Chapter 176: You're Incredible!
After saying goodbye to Xiao Yongyue and briefing He Runqi on the project's upcoming tasks, Li Tang boarded a plane alone and flew to the bustling metropolis of Yanjing.
Wu Yan wore an expensive suit, trendy glasses, and a watch that was clearly high-end.
"I studied overseas for many years and developed a taste for coffee," he said politely and considerately. "Many Chinese entrepreneurs aren't used to drinking coffee—you can order tea or just plain water if you prefer."
Li Tang noticed Wu had arrived early; his coffee cup was already half-empty, meaning he'd likely been waiting for a while.
Li Tang casually ordered tea. After a few pleasantries, he went straight to the point. "Is BHP-Billiton interested in our Gongcun Copper-Gold project?"
"I used to be the China director for Broken Hill," Wu Yan explained. "You probably know—Broken Hill entered the China market as early as 1880. We've always valued it and have formed joint ventures with many domestic enterprises for exploration and mining."
Wu spoke in a relaxed tone. "Gongcun Copper-Gold is a good project. With BHP-Billiton's partnership, you'd never have to worry about exploration, mining, or funding. Let me be frank—we could easily provide at least 30 million U.S. dollars."
"I understand." Li Tang sipped his tea and replied calmly, "Actually, I didn't come here today to discuss Gongcun Copper-Gold."
"No?" Wu Yan was unfazed and simply smiled.
"I came to buy something from BHP-Billiton," Li Tang said seriously.
"Buy something?" Wu chuckled, already guessing. Countless people had come to him seeking favors.
BHP-Billiton was a diversified global conglomerate. In iron ore, copper concentrate, bauxite, lead, and zinc—it was a top global producer.
China's appetite for raw minerals was growing daily. Dozens of enterprises had practically worn out his doorstep trying to secure supply contracts.
Li Tang must be trying to get a slice of the commodity trade pie, Wu thought.
But Li Tang didn't keep him guessing. "I'd like to buy an exploration license from BHP-Billiton."
"An exploration license?" Wu raised an eyebrow. "Not trade in minerals?"
"No. A specific exploration license that your company has already abandoned. I want to take a look at it," Li Tang smiled.
"In China?" Wu asked, surprised but not opposed.
"No, in Mongolia."
"Mongolia…" Wu looked troubled. "To be honest, I'm only responsible for the China region. I don't have much authority over licenses in Mongolia. You know our exploration division is directly under the group CEO—it's very high priority. Even if you came to me, I'd be powerless to help."
"Could you introduce me to someone? Give me a chance to meet your company's decision-makers and present my case," Li Tang asked. He knew cold-calling BHP's leadership wouldn't get him anywhere, but with an introduction, a meeting might be possible.
"Now that the merger is complete, everything's hectic. It might be difficult."
Wu took a sip of coffee, then said, "All I can do is help schedule a meeting. Whether the senior executives at our Austrian headquarters are free—I can't promise anything."
"Thank you, Mr. Wu!" Li Tang was genuinely grateful.
If Wu was willing to help, there was hope. At the very least, he could get in the door with BHP-Billiton's new leadership.
If not, Li Tang would have to fall back on his original plan—leverage Wukuang Group.
To pull off an international deal of this magnitude, he would need to board a giant vessel like Wukuang. Only then could he sail across the stormy seas of global mining and reach the shores of success.
Wukuang and BHP-Billiton already had numerous trade relationships. There was definitely a way to get in touch with their senior management.
After leaving the café, Li Tang immediately called Qin Jianshe and Zhao Hepu.
They agreed to meet at Old Wang's BBQ, the go-to spot everyone knew.
Qin and Zhao arrived together in the same car.
As soon as Zhao saw Li Tang, his chubby face broke into a radiant grin. "Finally! You're willing to see us again!"
"You look a lot more tanned," Qin added with a smile.
"I've been in Tubo Province working on the project. It's been rough," Li Tang admitted. In front of familiar faces, he didn't hide the hardship.
"You're incredible!" Zhao gave a thumbs-up. "I was just talking to Director Ou and General Manager Niu about your project. They told me you wrestled the mining rights back from the foreigners. That's safeguarding the people's interests and preventing national resources from flowing overseas!"
"It's not that noble," Li Tang waved it off and raised his glass. "Every time I come here, it's always you guys treating me. Tonight, dinner's on me!"
"Of course it's on you—you're the boss now!" Zhao laughed heartily, still grinning. "I come here often. They grill the meat just right, and it's fresh and flavorful!"
A few drinks in, Li Tang's head began to spin. Before the alcohol took full effect, he brought up his true intentions.
"Director Zhao, Director Qin, I asked you here tonight because I have something in mind. Not sure if you're interested."
Zhao set down his glass, looking surprised but pleased. "I was afraid that after you left Wukuang, you'd drift away from us—treat us like strangers! You went to General Manager Niu and Chairman Lang to talk about the Gongcun project, and didn't even speak to me! I was furious—you treated me like an outsider!"
"Let's hear it," Qin said with a calm smile.
"Unless something unexpected happens, Gongcun Copper-Gold is a super-large deposit," Li Tang began, summarizing his current progress. "But with global copper and gold prices still low, I'm planning to slow down the project. I don't intend to invest heavily in it for now."
"You want to sit on it and wait for the market to recover?" Zhao guessed.
"Exactly," Li Tang nodded.
"Then you've got something else planned?" Zhao looked intrigued.
"Yes. I want to do something big—abroad." Li Tang's words landed like thunder.
If he made a move, it would shake the world.
"Something big?" Zhao's body trembled with excitement. "You're speaking my language! Ever since Qulong Copper Mine, I've been waiting for your next project plan. Whatever it is, I'll rally every bit of funding I can get to support you!"
Qin, ever the steady one, asked, "What's the project?"
"A copper-gold project in Mongolia," Li Tang answered.
"You've been to Mongolia?" Qin was genuinely surprised.
This young man not only had deep insight into Tubo's geology but had studied ancient geological formations in Huazhou—and now, Mongolia?
He was like a walking encyclopedia.
"I've been there... sort of," Li Tang said vaguely.
"We don't know much about Mongolia's mineral environment," Qin said with concern.
Zhao, on the other hand, wasn't worried about the specifics. "Overseas mining definitely has more risks. Lots of uncertainties. I only have one question—what's your target?"
His small eyes, squeezed by layers of fat, lit up with anticipation.
Qin leaned in too, waiting for an answer.
If the profit was high enough, any risk was worth it.
They trusted Li Tang's judgment.
"Bigger than Qinglong Copper Mine."
Li Tang said it as casually as if he were ordering tea.
"Bigger than Qinglong?" Zhao shouted.
"As far as I know, Qinglong's confirmed reserves are already close to 20 million tons," Qin added, still trying to grasp the magnitude.
It was like reading Qulong's feasibility study for the first time. When the report claimed a reserve of 10 million tons, they thought it was outrageous—maybe even fraudulent.
But time and time again, Li Tang had proven the impossible possible.
Qulong, Yunshang Bauxite, Qinglong, Gongcun—every single one had become economy-changing projects.
By now, they no longer doubted Li Tang.
Still, hearing such a bold claim again felt surreal.
Was finding deposits as easy for Li Tang as picking fruit?
Li Tang remained calm, giving them time to absorb the shock before continuing.
"To move this project forward, there's one hurdle. The license I'm interested in belongs to BHP-Billiton. After their recent merger, they're in a consolidation phase. They'll want to offload some of their 'non-core assets.' I think now is the perfect time to grab the exploration license in Mongolia."
In the original timeline, this license was sold right around this time.
The buyer? The legendary prospector Fernando—a man with godlike luck and skill.
But Li Tang's luck was even stronger. He intended to snatch the Talgo Copper Mine license from under Fernando's nose.
When two legends clash, sparks fly.
"Do you have a feasibility study?" Zhao asked.
"Not yet," Li Tang replied. "First step is to secure the license before anyone else does."
"What do we need to do?" Zhao was a man of action.
"Most important thing: money."
"How much?"
"One to two hundred million yuan."
"Holy…" Zhao dropped his skewer, mouth open. "Just to get the license?"
"That and the initial exploration costs," Li Tang said calmly.
"You're always doing things beyond what's imaginable," Qin muttered. This was clearly outside his comfort zone.
Zhao sat there stunned, picked up his skewer, hovered it near his mouth, then paused. After a long moment of silence, he finally said:
"Let's do it."
And with that, he bit into the skewer—chewing hard, like he was biting into fate itself.
"Does your Mining & Metallurgy company even have that kind of money?" Qin scoffed.
"Nope," Zhao grinned. "But I'm sure General Manager Niu will trust Li Tang's judgment."
"Let's drink to that!"
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