Chapter 1599 Prohibition and Permission
Although Qiongxi Academy's application to open professional courses related to steam engines did not receive official support at that time, Ning Qi actually had a very good impression of the academy and its operators, and gave it high recognition and praise. It's just that the technology related to steam engines can be said to be Haihan's national treasure in this period. The government has extremely strict control over this, and naturally it will not allow private individuals to develop it on their own. Even if Qiongxi Academy is an educational institution specializing in vocational training, it cannot gain the trust of Haihan officials. All steam engine technicians can only receive training in specialized institutions in Sanya.
However, although Zhang Jinbao's application was rejected, his reputation soared and he became a well-known figure in Haihan education circles. Later, he was able to establish a poetry club in Danzhou and recruit elites from various academies to engage in academic research. This was actually a gift.
Li Nai considered it and asked: "If there is nothing illegal in the research project in Danzhou, can I take over this stall?"
"Do you want to take it?" Schneider had a playful expression on his face: "This is not necessarily a profitable business. If there is any officially prohibited content, the money you invested may be lost. Although we can sell you favors, but Some things cannot be exchanged for favors, I think you understand this. ”
"I understand, I understand." Li Nai responded repeatedly: "I just asked first. If it is feasible, then I will go to Danzhou to meet Zhang Jinbao. Of course, if If the committee feels that this matter is inappropriate, then I will not intervene.”
For Li Nai, although the stall in Danzhou is a bit interesting, in the end, Haihan's official attitude still has to be the main one. He has been dealing with Haihan's senior management for so many years, and he knows very well that he cannot challenge these people's taboos. He must not touch anything that is said not to be touched, and cannot take any chances. As for whether he can make money from these projects that are still in the research stage, Li Nai actually doesn't care that much. He just simply thinks it's interesting and wants to follow up.
Schneider said: "If it's just the projects mentioned in the telegram, it's not a big deal. You can invest some money in sponsorship. But if there are other more sensitive things, such as military content, then I still have to advise It’s best if you don’t touch it.”
"If you want to know what they are studying, just send someone over to check it out." Li Nai suggested proactively: "Maybe you can send someone to go to Danzhou with me as a consultant, so that everyone doesn't have to worry about any violations. ”
Li Nai is not worried about what Haihan's senior management will do to him. There are too many common interests between the two parties, and he does not regard himself as an outsider. There is no conflict of interest between the two, so naturally there will be no conflicts. produce. Li Nai suggested that the Haihan official send someone to go with him, also to dispel the official's concerns and at the same time buy an insurance policy for his innocence.
Schneider knew immediately what Li Nai's suggestion was based on, and responded with a smile: "You are very smart in your calculation. Let us send people to follow? That is equivalent to sending you a protective umbrella!"
"Protective umbrella? Then the security department will have to send someone to protect me, right?" Li Nai raised the request without hesitation.
"If you want the Ministry of Security to come forward, then you can talk to Minister He yourself. I will not interfere." Schneider immediately drew a clear line. He and He Xi were on the same level, and it was taboo in the workplace to dictate matters in other departments, let alone a special agency like the Security Department. Even if Schneider held a high position in Haihan, he would still have scruples.
At this time, the waiter from the store knocked on the door and came in to serve the food, and the two of them stopped talking in a tacit understanding. In fact, the main issues had been discussed before, and Li Nai basically got what he wanted to ask. The answer is that all that remains is to arrange specific implementation plans. But before that, Li Nai had to go to the Security Department to talk to He Xi about this matter.
After the two of them had eaten, Li Nai didn't let Schneider spend any money and asked his entourage to settle the bill early. Schneider didn't care and accepted Li Nai's treat calmly. They had known each other for nine years, so naturally they wouldn't give in on such a trivial matter.
After coming out, Li Nai took Schneider back to Fort Victory in a carriage, and then drove to the location of the Security Department between Victory Port and Tiandu. Li Nai is a typical action person. He will do whatever he thinks of immediately. Since the current progress requires dealing with the Ministry of Security, he will go to negotiate without hesitation and strive to solve the problem as soon as possible.
After the carriage arrived at the security department and was also inspected and registered, Li Nai was taken into the security department and waited for a while before finally meeting He Xi.
"Schneider called just now and said that you had something to come to see me. Tell me, what can I do for you?" He Xi asked straight to the point.
So Li Nai told He Xi the outline of the incident, and finally took out the telegram from Danzhou for He Xi to read. After He Xi read it once, he raised his head and asked, "What do you want to do now?"
Li Nai responded: "I want to go to Danzhou to see if these projects are worth acquiring. If they are worth it, I want to make sure there are no illegal or prohibited contents. In addition, I want to know, this Xun Pengcheng was with the Ministry of Security before. I have registered. Is there any information that Minister He can reveal to me? ”
He Xi smiled and said, "Did Schneider tell you about Xun Pengcheng?"
Li Nai was very calm: "Since Minister Shi can tell me, it means that the confidentiality level of this matter is not that high, right?"
He Xi said: "Then you are wrong. Xun Pengcheng's matter is not that simple. We have issued a silence order. This is you. Let Schneider reveal half a word to someone else."
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Li Nai said: "Is this so? Then isn't Minister Shi trying to harm me? That's all, I'd better not listen."
He Xi smiled and said: "Okay, you are here, is it possible that I can still drive you out?" He Xi gave a general summary of Xun Pengcheng's involvement in the arms purchase incident, but did not disclose too much detail. details, only that Xun Pengcheng played a key role in it, and to a certain extent contributed to the subsequent bidding plan. Afterwards, Xun Pengcheng also received a large amount of benefits. In order to avoid leaks and make the two countries involved in the arms purchase dissatisfied, Haihan officials asked Xun Pengcheng to leave Sanya and find another place to stay.
The matter involved an international arms order worth millions, and Li Nai naturally would not break the pot and ask for the truth. The fact that He Xi could tell him this information was already a huge trust in itself. No need to be reminded by He Xi, Li Nai also knew that these things he heard must not be spread outside, otherwise it might really cause big trouble. And Xun Pengcheng was able to leave Sanya safely afterwards, which should be regarded as his life.
Li Nai thought for a while and asked: "Minister He said that he got a lot of benefits after the incident, so he should have become a rich man, right?"
He Xi nodded and said a number, and Li Nai sighed: "That really means he got rich overnight. It's no wonder he would look for these weird investment projects in Danzhou."
He Xi said: "Xun Pengcheng did not use the money to eat, drink, whore or gamble, but to look for projects in Danzhou. This is considered very progressive."
Li Nai responded: "I asked his former colleagues this morning, and this person doesn't have any bad habits. Presumably Minister He also investigated his situation at the beginning, right?"
He Xi said: "I checked and found no problems in life. If you plan to go to Danzhou in person, then I can arrange for someone from Danzhou to accompany you. If there is anything illegal in this poetry club, my People will deal with it and won’t involve you.”
One of Li Nai's main purposes for coming here was to be here, and he quickly thanked He Xi. For the Security Department, this is just a simple task, but for Li Nai, it is an extra layer of insurance to avoid unclear things in the future.
Li Nai said goodbye to the Security Department and went to Fort Victory to see Schneider. He told Schneider roughly what he had agreed with He Xi. The help needed for this trip to Danzhou was not just from the Ministry of Security. Li Nai also needed timely confirmation from the Ministry of Commerce as to which projects could be legally acquired and the research work continued. Schneider readily agreed to this, and just like the Ministry of Security, he would arrange someone in Danzhou to contact Li Nai about the matter.
As for the places that Xun Pengcheng and Zhang Jinbao couldn't reach, Li Nai had basically finished it in half a day. The next step was to arrange a trip to Danzhou. After reading the schedule, Li Nai asked his entourage to advance some urgent matters to the evening, and postpone the less urgent matters for a few days until he returned from Danzhou. Then he drafted a telegram and sent it to Danzhou, indicating that he would go to Danzhou to deal with the matter in two days.
That night, Li Nai fought fiercely for most of the night in the merchant house to finish the matter. At dawn, he ate something casually, washed his face, and then set off from the merchant house. His boat is always equipped with daily necessities and a change of clothes, so there is almost no need to pack luggage when going to Danzhou, but the luggage of his entourage is much more than his stuff.
Li Nai's entourage is divided into three categories. The first is the daily attendants who are responsible for food, daily life and itinerary arrangements. They usually consist of a steward, a cook and four miscellaneous attendants. The second is the attaché who is responsible for scheduling work and recording documents. There are usually two to four people. They are all professional shopkeepers who are proficient in various businesses. For example, when he went to Danzhou this time, he brought all four attendants with him. The third category is the bodyguards. These people are all capable young people selected from the peripheral relatives of the Li family. They were specially sent to Haihan to receive security training. They have no problem with their loyalty and professional skills, and they are suitable. There is a Haihan police revolver that is not available on the market. Although there are usually only four bodyguards who follow Li Nai out, their combat effectiveness is far superior to ordinary bodyguards who only know martial arts.
These dozen followers, plus more than a dozen sailors on board, were the personnel required for Li Nai's trip to Danzhou. Only someone with Li Nai's wealth can afford such a group trip. People like Xun Pengcheng are already considered wealthy in the eyes of ordinary people. When they went to Danzhou, they just spent money to buy a first-class cabin. They were still far away from being a real rich man like Li Nai.
Li Nai basically didn't sleep all night. He was already a little tired when he arrived at the dock. After boarding the ship, he went to his cabin and fell asleep. The rest of the people were commanded by the steward and arranged their cabins to stay. The sailors pulled up the anchor and raised the sail, and the ship slowly sailed away from the Port of Victory pier.
Li Nai's ship is an expedition-class sailboat customized at the Victory Port Shipyard. The second deck originally used to deploy artillery was removed and the interior of the ship was transformed into a cabin that can accommodate forty people. The special cabin located at the stern of the ship has a large space, and even has a dedicated office area so that Li Nai can handle official business on the ship.
Although the ship has removed most of its armament, it still retains four deck guns as a defensive force. Except for high-end sailing ships equipped with steam propulsion, there are almost no other ships on the sea that can compete with this ship in terms of speed. Therefore, these naval guns serve more of a psychological comfort, and the possibility of actual use is slim. . If anything happens, this ship can easily escape by relying on its speed advantage.
Of course, the pirates in the waters around Hainan Island had been wiped out a few years ago, and the only biggest opponent for ships in this waters is nature. As long as the weather conditions are good, there is basically no navigation risk at all. The crew and sailors on this ship are also old seals who are familiar with the sea conditions in the South China Sea. They don't even need to read the nautical charts when going to Danzhou.
When Li Nai woke up, the ship was already approaching Yinggehai, and only half a day had passed since it departed from Victory Port. It happened that Furifeng had a sea salt transaction to be delivered on the Yinggehai side, so Li Nai let the ship sail into the Yinggehai Salt Field Pier and get down to business first.
It didn't take long to get it done. Li Nai only had to sign and pay. The goods had already been loaded here and would be shipped directly to Guangzhou later. Li Nai didn't need to worry about it. After Li Nai and his party went ashore to finish their business, they had lunch, then returned to the ship and set off again, continuing towards Danzhou.
The road from Yinggehai to Changhua was not so smooth. There was a little wind and waves on the sea. The sailboat went north against the wind and did not arrive at Changhua Port until dark. The captain was worried that the sea would become more stormy at night, so he suggested staying one night at Changhua Port and wait until dawn to check the weather conditions. Li Nai didn't want to take the risk and rush for this matter, so he agreed with the captain's opinion and rested at Changhua Port.
Unexpectedly, at dawn the next day, the wind and waves at sea suddenly became stronger, and the waves near the shore were seven or eight feet high. It would be unwise to risk going out to sea in such weather. Seeing this, Li Nai could only continue to live in Changhua and wait patiently for the weather to improve.
(End of chapter)