Rebirth of the Mining Tycoon

Chapter 51: Official Approval

Li Tang took a moment to gather his thoughts and then slowly began to speak. "The area I've planned for this project is located on the plateau of Tibet Province, approximately a hundred kilometers from the provincial capital. It's sparsely populated, and transportation is extremely inconvenient. If we do happen to discover a super copper deposit exceeding ten million tons, extraction would be incredibly difficult—there's no adequate power supply, the plateau environment is fragile, and environmental approvals would be hard to obtain. On top of that, the mountains are snow-covered year-round, and the overall conditions are harsh."

Just when they expected him to promote the project, he started by pointing out all its problems.

The leadership exchanged confused glances. They truly didn't understand what this young man was trying to do.

Li Tang, however, remained composed, as if he were the one in charge. "These are objective challenges. But ask yourselves, why should we be the first to take the risk and explore in such a desolate place? As China's economy continues to grow, the demand for mineral resources will rise significantly, leading to a boom in the resource sector. I believe the mining industry is about to enter a once-in-a-century development opportunity."

"You have a lot of faith in the mining sector," Niu Fu said, clearly impressed by the conviction in Li Tang's voice.

"You are all seasoned leaders with a broad perspective. I'm sure you're aware that in recent years, China's metallurgy industry has become increasingly reliant on imported ore—especially copper, the price of which keeps rising. And this upward trend is bound to enter an even more frenzied phase in the near future."

"But many domestic experts are bearish on future ore prices," someone pointed out.

"Time will give us the answer."

"Let's get back to the project," Ou Pingguo interrupted, sensing that Li Tang was straying from the topic.

"Of course." Li Tang quickly refocused. "To my knowledge, the railway department is currently planning a line from the coast to Tibet Province. Building railways on permafrost is a global engineering challenge, but I believe our country's experts will overcome it. Before long, a railway through Tibet will be a reality. Once transportation is in place, the value of mineral resources in Tibet will double."

"Mineral resources in the eastern region have already been mostly claimed. The west will become the battleground for future competition among major mining enterprises!" he added.

Clap, clap, clap...

Niu Fu was the first to applaud. "Does anyone here know about the railway being planned for Tibet?"

The others looked at each other and shook their heads.

"I've heard of it—it's true," Niu confirmed. Then he turned to Li Tang. "You've got a broad and strategic mind. Let me be frank: upper management is very concerned about the future of the mining industry. That's why our company is shifting its strategy and gradually investing more upstream. When we encounter a promising project, we intend to go all in!"

Without consulting the others, he made a decisive announcement: "I approve the copper exploration project in Tibet!"

As soon as he said this, Zhao Hepu and Qin Jianshe visibly relaxed and exchanged a satisfied glance.

"Of course, the only part I can approve directly is the 5 million yuan for the preliminary survey," Niu Fu added, looking at Li Tang with a stern but approving gaze. "Remember, I'm not afraid to spend money. What matters to me is that it's spent wisely. I expect you to return soon with good news and move into the detailed survey phase. As long as there's promise, I will personally advocate for the 30 million yuan budget before the board and chairman!"

"You must work hard and live up to General Manager Niu's high expectations," Ou Pingguo reminded.

"Thank you for your support, General Manager Niu," Zhao Hepu said cheerfully.

But then, seeing Zhao's round, smiling face, Niu Fu's eyes narrowed. "This project was proposed by the Exploration Company. Why was it submitted through your Mining & Metallurgy Company?"

"Hehe." Zhao Hepu let out a goofy laugh. "General Manager Niu, we're also very interested in the Tibet copper project."

…

The official project approval had been issued.

When Zhou Tianqi received the document, his expression was far from pleased.

Since the Mining & Metallurgy Company was leading the project, the Exploration Company, though providing technical support, had little say in the matter.

When it came to choosing the exploration partner, Yang Xueping once again voiced her opinions and recommended other teams. But in the end, she was jointly overruled by Zhao Hepu and Qin Jianshe. Zhou Tianqi could do little more than turn a blind eye.

With Zhao's backing and Qin's control over key decisions, Zhou and Yang were effectively sidelined.

Once word got out about the project's official approval, it spread like wildfire.

After all, this was a 35-million-yuan project—with profits likely exceeding ten million if things went well.

Exploration projects often had very high profit margins.

Even the preliminary survey phase alone carried a 5-million-yuan budget.

Numerous organizations and private companies swarmed in, showing up at Zhao Hepu and Qin Jianshe's homes bearing lavish gifts.

Even some people from within the Group began subtly reaching out to the two men.

However, because Li Tang had already expressed his intention to hand the project to the Guizhou Provincial Geological Bureau, and Qin had readily agreed—later informing Zhao Hepu of the plan, who also approved it—they had essentially made up their minds.

In winter, Tibet is locked in by snow and cold, so any fieldwork would have to wait until spring. There was no rush to begin.

Still, Qin Jianshe was growing weary from the constant visits and attempts at bribery. Turning people down without offending them was no easy task.

So he decided to take Li Tang directly to Guizhou to finalize the exploration contract.

The provincial geological bureau and the Bureau of Nonferrous Metals were thousands of kilometers from Beijing. Yet somehow, they'd caught wind of the massive project and knew that Wukuang Group was preparing to launch it—but they lacked connections and access.

When they suddenly saw Qin Jianshe from Wukuang Group appear at their door, the local geological bureau leaders were so overwhelmed with excitement, it was hard to put into words.

They held a grand welcoming ceremony.

Li Tang did not attend the event. Instead, he went straight to the 101st Geological Team.

The Geological Bureau was an administrative agency that oversaw multiple geological teams, each with its own office.

The 101st Geological Team's building was a two-story courtyard-style structure, much like a traditional siheyuan compound.

Li Tang was extremely familiar with this place.

Still, it had been a while since his last visit, and he had to walk around twice before finally locating his father's office. Inside were two men whose faces looked familiar, though he couldn't immediately recall their names.

"Li Tang?" a young man of about thirty sitting by the door called out in surprise.

"Hello, I'm here to see my father." Li Tang gave a small smile.

"He went to report to Director Liu. Come in and have a seat." The young man clearly recognized him. "It's been a while since you came by. You must have graduated already. Where are you working now?"

Li Tang stepped into the office, glanced at the duty roster on the wall, and finally remembered that the two people inside were Deputy Directors Pan Yuexing and Liao Wenyang of the geological division.

The 101st Geological Team had several departments: geology, geophysics, geochemistry, and so on. Li Zaiqiang, Li Tang's father, was the director of the geology division—a mid-level civil servant.

It was Pan Yuexing who had greeted him and who now poured him a cup of hot water with genuine hospitality.

"Thanks, Brother Pan." Li Tang sat down and looked around the small office, which was cluttered with survey materials. "You all don't seem too busy these days?"

"Not at all. We've been stuck in the office for a whole year—my butt's practically molded to this chair," Pan said with a laugh. "So where are you working now? I heard you also studied geology. Why didn't you join our team?"

"I found a job in Beijing."

"Nice—Beijing's a big city. The pay's better, and there are more opportunities."

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