The golden age began in 1977

Chapter 263 Evidence Arrives Overnight, Yang Dagang Finally Convinced

Finally, the clock hands clearly pointed to 2:40 a.m.

The chill of early winter mornings, like fine needles, seeped in through the cracks in the windows.

Qiao Zhi called from overseas: "Brother Qian, are you still there? Listen, I've found the real thing."

"But it's not an official document; it's a briefing from two months ago with private notes, and it's a photocopy."

Qiao Zhi seemed to be rapidly flipping through papers, making a lot of noise: "The briefing was very vague, but the point was clear."

"The Kulim Fertilizer and Pesticide Plant, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Johor Da Nan Yang United Chemical Plant, introduced this 'MK-IV' complete set of equipment from Chuanqi six months ago. Less than four months after it started operating, the core section of the ammonia synthesis tower suffered severe fatigue fracture of internal components, leading to a high-pressure leak in the system and ultimately forcing a complete shutdown!"

Qian Jin was overjoyed.

That's great, it's the accident itself.

This is the strongest evidence.

Qiao Zhi continued, "After the chemical plant shut down, they conducted a thorough investigation and secretly hired engineers from Sulzer in Switzerland to investigate the source of the malfunction."

"Do you know what they found out? The MK-IV isn't new equipment at all! The critical internal structural component of the tower that caused the problem—its serial number, material testing, and metallographic analysis reports all show that it was refurbished!"

"Wait a minute, there's more detail here—Fuck! The MK-IV is actually a key component from the UF-II model, an old piece of equipment that Kawasaki himself had phased out and discontinued ten years ago. It's just that the old serial number was cut off, the coating was redone, and a new batch number was added before it was embedded into the brand-new MK-IV shell system!"

"Its outer shell is indeed new, but the heart is an old, nearly obsolete machine. The entire equipment package is a Frankenstein's monster. Kawasaki used his technological advantage to dig a huge pit. You're right, this 'MK-IV' is a complete and utter fraud trap!"

Qian Jin was overjoyed.

George, you're awesome!

Connections are truly a treasure; you can never have too many.

When George goes back to the mainland to visit relatives in the future, without a doubt, he will accompany him the whole time!

After finishing his business, Qiao Zhi started cursing: "The Japanese devils are black-hearted and will always be the enemies of us Chinese people!"

"They sold our Chinese-American production lines for refurbishing old internal organs and shells, committing systematic fraud. This is a hundred times worse than the worst-case scenario I had imagined when I was investigating!"

"Luckily you have a lot of information. Once this contract is signed, our hometown factory will have invested huge sums of money and paid precious foreign exchange to buy back a bomb that could explode, paralyze, and cause serious production safety accidents at any time!"

Qian Jin said, "That's right!"

Overseas calls were too expensive, so he could only urge Qiao Zhi to send the documents quickly.

Qiao Zhi said, "I can't get the original report from Johor. I can only get their briefing from the commercial office and a summary of the Swiss engineer's core conclusions. If you need it, I can fax it to you right away."

What could Qian Jin say?
Kindness without saying thanks.

My benefactor!

After doing all this, Qian Jin's eyes were bloodshot, but his gaze was as bright as quenched 316 steel.

He was exhausted from working overtime, drinking heavily, and staying up all night, but he absolutely couldn't fall asleep.

He was extremely excited at this moment.

I'm awesome!

After thinking for a moment, he picked up the phone and dialed the internal number of Wang Dong's factory.

Wang Dong had previously mentioned at a dinner party that he would stay at the factory for the first week after the new production line started operating, so that anyone could contact him if there were any problems.

So Qian Jin broke into the gatehouse:

"Is this Lao Liu? This is Qian Jin! Wake up Factory Director Wang Dong immediately!"

Old Liu was quite conscientious, saying with some difficulty, "Director Qian, Factory Director Wang just got back a little while ago and only just went to sleep..."

"Enough with the nonsense, I have an urgent matter that could topple over!" Qian Jin said sternly.

Sometimes you have to use official jargon.

Old Liu left in a hurry.

Qian Jin hung up the phone, and Wang Dong, who had gone from his dormitory to his office, quickly called him back:
"Xiao Qian, is this about Kawasaki Heavy Industries?"

Qian Jin said, "Yes, the evidence has been found. The situation is ten times worse than we imagined. Chuanqi Heavy Industry is a bunch of swindlers!"

Wang Dong breathed a sigh of relief: "That's great, you're really quick."

"I was thinking of calling you tomorrow after you go to work. Well, here's the thing, I went to see Brother Yang after the dinner party ended. Oh, Brother Yang is so efficient."

"Actually, what you said reminded him. He called the production line import team together for a meeting overnight to study the loopholes in the import process from various sources."

"As a result, his subordinates were also impulsive, or eager for political achievements and a way out. After hearing what Brother Yang said at the dinner table, they were very angry, or I would say they were acting out of spite."

"They're actually planning to transfer the factory's so-called 'intent deposit' first—isn't that absurd?"

Qian Jin was furious: "A bunch of idiots! I don't think the fertilizer plant has fallen to this state because of equipment problems, but also because of human factors!"

"Now that this matter is settled, I must report to the Light Industry Bureau and request that all management personnel at the fertilizer plant undergo ideological and technical training and reform!"

Wang Dong nodded: "Great minds think alike, haha, that's what I think too."

Qian Jin said, "Just in case, try to 'invite' him to your office at Factory No. 6 before you go to work tomorrow, and keep him calm."

“I’ll bring the evidence to show him, Brother Wang. Before Brother Yang meets with me, we absolutely cannot let him go back to the factory to do any operations, and we absolutely cannot let anyone from the Haibin factory communicate with the Fusang side!”

“Okay!” Wang Dong agreed readily on the other end of the phone. “I’ll arrange it right away.”

"Don't worry, I'll pick him up first thing tomorrow morning. Before you arrive, even if Old Director Yang had wings, he wouldn't be able to escape from my office!"

The decisiveness in his words was completely different from the smug and self-satisfied Director Wang at the dinner table.

The excitement and joy of the new production line going into operation had long been replaced by worry.

Qian Jin instructed him, "Brother Wang, you must explain the situation clearly to Brother Yang. We absolutely cannot let him fall into the trap!"

"Once you sign a contract and pay for this kind of scam, it's very difficult to get compensation even if you take the case all the way to the United Nations. Losing money is a small matter, but the factory and the workers are finished!"

“I understand.” Wang Dong completed the collaboration with him.

After he finished his call, Sun Jian poked his head out of the main office and called out to him, "Boss, a fax from Kuala Lumpur is coming..."

Qian Jin hurriedly entered the main office.

Click...

crunch...

A low, rumbling preheating sound suddenly came from inside the machine.

Sun Jian skillfully reached for the paper output slot of the fax machine.

Hiss... Snap... Snap...

Accompanied by the agonizing noise of the paper roll, a fax sheet bearing the marks of being copied was slowly expelled.

The first thing that appears is a clear black printed letter logo—

SULZER.

The logo of Sulzer, a Swiss company.

Immediately afterwards, a line of cold English phrases appeared with difficulty amidst the distorted ink shadows:

Qian went over to take a look.

It's all very technical terminology; his English level is only good enough to barely understand a few short sentences.
The material fatigue resistance is consistent with a service life of over ten years...

The internal structural modifications obscured the original sequence imprints...

Evidence of the origin of UF-II...

Qian Jin was finally completely relieved.

He told Sun Jian to go home, and he also took Zhang Aijun home with him.

He still couldn't sleep; he had to use a translation machine to translate all the English documents on the fax into Chinese and copy them out.

The next day, as the sun rose, Wei Qinghuan woke him up: "Where did you go last night? Why did you go to bed so late?"

Qian Jin explained the situation while still dressed, and Wei Qinghuan said anxiously, "Oh dear, then you should hurry up and eat breakfast to go find that Director Yang. We can't let such a good cadre be taken advantage of."

"Damn it, those Japanese devils are bastards! How much blood debt do they owe us? We'll settle the score with them one by one in the future!"

Ma Hongxia made zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) yesterday, steamed them early this morning, and asked Qian Tu to deliver them to them.

Qian Jin ate one in a few bites, picked up his briefcase, and went out.

The motorcycle roared through the chilly morning mist, its deep, powerful engine cutting through the crowd of bicycles, drawing envious glances as usual.

The wheels rolled over the thin frost and damp, withered leaves on the roadside, leaving two clear tracks that stretched all the way to the No. 6 State-owned Cotton Mill.

It was still early morning, and the light in the corridor of the main office building of the No. 6 State-owned Cotton Mill was grayish-white.

Outside the factory manager's office stood two burly young workers dressed in blue overalls.

Qian Jin noticed that the two workers had 'militia' insignia on their chests.

Wang Dong gave him face and transferred the militia from the Sixth State-owned Cotton Mill to guard the gate.

The door was slightly ajar, and Qian Jin pushed it open and saw the person in question.

Wang Dong stood behind his desk, hands on his hips, his face ashen.

He was wearing a gray Zhongshan suit and a military overcoat, and he was shaking his head incessantly, probably having just argued with Yang Dagang. Yang Dagang, on the other hand, had his back to the door and was facing the window at the sky, which was already showing signs of an orange-red sunrise. His broad back was taut.

The door was suddenly pushed open.

The two of them turned their heads to look at each other.

Looking at Qian Jin, who was covered in cold and dust, Wang Dong slapped the table and said, "Well, my brother Qian, you've come early enough."

Qian Jin was in a real hurry on his motorcycle the whole way.

The early winter sea breeze was biting and strong, making his hair a mess. Fine white frost condensed on his eyebrows, the top of his head, and the shoulders of his dark gray woolen coat, and his cheeks were red from the cold wind.

Seeing him like this, Yang Dagang's initial dissatisfaction vanished.

He smiled and said, "Director Qian, you really put a lot of thought into things for our factory."

Qian Jin started showing off.

His eyes were as cold as stars, completely ignoring Yang Dagang's overtures and greetings, and of course, the awkward atmosphere in the air.

He stepped into the house and slammed the door shut with a loud bang.

He then threw his briefcase on the desk, and Wang Dong hurriedly opened it to search for it.

As a result, Qian Jin unbuttoned his collar and pulled out several sheets of fax paper directly from his inner pocket.

The papers were warmed by his body, and then without even looking at Yang Dagang, he slammed the fax down in front of Yang Dagang.

Before Yang Dagang could even reach out, Wang Dong had already taken it and immediately opened it to look at it.

He couldn't understand the fax paper, which was entirely in English, so he compared it with Qian Jin's handwritten translation.

Upon seeing the contents clearly, Wang Dong gasped in shock.

Then he handed the paper to Yang Dagang, and said with a mixture of shock and anger, "Brother Yang, take a look for yourself, read every single word carefully."

"You've probably heard of the Da Nan Yang United Chemical Plant in Kuala Lumpur, right? As a leader in the chemical industry, you should know about this large chemical company, which is one of the most prominent in Southeast Asia, right?"

Yang Dagang examined it carefully: "Core conclusions of the secret test report from Sulzer, Switzerland, regarding the 'MK-IV' urea synthesis tower accident in Chuanqi..."

Wang Dong said impatiently, "That's right, just look at the conclusion."

"This production line is a refurbished UF-II type production line that has been in operation for more than ten years. It's not the new product you've been telling me about!"

“Look at this Da Nan Yang United Chemical Plant. It experienced a high-pressure fatigue fracture after only two months of installation and operation, leading to an internal leak of chemical gases. I saw in the conclusion that it needs to suspend production for six months for rectification?”

Qian Jin added coldly, "Last night I asked the head of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Kuala Lumpur. The economic losses from this incident are incalculable, not to mention the near-explosion of the high-voltage power line."

"However, Kawasaki Heavy Industries somehow bribed the head of the Da Nanyang United Chemical Plant. There must have been some dirty deal behind the scenes, but this matter hasn't been exposed!"

Yang Dagang carefully read every word of the conclusion, and felt a loud "buzz" in his head, as if someone had hit his temple hard with a hammer.

His fingers trembled.

This was a sense of fear and unease he had never felt, not even when he was engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the enemy on the battlefield.

Wang Dong breathed a sigh of relief, then questioned him with extreme seriousness: "Director Yang, ask yourself honestly, if it weren't for Director Qian's timely reminder, what would have happened if you had insisted on introducing such 'advanced equipment'?"

"What's the import price? Can three or four million US dollars in foreign exchange cover it? Would selling your entire Haibin Fertilizer Plant be enough to cover the losses?"

"If we bring this thing back and install it on your old factory's pipeline infrastructure, have you thought about the consequences once it's running?"

"What if it explodes? What will happen to the thousands of workers in your factory? What will happen to the surrounding residents? What will happen to the high-pressure tank fragments combined with the high-temperature flammable ammonia leak and explosion?"

A barrage of questions rained down like a heavy hammer.

The blow left Yang Dagang's face deathly pale.

Qian Jin poured him a cup of tea and said, "Have some water, Brother Yang..."

Yang Dagang reached out and pinched his shoulder, looked up as if to say something, but finally cast a complicated look back at the report.

One of the simulated consequences for the coastal fertilizer plant is a list of potential catastrophic consequences:
The note regarding the huge direct foreign exchange loss is: the estimated import quota is US$260 million.

The factory's existing outdated systems cannot support production during the maintenance period of the "new equipment," which will result in more than a thousand workers being out of work and production for more than three months.

Equipment problems could lead to a major and serious production accident (explosion of the high-pressure system for synthetic ammonia), with incalculable casualties and losses.

Those primarily responsible for serious dereliction of duty will face the end of their political careers and may even bear criminal responsibility.

The reputation of the nation's industrial sector has been severely damaged...

These are all facts.

These words, representing the consequences, were like a whip wrapped in thorns, lashing fiercely at his eyes and heart!
Wang Dong asked, "What was the situation at that chemical plant in Malacca when the accident happened?"

Qian Jin said, "Specific information has been blocked, but it has resulted in at least fifty or sixty casualties."

He's just making this up.

Could Yang Dagang go and investigate himself?
Now he's trying to find ways to make Yang Dagang owe him even more favors.

This is not because he is despicable.

He deserves it!

He truly saved Yang Dagang and the Haibin Fertilizer Plant from their fate.

Yang Dagang's eyes twitched when he heard their conversation.

The familiar workshops, the familiar faces of the workers, the horrific scene of being engulfed by a massive explosion and toxic gas...

As a soldier who had witnessed the roar of artillery on the front lines, his associations were more accurate than those of ordinary people.

Finally, his burly body seemed to have its bones removed, swaying violently. He staggered forward, taking a step, and crashed heavily onto the cold windowsill of the office.

He turned around, pressing his back against the mottled whitewashed wall, and gripped the edge of the windowsill tightly with one hand. His other hand, which was holding the fax paper, hung limply, and the paper almost slipped from his stiff grasp.

Qian Jin handed him the teacup and forcefully shoved it into his hand: "Take a sip!"

Yang Dagang smiled wryly and took a sip of tea.

The piping hot, fragrant black tea invigorated him and lifted his spirits.

After finishing his cup of tea, he slammed his fist hard on the windowsill, his voice filled with grief and indignation:
"Japanese imperialism, you never give up your desire to destroy us!"

"If the reaction tower explodes, if it really explodes—those sons of bitches from Kawasaki Heavy Industries, they... they want to kill me and the fertilizer plant..."

Wang Dong gritted his teeth and said, "What a fucking 'China-Japan friendship'! There's no possibility of China and Japan ever being friends!"

Qian Jin calmly said, "Don't personify countries. There are only interests, not friendships, between countries."

"Kawasaki Heavy Industries' actions do not represent all Japanese companies, but as I said before, you have to keep your eyes wide open and be more careful when dealing with the Japanese."

At this point, Yang Dagang no longer had the mind to angrily berate Chuanqi Heavy Industry.

What remained in his heart was lingering fear and gratitude towards Qian Jin.

But he was a soldier, not good with words and even less able to express gratitude, so he could only look at Qian Jin with a complicated expression, and finally snapped to attention and saluted him.

"Comrade Qian Jin, on behalf of all 1,040 employees of the fertilizer plant, I, Yang Dagang, would like to express my gratitude to you!"

Qian Jin went up to him, pulled down his arm, poured him some water, and said with a smile, "Brother Yang, don't you think this is too formal?"

"Did Xiao Qian do this for your gratitude?" Wang Dong became smug again. "When I invited you to dinner last night, you didn't want to go. Hehe, what did I tell you?"

"I told you, our Brother Qian is a very resourceful guy. Getting to know him can only bring good things, not bad!"

He came up, took the forms, slammed them on the desk, and continued smugly, "Brother Yang, let me make this clear: today's medal of honor belongs to Brother Qian and to me as well."

"If I hadn't dragged you out to dinner last night, how could Brother Qian have helped you solve this huge problem?!"

Yang Dagang was at a loss for what to do, and hurriedly nodded: "Yes, yes, you two have done a great job in this matter."

"Brother Qian made a great contribution, while I made a small one," Wang Dong said objectively.

Yang Dagang put his arm around Qian Jin's shoulder, his voice trembling with emotion: "Brother Qian, you're truly my good brother!"

"I don't know what to say, but you saved my life, Old Yang's life. No, it's more than just saving my life. If the fertilizer plant had really been destroyed because of me, if the country had really lost foreign exchange because of me, I would be damned to die for it!"

Qian Jin smiled and said, "Brother Yang..."

"How could I possibly deserve to be called your elder brother? I'm stubborn and reckless. I made a mistake, but I refused to accept your well-intentioned correction. I'm such a stubborn mule!" Yang Dagang said in annoyance, criticizing himself.

"From now on, don't call me Brother Yang anymore. A wise person is my teacher, and you are my mentor! Call me Da Gang, and I will learn from you from now on!"

Qian Jin chuckled and said, "That's an exaggeration. We can learn from each other, but I have more to learn from you."

Wang Dong pulled the two apart: "Stop with the sour talk. I'm a grown man and I can't stand this. Let's figure out a way to terminate the deal right now."

"Damn it, these Japanese devils are bastards..."

"No!" Qian Jin laughed. "If we don't terminate the deal, wouldn't that just benefit these beasts?"

"Aren't they cunning? Fine, let's outsmart them!"

"A bunch of bastards think they can play military strategy with us? Fine, let's play then!"

He said, "Brother Yang, pull me into your negotiation team, hehe, I want to be the chief negotiation expert!"

Did they try to scam people and then want to leave cleanly?
There's no such thing as a free lunch.

Qian Jin is going to teach Chuanqi Heavy Industry a lesson!
He's going to launch an ambush!

(End of this chapter)