lcionline Chapter 269 Industrial Survey
Chapter 269 Industrial Survey
This incident deeply affected Luo Congmin, and she realized how wise the Earth Federation's decision was to ban all immortals from serving as officials.
If someone stays in the same position for too long, even if they don't become corrupt or embezzle, it will be difficult for them to make new breakthroughs.
This is not to say that Wang Miao and Ding Yi are occupying positions at the Academy of Sciences without doing their jobs, but rather that the Earth Federation needs more fresh blood to nourish it.
If the Earth Alliance were to use only immortals, it's unimaginable what the outcome would be. It's highly likely that a large number of talented individuals would abandon the Earth Alliance and choose to work for the group alliance formed by AiAA.
Just like that question, when should a person choose to retire? It's okay, your successors will tell you the answer.
Back home, Luo Ji was resting on the sofa with his eyes closed when he saw his daughter return. He keenly noticed the change in her expression.
"What trouble did you encounter while you were out?"
Upon hearing this, Luo Congmin did not hide anything and told the whole story.
After listening to Luo Congmin's account, Luo Ji remained silent for a moment.
Luo Congmin wasn't in a hurry. He asked Zhang Xiang to pour him a glass of water and waited quietly for Luo Ji to make a decision.
"So... what are your thoughts?"
“Step down from the presidency, at least cultivate a few new people, and let the so-called Lin family gang retreat to the second line.”
Luo Congmin had actually considered this issue many years ago; the Earth Federation does not allow immortals to hold important positions.
Ironically, the president of the Earth Federation is an immortal being, as are the president of the Academy of Sciences and the minister of engineering.
In the eyes of others, Luo Congmin and other officials, led by Lin Xuan, were all categorized as the "Lin Family Gang".
They were the great contributors to the creation of the Earth Alliance, but they were also the stumbling blocks that prevented the Earth Alliance from making breakthrough progress.
This is also an important reason why AA was able to become the leader of the group alliance.
Starting from the tenth year of the broadcasting era, the proportion of talent between the local network and major companies has become inverted.
Logically speaking, the situation between Dilian and the Group is like that of a state-owned enterprise and a private enterprise. In the past, people were proud to work for Dilian, but now this phenomenon has reversed, resulting in many highly skilled talents flowing into the hands of conglomerates such as AiAA.
This is something Luo Congmin cannot tolerate.
So all the money and effort I put into education is being wasted on you? Isn't this just taking advantage of the local community?
Luo Ji let out a long sigh.
"The idea is good, but don't forget, the Earth Alliance is currently in a state of war. The people of you who are still holding high-ranking positions in the Earth Alliance are actually providing Lin Xuan with a stable rear. Once you withdraw, I'm afraid..."
“I will discuss this with my brother. It’s not that we have to rush to implement it immediately, but we need to make relevant contingency plans. The political functions of the local alliance cannot be placed on just a few people.”
Upon hearing this, Luo Ji couldn't help but smile.
"If I had your level of awareness back then, you probably wouldn't exist."
Back when Luo Ji was a Wallfacer, he abused his power quite a bit, but now Luo Congmin is taking the initiative to give it up and distance himself from the core of power.
Or rather, it means returning power to the president himself.
"In addition, I would like to hold a business meeting. I have never been clear about the technological strength of the group alliance, and I think it is necessary to conduct an industrial assessment."
Luo Ji was quite in favor of this proposal.
"As for the prizes, everyone will probably keep them to themselves. You have to offer something generous to motivate them to give it their all, right?"
This time, Luo Congmin answered quickly, giving a somewhat crazy answer.
"Weapon manufacturing rights".
Since ancient times, any household possessing armor has been considered a plot to rebel.
Those in power have always maintained very strict control over arms dealing at the lower levels.
But now, Luo Congmin is going to take a gamble, using the rights to manufacture weapons as bait to completely break up AiAA's group alliance.
This will be a huge gamble!
When the proposal was delivered to the five ministers, their shock was far greater than when they saw Luo Congmin say he might step down from the presidency.
In response, the top leadership of the Earth Alliance convened an emergency meeting, attended by all senior officials and core members of the Lin family gang.
“This kind of thing must never be allowed,” Rediaz said firmly.
"Have you heard the saying that the threat of a monkey picking up a gun is greater than the threat of a man picking up a gun?"
“I don’t see anything wrong with it. You have to give up something to gain something. We know very little about the group alliance. This matter is indeed risky, but it’s worth a try.” Taylor leaned back in his chair, lighting a cigarette.
As he spoke, everyone couldn't help but look at him.
"Taylor, the first Wallfacer of the Wallfacer Project."
Taylor was used to being ignored; he was only sitting here because of his relationship with Lin Xuan.
However, now that his acting career is booming, people are quite familiar with his face, especially his role as a Wallfacer in a movie. Even the director praised him, saying that he looked like he had actually participated in the Wallfacer Project.
"You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub; the engineering department wholeheartedly supports this."
The person who attended in place of the Engineering Department this time was actually Wang Miao. He was the first member of the Lin family to choose to step down and make way for a more capable person. He is still nominally the Minister of the Engineering Department along with Wei Cheng, but in reality, he has handed over the research and development work to others. Now, he has essentially abandoned science for politics, so it is rare to see him at such a contentious meeting.
"Professor Wang, you're really talking without understanding the situation. The root cause of this problem is the loss of talent from the engineering department. If the weapons manufacturing rights are really given to the group alliance, the authority of our law enforcement agencies will be seriously challenged."
Rediaz looked terrible. His perspective was dictated by his own position; in plain terms, Luo Congmin's suggestion was to sacrifice some social stability in exchange for accelerated scientific research, something he naturally couldn't easily agree to.
"That's not quite right. Law enforcement's weapons also need to be updated and upgraded, and you are also among the beneficiaries."
Luo Ji's words almost made Rediaz furious.
This is like saying that increasing your workload is a test from your boss. Even though Luo Ji is no longer teaching at Tsinghua University, his ability to sophistry is still so strong.
However, while Regina dared to confront Taylor, she was less inclined to confront Luo Ji, leaving her with no choice but to suffer in silence.
"Okay, it's settled then. The publicity team will issue a notice saying that the Earth Alliance has invited major companies in the Group Alliance to attend this meeting. They must demonstrate their true strength and showcase their existing technology. The winner will receive a tender to collaborate with the Earth Alliance on the development of weapons."
"As for the name of this event... let's call it the World Expo."
Soon, with the help of the Earth Alliance, the news spread quickly.
Major corporations held emergency meetings to discuss countermeasures.
AiAA seemed to have seen through the clues in this matter, but the cleverness of this move was that it was a genuinely open and aboveboard scheme.
Who wouldn't want a bid for weapons development?
Once the company obtains this, it can legitimately develop weapons.
Even if AiAA has the ability to persuade one or two families not to attend this meeting, can he persuade everyone to give up?
The network of relationships she had built over decades turned out to be as fragile as a piece of paper in the face of the bait Luo Congmin had laid out.
Soon, things proceeded as planned under Luo Congmin's arrangement.
With the World Expo in session, all the major companies are going all out to grab deals, bringing out all the best things they've been hoarding.
What about a level 3.0 cold-core car, or a warp drive that can shorten travel time...?
Although these items are everyday consumer goods, the technological level they contain is in no way inferior to the military-grade products of the Earth Alliance.
Luo Congmin couldn't help but clap his hands on the spot.
"Good, good, good. I usually ask them to help with research, but they're all so good at hiding. You're really something, you've exposed a whole bunch of private companies secretly developing technology right under my nose!"
"Okay, you all want to get the rights to develop weapons, right? Then I'll give them to you. But since I said it's a cooperation, there's naturally a way to cooperate."
"Make a note of these companies. After the World Expo, we'll officially recognize them as state-owned enterprises!"
"Those who don't want to merge? Then don't blame me for being ruthless."
Sure enough, Luo Congmin was still the same Luo Congmin; she never even considered delegating the weapons manufacturing rights.
Instead, they used a pretext to conduct a comprehensive industrial investigation, directly turning these hidden potential companies into part of the Earth Alliance.
This can be said to have severed the roots of these private enterprises.
If it weren't for Ai AA's foresight, this wave of Xinghuan Group companies would probably have had to be converted into state-owned enterprises.