industrial overlord

Chapter 688
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

There was a burst of gunfire, and before the dust settled, more than a dozen construction work vehicles roared forward.Large pieces of mountain rocks that had been collapsed by explosives were picked up by the huge pliers of the grab machine and thrown into a large mine car with a load of more than [-] tons.Behind them, there is a large bulldozer like a hill, and the shovel passes over it, leaving only a flat foundation.

Farther away, groups of road-building machinery are also busy. Rails, sleepers, and steel beams are assembled like building blocks. A heavy-duty railway that has just taken shape passes through the winding Andes Mountains. to the east coast of the Pacific Ocean.

"The progress is really fast." Condoli, the Bolivian government minister in charge of industry, stood on a small hill next to the construction site, looking at the entire construction site, and couldn't close his mouth with joy.Once this railway is completed, Bolivia, which is located in the interior of South America, will have a convenient access to the sea. The economic take-off is just around the corner. As a minister of industry, Condori feels that he is so happy that he is about to faint.

If you want to get rich, build roads first. This principle is applicable all over the world, but with Bolivia's national strength, it is unimaginable to build a railway of this scale.For many years, because of traffic bottlenecks, the Mutong Iron Mine and other tin ore, lithium ore, zinc ore, antimony ore, etc. that are also rich in reserves can only be buried deep in the ground, and no one cares about it.

Guarding a lot of treasures, but living a life like a beggar, this is a true portrayal of Bolivia.This country full of mineral deposits is almost the poorest in South America. The per capita GDP of Brazil adjacent to it is almost 10 times that of Bolivia.The reason is nothing more than the bad traffic conditions in Bolivia, the mineral products cannot be transported abroad, and the industry cannot be developed.

However, all this changed quietly on the day when a company named Hanhua Heavy Industry came to Santa Cruz Province, Bolivia to establish an office.There were only 4 people in the Hanhua office at the beginning, and it increased to 40 people in less than half a year.

Among these people, half of them ran to the big ravine day and night, wherever there was a mine, they would appear there, and took a notebook to inquire about the mine's reserves, development status, the date of birth of the mine owner, and the eight generations of ancestors. and other information.The other half of them went to government departments at all levels and various high-end clubs, talking and laughing with Confucian scholars, and never interacting with casual people. In just a few months, all the high-ranking government officials became their friends.

Later, the real big boss appeared. These were two middle-aged men, one named Zhao Yongqun, whose title was written on his business card as the general manager of China Hanhua Heavy Industry Group Mining Company, and the other named He Fei, who claimed to be He is the marketing manager of Hanhua Heavy Industries.Introduced by Fang Lei, Director of Hanwah Office in Bolivia, the two were quickly received by the President of Bolivia.After some closed-door consultations, the president called Minister of Industry Condoli and ordered him to be responsible for receiving the two "distinguished" Chinese guests, and repeatedly urged that the requirements of the Chinese guests must be fully met.

Condoli was a little confused at the beginning, not knowing how China, which is far away on the other side of the world and almost foot-to-toe with Bolivia, has anything to do with him, but when the two Chinese guests explained their purpose of coming, everyone in Condoli Pores are heated up.

"We plan to provide loans to Bolivia to build a heavy-duty railway from Santa Cruz to the Chilean port of Antofagasta. At the same time, we plan to develop the Mutong iron ore mine and strive to achieve an annual output of 2005 million tons of iron ore by the end of 5000 Stone production capacity." He Fei said to Kong Duoli in a calm tone.

"A 1500-kilometer heavy-duty railway requires an investment of at least 80 billion U.S. dollars. Can you provide such a large loan?" Condori asked suspiciously.

Zhao Yong, who was tall and thick, with a simple and honest face, replied coquettishly: "Money...isn't a problem."

"There is also the Mutong Iron Mine. If we want to form a production capacity of 5000 million tons, we have calculated that at least 40 billion US dollars will be needed. This money..." Kongdoli continued to ask.

This time it was He Fei's turn to answer. He chuckled and said, "Your Excellency, you don't have to worry about our financing ability. As for the way your country repays these loans, we have already discussed with Mr. President. The iron ore that comes out can be repaid.”

Condoli's first feeling was that he had encountered a swindler. In South America, such swindlers are not uncommon, but it was the first time he had encountered someone with an oriental face who came to cheat.After a few perfunctory words from the other party, he hurried back to the office and asked his subordinates to help him find information about China Hanhua Heavy Industry Group.After reading those materials, Kongdori sat slumped on the big swivel chair, speechless for a long time.

"Minister, what's the matter with you?" the subordinate asked timidly.

Condori sat up abruptly, folded his hands together suddenly, closed his eyes, and muttered: "O Almighty Lord, thank you for bringing the gospel to Bolivia..."

The negotiations between the Bolivian government and Hanhua Heavy Industry went very smoothly. At that time, the international iron ore price had not started to rise, and the Mutong iron ore had no economic mining value at all in the eyes of the world.Condoli believed in his heart that He Fei and Zhao Yongqun were two international communists who came to Bolivia to fulfill their international obligations.Regarding iron ore mining rights, cooperation methods, etc., the Bolivian side has almost nothing to embarrass Hanhua. They only think about signing the contract as soon as possible, and let this be taken for granted first.

After the signing of the first phase of the cooperation agreement, news of the price increase of iron ore began to spread one after another. Only then did Kongdoli realize that the Chinese had planned it long ago.If the price of iron ore rises further, the investment of the Chinese in the Mutong iron mine and in the construction of the railway will be rewarded handsomely.

Although seeing this, the Bolivian government still abides by the cooperation agreement initially signed with Hanhua, agreeing that Hanhua obtains 50% of the mining rights of Mutong Iron Mine.Doing business is all about pursuing a win-win situation. For Bolivia, being able to obtain such an investment is already satisfying. As for how much Hanhua can earn from it, that is their ability.If you don't let others make money, why should others come all the way to give you money?
Soon enough, loan officers arrived, offering a $100 billion development loan to the Bolivian government to build a heavy-haul rail line from Santa Cruz to Antofagasta that Hanwah had previously suggested.Since the loan was provided by the Chinese side, the construction of this railway line was naturally contracted to a Chinese railway construction company.China Railway Company dispatched teams from five branches in one go, divided the 1500-kilometer line into dozens of bid sections, and started construction at the same time. The fastest progress of the project can be called the first in the world.

The construction of the mine is also in full swing. Zhao Yongqun, the general manager of the mining company, is said to be a sand-turning worker with endless energy.Geological survey, preparation of construction drawings, equipment installation, site leveling and other tasks were completed in the shortest time, and the training of thousands of local miners was also going on intensely.In the mining area, large slogans written in Chinese and Spanish can be seen everywhere: time is money, efficiency is life.

"I really don't understand why you Chinese work so hard?" Condori asked He Fei while rubbing his waist. These days, Condoli has become the busiest government official in Bolivia, busy with Between the railway site and the mining area, the tired belly disappeared.But he also has to admit that compared with the Chinese, his work intensity is almost like taking a vacation.

He Fei replied: "It's because we are poor in China, and if we are poor, we want to change."

Condori shook his head: "If we talk about being poor, we in Bolivia are poorer than you and China, but look at our workers. After work, they would rather sit in a bar and drink some beer than your workers. Mainly to work overtime. People are born to enjoy life, as busy as you are, do you have time to enjoy life?"

He Fei said with a smile: "Maybe it's because the Chinese people have always had a sense of crisis. South America is a paradise and has never experienced the looting of war, while China has been bullied, so the Chinese have always had a creed , that is, lagging behind is bound to be beaten. In order not to lag behind, we have to sacrifice some enjoyment and move forward as much as possible.”

"Well, to be honest, I still admire your enthusiasm for work." Condori said insincerely.

"Minister Kongdori, when it comes to work enthusiasm, I have to say something in advance. According to the situation reported to me by General Manager Zhao, the enthusiasm of the miners we recruited in the local area is very unsatisfactory. I am worried that with their The work attitude, our design and production capacity may be difficult to achieve." He Fei complained without losing the opportunity.

"Is there such a thing?" Kongdoli asked in surprise, "This group of miners seems to be all workers from the original mine? They should have a lot of work experience."

He Feidao: "This is exactly the case. Of the 4000 workers currently being trained, 2000 are from the original mine, and the other 2000 are newly recruited. The workers with the worst attitudes are very difficult to manage. And the newly recruited workers often don’t have such problems.”

Condoli's eyebrows were frowned, and he said in embarrassment: "This is not easy to handle. According to the agreement, after you have acquired the mining rights, you must accept the original miners. As for the past work of these miners How, I can find out more from the original mine owners. However, no matter what, they must stay and work in the mine, which is also our government’s commitment to the miners.”

"Okay, let's find a way to solve it ourselves." He Fei replied.

"Don't worry, if there is any problem at that time, our government will stand on the side of investors." Kong Duoli patted He Fei on the shoulder and said hypocritically.

(End of this chapter)