Jinjiang Hotel, Shanghai.
The meeting room of the China Iron and Steel Association's special meeting was filled with people sitting on both sides of the long table.
The purchasing managers of Baowu, HBIS Group, Shagang Group, Ansteel – all the top steel mills in China – were present.
Cheng Beixiao sat on one side of the long table, with a thick stack of documents in front of him.
Director Li chaired the meeting, Zhang Xiangyang sat next to him, his palms sweaty.
He was worried for the young man.
Sitting across from him were all industry leaders; any one of them had more experience than Cheng Beixiao and was older.
"Director Cheng," Cha Guoliang of Baowu, put down the documents in his hand, adjusted his glasses, and said in a nonchalant tone, "You mentioned 65% high-grade ore, an annual production capacity of 20 million tons... From that point on, why should we trust you to maintain a stable supply?"
"If you cut off the supply and our blast furnace stops, can your company, DYB, afford the loss?"
All eyes were on Cheng Beixiao.
It's not that they didn't believe it, but the other party had quoted a quantity of "as much as they wanted" from the beginning. With the idea of testing the waters first, they decided to cooperate with the "minimum" standard of 20 million tons.
Cheng Beixiao remained calm.
He didn't look down at his phone, nor did he wait for Fu Haoran's instructions.
He stood up, opened the folder, and placed a stack of documents on the table one by one.
Colombia government mining rights documents.
Port berth agreement.
Bill of lading for the first batch of 50,000 tons of ore.
Test reports from third-party international testing organizations.
"General Manager Cha, the first batch of 50,000 tons of ore will arrive at Caofeidian Port in 15 days. You can inspect the goods on-site. If the grade and impurities do not meet the standards, I will give this batch of goods away for free."
He turned to the key page of the mining rights document and pointed at the numbers with his fingertip.
"The mine has proven reserves of 1.2 billion tons of high-grade iron ore, which can be stably mined for 50 years. Production can be further expanded to supply 40 million tons per year."
Then turn to the last page of the draft contract.
"We will supply 20 million tons annually, with a ten-year price lock-in, which is 30% lower than the Australia long-term contract price. In addition, we have included a compensation clause in the contract for any supply disruptions, enough to cover your losses until your blast furnaces are restarted."
The meeting room fell silent for a few seconds.
Director Li picked up the shipping manifest, examined it carefully, and then flipped through the test reports.
Having negotiated iron ore for twenty years, he had never been so assertive.
Finally, I don't have to put up with the Australia ' attitude anymore.
He nodded slowly and looked at Zhang Xiangyang.
Zhang Xiangyang took a deep breath, slammed his pen on the table, and was the first to express his opinion.
" Tangshan Iron and Steel Group, sign! I've had enough of the Australia ' attitude. We're signing this contract!"
The other steel mill representatives looked at each other, then nodded in agreement.
Before the signing ceremony, Cheng Beixiao glanced down at his phone.
Fu Haoran sent a message: "Add a clause to the contract to prioritize the supply from Hebei Steel and Tangshan Iron and Steel Group."
Cheng Beixiao quietly added a line to the supplementary clauses of the draft contract before signing it with the steel mill representative.
Although there were no reporters or photographers present due to confidentiality reasons, Cheng Beixiao still couldn't hide his excitement.
After the signing ceremony, the person in charge of Ansteel pulled Cheng Beixiao aside and handed him a business card.
"Director Cheng, our Ansteel subsidiary has the Shenyang Heavy Machine Tool Factory. If your mine needs mining equipment and precision machining tools later, we can fully provide the necessary support. We can connect you with them later."
Cheng Beixiao took the business card, put it away, and immediately took a picture and sent it to headquarters.
Fu Haoran, who was far away on the other side of the ocean, soon received the news.
Fu Haoran always delegated these kinds of tasks to the Tech-Priest Kallen.
Kallen was still furiously criticizing the parameter table, the red light of her mechanical eye flashing incessantly. "Sir, even if it's meant to be a teaching tool, a machine tool with this level of precision is only good for apprentices to practice Lower Hive!"
Fu Haoran smiled but didn't reply.
He knew in his heart that the technological accumulation of the Machine Cult over thousands of years was something that domestic machine tool factories could not catch up with overnight.
But he knew better than anyone how terrifying the Chinese people's learning ability and iteration speed were. As long as they were given a benchmark, it wouldn't be long before they could come up with a product that would leave Kallen speechless.
The Imperial Capital, a secure conference room of the National Security Bureau.
Old Zhou slammed the DYB contract documents on the table, his brows furrowing deeply.
"Old Qin, look closely. 20 million tons of iron ore from South America, with a ten-year price lock-in, 30% lower than the Australia long-term contract. This is not something a new energy vehicle company could pull off."
Qin Zhengfeng pushed up his glasses, flipped through the mine's testing report, stared at the number "grade 65%", and remained silent for a long time.
"The waters behind this kid are much deeper than we thought." He paused, "But one thing is certain: what he's doing is helping China break Australia's monopoly, which isn't a bad thing."
Less than two hours after the news of the signing broke, Harris reappeared at the meeting room door with the Australia delegation.
Director Li frowned. "Mr. Harris, our contract has already been signed."
Harris waved his hand, his tone unusually amiable.
But there wasn't a trace of a smile in his eyes.
"Director Li, I'm here to discuss cooperation. Our new price is $130 per ton, $15 lower than before. Furthermore, we can sign a three-year price lock-in agreement."
He knew perfectly well that this price was simply not enough to sway the Chinese side, who had already signed the contract.
All he wanted was to buy time. The headquarters had already planned a three-pronged counterattack, just waiting for confirmation of the signing before pressing the start button.
Zhang Xiangyang almost laughed out of anger.
Why didn't you do this sooner?
Director Li pushed a copy of DYB's contract in front of Harris, his tone indifferent. "Mr. Harris, we have a more suitable supplier. We will not accept your offer."
Harris's smile froze for a moment, but quickly returned.
"Director Li, this isn't how business is done. Long-term cooperation is about stability. Are you sure you want to trust a newly emerged South America mine?"
Director Li didn't say anything, but simply pushed the copy of the contract forward another inch.
Harris stood up and led the delegation away.
The leather shoes made a loud sound as they stepped on the marble floor.
But as soon as he stepped out of the meeting room, his face darkened instantly.
Instead of returning to the hotel, he dialed the Australia headquarters directly.
"Execute as planned; all three lines will be launched simultaneously."
The Australia launched a three-pronged counterattack, advancing simultaneously.
On the front lines, political pressure is exerted.
They lobbied the Australia government to file a lawsuit in the Colombia Supreme Court on the grounds of "alleged money laundering involving contraband," demanding the freezing of all assets of the mine and a halt to ore exports.
Meanwhile, they bribed the Colombia deputy minister of the Ministry of Mines to prepare to revoke the mine's operating license next week.
The second line is short selling in the financial sector.
They joined forces with Wall Street capital to short iron ore on the Platts Index, investing $1.5 billion.
The news caused the Platts Index to plummet by 12 percent within an hour.
Panic is spreading in the market.
The third line is spreading rumors and misinformation.
They bribed domestic financial media and social media outlets to spread rumors that "DYB's South America mine is suspected of illegally occupying indigenous land and has financial dealings with illegal groups, the Colombia government is about to revoke its mining rights, and subsequent supply cannot be guaranteed at all."
All three lines are being activated simultaneously.
On the surface, it's a price reduction as a gesture of goodwill, but secretly it's a move to undermine their core competitiveness.
This is the tactic of established monopolistic capital: instead of engaging in a direct price war, they launch a three-pronged attack from the political, financial, and media fronts.
That evening, a deluge of negative news appeared on social media platforms both domestically and internationally, with headlines that were increasingly sensational:
Exclusive Investigation: The Blood Debts of Drug Lords Behind DYB's South America Mines
< Colombia government to revoke mining rights, 20 million tons of iron ore lost>
The comment section was flooded with spam from paid trolls, creating a frenzy of discussion.
Cheng Beixiao scrolled through his phone, his face ashen, but he didn't panic. Headquarters had already predicted that touching the Australia ' interests would lead to a backlash.
A private harbor on the Caribbean Sea coast.
Manuel stood on the dock, overseeing the loading of the second batch of ore.
The conveyor belt roared as iron ore poured into the ship's hold, creating a dark red mist on the sea surface.
His deputy González, rushed over, his face pale.
"Boss, people from the mining department suddenly arrived. They say they need to re-examine our mining rights qualifications, and the ship cannot leave port for the time being."
Manuel frowned. "What reason?"
"They said..." González swallowed, "That our mining rights are suspected of being liquidated through illegal asset liquidation and need to be reviewed again."
Manuel remained calm.
He glanced at the layout of the dock and raised his chin.
"Go and invite the people from the mining department to my office. Treat them well. Don't let them touch any documents."
González nodded and led his men away.
As Manuel was about to turn around, he caught a glimpse of a reflection on the rooftop across the dock.
"Get down!"
He grabbed the guard beside him, and the two of them fell to the ground at the same time.
A bullet grazed his scalp and struck the shipping container behind him, sending Mars flying.
Chaos erupted instantly at the dock. Workers scattered and fled, stevedores abandoned their tools, and port administrators rushed into the control room.
"Sniper, the rooftop of that building across the dock." Manuel drew his sidearm and ordered into his headset, "One team clear the area, two teams block the road. Don't let them escape."
González, accompanied by several veterans, sneaked in from the flank. Manuel crouched behind the container, took out his encrypted phone, and dialed Fu Haoran's number.
"Boss, there's been some trouble at the port. The mining department has come to seal it off, and there are snipers too."
His voice was calm, without a trace of panic.
"I've already sent people to clear the area for the sniper, and the mining department personnel have been detained as well. We're waiting for your coordination with the government. The ship can't leave for the time being, but the mine is fine."
On the other end of the phone, Fu Haoran was silent for two seconds.
"Understood. Stabilize the port and prevent anyone from escaping. I'll handle the government side."
Manuel hung up the phone, stood up, and said into the headset, "Second Team, how's it going?"
"Boss, we've caught one alive, the other two escaped."
"Interrogate them and find out who sent them."
Ten minutes later, González's voice came through the earpiece. "Boss, he confessed. It was a sniper bribed by the Australia through the Colombia opposition, and the target was you."
Manuel gave a cold laugh, said nothing, and turned to look towards the port.
More than a decade ago, when he was fighting as a guerrilla in the Black Panther Brigade, he was least afraid of assassinations from the shadows.
If the Australia want to play dirty tricks, he'll play along to the end.
In the conference room of the headquarters in Perth, Australia, Harris looked at the news from Colombia and a sinister smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
"Trying to steal our business? See if you're even alive to do it."
In Fu Haoran's hotel room, he had just hung up the phone with Director Li.
I received two messages on my phone at the same time.
The first item is that the first batch of advance payments from domestic steel mills has arrived, amounting to 30 million US dollars.
The second message was Jimmy's phone report, "Mr. Fu, Wall Street, in conjunction with Australia capital, has shorted the Platts Index, already investing $1.5 billion."
"Two small and medium-sized steel mills called wanting to break their contracts, but I've already sent them the price-locking compensation terms as per your previous plan, and they're hesitant to act for now."
"As far as I know, many traders are stuck with unsold goods, with prices dropping by $80 per ton in a single day, and all previously agreed-upon orders falling through; in the futures market, long positions are being liquidated one after another, and retail investors are panic selling, turning the entire black market supply chain into complete chaos."
Fu Haoran remained calm.
He put the message aside for a moment, picked up his encrypted phone, and dialed Miller, an old acquaintance of his in the CIA.
" Miller, I need your help with something. The Colombia Ministry of Mines is harassing my mine. You have connections there, could you help me coordinate something?"
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, then Miller's voice was a little dry. "Mr. Fu, this is not a easy matter to handle..."
"Haven't you had enough of your achievements from the last anti-drug operation?" Fu Haoran's tone was calm. "Help me smooth things over with the people in the Ministry of Mining, and you'll get the top credit again for the next operation in South America."
Miller gritted his teeth. "... Fine, I'll try, but Mr. Fu, I can only help you coordinate with the people in the Ministry of Mines. You'll have to handle the lawsuit with the Australia government yourself."
That's enough.
Fu Haoran put down his phone and dialed Jimmy's number again.
"Regarding public opinion, have the public relations department issue a statement making all mining rights documents, government approvals, and third-party testing reports public."
"Boss, should we arrange an exclusive interview?" Jimmy asked.
Fu Haoran thought for a moment and said, "No need. Our buyers are all from University of Tokyo. As long as they trust us, that's enough. Let the overseas media say whatever they want; they're not paying us."
"What about the short selling side?" Jimmy asked.
"Ignore them, let them short sell and dump their shares. Once they can't push the price down any further, we'll enter the market."
Jimmy responded and hung up the phone.
Fu Haoran put down his phone without showing any sign of panic.
He had anticipated these three counterattacks from the Australia even before the contract was signed.
The Australia giants, who have monopolized the iron ore market for over a decade, will not stand idly by and watch their share of the pie be snatched away; they will only resort to underhanded and dirty tricks.
Therefore, Fu Haoran prepared a complete set of contingency plans for Jimmy in advance, left Manuel with the option of the CIA as a backup plan, and even had the public relations department write the press releases for spreading rumors in advance.
A pincer attack?
joke.
Fu Haoran's lips curled up slightly.
"The descendants of prisoners can't shake their ingrained bad habits."
"Since they want to play, let's show them who the real hunter is."
"Does Australia really think it's a superpower?"
Follow the continuous strokes of the pen and embark on an adventure in < Warhammer: Starting as Planetary Governor, Three Hundred Years in Taxes>.