Chapter 537
Treat Every Leader Without Discrimination
Chapter 537 Treat every leader equally
Even if Old Xu didn't say that, Lin Xiaohe would still say it all at once.
The problems in the three old provinces are extremely difficult.
If sweeping reforms are not implemented before the Southeast Asian financial crisis hits two years later, the three old provinces will still be in hell mode.
"We have to get serious," Lin Xiaohe said.
"First, we can no longer resort to blood transfusion-style bailouts. If a factory can't survive, let it go bankrupt or be acquired. What about the workers? Use the factory's assets to resettle them. Sell what can be sold, and use what can be used as collateral. If they can't be sold, the workers will collectively hold shares and find their own way to survive."
"Second, open up market access. Let private enterprises and township enterprises do whatever they can. If large factories can't handle it, small factories can; if small factories can't keep it afloat, individual businesses can. Let whoever has the ability do it, and let the market decide."
"Third, and also the most difficult..."
Lin Xiaohe stopped.
"explain."
“We need to keep those people in check,” Lin Xiaohe said. “Those who are taking advantage of the reforms to line their own pockets, those who are treating the factory like their own private garden, need to be managed. If we don’t, the workers will be dissatisfied, and the reforms won’t be able to proceed.”
Vice-official Wang turned around, looked at Lin Xiaohe, and his gaze was complicated.
"Lin Xiaohe, do you know what you're saying?"
“I know,” Lin Xiaohe said. “What I’m saying is that reform is not a dinner party; it’s about pulling the living out of a pile of corpses. We’ll pull one out at a time, and if we can’t, we’re all finished.”
He remained silent for a long time, so long that Lin Xiaohe thought he was about to lose his temper.
Then he smiled.
It wasn't a smile of relief, but a smile tinged with bitterness and complexity.
"No wonder people in your county call you Lin the Bold. Is this why you used public opinion and whistleblower letters to drive out the management of 12 state-owned factories?"
"Whether it's crazy or not, I don't want to see the factory drag on like this." Lin Xiaohe raised her eyebrows and smiled confidently. "And as it turns out, I was right. In less than a year, Anning County has been revitalized!"
“Official Wang, I know that some of what I’m saying may not be pleasant to hear. But I really want to do something. There are more than 3,000 people at Changhong Factory. I’ve told them that as long as I have a breath left, I will not let the factory go bankrupt. But by ‘not going bankrupt,’ I don’t mean sitting on a broken ship waiting to die. I mean using everything we can to survive and letting everyone use their own ingenuity to stay afloat.”
Deputy Senior Official Wang tapped his knuckles lightly on the table, seemingly lost in thought. After a while, he picked up his teacup.
"How did your county come up with that folding bathtub thing?"
Lin Xiaohe knew he was changing the subject and giving himself a way out.
“I learned that from the South,” Lin Xiaohe said, going along with his words. “There, a small factory with only a dozen or so people can produce dozens of products a year. Why? Because they don’t try to do everything, they just focus on a niche market and work their way up. In Liaoning Province, we try to do everything ourselves, but we end up doing nothing well. When I came back, I thought, can we change our approach? We don’t necessarily have to do large-scale industry. Small commodities are also industry, and they can support people.”
"So you got that bathtub?"
“Yes,” Lin Xiaohe said. “The mold for the bath tub is made by our own factory, but the plastic parts are outsourced to other small factories, the packaging boxes are made by a cardboard box factory in the county, and even the foam pads are sourced from other factories. Once the products are sold and the money comes in, everyone has work to do.”
"The workers can now earn a monthly wage. With the money they earn, they are willing to buy things, and the businesses of shops, restaurants, and barbershops in the county have all picked up."
Upon hearing this, Vice-Official Wang asked, "Is this what you mean by using a specific example to influence the whole?"
“Yes,” Lin Xiaohe said. “Our factory has patented technology, which may not be easy to replicate.”
"But by analogy, our Changhong factory can use this as a starting point to drive development in other counties and cities. Some products don't have high technical requirements and can be distributed to township enterprises or even individuals."
Lin Xiaohe suddenly turned her head and looked out the window.
Through the window, invisible rainbows flowed through the clouds.
Lin Xiaohe's heart skipped a beat; this must be it!
"Hmm?" Deputy Official Wang uttered a sound of doubt. Lin Xiaohe composed herself and continued, "The key is that large factories can't hold everything in their own hands. They have to learn to let go, to relinquish what they can. What they relinquish isn't power, but burdens. The better those small factories perform, the lower the supporting costs for the large factories will be, and the greater their room for maneuver will be. In the end, large factories may only have core technologies and core brands left; everything else will be resolved by the market."
"Isn't this what you mean by a big factory supporting a small factory?"
“Yes.” Lin Xiaohe smiled. “After the demolition, everyone actually survived.”
Vice-official Wang picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then put it down.
"Xiao Chen, do you know what I'm most worried about right now?"
"what?"
"There are too few people like you." He looked at Lin Xiaohe and said, "There are too few people like you who dare to think and act, and are willing to use their brains. Our Liaoyang Province has no shortage of factories or people, but what it lacks is people like you who can turn a dead end into a winning one."
Lin Xiaohe cleared her throat: "Boss, potential is often brought out by necessity. There are over three thousand mouths in the factory waiting to be fed. If I don't do anything, we'll all starve to death."
He waved his hand: "Don't be modest. I've remembered what you said today. The province will seriously consider some things. Go back and keep working. If you encounter any difficulties, just come to me."
Lin Xiaohe stood up and nodded solemnly.
As she reached the door, Lin Xiaohe turned back.
"Official Wang, there's one more thing, but Lin Xiaohe isn't sure if she should say it."
"explain."
"We in Liaoyang can't wait any longer." Lin Xiaohe looked into his eyes. "Those southern provinces have already disappeared from sight. If we don't move now, we won't even be able to catch their dust."
He was silent for a few seconds, then waved to Lin Xiaohe.
Stepping out of the teahouse, Lin Xiaohe stood on the steps and let out a long sigh.
The three provinces, established in 94, do not need lukewarm reforms; they need to expose all their deep-seated problems and let them be laid bare in the sunlight.
You only know where to go when you're sunburned.
The following day, the provincial working group finally left Anning County.
County Chief Tian and his colleagues breathed a long sigh of relief, overwhelmed by an unprecedented sense of exhaustion.
Faced with the big test, they have already submitted their answers; how they perform depends on the leaders' grading.
"I'm so tired. Starting this week, we'll take turns resting." County Chief Tian stretched his arms and legs, looking refreshed.
The crowd gradually dispersed.
County Magistrate Tian asked softly, "You saw him yesterday?"
"I saw him."
"You didn't offend a tiger, did you?"
Lin Xiaohe remained silent.
County Magistrate Tian paused, a look of surprise on his face, and his voice suddenly rose: "My little darling, you haven't really offended a tiger, have you?"
Lin Xiaohe said righteously, "How can doing something upright and honest be considered committing a crime?"
County Chief Tian gasped.
Good heavens, he underestimated Lin Xiaohe.
Lin Xiaohe treats every leader equally!