Chapter 237: The Largest Molybdenum Deposit!
"We all know him?"
"Then he must be a well-known expert in our province. Let me guess—could it be your retired team leader, the one surnamed Sheng?"
"Team Leader Sheng knows the geology of this area inside and out. Back in the '70s and '80s, most of the fieldwork around here was led by him."
Everyone racked their brains and ultimately agreed it must be Sheng, the former head of the geological team.
"Team Leader Sheng was my mentor," Peng Dezhi said.
He had spent many years working under Sheng and was essentially groomed as his successor. But Peng shook his head.
"Team Leader Sheng is already eighty. He doesn't even recognize me anymore. There's no way he'd come back into the field. It's not him. And it's not someone from Huizhou Province either."
"Oh?"
"Not from Huizhou?"
"If it's a national-level geological expert, we're stumped. If it's someone we all know, it must be an academician!"
Just as everyone was guessing wildly, someone suddenly raised a suspicious point.
"As far as I know, the 30-million-yuan investment in the Shazhai Molybdenum Project came from Shazhai Molybdenum Company. Its founder is Li Tang. Could it be… Li Tang?"
"It is him." Peng Dezhi nodded affirmatively.
"Isn't Li Tang best known for discovering copper-gold deposits?"
"I heard he's been working on the Talego Copper-Gold Project in Mengguo—over 20 million tons of copper reserves! That's been all over the news recently, both at home and abroad. In fact, international media coverage has outpaced our own. It's sparked quite the buzz overseas."
"Li Tang really raised the profile of China's geologists by working internationally."
"But molybdenum and copper—those are very different things."
"Still, he invested 30 million in exploration and guided the technical work himself. A businessman who also knows geology—that's a rare breed."
"If he didn't have the technical confidence, who would risk 30 million on a drilling project?"
Everyone was puzzled. Huizhou had been dormant in molybdenum exploration for decades. Who would've thought the one to break that streak wasn't a local geological expert—but an outsider?
As expected, everyone in the room had heard of Li Tang. They just hadn't met him in person.
Hearing the lively discussion, Peng Dezhi recalled something Li Tang had said and decided to share it.
"Li Tang told us that the molybdenite here is formed primarily through magmatic and tectonic processes. It's a variant of what he calls 'porphyry-type' molybdenum deposits."
"Porphyry-type molybdenum?"
"That's a fresh take. No one's ever considered that angle before."
"No wonder he found the Shazhai deposit. If you look at Li Tang's exploration history, he's almost always targeting porphyry systems within major metallogenic belts. Clearly, he has deep knowledge of porphyry formation and ore-body conditions."
"That explains how he's found so many porphyry-type deposits."
"He also discovered a concealed bauxite deposit in Huazhou and proposed a paleo-weathering bauxite formation model. It stirred up serious academic debate in the province. And that wasn't even a porphyry deposit."
"Clearly, Li Tang's geological knowledge is vast—well beyond what we assumed."
"He's… quite an extraordinary character."
The expert panel had visited several times already and offered a range of opinions on the project's next steps.
Following their recommendations, the project had moved rapidly.
He Runqi had adopted Li Tang's approach: once ore was confirmed, they spared no expense in drilling.
One 800- to 900-meter hole after another began operation. The mountains echoed day and night with the thrum of diesel engines.
With funding secured and strategy in place, results started rolling in fast.
The ore body's simplicity made exploration straightforward.
Soon, everyone involved could practically visualize the shape of the deposit underground.
Shazhai Molybdenum's proximity to Huazhou—just 20 kilometers away—meant the news spread quickly across the border.
Such massive news couldn't be contained.
In Huazhou, Ding Shaoying, chief engineer at the provincial geological institute, and Bi Junjie, a senior researcher at the geological association, were among the first to react.
Both had longstanding ties with Huazhou Aluminum. Now a subsidiary of Hua Aluminum Group, the original plant still relied on their technical expertise.
Thanks to Li Tang's paleo-weathering bauxite theory, Hua Aluminum Group had significantly increased its exploration spending on such deposits in Huazhou.
Ding and Bi, both seasoned experts in bauxite exploration, had helped discover the Yunsang bauxite deposit. They were back again this year, assisting Hua Aluminum's ongoing projects.
The two of them paid a visit to Luo Qinzhong—now a vice president at Hua Aluminum Group, responsible for managing the former Huazhou Aluminum plant.
"President Luo, have you heard?" Ding blurted out before even sitting down.
Luo looked puzzled.
"Heard what? Something big happen?"
"They just discovered a super-sized molybdenum deposit near our southeastern border with Huizhou!" Ding could barely contain his excitement.
Bi Junjie, now semi-retired but still active, nodded gravely.
"Our geological association has been buzzing. This is huge. We've always said Huazhou is China's top molybdenum province, home to the nation's largest moly mine. That's a point of pride for us."
"Ah…" Luo sat stunned, unsure how to respond.
"There's talk that the Shazhai Molybdenum Project in Huizhou is about to shatter that record!" Ding added.
"The deposit could exceed the scale of Luoyi Molybdenum's mine, which has 2.06 million tons of reserves. Rumor has it that Shazhai's numbers will top 2.1 million tons!"
"That's a serious blow to Huazhou's geological ego," Bi admitted.
"For years, when we lectured in other provinces, we proudly stated that Huazhou had the biggest moly mine in the country."
"But Hua Aluminum doesn't deal in molybdenum," Luo replied, still processing.
"This doesn't affect us directly."
"Do you know who discovered this deposit?" Ding asked pointedly.
"Who?" Luo had been so busy lately, he hadn't kept up with industry gossip.
"Li Tang!" Ding announced.
"Oh—"
Luo suddenly remembered and smacked his forehead.
"Now that you mention it… He did talk to us about starting a moly project! I completely forgot—his company is Shazhai Molybdenum!"
Realizing the bigger picture, Luo shot to his feet and paced.
"I did hear whispers about his moly ambitions. But I figured it didn't relate to us, and I've been swamped. Never imagined something he mentioned just last year would already achieve this much!"
"They say the ore body is huge, high-grade, and easy to mine—better than any other moly deposit in the country," Ding added.
"Where's Li Tang now?" Luo asked, seeing Ding shake his head. Of course they didn't know—how could they track someone like him?
"I'd guess he's in Mengguo. He's been busy with the Talego Copper-Gold Project all year," Luo said, trying to piece it all together.
"But how did he find the Shazhai deposit?"
Luo was both impressed and confused.
"From what we've heard, the hardest part of the Shazhai Molybdenum Project was locating the ore body in the first place. After Li Tang guided the Huizhou Geological Bureau to find it, he more or less let them handle the rest," said Ding Shaoying, passing along secondhand information without knowing the exact details.
"The Shazhai molybdenum body is geologically simple. Once found, exploration becomes easy," added Bi Junjie, who'd also heard a few things through geological association channels.
"Thanks for sharing this news," Luo Qinzhong replied, genuinely happy for Li Tang. But deep down, he felt a bit of regret.
Why hadn't he followed Qian Hao's lead and lobbied Lai Xiangrong to invest in Shazhai Molybdenum Company? If memory served, Li Tang had only asked for a ten-million-yuan investment at the time.
That level of funding would've been easy for Hua Aluminum Group to provide.
What a missed opportunity.
Ding and Bi, having delivered their enthusiastic commentary, soon left.
Left alone, Luo mulled over the situation, then picked up the phone and called Qian Hao.
"President Luo, enjoying your leisurely life?" Qian answered cheerfully.
"I'm nowhere near as carefree as you," Luo replied, then cut to the chase.
"Let me ask you something—did the Shazhai Molybdenum Project really strike it big?"
"You've heard too? Seems good news travels fast!" Qian Hao chuckled, full of pride.
"It's true. Shazhai found a world-class molybdenum deposit!"
"You lucky bastard." Luo couldn't hide his envy.
"Our Kunshang Group has been negotiating with local authorities for months, trying to take over Luoyi Molybdenum. We haven't even signed the investment agreement yet," Qian said with exasperation.
"Even if the local government agrees, we'll probably have to invest a hundred or two hundred million. But with Shazhai Molybdenum, we only put in ten million and ended up finding another Luoyi!"
"Go ahead, rub it in."
"This proves the old saying—'The flower you try to grow never blooms, but the willow you plant unintentionally turns into a forest.'"
"I did hear about this earlier. But it went in one ear and out the other. Didn't think much of it. What a missed opportunity."
"I've always said—when it comes to Li Tang's projects, just follow him blindly! My investment style is simple: find the right person and throw money at them. You can't lose."
"Alright, I'll admit—you have good instincts."
"We're getting close to project acceptance. Shazhai Molybdenum is notifying shareholders. Come with us—witness history firsthand. The site's not far from here. You free?"
"We'll see. You guys go celebrate—what am I gonna do there?"
"Celebrate with us. Since Li Tang isn't around, maybe you can give a speech on his behalf."
"I can't speak for him."
…
Copper Youse Group was based in Huizhou Province, so they got wind of the news quickly and accurately, thanks to direct contacts in the Geological Bureau.
Although they only held a 16% stake in Shazhai Molybdenum, General Manager Geng Feiran took the project seriously.
After receiving a call from Director Zeng Yuhua, Geng rushed to the bureau and sat in Zeng's office.
"Project acceptance is in a few days," Zeng stated plainly.
"That fast?" Geng was shocked.
"This is the quickest exploration project I've ever seen."
"The ore body is simple, so the exploration went smoothly," Zeng said.
He would've preferred to keep drilling—more work meant more exploration fees. But the client's word was final.
"Your staff at Shazhai Molybdenum notified us that the deposit is basically mapped and reserve estimates have reached target thresholds. So they're proceeding with project acceptance. When there's more funding or time, they'll look at deeper zones or edge extensions."
Geng frowned. "Li Tang's overseas. Who made the call?"
"He Runqi, their technical manager. He said it was on Li Tang's instructions."
Hearing that, Geng no longer had doubts.
"If that's Li Tang's decision, then it's fine. If the target has been met, there's no reason to delay."
"At this stage, the ore body is essentially understood. The estimated reserve is 2.3 million tons. The central zone averages 0.18% grade. Even counting the lower-grade fringe, the overall average is still 0.14%," Zeng reported.
Those numbers amazed even him.
"This is a true super deposit—currently the largest molybdenum deposit in China!"
"That big?"
Geng was stunned.
"When Li Tang said he wanted to find over 2 million tons and top China's moly rankings—I didn't think he was serious. But he actually did it! When we first invested, I figured even a mid-sized find would be great. And now—he's shattered national records!"
"Huizhou's first large molybdenum deposit, and straight to number one!"
Zeng still couldn't believe the outcome.
"Li Tang has done so much for our province's mining sector. Without his guidance and funding, we never could've achieved this."
He looked at Geng and smiled.
"And thanks to Copper Youse Group for the investment—your insight in choosing partners was spot on!"
"We're all beneficiaries of this great discovery."
The two men exchanged a smile—both feeling a shared triumph.
Zeng continued,
"News of the Shazhai discovery has spread like wildfire. Huizhou TV and even national outlets like CCTV have requested interviews. After project acceptance in two days, you'll have to face the media—do us proud."
"All those major outlets?"
Geng was surprised.
"Our company went public back in '96, and we've barely had that kind of media exposure. Didn't expect Shazhai Molybdenum to generate this much attention."
"This project is more significant than we ever imagined. Discovering a super-sized moly deposit aligns perfectly with the country's strategic resource goals," Zeng said.
"Well then, I'll tidy myself up and enjoy the spotlight," Geng laughed.
He was no stranger to interviews—Copper Youse was locally influential and had been featured often in regional media.
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