People in the Republic of China era began to rise from industry.

Chapter 153 The National Economic Construction Movement: Leveraging Resources

"Who is this guy surnamed Lin?"

As soon as the car drove away from the Lin Mansion, Sheng Lao Si couldn't wait to ask.

As he spoke, he turned his head and glanced at the gate of the Lin Mansion behind him.

After his mother passed away and the family property was divided, he lost two streets in one night and hasn't been active in Shanghai much in recent years.

Every time he returned, it was to discuss the family property.

I really didn't know that someone like Lin Yi had actually appeared in Shanghai.

They were able to gather a powerful group of foreigners to oppose the Japanese.

Although the matter hasn't been settled yet, judging from Lin Yi's confident demeanor, he could basically conclude that the guy wasn't just bragging.

Because this is really too difficult, even he doesn't dare to boast about it!

"Nothing special."

Sheng Aiyi said something indifferently, but her mood was somewhat depressed.

If she hadn't realized that the situation was too serious and beyond her control, she really wouldn't have wanted to trouble Lin Yi.

Suddenly, I felt that the relationship between the two of us had become a kind of exchange of interests.

"This doesn't have any special background?"

Sheng Lao Si glanced at her, a smile appearing on his lips: "He's probably not married yet, right?"

Sheng Aiyi ignored him and turned to look out the car window.

"This person seems like a good one, and he's quite capable."

"A good son-in-law is hard to find, we need to hurry."

"parking!"

The car slowly came to a stop, and Sheng Laosi asked with a puzzled look, "What's wrong?"

"Go down!"

"No, I mean, Sheng Aiyi, you..."

Before he could finish speaking, Sheng Aiyi had already pushed open the door and gone downstairs.

He got straight into the next car.

Watching the car drive away, Sheng Laosi chuckled to himself.

It seems I was right...

Having just returned to China, Lin Yi was extremely busy.

First, a telegram was sent to the United States.

In the evening, I arranged to meet with Vice Presidents Wu Rongsheng and Zhang Jingde.

After more than half a year apart, the two men became even more respectful towards her when they met again.

For no other reason than that Lin Yi opened up sales channels for domestically produced finished fabrics in the United States.

As vice presidents, the two of them had the advantage of being close to the source.

Naturally, their priority was to export their own cloth.

Although the profit margin is a bit low, the market outlook is positive in the long term. As sales volume increases, even with low profits, one can still make a fortune.

Because of this, the Textile Federation is now enjoying a growing reputation in the business world.

Their status naturally rose accordingly.

Especially those textile companies that had not joined the association before are now flocking to Shanghai in an attempt to join.

"The Japanese are the most anxious right now."

"Watching the US market being eroded little by little by us, we were really anxious and jumping up and down."

"There are reports that they have asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to put pressure on Nanjing, hoping that the National Government will raise export tariffs on finished fabrics."

Sitting in the quiet tea room, Wu Rongsheng introduced the association's recent situation.

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Jingde chimed in, "Chairman, Rongsheng and I have discussed this, and we can't take this matter lightly."

"The people of Nanjing fear the Japanese like tigers, and with the likes of Kong Yongzhi causing trouble, they might actually agree to raise taxes."

"Once we get to that point, we'll be in a passive position."

Hearing what the two said, Lin Yi did not rush to draw a conclusion.

Instead, he put down his teacup and asked, "How's the preparation for public opinion going?"

This was something he had arranged before going to the United States.

They delved deeper step by step, guiding public opinion and criticizing the Nationalist government's previous tariffs on imported textile raw materials and finished fabrics.

They are just waiting for the moment when the momentum is overwhelming, forcing Nanjing to succumb to public criticism and sit down at the negotiating table to renegotiate tariffs.

"We've been working on this for a while, and many well-known scholars have published articles in support of us."

"However, Nanjing has simply ignored the insults and remained silent."

Wu Rongsheng looked helpless.

Zhang Jingde shook his head: "It's not that we're ignoring it. The recent National Economic Construction Campaign has certainly attracted a lot of attention."

"In short, it's all the rage right now, and many scholars who previously advocated for us have recently turned to discussing this issue."

"The National Economic Construction Movement?"

Lin Yi was somewhat curious.

This was the first time he had ever heard of this.

"Yes, promote agriculture and develop industry."

"The government is currently soliciting opinions from all sectors, and even our association has been invited to offer suggestions."

"It's been making headlines lately."

Wu Rongsheng explained with a wry smile, "Compared to this matter, our association's demands seem rather insignificant."

Lin Yi stroked his chin, and some memories came to mind.

He vaguely remembered the name.

However, the timing didn't quite match up. He vaguely remembered that the Nationalist government had only proposed this construction campaign three to five years ago.

According to historical records, economic development was merely a facade; given the situation at the time, the primary objective was military buildup.

Preparing for war.

Therefore, increasing mineral development and developing steel smelting are key priorities.

It did indeed have some effect.

But with the outbreak of war two years later, this emergency construction campaign came to an abrupt end.

Now that it's suddenly been brought forward by two years, Lin Yi can't be sure if it's really the same thing.

Thinking for a moment, he asked, "Do you have any documents?"

"At the association."

"I'll have someone deliver it to my house later."

He gave an order, then steered the conversation back to the main topic.

"Public opinion preparations regarding tariffs must continue. As for the pressure exerted by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the National Government, we will not hold a regular meeting for the time being."

"If they do succeed in the end, it will actually be an opportunity for us."

"Let's do both things at the same time."

"President, what if we can't reach an agreement once the export tariffs are actually increased?"

Hearing Wu Rongsheng's question, Lin Yi chuckled: "Of course we can't do it on our own, so we need to leverage other resources."

After saying that, he explained his thoughts in detail.

The core issue is that the export price of finished fabrics continues to decrease, and the expected reduction in tariffs is directly factored into the price.

This alone is enough to squeeze out all the profit margins of Japanese textiles.

Therefore, if export tariffs are increased, Americans who have benefited from them will be the first to object.

The Japanese can exert pressure through their Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Americans can certainly influence the Nationalist government through diplomatic means.

In essence, it's still a price war.

Specifically, the textile industry in China will also suffer some losses.

However, this loss is negligible compared to the market size it will gain in the future.

This will further erode the market share of Japanese textiles in Europe.

He shared his understanding, and Wu Rongsheng and Zhang Jingde agreed with it.

In short, if you have scale, you're bound to make a profit.

Even if things don't go perfectly, as long as you control most of the market, you can still squeeze out profits by negotiating prices for raw materials that are in demand.

“In this matter, we large factories should set an example, and the association should also play a role.”

"Those small factories should receive subsidies where they are due, and support where it is needed should also be provided."

"In short, as long as we unite, the market will definitely be ours!"