Chapter 301 - 154: Paying a Visit

Chapter 301: Chapter 154: Paying a Visit

Consequently, Jiang Miao had no intention of taking a controlling stake in this so-called mining company. The local interests involved were simply too vast; it wasn’t the kind of industry a private company could control.

To compensate Home County for the low rent on the nearly 58,000-acre expanse of desert, and to prevent any future complications, Jiang Miao decided to grant the county a small stake in the mining company.

They talked for the entire afternoon.

Both parties reached a preliminary agreement to cooperate.

「That evening.」

Gao Meng and her team, who were staying in Home County, held a video conference with the chairman and other senior executives back at headquarters to report on the situation and discuss the potential partnership.

Ma Haoran, the chairman of the Monan State-owned Assets Operation Company, didn’t state his position. Instead, he asked, "General Manager Gao, give me your assessment."

"Of course. I don’t believe Hailufeng Company would do this without a solid basis. For them to invest on such a massive scale and lease nearly 58,000 acres of desert in Home County, they must be extremely confident in their technology," Gao Meng stated with conviction.

Another executive, who was often at odds with her, sneered, "General Manager Gao, are you that certain Hailufeng Company will succeed? No one can guarantee one hundred percent success in this world. Don’t let the company suffer unnecessary losses over this. Is that a responsibility you can bear?"

"Vice Manager Jin, you just said it yourself—all investments carry risk. If there were no risk, could you even call it an investment?"

The man replied with a sarcastic chuckle, "Heh, I’m merely reminding General Manager Gao to conduct a proper risk assessment and not get carried away by the prospect of a grand achievement. The investment strategy of our state-owned company is to seek victory from a position of stability, not to engage in risky speculation."

Gao Meng smiled and replied, "I don’t believe this is a high-risk investment. First of all, our initial capital outlay is only 300 million yuan, and that money is for leasing the land, not for R&D or equipment purchases. If unforeseen risks emerge along the way, we can have agreements in place with the local authorities to terminate the contract at any time."

As a state-owned enterprise in the Monan Region, their company naturally had a unique advantage in mitigating risk in such a partnership.

Chairman Ma Haoran opened his eyes and said slowly, "I approve this investment. General Manager Gao, you will represent the company and sign the cooperation agreement with Hailufeng Company. However, we must have the right to financial oversight. That point is non-negotiable."

Seeing that the chairman himself had given his approval, the others had to back down, no matter what reservations they secretly held.

However, a small faction of executives, including Vice Manager Jin, silently cursed Gao Meng. They hoped the project would fail so they could use it as ammunition to undermine her influence within the company, perhaps even topple her from her position.

After the video conference ended, Li Chongdao, the manager of the investment department and one of Gao Meng’s confidants, voiced his concern. "General Manager Gao, isn’t this investment a bit too risky?"

Gao Meng shook her head. "Like I said, what investment comes with a one-hundred-percent guarantee of success? Besides, even if this fails, our losses won’t be that significant. The worst-case scenario is paying out a few tens of millions in contract termination fees."

"Alright." Li Chongdao knew the financial risk wasn’t huge, but his main concern was the other executives. That bunch were no pushovers.

"Everyone get some rest. We have more negotiations tomorrow." With that, Gao Meng picked up her laptop and briefcase and went back to her room.

...

Meanwhile, Jiang Miao was also still awake.

After dinner, he was listening to Lü Weibin, Liu Zhiben, and Wu Song report on the three other groups of visitors they had met with that day.

Liu Zhiben reported first on the group he had been in charge of. "The visitors I met with were from Western Scenery Jade Garden Greening Engineering Co., Ltd., based in Liangzhou City, Gansu Province. Their chairman, Yang Zijun, was pitching a piece of equipment that went into production two years ago."

"What kind of equipment?" Jiang Miao had never heard of the company, but that was to be expected. ’Only a local would know about a small firm like that.’

Liu Zhiben explained, "It’s a vehicle for laying checkerboard sand barriers, called the Desert Cloud Fully-Automatic Sand Control Vehicle. Their company heard we bought ten sand barrier vehicles from Gank Group and that we’re developing nearly 58,000 acres of desert in Monan, so they came to us with a sales pitch."

"How does it perform?"

Liu Zhiben took out the brochure Yang Zijun had given him. "It meets most of our requirements, but some of the features are pretty superfluous."

Jiang Miao flipped through it.

The vehicle was 6 meters long and 2 meters wide. Its hopper could hold 2 tons of straw at a time, enough to lay about 1.3 acres of checkerboard sand barriers. It could cover approximately 11.5 acres in a single day.

It was equipped with an intelligent control system that required only one operator. Straw dispensing, pressing, and seeding were all managed from a central console. The vehicle also had Beidou satellite navigation and a 360-degree camera system for real-time monitoring of the barrier quality, making it fully automated.

Its stable handling was suited for desert environments, with excellent off-road capabilities and stability on sand, ensuring smooth operation even on complex dunes.

’Those features are all pretty good.’

That is, until Jiang Miao read about its "living support functions." It was designed to be a "mobile home for the driver," allowing operators to shower, cook, and sleep inside the vehicle to meet the demands of long-term desert operations.

He finally understood why Liu Zhiben had called some of the features superfluous.

Adding these kinds of gimmicky features not only sacrificed the equipment’s core functionality but also drove up manufacturing and maintenance costs.

After all, who would actually sleep, cook, and shower inside one of these vehicles? With the time that would take, you might as well drive home for the night or just buy a small RV to use as a support vehicle.

"Can they remove the living support features?"

"I asked them about it. They said yes, they can remove everything but the air conditioning. Getting rid of the cooking and showering facilities would allow the hopper to carry an extra ton of straw, increasing the daily coverage to about 13.2 acres."

"What’s the price?"

"120,000 yuan."

Jiang Miao rubbed his prickly stubble. "And what’s the efficiency of the machines we ordered from Gank Group?"

"They cover about 3.3 acres a day and cost 30,000 yuan each."

"What’s the status on the follow-up order we were planning?"

Liu Zhiben replied, "The purchasing department ordered another thirty units from Gank Group. They’re on their way now."

After a moment of thought, Jiang Miao made his decision. "Alright, order ten units from this Western Scenery company for a trial run. If the failure rate is low and they handle well, we’ll buy more."

"Understood." Liu Zhiben jotted it down in his notebook.