Chapter 2985
Money Blown in by the Wind
Chapter 2985 Money Blown in by the Wind
December has arrived, bringing us one step closer to the New Year.
After more than a month of intensive construction, the Northwest Cannery finally installed the equipment today.
Technicians from the Tianjin Canned Food Factory began testing the machines, while the staff at the Hongxing Machinery Factory were already looking forward to the canned goods they would produce.
Of course, it's just a dream.
Li Chengjun stood in front of the disinfection workshop, looking at the large cooking tanks with great curiosity.
Each of these large tanks is over two meters tall and more than one meter in diameter. They are made entirely of stainless steel. The exact layout inside is unknown, but they are definitely not lightweight.
This thing is said to be a key machine in canning, and it's supposedly like a pressure cooker!
If I had known this would happen, I would have manufactured it myself instead of importing it from the Abbasid Caliphate.
You know, these Hassaans are good at nothing but buying things—they're real shrewd merchants!
This one big can costs 20,000 Alliance Coins. Keep in mind that this thing was pulled from the other party's cannery, and it's most likely leftover from previous purchases.
I didn't spend any money at all, and as a result, I made 20,000 Alliance Coins for free.
This is only part of it; the processing equipment that follows will also cost money.
In short, as long as you have money, there's nothing they won't sell!
But nobody's money grows on trees!
Besides, it's still best to live a simple and frugal life these days.
Being too high-profile is not good for the factory, and it's not good for Department Nine either.
Li Chengjun thought to himself, "The Ninth Division has indeed been quite high-profile lately."
Well, the main problem is that Yang's tone was a bit too high, so they had no choice but to raise it up instead!
However, on the other hand, the higher you stand, the farther you can see. Some people are used to walking with their heads down, so it's a bit difficult to get them to raise their heads.
So we need to find someone who is standing tall so that they can look up at us.
Thinking about it this way, Li Chengjun felt that being a bit high-profile wasn't so bad.
Taking a deep breath, Li Chengjun slowly raised his head and looked at the middle-aged man who was busy beside him.
"Mr. Wang, how many cans can this thing make at once?"
Li Chengjun patted the large jar and asked curiously.
Engineer Wang is the technical director and team leader sent by the Tianjin Canned Food Factory.
He was also a technical advisor hired by the nine departments.
He's been here for over a month, and his main task is to install the cannery's machinery and help streamline the entire process.
It seems that both tasks are progressing well.
Upon hearing Li Chengjun's question, Engineer Wang clapped his hands and walked over, looking at the large jar in front of him with a hint of envy on his face.
"Director Li, the large pressure cooker you're using is the first of its kind in China."
After saying that, he stepped forward, touched the metal casing, tapped it with his hand to make a clanging sound, and then turned around and said, "As expected of a good thing made by the Alliance."
"This pressure cooker is so big that it can hold five hundred cans at once, and it only takes one batch to make them."
"Moreover, this thing uses electric heating, which is convenient and safe."
Mr. Wang chuckled and said, "Our Tianjin Cannery also has pressure cookers like these, but they're all domestically made, the small kind, which can only cook 114 at a time. We can't fit any more!"
"By the way, these small pressure cookers are actually manufactured by your Ninth Division!"
As he spoke, he looked at the disinfection tank next to him.
There are ten of them here, just like this one.
In other words, five thousand cans can be produced at once.
They were all brought from the Kazakhstan by the cannery, and they weren't old, they were all new. Another exchange of glances followed.
Li Chengjun saw the eagerness in the other person's eyes but shook his head, while he himself had his own bitterness in his heart.
He mentioned this when he reported the situation of the cannery to headquarters.
Why use someone else's pressure cooker when you have one at home?
Then, for some reason, Director Yang simply said, "We're not short of money."
Then, the Hassa Kingdom happily transported the equipment over.
Then, they took the money and left.
"Five thousand cans a day should be enough, right?"
As Li Chengjun spoke, he looked at the other person and asked, "Engineer Wang, can you give me a definite answer? Can we start work before the New Year?"
Upon hearing Li Chengjun's words, Wang Gong felt a little uneasy.
There's nothing else to it; I've asked this question more than once.
But I'm just a worker; I don't have any problems with the technical aspects, I can handle them myself.
However, production is not something that can be accomplished simply by having the right technology.
But I can't fool myself with the old ways anymore, because I'm really in a hurry right now.
Some time ago, the Ninth Division began to dispatch a large number of excavators. Those machines were hauled over by big trucks, and the cost along the way was astronomical.
Every day this is delayed costs tens or even hundreds of thousands of yuan.
Nobody's money grows on trees. No matter how big or powerful the Nine Ministries are, they can't afford to spend money like this!
Who isn't anxious?
Understandable!
Thinking this, Engineer Wang gritted his teeth and said, "I'll try my best!"
Li Chengjun felt that these three words were not very reliable, but he didn't know how to put it.
"Okay, you'll definitely help me."
"The campaign is about to begin, the machines will be in place soon, and personnel will be transferred out. Our canned goods must keep up with the demand!"
Li Chengjun spoke solemnly, then took a deep breath and made his decision.
"By the way, I applied to my superiors."
"If the canned food can be delivered before the end of the year, the technicians will receive a subsidy ranging from one hundred to five hundred yuan!"
"I hope everyone can overcome the hardships and make the best contribution they can to the revolution!"
Upon hearing this, Engineer Wang immediately laughed, "Don't worry, Director Li, even if we don't eat or sleep, we will definitely finish it before the New Year."
"Of course, this requires the cooperation of our comrades!"
Engineer Wang added another sentence.
Li Chengjun immediately nodded, "As long as you make the arrangements, our people will guarantee to do it!"
"it is good!"
The two smiled, and then Li Chengjun left the workshop, got into his car, and headed to the factory.
Back at the Hongxing Machinery Factory, I saw a jeep parked downstairs as soon as I entered the gate.
Judging from the license plate, who else could it be but Wang Huzi?
Li Chengjun quickly got out of the car and rushed to his office.
At this critical juncture, the other party must have something to do by coming here.
Upon arriving at the office, I saw President He and Fang Yuan sitting with Wang Huzi, and there was an acquaintance standing nearby.
Lee Seung-ri.
This guy is considered a celebrity at headquarters.
Holding the Great Wall Motors as a source of wealth, they earn just as much as their machinery factory.
Of course, that's an industry-wide benefit for their entire machinery factory's products.
They rely on quality, while they can only rely on volume.
But shouldn't this guy be at headquarters right now?
Especially with the Chinese New Year just around the corner, there's even more work to be done at headquarters.
But now you've come here. Could it be something urgent?
"Old Li, hurry up, we've been waiting for you!"
Fang Yuan immediately went forward to greet Li Chengjun when he saw him open the door.
Wang Hu stood up, and the two nodded and smiled. "Where have you been all this time?"
Li Chengjun greeted President He, then sat down and took a swig from his enamel mug. "Where else can we go? The cannery."
"They're starting construction right away, and we haven't even seen a can of food yet. If this drags on any longer, I reckon Director Yang will be calling soon!"
Hearing this, Wang Hu laughed heartily, "Him? He's very busy right now, he doesn't have time to care about these things." "But, well, that Blind Cheng is really going all out!"
"Just two days ago, I drove directly to Tarim, in such strong winds, with only two guards with me."
"He rushed in without even bringing a satellite phone; I was worried sick for him!"
Wang Hu sighed as he spoke, while President He chuckled, "He finally found a job, how could he not put his heart into it?"
"And another thing, those three guys, Li Yunlong, are riding high right now. I heard they even sent artillery reconnaissance radar over. If Blind Cheng knew about this, how could he not be worried?"
"If we don't do something soon, we'll really fall behind!"
Wang Huzi nodded after listening, then smiled and said, "Now it's Li Yunlong and his two companions' turn to be under pressure."
"The war is over, let's wait for them to come back, haha..."
President He laughed along, "If all else fails, we'll just assign them all to the project team and let them dig for rocks!"
"I think it's a good idea, so he won't keep thinking about my measly little bit of money!"
hahaha~
Lee Seungri listened to the three chatting without interrupting.
After chatting for a while, Li Chengjun finally understood the purpose of Wang Huzi's visit.
It turned out to be about the special forces.
Three special operations teams are concentrated in Tarim Basin, and they often compete against each other.
No matter how you compare them, the top spot always belongs to the Red Star Special Forces team at headquarters, while the second and third place teams alternate between each other.
The two realized this wouldn't do; they couldn't keep losing, as it could easily damage the team's confidence. So they discussed how to improve their performance and at least win once.
When Li Chengjun heard the two talking about this, he thought of his "good-for-nothing" son and felt a sense of relief.
Although that kid didn't inherit his father's worker status, he's not bad as a special forces member protecting workers.
After talking for a while and deciding on the direction of the next training session, the conversation turned to the natural gas project team.
When Li Chengjun spoke of the losses, a look of regret appeared on his face.
"You don't know, the fuel just for starting the excavators is enough to keep us busy. If we really get to work, the fuel consumption will be huge."
"And at the steel mill, the process of making wire rod has not been fully mastered yet. The technicians who come here first solve the equipment problem, which also requires money to replace."
"And the biggest expense is the construction workers' food, clothing, shelter, and transportation..."
When Li Chengjun talks about this, he feels there are countless things to do, things to worry about everywhere, and money to be made everywhere.
"I used to think our machine factory was quite wealthy, but now I realize we were just looking down from the bottom of a well!"
When Li Chengjun said this, the others didn't think he was wrong.
This project is simply too huge. Just from their perspective, the manpower, resources, and money they've mobilized are astronomical.
Even they were a little scared when they heard about it.
While the group remained silent, Li Shengli stretched to draw everyone's attention, then smiled and said, "Director Li, Director Yang sent me here to see if there's anything I can help with."
"After all, I've spent some time in the area."
Li Shengli smiled and said, "Besides, before I came, Director Yang asked me to pass on a message to you."
He said, "We can't let our concerns about spending money harm our comrades' health!"
"That's not worth it!"
Li Chengjun paused for a moment, then shook his head.
That's exactly the kind of thing Yang Xiaotao would say.
Seeing Li Chengjun like this, Li Shengli smiled again and said, "I heard some good news before I left."
After the group looked over again, he slowly said, "Actually, it's not that we just found out now; everyone had heard about it before."
"It was about the oil issue last time. Minister Yang strongly advocated for a loan of two billion US dollars, and then spent six hundred million US dollars to buy crude oil."
"Everyone knows about this, so I won't go into details."
The group exchanged glances, all understanding the situation.
The biggest beneficiaries of this oil crisis are the oil-producing countries. The price of oil per barrel has increased nearly tenfold, and they will sell it at an even higher price in the future, thus earning more money.
Compared to that, the nine productions earned quite a bit this time.
If the price of oil increases tenfold, that's equivalent to $6 billion worth of oil increasing tenfold, which is $6 billion.
If we could get our hands on this money…
The group exchanged glances, wanting to listen further and see how it went.
Then Li Shengli said, "Let me tell you the news I just received."
"The US dollar has lost its value!"
"Devaluation?"
The group was somewhat bewildered, unsure of what the news meant.
Li Shengli didn't mince words and said directly, "We previously sold 600 million US dollars worth of oil to West Germany as requested by Director Yang, and at the time, we received West German marks in return!"
Li Chengjun and the others were completely confused and didn't understand the situation.
Seeing this, Li Shengli realized that he needed to be more direct.
"Okay, let me explain briefly."
Then Mr. He and the others leaned forward to listen carefully.
Because I can't understand this stuff, it's really frustrating.
“As I just mentioned, we sold it to West Germany for 600 million US dollars. According to the international crude oil market price at the time, the price was 13.5 US dollars per barrel, while when we bought it, Persia offered 1.5 US dollars per barrel, so we made an extra 12 US dollars per barrel.”
"In other words, 600 million will generate an additional 4.8 billion."
"Right."
Lee Seungri asked in a confident tone.
None of them knew how the figure of 4.8 billion came about, but it sounded reasonable, and they couldn't let anyone know they didn't understand.
They all nodded in agreement.
Fang Yuan stood to the side, clenching his fist. Forty-eight billion dollars!
Take a deep breath and try to calm yourself down.
Then Li Shengli continued, "At the time, we sold it according to international market rates, and then we changed the US dollars we sold to Marks."
"At that time, the exchange rate was roughly one US dollar to three marks."
"That means a total of 5.4 billion US dollars was exchanged for 16.2 billion marks."
"That's about right."
"Then, here comes the key point."
Li Shengli rubbed his palms together, his heart filled with excitement.
Every time I think about it, it feels like a dream.
Only a 'genius' like Yang could achieve such a brilliant record.
Only with such talent can one stir up a storm.
In comparison, even after buying and selling so many cars for so long, the net profit he's made isn't as much as what Director Yang has earned in the past few months.
The key point is that they completely pulled off a scheme with nothing; they borrowed the capital from the United States.
It's true, it can't compare, and there's no way to compare.
He picked up the jar on the table and drank it all in one gulp. "The key point is that the US dollar has depreciated, while the Mark has appreciated."
"Based on the exchange rate from the last round, one mark can now be exchanged for approximately two US dollars."
"I wipe!"
Li Chengjun, being the factory director, was quick-witted and immediately stood up from his seat.
Wang Huzi was not slow either, and shouted directly, "Three hundred and twenty-four billion US dollars."
"My goodness!"
Wang Hu shouted, while President He took a deep breath.
Then Fang Yuan leaned back in his chair and muttered, "This, this, this is more than the wind has blown in!"