Chapter 216: They've Got Plenty of Money
"Don't rush to make a decision just yet."
When it comes to business, everything needs to be weighed and measured. Friendship alone is not a reliable foundation.
Li Tang knew Xiao Yongyue valued him—he had invested a generous 22 million yuan into the Gongcun Copper-Gold Mine project. "Let me first share my thoughts with you."
"Go ahead," Xiao replied, fully attentive.
"I'm planning to launch a molybdenum project. Originally, it was an invitation from Luoyi Molybdenum to help them develop it. Their proposal inspired some of my ideas."
Li Tang laid out his plan clearly. "I've already talked with Luoyi Molybdenum and Kunshang Group, but we had some disagreements about the partnership structure. They're probably still deciding whether or not to move forward with me."
"What's your take on it?"
"My goal, of course, is to discover a major deposit."
"I knew your thinking wouldn't be ordinary." Xiao thought for a moment and sensed the implication in Li Tang's tone. "How much capital would this molybdenum project require?"
"At least thirty million." Li Tang shoved his hands into his empty pockets, then spread them helplessly. "Right now, I can't even produce a single yuan. Starting a new project is impossible on my own. And next year, I've got over fifty million in principal and interest due on loans. If I can't repay, my shares in the Gongcun project will go to Huajin."
"Sounds like you're under a lot of time pressure." Xiao frowned.
"Some foreign companies wanted to acquire my shares in Zhongcheng Mining. If I had agreed, I'd have received several billion in funding in the blink of an eye."
"You didn't agree?" Xiao was stunned.
Talking about billions like they were peanuts?
"No, I didn't." Li Tang sighed. Just as people from Bihebituo had warned, liquidating mining rights—especially in today's market—is not easy. It's not like Zhongcheng is a listed company. Transferring mining equity is complicated and tedious.
And more importantly, he didn't want to cash out his Zhongcheng shares too early.
So, he had to find another path—develop a new income stream.
"A molybdenum project, right?" Though Xiao knew little about molybdenum, his trust in Li Tang hadn't wavered. "Let me put it this way—any project you believe in, I'll support!"
"Great. Hearing that gives me peace of mind."
Li Tang was genuinely grateful.
But he didn't kid himself into believing this was just emotional goodwill. Business is about mutual benefit. If both sides win, everyone's happy.
His thinking was also practical—these future provincial tycoons were already filthy rich. They had money to burn.
In reality, high-profit, high-risk investments often come from private entrepreneurs like them.
To resolve his current funding gap, he had to rely on these wealthy businessmen.
After laying out the basics with Xiao, Li Tang also proactively called Liu Jianglong from Hongda Group.
"President Liu, long time no see!"
"Li Tang?" Liu sounded surprised to receive his call.
"It's me. Do you still remember me?"
"Of course. Your name is everywhere these days. Didn't you already mortgage your Gongcun shares for a loan?"
"I'm calling to ask if you're interested in launching a molybdenum project?"
"Molybdenum?"
"The investment is significant, but the prospects are very promising. Hard to explain over the phone—we've already drafted a project feasibility report. If you're interested, come to Yanjing, Yunding Building, three days from now. We'll discuss face to face."
Three days later, in the conference room.
Not only did Liu Jianglong arrive, but Hongda Group's founder, Liu Shanlong, also attended in person.
This legendary businessman was tall and slim, with a refined appearance.
Aside from Hongda, Kunshang Group's Yu Yong also showed up. The bespectacled "invisible merchant" still had a youthful baby face, clearly born into comfort.
Xiao Yongyue, the sturdy man from the northwest, had started to show signs of middle-aged weight gain. He eyed Yu Yong with curiosity.
He was already acquainted with Liu Shanlong and Liu Jianglong—they were fellow Yizhou Province natives.
But Yu Yong? He looked totally unfamiliar. Xiao had never even heard his name before.
"Alice, please distribute the materials," Li Tang instructed.
Alice belatedly took on the role of hostess, circling the table with documents for each company executive.
"The project is in Huizhou Province. The mining rights currently belong to the Huizhou Provincial Geological Exploration Bureau. The documentation includes preliminary information, funding estimates, and expected outcomes. I won't repeat the details here."
Li Tang spoke with confidence before these business tycoons.
They flipped through the documents. With their experience in mining, they could more or less assess the quality of the proposal.
Yu Yong, in particular, was visibly moved when he saw the projected outcome: a potential 2-million-ton molybdenum deposit.
Just as Li Tang had said days earlier, the goal of this project was to build another Luoyi Molybdenum.
"I heard Kunshang Group is in talks with Luoyi Molybdenum?" Liu Shanlong asked, clearly well-informed. "Luoyi's mine has a solid 2-million-ton molybdenum reserve—high grade too."
"Yes, we're in talks," Yu Yong answered coolly without even looking up.
Xiao Yongyue was surprised to see Liu Shanlong himself show up. "Boss Liu, you're here too?"
"When Li Tang invites me, I have to come!" Liu Shanlong replied, clearly valuing him highly.
"Did you wrap up the lead-zinc mine project in Caiyun Province?" Xiao followed up.
"Almost done. Liu San is there handling the compensation—should have full control of the mining rights soon. Next up is unified development."
The lead-zinc mine in Caiyun Province was one of Liu Shanlong's proudest investments and was expected to be Hongda's strongest growth driver.
"Incredible!" Xiao gave a thumbs-up.
Everyone knew that whoever secured that mining right would basically have a money tree. Many had eyed it, but only Hongda dared to take it on.
That mine had shallow deposits—many visible on the surface—so even before formal exploration, plenty of small operations were already digging there.
There were over 30 small mines operating chaotically. Their techniques varied wildly, causing massive resource waste.
Some weren't even paying taxes—resulting in major economic loss.
The provincial government wanted a major player to take over and scale operations.
Enter Hongda Group. They reached a partnership with local authorities.
Other companies took one look and backed off, despite the riches. Why?
Because it was a powder keg.
Just relocating the 30 small mines and negotiating compensation was a massive headache.
But within a year of Hongda entering, every last mine vacated quietly—no resistance, no complaints.
It all seemed harmonious… maybe too harmonious.
What was the secret?
Just one.
The clean-up was handled by Liu San.
His name was feared not just in Yizhou but nationwide.
Li Tang knew a bit about the backstory—and was thankful that it was Liu Shanlong, not Liu San, sitting at the table today.
Business doesn't require tricks—or even money.
Just force.
Before he "died from peanuts," Liu San's Sanlong Group had already become a powerhouse overseas, complementing Liu Shanlong's Hongda back home.
Liu San was also known internationally. At one point, Sanlong was the largest foreign molybdenum resource firm.
Compared to him, Liu Shanlong came off as more principled and less forceful. "The project looks very appealing. And the exploration investment isn't huge—just thirty to fifty million."
For him, that amount was trivial.
Hongda had already invested over a billion in the Caiyun Province mine.
"So you're investing?" Xiao asked with a smile.
"What about you?" Liu Shanlong turned the question back.
"Li Tang's my brother. His project—I'm in no matter what!" Xiao was firm.
"No need to question Li Tang's projects!" Liu Shanlong laughed and made his position clear. "At Hongda, we never shy away from high-quality resource investments."
Yu Yong looked up briefly and said calmly, "Ten or twenty million? Kunshang Group will invest."
Three major players—positions made clear.
Li Tang's name still carried serious weight.
These weren't just mining bosses—they were future titans of capital markets.
Some would borrow over ten billion. Some managed hundreds of billions via trusts. Others had credit lines in excess of a trillion with banks at home and abroad.
All of them had immense reach—and equally immense controversy. Some had even faced legal consequences.
Working with them felt like walking on a tightrope.
Li Tang reminded himself to hold firm to his values and boundaries.
If they were going to cooperate—it had to be above board. Nothing more, nothing less.
Ten or twenty years down the road, he didn't want to find himself being held accountable.
After steadying his thoughts, he smiled and said, "Thank you all for your support. As the initiator of this project, I'd now like to share my terms."
He wasn't a charity. Nor was he here to flatter these powerful figures at his own expense.
Everyone in the room had their own pride—many carried themselves like emperors.
No one saw themselves as lesser.
His goal was simple: make money.
They had the money.
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