Chapter 367 - 176: Planning

Chapter 367: Chapter 176: Planning

Moreover, cherries, Pistachios, peanuts, soybeans, Hevea Plants, and Purple Alfalfa are all nectar-producing plants, which can provide a vast source of nectar for the beekeeping industry.

This massive industrial layout was to be completed in the next five years.

Jiang Miao made a call, summoning the recently returned Lü Weibin, along with Jiang Haibo, to his office.

「Half an hour later.」

Jiang Haibo was the first to knock and enter.

A little over ten minutes later, Lü Weibin arrived as well.

Jiang Miao had already discussed some of the details with Jiang Haibo.

"Old Lü, have a seat!"

Jiang Miao poured him a cup of tea. "The main reason I called you over this time is to strengthen the management of the Monan Branch."

"Strengthen the management? Has something gone wrong over there?" Lü Weibin was startled. He thought a problem had cropped up at the Monan Branch the moment he left.

Jiang Haibo spoke up to explain, "Weibin, you’ve misunderstood. That’s not what the boss meant. There aren’t any major issues at the Monan Branch."

"Huh?" Lü Weibin breathed a quiet sigh of relief, then asked curiously, "Then why, Boss?"

"The higher-ups approved 30 million mu of desert land for us, located in the Kerchin Desert."

"That much?" Lü Weibin’s hand, which had just lifted his teacup, started to tremble. He quickly set the cup back down on the desk, swallowed hard, and asked, "Boss, why would they approve so much land for us?"

Jiang Miao answered casually, "It’s a hidden benefit of the Immortal Soybeans, of course."

"The Immortal Soybeans? The higher-ups are already aware of them? That was fast." Lü Weibin felt a little more at ease.

Jiang Haibo, having already heard some of this from Jiang Miao, clarified a few things for Lü Weibin. "An academician specializing in soybeans inspected the Tamin Chagan Farm and then went to the capital to report on it. However, this is classified information. Only the few of us should know about it. It would be best not to mention it even to our families."

’Classified?’ Although Lü Weibin’s abilities were somewhat average, he was no fool. Having spent several years at a major tech company, he enjoyed keeping up with international current events, and his mind quickly started racing with possibilities.

Jiang Miao had no intention of telling them the full story. "I won’t go into the specifics. For now, let’s focus on the Monan Branch."

Lü Weibin quickly pulled out the small notebook and ballpoint pen he always carried.

"Developing 30 million mu of land will require enormous manpower and resources. The current management at the Monan Branch is clearly not enough."

Jiang Haibo nodded. "Exactly."

"How many more people do we need?" Lü Weibin asked, looking at Jiang Miao.

"We need to increase our workforce by at least a hundredfold."

"A hundredfold?" Lü Weibin’s brow furrowed. "That’s going to be difficult."

"No need to rush. The plan is to complete all development projects within five years. That means the personnel can be brought on board gradually over that period."

Lü Weibin relaxed upon hearing it was a five-year plan.

Jiang Miao laid out the full development plan. "We’re going to develop 10 million mu of soybean fields, 5 million mu of pasture intercropped with soybeans and Hevea Plants, 5 million mu of peanut fields, 5 million mu of mixed pastureland, 2 million mu of cherry orchards, 2 million mu of Pistachio orchards, and the last 1 million mu will be set aside for other supporting projects."

While taking notes, Lü Weibin raised a question. "Boss, I understand the pasture, peanuts, and soybeans. But Hevea Plants, Pistachios, cherries... can they even be grown in the climate of the Kerchin Desert?"

Jiang Miao then explained why he had chosen those specific crops, as well as the technical solutions that made it possible.

After hearing the explanation, it dawned on Lü Weibin. He had not the slightest doubt about Jiang Miao’s R&D capabilities.

Next, Jiang Miao went on to discuss the supporting facilities the Monan Branch would need to prepare.

Lü Weibin jotted everything down, occasionally asking for clarification on certain points.

Once he had covered all those points, Jiang Miao returned to the initial issue. "So, as the Monan Branch expands, the problem won’t just be a lack of mid-level managers and entry-level staff. We’ll also need to station a senior executive from headquarters there."

Lü Weibin understood instantly. He was clearly the most suitable executive for the job.

"Of course, to handle the management side of things, it won’t just be you. Haibo and I will also go over on a regular basis. We’ll each rotate, stationing ourselves at the Monan Branch for three months at a time."

Hearing the assignment was for only three months at a time, Lü Weibin felt it was no big deal.

Jiang Haibo then suggested, "Boss, we need to scale up the company’s management trainee program. I propose we finalize and implement this system of executive rotation within the next year or two."

Jiang Miao nodded. "Yes, have the personnel department scale up recruitment. I don’t have anything urgent for the next few months, so I’ll have time for interviews. Hire more talent, especially for mid- and senior-level management, to prepare for the upcoming expansion."

However, Jiang Miao added, "Of course, if we identify suitable management talent among our own employees, we must be quick to promote them."

"I understand." Jiang Haibo made a note of it, then remembered something else. "Boss, on August 10th, Shanghai is hosting a Food Security Summit. The organizers sent us an invitation yesterday, hoping our company would attend."

He Jintang had already given him some inside information, so Jiang Miao was well aware of the catch behind this so-called Food Security Summit. He gave his instructions:

"Haibo, you can go represent the company. I only have one requirement: listen and observe. Don’t express any opinions, and especially don’t say a single word about the Immortal Soybeans."

Hearing Jiang Miao’s instructions, Jiang Haibo grew pensive, but he didn’t let it show. "Understood. I’ll carry out your instructions to the letter."

"There’s also a feed industry conference in Yangcheng. Our company was invited to that as well. The timing is a bit tight, though—it’s on August 15th."

"You’ll lead the team to that one as well. You only need to discuss our plans for the Egyptian Catfish Meal. Don’t get involved in any discussions about Purple Alfalfa, soybeans, or anything else."

There was a reason the two events were scheduled so closely together.

The purpose was self-evident.

It was to prevent ABCD and the relevant domestic private enterprises from having any time to think, forcing their executives to scramble back and forth between Shanghai and Yangcheng in a short amount of time.

After He Jintang left today, Jiang Miao had also taken a moment to check on the international soybean and corn futures markets.

He discovered that since yesterday, the number of short positions in the futures market for bulk agricultural products like soybeans had been slowly increasing. He knew the short sellers were accumulating their stakes.