Chapter 44 Chapter Forty-Three

Three days later, the World Bank Coal City Project Demonstration Meeting will be held at the five-star Longtian International Hotel. Early in the morning, Mr. Zhang Zhaozhong, the representative of the World Bank, arrived at the VIP reception room of the hotel. Mayor Li Lilin, project consultants Zhang Guojun and Shi Jiamin were already waiting there. "I'm sorry, Representative Zhang, I lost my composure at Guandi Temple that day." Mayor Li Lilin's first words when he came forward were to apologize to the guests. "It's not that you are sorry for me, but that I should thank you for being a good mayor." Zhang Zhaozhong not only expressed it in words, but also firmly held each other with both hands.

"Thank you for what? Your wonderful marriage has been made?" Hearing that the other party was grateful, Li Lilin felt a little terrified. "That's not true. Thank you for 'digging' my ancestral grave!" Zhang Zhaozhong put his arms around him, "I also want to thank you for sending a talented Ms. Smith to finally 'united the front' with me." "What do you mean? No matter how wicked I am, I can't 'dig' someone's ancestral grave!" Li Lilin didn't recall it. "Why, Miss Shi didn't report to the mayor?" Zhang Zhaozhong felt something was wrong from the other party's confused expression.

"I don't need to report to him!" Shi Jiamin said proudly. "Aren't you a consultant hired by others?" Zhang Zhaozhong was a little puzzled. "A consultant is a consultant, not a full-time consultant who pays a salary. To put it bluntly, he is just a volunteer." Shi Jiamin looked up at Li Lilin, "If you are paid, I will report to you every day; if you are a volunteer, then look at me When were you happy and when were you interested in communicating with you?" "A high-level white-collar worker like you, to be honest, I can't pay you a salary." Li Lilin became serious, "The salary of a temporary government employee is only a few hundred yuan, and you have to work from morning till night. I feel sorry for you, It’s still a friendly sponsorship.”

"Representative Zhang, am I right? Mayor Li is a ruthless and ungrateful person. Can you still cooperate?!" Shi Jiamin almost took teasing the mayor as a habit of successful ladies. Li Lilin was very discouraged when he saw someone disrupting the situation on the spot; while the old mayor Zhang Guojun was secretly laughing on the sidelines. Zhang Zhaozhong was grateful: "No matter how much Miss Shi has prejudice against you, I still want to thank you, and I am deeply grateful to Mr. Li Lilin, the good mayor of Coal City!" After finishing speaking, in front of everyone, in the majestic photo, he made the most incredible move: bent at ninety degrees, and bowed to Li Lilin on the spot.

"What's going on?" Li Lilin hurriedly helped him up, not knowing why. "Yesterday, Ms. Shi led Representative Zhang to visit the Anti-Japanese Martyrs Cemetery!" The old mayor Zhang Guojun said the answer. "That's what it should be." Li Lilin finally realized the real reason for the other party's endless gratitude, and he said with a serious expression on the spot, "By the way, Representative Zhang, the Anti-Japanese Martyrs Cemetery has just been completed, and the time when you came to inspect it is similar. It's purely a coincidence. As a Communist Party government, it is our duty to treat the anti-Japanese martyrs favorably, and we must not use the martyrs who are in the sky to blackmail you and please you. Please don't think wildly."

"I know that." Zhang Zhaozhong realized that Li Lilin is a decent mayor from this trivial incident. "Visiting the Anti-Japanese Martyrs Cemetery is a temporary motion. It was arranged by Miss Shi and has absolutely nothing to do with you." "Don't be angry." Shi Jiamin quickly explained, "When I went home to pay respects to my ancestors, I found that my grandpa's tomb was empty. I must give them an explanation." "When the township government moved the grave, why didn't it explain clearly!" Li Lilin was furious. "Which one here belongs to the township government? Who knows the ins and outs?" Shi Jiamin was also a little angry.

"You don't have to ask, it must be people from the bottom who 'stolen' their graves away in the middle of the night!" Zhang Guojun, the old mayor, interrupted, "I have worked here for many years, and I know the style of the grassroots too well. Think about it, the people above To build a martyrs cemetery, the remains of martyrs need to be filled, and a death order was issued to the village. Time is tight and the task is heavy. Representative Zhang’s family is in Taiwan, and there are only a few collateral relatives in the village. The only way to relocate the grave is to resist making trouble. People in the township government are also aware of this. In order to complete the task as soon as possible, they have to perform the trick of "grave robber". I found out that if there is trouble, they can definitely push the responsibility to the city..."

"Damn it, a good thing has turned into a bad thing!" Li Lilin never imagined that the task would be completed in this way. "It's not a gentleman anymore." Shi Jiamin reminded the other party not to swear in front of the guests. "Anyway, I still want to bow to Mayor Li again. This is to thank you on behalf of my father. Don't refuse." After speaking, Zhang Zhaozhong bowed again. "If you really want to bow, it should be me, because you are a descendant of heroes." Li Lilin recalled, "That day, I went to visit the inauguration ceremony of the monument. Yes, we have given our lives for this land, and our generation has done too little, too little for this land."

"Why does this sentence seem to be specifically for me?" Zhang Zhaozhong reacted. "You really have an obligation!" Li Lilin didn't evade, "It's not for anything else, but for your heroic grandfather Zhang Pinghua." "There is a saying, I made it clear at the beginning, maybe Mayor Li forgot, I will remind you again: I came to work in Coal City as a representative of the World Bank, not as a descendant of a martyr to my hometown to find relatives. Although you have done a lot of things that touched me, there is one principle that I must never violate: that is, you must never operate in the dark, and you must never make an exception. If you pin your hopes on these aspects, I will tell you the answer right now: Loan One No more!" Zhang Zhaozhong spoke in an unexpected and serious tone.

After listening to his words, Li Lilin fell into deep thought; Shi Jiamin felt that all previous efforts had been wasted; Zhang Guojun felt that the atmosphere that had just warmed up had dropped to freezing point again. "Let's go in and listen to the project report?" Zhang Zhaozhong took the initiative to invite. "Wait." Li Lilin hastily stopped him. "Why?" Zhang Zhaozhong felt that it was getting late. "From the first day of the negotiation, I never thought of 'operating in the dark', nor did I think of 'opening the net'." Li Lilin stood in front of him.

"Then why are you working so hard?" Zhang Zhaozhong was almost stunned. "Because Coal City has never cooperated with the World Bank, it lacks experience in dealing with large consortiums, lacks understanding and understanding of large consortiums, and lacks the means to meet the harsh conditions of large consortiums." Li Lilin raised his eyes, "If you enter, At the beginning of the negotiation, the hard conditions put forward by the World Bank cannot be met in our plan for the time being, can you give us a guiding opinion in the future, and teach us how to meet the requirements of the big consortium?" Li Lilin was very sincere. "Mr. Zhang, what the mayor said didn't violate your principles of conduct and conduct. It wasn't a black box operation, and it wasn't a lenient operation. It was just a guide." Shi Jiamin chimed in. The old mayor, Zhang Guojun, was also in a hurry: "It's not a violation of principles to offer some constructive suggestions, it can only be a frank meeting between friends." "If you can look at the problem in this way, I will definitely help, without a doubt!" Zhang Zhaozhong frankly agreed, "Since as a potential partner, I should help you meet the requirements of the World Bank, which is also responsible for the World Bank!" "After all, I'm from Meicheng, I didn't say anything!" Li Lilin held Representative Zhang's hand again, and a power of trust from friends was passed on to each other... In the evening, after coming down from the venue of the first round of negotiations, Zhang Zhaozhong, Li Lilin and others sat down to eat together. "Representative Zhang, I don't think the atmosphere is right." Li Lilin was worried when he mentioned the negotiation just now. "Yes, it's too harsh." Consultant Zhang Guojun sighed, "It requires world-class urban planning. What is world-class urban planning? Why can't the urban planning done by the National University? Also, the coal city only has 300 million investment. The joint-stock operating platform, the World Bank has only enlarged it ten times, and borrowed 30 billion. But where did the 30 billion come from in the early stage? You also know that the annual disposable income of Coal City is about 10 billion. If one-third If the money is invested here, it means that one-third of the financial support staff will have to stop paying wages, so what should we do?" Shi Jiamin looked at Representative Zhang: "The problem is stuck on these two points: one is world-class urban planning; the other requires an investment platform of 3 billion yuan. What should I do? Representative Zhang, you have traveled so much in China Cities, are they all enough?" "Some are satisfied, some are not." Zhang Zhaozhong spoke rigorously. "For those who are not satisfied, did the World Bank pay in the end?" Shi Jiamin asked. "As long as you are satisfied, you will give it in the end." Zhang Zhaozhong said, not ordinary in the ordinary. "Does this mean that Coal City still has room for maneuver?" Li Lilin's eyes shone brightly. "There should be, the key depends on you, the mayor!" Zhang Zhaozhong drank a glass of Fenjiu, "Eat, how can we talk about it if you are not full?" "You give us the antidote so we can take it." Although Shi Jiamin was relaxed on the surface, he was anxious inside. "How can it be called 'world-class planning'? How can we raise three billion yuan?" Consultant Zhang Guojun is even more troubled than the new mayor Li Lilin. "Since you can't eat, I'll teach you. However, after the teaching, you have to treat me to supper tonight." Zhang Zhaozhong put down his chopsticks, "The first one is urban planning. This is related to the future of the city. The fundamental problem of ten-year development, the key is to have taste, culture, personality, and soul. Only in this city can it have prospects, attract investment, promote development, and ensure the smooth recovery of World Bank loans. The plan made by the National University, on the surface Come, the data is clear, the analysis is decent, especially the industrial layout design is very perfect, the economic foundation and development prospects are quite good. But the key problem, and the most fatal problem, is the so-called "NUS Economist" who designs and plans, from which I made 'hands and feet' and ruined you in the end!" Zhang Zhaozhong is well-informed and can see the crux of the problem at once. "What? How did you do 'hands and feet'?" Li Lilin was startled. "That's right, you're looking for the wrong person." Zhang Zhaozhong said earnestly, "Those so-called 'masters' from the National University have big names and great influence. Naturally, there are many people who come to ask for it. Only a few people design dozens of cities at the same time. Two ways: one is plagiarism, the master copied the plans he had made in the past, and finally changed the name of the city; the other is to give the students as homework to complete. The current students are Human beings, knowing that for a plan, the tutors will charge millions or tens of millions of planning fees, and all they are left with is the homework that must be completed. Will they feel comfortable? In the end, they can only barely cope with it and get away with it. In the end , Conscientious tutors give students hundreds of pocket money, but most tutors don’t give a penny. Under such circumstances, can the completed urban planning be considered world-class? Can you explain to the World Bank?” "National University, such a well-known century-old school in China, how can it still do such an ugly thing!" Shi Jiamin was indignant, "Those so-called 'masters' are really inferior to beasts." "It's a pity, this plan cost more than 10 million yuan, and it turned out to be a counterfeit and shoddy product!" Consultant Zhang Guojun felt very distressed. "How to remedy it?" Mayor Li Lilin woke up like a dream. "Let me teach you a way." Looking at the peaceful night outside, Zhang Zhaozhong said calmly, "The World Bank most recognizes the urban planning of several foreign universities. They pay more attention to their academic image. Once the cooperation starts, In the early stage, only a small part of the inspection fee is charged, and the rest of the fees are collected after the planning project is approved by the World Bank; Twice. I know them, why, give you a thread?" "As long as it is original, it is valuable." Shi Jiamin expressed his opinion. "Reliable is feasible! Although the fees are high, they are better than domestic scammers." Consultant Zhang Guojun expressed his opinion. "Okay, I'll listen to you, let's do it!" Mayor Li Lilin made a decision on the spot. "How to build a 3 billion investment platform?" Consultant Zhang Guojun began to worry again, "Financial capital investment is very limited. Although the coal city has more than 1 billion financial resources at its disposal, most of them are paid wages, and the construction capacity is extremely limited. Otherwise, When I was in office, all the roads were repaired, all the buildings were built, and the shantytowns were all remodeled. There is no need to delay until today, and drag it to Lilin.” "That's right. Coal City's finances are food finances. You can't keep the people from eating for the sake of development." Shi Jiamin has long understood this truth. "If we can allocate 300 million construction funds at once, we must at least double the current financial revenue to have this investment capacity. I am afraid that it will take five years to reach this situation." Mayor Li Lilin is most worried It is a serious shortage of funds. "You guys are rich! Three billion can come out." Zhang Zhaozhong was very sure. "Where did you get the money?" Consultant Zhang Guojun was almost anxious, "My Representative Zhang, the financial report submitted to the World Bank has not concealed or falsified at all." "I know." Zhang Zhaozhong ignored it, "The key is for Li Lin to find a way." "I can't help it." Li Lilin spread his hands, "I've made dozens of visits to provincial finance and provincial investment companies, and the money I get back every time is not enough to treat them to dinner and presents." "I said that Coal City can take it out, absolutely can take it out, I feel right." Zhang Photozhong patted the table with his hand. "What do you think I can get back so much money by selling it?" Mayor Li Lilin was desperate, "Government building? Government hotel? Government equipment? It's not worth that much money!" "Representative Zhang, please give me some pointers." Shi Jiamin was very clever, but he couldn't figure out where the trick was. "We live in such a nice five-star hotel. The streets of Meicheng are full of luxury cars. The richest people in Beijing and Shanghai are the big bosses of Meicheng. Why can't we find three billion!" Zhang Zhaozhong explained Mystery. "No! Although the coal boss has a lot of money, why don't you come." Zhang Guojun immediately denied it. "Why? Urban construction also has a lot of profit margins, why not attract them to participate?" Zhang Zhaozhong was puzzled, "How can there be a boss who has money but does not make money! There must be a problem with the government." "It's not that there's a problem with the government, but that the coal bosses are too good at settling accounts." Mayor Li Lilin excused himself, "The coal bosses have this calculation: one billion in their hands will be invested in coal mines this year, and if there are no accidents, they can be dug back that year. At least one billion yuan, 100% profit. If there is an accident, dozens of people will be killed or injured, at worst a compensation of 100 million yuan, and a steady profit of 900 million yuan. Such a high-return and stable business is nothing compared to it. Coal bosses invest in coal mines , don’t vote for anything!” "Yes, you have to tell the coal boss where there is a good hotel, where there is a good girl, where there is a good enjoyment, and he ran away like crazy; if you tell him, where there is a good project, he will not listen at all Yours. Because he has tasted enough sweetness long ago, and knows best in his heart that besides arms, drug trafficking, and human trafficking, coal mines are the most profitable in the world!" Zhang Guojun said clearly. "The coal boss is uneducated and doesn't know how to cooperate with the government or the World Bank." Shi Jiamin suddenly remembered the standard coal boss Dahei. "Wrong. You are very wrong, because you don't have time to study the value of large-scale urban development, so you didn't guide the coal bosses well, and finally caused them to lose all the money they earned in the coal city." Zhang Zhaozhong stood up excitedly "As a friend, I would like to say something from my heart: As the parents and officials of a big energy city, coal mine accidents happened one after another, and almost all of your energy is devoted to safe production. As long as there are no problems, the official title can be kept. Everyone understands this So, 90% of your energies are devoted to this, and the remaining 10% has to be considered in education, public security, radio and television, etc., and there is almost no time to calm down to study the development of the city, the future of the city, and more It’s not enough to talk about the protection of cultural relics…” Li Lilin was deafening, Zhang Guojun suddenly became enlightened, and Shi Jiamin felt fresh. "Why can't urban development make more money than coal? Let me calculate for you: a community of one million square meters, according to the current construction cost of a coal city, is only 3,000 yuan per square meter. If we repair the roads around the community, The school has been built and the environment has been greened. Is there any problem in selling it for 5,000 yuan per square meter? Aside from the 1,000 yuan of utility costs per square meter, you can still earn 1,000 yuan. That is 1 million square meters One billion yuan, and the initial investment of this one-million-square-meter community is at most one billion yuan. Isn't it 100% profit? Isn't it the same as the income of a coal mine?" Zhang Zhaozhong's economic awareness is really strong, "I don't believe it. When you launch a project, as long as you invest one billion yuan and the World Bank and the government support it, you can immediately earn back one billion yuan. Will the coal boss with an extremely sensitive economic sense not be tempted? As long as a few people are tempted, three billion yuan will still worry ?" "Representative Zhang settled accounts like this, and urban development does make money, not less than coal." Consultant Zhang Guojun admitted, "The overall urban development in other cities is the same idea. However, the overall urban development is equivalent to magnifying the development of residential areas by ten times. " "It's also safer than coal, and there will be no accidents." Shi Jiamin echoed, "The coal city is too dilapidated, but there are too many rich people. If we do a good job in the overall development of the city, we don't have to worry about selling houses, let alone improving the environment." "You are indeed a big shot in the World Bank. You are so good at settling accounts. You cleared me up at once." Mayor Li Lilin admired him all over the place. "It's not that I know how to settle accounts, but that the black coal of huge profits has narrowed your eyes." Behind Zhang Zhaozhong's elegance lies his low-key and modesty. "How can I thank you? Our 'professor genius'." Li Lilin wanted to repay the other party. "I would like to thank your beauty 'Minister of the United Front Work'. It is she who made me re-acquainted with the Communist Party, and re-recognized you, a loving and righteous peer." Zhang Zhaozhong looked at Shi Jiamin...