April 1964.
Minister Zheng of the Ministry of Petroleum looked out the window at the scene where everything was beginning to revive, but he did not feel any appreciation for it.
"How come Lin Sanqi has been gone for two months and there's been no response? It's really frustrating. Xiao Ding, what did Bao'an County say?"
Secretary Xiao Ding stood aside cautiously and replied:
"Minister, Bao'an County hasn't seen Vice Minister Lin for two months. During this time, Bao'an County has accumulated a large number of matters waiting for him to personally handle."
"Have you asked about Hong Kong?"
"We have asked. According to our comrades, they asked the comrades in the security department of Xiangjiang Lingnan Hospital, and they also said that they haven't seen Chairman Lin for over a month."
Minister Zheng slammed the table when he heard this:
"This guy is so disorganized and undisciplined. He didn't follow the rule of reporting to the leader at all. Next time, I will definitely criticize him severely. This is outrageous."
Secretary Xiao Ding was so frightened that he dared not breathe.
Minister Zheng suddenly seemed to remember something and asked:
"How is the 200,000 wild ginsengs Comrade Lin Sanqi requested going?"
Secretary Xiao Ding quickly opened his notebook and replied:
"I've been keeping an eye on this issue, calling the Northeast every day. According to the data I received yesterday, 150,000 wild ginsengs have been collected so far, 50,000 of which were purchased from North Korea.
To make up for the remaining gap, ginseng collection teams from various counties in the three northeastern provinces have all gone out, regardless of the winter storms and gales. I believe that the total number of 200,000 ginsengs will be collected soon.
However, according to feedback from the Northeast, I'm afraid that after this incident, the production of wild ginseng will not be able to recover within 10 years. In the future, we can only use ginseng from gardens to make up the number of purchases, as wild ginseng will not be available.
Minister Zheng didn't care when he heard this. For the cadres at that time, there was no idea of ​​protecting animals or plants.
Draining the pond to catch all the fish and tapping into all the potential seems to be the consensus of everyone in this era.
Including wild yellow croaker, they were actually caught out during this passionate era.
What matters these days is: the bolder the people, the more productive the land.
Minister Zheng was somewhat dissatisfied when he heard the secretary's report:
"Ginseng is something that grows on its own in the forest. If it's gone, you can just go pick it. At most, you can just walk a few more steps into the primeval forest. How could it possibly be gone? It's just an excuse for the locals."
The country is in such a difficult situation right now, and we've finally been able to exchange ginseng for valuable advanced equipment and supplies. But the Northeast is still holding back. This is simply outrageous, completely disorganized and undisciplined. Humph."
Secretary Ding also quickly shut up. It was none of his business what happened in the local area anyway.
At this moment, the red phone on the desk suddenly rang, startling both of them.
This phone call is very important. It usually involves issuing confidential tasks, and it is often a superior giving orders to subordinates, which is very serious.
But there is another possibility, such as:
"Hello, Minister Zheng? I'm Lin Sanqi."
Minister Zheng's face lit up with joy. He had been waiting for the God of Wealth to finally come back, but then he frowned.
"Comrade Sanqi, you're calling me, why are you using a red phone?"
Lin Sanqi was in his office in Bao'an County, holding a red phone in one hand, his legs resting on the table, and smiling relaxedly:
"Hey, isn't a red phone convenient? One-touch direct access. If you call a regular phone, you have to go through a series of transfers. It's too troublesome. I couldn't enjoy the red phone privilege before, so now I have to make good use of it."
Lin Sanqi previously enjoyed the treatment of a deputy minister, but because he did not have a specific position, he could not enjoy the red machine service.
Now that he has a new position and has reached a higher level, he can't wait to show off.
Minister Zheng did not dwell on this question and asked anxiously:
"Comrade Sanqi, you called me to tell me you have good news. I've been waiting for news of you every day, but it's like you've mysteriously disappeared."
Lin Sanqi took credit for it:
"I was trying to build you an oil refinery. Fortunately, I've succeeded. I've built a refinery with an output of approximately 25 million tons of product oil. How about it? Can you handle it?"
"What?"
Minister Zheng was shocked, thinking that the country's annual oil production has not reached 25 million tons, and the output of refined oil is only 1 million tons.
Wow, Lin Sanqi managed to build a 25 million ton annual production refinery in one go? This had to surprise Minister Zheng.
The key point is that even for powerful countries like the United States and the Soviet Union, their estimated annual output is only this figure.
"Comrade Sanqi, you're not kidding me, are you? This is a red phone number. You, don't talk nonsense."
Red phone calls are monitored and recorded, and every word is recorded for easy reference at any time.
Lin Sanqi was unhappy when he heard this:
"Hey, Lao Zheng, I've been busy for months, and I've gone through so much trouble to get all this oil refining equipment. Are you telling me I'm kidding? Fine, take it or leave it. If not, I'll sell it to a foreign company."
Lin Sanqi said it in anger, but it is entirely possible that it will come true.
After all, even an oil refinery that was eliminated in 2016 was still a high-tech product in 1964. If the news got out, countries would have rushed to buy it.
Minister Zheng became anxious when he heard this:
"Nonsense! Just wait! I'll report this to the superiors and fly to Bao'an County right away. Keep all the refining equipment. Don't sell any of it to foreigners. I'll shoot you."
Lin Sanqi curled his lips and reminded:
"I will definitely keep the oil refining equipment for you, but don't forget the ginseng and gold I want. Don't tell me to wait a little longer and I will deliver it immediately. Such empty talk.
"Old Zheng, I paid a huge price to get these devices. Think about it honestly, are 200,000 wild ginseng roots and 10 tons of gold too much?"
Minister Zheng blushed and promised:
"Don't worry, Comrade Sanqi. We already have 150,000 wild ginsengs on hand. I will bring them, along with the gold, to Bao'an County right away. The remaining 50,000 ginsengs are already being collected. We will definitely not break our promise."
Lin Sanqi felt relieved when he heard this. 150,000 pieces were enough to guarantee a minimum supply, so he said happily:
"Okay, I'll wait for you and treat you to a seafood dinner when we get there."
That afternoon, Minister Zheng rushed to Bao'an County.
When he saw the densely packed equipment at Tuyang Wharf, he jumped up with excitement.
"Comrade Sanqi, is this the refinery equipment? Uh, why is it secondhand?"
Lin Sanqi hummed twice:
"It's secondhand, so I bought it cheap. If it were new equipment, with an annual output of 25 million tons, do you think 200,000 wild ginseng roots and 10 tons of gold would be enough, Old Zheng? I'm afraid even a hundred times that wouldn't be enough."
Minister Zheng quickly flattered him:
"Yes, yes, yes, we're taking advantage of this. Haha, by the way, Comrade Sanqi, are all the equipment here?"
Lin Sanqi shook his head and said:
"How is that possible? There are equipment from two refineries here, plus a catalyst production line. The total output is about 3 million tons of refined oil."
Minister Zheng felt something was wrong when he heard this:
"That's not right. Didn't you say it was 25 million tons? How did it become 3 million tons?"
Lin Sanqi said speechlessly:
"Uncle, have you forgotten how big the refinery is and how much equipment it has? How could I possibly transport it all here at once? Of course, I have to ship it in batches.
And most importantly, all of these refining equipment are the most advanced in the world. They are technologically countless times more advanced than the Lanzhou Refinery, and are even a completely new technology.
So, you should first ship these two refineries back, and then gather all the refining engineers and professors in the country to conduct a comprehensive study and thoroughly understand the technology. Only then can you successfully refine oil, right?"
Minister Zheng thought about it and smiled again:
"Yes, Comrade Sanqi, your thinking is correct. I was too ambitious. When I get back, I will immediately conduct trial production according to the equipment drawings and production process."
Lin Sanqi knew that people of this era valued industrial equipment very much, so he reminded them:
"Old Zheng, mistakes are inevitable when practicing, so don't be too cautious and just be bold and tinker with the machine.
This is just like learning to fly a plane. If you don't fly for a certain amount of time, your skills won't improve. If engineers and industrial workers don't know how to operate the equipment, every day of delay will be a day of loss for our country.
If the equipment breaks down or becomes damaged, I'll try to find a way to get some more. Remember this." (End of chapter)
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