"Economic Report, Economic Report, the latest issue of Economic Report."
"Zhenhua Electric Appliances' sales reach a new high, planning to build a new factory in the capital this year, what will Shanghai's Zhenhua do?"
There are no secrets that can be kept forever. News of Zhenhua Electric Appliances' booming sales in the capital spread throughout Shanghai the next day and even made the front page of the Oriental Economic Daily.
In 1981, the country's intention for reform and opening up was becoming increasingly evident, and Zhenhua, a factory employing tens of thousands, was the best proof of this.
The state could not be unaware of private factories growing to such a massive scale. From the attitude of Shanghai's leaders towards Zhenhua, everyone understood one thing: economic development was inevitable.
Zhenhua Electric Appliances Factory was now a focal point of attention for many Shanghai residents. After all, it wasn't easy to get into state-owned factories, but Zhenhua's continuous recruitment provided opportunities for many Shanghai residents who couldn't get into state-owned enterprises.
Initially, many people waited to mock those who joined private factories, believing that even if they weren't penalized, they wouldn't make much money.
However, as Zhenhua recruited batch after batch, the families of those who joined Zhenhua became increasingly affluent, bringing home bicycles, electric fans, and televisions, one major item after another.
Those who were waiting to mock them became anxious. Zhenhua was so profitable, who wouldn't want to join?
But unfortunately, the one hundred production workshops that Zhenhua planned to build were already fully staffed. A factory of tens of thousands was already a very large scale, and Chen Yang would not expand further in Shanghai in the short term.
The larger the factory, the more difficult it was to manage. Moreover, judging by the sales market, transportation was far from as convenient as it would be in the future. Concentrating production in one location was not very convenient for sales.
Building factories closer to the market was the first choice for bosses who wanted to succeed in manufacturing for the next two to three decades.
Therefore, Chen Yang planned to establish a branch factory in the capital. While Chen Yang's decision to build a branch in the capital was from the perspective of his enterprise's development, the people of Shanghai did not see it that way.
Some even wondered if Shanghai's leaders were targeting Zhenhua Electric Appliances Factory, otherwise, why would Zhenhua Electric Appliances Factory suddenly stop recruiting from Shanghai and instead build a branch factory in the capital?
While the news about Zhenhua was creating a stir, Hou Yong was already overwhelmed. In just half a day, he had been summoned by four or five city leaders from various levels of Shanghai's government.
Each of them focused on the same issue: why was Zhenhua suddenly building a factory in the capital? Was Shanghai making things difficult for Zhenhua Electric Appliances Factory?
Regarding this, Hou Yong felt like he was eating bitter herbs with a啞巴 (mute), unable to speak his grievances. How could he possibly make things difficult for Shanghai's largest private enterprise?
Didn't they see how much attention the city leaders were paying? Perhaps they hadn't paid much attention to a private enterprise at first, and even thought Chen Yang's boast of a factory employing tens of thousands was just bragging and impossible to achieve in the short term.
But within less than a year, Zhenhua had recruited tens of thousands of employees across one hundred workshops and one hundred production lines, and the substantial wages of each worker had greatly boosted the economic development of the Pudong area.
All the leaders realized that the private enterprises they had previously looked down upon could possess such immense explosive power. Consequently, all the leaders praised Hou Yong. In fact, for over a year, Hou Yong had heard rumors more than once that city leaders had praised him in meetings and considered promoting him.
Hou Yong had been living a very comfortable life for over a year. Many former heads of important departments in Shanghai didn't even give him, the head of a seemingly idle department, much regard. But now, whenever they met him at meetings, even the heads of the finance, public security, and court systems would stop to greet him warmly.
But now, with Zhenhua Electric Appliances Factory building a factory in the capital, Hou Yong was experiencing the pressure behind the honor.
Chen Yang and Zhenhua Electric Appliances Factory were both his helpers and a sword hanging over his head. If anything happened to Zhenhua, all his honors would vanish.
"I'll give you three days to immediately understand the situation of Zhenhua Electric Appliances Factory. What are Zhenhua's demands? You can bring Chen Yang to my office to discuss it."
"As long as the demands are reasonable and can be met, we will fulfill them. If they cannot be met, we will create conditions to meet them. But there is one point: Zhenhua's headquarters must remain in Shanghai and cannot be moved."
"It would be even better if the new factory could be built in Shanghai. If not, we must also expand the scale in Shanghai a bit. Zhenhua needs land, and we can allocate more. We need to stabilize public sentiment first; so many Shanghai residents are eagerly awaiting Zhenhua to recruit again."
When Hou Yong left the municipal government, he sat in his car, the leader's words still echoing in his mind.
Chen Yang, Chen Yang, you've given me a big scare without a sound. I need to find my old friend and have a good chat.
Hou Yong considered his relationship with Chen Yang to be quite good. Since Chen Yang began investing in Shanghai, he had generally done his best to help Chen Yang.
Not to mention anything else, the cooperation with Shanghai's Third Radio Factory and the approval of land for the Shanghai Zhenhua Electric Appliances Factory headquarters were all approved after he reported to the leaders.
He had also assisted in the allocation of construction companies, the priority provision of various building materials, and recruitment publicity. Therefore, he gladly accepted the praise from the leaders for Zhenhua's achievements.
Hou Yong found Chen Yang that very day. If he didn't go to find Chen Yang soon, he feared his phone would be constantly ringing with calls from city leaders.
"Chen Yang, you've caught me off guard without a word. You weren't planning to tell me you were building a factory in the capital, were you?"
As soon as Hou Yong arrived at Zhenhua, Chen Yang personally came out to welcome him to his office.
Chen Yang was also taken by surprise by Hou Yong's visit. He hadn't expected that, without realizing it, one of his decisions could even influence the leaders' attitude towards Hou Yong.
"Director Hou, you're joking. I'm just building a branch factory, and the headquarters will still be in our Shanghai. It's such a small matter that I never thought I'd bother you."
Chen Yang could guess that Hou Yong was under pressure, so he immediately gave Hou Yong some reassurance.
Zhenhua's headquarters would remain in Shanghai, and it would remain in Shanghai forever. This fundamental point would not change, unless Shanghai's leaders later felt that an appliance factory occupying prime real estate in Pudong was inappropriate. Otherwise, he wouldn't give up this land; it was all about money!
"Younger brother, you're a smart man. I don't even need to speak, and you already know why I'm here."
"I'm under a lot of pressure from the leaders. The branch factory in the capital?"
Hou Yong tested the waters. For a smart person like Chen Yang, many things didn't need to be said explicitly, but such people wouldn't make decisions lightly.
Every decision they made was bound to be well-thought-out and not easily changed. Nevertheless, Hou Yong still wanted to try to see if the branch factory could be kept in Shanghai.
"Brother Hou, I won't call you Director Hou anymore. Shanghai is too far away. Sales in the capital are quite high, and every time I transport goods there, the transportation costs are exorbitant and time-consuming."
"In the next step, if production increases in the East China region, and we need to add more branch factories, I will definitely prioritize building them in Shanghai. I can promise you this in advance."