The golden age began in 1977

Chapter 351: Use this to test the cadres
The 17th floor of the BASF headquarters building in Ludwigshafen.

The heavy double oak doors were tightly shut, blocking out the slightest sounds from the outside corridor.

The gold-embossed German lettering on the doorplate reflected a cool sheen under the fluorescent lights.
"High-level business negotiation room A".

The atmosphere inside the meeting room was heavy and oppressive.

The cold white light from the ceiling lamps cast a devoid of warmth, illuminating the dark brown cherry wood table with a glossy and beautiful sheen.

The long table was filled with people, each with a steaming cup of coffee next to them.

Chinese personnel occupied one side of the long table.

Qian Jin sat in the center, with a dark blue hard-covered notebook and a cup of barely warm coffee beside him.

He picked up his coffee and took a sip.

The coffee cup is empty.

Immediately someone came up and took it away, then poured in fresh, steaming hot coffee.

Black coffee without sugar or milk.

It's purely for prolonging life.

Yang Dagang sat to Qian Jin's right like a silent stone statue, with a large stack of process flow diagrams spread out in front of him, covered with numerous markings and question marks made of red and blue pencils.

After he finished his coffee, a waiter replaced it for him.

Add sugar and milk for double the effect!
He drinks coffee simply because it's fragrant and delicious.

Director Qian had already said that this coffee was expensive and unavailable in China, so he took advantage of the fact that it was free at the negotiation meeting and drank it like crazy...

At least we managed to get some foreign exchange back.

The negotiation team's experts and leaders, including Wang Zhenbang, sat to Qian Jin's left, discussing things in hushed tones.

It is now the second day of negotiations, just as Schmidt had predicted.

The negotiations were very difficult.

At this moment, Schmidt and his group sat across from Qian Jin and his group at the table. They had sent eight people, a small number but a prestigious lineup.

Schmidt is the president of the Far East business, so he naturally has to be in charge personally. This is a big deal, and once it's done, it will be an achievement he can put on his resume.

Accompanying him on his left was Ms. Gruber, BASF's Vice President of Technology, a blonde woman with exceptionally sharp eyes.

She benchmarked herself against Yang Dagang, who was surrounded by complex technical documents. There was also the group's deputy financial director, who was constantly writing and drawing on the cost accounting model table.

In addition, the chief engineer of the ammonia synthesis project, Lautenbach, the head of the agricultural chemical technology transfer department, and two senior legal advisors were seated, all with solemn expressions.

The remaining person was a translator hired by BASF.

The two translators worked simultaneously, comparing their work to minimize errors.

At that moment, someone knocked on the door. When the waiter opened it, the engineer who had been brought from China returned with a laptop and handed it to Qian Jin.

Qian Jin opened it and immediately saw Schmidt staring intently at his expression.

His heart would pound whenever Qian Jin frowned or shook his head.

After Qian Jin finished reading the contents of the notebook, he handed it to Yang Dagang and the negotiation expert, and the group huddled together and chatted in hushed tones.

Schmidt patiently waited for them to finish their conversation before asking, "Mr. Qian, our negotiations have lasted for more than 20 hours. I think we should be drawing to a close."

"So, why don't we just lay our cards on the table? What do you call this in Chinese? 'The true colors are revealed when the map is unrolled'?"

Qian Jin laughed when he heard this.

The translator needed corrections, so he waved his hand and said, "Mr. Schmidt is quite right. It's time for us to reveal our true intentions."

Then he picked up the notebook he had just looked at and checked its contents again:

"Based on our technical team's preliminary inspection of the core components of the complete Ammonia 880 series production line over the past two days, well, after they checked the physical condition, operating log data, and the preliminary conclusions of the MTBF analysis that you submitted yesterday—wait a minute."

Schmidt was nodding in agreement with him, but then Schmidt's "wait a minute" made his heart jump again.

Very helpless.

He had to admit that the initiative in this negotiation had been taken by the opponent.

Qian Jin opened his notebook again, and finally frowned at Schmidt and said:
"Our findings show that the actual mean time between failures (MTBF) of this production line is 13%-19% lower than the value advertised in your standard manual, especially with greater errors in the fluctuation range at the end of catalyst operation."

Schmidt said, "This is because we did not fully deploy the production line, which resulted in some functions being limited."

Qian Jin asked, "Then we need to add this point to the agreement: if the MTBF still deviates significantly from what you advertised after the production line is deployed in our country, you will need to compensate us."

Ms. Gruber immediately shook her head: "Mr. Qian, this is unreasonable, because we all know that the efficiency of the production line is also related to the actual operating skills of the workers."

"Excuse my frankness, but our production line has extremely high requirements for technicians. All of our technicians have bachelor's degrees in chemical engineering, and they are full-time bachelor's degree holders!"

"Then I'd like to ask, can your fertilizer plant guarantee the skill level of its technicians?"

"If you think it's acceptable, then we will put them through testing."

Qian Jin said, "Okay, obviously we have some differences on this. Let's register it first, get the big picture sorted out, and then solve the small problems."

Schmidt and Gruber exchanged a glance and nodded. "No problem." "I agree with you."

Qian Jin continued, "Okay."

"Based on the situation of the production line and our independently verified forecast of additional costs for sea freight and special hoisting, our total quote for the complete technology and equipment import is 27 million German marks, which is approximately 16 million US dollars."

"This includes a five-year spare parts warranty and an additional ten-year exclusive technical service fee."

Upon hearing his offer, Schmidt's cheek muscles twitched violently.

The deputy chief financial officer seemed to have been struck by an invisible fist, and immediately stood up and said:

“Absolutely not! Mr. Qian, I have no intention of offending your country, but if you have come here with the intention of having BASF provide technical assistance to your country, then I think you will have made a wasted trip.”

Schmidt also shook his head vigorously.

This price is not only far below their bottom line, but it's even close to their internally calculated theoretical cost limit. If that's the case, there will be no profit, and then what's the point of playing around?

Therefore, although the CFO's interruption was not in accordance with the rules of the negotiation ceremony, he did not make any statement.

Because that's what he thought too:
“Mr. Qian, your offer is absurd! I need to repeat myself, Mr. Qian, this price is absurd, it's an insulting underestimation of the value of our equipment! You even… even…”

He was so excited he couldn't speak, and instinctively loosened his tie and slammed it on the table.
"A five-year spare parts warranty and ten years of dedicated technical support? If this were at a dinner party, I would think someone was joking."

Qian Jin did indeed laugh.

He said, "Our offer is by no means insulting. If you are concerned about the price, please let me explain."

"Based on the quarterly report of international engineering consultancy Bechtel on the procurement benchmarks for synthetic ammonia plants of similar scale—if you think I'm talking nonsense, then I can remind you that everything that follows is in Annex J of Volume VII, Issue IV of the quarterly report."

"In conclusion, considering the adjustment factor based on the actual performance of your equipment, and taking into account the potential delays and losses that may result in our project due to equipment issues, we believe that this quote contains significant negotiable redundancy."

"Therefore, our final offer is 27 million German marks. If you are willing to sell the complete technology package, the price can be increased significantly to 30 million German marks!"

This price wasn't something he made up; he set it himself.

BASF's original offer for the production line was 50 million German marks, excluding any spare parts guarantees and technical support, let alone a complete technology package.

The technology package is important because it means that BASF will have to train all the personnel involved in the production line.

This means that once BASF has mastered the technology package, they won't be able to earn a single penny from them in terms of technology and labor costs, except for parts.

Back then, there probably weren't any more jokes online about the German engineer pointing at a screw and saying he'd take 101,000 yuan if he replaced it.

The price quoted by the two parties is currently significantly different.

According to information Qian Jin had gathered from the data on the import of the production line in his previous life, the final price agreed upon by both parties was close to 40 million German marks.

However, in reality, the total investment China made for this production line was indeed 50 million German marks.

Because many problems were not identified at the time, once the production line started operating, we had to repeatedly import expensive spare parts from BASF to repair and fix them.

Later experts reviewed the transaction and concluded that the price was around 30 million marks.

Qian Jin offered a price of 27 million to leave the other party some room for negotiation.

Yang Dagang and the group of leaders and experts nodded in approval after hearing the quote.

Director Qian's style of haggling is like that of middle-aged women at a market in China. No matter how much you ask for, I'll cut it in half first.

They were so impressed.

Director Qian isn't afraid of the negotiations falling apart at all!
Especially Wang Zhenbang.

Although he already knew about the price, he was still very impressed with the young man when he heard Qian Jin say it to his face.

He has a particularly high opinion of Qian Jin.

They wished they could recruit Qian Jin as their son-in-law.

He does have a daughter at home who is of marriageable age, but unfortunately, the young man already has a wife and they have a happy marriage, so that idea is no longer an option for him.

Hearing Qian Jin's words, the other side was far from pleased.

They were so agitated that Gruber wanted to slap him twice to make him reflect on what he had said and what price he had quoted.

Schmidt also lost his German gentlemanly demeanor, and he even swore to prove that his family did not have such a large profit.

Qian Jin listened patiently, and when he heard Schmidt's offer of forty million, he slammed his fist on the table, making the coffee shake.

"Forty million?! That's your bottom line?!"

Qian Jin raised his voice, for the first time drowning out the other person's excited tone.

He stood up and threw the technical documents that had been in front of him over.

The document was opened, revealing a red top-secret seal:
"We have a Chinese idiom called 'cherishing one's own broom,' translators, please translate the story behind this idiom for them."

"Please tell them to face the problems with the equipment and to take our value assessment form, which is based on measured data and industry benchmark models, seriously!"

The more he talked, the more excited he became, flipping through the documents he still had in his hand, which rustled loudly as he held them.
"Or could you take another look at this cost structure analysis report?"

Ms. Gruber took the report.

Unfortunately, it's all in Chinese.

can't read.

She called over a translator, who then translated for her.

then.

The report is titled “Full Cost Analysis and Core Component Substitutability Study of the ‘Ammonia 880’ Production Line (Top Secret)”.

Her heart skipped a beat when she heard the title from the translator, and she quickly looked to the very end.

The last page is prominently signed "Equipment Technology and Economic Research Institute of the Fourth Ministry of Machine Building Industry of the People's Republic of China"!
Gruber hurriedly said to Schmidt, "You have to take a look at this document, oh, and the engineers too, you all have to take a look."

Schmidt and Bach walked over together.

On the first page of the report, the conclusions highlighted in red are clearly the key points.

The translator translated for them word for word.

Key findings of the study:
1. Core Conversion Furnace System: BASF has identified three qualified suppliers (including Special Metals of the United States and Sandvik of Sweden) for its core high-temperature alloy furnace tubes (grade W.Nr. 2.4816) through international procurement channels, with procurement costs only 58%-62% of BASF's quoted price;

2. Patented reactor internal components (V4 cyclone separation module): Its core patent has expired or is about to expire in Bharat and some South American countries. It is possible to consider circumventing it through special legal procedures or obtaining secondary authorization.
3. Process control software: We have successfully reverse engineered the self-regulating logic architecture of its core reaction kinetic parameters (implemented through data interface sampling), and theoretically have the capability to independently develop an equivalent replacement module within three months (at a cost of only 7% of the estimated BASF licensing fee).
4. Comprehensive Assessment: After removing your brand premium and the additional clauses bundled with technology transfer, the hard value of your equipment and materials (excluding software and services) does not exceed 2200 million German marks. Our offer of 2700 million already includes a reasonable profit margin and the premium for the technology license…

The report also includes a detailed list of supplier contacts, a copy of the patent search report, and the prominent red seal of the Equipment Institute of the Fourth Ministry of Machinery Industry of China.

I've roughly finished listening to the report.

The three people looked at each other, all with expressions of shock.

Bach blurted out, "After I received them yesterday morning, I called the president's office. I believe there's a mole, I believe a corporate spy has betrayed our technology!"

Gruber knew about it, but she never took it seriously.

Because she had great confidence in BASF's security system, she did not believe that anyone could steal any confidential information from the head office.

But after reading this report, her confidence wavered.

No wonder the Chinese were able to spot so many details as soon as they arrived yesterday.

Hoffman and other engineers eventually reviewed the situation and concluded that no one could discover so many details and loopholes simply by visiting the production line from the inside.

However, it did happen.

The customer from China did this incredible thing.

So, in light of today's report, all three believe that the Chinese side has obtained confidential information about their production lines.

How did they do that?
This is very bad.

The report shows that their strategy of demanding exorbitant prices based on technological monopoly has failed.

The other side has assigned professionals to conduct a detailed analysis of our production line.

Their cards had been seen through by the other side in the most direct, professional, and ruthless way. This greatly surprised the most astute deputy finance director, and everyone in the room turned pale.

He said, "Our opponents are not here to negotiate; they are here to launch precision strikes against us!"

Schmidt looked at Qian Jin seriously and asked, "Where did you get this information?"

Qian Jin calmly said, "I can swear on my country that I am not aware of the inside story."

"I am just the head of the negotiation team, not the person in charge of the entire production line introduction work. Someone gives us relevant information, we study the information, and we use what we can."

"I am not qualified to know where the specific information needed for this document came from."

Schmidt said angrily, "You're all so despicable..."

Qian Jin became even angrier upon hearing this: "Mr. Schmidt, please think carefully about the consequences of your words before you say them, otherwise the consequences will be severe once they are spoken!"

"If we were truly despicable, we wouldn't have discussed the cooperation agreement with you in detail. Instead, we would have sold the relevant information to your competitors. I think we would have profited more that way, wouldn't we?"

“Mr. Schmidt, we have come to BASF with the utmost sincerity, but our sincerity has not even been reciprocated with the sincerity you should have shown!”

“But that’s alright, sir. We’re here to discuss cooperation, not to save face.”

“Even if you don’t treat us according to international business etiquette, we are still willing to cooperate with you because we know that BASF is an international chemical giant, and we need to introduce some of your advanced equipment, technologies and concepts to our country and showcase them to our chemical industry peers.”

"We hope to let more chemical plants in our country recognize your excellence, and we hope that more plants will introduce your equipment and technology, so as to form a BASF chemical ecosystem in China and enable us to cooperate better..."

Listening to the translator's rapid translation and sensing Qian Jin's agitated emotions, Schmidt quickly waved his hand: "I'm sorry, Mr. Qian, I'm so sorry. I apologize for my rudeness just now, and I hope you can feel my sincere apology."

“You did nothing wrong, you did a great job, I am grateful that you chose BASF, and I am also grateful that you can forgive our mistakes in business etiquette.”

"But I hope you can believe me. In the business reception, we did not intentionally mistreat you. Rather, the relevant personnel made a mistake and their work was flawed. We have already disciplined the relevant personnel."

Qian Jin's agitated attitude was nothing unusual.

But Schmidt took the content of his words very seriously.

"We are introducing your equipment and technology to showcase to our domestic chemical industry peers..."

"We hope to create a healthy ecosystem for BASF's chemical industry in the country..."

These words were spoken by Qian Jin in a state of heightened emotion, as if he were revealing his true feelings without considering the consequences.

If Qian Jin really wants to do this, it would be extremely important for BASF, as it would mean they have the opportunity to conquer a market in a country with a population of one billion.

A billion people need to eat.

To eat, you have to grow crops; to grow crops, you need urea, fertilizers, and various pesticides—all of which happen to be BASF's strengths.

In addition to food, the other billion people also need various chemical products, which is also BASF's expertise!

Schmidt and Gruber exchanged glances, and Schmidt hurriedly said, "Mr. Qian, I think you must be tired today. How about we temporarily conclude today's negotiation meeting?"

"That's right. We've arranged alternative accommodations for you. Please rest well this afternoon, and we've prepared a welcome dinner for you tonight..."

Realizing his current eagerness was too pragmatic, he added in vain:
"We were supposed to arrange a welcome dinner for you after you landed the day before yesterday, but considering your fatigue from the journey and the need to adjust to the time difference, we have decided to move the welcome dinner to tonight."

Qian Jin accepted their arrangement with a smile.

Because he genuinely wanted to improve relations with BASF.

BASF's products—whether technology, equipment, or chemical commodities—have only one drawback: they are expensive.

But the high price isn't their problem; it's their own problem of insufficient exchange rate.

The negotiating team's accommodation was changed to a five-star hotel, the Hilton Ludwigshafen, where Qian Jin was assigned the presidential suite.

The kind with a meeting room.

It's clear that BASF has gone all out this time.

This was also evident in the reception dinner that evening.

Even the CEO of BASF made an appearance!

It's important to understand that this production line isn't BASF's flagship product for technology exports; its value isn't high, and normally it wouldn't attract the attention of a leader at the CEO level.

However, it is estimated that Schmidt informed the president of Qian Jin's words. In addition, BASF also has plans to cultivate the Chinese market in depth, so the dinner was of a very high standard and many leaders attended.

This made Qian Jin shake his head.

That's why the world is a makeshift operation.

Didn't BASF realize the huge potential of the Chinese market before?

If they were aware of this, then they shouldn't have treated their own side poorly in the first place.

If they're not aware of this, then why are they raising the standards?
Isn't this a contradiction?

Wang Zhenbang hit the nail on the head: "They value our domestic market but look down on our Haibin Fertilizer Plant. If it were a delegation led by leaders from relevant ministries, you would see that BASF would provide a very high level of hospitality!"

Qian Jin thought about it and realized that this made sense.

After all, I am the head of a local government unit, which is nothing compared to a mega-corporation like BASF!

The banquet ended at 11:30 p.m., and the group returned home tipsy.

In the twelfth-floor corridor of the hotel, the thick carpet absorbed the sound of footsteps, and the group staggered back to their respective rooms silently.

Just as Qian Jin lay down, there was a gentle knock on the Rococo-style wooden door of the suite.

He had no choice but to open the door.

A typical Germanic beauty stood at the entrance.

The woman was tall and slender, with long golden hair loosely tied up at the back of her head, and a few stray strands falling gracefully down her long neck.

Her face was adorned with meticulously applied professional makeup, and she wore a well-tailored women's fitted blazer over a semi-transparent off-white silk shirt, with one button undone at the chest, revealing a deep cleavage.

The light from the hallway outside illuminated her graceful curves, and the open window at the end of the hallway let in the scent of her perfume.

This is someone I know.

I just saw him at the party.

Elizabeth von Kleist, Senior Assistant Secretary in the President's Office.

At this moment, the senior secretary was holding a silver tray with an unidentified object covered with a velvet cloth on it, as well as a crystal decanter containing fine cognac.

"Good evening, Mr. Qian." Elizabeth showed just the right amount of shyness and admiration, her English accent clear and fluent—the other party knew that Qian Jin spoke English very well.

"Mr. Schmidt believes that our cooperation can achieve a milestone breakthrough tomorrow. You and your colleagues are exhausted, so he specially asked me to bring you a small gift to comfort you."

She held up the silver platter as a gesture of respect: “A touch of warmth from the Ruhr night to express our admiration for your exceptional professionalism and personal charm.”

Her smile deepened, carrying a tacit implication.

Furthermore, her body leaned against the door frame, the smooth curves of her upper and lower body contrasting sharply with the straightness of the doorway.

Qian Jin's gaze was intense.

The blonde was swept from the top of her head to her high heels.

Having lived two lives, this is the first time I've seen such a blonde beauty up close.

So I have to watch it to my heart's content.

The senior secretary was indeed of high-class appearance and temperament, and Qian Jin became more and more interested in her.

Seeing this, the other person winked at him, pressed her delicate body against him, and tried to go into the room.

But Qian Jin stopped her, his tone firm:
"Please thank Mr. Schmidt for my kindness, but I won't accept the wine."

"If you have any documents, please leave them with me. He said our cooperation has reached a milestone. Could you tell me how it has progressed?"

Elizabeth's smile froze slightly, but then brightened, and her voice softened: "Mr. Qian, why be so formal? This is our German way of expressing personal friendship."

She reached out and brushed her hand across Qian Jin's chest, the movement as soft and gentle as a feather brushing against him: "I came to see you not just for official business."

"I heard about your impressive performance in the trade dispute with Kawasaki Heavy Industries at the banquet earlier. I have both awe and curiosity for someone like you, so tonight I'd like to talk to you more closely and hear the details of your performance in that foreign trade confrontation..."

As she spoke, she gracefully took another half step forward, carrying the tray, trying to squeeze half of her body into the doorway.

In addition, her hand holding the tray wobbled unintentionally, causing a corner of the velvet cloth covering it to slip down, revealing a piece of paper underneath.

It was a bank check from BASF.

It's hard to say the exact amount, but Qian Jin glanced at it and saw a string of eggs.

This was unbelievable to him.

What does BASF mean? It's a transaction involving money and sex!
It seems the other party is still persistent and hopes we can make more concessions on the price?

dream!

Is this how you test your cadres?

Unfortunately.

They have encountered cadres who can withstand the test today.

Qian Jin had drunk a bit too much tonight, and fearing he might lose control and make a mistake, he quickly took advantage of the moment when his initial intentions were still intact to issue the order:
“Ms. Elizabeth von Kleist”.

"First, please take these additional items that are not part of the contract terms back with you."

"Secondly, use this money to buy your best evening gown and perfume. Money can buy a beautiful appearance, but it can't buy dignity."

"Thirdly, never mind, I'm just saying useless things."

He took a step back without hesitation:
"Good night, I wish you sweet dreams."

Then he slammed the door shut.

Elizabeth von Kleist stared blankly at the wooden door so close to her.

The other person is clearly interested.

She started reading the book of men when she was 14 years old and is already an expert.

She was confident that she understood Qian Jin's book, but when she took the exam, she got a zero?
There is only one answer.

She was shocked by the other person's self-control.

Because she was confident in her appearance and temperament, she was a high-level receptionist that BASF poached at a high price. Whether before or after coming to BASF, she always achieved excellent results in her work there.

It's always exceptionally easy when doing homework with East Asian men.

Especially some of Fusang's competitors, who all appeared so fierce and determined in the meeting room, were practically begging to lick their lips when she took action.

But tonight...

The loud slam of the door slamming echoed through the empty, luxurious corridor, lingering for a long time.

Elizabeth shrugged and left with a hint of regret.

What a pity.

She was actually quite interested tonight, after all, it was a rare opportunity to meet a young and handsome opponent.

Furthermore, this opponent also possesses a lithe and robust physique.

Her professional judgment told her that this man was extremely powerful.

Unfortunately, the two were unable to mate.

Negotiations continued the following morning.

After another four hours and fifty minutes of intense tug-of-war and a battle of wills, Qian Jin, Yang Dagang, Schmidt, Ms. Gruber, Lauten Bach, and others jointly signed the draft contract:
Based on the difficult consultations and mutual understanding between the two teams in the past, as well as the re-examination of the global synthetic ammonia technology and market landscape, BASF finally accepted the Seaside Fertilizer Plant's reaffirmation of the core value of the 880 technology route.

Both parties confirmed that the complete introduction of the production line includes five years of technical guidance and three years of free replacement of spare parts, with an introduction price of 31.5 million German marks.

The Chinese side will make payments in installments, half of which will be covered by low-interest loans…

Interestingly, BASF named this collaborative project "Broken Bay No. 1".

Qian Jin thought to himself, "These people are quite prescient; they knew they would suffer a setback later."

The project has been signed and concluded.

Yang Dagang shook hands with each of the relevant leaders one by one. Finally, he walked into the crowd and applauded, letting out a long sigh of relief.

My heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.

Our own fertilizer plant finally has an advanced production line.

This production line was carefully selected for him by his good friend Qian Jin, and he himself had also visited it.

Ever since visiting the production line, those massive steel structures have frequently appeared in his dreams.

The thought of actually owning these iron contraptions made him involuntarily curl his lips into a slight smile.

So happy!

(End of this chapter)