My Realistic Simulation Game

Chapter 182 The Real Plan, Layer Upon Layer
But he wasn't the only one who couldn't see through it.

In Yanjing, in a luxurious office building overlooking Chang'an Avenue.

He Changqing had a cigar between his fingers. On the large mahogany desk in front of him, several thin reports and the Economic Daily were spread out.

He mobilized all available resources to investigate Chery.

He had a gut feeling that Qin Yuan's painstaking efforts, even involving that playboy Li Chuze and Anhui Guotou, were not simply for the purpose of building cars.

There must be a deeper purpose hidden behind this, a deeper logic that is consistent with Qin Yuan's consistent "speed-up" style, but can explain why he suddenly devoted himself to the long-term manufacturing industry.

But nothing was found.

When Chery was first established, it was called "Anhui Chery Automobile Parts Industrial Company".

The official explanation was that it was to provide repair parts and maintenance services for Lada, Volga, and other models that were imported in large quantities from the Soviet Union for Far East trade.

With the surge in imported cars, establishing a localized parts supply system is both a logical business decision and perfectly aligns with local demands for developing automotive-related industries.

There is nothing wrong with the policy.

Meanwhile, Zhao Donglai, holding documents from Anhui Guotou, was conducting a "business trip" in Europe, seemingly targeting certain German auto parts companies and second-tier equipment manufacturers.

Li Chuze, on the other hand, relied on his unique "connections" and "lavish spending" style to be active in major automobile industrial centers such as Changchun, Shiyan, Shanghai, and Yanjing.

With salaries far exceeding those of state-owned enterprises and promises of "original shares," they are quietly poaching engineers and key technical personnel from major automobile manufacturers.

All these signs seem to point to one conclusion: Qin Yuan and Li Chuze are indeed secretly preparing to build cars!

However, due to the current strict approval restrictions on passenger car projects by the state, they have to operate as "complete vehicles" under the guise of "parts".

but.
is it possible?

In the early 1990s, what was the point of investing in a capital-intensive, technology-intensive industry with a long payback period?

This is in stark contrast to Qin Yuan's previous style of precision, speed, and high returns in international trade and capital operations.

All signs indicate that Qin Yuan is a speedrunner.

His current ninth place is definitely not his ceiling.

He Changqing took a deep drag on his cigar, and amidst the swirling smoke, his eyes grew even more terrifying.

“It can’t possibly be just for building cars.” He muttered to himself, as if trying to convince himself, “This must be a smokescreen, a carefully designed giant smoke bomb.”

"Qin Yuan, Master Jing, what exactly are you trying to cover up?"

Just as he was deep in thought, there was a gentle knock on the office door.

"Go in." He Changqing's voice returned to its usual coldness.

A well-dressed and capable secretary strode in and respectfully reported, "Mr. He, we've been keeping an eye on the news from our people in Manzhouli. Far East Trade has made some new moves."

"Speak." He Changqing's gaze swept over them.

"Zhang Bin and Song Yugang led a team and brought back a total of 3,000 vehicles from the Soviet Union, mainly Ladas and Volgas."

The secretary spoke rapidly: "This morning, these cars arrived in Manzhouli via the K20 train and were successfully handed over to the people sent by Li Chuze to receive them."

"Zhang and Song then flew back to Yanjing from Harbin and are expected to have arrived by now."

"You mean Binzi and Gangzi?"

He Changqing had long heard of Qin Yuan's core lieutenants. They were the core team that Qin Yuan had built up, mainly responsible for the dispatch and transportation of supplies in the most dangerous and front-line Soviet territory.

They're probably coming back for the Chinese New Year.

As for any other plans, we need to continue the investigation.

He waved his hand, indicating that his secretary could leave.

This increase in automobile trade, though astonishing, was not surprising enough to him.

Far East trade was already very familiar with this route.

What he's really concerned about now is the "rocket engine" rumor that's been circulating vaguely in high-level circles.

Through his connections, he gleaned some vague signals indicating that top-tier defense science and technology units were showing extreme interest in a batch of "special goods" from the Soviet Union. The value of these goods far exceeded that of tens of millions of cars.

If one can establish this connection and participate in transactions at this level, the resulting influence and potential benefits are unparalleled by ordinary business activities.

Qin Yuan... is very likely the one who made the connection.

He Changqing has high-level connections, so if this path can be successfully navigated...

Future deals with the Soviet Union involved military technology and weapons.

He could certainly act as this intermediary.

However, right now, we need Qin Yuan to scout things out.

Just as his gaze was fixed on the Jinxiang Building.

Qin Yuan has brought Binzi and Gangzi back from the airport.

On the way, the two learned from Qin Yuan about a series of recent changes in China.

This includes the establishment of Chery and the interest of relevant departments in "rocket engines".

They certainly had no objections to Chery; in fact, they were very supportive.

Because they have a clear understanding of the market demand for cars from their journey here.

More popular than Soviet cars were German and American cars, which were more sophisticated in appearance and more advanced in technology.

Although Japanese cars are smuggled into the Far East, they don't perform well in the cold climate and therefore don't have a large market share.

Therefore, if China manufactures cars, it could enter the Soviet market in the future and compete with Japanese cars for the Far East market.

Then, in the European part of the Soviet Union, they competed with those German used car manufacturers for customers.

As for the "rocket engine".
Unlike Wu Weiguo's restless and enthusiastic attitude.

Binzi was somewhat cautious about this decision.

As soon as they entered the office, Binzi couldn't help but say, "Brother Yuan, this rocket engine business is much riskier than our airplane or car manufacturing business."

"This thing is a real strategic weapon, and it was an extremely sensitive item in the Soviet Union."

"Xie Miao's attitude last time was very clear. People in the civil aviation system dare not get involved easily, in case we are targeted by the KGB or the military during the transportation process..."

He knew that although the Soviet Union was in chaos, control in certain areas remained terrifyingly tight, and the consequences of crossing the line would be unimaginable.

“Therefore, multiple layers of cover are needed.” Qin Yuan said calmly, handing Binzi a cup of tea. “The car manufacturing plan provides the perfect cover.”

Binzi was a little confused: "Building cars...as a cover?"

"Think about it," Qin Yuan said calmly. "If we want to import automobile production lines and technology, we need to transport a large amount of heavy equipment from Europe and the Soviet Union. Who would pay special attention if a few rocket engines were mixed in with dozens of containers of automobile manufacturing equipment?"

Binzi suddenly realized: "So that's why you started both the European and Soviet lines at the same time?"

“Not only that,” Qin Yuan smiled slightly, “I also plan to negotiate with the Soviet government, especially giants like the Volga Automobile Plant, to establish a Sino-Soviet joint venture automobile company under the name of Chery and Far East Trade.”

"Nominally, it was to provide 'dual technical support from the East and West' and 'market insights' for new Soviet car models, even if they were just planned models, to jointly develop cars suitable for the new era."

"By partnering with Anhui State-owned Investment Group to establish Chery, and having a state-owned enterprise background, our plan becomes more convincing and credible."

"That's why I say that car manufacturing is the fulcrum to leverage greater capital and resources."

"It is not just a real business project, but also a strategic platform, a protective shell, and a stepping stone that allows us to access higher-level and more core resources."

Qin Yuan's eyes were incredibly cold as he looked at Binzi, Gangzi, and Wu Weiguo.

His gaze swept over them one by one.

"And you should understand that in the Soviet Union today, nothing is impossible as long as there are enough US dollars."

"This includes 'purchasing' engine equipment and blueprints that they deem 'scrapped,' 'obsolete,' or 'backup' from the Kuznetsov Design Bureau or related factories."

Qin Yuan's words, spoken with such nonchalance, resonated powerfully in the ears of the three of them.

(End of this chapter)