and equipment could be implemented in China and if China's technical capabilities could handle them.

As long as the technical team confirmed it, Bo Shuchun wrote it down and then submitted it to the joint team.

Wei Hongjun looked at the catalog, unsure what to say. Bo Shuchun was indeed being much more cautious. As the planner, he could easily have crossed out some of the equipment that couldn't be introduced at this stage.

But he just made a circle and expressed some of his own opinions.

As for the complete sets of equipment that the various ministries and commissions wanted to introduce, he didn't cross out any that the technical team thought were feasible. He let the joint team make the decision on its own. So Wei Hongjun quickly convened an expanded meeting of the joint team.

A technical team and officials from various ministries were invited.

Then he said, "Comrades, I know everyone is anxious to fill the gaps in projects needed by our industry. But everyone must understand that, first, our country lacks foreign exchange. Second, the fiscal budget does not have enough funds to start too many projects simultaneously. Third, we lack a strong talent base. Therefore, most of the requirements here cannot be met. I hope you will be mentally prepared."

There are too many projects to introduce.

These are what China's industry currently lacks.

But it's impossible to introduce so many projects all at once. China doesn't have that much foreign exchange, and given China's economic situation, even if it introduces so much machinery and equipment, the fiscal budget will not have enough money in a short period of time.

Wei Hongjun can understand everyone's feelings.

But no means no.

Deng Xixian said, "Comrade Wei Hongjun is right. Comrades, our country is still in the First Five-Year Plan period. Every year's plan is very full. Many of the imported machines and equipment here will not be of any use in the short term."

Deng Xixian was in charge of the Planning Committee, so he knew this better than anyone. There were too many projects, and the treasury was not going to have the money.