The golden age began in 1977

Chapter 309 is finished! That's it! Okay!

Without even returning to the ICI Hong Kong branch, Clark inquired at the coffee shop and found a telephone in the hotel downstairs that could make international calls.

He was incredibly anxious while dialing and waiting.

Even though it was just a few thin pages of paper in his hand, he felt like he was holding a nuclear weapon.

It contains a pesticide nuclear weapon capable of overturning the current global herbicide market landscape!

When the international call finally connected to the president's office at the ICI headquarters in Cheshire, England, every second of the wait felt incredibly long.

"Damn it, why isn't he answering the phone!" He cursed as he listened to the beeping sound from the receiver.

The call finally connected, and a yawning voice came from the other end: "Hello, this is..."

“Hey, Barron, it’s me, Blair Clark. I need to know where Mr. Barkley is. I need him to answer the phone right away, it’s something very important!” Clark said anxiously.

The man opposite him smiled wryly: "Blair, it's two in the morning. I imagine Mr. Barkley is currently dreaming about building his chemical empire..."

Clark was taken aback.

Correct.

The British world is seven hours behind us; it's morning here and midnight there.

But he didn't care about the time and quickly said, "Where's Cecil? Cecil is in his lab, right? Let him answer the phone."

Cecil's full name is Cecil Brightwood. He is the research and development director of ICI and the person who knows the most about Barali's production information.

The person on the other end asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Blair, your reaction is strange..."

“Listen, Barron, stop talking nonsense. Go and call the president or Cecil. I have something very urgent to discuss with them. It’s very urgent. The company may be facing an A-level crisis!” Clark interrupted him again.

Upon hearing this, Barron was shocked: "Are you sure it's an A-level crisis?"

Clark said, "Yes, I'm about 80% sure now, but to determine its crisis level, we still need the president or Cecil to make the determination."

Barron immediately said, "Wait here, I'll report the situation right away and contact the president as soon as possible to have him answer the phone on an extension."

The waiting time was extremely long.

Even the staff at the hotel's international long-distance call center couldn't help but come over to remind him: "Sir, the call has already been made..."

“Here you go.” Clark wrote a check and handed it to the other party.

HSBC.

The employee glanced at the numbers, said nothing, shrugged, and said, "Good luck."

At that moment, Henry Buckley, president of the ICI, spoke on the phone: "Clark? At this time? What's happening in Asia?"

"Sir! Something terrible has happened!" Clark's voice trembled with excitement. "I have... I have a document. A Chinese official gave it to me. It's about the production details of Paraquat!"

“Paraquat?” President Barkley’s voice rose instantly, filled with disbelief. “What are you talking about, Blair? Explain yourself!”

“Yes, Sir!” Clark quickly recounted how someone had arranged to meet him to discuss the purchase of high-efficiency cypermethrin.

"...Just as I was trying to negotiate the price down, they gave me the complete preparation process for Paraquat. I took a quick look at it, and the information was complete and accurate, so it didn't seem like they were up to something."

"Of course, Mr. President, I am not familiar with the entire preparation process of Paraquat. Perhaps I can read it to you?"

Barkley took a deep breath: "Don't be stupid, just read the core part—never mind, don't rush, listen to me, does the information you have mention the key substances for the synthesis route?"

Clark flipped through a piece of paper and said, "Found it. They said the key synthetic substance is 1,1'-dimethyl-4,4'-bipyridinium salt!"

"Then they mentioned the optimization scheme of the cyanide route, especially the yield control point for the separation and purification of the intermediate N-methylpyridinone."

"Did they mention what impurities will be obtained during the separation and purification process, and how to monitor them?" Barkley on the other end of the phone started to sound anxious.

Clark continued reading and quickly said, "It was mentioned that the impurities are diquinoline and unreacted N-methylpyridine, and the monitoring method was also mentioned, which is the range of chromatographic analysis monitoring indicators."

"Damn, the information above is incredibly detailed, and the explanations of the monitoring metrics are far too specific, Sir!"

The background noise on the other end of the phone suddenly stopped, and then another voice came through.

This time, it was Research and Development Director Cecil Brightwood who was summoned to the president's office:
"Clark, are you absolutely sure? This isn't some academic paper or patent abstract. What's the level of detail regarding catalyst selection and reaction temperature in the coupling step? Do you have that information?"

President Barkley, speaking on the extension, said, "This is our proprietary data."

“Cecil, the document records the key steps,” Clark read quickly.

"Pyridine methylation is carried out under pressure using chloromethane in the presence of a specific noble metal catalyst—platinum-carbon catalysts are mentioned here—and a combination of stabilizers to prevent photodegradation is also mentioned..."

"God!"

More than one person is calling for God.

Then a brief silence fell over both ends of the phone, with only heavy breathing coming through the receiver.

Breaking the silence was Barkley's increasingly unsteady voice:
"Damn it, what's going on? Why are these Chinese giving you this? They're a bunch of uncivilized idiots, how do they have this? What do they want?"

President Barkley's questioning was like a bucket of cold water, instantly chilling Clark to the bone, making him feel cold from head to toe.

Oops!

He then realized with a start that, in his immense shock and impulsive urge to prove the facts, he had made an unforgivable and elementary mistake:

I completely forgot to ask the other party the core purpose of providing this information!
Clark felt his tongue tie itself in knots, and cold sweat instantly beaded on his forehead: "Y-yes, I think they want to purchase our high-efficiency cypermethrin emulsion..."

"What?" Barkley was stunned. "They want to buy our high-efficiency cypermethrin, and then they showed you the synthesis manual for our flagship product?"

"Damn it, am I dreaming? Cecil, did you understand what he meant?"

The R&D director also stammered.

I really didn't understand.

Barkley immediately snapped, "On this kind of thing! Don't hide anything, anything, listen to me, Blair! You know me, now, tell me everything, every single detail!"

"Well, I regret to say that I was very shocked when I received this document, and when I was reviewing it, I... I neglected to clearly discuss the terms of the transaction with the other party..." Clark's voice grew softer and softer until it was almost a murmur.

"You ignored their conditions?! You don't even know what they want?!" President Barkley's roar almost shattered the receiver.

He was shocked.

But it wasn't the shock of discovering something incredible that I felt before; it was a shock accompanied by overwhelming anger and disbelief.
"You idiot, Clark! You complete moron! They showed you the blueprints for our crown jewel, and you forgot to ask them why?!"

"This isn't your neglect, this is you trying to commit professional suicide!"

Cecil Brightwood smoothed things over, saying, "Clark, this is indeed absurd. But I can understand, Mr. President, he must be very shocked."

"To be honest, if I suddenly discovered the production plan for our most advanced products in a backward place in East Asia, I would also be shocked and forget what I was supposed to do."

Barkley roared, "Then get back to that meeting room right now and find out what they're up to. Damn it, what's going on? I'm going crazy! Get back there right now, understand? Go back right now!"

"Yes, gentlemen, I'll be right back." Clark was so angry he was pale and sweating profusely. All traces of his previous negotiating prowess were gone, replaced by embarrassment and fear.

He hung up the phone, tried to suppress his panic, and straightened his crooked tie.

The silky fabric now felt like a rough rope in his hands, tightening around his neck and making him feel suffocated as if he were being hanged.

So he simply loosened his tie and threw it away, then returned to the top floor with as steady a gait as possible and pushed open the door to the coffee shop's private room again.

Inside the private room, Qian Jin was leisurely stirring his coffee with a small spoon, the brown swirl in the cup making the small liquid seem bottomless.

Seeing Clark return, he wasn't surprised at all; he simply put down his spoon, raised his cup, and gestured to the other man.

Clark stood at the door, his previous aggressive demeanor gone, and his posture humbled.

This greatly shocked both the middleman and Liu Wenjie.

The two looked at each other and found that the other's face showed the same confusion as their own.

What did Qian Jin give this foreigner?
They know these foreign executives of multinational corporations all too well; they are all incredibly arrogant, and they would never show such an attitude towards Asians unless they were forced into a corner.

Clark, however, was unaware of this.

His shoulders were slightly hunched inward, and he wore what he considered a peaceful and dignified smile.
"Mr. Qian, thank you very much for the information you just presented. It is very inspiring for our work."

"I am deeply sorry for what happened just now. I may have been too focused on the fire at the cooperative factory in Southeast Asia, which led to some misunderstandings in our communication."

"You just mentioned wanting to purchase from our company..."

At this point, he realized there were several other people in the room, one of whom was an information broker.

If intelligence brokers were to learn that China had become the second country after Britain to master the entire production process of Balali, the ICI would be in big trouble.

It's about the thing Qian Jin warned him about before:
Once this news gets out, ICI's stock price will likely plummet.

So he immediately consulted with Qian Jin: "Mr. Qian, I must say, your choice to come to the meeting alone was absolutely right. Compared to you, I have been far too careless in my considerations."

He gestured outside to his dazed subordinates: "Diana, go outside for coffee, now, immediately!"

These people are certainly not stupid to be taken in as confidants by the Asia-Pacific regional director.

Without saying a word, they tucked their tails between their legs and left.

The middleman realized the existence of top-secret information, but he hesitated and tried to play dumb.

But Clark was staring intently at him.

Knowing that staying would be pointless, he gave an awkward laugh, apologized, and left.

Liu Wenjie naturally wouldn't leave anything out of the way.

Soon, only Qian Jin and Clark remained in the room.

At this moment, Clark asked impatiently, "Mr. Qian, we at ICI are extremely eager to know where you obtained this information?"

Qian Jin said, "Can this even be considered a problem? Of course, it's based on research findings from our national laboratory."

Clark was somewhat incredulous and unwilling to accept it, but he had no other choice but to continue asking:

"Now that you and your country have so generously presented these... these profoundly significant materials, do you have any related expectations or directions for cooperation? I would like to ask, what would you like to discuss further?"

At this moment, the initiative completely shifted into Qian Jin's hands.

This is normal.

Qian Jin holds their lifeline in his hands.

Faced with Clark's now obedient attitude, Qian Jin didn't hesitate and immediately said:

"We need a large quantity of high-efficiency cypermethrin, but we do not have enough foreign exchange. Therefore, we hope that your company can sell us a batch of high-efficiency cypermethrin at cost price for disaster relief work."

Clark's lips twitched when he heard the words 'cost price'.

The cost price of chemical pesticides...

The cost of these chemical products is often very low, and the reason they are sold at high prices is to offset the high R&D costs in the early stages and the marketing costs in the later stages.

In addition, Clark did make one point correctly: spring is the season for insect infestations in the Northern Hemisphere, and many countries have a demand for high-efficiency cypermethrin, so the price is relatively high.

Qian Jin is now desperate to acquire this sought-after product at cost price, and his heart is bleeding!

However, now that the conversation had moved into the negotiation stage, he relaxed considerably: "So what can we get in return?"

Qian Jin said, "It's very simple, you can get a high-quality contract."

He coughed, then adopted a businesslike demeanor and began speaking in a bureaucratic tone:

"Mr. Clark, our country fully recognizes the great achievements your country has made in technological research. In order to avoid unnecessary competition and market fluctuations that could lead to a lose-lose situation, our country sincerely hopes to reach a strategic and long-term cooperation with your country."

"The specific cooperation method is that we are willing to sign a purchase contract with your company for Balari and import Balari herbicide concentrate produced by your Southeast Asian factory in a long-term and stable manner."

When it came to business cooperation, Clark regained his shrewdness and immediately spotted the problem with the terms of the deal:
"Of course that's no problem, but you also have production capacity, so why are you still importing from us?"

"So, shouldn't we talk about the price first?"

Qian Jin smiled and said, "It's always pleasant to talk to intelligent people. Director Clark, you've raised a good question."

"We clearly have the production capacity, so why do we need to import from you?"

"It's very simple. As long as you give us a cost price, and as long as it meets our country's demand for Balali, then we don't need to spend a lot of money to invest in production lines to compete with you."

Clark lowered his head and silently took a sip of coffee.

cold.

so bitter.

It's another cost price.

Damn cost price!

However, this is already the best outcome possible at present!
China imports pesticides from them at low prices, but does not invest in production or export pesticides, so that they can still continuously harvest the markets of other countries.

He also considered another important point!
He asked, "How exactly will we sign the contract? How will we announce it to the public?"

Qian Jin knew that the real decisive moment had only just begun.

He remained calm and composed, displaying the experience of a negotiation expert: "Mr. Clark, cooperation requires sincerity and guarantees."

"If your company performs exceptionally well in this insect infestation relief effort, then based on the mutual trust established in this relief cooperation, and considering your stable supply capabilities, we can publish an announcement in the newspaper to the world regarding our cooperative project and make the following commitment—"

“We will sign a three-year contract. During the three-year contract period, we will purchase a considerable amount of Barali crude oil from ICI every year at the price agreed upon in this agreement. It will be exclusively for use in the Chinese market, strictly limited to sales within mainland China, and will not be exported or resold. We will also sign binding clauses with international legal force.”

"Of course, under this cooperation framework, in order to ensure market stability and the interests of all parties, we will also suspend our own plan to scale up the production of our own Barabrib formulation."

"As long as ICI keeps its promise and provides high-quality and affordable products, we have no need or motivation to invest huge sums of money to build a brand new production line to compete with you in the international market."

Clark listened silently, feeling as if he had suffered a defeat.

How did that happen?

Upon learning of the severe aphid infestation in China, he initially thought he had stumbled upon a major achievement during his business trip to Hong Kong.

result.

He's hit a really big bullet!

Qian Jin's conditions were extremely demanding—low price, long-term commitment, and securing their market share in China for the next three years.

He knew that, given the other party's shrewdness, ICI would not be able to make any money in the Chinese market for the next three years.

Conversely, this ensures Balari's pricing power in the global market for the next three years.

In this respect, ICI's monopoly will not be challenged.

Compared to the nightmare of potential market share collapse and loss of technological monopoly, accepting this condition seems to be the wisest, or even the only, choice.

But he was not satisfied and said, "Three years is not enough, at least five years!"

I need to earn money for a few more years.

Qian Jin smiled and said, "Director Clark, don't be too greedy. We all know how much benefit this will bring to your company's stock market once your company engages in in-depth cooperation with our country."

"But this positive news will eventually turn into a negative one," Clark remarked.

Qian Jin said, "It will be bad news, but will you short it?"

Clark fell silent.

I'm not going to have any free time!
I'll probably short it then!

But Qian Jin didn't continue to haggle with him. Instead, he reached out his hand to him and said, "As long as the high-efficiency cypermethrin emulsifier can be delivered to us in a timely and sufficient manner, five years is fine, no problem."

Clark took a deep breath and extended his hand to shake his: "Deal, Mr. Qian. I really didn't expect that your country would have such a sharp sword. It has hurt our company a lot."

He then continued, “However, I need to report the results to the head office. If the head office agrees, I will transfer high-efficiency cypermethrin emulsifier from chemical plants in Siam and India to your country today.”

Qian Jin said, "Okay."

Clark then rushed off to make an international call.

Barkley and Cecil had already met in the president's office.

After Clark revealed Qian Jin's purpose, Barkley and Cecil breathed a sigh of relief.

Five more years!

This is an acceptable condition. According to their expectations, in five to eight years, the five major agricultural and industrial powers—Germany, Japan, the United States, Spain, and the Soviet Union—will be able to develop and produce balali.

Adding China at that time wouldn't be a problem.

Having a lot of lice doesn't make you itch.

Furthermore, as Qian Jin said, they value the signal that they can capture the pesticide market in the great Eastern country, so that they can dominate the stock market and make a fortune.

The next five years are enough time for them to reduce their stock holdings. When negative news comes out five years later, they will not lose money, but will only make money.

In the end, it's just stupid retail investors who will lose money.

They might make a fortune by buying at the bottom.

This is very important.

Because it's uncertain when another country will be able to start producing Balari, they can't make too many preparations in the stock market.

If China were to give a specific five-year timeframe, they would have a lot more room to maneuver.

Neither individuals nor companies will suffer losses; in fact, they can make a profit.

After much deliberation, Barkley decisively said, "Agree to the Chinese conditions and open up this huge market."

Cecil, a tech-savvy individual, said, "Balali's production conditions are very demanding, requiring advanced production line technology. Do you really believe that underdeveloped China can produce this pesticide?"

Clark regained his composure and said, "Cecil, it's not a matter of whether we believe it or not, but whether we can take the risk!"

"If they suddenly announce tomorrow that they have the production capacity for Balari, how do you think our stock price will react?"

Barkley agreed with his subordinate: "Blair is right, he handled this matter correctly."

"But there's a prerequisite: their production capacity must be completely shut down within five years, and they cannot transfer their technology for production!"

Clark readily agreed: "Sir, rest assured, there will be no problem with the contract."

The three discussed some details, and Barkley eventually persuaded Clark to agree to the conditions, although a contract still needed to be drafted to determine the specifics of the cooperation.

Clark is an expert in this area, and he's not worried about any problems arising.

Back in the private room, he changed his demeanor, no longer arrogant or fearful, but instead revealing a nonchalant smile.

As soon as Clark entered, he extended his hand and said enthusiastically, "We are willing to sell high-efficiency cypermethrin emulsifiers to your country at production cost. When will the contract be signed? Once the contract is signed, I can immediately send the inventory to your country with priority."

"However, we believe that the cooperation period for Balali is too short. Five years is not enough; it should be at least eight years!"

Qian Jin firmly shook his head: "Six years at most. Any longer and we'd rather find another chemical plant to cooperate with."

Clark patted his hand: "Well, Mr. Qian, your logic has a damn coldness and precision."

"Deal made. Wish us a successful collaboration. But when should we discuss the specific quantities and pricing details for both drugs?"

"In addition, you must guarantee that your country will purchase our Barali drug steadily for six years, and that your country will never leak the technology or restrict the production of the drug. I need to inform you in advance that these will form the most stringent contract terms with international legal force."

Qian Jin shook hands firmly to show his unwavering attitude: "No problem at all!"

A meeting that could have ended in a breakdown took a dramatic turn at the last minute, laying the foundation for a win-win situation.

Buy a high-efficiency cypermethrin emulsifier at a low price, and buy six years' worth of Barali herbicide at a low price.

It is indeed a win-win situation.

He won twice.

History cleverly converges into the same time tunnel here.

According to the information he found in the documents, the country did indeed purchase paraquat from the ICI for six years, but the purchases started in 1984.

This means the country would naturally have to pay a high price to purchase it, otherwise they wouldn't be able to buy this pesticide.

The procurement work continued until 1991, when a domestic team finally completed the relevant research and development, making China the second country that could independently produce paraquat.

Paraquat requires extremely harsh production conditions, and currently, domestic chemical plants do not have the capacity to produce it.

It was just as he said to Director Wang.

In the early days of China's reform and opening up, they didn't understand many foreign companies, and similarly, those foreign companies didn't understand them either.

Therefore, ICI dared not gamble.

In addition, they also profited from gaining access to such a vast and promising market as China.

It's just that making big money has turned into making less money.

The so-called production cost is just that—a term used by ICI itself. No one knows the true production cost of their various pesticide products except for ICI itself.

This is indeed a complex matter. For example, ICI has production lines in the UK, Siam, Mexico, India, and other countries. The cost of labor and raw materials varies in different regions, resulting in different production costs.

So the price is still set by ICI, but they set it a bit lower so that the money coming in is satisfied.

Now that a preliminary cooperation has been reached, Qian Jin is finally at ease.

He was willing to flatter the other party at this time, since good words are free: "Mr. Clark, there is an old Chinese saying, 'Saving lives is like putting out a fire.'"

“Our hundreds of thousands of acres of wheat fields are like a fire that is burning at the last minute, and your company’s high-efficiency cypermethrin is like our only water to extinguish the fire. We sincerely hope to achieve mutual trust and cooperation in this emergency rescue operation.”

Clark also said something nice: "It is our duty. God brought us into this world not so that we would hurt each other, but so that we would love one another."

The two exchanged a glance, their faces filled with affectionate smiles.

They raised their coffee cups together, using coffee instead of alcohol, and then clinked their glasses together, saying 'Cheers'.

Once they left the private room, they were all all lovey-dovey, acting like the best of friends. They were so affectionate it was almost sickening.

The middleman was dumbfounded.

He couldn't help but ask Liu Wenjie in a low voice, "Manager Liu, who is this fellow countryman of ours? This is the first time I've seen someone of Asian descent who can handle this foreigner, Clark."

Liu Wenjie looked at him in shock: "Compatriot? You now consider him a compatriot?"

The middleman chuckled shamelessly, "We are all descendants of Yan and Huang, of course we are compatriots."

He even ran up to Qian Jin and handed him his business card: "My name is Ding Dachao. You can contact me anytime if you need anything, sir. I'm always ready to serve you."

grown ups……

Qian Jin really wanted to kick this bastard away.

However, he only thought about it for a moment before accepting the business card, since this kind of person was indeed useful to him.

With his abundant information and unconventional connections, Qian Jin can be used as a shield in many situations.

With the initial cooperation agreement reached, Qian Jin quickly made a phone call back home: "Director Wang, the problem is largely resolved. Please tell the comrades in the guidance team that the first batch of high-efficiency cypermethrin can be shipped into China within five days!"

"What about the price?" Wang Zhenbang asked nervously.

Qian Jin said, "It's lower than expected; the price per ton can break through the $2,000 mark."

"In addition, through my friends' efforts, we managed to fool these foreigners and negotiate another cooperation agreement, which concerns the import of Barali, a world-class herbicide."

"The price will be very low, much lower than the lowest price in the global market—have Professor Su and his team immediately calculate and estimate the cost of producing high-efficiency cypermethrin emulsifier and Barali, and I will sign the contract at cost price."

Wang Zhenbang: "Huh?!"

He glanced at his watch.

From departure to receiving the results, it took less than 24 hours...

My mother!
This efficiency is terrifying!
Furthermore, how can top-tier pesticides be imported at cost price?

My mother!
That negotiation skill is terrifying!

Old Wang had to repeat what Qian Jin had just said, then excitedly asked, "Are you kidding me? High-efficiency cypermethrin can be priced below two thousand US dollars per ton?"

Two thousand dollars!

Qian Jin said, "Yes, the initial cooperation terms have been agreed upon. We will discuss the specific details after my team arrives."

"I also need you to urge them to get through customs and arrive in Hong Kong as soon as possible. Time waits for no one, and the insect plague waits for no one either!"

Wang Zhenbang subconsciously swallowed.

My mother.

In other words, Qian Jin single-handedly took down an entire negotiation team.
In the past, a single person with money could be worth five divisions; now, one person with that kind of money can be worth an entire department!

The next step is simply to carry out follow-up work.

The phone rang incessantly, and the negotiation team, the emergency command leadership team, as well as the All-China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives, the municipal government, foreign trade units, and even the customs area were all busy:
"Li Xiang, immediately draft an import contract for high-efficiency cypermethrin emulsifier according to the specifications and quantities in my notes. We don't need the emulsifier anymore; let's lower the price by another twenty percent..."

"Will ICI agree? They definitely will. Emulsifier production costs are quite high. If we don't want emulsifiers but only lower the price by 20%, their profit margin will be even greater."

Emulsifiers can be produced domestically, so they only need to import the chemicals. Moreover, emulsifiers are heavy, and without the burden of their weight, they can switch from sea freight to air freight.

Pesticides will be transported much faster.

"Deputy Director Sun, you are in charge of drafting the contract. It needs to be in both Chinese and English, and each item must be clearly marked as 'emergency disaster relief special approval goods.' Contact customs to use the 'special supply tax-free channel for agricultural materials'..."

The All-China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives is also busy:

"Vice President Yi, contact the China Airlines office in Siam immediately!"

"Find the fastest empty or cargo flights back to China and tell them that these are life-saving relief supplies in this major disaster!"

"We've applied for exemption from tariffs, commodity inspection, and joint inspection! We want to use a special supply channel! Please make sure they coordinate the transportation of our supplies!"

"You are in full charge of this matter, and absolutely no problems are allowed to occur!"

On the municipal government side, Director Wang also kept up:

"Hello, is this Director Jing? You're familiar with the foreign exchange declaration process for agricultural chemicals, right? Please cooperate with the All-China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives to prepare a complete set of pro forma invoices and other documents immediately."

"Immediately submit an emergency temporary duty-free application to customs! Reason: Major insect infestation!"

"Old Zhao, keep a close eye on the foreign exchange situation. Governor Jing is coordinating with the State Administration of Foreign Exchange to allocate emergency foreign exchange. Once the order is issued, make sure the quota is confirmed and implemented immediately!"

"We sent an urgent letter to the Payment and Settlement Department of the Bank of China. We need to open an irrevocable letter of credit at sight immediately—we can't wait, time is life, time is the life of the people!"

Time seemed to be fast-forwarded, or stretched into an infinitely extending line.

Three days later, a flight landed at the provincial capital's airport.

The waiting trucks immediately drove over, and the movers, wearing masks and rubber gloves, began to get to work.

All that was unloaded were wooden crates in the international air freight standard format, with the words "AGRICULTURAL·EMERGENCY·RELIEF·GOODS" painted in bright red on them.

Emergency agricultural disaster relief supplies!
The middle-aged section chief in charge of inspection at the airport customs only glanced at the box and the materials stamped with "special approval" handed over by Qian Jin before waving him away.

The bright red words "special approval" possessed a power that transcended all procedures in the face of immense disaster relief pressure!

Liberation trucks loaded with high-efficiency cypermethrin, their headlights gleaming dimly, resembled military vehicles heading to the battlefield, driving one after another towards Anguo County.

Trucks had already come and unloaded a large amount of emulsifier.

Ultimately, the high-efficiency cypermethrin and the previous emulsifier were all unloaded in the county suburbs supply and marketing cooperative warehouse, which temporarily became the front-line command center for disaster relief.

Wang Zhenbang and the experts were all here, along with hundreds of able-bodied laborers and militia members from various communes, all lined up neatly in rows.

Professor Su and others rolled up their sleeves, their faces covered in dust and sweat, and guided the grassroots agricultural technicians in each commune to prepare the pesticides.

The order in which different medicines should be poured, the ratio of water to emulsifier, key points for spraying, personal protective equipment requirements...

Several veteran experts spared no effort, shouting as they instructed the agricultural technicians on the procedures in detail:
"We must make sure our members take precautions to protect themselves. This insecticide can kill insects but also kill people, and there's no specific cure. If someone gets poisoned, we can only treat the symptoms, which is very troublesome..."

Once the technicians had fully grasped the key points of the training, the able-bodied men and militia members had also distributed the medicines and emulsifiers.

The diverted cars rushed to their respective communes.

Then, while it was still light, the able-bodied men of each commune, under the guidance of agricultural technicians, bottled this new insecticide that the state had bought at a high price.

The medicine barrels were filled with the diluted milky white medicine, and hundreds of thin water jets sprayed in unison onto the wheat field, which looked like it was covered with a black felt blanket.

The medicinal mist rose and spread instantly.

Wang Shoucai, the head of the Wangjia production brigade, personally took to the field. Carrying a heavy pesticide tank on his back and gripping the sprayer tightly with both hands, he stepped into the dry soil and sprinkled the white pesticide mist into the wheat field.

Almost all the members of the brigade came.

Families, young and old, each guarded their newly allocated plots of land, keeping a close watch on the wheat seedlings that had been sprayed with pesticides.

The blackish-green aphids on the underside of the leaves, which had once terrified them, seemed unaffected at first under the milky white mist, and even twisted their bodies faster.

Then, a minute passed, two minutes passed...

The wind in the fields brought a dry, cold feeling.

Wang Shoucai, who was spraying pesticides ahead, finally couldn't resist his curiosity and walked back with the sprayer on his back. He bent down and carefully turned over the thick leaves with trembling fingers—

The area below is now completely empty!

On the ground were some sticky, transparent remains of aphid corpses.

Some aphids, though not completely dead after being soaked in the pesticide, only twitched slightly before deflated like punctured balloons, lifeless!
He walked along the ridges of the field, turning over one wheat seedling after another...

Gone!

There are no more aphids or insect eggs.

They're all really dead and all gone!

Other members also noticed this.

Young men, strong men, young women, and married women kept jumping up from the ground, excitedly shouting, "Look! They're dead! All the insects are dead!"

"This medicine is different from the previous one; the bugs really died. It's incredibly effective at killing bugs..."

On the ridges and between the rows of wheat, countless weary figures hurriedly rushed to the blackened wheat stalks in the fields to carefully examine them.

That once hopeless swarm of jet-black insects was utterly no match for this white potion!
The uneducated farmers didn't understand the underlying principles, but they suddenly realized: "So, to kill these black bugs, we need to use the white medicine!"

Cheers erupted from all directions, echoing throughout the county and even in the farmlands of neighboring counties.

"The bug is really dead!"

"Good heavens, the wheat can be saved!"

"Thanks to the country for sending foreign exchange, this insect plague is finally over..."

Wang Shoucai in the field did not cheer.

He worked back and forth in the field until the medicine jar was empty, then returned to the edge of the field, sat down, rolled a cigarette, and smoked it.

A technician jokingly told him, "Captain Wang, you have pesticides on your hands, you can't put them in your mouth."

Wang Shoucai didn't care at all.

He looked up into the distance, smoking as he waited.

Until Zhang Weimin, the commune secretary, appeared.

Zhang Weimin rode over quickly on his bicycle and shouted, "Old Wang, how is it?"

Wang Shoucai nodded easily: "We'll get through this, but the wheat field will be completely eaten up, so we'll have to replant it later."

Zhang Weimin laughed and said, "It's alright, I've inquired. The higher-ups have said that the government will cover our costs. The replanted wheat seeds won't cost us anything; the government will distribute them to us for free!"

"Don't worry, the country won't just stand by and watch us wallow in the mud; it will definitely pull us out!"

Wang Shoucai laughed and said, "What a good leader and cadre! The leader's hat is still hanging at my house. When are we going to the city? Let's return the leader's hat to him."

Zhang Weimin burst into laughter: "I ran into a big leader in the county earlier, and I told him about returning the hat."

"Then the big boss said that his hat was warm, so he gave it to you, the bald captain, because he said it was still cold in early spring and you had to be careful not to get your head frostbite..."

The other members around who heard this laughed.

A happy laugh.

(End of this chapter)