mijobooks Chapter 309 East Bank of the River
Chapter 309 East Bank of the River
(A long chapter of 5600 words~)
The convoy bumped along the muddy road for nearly twenty more minutes.
The farmhouses along the roadside became increasingly sparse, eventually disappearing completely. In their place were vast expanses of reeds and exposed grayish-white mudflats.
The smell in the air had changed. The earthy, fishy smell had been replaced by a salty river breeze.
The second alternative site.
The convoy stopped in a makeshift parking lot paved with gravel. At the end of the parking lot was an earthen embankment less than a meter high. Beyond the embankment lay the wide expanse of the Yangtze River estuary.
The scene before me was completely different from the A-03 plot of land that had been surrounded by wooden stakes.
There are no signs of human development here.
On the other side of the earthen embankment lay an extremely wide river beach. Withered yellow reeds stretched from foot to the horizon, bending neatly in the same direction in the autumn wind, rustling softly. Beyond the reeds lay a broad, gray-blue strip of water—the southern branch of the Yangtze River estuary.
Several ocean-going freighters, each weighing tens of thousands of tons, moved slowly through the channel, their black hulls appearing particularly heavy against the gray-white sky. The sound of their ship horns drifted from a great distance, weakened by the wind into a faint, low whine.
Satsuki stood atop the earthen embankment, the wind blowing the hem of her coat and the ends of her hair behind her.
She held up the Polaroid camera.
"Click."
Reed marshes.
"Click."
Cargo ships on the waterway.
"Click."
The mudflats beneath my feet were washed silvery-gray by the river.
Chen Zhiyuan stood at the foot of the earthen embankment, looking up at the slender figure on the top of the embankment who was taking pictures everywhere. He noticed—this time, the girl did not complain.
"This plot of land, numbered B-07," Chen Zhiyuan explained to Endo, who had also climbed up the earthen embankment, gesturing with his arm in a wide arc. "It has a total area of 520 mu. It borders the river directly to the north, with a shoreline of 1,600 meters. The east and west sides are currently uncultivated wasteland, with no adjacent industrial or residential land."
He paused for a moment, then added, "Completely independent. Not adjacent to any existing buildings on any side."
Endo stood atop the embankment, the wind rustling the pages of his notebook. He held the paper down with his left hand while his right hand scribbled rapidly.
"Five hundred and twenty mu. The shoreline is 1,600 meters." Endo raised his head, his gaze sweeping across the endless reed marshes. "What is the current land use designation?"
"Agricultural land." Director Wang caught up from behind, panting, his leather shoes covered in black mud. "Changing it to industrial land requires provincial approval. However—" He glanced at Chen Zhiyuan, "if it's a wholly foreign-owned export-oriented project, the approval process can be expedited."
Endo nodded and noted down the information.
Meanwhile, a Japanese engineer in the convoy had already stepped down from the earthen embankment and squatted on the edge of the mudflat. He used his folding military shovel to dig a small pit about thirty centimeters deep in the ground.
The pit walls began to seep water almost instantly. The grayish-black silt on the shovel surface showed obvious fluidity; when pinched with fingers, water immediately squeezed out from between the fingers.
The engineer stood up and wiped his fingers with a handkerchief. He walked back to the earthen embankment and, as he passed Endo, said something in very low Japanese.
"Alluvial silt. The water content is estimated to be over 60%. The depth of the bearing layer is unknown, but it is estimated to be between -12 and -18 meters."
Endo's pen paused for a moment. He wrote a number in the blank space of the notebook: "-15m?", and then closed the notebook.
"Director Chen," Endo turned to Chen Zhiyuan, his tone calm, "there's a technical issue that needs confirmation."
Chen Zhiyuan made a "please speak" gesture.
"Our stamping equipment weighs over forty tons per unit, and the peak dynamic load during operation can reach fifteen tons per square meter." Endo put his notebook back into his briefcase. "This kind of heavy equipment requires extremely high bearing capacity from the foundation. If the surface soil is too soft, the pile foundation needs to be driven into a very deep bearing layer to meet the requirements."
He looked at Chen Zhiyuan.
"The cost increases exponentially with each additional meter of piling depth. Do you have any readily available data from the geological survey report for this land?"
Chen Zhiyuan's expression remained unchanged. He had long anticipated that the Japanese would make an issue of this point.
"Frankly speaking," Chen Zhiyuan spread his hands, "there hasn't been any formal engineering geological exploration done on plot B-07 yet. After all, development has just begun, and the city's exploration teams are still based in Lujiazui."
He then changed the subject.
"However, according to preliminary data from the Pudong New Area geological survey, the alluvial layer in the Waigaoqiao area is approximately ten to fifteen meters thick. The bearing layer is Quaternary silty clay, with a standard bearing capacity of fifteen to twenty tons per square meter." Chen Zhiyuan looked at Endo. "Of course, the specific data still needs to be confirmed by your own drilling. The city can coordinate with the geological team to give priority to this."
Endo nodded noncommittally and wrote the words down in his notebook.
Chen Zhiyuan noticed that when Endo was taking notes, he drew two horizontal lines under the number "ten to fifteen meters".
The Japanese butler was already mentally calculating the cost of piling.
Chen Zhiyuan watched Endo close his notebook and silently made a mental note—the cost of the foundation was a sore point for the Japanese. This bargaining chip could be saved for use at the negotiating table.
……
The other side of the earthen embankment.
Satsuki walked eastward along the top of the embankment for a while. She stopped on a slightly higher mound, facing the river to the north.
A breeze blew across the river, pressing the reeds into a sea of golden waves. On the shipping lane, the black silhouette of another ocean-going cargo ship slowly moved into view from the left.
Satsuki put down her camera and looked at the cargo ship.
Her gaze began at the waterline of the ship and extended downwards to below the waterline—the part invisible to the naked eye. But she knew that a bulk carrier of that size would have a draft of at least ten meters when fully loaded.
And it is sailing smoothly on this waterway.
This means that the natural water depth in front of this shoreline is sufficient to accommodate ships of 10,000 tons.
Satsuki turned her gaze back to the mudflats beneath her feet. The distance from the top of the dike to the waterline was about eighty to one hundred meters. The mudflats along this stretch had a gentle slope and no obvious reefs or hard obstacles.
If a heavy-duty dock were to be built here—
She didn't think any further. Because Chen Zhiyuan was leading a group of people towards them.
Satsuki turned around, squatted down, and poked at the reed roots at her feet with her fingers. The action made her look like a city girl curious about wild plants.
"Young Miss!" Chen Zhiyuan's voice came from a dozen meters away, carrying a warmth thinned by the wind, "It's windy here, be careful not to catch a cold!"
Satsuki stood up and brushed the bits of grass off her gloves. Instead of responding to Chen Zhiyuan's concern, she suddenly raised her hand and pointed to the cargo ship sailing away on the river.
"Director Chen."
Satsuki's voice was broken by the wind, so Chen Zhiyuan had to quicken his pace to get closer; the translator behind him could barely keep up.
"Um," Satsuki said, her finger tracing the direction of the cargo ship, her voice tinged with the excitement of a child seeing something new, "can those big ships really get here?"
Chen Zhiyuan looked in the direction she was pointing and nodded with a smile.
"Of course. This channel is the main channel of the southern branch of the Yangtze River estuary, and its depth is maintained at more than ten meters year-round. Ten-thousand-ton cargo ships pass through here every day."
Satsuki's eyes lit up. She withdrew her fingers, put her hands behind her back, and looked up at Chen Zhiyuan.
"So, my yacht can come here too?"
Chen Zhiyuan was taken aback. "A yacht?"
Endo walked up from behind and took over the conversation at the right time.
"Director Chen, I'm sorry." Endo bowed slightly, his tone tinged with helplessness, "The young lady has recently had a... rather willful idea."
He pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses.
"The group is custom-building a superyacht for the young lady. The new ship is designed with a large draft, so it cannot dock at ordinary yacht marinas. The young lady has always hoped to build her own private marina next to her factory."
Endo looked at Chen Zhiyuan with a sincere tone.
"To be honest, if we ultimately choose this land as the site for the park, the young lady will likely require us to fund the construction of a deep-water concrete pier in front of the shoreline and to dredge the waterway to a certain extent, so as to ensure that her yacht can safely berth under any tide conditions."
Endo closed his notebook and placed his hands in front of him.
"The cost of this hydraulic infrastructure construction will naturally be borne entirely by the Saionji Group. However, we need your support in terms of the waterway use rights and navigation channel construction permits."
As Chen Zhiyuan listened to the translator's account, his expression shifted from surprise to thoughtfulness, and finally settled on a perfectly appropriate look of embarrassment.
He turned his head and exchanged a very brief glance with Deputy Director Liu, who was standing behind him.
Deputy Director Liu raised his eyebrows almost imperceptibly.
Deep-water wharf. Self-funded construction. Dredging and cleaning.
In order to moor a yacht, this rich young lady is willing to pay out of her own pocket to build a heavy-duty berth on this barren beach—based on the draft described by Endo—that can accommodate ships of at least 20,000 tons or more.
Once this wharf is completed, the first commercial berth of Waigaoqiao Deep-Water Port will be essentially paid for by foreign capital on behalf of the country for all the hydraulic infrastructure costs.
This is yet another political achievement.
Chen Zhiyuan quickly went through the pros and cons in his mind.
Waterway usage rights – can be granted. Anyway, that stretch of river is currently devoid of anything except wild reeds and passing cargo ships. Granting exclusive use to Japanese capital won't disrupt any existing shipping order.
The dredging permit requires approval from the Port Authority of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications. However, if the city government intervenes and submits the application under the guise of "supporting infrastructure for foreign investment," the chances of approval are extremely high. After all, the Japanese are paying for the dredging, and the improvement in channel depth after dredging is permanent, benefiting the entire Waigaoqiao Port area in the future.
The only thing that needs to be confirmed is just how large the construction scale of this "yacht marina" will be.
"Mr. Endo," Chen Zhiyuan carefully chose his words, "approximately how big is Miss's yacht? I need a rough idea of its size so I can apply to the port authorities for approval of the water area."
Endo glanced at Satsuki.
Satsuki was squatting on the edge of the earthen embankment, taking a Polaroid photo of a clump of reeds at her feet, which were being blown about by the wind. She seemed completely uninterested in this technical conversation.
"It's still in the design phase." Endo turned back. "But according to the young lady's requirements, the new ship's total length is expected to be between eighty and one hundred meters. The full-load displacement..." He paused, as if recalling an uncertain figure, "...around three to five thousand tons."
Chen Zhiyuan's Adam's apple bobbed.
"Yachts" ranging from three to five thousand tons.
Do you Japanese people like to drive the J-class destroyer like a yacht?
But he didn't press the matter. A tycoon's daughter who could come up with a hundred million dollars in cash wanting to build a five-thousand-ton private yacht—while undeniably extravagant, it wasn't logically impossible. The things Middle Eastern oil princes do are ten times more outrageous.
The key point is that the dock she was willing to build at her own expense to accommodate this "yacht" must be designed to withstand the mooring force and impact when a 5,000-ton ship berths.
A wharf that can accommodate 5,000-ton ships can easily accommodate 30,000-ton bulk carriers or roll-on/roll-off ships by slightly reinforcing its front structure.
Chen Zhiyuan took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.
"Mr. Endo," his tone softened, "I completely understand Miss's needs. To be honest, the natural conditions of this shoreline are very suitable for building deep-water berths. As long as the funding is in place, the city can grant special permission for the use of independent waterways and coordinate with the port authority to give priority to approving the dredging permit."
He stretched out his right hand, pointing to the vast mudflats covered with reeds at his feet.
"If the Saionji Group is interested, we can package this land, along with the associated shoreline and water area, into a land lease agreement as a whole."
Endo nodded and wrote the sentence down in his notebook.
He did not make a statement on the spot, but simply said politely, "I need to go back and report to the board of directors."
……
On the way back.
The convoy returned along the same route, once again traversing that tooth-grinding muddy road.
In the back seat of the Toyota Crown, Satsuki leaned back with her eyes closed. Fujita handed her a hot towel from the front. Satsuki took it, unfolded it, and placed it over her hands, letting the warmth seep into her fingertips, which had been chilled by the river breeze.
She wiped the back of her hands and wrists with a towel, folded them, and placed them on the armrest.
His eyes were still closed.
Endo.
"exist."
Satsuki's voice was extremely low, and her lips barely moved.
"The natural water depth at the shoreline is sufficient. The fact that fully loaded 10,000-ton ships are running in the channel indicates that the main channel has a water depth of no less than 12 meters all year round. We only need to do local dredging in front of the berths, without large-scale dredging of the entire channel. The hydraulic engineering costs of the wharf are lower than expected."
Endo placed his hand on the notebook cover on his knee, his thumb unconsciously rubbing the edge of the leather cover.
"But the foundation problem is more serious than expected." Satsuki spoke slowly. "The engineers said the moisture content is over 60%. If the alluvial silt layer is 15 meters thick, the PHC pipe piles would have to penetrate the entire weak layer to reach the bearing layer. For a factory area of 520 acres, the cost of the pile foundation alone would be astronomical."
Her eyelashes trembled.
"Formal negotiations will begin tomorrow. We'll leverage the cost of foundation treatment to push the land lease price down to below $20,000 per acre."
Endo stopped rubbing his thumb.
$20,000 per acre. 520 acres. Total price: $10.4 million.
According to the guidance price for industrial land currently released by the Pudong Development Office, this figure is about one-third of the listed price.
What if the other party doesn't accept?
"They will accept," Satsuki said calmly. "This land is now a wasteland. There are no roads, no electricity, no water. If they don't sell it to us, there won't be another sucker willing to pay out of their own pocket to reclaim it within five years."
"To be honest, if it weren't for..., this deal would have been our biggest loss ever. We were practically paying them to leave.
She pushed the used towel aside.
"Moreover, we promised to build our own deep-water pier. Once that pier is completed, the value of the surrounding land will increase tenfold. The land price they gave up on us will be doubled back from the adjacent land."
Satsuki opened her eyes and looked out the car window at the withered yellow rice fields rushing past.
"Chen Zhiyuan isn't stupid. He can see the value in this."
Endo closed the notebook and tucked it back into the compartment of his briefcase.
"clear."
The carriage fell silent again.
The tires rolled over a mud puddle, and the car lurched violently. Satsuki's shoulder bumped against the door handle; she frowned slightly but remained silent.
……
That evening, in Chen Zhiyuan's office at the Foreign Investment Promotion Bureau of Shanghai.
The lamplight cast a pale glow on the blueprint of the Pudong B-07 plot on the desk. Four cigarette butts were already piled up in the ashtray, and a fifth Hongtashan cigarette was sandwiched between Chen Zhiyuan's index and middle fingers, its ash growing so thick it was about to break.
The black dial telephone on the table rang.
The phone rang sharply in the quiet office. Chen Zhiyuan glanced at the clock on the wall—10:12 PM.
He stubbed out the cigarette butt in the ashtray and reached for the receiver.
"I am Chen Zhiyuan."
A deep male voice with a distinctly official tone came through the receiver.
After hearing the other person's identity, Chen Zhiyuan tightened his grip on the receiver. He sat up straight, his left hand unconsciously reaching for the pen on the table.
"Yes, sir. This afternoon I took them to two sites. A-03 was rejected because the Japanese side had objections to the sewage ditch. We spent the most time at site B-07. Their engineers took soil samples on-site, and the technical manager inquired in detail about the shoreline water depth and geological data."
"..."
"The intention is very clear. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary, fully funded and constructed, including the self-built deep-water wharf and supporting infrastructure. The conditions proposed by the other party are independent waterway usage rights and a channel dredging permit."
"..."
Chen Zhiyuan pulled a ballpoint pen from the pen holder and quickly wrote a few words on the sticky note in front of him.
"Understood. Pudong's development is just beginning, and it definitely needs a benchmark. If this investment is implemented, the infrastructure boost brought about by their self-built docks and roads alone will advance the development progress of the entire Waigaoqiao area by at least three to five years."
"..."
"Yes." Chen Zhiyuan put down his pen and looked at the eight words he had just written on the sticky note: "Special cases should be handled specially and flexibly."
"Rest assured, sir. Formal negotiations will begin tomorrow. I will offer maximum flexibility without crossing the country's bottom line. I have a clear understanding of the land lease price and term."
"..."
"Okay. I'll report back as soon as I have the results."
Chen Zhiyuan put the receiver back on the base.
The office fell silent again. The distant whistles of barges on the Huangpu River drifted in from outside the window, their sounds, long and short, seeming particularly desolate in the night.
He leaned back in his chair and pulled another Hongtashan cigarette from his pack. The lighter's flame flickered twice, illuminating the thoughtful lines on his face.
Take a deep breath. The smoke slowly rises towards the dim fluorescent light tube on the ceiling.
A benchmark project. A stabilizing force. Supported by multiple departments.
He looked down at the eight characters on the note and drew a heavy horizontal line under them with his pen.
Tomorrow at the negotiating table, the Japanese side will definitely use the foundation cost as leverage. Every figure that butler noted down today will become ammunition to push for a lower price.
But he wasn't without cards to play.
Five hundred and twenty acres of contiguous industrial land, with an independent shoreline and waterway—only Pudong can offer such conditions across the entire Yangtze River Delta. If the Japanese really go to Thailand or Malaysia, they can get cheap labor, but they will never get access to a domestic market of 1.2 billion people.
Price concessions are acceptable. But for every penny conceded, an equivalent amount must be obtained in return—infrastructure commitments, export earnings targets, local employment quotas, and technology transfer terms.
Chen Zhiyuan stubbed out his cigarette and pulled over the blueprint for plot B-07. He took a red pencil from the drawer and marked a new number on the northern shoreline of the plot.
Then write a line of small print next to it:
"Dock construction standards - berths of no less than 30,000 tons."
He stared at the words for two seconds, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
A yacht. A 5,000-ton yacht.
Chen Zhiyuan shook his head and put the red pencil back into the pencil holder.
Regardless of whether the ship ends up being a yacht or a cargo ship, once the dock is built, it will be a dock in Pudong.