In addition, Xu Zhengyang had also spoken with Li Ruiqing, saying that he was going to the Lunkun Mountains area of Yutian City to search for mutton-fat jade, and asked Li to help him make arrangements with the relevant departments to avoid any conflicts with local government departments or the public. After all, mutton-fat jade is an extremely expensive item that everyone covets.
He didn't say what the purpose of mutton fat jade was, and Li Ruiqing didn't ask either.
Upon arriving in Yutian City, Xu Zhengyang immediately ordered the Nine Provinces Records to establish a City God Temple there, so that it would be easier to act when Chen Chaojiang arrived.
Xu Zhengyang was too lazy to travel his divine sense through the mountains every day to search for hidden gems in the rocks. After establishing the City God's Palace, ghost messengers would naturally take over. Or he could simply capture a group of ghosts on the spot to serve as laborers and search for mineral veins, raw jade stones, and so on in the mountains, rocks, or riverbeds.
Once the ghost messengers find the jade or pebble, Chen Chaojiang is responsible for contacting relevant personnel to confirm the location and begin mining.
As for Chen Chaojiang's divine duties, they wouldn't be delayed too much. In any case, he could communicate with the various City God Temples at any time through City Scrolls, Ghost Messenger Tokens, and the Soul-Slaying Sword artifact. At night, Chen Chaojiang could even instantly reach the City Scroll with his divine sense, and then the City Scroll could quickly reach any area under the jurisdiction of any City God Temple.
Of course, there weren't many things that required his personal intervention. Most of the time, he would simply discuss matters with Li Haidong and participate in the decision-making process.
Chen Chaojiang, Ye Wan, and Zheng Dahai arrived in Yutian City before the mining team arrived.
Chen Chaojiang hadn't originally planned to bring Ye Wan along. This was a business trip, not a leisurely trip. What was the point of having a woman running around with him?
However, these words could only remain in his heart and could not be spoken directly. Chen Chaojiang simply said that it was inconvenient for you to go.
Ye Wan grinned and said, "Would I interfere with your work? I'm also an employee of Ronghua Group, okay? Besides..." Ye Wan clung to Chen Chaojiang's arm, her expression changing, and she revealed a rare, girlish, coquettish side. "My physical condition isn't bad, I won't hold you back when we're climbing mountains and valleys. Just let me come along, I like to wander around and see things..."
Chen Chaojiang still refused, so Ye Wan angrily called Xu Zhengyang: "Brother Yang! I want to go too, but Chen Chaojiang won't let me. What do you suggest we do?"
"Hehe, alright, come along!" Xu Zhengyang said magnanimously.
It's not like it's anything particularly shameful. You, Chen Chaojiang, are just coordinating things; you don't need to personally go through all that trouble to find it.
With Xu Zhengyang speaking, Chen Chaojiang naturally couldn't say anything.
After Chen Chaojiang and his group arrived, Xu Zhengyang and his companions, along with a local guide, spent two or three days exploring the areas in the mountains where mutton-fat jade was frequently found. They discussed various aspects that needed to be considered when mining jade in the area. Then, Xu Zhengyang contacted the relevant local authorities and successfully obtained a legal mining permit, completing all the necessary procedures.
A few days later, the mining team arrived.
Xu Zhengyang understood that this kind of thing couldn't be accomplished in a short time. Firstly, such expensive items were extremely rare in recent years, and had already been mined by countless people, who practically emptied the mountains. In addition, some jade stones were difficult to mine, requiring a great deal of effort. Secondly, would Xu Zhengyang complain about having too much of this stuff? As long as it could be mined, he could keep mining as much as he could get.
So after everything was arranged, Xu Zhengyang leisurely left Yutian City and headed to Qimuluwu City.
If you go out, visit a few more places and build a few more City God Temples, since there's nothing much going on back home anyway.
Moreover, Xu Zhengyang discovered that in Xinjiang Province, the religious beliefs of the various ethnic minorities were much stronger than those in the Central Plains.
To put it bluntly, these were huge pieces of fat meat for Xu Zhengyang!
Volume Six, Chapter 325: Do they have a grudge against you?
Speaking of the scenery along the way...
Hmm. It was quite novel. At first, driving on the vast and boundless wilderness, listening to the howling wind and flying sand outside, occasionally the sky would clear and the wind would stop. Looking around, Xu Zhengyang would always call Zhu Jun to stop the car, and then get out and stand by the roadside to feel the vastness of the world on the road with very few people and vehicles.
He could even imagine the magnificent scene described in the poem: "A lone plume of smoke rises straight from the desert, the setting sun hangs round over the long river."
Unfortunately, this feeling was quickly dispelled by the weather, and there was no longer any joy in appreciating the scenery, let alone feeling deeply moved.
Nine times out of ten, it's shrouded in a thick blanket of dust and sand; anyone would find it unbearable...
Of course, after leaving this windy and sandy area, there will always be various unique landscapes along the way, which will broaden Xu Zhengyang's horizons and make him feel refreshed.
Grasslands, oases, cities, villages... you can also see many wild animals along the way.
They traveled at a leisurely pace, stopping frequently along the way, until they finally arrived in Qimuluwu City. A month had passed.
This inevitably made Xu Zhengyang feel a little homesick. His parents, his wife, and… his unborn child were there. Ah, life is so wonderful, the world is so beautiful. He thought that after the City God's Palace was built in Qimuluwu City, he would go home and stay for a while.
Qimuluwu is the capital city of Xinjiang Province, surrounded by mountains on three sides, with a wide plain in the north.
As a city inhabited by multiple ethnic groups, the diverse cultures, arts, customs, and traditions of each ethnic group constitute a unique cultural landscape. Furthermore, the area boasts stunning natural scenery, with the Tianshan Mountains featuring alpine snowscapes, mountain forests, and grasslands, offering a wealth of opportunities for sightseeing and exploration.
Its unique geographical location has made it an important city for the country's foreign economic and trade activities. It has opened ports with eight neighboring countries and has become a distribution center for commodity trade in the entire region and even neighboring countries.
Tourism and trade have made this city a leading economic development hub in western China.
Jinghui Logistics Company established a branch in Qimuluwu as early as last summer.
When Wu Juan made this decision, she said that our company wanted to expand its logistics network across the country, so the first step in the western region was to establish a branch in Qimulu City. The freight volume between Qimulu City and other parts of the country was no less than that of first-tier coastal cities. Moreover, through Qimulu City, we could open the door to international logistics to Central Asian countries.
As it turned out, Wu Juan's decision was absolutely correct.
Although Jinghui Logistics Company does not yet have the capacity to expand its logistics network overseas, it has already reached agreements with several logistics companies operating in Qimu Urumqi and surrounding countries. These agreements will cover some of their round-trip freight transportation business to more than ten major cities in China.
As the behind-the-scenes boss of Jinghui Logistics Company, Xu Zhengyang didn't even think about visiting the branch office after arriving in Qimuluwu.
However, the day before, Wu Juan called him to report that the logistics company was going to cooperate with Ronghua Group to jointly invest in rapidly transforming Jinghui Logistics into a large-scale international logistics group, and Qimuluwu had become the key location. Because apart from sea freight, land rail transport, and air transport, Qimuluwu would definitely be one of the first branches to launch international logistics business.
Now, Wu Juan is at the Qimuluwu branch, personally investigating market share in various aspects and the gaps in external logistics.
When Xu Zhengyang arrived in Qimuluwu, it was already a little past seven o'clock in the evening.
Since Wu Juan happened to be in Qimuluwu, Xu Zhengyang felt it was still necessary for him, as a hands-off manager, to visit the branch office. Even if he didn't give a grand speech to all the employees, he should at least see Wu Juan, greet her, and perhaps exchange a few casual words.
That makes sense; this hands-off manager has been excessively negligent in his duties, neglecting his responsibilities by ignoring the company.
After making the phone call, Wu Juan arranged for a company vehicle to pick up Xu Zhengyang's vehicle at the intersection of the city's foreign roads, and then they went together to Jinghui Logistics Qimuluwu Branch.
The branch office is located on the west side of the outer ring road at the intersection of Ziyou Road and Xihuan Road. The company is not very large, occupying less than one acre of land including warehouses, parking lots, and office buildings. It has a three-story building serving as its office. In accordance with the principle of frugality, both sides of the main entrance on the first floor of the office building have been converted into warehouses.
It was already dark, and the streetlights on the outer ring road were on. The Jinghui Logistics branch was also brightly lit inside and outside the compound, with three large trains waiting to be loaded on both sides of the gate.
Wu Juan, along with the branch company's general manager and heads of various departments, greeted the chairman at the entrance of the compound.
A white Audi A4, led by a silver-gray Hyundai sedan, drove to the branch office gate.
Xu Zhengyang stopped the car before Zhu Jun even reached the door, then got out and walked towards Wu Juan and the others with a smile.
"Chairman, hello!" Wu Juan, with a big smile and excitement, hurriedly stepped forward to shake hands with Xu Zhengyang.
"Hello Manager Wu, Jinghui Logistics Company has relied entirely on your hard work, haha." Xu Zhengyang smiled and shook hands with Wu Juan, then shook hands and greeted several other responsible persons one by one.
Clearly, the smiles and respectful expressions on the faces of the responsible individuals who had never met Xu Zhengyang could not hide their surprise; they never expected that the company's chairman would be so young.
They all greeted Xu Zhengyang and introduced themselves, saving Wu Juan the trouble of introducing them one by one.
As Wu Juan gave a brief introduction to the branch company, several people escorted Xu Zhengyang into the company's courtyard. In front of the warehouse, one truck was unloading goods, while another was loading them. Occasionally, small delivery boxes would come and go.
The employees did not stop working because of Xu Zhengyang's arrival. However, while they were busy, they couldn't help but glance over in their direction a few more times, wondering what important person had come that would make all the company's leaders come to the door to greet him.
Led by the branch company's general manager, Xu Zhengyang followed them to the kitchen on the northernmost side of the first floor of the office building.
They had already prepared a banquet to welcome the chairman.
This was also Wu Juan's instruction: even if the chairman came, they couldn't go to a hotel for a lavish banquet. The company was in a period of rapid development; they didn't need the money for such extravagance. It would be better to use it for employee benefits or bonuses.
Xu Zhengyang didn't mind at all, and asked with a smile whether the company had any difficulties here, whether the employees were satisfied, and other official questions.
The restaurant is a room of only fifty square meters with seven or eight small tables. Today, because of Xu Zhengyang's arrival, two tables were specially put together, and the chef prepared several more dishes to serve.
As soon as he sat down, Xu Zhengyang could faintly hear a commotion coming from afar, interspersed with screams, cries of pain, and angry curses.
Xu Zhengyang didn't care much about this; fights and disputes happen all over the country, no matter where you are.
However, this reminded him, and he mentally instructed the Nine Provinces Recorder to immediately collect and organize all the information about Qimuluwu City and establish a City God's Palace there.
When the Records of the Nine Provinces first appeared in Xu Zhengyang's mind, it began to flash with light...
Wu Juan and Xu Zhengyang exchanged a few simple pleasantries, then drank two glasses of wine. Xu Zhengyang then listened to the various managers discuss the branch company's affairs.
The branch office has a total of 32 employees, including many local ethnic minorities.
To save costs and make the most of resources, the company converted the first floor of the office building into a warehouse, the second floor into offices, and the third floor into dormitories for the company manager and other responsible persons. There are also two simple dormitories on the west side of the compound. All employees are provided with food and lodging, and the meals are quite good.
According to Wu Juan, in this multi-ethnic area, special attention must be paid to management in all aspects and employee benefits. Otherwise, it could easily lead to some sensitive issues. Of course, even in other cities, Jinghui Logistics provides excellent food, accommodation, and salary benefits to all its branches and headquarters.
The warehouse manager, a member of a local ethnic minority, chuckled, noting that Jinghui Logistics Company in Qimulu City offers the best benefits. He added that rumors circulating about xenophobia among the local ethnic minorities are exaggerated. While many people may harbor some ethnic sentiments, most are not excessively extreme; everyone has feelings. Who wouldn't want to live a peaceful and stable life?
After chatting and laughing for a while, Xu Zhengyang stood up, raised his glass, and gestured for everyone to drink together. Just as he was about to say a few polite words, he heard a commotion outside.
Immediately, cries of pain rang out, followed by a chaotic cacophony of shouts and curses!
The people present were all taken aback, and Xu Zhengyang frowned.
Before they could even react and head outside, piercing alarms and sirens blared through the night sky, and the commotion grew louder and louder, as if chaos had broken out everywhere outside.
The courtyard was filled with a cacophony of hurried footsteps, screams, curses, the clanging of things being smashed, and the shattering of glass...
Xu Zhengyang glanced at Wu Juan and the others, who were all looking at each other blankly, unsure of what had happened. Xu Zhengyang turned and walked out, and the others quickly followed him.
The courtyard, which wasn't very large, felt even smaller and more cramped because of the two large trucks and the small van parked there.
In this cramped courtyard, a group of people were chasing and attacking others, wielding machetes, iron bars, and spikes. The victims were all wearing blue work uniforms from Jinghui Logistics Company. They ran into the buildings or warehouses, while the driver frantically crawled into the cab and slammed the door shut. Soon, the truck windows were smashed.
Several vicious thugs threw gasoline bottles into the goods piled on the south warehouse platform, instantly setting it ablaze.
The dormitory doors, which had been tightly closed by the employees, were subjected to a frenzied attack by thugs, who also stormed into the office building.
Exclamations erupted from inside the building, and the sounds of banging and smashing filled the air.
Two stevedores, in their panic, hid in a warehouse on the first floor of the office building. Before they could close the warehouse door, they were chased inside by three thugs wielding machetes, and screams and shouts of abuse filled the air.
It's a long story, but in reality, it all happened extremely quickly and briefly.
So much so that by the time Xu Zhengyang and his group left the restaurant, everything had already fallen into chaos.
"Go and rescue them!" Xu Zhengyang commanded in a deep voice.
At the same time, Xu Zhengyang had already mentally instructed Wang Yonggan: "Go out and see what's going on?"
Without saying a word, Zhu Jun, who had been cautiously blocking Xu Zhengyang's way, immediately ran towards the warehouse where the two stevedores had been hiding but had been chased into.
The Ghost Messenger King bravely flew away.
Just then, four or five thugs wielding machetes and bayonets noticed them and rushed over, yelling loudly.
Xu Zhengyang didn't even have time to ask what it was all about. Could it be the local underworld?
Or perhaps some local logistics companies are resorting to this vicious competition because Jinghui Logistics is taking away their business?
Several company executives screamed in terror and immediately turned and ran!
After letting out a scream, Wu Juan almost instinctively and bravely stepped in front of Xu Zhengyang, shouting, "Quick, to the restaurant!"
A gleaming, thick-backed machete slashed towards Wu Juan.
Wu Juan, who had spread her arms to block Xu Zhengyang, stared wide-eyed, her mind blank for a moment, as she stared blankly at the gleaming blade coming toward her.
Just as the blade was about two centimeters away from Wu Juan's nose, a delicate and smooth hand suddenly appeared out of thin air, gripping the thick-backed machete. A series of crisp clanging sounds followed by a painful groan. The thug holding the machete was thrown back, more than three feet off the ground, flying through the air before crashing heavily to the ground with a thud.
The machete was shattered into pieces and scattered on the ground.
The other thugs hesitated for a moment, then recklessly swung their weapons at Xu Zhengyang and Wu Juan, hitting them on the head and body.