Chapter 2170 illustrates this point.

Pi Yangyang and the others returned to the hotel, where Gao Changyuan and Xu Guangda were already waiting.

“Mr. Pi, I just received a notification from Meichuan Iron Mine that they have decided to have a talk with us tomorrow morning.”

Once inside the room, Gao Changyuan got straight to the point.

Pi Yangyang smiled slightly, "Finally couldn't hold back?"

Xu Guangda frowned and said, "Mr. Pi, but the other party said they only have one morning to give us. The meaning is very clear: if the negotiations tomorrow morning are not pleasant, there will be no further talks."

Pi Yangyang wasn't surprised and looked at Gao Changyuan, asking, "What does Chairman Gao think?"

Gao Changyuan smiled calmly, "This is just their psychological tactic, trying to put psychological pressure on us so that we might make mistakes at the negotiating table tomorrow."

Pi Yangyang nodded. "Yes, that's what I think too."

Xu Guangda hesitated for a moment before saying, "Really? What if they've reached an agreement with Shanyou Metal? Then we..."

Gao Changyuan shook his head slightly, "Impossible! For such a large project, Meichuan Iron Mine wouldn't reach an agreement with any party so easily. Right now, they are probing various options to find the most advantageous partner for themselves."

Pi Yangyang said, "That's exactly right. The more critical the moment, the more we need to remain calm. I firmly believe that with the reputation that Guanghui Group has built up in Africa over the years, we are the top choice for Meichuan Iron Mine!"

Xu Guangda nodded, "That's true."

Gao Changyuan thought for a moment and said, "Mr. Pi, we must now make some coordination. How should tomorrow's negotiations proceed?"

Pi Yangyang asked, "What is Chairman Gao's bottom line? Can you tell me?"

“We’re partners, so of course I can say that,” Gao Changyuan said without hesitation. “Our bottom line is to secure 70% of the equity, an investment ratio of eight to two. Meichuan Iron Mine, in particular, can’t provide the funds and has already indicated that they need to borrow from us…”

Pi Yangyang's gaze sharpened. "Are they completely dependent on our investment?"

"There's nothing we can do, this country is just too poor," Gao Changyuan said with a wry smile. "Even now, some Western countries are still finding all sorts of ways to plunder their resources and wealth. If they didn't rely on loans, they simply couldn't have invested in such a large iron mine."

Pi Yangyang knew this was reality, of course.

Many Chinese companies' investments in Africa are almost entirely funded by Chinese partners. Otherwise, many projects simply wouldn't be able to get off the ground.

For decades, the country has been investing heavily in this area, but many people can't understand why they're pouring money into this poor place.

But now, the effects of this strategy are beginning to show. Some companies that once tried to cut off our resources are now forced to lower their stance and re-evaluate their cooperation methods.

This kind of profound wisdom is indeed beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.

"A 20% loan is within our capacity. As long as the iron ore mine can start production smoothly, they can repay the loan with ore, which is only a matter of five years."

Gao Changyuan added.

Pi Yangyang hummed in agreement. Since Gao Changyuan had already made his decision, he didn't say anything more.

Five years later, the shares were redistributed. The other party's idea was to regain control. But our bottom line was that we must maintain control.

Gao Changyuan's tone suddenly became somewhat serious.

Pi Yangyang said, "They want to regain control? Then what are we hoping to gain from investing so much?"

"So this is the biggest contradiction. We must have a reason to convince them in order to ensure that the shareholding is established."

Gao Changyuan nodded and said.

"What are your thoughts, Chairman Gao?"

Pi Yangyang thought for a moment and then asked.

Gao Changyuan's eyes flickered for a moment, then he said, "I've thought about it. The reason why the Meichuan Iron Mine is seeking partners worldwide for mining operations, besides financial reasons, is due to another crucial factor: their country lacks professionals in this field..."

Pi Yangyang's eyes flashed, and he said, "Does Chairman Gao mean to exchange technology for equity?"

Gao Changyuan smiled with relief and nodded, saying, "That's right! Many of our Guanghui Group's projects in Africa operate in this model. As long as we control the core technologies, sharing some general technologies won't affect our competitiveness."

"Moreover, this will build mutual trust and a deeper level of cooperation. If they need to collaborate on any future projects, they will think of us first."

Pi Yangyang revealed a hint of admiration and said sincerely, "Chairman Gao, you are truly visionary! No wonder Guanghui Group's overseas business is developing so well! This approach is indeed excellent, and I think it will definitely be a considerable temptation for Meichuan Iron Mine."

Gao Changyuan chuckled. "The reason I'm discussing this with Mr. Pi tonight is to reach a consensus on this matter. Many people in China don't understand. They say we're investing and transferring technology abroad, and they're worried that the apprentices will eventually turn on their masters. Actually... such worries are completely unnecessary..."

Pi Yangyang's eyes flickered, and he gave a strange smile. "Masters in China have a habit: no matter how close their disciples are, they will always keep one trick up their sleeve to prevent their disciples from hitting their masters."

Gao Changyuan laughed heartily, "That's exactly the point."

“Alright, let’s proceed with the negotiations according to Chairman Gao’s decision,” Pi Yangyang said readily.

Gao Changyuan and Xu Guangda got up and left. Pi Yangyang washed up and began to sit cross-legged in meditation.

However, he did not quickly enter a meditative state; the images of the ninjas he had encountered that evening surfaced in his mind.

He had fought with ninjas many times, but none of them had ever retreated so decisively after exchanging a single blow with Tie Niu like these few today.

This only shows that they actually wanted to lure Pi Yangyang over.

They had laid an ambush somewhere, waiting for him to break in.

Of course he wasn't afraid.

But once I go there, I will inevitably go on a killing spree.

If things escalate, and the authorities in Karl investigate thoroughly, it's inevitable that they'll trace it back to him.

This could very likely affect the subsequent negotiations.

Therefore, he dared not take the risk and decided to wait until the negotiations were over before making a final settlement.

Driven by his internal energy, he quickly entered a state of complete absorption in the world.

He had reached the peak of the tenth level of the Nine Profound Jade Purity Technique, and felt that he was just one step away from the eleventh level, but he was still unable to break through.

Moreover, during this period, the spiritual energy absorbed by the Spirit Gathering Pearl has been decreasing, and it is no longer of much help to him.

It wasn't that he wanted to cultivate the supernatural power of shrinking the earth to a foot, but rather that he really wanted to see if the twelfth level of the Nine Profound Jade Purity Technique was the limit.

But as the saying goes, haste makes waste. He was eager to break through, but he was always stuck at one point and unable to break free from the constraints.

The next day.

Pi Yangyang, Gao Changyuan, and others arrived at the conference room and began negotiations with the Meichuan Iron Mine delegation.

Tie Niu and Kang Dezhu naturally didn't need to go inside, so they went to play on the beach again.

As negotiations began, Kundi, the representative of Meichuan Iron Mine, arrogantly presented their terms.

Their conditions were similar to those they had negotiated with Kotaro Miyazaki before, but this time they added a condition: that 60% of the miners should be local people once the iron ore mine was officially put into operation.

This was unexpected by Gao Changyuan and Pi Yangyang.

They all know that Chinese companies investing in projects in Africa are mostly reluctant to employ local staff.

There are three reasons: language differences are a major obstacle, causing communication difficulties and thus affecting the progress of work.

Secondly, there's the skill level and work attitude of the locals. Unlike the hardworking and resilient nature of the Chinese, most local employees are rather lazy, the kind who eat a lot but do little.

Finally, there is a lack of learning ability, and in terms of work efficiency, they are not on the same level as the Chinese, which greatly affects productivity.

Therefore, many foreign companies that come to Africa are unwilling to hire local employees, but instead bring them from their home countries.

Kundi's demand that 60% of the staff be local could potentially disrupt the normal mining and operation of the Meichuan Iron Mine.

After careful consideration, Gao Changyuan said very cautiously, "Mr. Kundy, we can provide appropriate training for your personnel and cultivate professional and technical talents. However, your requirement of 60% local employees is indeed a bit beyond our capacity. Therefore..."

Kundy said without hesitation, "Mr. Gao, this is our bottom line. Only if your side can accept it will we need to continue talking. Otherwise, I can only express my regret..."