Chapter 233: The Limitations of the Era

Sun Weimin's visit was as swift as his departure. Despite the attempts of Liu Weihan and Liu Wanfa to persuade him to stay, he decided to head back to Ice City after touring the liquor industry base construction site and the Bangye Black Pottery Association.

Before leaving, he specifically reminded Li Xian to keep in mind the matters concerning the end of the year. With Li Xian's assurance not to disappoint him and after offering encouragement to Liu Weihan and other officials, Sun Weimin departed.

Once Sun Weimin was gone, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

The sudden visit had unsettled the entire county, with everyone fearing that something might go wrong. However, it seemed that Secretary Sun was quite satisfied—that was good news.

Even though the provincial leader had left, the city leader Liu Wanfa was still present, and they couldn't afford to slack off. That evening, Liu Weihan, accompanied by Li Xian, hosted Liu Wanfa for a lavish dinner. Bangye had made a name for itself with its liquor factory and black pottery, and Liu Wanfa now took these achievements seriously. During dinner, Liu Wanfa naturally praised and encouraged Li Xian, the pioneer behind these successes.

At the dinner table, with the mood upbeat, Li Xian shared his recent trip to Beijing and mentioned learning about CCTV's bidding for prime-time advertising slots. He proposed bidding for these slots to secure prime-time ads for Bangye Liquor.

Although Bangye Liquor was developing well, it was clear to everyone that spending tens of millions to secure a prime-time slot on CCTV seemed like a pipe dream. What kind of platform was CCTV?

No matter how optimistic they were about Bangye Liquor's future, no one had imagined seeing its ads during the news broadcast's opening and closing segments—how impressive would that be?!

When Li Xian expressed his idea, the dining hall fell silent, and one could hear a pin drop.

After a long pause, Liu Wanfa closed his mouth, put down his glass, and asked, "Is this the surprise you mentioned?"

Li Xian nodded, "Yes."

"Isn't this a bit too ambitious?" Liu Wanfa frowned, "According to what you've said, securing this prime-time ad would cost at least thirty million. How much does Bangye Liquor earn annually? According to your own estimate, it's about ten million. Thirty million is quite a lot! Mr. Li, it's good to have the intention of taking Bangye Liquor to the national market, but I advise you to be steady and not overreach."

If it weren't for Liu Wanfa's good mood, he might have slammed the table.

This was as unrealistic as expecting to achieve a thousand-fold yield from the land!

Too extravagant!

Liu Weihan, understanding Li Xian's intentions, knew that Li Xian's actions were well-considered. However, he couldn't support the idea of advertising on CCTV given the actual conditions.

"Mr. Li, the situation doesn't permit it."

Liu Weihan then outlined the county's recent investment projects.

The expansion of the liquor factory, while the land was free, required about two to three million for leveling, utility connections, and the construction of factory buildings and infrastructure. Although the production line for liquor relied heavily on manual labor, the newly negotiated distillation line from Japan had already cost five million.

This was just the investment for one project in the liquor industry base.

Liu Weihan's plan was to use the liquor industry to drive the entire Bangye County's economy. While the liquor base was under construction, other related projects like packaging factories, pottery factories, transportation companies, and printing factories were also being upgraded.

Additionally, the first step in brewing—grain supply—was also underway. He had tasked his team with establishing Bangye County's first grain company, merging with the county grain depot, and providing incentives for farmers to grow economic crops like sorghum. This was another significant expenditure.

Moreover, to facilitate the factory's transportation, he planned to build a road connecting Bangye to the provincial highway.

Adding all these up, the two million loan wasn't just insufficient; it was barely enough. He also hoped to alleviate some financial strain with the county's 25% share in the liquor factory's dividends.

With the two leaders' attitudes clearly stated, the surrounding officials quickly echoed their sentiments.

In the midst of this noisy agreement, Li Xian could only smile wryly.

What these people didn't realize was that the liquor industry in the next three years, apart from health products, would be one of the most lucrative industries driven by marketing.

In such a scenario, the more famous a brand was, the more power it had. Even a previously unrivaled brand like Kongfu Family Liquor would tremble under the dominance of high-bidding competitors, losing the market share gained from years of marketing investment.

If Bangye Liquor didn't participate in this grand competition and succeed, it would merely be a fleeting moment.

If he relied on the old factory's capacity and its local market, it could still do well without expanding beyond Longjiang Province.

But now, under his guidance, Bangye's liquor industry had formed a dominant position. The unexpected early arrival of the CCTV bidding competition had disrupted all his previous plans.

His current situation was akin to riding a tiger—he couldn't get off.

"I'll find a way to handle the finances. But no matter what, I'm going to participate in that advertising bid!" Li Xian declared amid the opposition.

...

After a bit too much to drink that night, Li Xian went to bed early and had to rise early the next morning to send Liu Wanfa off from the county.

The process took the entire morning.

Although it was already autumn, this year's heat was unusual. The midday sun was scorching, making the air feel like it was on fire, causing people to squint and shield their eyes.

Rejecting Liu Weihan's invitation to stay, Li Xian planned to return home. Early that morning, Comrade Old Wu mentioned wanting to visit the forestry bureau with Su Ma to check on old neighbors.

That meant Su Ya would be the only one left at the house in the afternoon.

Under the blazing sun, Li Xian's desires were swelling rapidly with the heat approaching thirty degrees.

At that moment, his phone rang.

It was Xu Maohua calling.

"Xianzi, it's a disaster. Everything is ruined!"

As soon as he answered, Xu Maohua's gruff, tearful voice grated on Li Xian's ears like sandpaper.

"What happened?" Though he suspected it might be an issue with the investment, Li Xian asked for clarification.

"Damn it! I went to check with my friend yesterday and found out, based on your information, that this investment seems like a scam. We contacted Dr. Wang, but he said the money is already invested and can't be refunded!"

Li Xian frowned, "What are you going to do about it?"

"What can I do? The guy's disappeared! He says he's out of province for a conference, and he's not answering any calls. My friend and I investigated and found out that this guy has opened six factories, but from last year to now, these six puffed agent factories have only sold over forty tons of water-based fuel. And on top of that, he's been sued for several cases because their products don't burn well. Four or five people have filed lawsuits. What am I supposed to do?"

Damn!

You son of a...

Li Xian felt like smashing Xu Maohua's head open with a brick to see if it was filled with garbage.

But then, he sighed deeply.

Not just Xu Maohua, but many experts and scholars nationwide had fallen for similar scams—this wasn't just a matter of intelligence. Li Xian himself, relying on his recent insights, was able to foresee this situation.

If he were in Xu Maohua's position and had such a lucrative opportunity relying on authority, he might have fallen for it too.

The limitations of the era.

Under the scorching sun, Li Xian wiped the sweat from his forehead, which felt cool in the breeze, and forced a smile—deception is relentless.

Previously, he had even thought of borrowing money from Xu Maohua for the bidding.

Now, it seemed this plan was doomed.