Chapter 80: Witnessing Corruption (1)

  The first to come out was the list of cement plant management, Xu Shaojie thought for a moment and added the name of the Women's Federation director. The Women's Federation director continued to work at the district office, which was somewhat unrealistic, or perhaps it would be better to go to the cement plant, where the workload was heavy.

  Next is running loans.

  Xu Shaojie took Song Tao to the district credit union.

  The district committee secretary visited, and the credit union director personally greeted him. After a round of pleasantries, Xu Shaojie directly stated his intention. However, to his surprise, the credit union director kept shaking his head, explaining that the loan required approval from the municipal credit union association. The loan amount was 300,000 yuan, which wasn't small, and even the municipal association needed collective research on it. The credit union director's eyes flickered as he spoke, making Xu Shaojie feel somewhat strange. He didn't ask further questions but believed what the director said. Xu Shaojie roughly understood some of the situation - the credit union was also a vertically managed department, with most of its power concentrated at the top.

  The head of the credit union invited Xu Shaojie to dinner, but Xu Shaojie declined. He came to do business with them and still wanted them to treat him as a guest; it's better if such things are done less often.

  In Yudu District, Xu Shaojie, the district party secretary, is effective in his words. However, when it comes to the city level, it's not necessarily the case. The relationships are complex and many department heads have a much stronger presence. Moreover, many bureau chiefs and municipal government leaders often interact with each other, which is an area where Xu Shaojie is still weak, having had limited opportunities to deal with city-level unit heads.

  After returning to the district office, Zhang Shiqiu was waiting in the office.

  "Director Xu, the business license is almost done. Zhao Deli is the legal representative and the registered capital is 300,000 yuan. We'll go to the city tomorrow to pick up the documents."

  "Okay, I'm also planning to go to the city tomorrow to find a credit union, I need a loan."

  Zhang Shikui's expression was uncertain, and Xu Shaojie found it somewhat strange.

  "Director Zhang, is there anything wrong with what I said?"

  Zhang Shikui thought for a moment, got up and closed the office door. Looking at Zhang Shikui's expression, Xu Shaojie became serious, it seemed that Zhang Shikui had something important to say.

  "Director Xu, I have a suggestion. For the cement plant's loan, it would be best to find the Municipal Industrial and Commercial Bank, which will make things more convenient and easier to coordinate."

  "Director Zhang, why do you have such a view?"

  Xu Shaojie was somewhat perplexed, originally thinking it would be a big deal, but in the end, it was just these few words, and there was no need to close the office door.

  "Secretary Xu, I'll be honest with you. The district government borrowing to start a business is unprecedented in Yudu District. I think we should find a bank loan instead. The qualifications of the credit union are different now. Banks have strong financial resources, and our loan amount isn't too large, so it should be relatively smooth to get a loan from a bank. Credit unions usually handle small and medium-sized loans, applying for a 300,000 yuan loan might be a bit difficult."

  "Director Zhang, this is no excuse. The Credit Union has a business office in the district, and besides, the Credit Union mainly targets rural areas. We are looking for loans from the Credit Union, which is also a good match."

  Zhang Shikui's face showed a hesitant expression, apparently thinking about something. Xu Shaojie stopped talking and looked at Zhang Shikui, waiting for him to come up with a convincing reason.

  "Director Xu, this loan is going to be a long shot. If we go through the normal channels of finding a bank or credit union for a loan, it will be very difficult to get approved. Now that our cement factory has completed registration and officially established, according to standard procedures, we should be able to use these documents to apply for a loan from a bank. However, as you know, nowadays when doing business, no one thinks they should help you just because they should. Take our cement factory's loan for example, following normal practices, the bank will send someone to investigate and assess our qualifications before deciding whether to approve the loan. Back and forth like this, wasting time, it's not guaranteed we'll get the loan, and it often takes half a year to a year or more, which would make it very hard for us to start up the factory. Therefore, we need to take a shortcut."

  "Director Zhang, just speak directly, I still know a bit about the current situation."

  "Director Xu, we hold meetings of different kinds at the end of each year. The main purpose is to maintain good relations with municipal units and seek their care. Of course, gifts are inevitable, it's an unavoidable thing. As for the banking system, China Merchants Bank is responsible for loans to small and medium-sized enterprises throughout the city, so we have more contact with them. Although we didn't borrow from them, every year we send greetings and maintain a good relationship. So I suggest directly finding China Merchants Bank for a loan, also in order to make things easier and get the loan earlier, so that we can build the cement plant earlier and produce cement sooner."

  "Alright, I understand, let's go to the Industrial and Commercial Bank then."

  "Secretary Xu, it's better to allocate some funds from the financial side, necessary connections are still needed."

  After Zhang Shi Kui left, Xu Shao Jie fell into deep thought. He knew the current situation and that having money could make things easier to handle. No matter what relationship you had with someone, unless you were a superior or the other party needed something from you, both sides would be willing to cooperate. Although Zhang Shi Kui didn't explicitly say it, his meaning was already very clear: if they wanted to get the loan, they would have to pay for it; if they wanted to take a shortcut, they would need to invest more. If they followed the normal procedure, it would take at least several months, which Yudu District didn't have time for. Xu Shao Jie also thought of going to find Mayor Xu Yun Fei to call the bank or put pressure on them, but he ultimately rejected this approach. Whether Xu Yun Fei was willing to help or not was a different story; if Xu Shao Jie could get things done himself, why would he need his superior leader to intervene? What if things went awry and they ended up in conflict? In the end, Yudu District would be the one to suffer.

  Early in the morning, Xu Shaojie, Zhang Shiqiu and others set out from Yudu District and headed straight to Huai'an City. Zhang Shiqiu had already contacted the leaders of the Industrial and Commercial Bank, including the head of the credit department, and they would have lunch together at noon at the Huaiyang Hotel, which is currently the highest-grade hotel in Huaiyang City.

  "Director Xu, during meals, we can clearly state the matter. If the president and vice-president think that this matter is worth discussing, there's hope for it. If they don't speak up, it'll be very difficult. Later on, it might require higher-level leaders to step in and help coordinate."

  "Director Zhang, if this matter can be handled well, what is the shortest time it will take?"

  "Probably within a month."

  "It's taking too long, it's delaying our business."

  "It doesn't matter if today the bank's leadership says things can be negotiated, we can contact the machine and start construction, it won't delay time."

  "Uh-huh, we need to emphasize to Secretary Tian that we have news and will start construction immediately."

  "Secretary Xu, don't worry, it's all arranged. If we're lucky, we can start work tomorrow. The bank has sent a message, I'll try to leave the day after tomorrow with Old Zhao and the technical personnel to contact the machinery in the south. Old Zhao, you're still doing things quite well, having made contact ahead of time. Now, it's just a matter of finalizing everything, which will save us a lot of time. Old Zhao, tell me, how did you manage to get the deputy general manager of the municipal cement plant to agree?"

  A rare blush appeared on Zhao Deli's face.

  "Secretary Xu, Mayor Zhang, I promised Ma that I would solve the work problem of his loved one. His loved one is at home with nothing to do, so I arranged for her to go to the cement factory. Therefore, Ma agreed to help us."

  Xu Shaojie thought for a moment.

  "Director Zhang, I think we should take this matter seriously. The cement factory is a district-level enterprise, and the cadres who enter the cement factory to work cannot be too many. Running an enterprise is different from rural work, it can't be sloppy. The cement factory needs to make money, the technical content is different, and talent is the most important thing. After the cement factory officially starts construction, I will go find the leaders of the municipal party committee and government, and have Mayor Ma transferred to Yudu District to work, can he take on the role of deputy district head? In this way, Mayor Ma can go to work at the cement factory. For external contacts and sales, Old Zhao will be in charge, and for internal production and management, Mayor Ma will be fully responsible. What do you think of this approach?"

  "That's all right, but I don't know if President Ma is willing or not."

  "With utmost sincerity, even metal and stone will be moved to tears. This matter is now in Director Zhang's hands. I'll go ask for a bank loan, you go look for talent, and this procurement of machinery is the best opportunity. It all depends on your abilities now, Director Zhang."

  Laughter came from inside the Jeep, and the framework of the cement plant was slowly built up in such negotiations.

  "Secretary Xu, Mayor Zhang, there's another thing I didn't report in time. When I was inspecting the site with Secretary Tian two days ago, the nearby villagers reflected that the main reason for not operating the cement factory is the pollution problem. The nearby villagers often found the boss, and the boss couldn't bear it anymore. Plus, they didn't make much money in previous years, so they stopped."

  The car fell silent, pollution is unavoidable.

  "Alas, problems always exist. Fortunately, the district can think of a solution. After the cement plant is built, attention should be paid to the losses of surrounding farmers and appropriate compensation should be given. At the same time, farmers who are seriously affected by pollution should be recruited to work in the cement plant to gradually ease the conflict. We have no other way out now, we're poor. Have you asked the city's cement plant how they solve their pollution problems?"

  "There is no solution, and every year the municipal government has to coordinate with it, and also compensate some funds."

  "I agree with Secretary Xu's approach, these things are unavoidable. In the past few days, I have studied the report in detail and discussed it with General Ma several times. I feel that the cement plant will definitely be profitable. Based on a scale of 200,000 tons, annual sales revenue can reach 2 million yuan. After deducting costs, if managed properly, pure income can exceed 800,000 yuan. The key is that our raw materials do not require any expenses, which is incomparable to the city's cement plant. At the same time, we can also create many job opportunities, such as transportation industry. When funds permit in the future, we can consider setting up a transportation team."

  "Alright, this matter is settled. Our principle is to only allow success and not failure. I think that within next week, we should start construction and cannot delay. Time is money, the earlier we put into production, the earlier we can get profit. Within a year, the financial situation of Yudou District will be greatly changed."

  "Secretary Xu, at that time, I will be in charge of using money to deal with the municipal party committee and government affairs, and I won't ask any questions."

  "Director Zhang, this statement of yours isn't quite right. How can you say it's just about spending money? When it comes to dealing with inspections from higher-ups, you also can't shirk your responsibility. Sigh... make good preparations, the cement factory is booming, and nobody can avoid being a profiteer now."

  Xu Shaojie and Zhang Shikui felt that things were going smoothly after they came out of the Industry and Commerce Bureau. The license had been handled properly, and the director of the Industry and Commerce Bureau personally came out to greet them and asked the two leaders to take care of the Yu Du District Industry and Commerce Office. They built a cement factory, which was the main work of the Industry and Commerce Office. The management fee for the town's industry and commerce was not much money, but the workload was heavy.

  The two of them rushed to the Industrial and Commercial Bank, Xu Shaojie did not go upstairs, it was almost time, they had an appointment with the leader of the Industry and Commerce Bureau, to have lunch together at Huaiyang Hotel, take this opportunity to talk about loan matters, of course, the leader of the Industry and Commerce Bureau can also help say something from the side.

  Zhang Shi-kui walked out with a smile on his face, accompanied by three men. One of them was familiar to Xu Shao-jie - the president of the Industrial and Commercial Bank. The other two were strangers. Xu Shao-jie immediately went up to greet them, shaking hands with everyone. Zhang Shi-kui introduced them on the side, and only then did Xu Shao-jie learn that one was the vice-president in charge of loan business, and the other was the head of the credit department. In other words, whether the loan for Yu Du District could be finalized depended mainly on these three people.

  When the Santana of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China drove out, Xu Shaojie shook his head secretly. The rich have a different temperament. In Yudu District, it was still a Jeep, a car for towns and townships, which ran hard and most of them were not in good condition. But there was no way out, the towns and townships had no money, and the municipal government would not take care of the small cars of the towns and townships. Nowadays, all districts and counties in Huai'an City are Jeeps, and some districts and counties have only one Jeep.

  Xu Shaojie didn't eat at the Huaiyang Hotel many times. The first time he ate here, he remembered very clearly, with Qian Dazhi and Huang Guangming together. At that time, he was still a student of Xilin University. More than a year had passed, and now he was already the secretary of the district committee. The changes before and after were quite big. In the following few times eating here, they were all treated by the municipal departments.

  When entering Room 208, Zhao Deli was chatting with the leaders of the Industry and Commerce Bureau. On the table was a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes, which had already been opened. The price of Zhonghua cigarettes has increased significantly, now it's 30 yuan per pack. Ordinary people can't even think about it. Xu Shaojie remembered that when he used to smoke Zhonghua cigarettes, they were still 72 yuan per pack, and he thought it was very expensive at the time.

  There were 10 people in total, 4 from the Industrial and Commercial Bank, 2 from the Administration for Industry and Commerce, and 4 from Yudu District. It was just the right number of people. Xu Shaojie, with a smile all over his face, invited everyone to take their seats. Xu Shaojie had just taken office as the district party secretary, and despite being so young, everyone still showed him great respect. Who knows what position Xu Shaojie will be promoted to in the future?