1968: Started from breeding

Chapter 344 Su Wenchen, Executive Deputy Director of the Special Economic Zone Management Committee!
When Su Wenchen and Guo Xiangyang entered the conference room.

Liu Guangde was looking at the planning map hanging on the wall with his hands behind his back, while Liang Huashu was sitting in a chair, flipping through the newspaper on the table.

The directors of the four counties also had different expressions, and it was unclear what they were thinking.

After Su Wenchen pushed the door open and came in, the four of them stood up instinctively.

"I'm so sorry to have kept you all waiting!"

"Mainly because we've been at the breeding farm! It's a bit far from the farm headquarters."

Liu Guangde turned around, looked at Su Wenchen who came in, and shook his head with a smile.

"Hey, we didn't wait long either."

"This time, I mainly want to congratulate Director Su."

"We were just forwarding official documents from the province. We rushed over as soon as we received the news."

Upon hearing this, Su Wenchen gestured towards the table in the conference room and smiled at Liu Guangde.

"Seeing Director Liu's beaming face, it must be good news! I bet the higher-ups have approved the coordinated development plan for your two provinces!"

"In my opinion, I should be congratulating you both!"

Then he addressed the four county directors who had stood up.

"We'll need the directors' continued support for our farm in the future!"

Upon hearing Su Wenchen's words, the others quickly shook their heads.

"Director Su, we really wouldn't dare. We'll need your guidance in the future."

Su Wenchen was puzzled when he heard this.

"What are you talking about?!"

"Come on! Come on! Come on! Don't stand, let's sit down and talk."

Upon hearing Su Wenchen's words, the group sat down one after another.

Liu Guangde said directly.

"Director Su, they are right. We will indeed have to trouble you to take good care of us in the future."

After saying that, he handed over the document bag on the table.

"The reply from the higher authorities to our two provinces was forwarded to us by the provincial authorities a long time ago."

"We'll be colleagues from now on!"

Su Wenchen was puzzled when he heard this.

What does this mean? Have these two provinces included their farms in the list?

If that's the case, it's not a good thing for him.

He didn't want another mother-in-law to take over his life.

However, when he opened the file and saw the first line of red text, his eyes narrowed sharply.

Zhongfa [1971] No. 49

Decision on Establishing a Special Zone for Saline-Alkali Land Management and Aquaculture Development in Northern Jiangsu and Anhui

To coordinate and promote the comprehensive management of saline-alkali land in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain and explore a new model of cross-provincial collaborative development.

After careful consideration, it has been decided to establish a special zone for the management of saline-alkali land and the development of aquaculture in northern Jiangsu and Anhui (hereinafter referred to as the "Special Zone"). The relevant matters are hereby notified as follows.

Su Wenchen knew from the beginning that this was not what he had expected.

The suggestions he gave to the two provinces, though he called them special economic zones, were actually similar to the concept of provincial-level development zones.

In this way, the two provinces can work together to cooperate and develop the northern region as soon as possible.

When their aquaculture industry develops, it will in turn drive the development of the surrounding four counties.

But now it seems that those above have different ideas, or rather, are much more radical than he thought.

Su Wenchen continued reading.

I. Scope of the Special Economic Zone.

The special zone is centered on the first branch of Lanshui Farm and covers the areas of Feng, Pei, Xiao and Dangshan counties.

II. Management System.

A special zone management committee was established, headed by leaders from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, with one cadre from each of Jiangsu and Anhui provinces serving as deputy directors. Comrade Su Wenchen from Lanshui Farm was appointed as the executive deputy director, responsible for the special zone's planning.

III. Policy Support.

It will be subject to separate planning and management, directly connected with the State Planning Commission, and will not participate in the unified purchase and sale of grain for three years. The Special Economic Zone Management Committee can allocate the grain at its own discretion after reporting to the Planning Commission.

Grant the special economic zone the authority to approve infrastructure projects, attract talent, and manage provincial-level economic affairs.

The two provinces jointly established a special zone development fund of 500 million yuan per year.

III. Key Tasks.

Saline-alkali land management project: With the application of saline-alkali rabbits as the core, at least 500,000 mu of saline-alkali land will be improved within five years.

Livestock industry development: Promote the construction of a national-level livestock breeding center and create a meat supply base in East China.

Infrastructure support: The State Planning Commission included the special economic zone's infrastructure construction in the key projects of the "Fifth Five-Year Plan", expanded the Huangkou Station of the Longhai Railway to a secondary freight hub, built a new inter-provincial highway network, and constructed a biogas project with an annual output of 10 cubic meters.

IV. Performance evaluation targets, to be achieved by 1975:

The total output value of the aquaculture industry needs to be increased by more than five times.

The average grain yield per mu in the special economic zone has exceeded 200 jin.

For major cities within the two provinces, the military regions of the two provinces must provide at least 20% of the planned meat supply.

All localities and departments must firmly establish the concept of a unified national approach and fully support the development of the special economic zones.

The Special Economic Zone Management Committee should be bold in innovation and explore valuable, replicable experiences for cross-regional coordinated development across the country.

After reading the document, Su Wenchen remained silent for a long time.

To be honest, this really took him by surprise.

Especially the speed of document distribution.

But this also put some pressure on Su Wenchen, who was genuinely afraid of making a mistake.

This was nominally spearheaded by the ministry, but it's clear from the current situation that the ministry is merely a figurehead.

After all, the higher authorities have clearly stated that they are responsible for the planning of the special economic zone.

Therefore, most matters should be handled through consultation between him, the executive deputy director, and the two directors appointed by the two provinces.

Fortunately, the assessment tasks at this time are all clearly defined and have standards.

For Su Wenchen, increasing the output value of the aquaculture industry fivefold is not difficult. Given the current scale of aquaculture, this is the easiest thing for Su Wenchen to achieve!

Completing the treatment of 500,000 mu of saline-alkali land within five years is indeed quite difficult, considering that only more than 10,000 mu have been treated in the first half of this year.

However, this is only the speed of governance based on manpower. He believes that if the scale of alkali-resistant rabbit treatment is expanded and efforts are made, 500,000 mu can be covered without much problem.

Finally, the most important task is to ensure the supply of meat to major cities and military units within the two provinces. This should also be the primary demand of the two provinces.

After all, they've provided both money and land, so they must have some demands.

Within five years, the proportion of meat supplies in major cities needs to reach 20%.

To be honest, this was the most stressful thing for Su Wenchen. But at least he was given five years, and apart from the provincial capital, the supply of meat was not very good in other cities.

He felt that if the current percentage needed to reach 20%, it shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Especially the newly bred fast-growing Bluewater Chicken.

With this, and after another five years of development, we should be able to reach 20% of the meat supply in major cities of the two provinces.

While these fast-growing chickens may not taste that good, let's just say they're not meat!

Moreover, he felt that people at this time wouldn't mind fast-growing chickens.

Overall, the first five years were not particularly difficult for Su Wenchen.

It's clear that the authorities didn't expect them to develop to a scale sufficient to supply the entire East China region or even the whole country within five years.

On the other side, Guo Xiangyang was also very curious as he looked at Su Wenchen's expression.

So I couldn't help but say it.

"director?"

"Are there any requirements from above for our farm?"

In his view, even when breeding fast-growing chickens that could be ready for market in just forty days, the director remained nonchalant.

But now I can't help myself.

Guo Xiangyang's voice rang in his ears, pulling Su Wenchen out of his thoughts.

Su Wenchen first handed the document to Guo Xiangyang, and then gave the others an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry, everyone, this is a bit too sudden."

Upon hearing Su Wenchen's words, Liu Guangde immediately smiled and replied.

"What's there to be embarrassed about? I just heard the news and I'm not even as good as you!"

"To be honest, the concept of a special economic zone has never appeared before. I thought it was about each of us managing our own affairs and cooperating with each other."

"I never expected it to end like this!"

"Director Su, congratulations!"

After saying that, he looked on with envy.

"Especially the special zone's authority to formulate its own plans, which are directly linked to the national plan—something we don't even get!"

Su Wenchen replied with a smile.

Even if we align with the national plan, our main task is still to provide services to your two provinces!

"And since it's Director Liu and your team who came this time, does that mean your province has already decided on the candidates?"

"It can't be just the two of you, can it?"

Liu Guangde stood up with a smile and said.

"Haha, we definitely have to fight for that, after all, these four counties are coming from our two places!"

"But our main task is to coordinate the meat supply share between your special zone and various regions in our province."

"After all, we have our own areas to manage." "So the development here mainly depends on you, Director Su. Now that we've delivered the people, we won't delay you any longer."

"If any problems arise later, you can discuss them with us."

As for Liu Guangde, he didn't really see the future development of the special economic zone clearly. He thought it was just a large farm.

He felt that developing industry was the only way forward, and it also had a brighter future.

The purpose of aquaculture is to provide logistical support!

However, he also felt that this special zone was a good thing for them, as it would allow them to focus more on industry.

Logistics and supplies can be handled by the professionals on their side.

Su Wenchen could tell from Liu Guangde's tone when he mentioned "your special zone" that the other party would definitely continue to focus on developing its own Xuzhou area.

He thought it was a good thing, otherwise, if he really got involved and someone kept contradicting him, it would be a real headache for him.

He also understood that, in essence, this special economic zone was an attempt at cross-regional collaborative development, with the two provinces providing land and funds, the higher authorities providing policies, and their farms providing technology.

Su Wenchen also knew that the demands of the three parties were actually quite different.

The province's demand is to increase the supply of meat to its cities and solve the current meat shortage problem.

As for what happens next, we'll definitely have to negotiate again depending on how the situation develops.

Su Wenchen thinks the top request is probably to see how feasible this management system is, and what its advantages and disadvantages are.

Of course, there are definitely factors that drive the development of the aquaculture industry, but Su Wenchen doesn't know the exact percentage.

As for his own desire, it is simply to help this area develop as much as possible, because the better it develops, the brighter his path to advancement will be.

Looking at it this way, Su Wenchen realized that their demands were not conflicting at this stage.

So when Liu Guangde got up to leave.

He said directly.

"Director Liu, why don't you stay for a simple meal? Our farm just transferred a batch of Bluewater Chickens from the main farm."

"I was thinking of treating you all!"

Liu Guangde waved his hand.

"No need for hospitality yet, you should prepare to receive the leaders from above!"

"From what I understand, this kind of thing can't be done by simply issuing a document; the higher-ups will definitely send a leader from the institute over."

"That's why we came to inform you in advance."

"Although you are busy with preparations for foreign affairs receptions, you should also be mentally prepared for the hospitality aspect in advance."

"It wouldn't be good if your boss asked you a question and you didn't know the answer."

Upon hearing this, Su Wenchen understood what the other party meant and thanked them directly.

"Don't worry, when the leaders come, we'll definitely let both sides know!"

"Alright, Director Su, we won't bother you any longer."

He then addressed the four county directors who were preparing to see him off.

"The four of you shouldn't come with us. We need to report to your new leader about the situation in your respective counties!"

"What a waste that we told you in advance to come along."

Su Wenchen also smiled.

"Director Liu, you're mistaken. The documents haven't been sent to our venue yet! So today, the leaders from the four counties are all our guests."

"Alright then! You four wait in the conference room for a bit. I'll see the two directors off first, and we'll talk again when I get back."

Seeing that Su Wenchen had said so.

All four of them immediately agreed.

After all, he'll be my boss from now on, so it's impossible for me to go against my leader from the very beginning!
However, I still couldn't help feeling a little strange.

How did I end up getting completely absorbed in the conversation?
If I had known this beforehand, why would I have bothered with all that effort?

Su Wenchen was unaware of all this after seeing the two off with Guo Xiangyang.

Su Wenchen looked at Guo Xiangyang, who was still in a daze.

"what happened?"

"I've noticed you've been silent ever since you finished reading the document."

Guo Xiangyang shook his head.

"Director, I'm fine. I just suddenly realized how big the gap is between people!"

"But will you still be in charge of the farm in the future?"

Su Wenchen rolled his eyes.

"Isn't that obvious?"

"Don't be fooled by things like separate planning, project approval authority, and provincial economic management authority."

"To put it bluntly, these policies are basically just for show, given our current lack of resources."

"Aside from one task being planned separately, do you feel there's any difference between your plans and those in Xuzhou and Suxian?"

"It's not even as good as theirs!"

"After all, the industrial base of these four counties is now practically zero."

"Tell me, what projects are available for approval in these four counties? Like building a dirt road that goes straight to our farm?"

How much money do you think they have?

Upon hearing Su Wenchen's words, Guo Xiangyang frowned.

"So they're just passing the buck to you, Director?"

Su Wenchen shook his head.

"It's not exactly a burden, but it's certainly a drag on the province's current development direction."

"Do you think the provincial government would agree if I said I wanted to go to the Suzhou-Wuxi-Changzhou area in southern Jiangsu and asked for a few counties?"

Upon hearing Su Wenchen's words, Guo Xiangyang hesitated.

"They probably won't agree!"

"After all, that area is one of the core production areas of our country's textile and light industry, and also an important part of their province's plan."

Su Wenchen said directly.

"It's not 'should,' it's 'definitely not,' because that area has already developed. Even if the higher-ups plan for that area, it's only to support Shanghai's development of light industry."

“Unlike here, I guess back then, my status in the province was such that I would have been satisfied if I could be self-sufficient and not hold back the country.”

"So we won't feel any pain if it's given to them, because they don't produce much anyway."

"Of course, our positioning of developing animal husbandry does not conflict with the industrial development plans of the two provinces, which is also an important reason."

After saying that, he patted Guo Xiangyang on the shoulder.

"So, Comrade Xiangyang, you'll have to take responsibility for the farm afterwards too!"

Upon hearing this, Guo Xiangyang immediately looked at Su Wenchen.

"Director, are you abandoning the farm?"

Su Wenchen waved his hand.

"It's impossible to ignore it, but the subsequent work on the farm, especially the construction work, will mainly be handled by you."

"I can only take care of the aquaculture aspect at most. Since the higher-ups have entrusted me with all four counties, I naturally have to be responsible for these four counties as well."

At this point, Su Wenchen was also experiencing the happy trouble of having too many duties.

It is quite common to hold concurrent positions at this time; for example, leaders of various provinces usually concurrently serve as leaders of local military regions.

Some even have to concurrently hold positions in the highest-level departments.

Su Wenchen never expected that he would have such a day.

Although Su Wenchen felt that the special economic zone was still very immature, and even its organizational structure and functions were scattered, this was generally the case with new institutions.

All organizations have developed and improved gradually in this way; they can't mature all at once. Su Wenchen felt that if things continued to develop this way, the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone might have to refer to some of their policies in the future.

He also believes that with his own development, he will definitely be able to secure a place for himself in the country in the future.

It shouldn't be worse than the previous impoverished counties.

Guo Xiangyang felt both happy and worried when faced with Su Wenchen's instructions.

I'm happy because I'll be in charge of more things in the future, but I'm worried because I'm afraid I might mess things up.

Therefore, the direct approach is as follows.

"Director, what about our farm's foreign affairs reception?"

"This is a very important mission, what if I mess it up!"

Su Wenchen said directly.

"Don't worry, I won't completely let go of this matter."

"Just proceed as we agreed before. You focus on the site construction and coordinate with Director Chen to ensure the implementation of the biogas project."

"I will keep a close eye on the progress of agriculture and animal husbandry."

Hearing Su Wenchen say that, Guo Xiangyang breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm relieved to hear you say that, Director. I'm quite familiar with things like site construction."

He was genuinely worried that Su Wenchen would completely relinquish control, as he didn't quite understand the subsequent progress in agriculture.

After all, he didn't have much time after coming down, and he was mainly busy with issues such as site construction.

After explaining things to Guo Xiangyang.

Su Wenchen returned to the conference room, where the four people were waiting with different expressions.

In fact, he also needs to adjust his future plans for the farm, since he only had the resources of the branch farm before.

All plans naturally revolve around the limited resources available at hand.

Now that he suddenly has four more counties under his control, he naturally needs to communicate with a few people to find out exactly how much wealth he has at his disposal.

(End of this chapter)