109: Chapter 109 Zhang Yuansong was persuaded instead.

Qin Chuan did not speak, listening intently.

By now, he had finally guessed County Magistrate Zhang's purpose for coming; he must have come for that high-speed rail line.

He made a special trip here—what does he need us to do?

After feeling a sense of relief in his heart, Zhang Yuansong said, "I think so too. Once this high-speed rail is built, its impact on the economic development of our Dongzhou City will be immense."

"In addition, let me tell you some major good news. After some effort and lobbying, Secretary Zhao finally managed to persuade the relevant departments at higher levels. They promised that as long as our county can provide 1.5 billion yuan to support the construction of this high-speed rail, they will slightly modify the route so it passes through our county and establish a High-speed rail station here."

This!

This news was too shocking!

Sanjiang County getting high-speed rail, and even a High-speed rail station—this was something they hadn't even dared to imagine.

Ma Zhengnan spoke up even louder, "County Magistrate, is this true?!"

"Of course it's true, absolutely certain!"

Compared to everyone else's massive reaction, Qin Chuan was much calmer.

As a reborn individual, he saw further than everyone else and knew that for a tiny county town, there was absolutely no need to go out of the way to build a High-speed rail station.

If a High-speed rail station were truly built, there probably wouldn't be more than a few people there a day, and it would be a massive loss-maker.

If it operated at a loss, it might hold out for a year or two, but what about ten or twenty years? Could it keep losing money forever?

The likely result would be that the High-speed rail station built at a huge cost would be canceled and stop operations several years later due to the losses.

This would be equivalent to throwing money into the water—a total loss with no return.

Sanjiang County already had a Train station; the next consideration shouldn't be high-speed rail, but rather the construction of an expressway.

East Dongzhou Station was relatively close. If an expressway were built, it would be less than an hour's drive away, making it very convenient to just go there to catch a train.

Perhaps noticing that Qin Chuan's reaction was relatively calm and that he hadn't voiced any opinion, Zhang Yuansong inquired.

"Secretary Qin Chuan, what is your view on our county getting high-speed rail?"

Qin Chuan smiled, knowing he was likely about to dampen County Magistrate Zhang's enthusiasm, but there were some things that had to be said because no one stood higher or saw further than he did.

With twenty years of foresight ahead of others, he saw much deeper into the high-speed rail issue. There was truly no need for a small county to go through such trouble, contributing over a billion yuan just to have high-speed rail and build a station.

"County Magistrate Zhang, do you want me to tell the truth, or tell a lie?"

"The truth, of course!"

"Then I'll speak plainly. I feel that since Dongzhou City has high-speed rail and East Dongzhou Station, there's absolutely no need for our county to consider matters like getting high-speed rail or building a station..."

In front of everyone, without holding anything back, Qin Chuan explained his views and reasons from a long-term perspective in simple terms.

This explanation lasted for several minutes.

At the beginning, Ma Zhengnan, Vice Township Head Mu Xiuwen, and the others were quite excited because the county might get high-speed rail.

Gradually, they calmed down.

And they increasingly felt that Secretary Qin Chuan's words made a lot of sense.

They even almost gave Secretary Qin Chuan a thumbs-up in their hearts.

Listening to his words was better than ten years of study!

After Secretary Qin's explanation and analysis, they realized they had been impulsive; building high-speed rail was not such a simple matter after all.

Zhang Yuansong also calmed down. He felt the same in his heart, believing that Qin Chuan's words were very reasonable.

While agreeing with Qin Chuan's viewpoint, he also felt a bit of disappointment.

It made sense, it really did, but giving up on high-speed rail was something he couldn't accept in his heart for a moment, causing Zhang Yuansong to let out a soft sigh.

Noticing County Magistrate Zhang's expression, Qin Chuan said,

"County Magistrate Zhang, actually, compared to building high-speed rail, I have a better suggestion. Our county currently doesn't have an expressway, and the nearest expressway entrance is over ten kilometers from the county seat. I think compared to high-speed rail, our county should focus on building an expressway."

"Oh? Tell me about it."

Actually, the idea of building an expressway had been maturing in Qin Chuan's mind for some time, but since he wasn't a county leader, he didn't want to overstep his bounds and hadn't shared these thoughts with others.

Now that Zhang Yuansong was asking, Qin Chuan spread out a map and began to explain.

This explanation lasted even longer, well over ten minutes.

Because he had twenty years of foresight and his own high level of expertise, the viewpoints and insights he shared often made people's eyes light up.

The more Zhang Yuansong listened, the more moved he became!

The more he listened, the more he agreed with Qin Chuan's views.

After listening, Zhang Yuansong practically agreed with both hands raised.

"Comrade Qin Chuan, I admit, you have completely convinced me. I have decided that during my term, I will do everything in my power to facilitate the construction of this expressway."

Hearing this, Qin Chuan also felt relieved.

It seemed County Magistrate Zhang was indeed convinced by him, and it was the kind of conviction that came from the heart, a sincere agreement with his suggestion to build an expressway.

If such an expressway could really be built, that would be something that truly benefited the people, much more practical than high-speed rail.

"County Magistrate Zhang, I make a promise: if the county really wants to build an expressway, our Dahe Township can contribute one billion yuan in funding."

Really?!

Zhang Yuansong's eyes lit up!!!

With Dahe Township contributing one billion, the county raising a bit more, and the city contributing a portion, the planning for this expressway could begin, followed by the start of construction.

Building such an expressway during his term would be a major political achievement.

"Comrade Qin Chuan, on behalf of the over one million people of Sanjiang County, I thank you. Rest assured, I will push this matter forward with all my might!"

The more he thought about it, the more excited he became!

Seeing that it was almost noon, Zhang Yuansong didn't even have the thought of staying for a meal and hurriedly left the office building.

After getting into the car, he waved to the driver and said, "To the Dongzhou Municipal Party Committee!"

The secretary in the passenger seat reminded him, "County Magistrate, it's already past eleven. Aren't we going to eat before we leave?"

"We'll eat when we get to Dongzhou City!"

They drove to Dongzhou City, had a simple lunch there, and at around two in the afternoon, Zhang Yuansong knocked and entered the office of Municipal Party Committee Secretary Guo Shunmin.

Back in the county, Secretary Zhao Shaojun had been waiting for news.

He knew that around ten in the morning, Zhang Yuansong had gone to Dahe Township, but he had been gone for so long and hadn't returned yet.

What exactly was the situation?

He should have convinced Qin Chuan by now, right?

Yes, he must have convinced him. He might be staying in Dahe Township for lunch, and perhaps he was going to the Thermal Power Plant under construction and the Dahe Energy Group for research and inspection...

While he was thinking about these things, his secretary knocked and entered, placing several documents that needed processing on the desk.

But the secretary didn't leave immediately; instead, he hesitated for a moment and revealed a piece of news that greatly surprised Secretary Zhao Shaojun.