Twenty years of cold chain

The long-running project of Panhu Fishing Port has finally come to an end. The construction team and management department of Pengcheng Construction have successively withdrawn from the site, leaving only a final team to carry out the final handover work.

Panhu Fishing Port will undoubtedly be a significant milestone in Yu Dajun's career, making his future at Pengcheng Construction even more promising. This is not only due to his past achievements, but also because, in the context of the era of massive infrastructure development, he is destined to become one of the pioneers!

Hu Shutong arrived at the fishing port. Beforehand, he had made several phone calls but hadn't received any accurate information. There seemed to be nothing unusual at the port, and the cold chain logistics were running smoothly. Even Yu Dajun said that the people in the logistics area highly respected Hu Shutong, to the point of being completely subservient to him. Wasn't this exactly what Hu Shutong wanted?

Aside from the things that were reported in the newspapers last year, Hu Shutong has never worked on anything here. Why is he being praised to such an extent?

When Hu Shutong arrived at the site where the company was set up, just as planned, the cold chain logistics area was designed as an open-air operation area. Next to it was a three-story building that occupied a considerable area. However, the sign outside made Hu Shutong frown. It read "Fishing Port Economic Zone Third-Party Logistics Center".

While browsing through the list of companies that had moved in and publicly available information such as earlier tender documents on the first floor, someone came up and invited Hu Shutong upstairs. It was as if everyone knew that Hu Shutong would be there today. Within just fifteen minutes, the heads of various companies in the fishing port had all flocked into the conference room.

Hu Shutong was like a leader who had come to inspect the area. Someone stood respectfully in front of the projector and explained to Hu Shutong, "First of all, allow me, on behalf of all the cold chain companies that have moved in, to thank Mr. Hu for his continued efforts."

The man bowed, drawing applause from the audience. Hu Shutong bowed slightly in return, forcibly keeping himself seated in his chair.

"Mr. Hu, as per your instructions, the refrigerated trucks from our 52 companies have been dispatched, totaling 2,200 vehicles ready to depart at any time. In addition, the distribution subsidies we applied for from various local departments for Panhu Fishing Port partners have been initiated. This is our supply plan for the four major aquatic product cities. If you find it feasible, we will submit it to the Planning Commission tomorrow."

Hu Shutong looked up and was momentarily dazed by the sight before him. The four vibrant blocks of color represented four aquatic product cities: two to the west of Panhu Fishing Port, and one to the northwest and one to the southwest, all within 500 kilometers of each other. They were like four small centers outside the fishing port, radiating out four circles that distributed the fish of Panhu Fishing Port.

"You just mentioned the subsidies. How long will it take to get them implemented? What about the progress in Panhu?" Hu Shutong asked, guessing as he went.

"Mr. Hu, thanks to your efforts, Panhu Fishing Port is paying us extra subsidies based on mileage, a level of support rarely seen in the industry. The process is already underway. We've also conducted an internal investigation, since we supply the Shuangbai Market, the local government will also provide corresponding subsidies. This way, we get two subsidies per shipment, plus the title of a Panhu Fishing Port partner, which will give us a stronger foundation for taking on other business in the future."

Those present were all heads of fishing port operations from various companies, not the company leaders. As they described the boundless prospects, no one noticed that Hu Shutong's face had turned ashen.

The consistent flow of events from beginning to end fueled his anger.

Four major aquatic product cities, vying for the top spot in the market, with over two thousand refrigerated trucks, an unprecedented surge in transportation capacity in China, and two major subsidies, all driven by profit.

Everything seemed to be in perfect order; wasn't this exactly how fishing port exports should be?

"Put things on hold for now, everything should be put on hold. Please wait for my latest news."

Since people were still listening to him, Hu Shutong gave one last instruction before leaving the meeting room.

……

In the evening, on the same pier, Hu Shutong met Guo Xiangxu.

Guo Xiangxu did not expect that Hu Shutong's opening remarks would be so sharp.

"Mr. Guo, for a 'double-hundred' market, the government subsidy is tens of millions, isn't it?"

Guo Xiangxu shook his head and smiled wryly, "Why does President Hu look so unwell? I went to great lengths to build your alliance, and now you command such widespread support. What more could you possibly want?"

Guo Xiangxu asked with a smile, "What does the dock container have to do with it? The essence of the Shuangbai Market is radiation. As long as it can achieve radiation, and achieve radiation on a larger scale and with greater penetration, it will live up to its name."

"Are you telling me that four sesame seeds are better than half a melon? That's just turning one lock into four. Without a market everywhere, how bright would your radiation be compared to a lamp?"

Guo Xiangxu laughed again, his expression as calm as ever. "President Hu is a veteran in the cold chain industry. Do I really need to explain the principle of concentrating first and then distributing to you?"

"Back then, Mr. Guo said that all the large enterprises were concentrated within a 400-kilometer radius of the fishing port. The fish would leave the fishing port and then gather again outside. He thought it was a pity to replace the large warehouses here with small warehouses, and he thought it was lamentable to squeeze the existing market with lower freight rates. He even asked me what the significance of the fishing port was. Looking at it today, Mr. Guo has successfully extended the route by 100 kilometers and achieved a monopoly that even large enterprises have not been able to do with fewer outposts. It is truly gratifying."

Suddenly, these words seemed to touch a raw nerve, and Guo Xiangxu's expression and tone changed. "Hu Shutong, you can't say that. Placing fish in the four major aquatic product markets, without price manipulation, isn't that a matter of public welfare?"

"Whether there was price manipulation or not, only you will know from now on. Don't mention the 'people's livelihood' label anymore; you're just going to be the biggest fishmonger in the world!"

"Shut up!"

"Third-party logistics, huh? You really think third-party logistics is just about vehicles coming and going? I won't interfere if you want to control this network, but you shouldn't treat me like a puppet from beginning to end."

In his anger, Hu Shutong realized that he was still too young. From beginning to end, this was all part of Guo Xiangxu's grand scheme. In the beginning, he couldn't resist the powerful large enterprises, so he used Hu Shutong to talk about the big issues concerning people's livelihood, so that those large enterprises would not dare to confront such hot topics. This was called "eliminating disturbances".

Moreover, Hu Shutong's plan to reduce inventory transfers suited his mind perfectly. He didn't need to store, only transport; similarly, he didn't need brains, only legs. Everyone could escape the fish, but no one could catch any fish.

At the same time, by taking advantage of this process, the expectations of small and medium-sized enterprises after they move into the fishing port are lowered. It takes a lot of effort to talk about people's livelihood issues and finally win over the financial alliance of large enterprises that are eyeing the port. It is already hard-won to be able to participate. This is called "removing the mind".

He had already set his sights on the "Double Hundred Project," which had only been launched for a year, and foresaw its great potential.

He wrote extensively about Hu Shutong's role in this matter and exaggerated the content about Hu Shutong's work in the newspapers, which was related to working together in harmony. On the surface, he laid the groundwork for an alliance, but in reality, the more involved Hu Shutong became, the more he could not get rid of it.

He knew that speaking up for Hu Shutong would lead to this situation, but compared to a bright future, his predicament was not worth considering.

The most ingenious part is that everything falls within the scope of cooperation. At any level, you won't see Guo Xiangxu making any moves. He didn't call for anything, nor did he try to win anyone over. This is the self-awareness of the cold chain logistics system. There is no better solution for Panhu's goods than this "two-way flow".

Therefore, Hu Shutong's knife is not just a jade-carved dragon and gold-embroidered knife, but a great weapon that understands the schemes of superiors and the thoughts of subordinates, and can build bridges over water and pave roads through mountains!

……

I've loved cold chain logistics for twenty years.