Era: I was a farmer at the foot of Yaoling Mountain

Before going down the mine, Fang Wei had already changed into a full set of work clothes and put on a safety helmet, looking exactly like a miner.

This was his first time down in a mine, and he was somewhat unaccustomed to it.

However, he still insisted on inspecting all production processes and put forward higher requirements for safe production.

After returning to the surface from underground, he instructed someone to summon the mine's management to a meeting in the conference room.

After receiving the news, Fang Ping and others also came to attend the meeting. The theme of the meeting was to continue to strengthen safety in production, even if it affected output.

At the meeting, he put forward several rectification requirements, demanding that they be rectified in a short period of time.

"The inspection team has set stringent requirements for us in terms of safety production. So, I'm going to raise the bar even higher. Does anyone have any objections? Of course, from now on, performance evaluations will be temporarily suspended, and safety will be the only evaluation item."

Fang Wei did not intend to argue with the inspection team; instead, he did the opposite and made even more demanding requests.

The meeting room erupted in discussion upon hearing that the group company would temporarily cancel performance assessments. There is a conflict between safe production and the pursuit of economic benefits; many accidents occur during the blind pursuit of output, a lesson that is profound.

Without the pressure of performance targets, safety production work can be carried out more thoroughly and meticulously, and safety will be greatly improved.

"I have no opinion."

"I have no objection. I will strictly follow the group company's requirements and ensure safe production."

"Please rest assured, leader, I will definitely carry out production in strict accordance with the requirements of my superiors."

Everyone expressed their opinions one after another, and no one voiced any opposition.

In this situation, wanting both is an illusion; only by sacrificing production capacity can one ensure absolute safety.

"That's settled then. I hope everyone will make sure to put the spirit of today's meeting into practice. Meeting adjourned!"

Fang Wei then got up and returned to the office.

He doesn't plan to show himself for now; he'll let the inspection team wait and see. Anyway, Fang Ping is the official person in charge of the coal mine, and above him, Hu Linwei is in charge of the coal mine's affairs at the group company level.

Under normal circumstances, he, as the chairman of the group company, wouldn't need to personally handle such matters.

A few days passed quickly.

The coal mine successfully completed the rectification work, and its safety production level reached the highest standard, which even affected coal production.

The inspection team has found it very difficult to find any flaws; they can't even nitpick.

"Team Leader Wu, you promised me you'd shut down the coal mine this time. But now you're telling me you can't do it? What do you mean?"

weekend.

Team leader Wu of the inspection team quietly left the coal mine and met with someone near Chengguan Town.

When the other party heard that the matter was difficult to handle, their expression immediately changed.

"Are you talking to me? I only got involved in this mess because someone asked me to. I didn't take any benefits from you, so don't spout nonsense in front of me."

Team Leader Wu didn't tolerate the other party's behavior and immediately got up to leave.

He didn't actually take any benefits from the other party directly; they could turn on him anytime, and he wasn't afraid.

As he reached the door, the other person said, "Team Leader Wu, don't rush off, someone's calling you."

Team Leader Wu stopped abruptly, turned to look at the other person, and then went to answer the phone. No one knows the content of the conversation, but he maintained a respectful demeanor throughout, repeatedly saying, "Okay, okay."

on Monday.

The inspection team left Xinlin Coal Mine, but returned a few days later, only to find nothing wrong with it.

Team Leader Wu is prepared to put up a protracted battle with the Xinlin County coal mine; surprise inspections like this will become the norm. He simply doesn't believe the other side can maintain its current state and avoid making any mistakes.

Maintaining this highest level of safety in production is not only costly but also affects coal production.

Isn't the purpose of running a business to make money? If you can't make money, it's like killing the business. So, in order to achieve profitability, the other party should be able to agree to some conditions, right?
For example, relinquishing control of the coal mine.

Fang Ping and the others were exhausted from dealing with the inspection team.

He was already exhausted enough, but then those people kept conducting surprise inspections. He cursed them countless times in his mind.

"Brother, you need to stay calm and ignore the inspection team's little tricks. Think about it, you feel exhausted, so how about they? The inspection team isn't a monolithic entity; let them cause trouble."

After giving his elder brother some instructions, Fang Wei drove to the provincial capital.

After arriving in the provincial capital, he booked a table of food and drinks at a hotel and then hosted a banquet for Pang Wanxin and others.

After dinner, Lao Pang went to his small courtyard. Fang Wei brewed a pot of tea, and the two sat inside, drinking tea and talking.

"The matter is basically clear. Team Leader Wu is backed by Ma Guoxing, and Ma Guoxing is said to have connections with certain people in your Xinlin County. It seems that Team Leader Wu is targeting your coal mine for profit."

There were only two people in the room, so Lao Pang spoke the truth. He estimated that the other group wouldn't give up easily; their goal was to seize the lion's share of the coal mine.

Is it possible to start with Ma Guoxing?

Fang Wei pondered for a moment, then asked.

To catch the thief, first catch the king. If we thwart Ma Guoxing's delusions, then the rest of the people are no threat at all.

“Secretary Fang, this matter needs to be considered carefully. Ma Guoxing is not an easy person to deal with. However, you need to think it through carefully. If these people keep causing trouble for you, then the coal mine will not be profitable.”

Old Pang wasn't worried that the other party would forcefully seize the coal mine, because Ma Guoxing wasn't capable of doing that.

However, the production and operation of coal mines will definitely be affected. If the safety level cannot be lowered, then the production capacity cannot be increased, and the cost will increase accordingly.

This is fatal for a company.

"It's alright, I can afford to wait. The important thing is not to let them succeed."

Fang Wei did not explain in detail, but only expressed his attitude.

He wasn't actually worried about the economic benefits of the coal mine. Everyone only saw the company's huge investment back then, but no one saw the benefits brought about by the increased level of automation.

In fact, he himself is willing to implement a high standard of safety production system, and this sacrifice is worthwhile in order to ensure the safety of employees.

In addition, with the rise in coal prices, companies can still achieve remarkable results even under the current circumstances.

"It's good that you know what's going on! We need to gradually increase our efforts and take down Ma Guoxing once we have a complete grasp of his situation. That's the safest approach."

The two discussed it for a long time, until midnight, before Pang Wanxin finally got up and left.

Fang Wei slept at home for one night without disturbing anyone, and returned to the village the next evening.

Now that he knew the details, Fang Wei decided to keep going for a long time. He wasn't just going through the motions; he genuinely wanted to ensure safe production.

Anyone can do a surprise inspection; he's not just putting on a show anyway.

the next day.

Fang Wei returned to the coal mine to take charge once again.

He and the entire management team reached a consensus that safety in production requires constant attention, rather than being merely a formality to pass inspections.

"Manager Fang, I have already spoken with General Manager Cai and General Manager Hu. The group company will issue an official document soon. Starting this month, the coal mining company will be required to calculate depreciation using the accelerated depreciation method, and performance evaluation will be conducted according to the comprehensive evaluation method."

Sitting in the small conference room were the company's management team. Fang Wei put forward new requirements: accelerate depreciation, and remove output and profit indicators from the performance evaluation method, adopting a comprehensive evaluation method instead.

No one had any objections to this change. It wasn't a listed company after all. As long as the group company could bear the reality of reduced profits, what else could these people say?
The key point is that the superiors' assessment is not based on revenue and profit, but on a comprehensive evaluation, so it will not affect everyone's income.

"Please rest assured, Party Secretary, we will do our job well."

Accelerated depreciation has both advantages and disadvantages, but in the current situation, the advantages definitely outweigh the disadvantages.

Fang Wei doesn't need the coal mine's financial statements to look good; only the people involved know the true situation, let others guess. But one thing is certain: the employees' benefits cannot be reduced, otherwise, trouble is bound to arise.

After arranging things at the mine, he drove to the county to find Wang Lin.

Using accelerated depreciation requires consulting with the tax authorities; it would be best if Wang Lin could give them a heads-up.

"It's a small matter. I'll talk to the tax authorities. You can proceed according to your own plan."

Wang Lin readily agreed, and even made a phone call to the tax authorities in front of Fang Wei.

There were no objections from the tax authorities either. Yaoling Coal Mine Company already enjoys tax benefits, with a three-year tax exemption and a two-year tax reduction, and it is still within the preferential period. Besides, accelerated depreciation is fast at first and then slows down, so there is basically no difference overall.

“Secretary Wang, some people in the county are treacherous. Now that the coal market is good, they want to reap the benefits, and they even collude with outsiders. Such people are very harmful to the development of the county's economy. I personally think that such bad apples should be removed as soon as possible.”

After chatting about the coal mine for a while, Fang Wei changed the subject and turned his attention to certain people.

Wang Lin knew perfectly well who the bad apples were; he had a clear understanding of the situation.

"I'm already making preparations. Some people won't be able to keep up this for long."

Wang Lin stopped short of making a point, but some people's actions not only greatly harmed Yaoling Group, but also posed an even greater threat to the county's interests.

Yaoling Group is, after all, a collective enterprise, and it has a bottom line in its actions. But those people are only after their own interests and have no bottom line at all. He will never let their conspiracy succeed.

Fang Wei nodded, sat for a while longer, and then took his leave.

Next, the financial statements of Yaoling Coal Mine Company will not look good, but that's okay; there's nothing wrong with accelerating the recovery of investment.

The tax authorities audited the accounts once, which standardized the company's accounting treatment for accelerated depreciation.

This would normally be a perfectly normal thing, but some information leaked out, and some people with ulterior motives learned some of the coal mine's financial data. (End of Chapter)