Chapter 58: Twists and Turns

"Factory No. 3 for Military Equipment Maintenance has already reached an agreement with Pusan to produce carburetors specifically for Pusan engines. If Factory No. 3 merges with Factory No. 1 and Factory No. 2 to form a super-large military equipment maintenance factory, what will happen to the cooperation with Pusan?"

Chen Geng's words shocked Guo Haijun: "There's such a thing?"

In fact, not only was Guo Haijun shocked, but everyone in the military enterprise reform team was equally surprised. How could such a small vehicle repair factory be involved in the localization of Pusan? This was a project that received high attention from central leaders, and it was truly impossible to associate these two units.

But one thing was certain: the carburetor is a core component of the engine. If Factory No. 3 can provide carburetors for Pusan, the matter of how to handle Factory No. 3 must be handled with extreme caution! It cannot be rashly decided to merge the first, second, and third factories.

Director Li was even more shocked and asked Peng Guangming and Liu Qianjin, "Comrades Guangming and Qianjin, is this true?"

"It's true," Peng Guangming and Liu Qianjin nodded in unison.

"Tell me exactly what happened!" The expression on Director Li's face was vivid. If it weren't for his participation in the military enterprise reform team, he wouldn't have known about such a big matter!

If the localization of Pusan is affected by this in the future, and central leaders ask, how will the military region respond? To say he didn't know? Would the leaders believe him? They might even suspect that the East China Military Region deliberately merged the three factories after knowing that Factory No. 3 was involved in the localization of Pusan. At that time, the military region would be in a difficult position to explain.

Peng Guangming and Liu Qianjin naturally dared not hide anything. The two of them explained the situation to the leaders of the military region and the military enterprise reform team.

After Peng Guangming and Liu Qianjin finished speaking, everyone looked at each other, stunned and speechless. They were not only shocked by Chen Geng's role in this but also by the progress of the matter, which was almost on the verge of success!

The carburetor is a core component of the engine, a fact known to anyone with a basic understanding of mechanics. If Factory No. 3 is involved in the localization of Pusan and produces qualified carburetors, it will become a key enterprise protected by the state. How can it be merged with the first and second factories? This is simply impossible.

As for the project being a side job for the engineers from Langburg, everyone didn't take it seriously: since the German engineer provided the equipment, technology, and production process, it was reasonable for him to earn some money. The key is that we obtained a complete, internationally advanced carburetor production process, which is the most important. The rest are minor details.

Even the higher-ups would be pleased with Chen Geng and Kandler's actions: other foreigners who invest in our country are very secretive about their technology, being extremely stingy. If all investors were like Kandler, it would be much better.

"How could you not report such a big matter to the military region?" Ding Yuemei, who understood the situation, said angrily.

She was not only angry but also scared. This was a huge mistake. If it weren't for today's visit to Factory No. 3, and if the order to merge the first, second, and third factories had already been issued, and only then did they realize that Factory No. 3 was involved in a project that received high attention from central leaders, what would they do?

This would be a significant work error!

Especially when she heard that the carburetor production equipment and CNC machines purchased from Germany would soon arrive at the port, Ding Yuemei was frightened to the point of breaking out in a cold sweat!

She couldn't even imagine how awkward the situation would be if it really came to that: cancel the plan to merge the three factories? That would be impossible. Military orders are like mountains, and once a decision is made, it must be firmly implemented. However, the progress of Pusan's localization would be greatly affected.

Someone would have to take responsibility for the mistake, and the blame would certainly fall on their shoulders. At the very least, they would be criticized for not being thorough and meticulous in their work.

Peng Guangming helplessly spread his hands and defended himself, "We didn't know that the military region planned to merge the three factories into a super-large factory."

Ding Yuemei's face turned red, and she couldn't say anything.

We have mentioned that normally, such a big matter should have leaked some information. The reason for the lack of any leaks was related to Ding Yuemei. She had suggested keeping the information about the three military equipment maintenance factories confidential, considering that it was a critical moment for military reform and to prevent officers who were willing to be discharged from taking advantage of the situation. Who would have thought that this would lead to such a significant error?

"Team leader, what do you think?" Ding Yuemei looked at Guo Haijun with a troubled expression.

Guo Haijun frowned, pondering how to handle the situation.

The initial intention behind the suggestion to merge the three military equipment maintenance factories was simple: to improve the maintenance level of the East China Military Region. Additionally, there was a more straightforward goal: to make money!

To alleviate the financial situation of the military region, the leaders of the East China Military Region had really put in a lot of effort. The three military equipment maintenance factories of the East China Military Region all had the qualifications and capability to produce the 212 Jeep, but unfortunately, the quality of the 212 Jeeps produced by the three factories was poor, and sales were lackluster. In contrast, a small car factory in Yanzhao Province, which could only produce a few hundred cars a year, had already achieved an annual output value of over 100 million yuan!

If they hadn't known about this, it would have been fine, but now that they knew, the leaders of the East China Military Region were not comfortable: with tens of thousands of people in the East China Military Region and far more resources and manpower than a small town enterprise, how could they be struggling while others were making a fortune? It was a great humiliation!

The leaders of the East China Military Region and the military enterprise reform team were thinking, and the leaders of Factory No. 3 were also thinking: they had to fight for their position. Even if they didn't say "Better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix," as long as the carburetor project of Factory No. 3 was put into production, it would not only be a "tail" but a "head" of the phoenix. Why should they give up a good "head" to become a "tail" in the merged factory?

Everyone had their own calculations.

As the factory manager, Liu Qianjin was the first to stand up after realizing that the military region and the military enterprise reform team were in a difficult position: "Comrades, we are not against the decision of the military region and the military enterprise reform, but our situation is indeed special. Can we find a compromise?"

Guo Haijun raised his eyebrows but said nothing.

Ding Yuemei immediately asked, "Compromise? How?"

"If the military region and the military enterprise reform team believe that the three factories should be merged, we will firmly support this decision. We will not set any conditions for personnel or equipment allocation. However, can we continue to retain the name and various qualifications of Factory No. 3?" Negotiating with the leaders of the military enterprise reform team, Liu Qianjin felt a lot of pressure, but at this moment, he had to bite the bullet.

Guo Haijun pondered for a moment, carefully weighing the pros and cons.

The people from Factory No. 3 all looked at Guo Haijun with bated breath.

Finally, after three minutes, Guo Haijun said, "I need to consult with the leaders of your military region, but since Factory No. 3 is already involved in the localization of Pusan, it is indeed inappropriate to merge it with the first and second factories."

Great!

The leaders of Factory No. 3 all breathed a sigh of relief!

Although it was just a "pause," and this was not a formal statement, the words of the head of the military enterprise reform team at this moment were very clear in their implications.

"The question is, how do we calculate the assets of China Resources Industry? Just the assets on the books?" Ding Yuemei asked.

Indeed, how to calculate the assets of China Resources Industry? The representatives of the military enterprise reform team and the East China Military Region all frowned. The focus of their visit today was China Resources Industry.

Just the assets on the books would definitely not be enough. Agreeing to Chen Geng's investment in China Resources Industry Development Co., Ltd. was one thing, but as the head of the military enterprise reform team, he had to ensure that the collective shares were in the majority. This was a principle and a stance. China Resources Industry was to be a model project, and it was better to be conservative than to open the door too