1968: Started from breeding

Chapter 354 How can we showcase America's advancement and professionalism without finding fault?

The convoy sped along the open highway toward the core reception area.

The atmosphere inside the carriage was somewhat somber. Hague closed his eyes to rest, but his expression remained stern.

Ronald tried several times to speak up and ease the tension, but seeing Hague's expression, he swallowed his words.

Su Wenchen calmly gazed at the scene outside the window.

The Huanghuai Plain in early winter appears somewhat desolate, but on the distant horizon, the landscape changes from white to black and then from black to green, demonstrating the vitality of this land.

Su Wenchen and his team deliberately chose to build the airport in a remote location, intentionally following the initial plan.

The story gradually unfolds from barren saline-alkali land to reclaimed land, and finally to vibrant winter wheat.

Because the president chose to visit during the winter, it's a time when greenery can be seen.

There are only winter wheat seedlings left here.

Ronald, sitting in the car, saw that Hague didn't seem inclined to smooth things over, and he didn't want to waste his time trying to win her over.

After all, he became the president's press secretary at such a young age, so he naturally has some arrogance. Anyway, if things go wrong, it's Hague's responsibility.

In this situation, he took the initiative to approach Su Wenchen to ease tensions between the two sides.

"Su, is this really degraded land?"

"I was at the airport just now and it seemed like degraded land that couldn't be cultivated, but this place doesn't look like it at all!"

Su Wenchen was somewhat surprised to hear this.

"Oh, Mr. Ronald, you speak Chinese?"

The other person shrugged.

"Yes, but I am the deputy team leader, so in public, I have to represent our team and can only speak English. I hope you can understand."

Su Wenchen nodded as well.

"I completely understand! This is a sign of a powerful nation's confidence in itself."

"As for the land outside, it was indeed mostly highly salinized in the past due to excessive pH levels."

"However, after more than half a year of our efforts, more than 30,000 mu of saline-alkali land has been completely normalized, and more than 70,000 mu has been slightly desalinated, making it suitable for planting some economic pasture."

Ronald frowned as he looked at Su Wenchen.

"More than 30,000 hectares were treated in six months?"

Su Wenchen smiled and shook his head.

"I wasn't referring to hectares in your area earlier, let me calculate it!"

"If we convert our mu to your hectares, it's about 15 to 1."

"That's about two thousand hectares!"

Ronald questioned this statement.

"If you manage to treat 2,000 hectares in six months, wouldn't that be very costly for you?"

"From what I understand, in California's Central Valley, treating one hectare costs at least $500. If you install various underground pipes to drain salt and then combine it with rinsing, it could cost as much as $800."

Even so, it would take them several years of continuous investment to even begin to restore the degraded soil.

Clearly, Ronald simply couldn't believe that such a poor place would have so much money spent on treating saline-alkali land.

Although the specific details of this country's industry are unknown.

But as the president's press secretary, he was aware of the main demands of both sides in these negotiations.

The main demand of the other country is to import various advanced industrial equipment from their country.

In this situation, he found it hard to believe that the other party would spend so much money on such degraded land, after all, it would cost five or six hundred dollars to rehabilitate one hectare of land.

This kind of expense is actually a heavy burden even for the United States to pay; it's not that they can't afford it, but the cost is too high.

From a return perspective, the investment cycle is too long.

There is even a risk of further deterioration. Apart from the state government allocating funds for repairs, no capitalist would invest in such a long-term and potentially unprofitable venture.

Su Wenchen naturally knew the other party's question and simply smiled and answered.

"Our costs are naturally not that high; we are using a new biological alkali treatment model that we have developed ourselves."

"It can be said that there is basically no cost; the main limitation is the production speed of our alkali-remediating fertilizer."

"If there is enough fertilizer to treat alkalinity, then treating 20,000 hectares a year is not a problem."

Ronald's eyes widened upon hearing this.

"Treat alkaline fertilizer?"

"Impossible! Your country has developed its own fertilizer that can treat saline-alkali land?"

After he finished speaking, Ronald immediately explained.

"Excuse me, Su, what I mean is, do you have any fertilizers that can directly eliminate salinity?"

"How is this possible!"

"Currently, internationally, the use of microorganisms to treat alkali is still only on paper!"

"Would it be convenient for us to watch?"

"After all, it's hard for me to believe something like this without seeing it with my own eyes."

Su Wenchen said with a smile.

“Mr. Ronald, you can take a look at the booklet about the President’s schedule that we exchanged with you earlier.”

"The third item on the list is a visit to the Zhijian Rabbit Laboratory, where Zhijian Rabbit is the main producer of Zhijian Fertilizer."

Upon seeing this, Ronald quickly rummaged through his briefcase and found the itinerary he hadn't paid attention to before.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Hague remained silent, his eyes closed as he rested.

At this moment, a curious look appeared in his eyes as he glanced at Su Wenchen.

He wondered if the other person was telling the truth or not.

If that's true, then their negotiation plan will probably have to be changed after their advance team returns.

Moreover, after he goes back, shouldn't he first go to California to see if he can buy a few hundred thousand hectares of saline-alkali land?
If this low-cost alkalinity treatment technology were introduced back to the United States, it would be worthwhile.

Turning saline-alkali land into fertile fields, even if you don't cultivate it yourself, the profit from selling it directly would probably be considerable.

hiss--!
If you think about it.

His strong heart, which had never flinched even amidst a hail of bullets, couldn't help but beat uncontrollably at this moment.

After all, he's getting older and can't work as hard anymore. He has to think about his children too!
Ronald, however, was unaware of what his team leader was thinking.

After finding the itinerary booklet, she looked at Su Wenchen with a slightly apologetic expression.

"I'm sorry, Su, I was so focused on taking pictures that I didn't read the itinerary booklet you gave me carefully."

As he spoke, he began flipping through the manual.

He found that the arrangements for this second stop were not complicated.

The first arrangement was what the president had mentioned to the other country: a visit to see the collective agricultural production methods.

The second item was to visit the other party's special economic zone to learn about their circular agricultural production model, which he didn't quite understand, but he wasn't interested in agricultural production anyway.

The third item was what he was very interested in earlier: visiting the Special Economic Zone's Alkali-Remediation Rabbit Research Laboratory to see the soil remediation process.

Finally, there are the arrangements for the reception dinner.

It can be said that Bian's itinerary is very simple, and there is nothing special about itinerary booklet.

However, Ronald realized at this point that since the other party had arranged for them to see the soil remediation process related to the treatment of alkaline soil, it was a good opportunity.

That's a bargaining chip; after all, if it weren't negotiable, it wouldn't be offered up in the first place.

It's just a matter of what price they need to pay.

Thinking of this, Ronald looked at Su Wenchen and said with a smile.

"Su, your arrangements are very simple, which saves us a lot of trouble with security."

"When could we be arranged to visit the laboratory related to the treatment of alkali rabbits?"

"After all, our responsibility is to go through all the procedures in advance in order to prevent potential risks."

Su Wenchen naturally knew what the other party was thinking, so he smiled and said.

"No rush, let's just follow the procedure above!"

"Otherwise, if we skip all the procedures, it would be bad if loopholes appeared when His Excellency the President came."

Seeing Su Wenchen say this, Ronald could only nod.

"Su, you've thought things through very well."

"Then let's go through the entire itinerary you've arranged!"

Then, silence fell over the car again.

Looking at Ronald's expression, Su Wenchen knew that the other party definitely had something on his mind.

However, he felt it wasn't enough, and when he was about to leave, he thought he should add more fuel to the fire.

The convoy drove into the guild hall area where the Da Sha River and the abandoned Yellow River meet.

The main body of the clubhouse adopts a simple and elegant postmodern decoration style.

The main focus is on simplicity and cleanliness.

After all, in terms of scale, they can't compare to the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse.

In terms of luxurious decor, they can't compare to the presidential suite in the VIP building of the Jinjiang Hotel in Shanghai.

In terms of traditional architecture, they cannot compare to the pagoda-style architecture and West Lake scenery of the West Lake State Guesthouse in Hangzhou.

Moreover, for Su Wenchen, the most important thing is that there are no problems with the accommodation.

After all, negotiations between the two sides and accommodations are just formalities, so as long as no one feels perfunctory, Su Wenchen feels that his task in this regard has been completed.

Although this decorating style is simple, it doesn't make people feel perfunctory at all.

Against the backdrop of the wide, flat riverbank, it appears both dignified and courteous.

After getting off the car.

Haig first used his sharp gaze, like a searchlight, to scan the entire outer area of ​​the clubhouse.

The surrounding Da Sha River, together with the former abandoned Yellow River, meanders and converges, forming a place that resembles an island in the middle of the river.

If we don't cross the river to attack, we only have the same route we came by, which can be said to minimize security pressure.

Su Wenchen also went up to greet them, pointing to the clubhouse in a calm tone and introducing it.

"General Haig, this is our reception hall."

"This building complex consists of two main buildings and four auxiliary buildings."

"The two main buildings are located in the center, and both buildings are designed with observation posts at high vantage points and security rooms inside the buildings."

Four annex buildings lined the four sides; these were used to receive the press corps and the president's accompanying support staff.

Originally, one of our production teams lived on this island, but we have now moved them to a location near our farm.

"The production team area has also been transformed into a reception and logistics service center."

"At that time, all kinds of fresh greenhouse vegetables, livestock and other ingredients used for reception will be directly grown or temporarily raised here."

"When His Excellency the President arrives, you can arrange for logistics personnel to come and select vegetables directly from the vegetable garden or farm according to your wishes."

"This way, from harvesting to slaughtering livestock, the entire process is under your watchful eye."

"On the one hand, we can ensure safety, and on the other hand, we can ensure the freshness of the ingredients."

Upon hearing Su Wenchen's introduction, Heig had to admit that the security measures here were indeed simple.

But they are all very effective.

Moreover, since he had other thoughts on his mind, his tone towards Su Wenchen naturally became much better.

It's not as stiff as it was at the beginning.

"Su, thank you for your explanation, but my team still needs to check it carefully."

When Su Wenchen heard the other person speak Chinese directly, he seemed to be deep in thought.

But the next moment, he smiled and said.

“Of course, after all, General Haig, you are His Majesty the President’s last line of defense, aren’t you?”

"Please feel free to check. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us."

Hague nodded and immediately gave orders to his men who got off the bus.

"let's start!"

"We will conduct a thorough and meticulous inspection according to our safety standards, leaving no blind spots unchecked."

After the command was given.

The security team behind the other party quickly dispersed. Some took out high-powered binoculars to observe the terrain in the distance, while others walked quickly into the clubhouse to prepare for a detailed internal inspection.

Others were using various devices to test the internal strength of the main building's walls.

Seeing this, Ronald walked directly to Hague's side and whispered in English.

"General, I must remind you of something."

"Our ultimate goal is to be on good terms with this country, not to be on bad terms with it."

"I think it's best to avoid such inappropriate behavior from happening again."

"Because this kind of thing doesn't make people think our security team is professional; they'll just think we're deliberately causing trouble!" "This kind of behavior doesn't demonstrate America's advancement and professionalism; it just makes us look like clowns!"

Upon hearing this, Haig gave Ronald a cold look.

"Ronald, I'm in charge of this advance team, I know what to do!"

"I don't need you to teach me how to do things."

"I will make them feel the advancement and professionalism of America!"

After saying that, he walked directly towards the main building in his military boots.

However, he still had a competitive spirit and felt that it was impossible for his opponent to be without any flaws.

But I really don't have that kind of idea anymore, like pointing to a 20-centimeter-high mound and saying it might be a hidden sniping spot.

He knew in his heart that speaking for the first time could be described as being extremely cautious.

If they keep looking for loopholes like this, it not only fails to demonstrate their advanced nature, but may also make others think that they are just looking for trouble.

While the other party was conducting a security check, Su Wenchen also invited Ronald to visit the first collective agricultural site.

In fact, Su Wenchen didn't specifically develop a lot of machinery in this regard.

After all, the main purpose of this cooperation with the United States is to introduce various advanced industrial equipment.

If your industry is already very strong, then why bother importing more? This could backfire and even affect subsequent negotiations.

So when Ronald saw in the distance a row of more than a dozen small hand tractors plowing the land.

Following behind were many members of the production team, carrying baskets and spreading fertilizer to treat alkalinity in the fields.

"Su, what are you doing? Won't planting at this time cause the seeds to freeze to death?"

"There's so little land left, yet so many people are needed to take charge."

"Won't this result in very high labor costs?"

Su Wenchen smiled and bent down to pick up a hard clod of earth that had been turned over.

"This area is all saline-alkali land, and this is how we are treating it."

"After the farm machinery turns over the soil, we bury our special alkali-remediating fertilizer."

"There are also special alkaline-reducing bacteria inside that will naturally multiply and gradually decompose the salt and alkali molecules in the soil into elements such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium that are beneficial to the soil."

Ronald blinked, looking at Su Wenchen with curiosity.

"It's that simple?"

Su Wenchen shrugged.

"if not!"

"It mainly relies on a special strain of bacteria called 'salt-alkali nemesis' for treatment."

"During the treatment period, all we need to do is supplement with some alkali-reducing fertilizer from time to time, which is perfectly fine."

Seeing Su Wenchen's explanation.

Ronald was completely incredulous and stared in disbelief.

Is it really that simple?

"That's such a low cost!"

"If we use machines to apply fertilizer, wouldn't it be possible to improve several hectares in a single day?"

"My God!"

"This is a godsend for California farmers!"

He immediately bent down and dug.

I saw the alkali-repairing fertilizer, which looked like rabbit droppings.

"It's unbelievable, Sue! Your country seems to be far ahead of us in the field of special organisms!"

"By the way, Su, do you know about the Moon Rabbit?"

"It was also developed by a farm in your country, and its fur is now extremely expensive."

"There are no buyers for these high-quality breeding rabbits on the market right now. We were originally thinking of importing them from your country!"

"It seems you have a lot of good rabbit breeds!"

For Ronald, the initial idea within the White House was actually to discuss the introduction of the Moon Rabbit.

After all, their various forms of support cannot be given away for nothing.

But now it seems that the interests involved are even greater!

He had seen federal data showing that the three states of California, Colorado, and North Dakota alone had more than five million hectares of saline-alkali land combined.

If they were to govern entirely according to their own methods, it would cost them $2.5 billion a year.

This will require continuous investment, and the federal government certainly won't provide this money, given that their annual tax revenue is only 200 billion.

Besides, even if the money is spent, it's still gone.

According to the normal progress of governance, this would be of no benefit to the current federal government and would only benefit the successor. He believed that the president would not agree to this.

So compared to the fur income brought by the introduction of Moonflower Rabbits, the benefits brought by the improvement of saline-alkali land seem to be quite substantial!
After all, this would save $2.5 billion a year.

I'm a bit conflicted!
He felt that his country needed both of these things.

Su Wenchen was unaware of the other party's conflicted thoughts, but he did not hide anything from the other party's previous words.

“Mr. Ronald, if I understand correctly, the Moon Rabbit you mentioned was also bred by our Blue Water Farm.”

Ronald said in disbelief.

"Were they also bred on your farm?"

"Is Blue Water Farm located in your special zone?"

Then he looked at Su Wenchen with some excitement.

"Su, could you introduce me to the farm's breeders?"

"Don't worry, you can ask for anything you need, and I can even find a way to bring you to the United States."

"As you know, our country is now the most advanced country on this planet."

"Su, although your animal husbandry has some surprises, it is still far behind ours."

"Trust me, you'll be better off with us. All you have to do is introduce us to the farm's researchers."

Su Wenchen narrowed his eyes upon hearing this.

It was clear that the other party was unaware that he was the chief researcher at Bluewater Farm.

However, after thinking about it, Su Wenchen understood.

After all, their country was not open at that time, and information exchange was not smooth to begin with.

Moreover, as the head of Blue Water Farm, even if the news gets out...

Most people would probably think that he was the leader who got all the credit without lifting a finger.

After all, in this respect, other countries are not far behind.

Su Wenchen guessed that this was also why they had been inquiring about the researchers, but had ignored him, the leader who was the easiest to find out about.

Clearly, what they need are capable researchers, not a leader who only knows how to steal credit.

However, Su Wenchen felt that this was a good thing for him.

So when Ronald said those words, he looked at him seriously.

"Mr. Ronald, can I understand that you are trying to turn me against you?"

Upon hearing Su Wenchen's words, Ronald knew that the other party was not the kind of person who was most easily turned.

He waved his hands quickly.

"No, no, no, Su, you misunderstood me."

"I simply admire your researchers."

"I just wanted to meet and discuss it. If you mind, then forget it."

Upon seeing this, Su Wenchen's expression immediately relaxed.

"Mr. Ronald!"

"I will report your request to higher authorities!"

"As for whether a meeting can be arranged, that depends on whether the higher-ups allow it."

At this point, Su Wenchen decided to take the opportunity to fabricate a key researcher.

The main reason is that this way, it seems like I can reduce a lot of trouble.

Otherwise, situations like today will definitely occur frequently in the future.

Even more serious incidents like ambushes and kidnappings could happen later on, and he couldn't stand it if these things happened too often.

In addition, their country is still relatively closed off, making it difficult for news to get out.

When this news comes from the press secretary of the US president, its credibility is naturally much higher.

Putting everything else aside, at least he'll definitely not be disturbed for the time being.

After observing their collective agricultural operations, the two returned to the guild hall with heavy hearts.

Security checks at the clubhouse continued until evening.

after the end.

Su Wenchen first saw Hei Ge, who had a tense expression, holding a collection of inspection plans in his hand.

After walking up to Su Wenchen, he spoke directly in broken Chinese.

"Your security plan is very comprehensive, but this is mainly due to the environment."

"I hope you can maintain such a comprehensive plan in your future travel arrangements."

Upon hearing Hegel's words, Lei Boliang, who had cooperated with the inspection throughout, and Jiang Dayong, who was in charge of building the guild hall, both breathed a sigh of relief.

Jiang Dayong, however, felt relieved. After all, small mounds are easy to level, but if they were asked to demolish walls or something similar, the project would be much bigger.

Lei Boliang was somewhat surprised.

So, if they can't find any loopholes, are they really going to give up?
Why are you suddenly being so easy to talk to?

Even a small mound of earth in front of us can be considered a major safety hazard!

This person in Beijing is also someone who frequently escalates matters to diplomatic issues and presidential security.

It made them extremely anxious.

Why don't you keep talking about the president's safety when you come here?
So, the president's safety isn't important here?
To be honest, although there are no major loopholes here, you can definitely find some if you look hard enough.

For example, if someone insists that someone can hide inside a wall and demands that they tear down the wall to take a look, they can indeed cause them a lot of trouble.

Actually, it wasn't just the two of them.

Even Ronald was somewhat surprised.

He thought that if the other party couldn't find any loopholes, they would start finding fault!

If we don't find fault, how can we demonstrate America's advancement and professionalism to them?
It seems my reminder had some effect; the other party isn't stupid.

You can find the fault later.

Ronald was also hoping to build a good relationship with Su Wenchen and see if he could get some information about the researcher.

He now strongly suspects that both the alkaline-treated rabbit and the Moonflower rabbit were created by the same researcher.

However, these researchers are definitely kept well hidden, just like in the United States, where important researchers are not publicly identified.

Even if he couldn't find out any information about the researchers, it was still important for him to know enough about the alkaline rabbits.

After all, with enough information, we can make some arrangements in advance once we get back.

Why did they go through all that trouble to come early?
They just want to know some inside information in advance so they can make plans accordingly!
When the president comes later, the press corps will follow the live broadcast from home. By the time the news gets back, they won't even have a chance to get a taste of the soup.

Seeing that the other party had not continued to cause trouble, Su Wenchen smiled and led the way to the banquet hall between the two main buildings.

"Everyone, you've all been busy all afternoon."

"We have prepared a dinner for all the members of the advance team in our special zone."

"If everyone has no objections, we can go and have our meal now."

"The dishes served at this dinner are the ones that will be arranged for His Excellency the President. You can take this opportunity to see if there are any inappropriate arrangements."

"Please feel free to bring it up promptly and stay in touch with us!"

The dinner party that was to come later was the main event that Su Wenchen had arranged.

But it seems that even before the banquet, the other party's advance team has almost completely lost its hostility.

The alkali-curing rabbit alone is already quite appealing.

Su Wenchen felt he should write a letter to his superiors to discuss the matter, and this time he couldn't ask for a lower price.

Moreover, this Ronald wanted to turn him against his own side.

Su Wenchen thought for a moment, wondering if he could also come up with a way to win the other party over with benefits.

This would also make it easier to obtain a lot of internal information about the United States, and he thought he could mention it to his superiors.

If the higher-ups agree, Su Wenchen actually has some ideas of his own!

(End of this chapter)