To Wang Yun and the others, they were no longer just risking their lives for money and power. Therefore, both he and P5092 never sought Ren Xiaosu for any recognition either.
Without an official appointment or salary, the two of them were just fighting for the vision of the Prosperous Northwest.
Of course, they also knew the Northwest would not just leave them hanging like this. Commander Zhang of Fortress 178 was probably just waiting to see what this future commander could achieve with his band of supporters.
By the time Stronghold 144’s reforms started bearing fruit, success would naturally follow.
Currently, Wang Yun and the rest were scattered across various locations and working on their own missions. Although no one was supervising them, they carried out their tasks with extreme efficiency.
Of course, it was not like their operating locations did not overlap with each other. For example, when Wang Yun was carrying out the mapping mission yesterday, he even saw Wang Yuchi and company hunting down bandits in the wilderness with the fair-skinned chubster, Xun Yeyu.
At that time, Wang Yun’s group was verifying the collected data with specialized equipment when they saw a pack of people running past them in the wilderness. Wang Yuchi and company only managed a quick greeting to Wang Yun before continuing their pursuit.
Wang Yun did not interfere, and both parties calmly went about their own missions as normal.
The Northwest’s territory was vast, so some bandits were able to remain hidden, and that made it difficult to find them.
The bandits were also caught in a very awkward situation. Currently, the Northwest’s security measures were very structured, so coming out to rob people could easily lead to their deaths. However, they were unwilling to work an honest job to support their families.
These people were used to profiting off other people’s toil, so they would definitely find it difficult to be convinced by the vision of the Prosperous Northwest.
Therefore, Ren Xiaosu could only make use of Xun Yeyu’s power to round them all up. The bandits would either have to join the Prosperous Northwest or die. In any case, these were the only two choices they were given.
While Wang Yun and the others were busy carrying out their missions, Wang Fugui’s Yunsu Trading Company shifted its focus.
The business scene in the Northwest had gradually matured, so Wang Fugui did not have to personally keep an eye on the company’s operations most of the time. Before Ren Xiaosu’s return, Wang Fugui waited every day for his subordinates to deliver the financial statements before tweaking some of the company’s general directions.
But now, some of the upper management in Yunsu could not even find Wang Fugui anymore. The people from the Northwest Chamber of Commerce who wanted to get hold of Wang Fugui to help them resolve their issues were also met with a standard answer, that President Wang had made a trip outside of the stronghold. If they wanted to find him, they would have to head to a place 70 kilometers west of the stronghold where a new construction site had been set up.
All of Yunsu’s documents had to be sent 70 kilometers to that construction site for signing as President Wang was stationed there.
Initially, the merchants of the Northwest Chamber of Commerce thought they would just wait for President Wang to return before discussing with him the problems they were facing. However, Wang Fugui suddenly returned to the stronghold that night and invited the various trading companies in the Northwest to a dinner party.
The members of the Northwest Chamber of Commerce were considered famous businessmen in the Northwest. Under normal circumstances, they would usually choose to dine at very high-class places in the stronghold.
But this time, Wang Fugui held the dinner party at a small roadhouse.
The CEOs were a little puzzled. “President Wang, what’s going on? Why are we eating at a place like this? Did you encounter some difficulties? Don’t worry, we’re here for you.”
Wang Fugui sighed and said, “To be honest, I have indeed encountered some difficulties.”
Everyone looked at one another. Yunsu was now the leading enterprise of the Northwest, so what difficulties could it possibly have? Didn’t the company still have the backing of the future commander?
Wang Fugui said, “Y’all should have heard about it too, right? After the future commander returned to the Northwest, he’s sought to implement some reforms to solve the current food shortage problem.”
Everyone listened carefully.
Wang Fugui sighed and said, “But it’s not that easy to solve the problem. Building the irrigation infrastructure for that is a big project. All of you are also leaders of the industry, so y’all know exactly how much money is required for a project like that. But money is not the most difficult thing. What’s difficult is sourcing the equipment to conduct the works….”
“As you all know, there’s very little excavation equipment, cranes, and the like in the Northwest to begin with. It’s really hard to find them now that we want to gather all the resources to build the irrigation works. This matter is causing extreme anxiety to our future commander. Look, my boss is so angry, so how can a shopkeeper like me still be in the mood to eat?” Wang Fugui said, “So let’s just make do and have dinner here. After we’re done eating, I still have to go and help the future commander source the equipment.”
The CEOs of the Northwest’s businesses looked at one another and thought to themselves, ‘How is this a dinner party? Wang Fugui, you sly old fox! You’re obviously here to seek the support of everyone on behalf of the future commander!‘
One of them asked, “The Northwest Army’s construction engineering capabilities are also very impressive, so why don’t you get the Northwest Army to come and build the infrastructure?”
Wang Fugui’s eyes drooped as he drank his tea and said, “I’m afraid that it’ll be difficult for Future Commander to convince the masses if he mobilizes the Northwest’s troops so soon after returning. Besides, didn’t I just say that the Northwest Army also has insufficient engineering equipment?”
A businessman sighed in his mind, but he could only go along with Wang Fugui’s cue and ask, “I wonder if we can be of any help?”
Wang Fugui hesitated and said, “That won’t be good. All of you are so busy, so how can I trouble everyone over this small thing?”
“Why would that trouble us?” The businessman smiled enthusiastically and said, “It’s our duty to contribute to the development of the Northwest’s infrastructure!”
While he said it rather diplomatically, everyone was cursing in their minds. It seemed like Wang Fugui was also very particular about the party tonight. The businessmen he had invited today all had a common trait, and it was that they were all the owners of large construction companies.
In other words, basically all of them had the engineering equipment the future commander needed.
If they still did not understand why they were invited here today, that would simply be unacceptable.
A businessman said, feeling the pinch, “I wonder how we can aid the future commander?”
Only then did Wang Fugui break into a smile. “Look, the priority is truly to improve our irrigation infrastructure. Otherwise, if we really end up facing a food shortage, we won’t even have anything to eat. Why don’t all of you temporarily suspend the real estate projects and focus our efforts on resolving the issue of building our irrigation infrastructure? What do y’all think? Of course, the future commander will not treat everyone unfairly either. Since y’all are here to undertake the construction efforts, he definitely won’t allow y’all to lose any money.”
Everyone understood what Wang Fugui meant. If he said they would not lose any money, it meant they had to participate in the development of the Prosperous Northwest by quoting at cost price. Even if they did not have to lose money, they could forget about earning any.
The lack of water sources in the Northwest and the instability of the river basin were objectively present. In the vicinity of Stronghold 144, there was only a Yellow River tributary 70 kilometers away that had enough water to irrigate the farmlands. Therefore, Ren Xiaosu was currently trying to solve the major problem of how to use this river to reclaim the wasteland areas of Stronghold 144.
If they did not solve this problem, reclaiming the wasteland would just be a wasted effort.
As Wang Fugui spoke, he had his assistant bring over a dozen copies of documents. Then he said with a smile, “I see that everyone is very enthusiastic about participating in the development of the Northwest. Why don’t we sign this letter of intent first before dining?”
