"Elder Zhou, this problem isn't difficult to solve; it just requires a little maneuvering."
Chen Feng said calmly.
"Tell me about it; I'm quite interested."
Zhou Kun said excitedly.
"The ban from Sanshi Province cannot be violated; it's a matter of political correctness. No matter what ban the provincial government issues, we must implement it faithfully. Anyone who dares to defy it will have their political career ruined. This is how it works in Western power circles, and even more so in China's. Therefore, we cannot act recklessly with the German special steel; it must be acquired through strategy. My suggestion is to establish a shell company in Mingshan City and import this batch of German special steel from Germany under the name of Sanshui Province. Then, transport it by water to Oubei. This way, we won't be violating the Sanshi Province ban."
Chen Feng said with a serious expression.
"Chen Feng, Chen Feng, now I finally understand why you were able to develop Mingshan City from a town into a county-level city. Your mind is truly agile. You come up with things that others can't even imagine so easily."
Zhou Kun exclaimed involuntarily.
"Elder Zhou, you flatter me."
Chen Feng smiled humbly.
"By the way, Chen Feng, now that the special steel issue is settled, the regulating valves for the rocket recycling project are completely handled. Since things are settled, are you planning to return to Mingshan City immediately?"
Zhou Kun asked tentatively.
"Theoretically, yes. However, if you have something you need my help with, I can stay for a while."
Chen Feng was direct and went along with Zhou Kun's suggestion.
Zhou Kun greatly appreciated Chen Feng's sharp wit.
In an instant, he knew what the other party was thinking.
"It's like this: Oubei has many valve factories, but the industry orders have never really propelled Oubei to take off. Therefore, as the top leader of Wenzhou, I've always had the idea of developing Oubei. However, there aren't many good industries, and even if there are good industries, there isn't enough land. Wenzhou is a typical mountainous region with scarce land and a large population."
Zhou Kun said with a troubled expression.
"Elder Zhou, I've been in Oubei for a week now. The situations you've described are all factual, and I have some nascent ideas. However, I am only a deputy mayor of a county-level city, and I wouldn't dare to show off my meager skills in front of you, the top leader of Wenzhou."
Chen Feng said humbly.
"Chen Feng, you're good at everything, except you're too humble. Really, even though you're only a deputy mayor of a county-level city, your capabilities far exceed that role. Since you have ideas for Oubei's development, please speak your mind."
Zhou Kun said earnestly.
"Elder Zhou, since you say so, I'll speak my mind. Firstly, regarding Oubei's land issue, Oubei is bordered by a river on one side and mountains on the other, with only a small area of plains. The limited plains are already occupied by valve factories, shoe factories, and residential buildings. If measures aren't taken to expand the plains, Oubei's economy will definitely not develop. I've observed that the mountains on the riverside of Oubei can have a four-lane highway built around them. This would connect to a large plain in a mountain valley. Because it's a four-lane highway, the speed will be fast and won't impede the flow of goods."
Chen Feng suggested word by word.
"Chen Feng, your suggestion has opened up my thinking. I must say again, your mind is truly effective, and your thinking is very leapfrog. For years, I've been grappling with the problem of how to level the mountains, and after years of thought, it's been unrealistic due to the massive engineering involved. Wenzhou's mountains are different from those in other places; Wenzhou's mountains are all granite, making excavation very difficult."
Zhou Kun said excitedly.
"Elder Zhou, since you agree to build the mountain-circling highway, can we consider initiating the project?"
Chen Feng asked tentatively.
"Chen Feng, you're mistaken. It's not about considering the project initiation; it's about starting."
Zhou Zhou Kun said excitedly.
"Starting? What do you mean?"
Chen Feng asked, feeling a bit dizzy.
"It means the mountain-circling highway can begin construction."
Zhou Kun continued, still excited.
"Elder Zhou, are you joking with me? Building a mountain-circling highway is, frankly, a massive undertaking. It definitely requires government project approval before construction can begin. Without project approval, how can it start?"
Chen Feng asked, still feeling dizzy.
"Chen Feng, your thinking isn't wrong; according to the rules of Chinese power circles, it is indeed like that. However, for the sake of economic development, our Sanshi Province has a flexible approach to local power circles. The flexible rule is that as long as it doesn't involve military secrets, most projects can start construction first, and then the procedures can be completed gradually. Doing engineering is like fighting a war; speed is of the essence. If we wait for the project to be approved slowly, it'll be too late."
Zhou Kun explained.
Chen Feng was impressed.
It was no wonder that Sanshi Province's economy had developed so rapidly in recent years. Now it made sense.
Frankly speaking, whether it was Sanshi Province or Sanhai Province, their thinking was not rigid at all; it was very flexible.
As long as it promoted economic development, they were willing to try anything.
This kind of flexibility was certainly absent in China's inland regions.
They were accustomed to following procedures strictly, doing as they were told by superiors, seeking no merit but avoiding blame.
Even if a project took years to get approved, they wouldn't be in a hurry.
The reason was simple: they didn't really consider economic development at heart; they only cared about not causing trouble for themselves from their superiors.
In this manner, China still had a long way to go to become an economically developed country like the United States.
First and foremost, the thinking of government officials in China's inland regions must be thoroughly changed.
In his current capacity as deputy mayor of Mingshan City, he certainly couldn't achieve this; he could only do so after reaching the upper echelons of China's power circles.
However, speaking of which, it was still very reassuring. At least, there were still several coastal provinces in China whose power circle thinking was comparable to that of the United States, and they were only focused on developing the economy, willing to try anything.
"Elder Zhou, the expansion of industrial land in Oubei seems to be mostly settled. Perhaps I should head back now?"
Chen Feng asked tentatively.
"Chen Feng, there's one more thing. You must give me some more advice. I've found that although you're not very old, you've experienced more things than I have, and your mind is sharper than mine. Problems that I can't figure out, you can help me understand with just a little guidance. Therefore, you must help me with this matter. Besides the specialty of valves in Oubei, what other specialty industries can be developed on the new industrial land to make Oubei's economy take off again?"
Elder Zhou asked earnestly.
"I have an answer to this question as well. As I said before, would it be appropriate to show off my meager skills?"
Chen Feng replied humbly.
"Chen Feng, you, you're good at everything, except you're too humble. Even though you're only a deputy mayor of a county-level city, your abilities far surpass those of a county-level deputy mayor. To put it bluntly, which man can go from being a deputy town mayor's driver to the position of deputy mayor? Not a single one! Women can, but women achieve such positions by selling their bodies, so their abilities are not worth mentioning."
Zhou Kun said earnestly.
Upon hearing Zhou Kun's words, Chen Feng wasted no time and immediately offered his suggestion.
It was a very simple suggestion: Oubei should develop a commodity storage base project next.
"Chen Feng, did I hear you correctly? Developing a warehouse storage base is also an economic project? And even if it is an economic project, the profit margin is very low."
Zhou Kun asked with a frown.