Chapter 786 Royal Merchant

Chapter 786 Royal Merchant

Everyone present had an excited look on their faces at this moment. Although everyone's focus was somewhat different, they basically focused on financial reform.

In other words, except for Chen Xi, one of the purposes of everyone doing this project is to lend money.

Chen Xi observed the expressions of the crowd and sighed secretly.

To be honest, he had never thought of lending money in the early days of his previous life, as he felt it was not a good idea. However, at the strong request of several shareholders, the financial product was finally launched.

I have to say, this lending business is really good...

It’s no wonder that other bosses took this path later on. It’s simply a mindless way to make money!

Fan Hongyuan took a sip of tea and continued, "There are many new products, new models, and new companies related to agriculture, rural areas and farmers on the market now. For example, smart agricultural machinery, such as driverless tractors and smart irrigation systems, can improve agricultural production efficiency. As consumers' demand for healthy food increases, organic vegetables, fruits and other products are gradually becoming popular. Many e-commerce platforms, such as JD.com, have begun to develop rural e-commerce, promoting the upward trend of agricultural products and the downward trend of industrial products. I think you have never heard of agricultural crowdfunding, which is to raise funds for agricultural projects through crowdfunding platforms..."

Feng Yun is quite familiar with Aba Aba's strong competitor, a certain JD.com.

What Fan Hongyuan just mentioned is the "going to the countryside and villages" strategy launched by a certain company this year, which is to cover the rural areas with goods and services through self-built logistics systems.

As for what is agricultural crowdfunding, it is an innovative model to raise funds through the Internet platform to support the development of agricultural projects. It helps farmers or agricultural enterprises solve the problem of capital shortage by gathering funds and resources from the public, while providing investors with profit opportunities.

There are many types of agricultural crowdfunding, which can be divided into production crowdfunding, consumption crowdfunding, equity crowdfunding, and public welfare crowdfunding.

The return of this kind of crowdfunding does not necessarily mean money. For example, if you invest in an orchard, you can get the return in the form of fruit after the project is successful. However, no one would not want money but only want fruit.

But if some bosses run restaurants, they can invest in farms and use poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs, etc. to settle accounts. The prices of these meats are prone to increase.

Consumer crowdfunding is actually equivalent to prepaying funds to purchase agricultural products. As the prices of some agricultural products are getting higher and higher, it is actually more cost-effective to invest in some agricultural projects.

"In the previous meetings, we discussed how to carry out rural projects. Now that the framework is in place, we can slowly raise funds, but how do we solve the population problem? You know, most rural youth now go to the city to find jobs."

Fan Hongyuan raised another difficult question.

He was right. We have the funds and projects, but someone has to do the work and consume.

It is totally impossible for the rural market to be absorbed by urban residents alone.

"Well, you don't have to worry too much about this issue." Feng Yun suddenly spoke at this time.

"Oh? What do you think, Mr. Feng?" Duan Yixiong asked with a smile.

"In recent years, rural population has been pouring into cities, especially metropolises with international companies. The problem of oversupply of labor has been emerging, and major companies have planned and started to optimize their employees..."

"Wait, Mr. Feng, what do you mean by optimizing employees? I don't quite understand."

Duan Yixiong and everyone present were somewhat unfamiliar with this new term.

"Ahem, actually it's just layoffs."

Feng Yun's answer made everyone suddenly realize.

Then, he continued, "Employee optimization generally takes into account factors such as age, performance, position, cost, teamwork, development potential, corporate culture, etc. This is also to optimize resource allocation and enhance corporate competitiveness. After large companies optimize their employees, they will supply talents to the society, and these talents will gradually return to the countryside..."

"Haha, Mr. Feng is really good at speaking when it comes to employee optimization and supplying talents to the society." Duan Yixiong praised the other party with a smile.

Everyone else was secretly laughing in their hearts. They thought that the only person who could explain layoffs in such a refreshing and popular way was Feng Yun.

Hearing this, Feng Yun also hit back: "Mr. Duan is joking, I am just telling the truth. In fact, this is nothing new. Enterprises optimize their employees for better development, and these optimized talents can also become the backbone of rural revitalization after returning to the countryside. They not only bring back funds, but also bring back advanced technology and management experience, which is a rare opportunity for rural areas. We can fully seize this opportunity and attract these talents to return to the countryside through policy guidance and project support. For example, we can provide them with entrepreneurial support, skills training, and even preferential policies in housing, medical care, etc., so that they are willing to come back and can develop better in rural areas..."

Duan Yixiong didn't say anything because he knew he was not as good at talking as the other person.

"How many employees can be laid off? It's already a lot for a company to lay off a hundred people. It's impossible for all companies to lay off employees." Fan Hongyuan narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"There is fierce competition among enterprises now, and labor laws are constantly being strengthened. Providing insurance to employees will increase costs significantly, not to mention other welfare benefits. I think domestic layoffs will become large-scale in the future, and this will last for many years..." Feng Yun's words were well-reasoned, and the people present had to believe it.

Chen Xi, who was reborn, certainly believed this sentence. Now it is 2013, and many companies have already started to lay off employees. In a few years, the employment environment will become worse and worse, and many unemployed people who are not registered in the city will eventually have to face reality and return to their hometowns.

In fact, this is just a chain reaction. When a company lays off employees to save costs, its competitors will certainly follow suit, so many people face the risk of unemployment in their thirties. In summary, if you are eliminated, there will be plenty of people who can take your place, and the price is cheaper.

Freshly graduated college students are the most cost-effective and have become the preferred recruitment target for domestic companies.

At this time, Chen Xi looked at Duan Yixiong opposite him. This guy kept looking at his watch and seemed very anxious.

Just when he thought the other party had to leave for something urgent, the door of the conference room suddenly opened, and three middle-aged men walked in quickly. As soon as they met, they shook hands and greeted Fan Hongyuan.

"Let me introduce him to you. He is the partner invited by General Manager Duan and also the investor of this project. He is the general manager, deputy general manager, and deputy president of Huaxing Bank of Huaxing Group..." Fan Hongyuan introduced them to everyone with a smile.

When they heard the positions of the three people, everyone was stunned. Even Feng Yun, who always looked down on everyone, had a bad expression on his face.

Everyone knows what level Huaxing Group has in China and the world. It is one of the largest comprehensive business groups in China and is known as one of the four major imperial merchants. Compared with it, Aba Aba is just a small fry.

Whether in terms of industrial layout or political background, there is simply no comparison.

When Chen Xi saw the three people, the corners of his mouth slowly rose. The person he had been waiting for in this life finally appeared.

Although the time and place of the meeting were different from the previous life, he didn't care about it at all.

Secretly observing Duan Yixiong's expression, he found that the old guy was in high spirits at this moment. It seemed that he had been looking at his watch, waiting for these two to appear.

After the three of them sat down, the negotiations officially began.

Huaxing Group's general manager Wang Tong and vice president Pu Jian were both old acquaintances of Chen Xi in his previous life. As for the vice president of Huaxing Bank, Sun Dixun, he was very famous in his previous life, far surpassing the previous two.

As for why, it was naturally because of the illegal lending to Boss Xu.

Wang Tong cleared his throat and said, "Regarding the funding issue of this project, the leaders and Mr. Duan have already discussed it with us in detail. The initial investment is indeed a huge number, and the payback period is relatively long. However, in order to support the development of rural areas in China and actively respond to the call from above, Huaxing Group has carefully considered and decided to fully support this project."

He paused for a moment, glanced at everyone present, and continued, "As for the funding issue, our Huaxing Group can bear most of it, but the specific investment ratio and share distribution still require further negotiation. Everyone understands the principle of more pay, more gain, and I believe that everyone present should have no objection to this, right?"

Duan Yixiong nodded and took over the conversation: "Mr. Wang's proposal is very pertinent. Now that we have a preliminary plan for the funding issue, we can further discuss the specific investment ratio and share allocation. If you have any ideas, please feel free to speak up."

"I have a question! It cannot be distributed solely according to the investment ratio. Most of this project relies on Mr. Chen's companies to operate..." Feng Yun was the first to raise an objection. After he finished speaking, he looked at Chen Xi opposite him.

"Not only me, but also Mr. Feng's smart agriculture is the core of increasing agricultural output value. There are also cloud hospitals, cloud classrooms, logistics stations, etc..." As the saying goes, reciprocity is the norm, and Chen Xi also praised Feng Yun.

The two rivals in their previous lives are now fighting together.

"These are just problems that can be solved with money." Duan Yixiong said with a forced smile.

"Then may I ask what role Mr. Duan can play in this? With just over 30 billion yuan, I think Huaxing Group can fully make up for your shortfall." Feng Yun joked.

"Our Environmental Protection Industry Promotion Association can not only provide money, but also support environmental protection policies. This will be of great help for future listing speculation..." Duan Yixiong quickly counterattacked.

"Oh, the project hasn't even started yet, but Mr. Duan is thinking so far ahead. According to what you said, if we leave your promotion association, our company will be doomed in the capital market in the future?" Chen Xi smiled.

Fan Hongyuan was not surprised to see the verbal battle going on. He had expected such a scene before, and at this moment he was just watching silently like a bystander.

"Mr. Duan, what you said is wrong. What do you mean everything can be solved with money? Some things cannot be accomplished just by having a lot of money..." Wang Zhi couldn't help but speak at this time.

Because among this group of people, he has no money and no skills. The only thing he can bring out is the connection resources.

Chen Xi sneered in his heart as he looked at the current scene. In fact, this had never happened in his previous life.

The three people from Huaxing Group who appeared in front of him were later appearances in his previous life.

That is, Chen Xi, Wang Zhi, and Duan Yixiong were fighting each other, and when the project operation became more and more difficult, the capital chain suddenly had problems. At that time, Duan Yixiong was at a disadvantage, so he found someone from Huaxing Group.

At that time, the other party made a huge demand, saying that all subsequent funds would be paid by their group, and wanted to reduce Chen Xi and Wang Zhi's shares to about 15%. How could Wang Zhi agree to such a harsh condition? After all, they had paid too much in the early stage. So in the end...

"Mr. Chen, let me be honest. Your things like transporting goods, drone operation vehicles, water dispensers, etc., actually there are companies out there that can replace them. We just need to spend some money to acquire them. And Mr. Feng, the same goes for your smart agriculture. There are so many technology companies on the market. You can just find one that does big data. Our ultimate goal is to be in the capital market..." Duan Yixiong sneered, but his voice became smaller and smaller in the end.

Everyone has ulterior motives in carrying out this project. The talk of revitalizing the rural areas is just a slogan.

Fan Hongyuan actually understands this point, but if you don’t let businessmen make some money, how can others pay?
Chen Xi also understood those companies that Duan Yixiong just mentioned that could replace them, such as Huodudu, Baidu, and Penguin. They could all cooperate with them, but the quality might be slightly worse, but it would not affect their harvest in the stock market.

"Mr. Duan, I have to remind you. Our project is to serve the rural areas and respond to the call from above. It is not for smoothing things over, telling stories, or speculating in stocks to reap profits from investors. The businesses that Mr. Chen and I are involved in are the best in the country and cannot be replaced by just any nobody. Then again, there are so many environmental protection funds in the country, we could also change to cooperate with another institution!" Feng Yun, who has always been eloquent, spoke again.

Feng Yun was right about this. Other institutions in the market could also come up with tens of billions, but Duan Yixiong's fund theme just happened to be suitable for speculation. In addition, he was a native of Huajing and had good resources locally, so he was able to squeeze into this project.

"Are you saying that there is no need for me to exist?" Duan Yixiong narrowed his eyes.

"Mr. Duan, what you said sounds a bit like the government is allowed to set fires but the people are not allowed to light lamps!" Wang Zhi sneered.

Duan Yixiong was the one who started it before, and this time he managed to turn the tables.

"You're right. If everything can be solved with money, then why doesn't Huaxing Group do it on its own?" Chen Xi now directed his anger at the three people opposite him.

"Haha, Mr. Chen is still young. It is not appropriate for our Huaxing Group to handle this kind of official project alone. The business still needs someone to manage it openly..." Park Jian, the vice president, looked at Chen Xi with a smile.

There was nothing wrong with what he said. As one of the four great merchants, operating this project alone would indeed attract criticism. The criticism did not refer to ordinary people, but to those in the officialdom.

"Okay, I think everyone has a role to play in this project. Technology, funding, resources, and post-operation are all indispensable. I suggest that we discuss and allocate them reasonably..." Duan Yuanhong, who had been watching the show, finally spoke.

As a seasoned official, he still has to intervene when necessary, otherwise the meeting will end in a bad mood. (End of this chapter)