Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

Wei Hongjun looked at Li Siguang and said, "Minister Li, what do you think?"

"We don't have enough manpower right now, so we can only focus on exploring key areas. The Songliao Plain is so vast, so exploration requires concentrated efforts. I also believe there's a high probability of oil fields in the Songliao Plain, but finding them isn't easy."

After Li Siguang said this, Huang Jiqing looked at Wei Hongjun.

Li Siguang and Huang Jiqing both expressed their opinions. They were considered the two most authoritative figures in the oil industry, representing the vast majority of technical personnel. The final decision still lay with Wei Hongjun.

"Comrade Huang Jiqing, if you decide to explore in the Songliao Plain, do you have a rough outline of the exploration area?"

"Have."

Wei Hongjun nodded.

But he didn't speak immediately, but thought quietly.

After a while, Wei Hongjun looked at Yu Qiuli and said, "Old Yu, if we focus on exploring the Songliao Plain, how many drilling teams can you provide?" Wei Hongjun and Yu Qiuli are very familiar with each other.

Having gone through "new-style training" together in Yan'an, Wei Hongjun didn't hold back. According to the Ministry of Geology, they should first identify areas with potential oil reserves. Then, they should cast a wide net, sending exploration teams to explore these areas.

If you are lucky enough to discover it, then you can focus on developing it.

But Wei Hongjun is ready to change his mind.

It's not that this approach is bad, but rather that Wei Hongjun has a historical advantage. He knows the locations of some of China's major oil fields. Although he can't directly disclose them, as someone in charge of the oil industry, he has many ideas for pioneering the development of these fields. He doesn't object to casting a wider net in the future, but he doesn't want to do so in the initial phase. He wants to discover and develop oil fields quickly to help China achieve oil security.

If New China could have discovered oil earlier, it would have been a huge boon to China's development. First, it would have saved the government a significant amount of foreign exchange, eliminating the need to spend so much on oil. Furthermore, with that much foreign exchange, it could have purchased a vast amount of machinery and equipment.

Second, it could develop the petrochemical industry. Specifically, utilizing petroleum could allow for the large-scale development of chemical fibers. As long as New China could solve the problem of chemical fibers and clothing, it could reduce cotton planting and expand grain cultivation.

Third: The petroleum and fertilizer industries are also closely related.

Coal and oil are the most fundamental energy sources for modern industry. They are essential for the development of modern industry. From every perspective, resolving the oil problem as soon as possible would have a significant impact on the development of both industry and agriculture in New China.

So Wei Hongjun prepared to change the exploration plan of the Ministry of Geology.

Concentrate your efforts on a few small campaigns. The goal is to quickly build several large oil fields to solve China's current oil shortage. Yu Qiuli asked, "How much do you want?"

Wei Hongjun smiled.

Then he looked at Li Siguang and Huang Jiqing and said, "Minister Li, if we want to carry out a small battle in the Songliao Plain for about a year, how many drilling teams do you think we need to mobilize?" Li Siguang immediately began to calculate.

After a while, he said, "If Vice Premier Wei really wants to conduct large-scale exploration in the Songliao Plain, then according to my calculations, about six drilling teams will be enough. This will cover most of the areas we need to explore. Once we discover that there is indeed oil and gas in the Songliao Plain, we can mobilize more drilling teams to carry out large-scale development there."

"Old Yu, how is it?"

"no problem."

Yu Qiuli had been working in the Yumen Oilfield before.

For the past three years, the Yumen Oilfield has been a major oil base for China. It has trained a large number of technicians and workers, employing over 30 drilling crews. Now is the time to mobilize them. Wei Hongjun said to Li Siguang, "Minister Li, I oppose the practice of casting a wide net. Let's circle a few areas with the highest potential for oilfields and conduct small-scale exploration. While this will reduce the number of explorations we can conduct at once, it will allow us to quickly identify some areas. What do you think?"

"It's not impossible."

Li Siguang nodded after a moment, then frowned deeply.

It wasn't because Wei Hongjun opposed the widespread approach. It was mainly because Li Siguang was considering which areas should be targeted for key exploration. Li Siguang was not only a renowned geologist, he was also a high-ranking official in the Chinese government.

He understands better than anyone that China is very poor now.

Every exploration failure costs the country a lot of money. So Li Siguang knew that the more precise the area delineated by the Ministry of Geology, the less money it would cost. "Comrade Huang Jiqing, what do you think?"

“I also think it’s more efficient this way.”

Wei Hongjun nodded and said, "I need you to identify the most likely location. I'll discuss this with Comrade Chen Yun and then report back to the Central Committee."

884 Oil Battle

After discussing with the Ministry of Geology, the Ministry of Fuel Industry and the Petroleum Industry Bureau, Wei Hongjun decided to launch a small oil battle.

After making the decision, Wei Hongjun went to find Chen Yun.

Because generally speaking, these tasks are all under the jurisdiction of the Finance and Economics Committee.

Despite being the second-ranking Vice Premier of the Executive Yuan and the Director of the Finance and Economics Committee, Chen Yun rarely interfered with projects under Wei Hongjun's purview. Chen Yun generally signed off on any matters related to Wei Hongjun's department, rarely vetoing them. This had been the case since the Executive Yuan's inception. During Wei Hongjun's time in North Korea, he was adept at overseeing specific tasks, and Chen Yun remained largely in the loop.

Now that Wei Hongjun has returned from North Korea, Chen Yun will not interfere in this matter.

So after listening to Wei Hongjun's report, he simply asked a few questions and then signed his name.

Wei Hongjun didn't care either.

Actually, the current situation of Chen Yun and Wei Hongjun is quite good. Chen Yun is in charge of the Finance and Economics Committee and the Planning Committee, but he mainly controls the overall strategy. He does not interfere in the specific matters involving certain departments.

Chen Yun was like this, and Wei Hongjun also respected him in his work. When Chen Yun was formulating major strategies, Wei Hongjun generally cooperated with him and would not contradict him. Even if there were any issues, they would discuss them privately with Chen Yun.

So there haven't been any major disputes between the two of them in the past few years.

After Chen Yun signed, Wei Hongjun went to report to the Chairman. Although it was not a major battle, some small battles still required the Chairman's approval.

The Chairman carefully studied Wei Hongjun's report and asked, "Is this the decision made at the Petroleum Work Conference?"

"Yes."

Wei Hongjun paused and said, "Chairman, this is mainly my opinion. I think the wide-ranging exploration model is not bad, but it is too passive. Right now, our country is in urgent need of oil, and we must find it as soon as possible. We should not choose such a passive approach. So I think we should take the initiative and conduct small-scale battles in places where the Ministry of Geology believes there may be oil, and make quick decisions. If there is oil, there is oil, and if there is not, there is not oil. If oil and gas are discovered, we will launch a large-scale battle and develop the oil field. If not, we will move on to the next place as soon as possible."

Wei Hongjun explained.

The Chairman agreed with Wei Hongjun’s explanation.

So he said: "It is a good idea to concentrate our forces and launch some small battles."

"Chairman, do you agree?"

"Red Army, you must understand that if you change your original wide-ranging exploration into a small-scale battle mode to focus on key breakthroughs, you will be held responsible if you fail."

The Chairman looked up at Wei Hongjun.

The tone of voice was rather harsh.

Casting a wide net is a gamble, but it's also the most irresponsible approach. The Ministry of Geology gathered numerous geological experts and selected the most likely oil-rich areas across China. This is the responsibility of the geologists, and they've done what they could.

But the cadres in charge of command must decide which place to choose for exploration.

To be honest, this responsibility is not so easy to bear.

All of New China's oil equipment was imported from countries like the Soviet Union and Romania. Each exploration operation required a significant investment of manpower and resources. If the officials in charge of directing the exploration misjudged the operation, a significant amount of money could be wasted.

The finances are so difficult now.

Everyone stared.

So how many cadres dare to judge where oil can be produced and then waste so much money on this place?

Li Siguang and his colleagues in the Geology Department had decided to cast a wide net, essentially with this in mind. While a passive approach, casting a wide net was the least problematic. Wei Hongjun had now changed this tactic, concentrating their efforts on smaller, more focused campaigns. Casting a wide net could cover ten locations at once, but with smaller campaigns, the coverage might be limited to just two or three.

But what if it fails?

Is there no oil in the place Wei Hongjun judged?

If several small battles failed, wasting so much national manpower and resources would inevitably lead to widespread gossip. The person who made this decision would undoubtedly be criticized. Although given Wei Hongjun's current status, the failure of such a small battle wouldn't cause any major incidents.

But it is impossible that there will be no impact at all.

And it’s easy to do normally, but in half a year it will be one of the top eight.

So many people are watching the Big Eight.

If the small oil battle decided by Wei Hongjun at this time failed, no one could be sure what would happen.

Because no one can predict this kind of thing.

Wei Hongjun said, "Chairman, if problems arise at work, I do need to take responsibility, and that's my due responsibility. But we can't cast a wide net just because we're afraid of failure or responsibility. Casting a wide net might seem like taking care of every aspect, but it's the dumbest approach and a passive one. We don't have the time to passively search for oil fields. It's better to concentrate our efforts on exploring the most promising locations."

Wei Hongjun answered decisively.

Wei Hongjun certainly thinks so. Especially since he's only 36 now, and by the time he becomes a member of the Standing Committee, he'll still have 40 years before retirement. A few setbacks at work won't hurt him; his foundation is already solid, and ordinary setbacks won't stop him.

Of course, another reason is that this oil battle will definitely not fail.

"Haha."

When the Chairman heard Wei Hongjun's words, he lit a cigarette.

Then laughed.

He handed Wei Hongjun a cigarette and said, "We need to have this kind of awareness when doing our work. In the past, during the war, everyone was brave and eager to be the first, never afraid of hardship or responsibility. But since the founding of New China, many of our cadres have become increasingly timid in their work. Ultimately, it's because they're afraid of taking responsibility and of affecting their current good life. This is bureaucracy."

"We need to understand that many tasks are our first. Failure is inevitable, but it's not always said that failure is the mother of success. We don't need to be afraid of failure. When we fail, we should learn from it, find the reasons for failure, and strive for success next time."

"Yes."

Wei Hongjun nodded.

The Chairman then closed Wei Hongjun's report and said, "Comrade Hongjun, I will sign this small oil exploration campaign. I will be responsible for any problems in the future."

"Chairman, I'm in charge of the Fuel Industry Department. This is my job."

"Ah."

The Chairman is very happy that Wei Hongjun has such a sense of responsibility.

So he said, "Then I will trust your judgment and work boldly and confidently. I look forward to your good news."

"Yes."

With the Chairman's consent, Wei Hongjun immediately began to deploy a small oil battle.

After discussing with Li Siguang and Yu Qiuli, Wei Hongjun decided to focus this oil campaign on the Songliao and North China Plains. In addition to the Songliao and North China Plains, a small force would be sent to Xinjiang to explore the Karamay oil field.

This is not because Wei Hongjun wanted to show off his skills, he deliberately chose Karamay.

But it is because this place was explored very early.

Since the late Qing Dynasty, various legends about black oil have been circulating here, so this place was named Black Oil Mountain. Occasionally, oil would flow out of this place, and a large amount of oil sands were discovered. As early as the late Qing Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty drilled two oil wells in Dushanzi, producing two to three tons per day and more than 1000 tons per year. The Dushanzi Oilfield is not far from the Karamay Oilfield.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, China and the Soviet Union jointly established the Sino-Soviet Petroleum Joint Stock Company. Since China was relatively backward in oil extraction and refining, it naturally sought to learn from the Soviet Union. Following its establishment, the Sino-Soviet Petroleum Joint Stock Company began extensive development of the Dushanzi Oilfield. Currently, over 20 wells have been drilled in the Dushanzi Oilfield, producing over 200 tons per day and approximately tons per year.

In fact, oil production is not high.

But the Dushanzi Oilfield's greatest significance lies in the vast number of technicians it has trained over the past few years. This has not only significantly improved drilling and oil production, but more importantly, has also significantly enhanced refining capabilities. In addition to drilling wells to increase production and opening refineries, the Dushanzi Oilfield and Yumen Oilfield, currently China's largest oilfield, have focused on training technical personnel over the past three years. Not to mention the heavily developed Yumen Oilfield, the Dushanzi Oilfield alone has trained nearly 6000 oil technicians and workers of various types.

Both oil fields are very successful in this regard.

It is precisely because of these two oil fields that Wei Hongjun will not be short of oil technicians and workers when he launches a small battle.

In addition to developing the Dushanzi oilfield, the Sino-Soviet Petroleum Corporation has also conducted exploration in Karamay for nearly three years. Both Soviet expert Uvarov and Chinese geologist Zhang Kai, responsible for this area, believe it is an "underground oil sea." They believe the vast area from Heiyu Mountain to Wuerhe holds great promise for oil.

However, many Soviet experts also believed that the oil there contained only a small amount of residual oil, devoid of industrial value. Four wells had been drilled in the area over the past three years, but no oil or gas had been found. Therefore, many Soviet experts believed that the area had undergone crustal shifts, and the original oil fields had shifted. The oil and asphalt sands now found on the surface were merely remnants. Therefore, they believed that they should leave Karamay and search for oil fields elsewhere.