Siheyuan: I have a multi-dimensional chat group!

"The domestic levels have risen too much, and the statistics haven't been released yet. It will probably take several hours."

Xiao Shan said calmly, "It's alright, I'm not in a hurry. I'm willing to wait a couple more days for such good news. Now let's see what tricks our three old rivals will pull."

"Mr. Xiao, could they use underhanded tactics, like government intervention?"

After thinking for a moment, Xiao Shan shook his head and said, "Impossible! The market for welding machines is too small. It's not worth exposing our true nature for such a small market. They tout free trade, but it's just a small welding machine, and the government is going to get involved directly. If other countries in the world see this, how will they dare to do business with them?"

"If one day our entire semiconductor industry suppresses them, then it's possible that we could directly take action and overturn the table. But welding machines? Impossible."

At this moment, another assistant quickly walked over and said, "Mr. Xiao, we just received a call from the military region. They want to cooperate with us and purchase our latest welding machine."

Xiao Shan smiled and said, "We welcome you anytime. It is our duty to contribute to the country. We can offer a 20% discount on the original price."

"Okay, Mr. Xiao, I'll reply right away. They said they'll come over tomorrow to sign the contract and place the order."

"Okay, we'll be waiting for you anytime."

The next morning, two military vehicles drove into the welding machine production plant of Taishan Group's inland branch.

Xiao Shan, accompanied by his manager and assistant, waited at the main entrance.

Soon, a middle-aged man with gold beads on his shoulder came out and led several middle-aged men who were obviously researchers out of the car.

The leading soldier smiled and said, "Mr. Xiao, I've long admired your name. Today I finally get to meet you in person."

"Haha, sir, welcome, welcome. Please come in. I have prepared some fine Da Hong Pao tea for you. Have some tea first, and then I'll show you our most advanced welding machine."

"it is good."

After entering the reception room and exchanging brief pleasantries, the soldier introduced an expert beside him: "Xiao Sheng, this is Chief Engineer Zhao, the chief expert of our military region. He has specialized research on welding machines and welding technology."

Xiao Shan smiled and shook hands with the other party.

“Xiao Sheng, I have long admired Taishan’s welding machine research and have wanted to see Taishan’s most advanced welding machine for a long time. But is it a bit too prudent to export it so simply? The US and others seem to advocate free trade, but in reality it’s just a high-sounding slogan.”

"Thank you for the reminder, Chief Engineer Zhao. We understand this principle as well. The so-called research, storage, and production of one generation of welding machines is true. In fact, we have more advanced welding machines, but we haven't announced them to the public. However, please keep the whole secret. We can't let our peers be too desperate. We'll release our new welding machines once they catch up with our current ones, always one level above the international top tier."

Upon hearing Xiao Shan's words, many of the military region's R&D personnel couldn't help but laugh.

The soldier looked at Xiao Shan and said, "I didn't expect that Xiao Sheng is not only good at research and development, but also so proficient in business warfare."

Xiao Shan's lips curled up slightly: "Back when I was working at the steel rolling mill, I liked to read books in my spare time. Although business warfare is not military strategy, the principles remain the same. This time, in cooperation with the military region, we will definitely bring out a welding machine that is 20% more efficient than those on the market. We just hope that the military region can keep it a secret for us."

"No problem, you helped us, so we will naturally help you in return."

Afterwards, the group visited the welding machine workshop and signed an order for 1,000 welding machines.

The order amount wasn't large, but it still helped expand my network.

After seeing off the military personnel, Xiaoshan continued to focus on the construction of the laser research center.

Chapter 762, A Showdown Between Father and Son! (Please Subscribe!)

That day, a phone call came to Xiaoshan's office.

The voice of the president of Ziwei News Agency came from the other end of the phone: "Xiao Sheng, this is Zhao Lei. We are severely lacking orders for small screens. We have contacted Nokia and Motorola, but they all use screens from South Korea and Japan. Their excuse is that South Korea and Japan are long-term partners with stable channels, while we are a new factory and their stability is hard to guarantee, so they refused to cooperate with us."

Xiao Shan said calmly, "I've never heard of a capitalist who doesn't like money. Our screens are much cheaper than the small screens produced in South Korea and Japan. Perhaps there are some reasons we don't know about, but that's not important. Since no one wants our screens, we'll produce them ourselves. I'll contact you again after I've looked up some information."

After hanging up the phone, Xiao Shan immediately dialed his son's number: "Jingyan, this is your dad."

"Dad, what's up?" Xiao Jingyan almost cursed, but luckily she recognized her father's voice.

"Are you still going to keep your mobile phone business going? Sales of our miniaturized screens are sluggish. We need to use our own phones to build brand awareness for our screens. We also want to show foreigners the power of our domestically made phones and speed up their phone upgrade cycles."

"Dad, how about we do our own thing? Taishan produces one type of mobile phone, and we research and develop our own. Then we'll see who sells the most."

Xiao Shan laughed. Comparing his son to his father? Isn't that just asking for trouble?

"Jingyan, I admire your courage, but your thoughtless actions really give me a headache! Fine, since you want to compete with me on the same track this time, I'll show you what your dad is capable of!"

After hanging up the phone, Xiao Shan instructed his subordinates to set up a new mobile phone department and start producing mobile phones for the Taishan Group.

Soon, the mobile phone division of Taishan Group was established.

The new head of the mobile phone department, named Luo Zhenliang, was recruited from the semiconductor research center in Xiaoshan.

"Manager Luo, our first phone will focus on cost-effectiveness. We'll bring down the price first! Right now, even a regular phone costs several thousand yuan, which is too high for ordinary people. We'll try to bring the price of our first phone down to below 1,000 yuan, making it a budget phone. But our screen will be comparable to that of high-end phones. The screen is the first thing people notice when they pick up a phone; everything else is secondary. If we also include one or two small games, it will definitely sell well."

Hearing Xiao Shan's words, Luo Zhenliang thought for a moment and said, "Xiao Shan is right. Nokia and Motorola phones have long been deeply rooted in people's hearts, and we are definitely not as competitive as them. But when the price difference is too large, the brand's influence will shrink infinitely."

Xiao Shan nodded: "Manager Luo is indeed a top student! That's right, Nokia and Motorola are good, but our phones are obviously more cost-effective."

The purchasing staff in the mobile phone department then got busy.

The famous Huaqiangbei in China is located in Shenzhen. It is the largest electronic parts trading market in the country.

A little over a month later, Taishan's first prototype was successfully developed in the laboratory.

It was subsequently redesigned multiple times. Xiao Shan had seen countless mobile phone prototypes in later generations and knew the future development trend.

After more than a month of revisions, the new phone was finally released.

Although it was only 1998, the phone produced in Xiaoshan was indeed a large-screen color phone with an absolutely clear screen that looked almost the same as phones costing two or three thousand yuan.

"Xiao Sheng, let's name our first mobile phone."

"Our main selling point for this phone is its screen, so let's call it Moon Mirror Lake. Contact distributors, recommend this phone to them, and open our phone stores in major first-tier cities. Make arrangements to have the electronics factories speed up production, and hold a launch event in a month, using this time to distribute the phone nationwide."

"Yes, Mr. Xiao!"

Xiaoshan's Shiweitian fast food chain has a large number of stores across the country, so adding a mobile phone store would be too easy.

The city managers can buy or rent a room, which can then be simply renovated to serve as a store.

These days, dedicated mobile phone stores are not popular; instead, mobile phone distributors set up various mobile phone markets.

Moreover, these days there is no online sales; everything relies on offline channels.

A mobile phone store can sell mobile phones of various models and prices.

In the pre-smartphone era, phones costing a few hundred and a few thousand yuan were essentially the same, because their functions were too limited. At most, a Snake game, a color screen, and a rotary dial would be considered a high-end phone.

The mobile phones chosen in Xiaoshan have a large three-inch screen with a clear color display.

It mimics the design of the N73, but with a larger screen.

A month later, in the same large conference room where the welding machine was launched last time.

However, this time the attendees were industry peers, numerous component manufacturers, and some fashionistas.

Xiao Shan walked up to the podium with the microphone and said, "Hello everyone, I am Xiao Shan! I think some of you may have seen me holding a press conference here before, but last time it was a welding machine, and this time it's a mobile phone. Although both things have the word 'machine' in their names, they are indeed two completely different items."

"Today I want to recommend to you the Moon Mirror Lake mobile phone, which is the latest product developed by our Taishan mobile phone R&D department."

Xiao Shan then took out his phone, and the ultra-high-definition pictures he had taken were displayed on the big screen.

"Some people might ask, when did Taishan start producing mobile phones? Isn't that a bit of a lapse in focus? I have to criticize our R&D staff in this regard; your efficiency is too high. Our screen research center suddenly started mass production of a screen with extremely high resolution. I thought about it, and selling it to others would be a bit of a loss. Such a good screen will inevitably raise the price of mobile phones, which is not the result I want!"

"That's why I set up the mobile phone department. Our phone, equipped with a large color screen, focuses on cost-effectiveness. It also comes pre-installed with two games, Snake and Goose Blocks, so you can relax after get off work!"

"Guess how much this large-screen phone costs?"

"Some people say it's 1,800, some say it's 2,200, and this friend says it's 1,500, which is very close. Now I'll reveal the answer: the final price of our large-screen phone is not 1,000, not 900, but 888."

"888, bring home a large-screen phone, that's right, it's 888."

Chapter 763, Xiao Shan's Deception of His Son into Taking Over the Business! (Please Subscribe!)

Upon hearing Xiaoshan's offer, the scene erupted in cheers!

Several colleagues looked like they'd swallowed flies; their faces were incredibly grim.

Xiao Shan continued, "We have opened exclusive stores in first-tier cities and provincial capitals across the country. At the same time, our phones will also be available in major mobile phone retailers. If you are interested in purchasing one tomorrow morning, you can go to one of our stores."

More than a week has passed since the press conference ended, and sales at mobile phone stores across the country have continued to surge.

Suppliers are also constantly placing additional orders.

Electronics factories are experiencing a surge in orders, with production shifts running in two phases to manufacture Yuejinghu mobile phones.

Xiao Shan was reviewing reports in his office when a phone call came in.

"Hey, boss, what made you think of calling me?"

The caller was a leader from Shenzhen: "Mr. Xiao, I just received a complaint call from Red Fuji, saying that you are engaging in malicious competition and deliberately raising labor costs. They can't even recruit enough workers for their Red Fuji factory in Shenzhen."

Xiaoshan was speechless; that's all the Fuji apples are good for.

"Boss, this has nothing to do with us! The hourly rate at the electronics factory is related to the orders they receive. They're taking orders from Nokia and Motorola, and those two are definitely going to try and drive down the price. We handle everything internally, ensuring the electronics factory has a 25% profit margin. We produce our own color screens, so they're cheaper. Mobile phone profits are high, so the hourly rate is naturally higher. We're not a sweatshop; workers' wages basically account for 30% of our profits."

Upon hearing Xiao Shan's words, the leader on the other end said, "Okay, I understand. I'll talk to them. There's nothing I can do. I can't exactly ask you to lower your wages, or the workers would curse me to death."

After hanging up the phone, Xiao Shan's lips curled into a slight smile.

Then I took out a map and marked several places.

These locations are Zhengzhou, Dongwan, Xi'an, and Lanzhou, where he plans to build four more factories.

It spans the four cardinal directions: east, west, north, and south.

He picked up the phone and dialed the office number of the person in charge of the electronics factory.

The person in charge of the electronics factory is named Lu Fangda. He is a 40-year-old graduate student majoring in electronic communications at Tsinghua University and is currently in charge of the daily affairs of the Shenzhen electronics factory.

"Manager Lu, come to my office."

"Yes, Mr. Xiao."

Ten minutes later, Lu Fangda walked into Xiao Shan's office: "Mr. Xiao, what can I do for you?"

Xiao Shan took out a marked map and said, "I plan to build electronics factories in these four areas. This will not only speed up the delivery of mobile phones but also reduce logistics costs. Isn't Fuji expanding? We can't fall behind them! From the early mobile phones and pagers of the past two years to today's mobile phones, can't you see? Electronic products are being updated and replaced at an increasingly rapid pace, and people's lives are getting better and better. Our country has more than a billion people. We need to consider the future electronics market with the goal of having one mobile phone for every person and replacing it on average every three years."

Lu Fangda's eyes widened instantly, seemingly incredulous: "Mr. Xiao, isn't this a bit too exaggerated?"

"It's no exaggeration. Our electronics factory employees can basically buy one with a month's salary, and wages have been rising year after year. But as the distribution channels for fast-moving consumer goods like electronics become more mature, the price may actually decrease. This is the general trend. Don't listen to those Western guys' nonsense. All their starting points are to create profits for capitalists. They don't have much truly useful information."

The negative rhetoric from Europe and America about China has never stopped since the founding of the People's Republic.

It's currently a peak time for people to travel abroad, and many of them are naive and easily swayed by what others say.

Even many highly educated intellectuals firmly believe this.

Lu Fangda nodded.

Xiao Shan continued, "Take your team to these four locations for inspection, not limited to these four cities, surrounding cities are also fine. Produce a detailed report, and it would be even better if you could have a detailed discussion with the local leaders, but it's okay if you can't meet them. Manager Lu, I can see your talent. Taishan is currently expanding on a large scale and is extremely short of talent. If you do this well and let the whole group see your achievements, you will be the general manager of the electronics factory, responsible for the operation of Taishan's electronics factory."

Lu Fangda was thrilled. There were more than 30,000 people working in an electronics factory in Shenzhen, and the factory was planning to expand.

Once these four electronics factories are built and staffed, they will employ over 100,000 people.

"Don't worry, Xiao Sheng, I will definitely do a good job in this research."

"Yes, remember to rest. Health is the foundation of everything."

After seeing Lu Fangda off, Xiao Shan rubbed his temples.

Taishan has too many departments and too many things that require his attention. None of his three children are easy to take care of, and there is no one to take over his duties or help him.

Of course, it's also related to the fact that he didn't make any demands on his children. When you live your whole life, you have to do something you want to do.

Back home, Xiao Shan looked at his eldest son and noticed that he seemed to have something on his mind.

"Jingyan, is the phone design finished?" Xiao Shan asked his eldest son.

"We're experimenting, and we've already made progress."

“Well, why don’t you come to Mount Tai? I’ll entrust the entire electronics and communications business to you. With Luo Zhenliang’s assistance, you can grow quickly. Your dad is already over fifty and doesn’t have the energy to manage so many things anymore.”

Ding Qiunan walked over, rubbing Xiao Shan's shoulders as she spoke to her daughter, "Jing Shu, why don't you come to the company and help your mother with some of the business? Your father and I can get a couple more days of rest."

Xiao Jingshu smiled and said, "Dad, Mom, you two are still young. You can work for another twenty years."

After thinking for a moment, Xiao Jingyan said, "Dad, I'll work for another two years and see how things go."

Xiao Shan nodded: "Okay, but I have a request. At my age, you don't want to see your dad working himself to the bone every day, right? How about this, you come to my office on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays to help me with some documents. My eyes are getting sore from looking at documents these past few days. You can read through the documents and tell me the details, and I'll give you my suggestions on how to handle them."

Xiao Jingyan opened her mouth, then finally nodded: "Okay."

"Why are you still so reluctant? You can ask me anything you don't understand anytime. It's like having a startup mentor with you every day. You don't know how lucky you are."

Ding Qiunan laughed and said, "If you don't understand anything, just ask your dad! You spent so much time researching mobile phones but couldn't come up with one, while your dad figured it out in a month, and it sold quite well. It's not shameful to follow your dad; he's your dad, not an outsider."

Xiao Jingyan nodded, and Xiao Shan and his wife breathed a sigh of relief.