Artists under the Rebirth of the Coal Boss

Chapter 15 Big production, big stars

Ding Ye sighed and said with a sad face: "My sister-in-law said that this is a conspiracy arranged by the higher-ups."

"If we want to survive, we have to expand production capacity and acquire other coal mines to reach a production capacity of more than 300 million tons. We also need to invest heavily in mine mechanization."

"Every coal mining company that has survived is heavily in debt and owes a lot to the banks..."

Xu Lu, who was standing next to him, added, "This year's coal prices are at their lowest point in nearly a decade. Coal companies won't have an easy time..."

Ding Ye drank most of the remaining half of the glass of red wine and said, "Fuck! This is a trap!"

"We at Jinyuan Huwei Coal Industry originally had no debt, but now, in order to obtain the qualification to be a principal in this merger and reorganization, we have also accumulated a lot of debt, and our capital chain is extremely tight."

"Other coal companies that already had loans have seen their existing funds depleted and are suffering severe losses. They are already on the verge of collapse and could be forced to withdraw their funds from banks at any time!"

"Fuck! And they're even dancing on a tightrope to liven up the atmosphere! The key state-owned coal mining company supported by the province is already discussing a package acquisition plan for its non-performing assets with the bank."

"Some coal mining companies are now relying solely on rolling over debt and compounding interest to survive, hoping that coal prices will recover and they can get through this round..."

Lawyers Lin Xingzhuo and Xu Zhixia said in unison, "I'm afraid coal prices won't recover in the short term."

Lin Xingzhuo knew that coal prices would fall for two years, purely because of the official propaganda documentaries he had reviewed about Jinyang's coal reform...

…………

The coal boss who received compensation was acquired by the merger.

It received a large amount of compensation, but lost its bone marrow and became a capital giant with feet of clay that lost its hematopoietic function.

Facing the sharks from all walks of life smelling blood, the final doomsday carnival, the whale fall feast...

…………

What about the coal bosses who successfully survived the coal-fired reform in 09?
Although the bone marrow and hematopoietic capacity were preserved, the coal price plummeted for two years, and the mine was able to maintain its profitability, it was already a master of cost reduction and efficiency improvement.

There is also a large amount of capital investment in mergers, reorganizations, and mechanization upgrades.

The family assets have long been exhausted.

As long as the capital chain breaks, it will be worse than those coal bosses who have lost their bones...

The banks and provincial state-owned enterprises took them away directly at the junk price of non-performing assets...

........................

Seeing that Lin Xingzhuo was very gentlemanly and did not elaborate, Lawyer Xu said:

"After the financial crisis broke out last year, ports experienced a serious backlog, with Qinwangdao Port's coal reserves exceeding 10.8 billion tons."

"Also, demand is weak, with coal exports down 40%. Meanwhile, Jinyang is actively promoting mechanization and capacity expansion for major enterprises..."

Xu Zhixia's analysis is completely consistent with the analysis in later documentaries.

As expected, he is the strongest artificial human...

Lin Xingzhuo began to look at Lawyer Xu with new respect.

…………

Since Xu Zhixia raised the question, Lin Xingzhuo must of course provide a solution and complete it perfectly, so as not to disgrace the reputation of the reborn people of all generations.

Lin Xingzhuo put down his chopsticks and asked, "Brother Ye, Jinyuan Huwei Coal Industry should still have cash reserves."

Ding Ye nodded and said, "There is indeed a sum of money."

Lin Xingzhuo said, "That's easy. The stock market, real estate market, lottery, futures, etc., if we use this money to multiply it several times, we can solve the company's tight capital chain problem."

Ding Ye, Xu Zhixia, and Zhu Yilong: "..."

Zhu Yilong said, "Brother Zhuo, the stock market. Forget about the real estate market and futures. Can the lottery also steadily multiply? Do you know the winning numbers?"

Lin Xingzhuo said: "I'm talking about buying sports lottery!"

"Save the money you earn from playing supporting roles. I'll take you to the World Cup later!"

Ding Ye couldn't bear to listen any longer and said, "Don't lead Yilong astray! What you said is all nonsense, just like gambling, it doesn't sound reliable."

Lawyer Xu disagreed, saying, "Actually, I think stocks, futures, and finance are essentially a game of probability."

"I've been looking at the international bond market recently. Greek sovereign debt is quite good, backed by the EU's credibility. If you add leverage..."

Lin Xingzhuo: "No, Teacher Shen, you..."

Ding Ye ate a few pieces of fish slices in fermented rice wine sauce and interrupted Xu Lu and Lin Xingzhuo's conversation, saying, "I'm not good at math. I only graduated from junior high school, so I don't understand financial probability. I like things that I can see and touch."

"You two, a legal advisor and a director of public policy research, should stay out of the way of investment matters."

"I'm planning to invest in a movie. My sister-in-law thinks it's a good idea and will promote the culture of our Jinyang Province. I've also asked a senior director from the Northwest Circle to help review it."

"In short, the project is very reliable and will definitely make a lot of money."

Zhu Yilong, who had been eating beside him and hadn't been able to get a word in, became interested when he heard about the movie and asked curiously, "Brother Ye, what movie is this? Do Brother Zhuo and I have a chance?"

Ding Ye drank half a glass of red wine and said, "It's too late. The film has already been completed and submitted for review."

"This project is too big. One of the investors couldn't afford it due to the financial crisis last year, so they can't wait until the film is released to recoup their investment."

"The project is still under review by the Film Department. I can only reveal the lead actor to you: the Four Heavenly Kings..."

Lin Xingzhuo said directly: "Silver Empire?"

Ding Ye was just about to show off when Lin Xingzhuo suddenly interrupted his spell.

He looked at Lin Xingzhuo, stunned for a moment, and asked, "Did your sister-in-law tell you?"

"That's impossible. My sister-in-law always likes to tell us that if the ruler is not discreet, he will lose his ministers; if the minister is not discreet, he will lose his chastity; if things are not discreet, harm will come..."

Lin Xingzhuo shook his head: "No."

Ding Ye thought for a moment, sighed, and said, "Sure enough, just as my sister-in-law judged, you have your own information channels."

"Xingzhuo, I, Old Ding, accept your position as Director of Public Policy Research..."

Lin Xingzhuo suddenly noticed Xu Zhixia's flip phone, the Sony Ericsson T707 with rainbow lighting effects, and the Lazy Sheep cartoon pendant hanging on it. He said:

"Brother Ye, instead of investing in Silver Empire, you might as well invest in Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf."

Ding Ye waved his hand and said, "Xing Zhuo, stop teasing me. You don't know the situation."

"The investment share for Silver Empire was introduced by the president of the Jinyang Film Association. He gave it to us because we're from the same hometown."

…………

Sure enough, the fellow villagers cheated each other, and their eyes were filled with tears.

This is a movie starring Aaron Kwok and Zhang Laba.

A movie about the epic of Shanxi merchants inexplicably hired an "international special effects team" that was registered in the United States only two months ago.

The production cost of the film, which originally cost 70 million, was suddenly pushed up to 130 million.

After its release in 2009, the film suffered a crushing loss, grossing only 2200 million RMB at the box office. The coal bosses who invested in it all lost everything.

…………

Ding Ye drank the red wine in the glass and said, "I saw a Hong Kong movie, and there was a line in it..."

"A child asked me whether people should be greedy. I said no, and then he said, 'Why would a child be greedy with a few cents?'"

"If you want to be greedy, you should be greedy on a large scale. Greed is like taking a shower. What's the point of having only a small amount of water, like pee? Of course, it feels good and comfortable only when it gushes out from a large pipe."

Ding Ye lit a cigarette, took a puff, and then said, "Xing Zhuo, the same principle applies to filming."

"If you're going to make a film, make it a big production, invite big stars like Aaron Kwok, and use a top international special effects team. That's how you can make big money!"

"What's the point of this kid's cartoon?"

Lin Xingzhuo said: "Animation is suitable for all ages, and only animation for children is for children to watch."

"Also, a generation will eventually grow old, but there will always be young people. Even if it's animation for children, it's still a very good market."

Ding Ye exhaled a puff of cigarette and said, "In 99, 'The Lotus Lantern' grossed 2900 million yuan. This record lasted for nine years. It was only last year that 'Wind and Cloud Battle' directed by Lin Chaoxian surpassed it with a box office of 3300 million yuan..."

"In the past nine years, the domestic film market has grown from 8.1 million to 62 billion, while the highest-grossing animated film has only increased by 400 million..."

"Those films like 'Red Boy's Tale of the Flaming Mountain' and 'The Wonderful Child of Mount Xiyue' only grossed a few million, and were all losses."

Lin Xingzhuo was stunned. Ding Ye, this burly outlaw, actually had such a deep understanding of animated films...

Damn, this is too unreasonable...

Could it be that this guy has been possessed by someone else recently?
(End of this chapter)