What the hell is a private enterprise?

Chapter 543 Shells are also bullets

"Mr. Tang, this is your letter of appointment."

Chu Zhen handed over a beautifully crafted certificate, which turned out to be an employment letter from the Ministry of Petroleum:

"...We hereby appoint Mr. Tang Wen as a special consultant to the XX Petroleum Group Science and Technology Research Institute, hmm?"

After reading it, Tang Wen looked puzzled. He didn't seem to have anything to do with being an oil expert.
However, Chu Zhen explained quietly:

“If Gaijin Company can find oil here, and it’s high-grade light oil, then no one else is worthy of it.”

In reality, the Ministry of Petroleum had no choice but to hire Tang Wen. The higher-ups were initially pleased with the discovery of massive oil reserves, but then quickly turned on the Ministry and began questioning it.
They started exploring everywhere in the 50s and studied the ocean for 20 years. Why were so many large oil fields in the Nansha Islands right under their noses not discovered?
As for the reasons of "violating general laws" and "a completely new geological model", they are not excuses. The oil industry can't withstand such great pressure, so it can only try to ask Gai Jin for help. Hiring Tang Wen is just a way to make connections.

Thus, Tang Wen transformed himself and added the title of "petroleum expert" to his resume.

Of course, it's not wrong from a certain perspective, after all, it's true that wherever Gaijin's fleet sails, there is oil!
Tang Wen accepted the certificate, but asked directly:
"So, what kind of work will I be responsible for?"

Chu Zhen blinked, and after confirming that there weren't many people around them, he whispered:

"Did you mention leasing the two islands of Chiwei and Diaoyu to the Fujian Provincial Fisheries Department before? Were there similar oil reserves discovered there?"

Of course, you don't have to answer. I'm just relaying the message; you can simply tell them later that you don't have it.

"Oh……"

Tang Wen suddenly realized, but he knew that the Diaoyu and Chiwei Islands must have been explored by oil experts long ago, and the Ministry of Petroleum must have reviewed them once more.

It's likely that they believed there was indeed light crude oil there but couldn't find it, so they came to us as a last resort.

After all, it was the first place Tang Wen was willing to spend a lot of money to rent, and they simply didn't believe there was no oil there.

Once these two islands are developed and their economic value is realized, their reputation can be restored!

However, this posed a challenge for Tang Wen, since the real "technology" did not actually exist, and a fleet needed to be deployed to produce crude oil.

So his final answer was—no.

However, Chu Zhen was not disappointed by this answer; on the contrary, he breathed a sigh of relief and waved his hand with a smile, saying:
"I was really afraid you'd say yes. To be honest, the exploration ship has been there seven or eight times. The deepest one we went was over 4000 meters deep, but we didn't find a single drop of oil."

If I could have that, I'd sink that exploration ship, tie myself to the mast, and offer myself as a sacrifice to the heavens.

Tang Wen: "..."

So you guys are fishing here?
Of course, this is not entirely accurate. After all, the Ministry of Petroleum has conducted numerous explorations in the Nansha Islands so far, but has yet to discover anything of interest.

Some have even hypothesized that Gejn used some kind of technology to distill and separate inferior petroleum underground, thus obtaining high-quality light oil with exceptionally stable properties.

This argument surprisingly garnered support from most geologists, since it has minimal impact on the existing geological theoretical framework and instead shifts the problem to the chemical and machinery industries.

Due to environmental constraints, although the celebration ceremony at Gongzhen Port was grand, not many people participated. It was more like a simple performance for internal use and television. After the brief ceremony, everyone gathered at the port hotel to continue their discussions.

First, there's the issue of Nansha City. Although Tang Wen didn't want it, Qiongzhou insisted on renting a piece of land to serve as the location of the Nansha City representative office.

The real leadership of Nansha City is actually in Xisha, and it is the same team managing both places under two different names. After all, both places are sparsely populated, and Gaijin Company can basically handle Nansha affairs on its own.

In the Nansha Islands, a simple fisheries bureau and police force are sufficient. The real decision-making power for municipal-level affairs actually rests with Qiongzhou, and the Xisha Islands are merely symbolic entities.

However, symbols also have their significance. Nansha City has been awarded the title of the southernmost city in China, which will make it much easier to manage issues such as foreign fishermen crossing the border in the future, and its moral basis will be stronger. Gaijin Company symbolically collected 200 million yuan in rent in one lump sum, and then donated money to build a building for the agency and provide water and electricity. It's respectable on the surface and has also achieved something substantial.

Next, regarding tourism, Tang Wen again put forward a tender to Han Feng and Ge Xuan for the construction of the "Oriental Pearl Harbor," intending to create a unique tourism resource.

Zhao Hande was too busy to attend, but his secretary was there and found Tang Wen after the banquet:
“Developing the Nansha tourist area is quite difficult, and it will probably be difficult to make a profit. The higher authorities said that they could provide some special support policies to attract tourists.”

"special?"

"Gambling".

The secretary whispered two words and then explained:
"Of course, it can also be called a casino. It was the first legal gambling license in the country, but it won't be issued until 99, and it will be subject to heavy taxes and supervision."

The significance of the year 99 is self-evident. It is estimated that the higher authorities have now decided to retain the Macau gambling industry, and have simply done another great favor for Gaijin Company.

Unlike other industries, opening a casino on a small island 1500 kilometers offshore might be more attractive to tourists, or more accurately, gamblers.

This license is only slightly less valuable than the entry requirements for the oil industry; it's conservatively enough to support a family for generations.

However, Tang Wen was not interested in this, and instead asked:

"Can we change it to something else?"

"for example?"

"Live-fire range license".

"This is easy, this is it?"

The secretary was somewhat taken aback. The gun ban had only just been issued in China, but its actual enforcement was not very strict. A thorough crackdown would have to wait until more than ten years later when the "big cleanup" began.

Now... how many people across the country haven't handled a Type 56 semi-automatic rifle? Before the restructuring of state-owned enterprises, you could fire them freely even in the security department, and there were countless hunting rifles.

Many local armed forces departments also provide similar shooting range services, but there is indeed no precedent for private enterprises.

However, Tang Wen smiled slightly, then led him to the window and drew back the curtains, where they saw that it was still drizzling outside.

In the shadows cast by the lights, two colossal beasts slumber in Gongzhen Port:

The battleships Fusang and Kongo lay quietly in the sea. Even though they were early super-dreadnoughts, their visual impact was extremely strong, exuding an invisible majesty like small mountains.

The secretary, realizing what was happening, pointed to the 356mm gun barrel of the spruce and said:

"Could it be live ammunition?"

"A shell is still a shell."

Although the Greater Bay Port can occasionally fire a few shots when serving tourists, strictly speaking, it is skirting the rules. Tang Wen, who has now become an internet mogul, still hopes to do things according to the rules, at least to promote himself openly and honestly.

The secretary also began to think about it seriously. In fact, there was not much of a problem with this matter itself. As long as there was naval supervision, there was no risk and the probability of it being approved was very high.

But he couldn't help but think: Gaikin has oil, territory, and a fleet in the Spratly Islands... he has all the necessary elements.

(End of this chapter)