After Song Xiyun left the factory director's office, Lin Chenran sat at his desk, vigorously writing up a report and summary.
"Ring, ring, ring!!!"
Suddenly, a shrill burst of ringing shattered the silence in the office.
Lin Chenran stopped writing, then reached out, picked up the telephone on his desk, and gently pressed the answer button.
"Hello, who is this?"
He asked warmly.
"Little Lin, you can't even recognize my voice?"
A voice as resonant as a bell came from the other end of the line.
Lin Chenran immediately recognized who it was—the Flame Nation Army Equipment Department's Old Wei.
"Old Wei, it's you! I'm so sorry."
Lin Chenran hurriedly apologized, quietly thinking, Old Wei personally called. This must be about the Type 59 Civilian Engineering Vehicle.
Old Liang had most likely already spoken to the military, telling them that the 077 Machinery Military Factory was capable of converting Type 59s into civilian engineering vehicles.
Sure enough, they had come sniffing around like a cat that smelled fish.
"No need to apologize. I didn't interrupt your work, did I?" Old Wei asked in a steady, gentle tone.
Then, without beating around the bush, he said, "Old Liang told us that your 077 Machinery Military Factory converted Type 59 Tanks into civilian engineering vehicles."
"And I also know that your factory has a limited number of Type 59 Tanks. Restarting production wouldn't be very cost-effective either."
At those words, the smile on Lin Chenran's face instantly froze, replaced by a trace of bitterness.
"Little Lin, the military has a large number of Type 59 Tanks. We can work together," Old Wei said calmly, sounding as though he were doing Lin Chenran a favor.
Old Wei continued, "The Type 59 Civilian Engineering Vehicle is something the military must get a share of."
Then he played the sympathy card. "You know that after the massive cuts to military spending, we practically have to split every dollar into a dozen pieces. Now that the Type 59 Tank can be heavily modified into a civilian engineering vehicle, we can upgrade and modernize them as well."
"Most importantly, this cooperation would be a win-win."
Lin Chenran was supposed to report this upward.
But now someone had come directly to his doorstep.
There was a difference between the two.
If he made the report himself, he could retain far more initiative.
Of course, they could still negotiate now!!!
"Old Wei, cooperation is possible."
"We also want to help the military upgrade and modernize its existing tanks."
"There are two methods of cooperation."
Lin Chenran spoke calmly.
Old Wei was all ears.
Lin Chenran continued, "Under the first method, our 077 Machinery Military Factory would purchase Type 59 Tanks from the military at salvage prices."
"As for the price, it would definitely be heavily discounted. After all, some Type 59 Tanks have been in service for over twenty years."
"As for payment for the recovered Type 59s, our preliminary plan is to settle the account once a year."
"I'm sure you understand the difficulties our 077 Machinery Military Factory is currently facing. We're genuinely short on cash."
Lin Chenran appropriately laid out his difficulties.
However, Old Wei cut him off without ceremony. "A one-year payment cycle is far too long. Absolutely not! Payment must be settled within three months. That's the military's bottom line."
Lin Chenran immediately looked troubled. "Settling within three months would put our 077 Machinery Military Factory's cash flow under extraordinary strain."
"You don't want our 077 Machinery Military Factory to be driven straight into bankruptcy, do you?"
Lin Chenran: I can't do it, Your Majesty!!!
After pondering for a moment, Old Wei's tone changed. "Then let's compromise. How about payment every four months? You should understand that the military also needs sufficient funding to upgrade its tank equipment."
"Then every four months it is." Lin Chenran agreed as well.
Of course, that would also depend on whether the 077 Machinery Military Factory's books were tight.
Lin Chenran had originally planned to settle once a year. That would have greatly reduced the financial pressure on the 077 Machinery Military Factory.
The military definitely would not agree to annual settlements.
After all, they too faced a severe shortage of funds.
"What about the other method of cooperation?"
Old Wei pondered to himself. He truly was somewhat tempted by the first proposal Lin Chenran had mentioned.
But years of experience told him that the second arrangement might be more advantageous for the Flame Nation military!
So he forcibly suppressed his excitement and asked calmly, "What's the second method?"
As though he had prepared for this long ago, Lin Chenran answered unhurriedly, "Under the second method, the military provides the Type 59 Tanks, while our 077 Machinery Military Factory is responsible for heavily modifying them into Type 59 Civilian Engineering Vehicles."
"The profits from selling the Type 59 Civilian Engineering Vehicles would be divided seventy-thirty. We take seventy percent, and you take thirty percent."
The moment Old Wei heard that, he flew into a rage!
He could hardly believe his ears. His eyes widened as he roared, "What? Did I hear that correctly? Our military only gets thirty percent, while your 077 Machinery Military Factory takes seventy percent?"
"Lin Chenran, aren't you being far too arrogant? Did Old Lin fail to teach you properly?"
Old Wei's voice was deafening. His powerful authority traveled through the phone line, making Lin Chenran feel a wave of pressure.
Lin Chenran was badly startled by Old Wei's sudden roar.
He could not help swallowing before trying to explain, "Old Wei, about the price..."
Ask high, bargain low!
"Our military must take seventy percent, while your 077 Machinery Military Factory can take no more than thirty percent."
Old Wei's tone was exceedingly firm.
The moment Lin Chenran heard this, his brows drew tightly together, while the invisible pressure that had seemed to surround him instantly vanished without a trace.
Lin Chenran was the sort of person who valued money over his life.
Every share of profit now concerned the future of the 077 Machinery Military Factory.
"How could that be possible?"
Lin Chenran's voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable firmness.
"If our 077 Machinery Military Factory can only receive thirty percent of the profits, it won't be long before our factory faces another bankruptcy crisis."
"Old Wei, it's not just our country that has outdated tanks. The old Russians next door have them too."
"If I went to Mao Xiong Country, I could directly recover a batch of tanks at scrap prices and modify them."
"If it weren't for helping the military clear out the Type 59s, I wouldn't..."
Lin Chenran had said something he should not have said.
Indeed, over with the old Russians, he might be able to get a tank for just a few hundred US Dollars—perhaps even buy five and get one free.
The people of Mao Xiong Country practically wished Lin Chenran would go help them clear out their outdated tanks that were ready to be scrapped.
Moreover, by 1984, Mao Xiong Country's domestic economy was in poor shape as well.
Every industry had been greatly affected.
As long as Lin Chenran brought over a batch of light industrial goods, he could definitely trade them for a batch of outdated tanks that were slated for scrapping.
"This..."
After hearing that, Old Wei fell into deep thought.
Indeed, Type 59 Tanks were not the 077 Machinery Military Factory's only option.
Before you continue