The county magistrate's secretary bowed and agreed, but inwardly he was thinking that people would disdain opening a hospital in a small county like Shantang. Back then, even hospitals in Beijing and Shanghai could be closed down at will. If it weren't for these few epidemics, Minhong would never have opened temporary pharmacies in many cities.
Do you think they'd care if we left them with nowhere to stand?
Despite her thoughts, the secretary acted swiftly, rushing to the outer office, finding the phone number for Minhong's headquarters, and dialing it. She was met with an extremely polite response from the other end of the line, who asked for her identity and phone number.
Minhong's boss isn't so easy to contact. To threaten someone, you'd need to find the person directly involved first...
The county magistrate's secretary was in a dilemma, his face scrunched up like a bitter gourd, and he just wanted to go crazy.
"Call the TV station people over immediately, and the county committee people over too. Record the video, write a report, and send it to the higher authorities right away!"
Xiao Weiyan suddenly roared hysterically. The current situation did not allow him to continue with the original plan. At this time, he had to find a way to shirk responsibility, turn the private case into an ironclad one, and then shift the blame to the internal management of Minhong. As for the social unrest, it was a chain reaction of the case. The county government's positive attitude and rapid response in this matter had to be recorded immediately and attached to the report.
If handled well, Xiao Weiyan will not only gain a good political achievement in maintaining social harmony and stability, but Minhong Hospital will also be unable to escape his grasp. At this time, the plan must be changed, otherwise it will be put in a passive position.
Seeing the situation spiral out of control, even the usually high-spirited "local tyrant" began to panic.
Without the position given to him by the organization, Xiao Weiyan was nothing, unable to lift a finger, not even as good as a security guard on the street. It was this kind of event that could shake his very foundation that worried and terrified him the most.
The things that County Chief Xiao personally took charge of were naturally the most efficient. Not only were all the county's police force and the affiliated urban management brigade mobilized, but even the armed forces department and the military units stationed dozens of kilometers away quickly dispatched a large number of officers and soldiers to assist in maintaining order. The scene of hundreds of thousands of people crowding and looting was too big. If Min Hong did not come forward to make a guarantee, even if Xiao Weiyan spoke, no one would listen.
When life and death are at stake, the usual awe and fear vanish completely. The massive looting frenzy no longer takes the county magistrate seriously. The idea that "the law does not punish the masses" is deeply ingrained in the people's bones, especially when it involves the life and death of their entire family. If they arrive late, they won't even get the dregs of medicine.
Tell them to go home and wait? No way!
...
Meanwhile, in an inconspicuous private lodging in the county town, Lin Yao sat on a simple bed, looking relaxed and at ease. Only a figure pacing back and forth in the corner of the room slightly disrupted the atmosphere.
"Sir, the Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention has demanded that we come up with a plan immediately, and both the provincial and municipal governments have ordered us to take immediate action to maintain stability. What do you think..."
Yi Zuojun hung up the phone, glanced at Wang Tao, who was anxiously pacing like an ant on a hot pan in the corner, and then glanced at the others in the room. He simply reported the situation directly without using the "secret telepathy" method.
"No rush, let's wait a bit longer." Lin Yao leaned back on the headboard with an air of nonchalance, his legs crossed in a relaxed manner.
"What are the provincial government's requirements?" Pei Tianzong interjected.
He couldn't stand Lin Yao's lack of urgency. The situation outside was extremely serious. He didn't even need to listen to the news reports; just from the noise outside the window and the dense crowds hurrying by, he could tell that a major riot was very likely to happen, and the social chain reaction would be something no one could afford.
Yi Zuojun glanced at Lin Yao, and seeing no hint, answered Pei Tianzong's question.
"The provincial government demanded that we immediately issue a notice guaranteeing that everyone in Shantang County has sufficient quotas so that residents can go home and wait, continuing to collect their special medications from Minhong Hospital according to their respective batches. They also demanded that we include preferential measures, granting all non-members in Shantang County the right to purchase medications at discounted rates for a certain period, similar to members; and..."
"No need to say anything more," Lin Yao interrupted Yi Zuojun. "Tell headquarters to go back to the provincial government like this: either postpone the announcement until we resolve the issues here, or we issue an announcement to tell everyone. Minhong's inventory and production capacity are insufficient; it is absolutely impossible to supply 1.5 billion people nationwide."
"Of course, we must emphasize that the production capacity of 'cocktail-style' drug packages can meet the national demand, but it cannot meet the demand for targeted and specific drugs. The same will be true if there are new outbreaks in the future. Let's see how they respond."
Pei Tianzong and Sun Woxing were stunned when they heard Lin Yao's decision. They did not expect Lin Yao to be so uncooperative. Although what he said was true, he should have been more subtle and tactful, or even added a slogan like "Go all out to increase production capacity and strive to ensure that no one is left behind in the whole country".
Sun Woxing felt that his decision to come to Shantang County was a big mistake. It would have been better if he hadn't known about this. Now that he was with Lin Yao, the entire Sun family had been dragged into it.
Although they had long decided to stand on the same side as Lin Yao, if Sun Danran and I hadn't shown up, there would have been room for maneuver in the future. But now that people know, we're completely stuck in a situation where we have no chance to advance or retreat together, and there's no room for maneuver at all. It was a real miscalculation.
He secretly considered whether he should take his leave while no one knew the Sun family had arrived in Shantang County, but he simply couldn't bring himself to say it. The choice between offending Sichuan Province and offending Lin Yao was obvious to anyone, so he had no choice but to grit his teeth and persevere.
"Guarantee that everyone in Shantang County gets enough quotas? Do they think Minhong runs a water plant? They think that filling a tap with tap water and selling it is the only way to meet this requirement."
Lin Yao found it amusing. That's how the government operates. When faced with a large-scale, high-impact event, they rush to make promises, regardless of whether they have the capability beforehand. They prioritize calming the public's emotions, as harmony and stability are what they value most, since it concerns the careers of many people.
As for whether a commitment to Shantang County, or even to the entire province, would affect Minhong's overall national strategy and quota system, they are completely unconcerned.
As long as nothing goes wrong within their jurisdiction and they can keep their positions, the number of deaths outside their jurisdiction is not their responsibility; naturally, the duties of other provincial and municipal management departments will be fulfilled.
Besides Wang Tao, the most nervous person in the room was not Yi Zuojun, but Le Xiaokang, a young reporter from the Xinhua News Agency's Chengdu branch, who had been strongly recommended by Qiu Zuiyue, who had been transferred to Beijing.
At this moment, Le Xiaokang's expression changed drastically. The excitement he felt upon receiving the exclusive follow-up report that morning vanished, replaced by intense fear and a sense of dread about the sensitive topic. Before he could even process his thoughts, he heard even more terrifying words.
"Elder Pei, please don't have any ideas. I have no other choice."
Lin Yao noticed that Pei Tianzong's expression was a bit off, clearly indicating that the other party strongly disagreed with his actions. He thought he should explain, "Minhong's production capacity is limited. Controlling more pharmaceutical factories won't help. You'd better understand and be considerate, otherwise there's no point in continuing our cooperation."
"Take this epidemic for example. Our production capacity can only guarantee the supply of effective drugs to 800 million people nationwide. Others can only rely on 'cocktail therapy' to develop immunity. No one knows whether the virus will eventually develop drug resistance and cause large-scale deaths. No one knows how high the mortality rate will be for those who receive 'cocktail therapy'. But what is certain is that we do not have the ability to guarantee the safety of these people!"
"Even if this 'cocktail therapy' works and the mortality rate is kept at a very low level, or even if complete immunity is achieved, what about future epidemics? You don't think that current drugs are effective against all viruses, do you?"
“There is still a continuous source of the virus overseas. If the Pei family does not want to participate, please withdraw now. I do not want anyone to have selfish motives when cooperating. If your people participate, they must follow the unified arrangements!”
Pei Tianzong was taken aback, stared wide-eyed, and after a moment's thought, he had his answer. He sighed heavily and slowly said, "We will follow your arrangements, sir. The Pei family would never dare to disobey..."
Upon hearing such confidential information, Le Xiaokang nearly fainted. He felt a tightness in his chest and found it difficult to breathe.
If only 800 million people can be guaranteed a lifeline, doesn't that mean 700 million people across the country will face the threat of death? This... does this mean we are about to suffer the worst disaster in history?
“Sir, this production capacity…” Sun Wukong, the Maitreya Buddha, lost his smile.
“It has nothing to do with the pharmaceutical factory.” Lin Yao interrupted Sun Woxing. “It’s because we don’t have enough medicinal herbs for alchemy. There’s nothing I can do about it. Minhong and the central government have been doing their best to buy these raw herbs. Even if we double the purchase price, it will have little effect. The current purchase progress can only go this far. There’s nothing I can do. The output of the medicinal herb planting base we’ve established hasn’t come up yet.”
"What medicinal herbs? Give me a list. Even if we have to steal them, we'll take them back. I don't believe those medicine merchants aren't afraid of death. If they aren't afraid of death, I'll take their lives!" Sun Woxing unleashed a terrifying ferocity for the first time, startling Le Xiaokang so much that he trembled and dropped his camera to the ground.
“It’s no use…” Lin Yao slowly shook his head. “We’ve investigated. Now, not only are pharmaceutical dealers hoarding goods, but many farmers are also hoarding them and refusing to sell. The hoarding incidents of soybeans, corn, and cotton a few years ago have taught everyone a lesson. As long as they can make money, no one will consider the bigger picture. Social morality is on the verge of collapse, and faith has been lost…”
“Then we…” Pei Tianzong interrupted hastily, but didn’t know how to continue the conversation.
“No rush,” Lin Yao said with a wry smile. “Anyway, those medicinal herbs are not easy to mold, and they will be useful in the future. The farmers are very enthusiastic about planting them now. I will deal with the matter in Shantang County first, and make an example of them to warn others. Then it will be the turn of the medicine merchants and the unenlightened farmers. Let’s take it one step at a time. That’s the only way.”
Finally, Lin Yao glanced at Le Xiaokang, who was blankly taking back the camera that Yi Zuojun had helped him catch.
"Xiao Le, what are you doing holed up here? Go out and take some interviews and photos!"