Chapter 454 Return to Jiuquan; Yang Xiaowu; Contact with Monsanto

Hainan, Lingshui.

In March, the fields are filled with the fragrance of rice.

At the Tianhe Lingshui scientific research and breeding base, the rice fields look like a green ocean, and more than 100 varieties of rice are heading one after another.

Guo Yang squatted on the edge of the field and stroked the rice ears with water. Most of the rice varieties here were introduced, but some were cultivated independently.

And it seems to work pretty well.

But none of them can compare to the variety in the field in front of us. This is Tianyou 58, a single-season rice variety bred by Guo Yang last year.

After a year of multi-generation breeding, we can start promoting it this year.

"Lingshui's average temperature is 1 to 2 degrees Celsius lower than Sanya's. During the breeding process, it is easy for the 'empty shells' we want to appear, which is very advantageous for researching and producing varieties resistant to cold damage."

On the ridges of the fields, there were about ten people standing or squatting side by side. They were all staff members of the Tianhe Science Academy's South China Seed Breeding Base.

The leader was Wei Shuyang, who wore a farmer's iconic straw hat and had tanned arms from his short-sleeved shirt. He looked like he was in his forties despite being in his thirties. He followed Guo Yang all the time, introducing the situation in the breeding base from time to time.

Guo Yang looked at the endless rice fields and the beautiful rural scenery.

But now Guo Yang is very sensitive to the changes in the bases, especially as the number of Jiahe’s bases increases. No matter how diligent he is in a year, he cannot visit all the bases.

When he first came here, it was remote, the drainage was poor, and the roads between the fields were blocked, so it took a long time to walk.

What we saw was uneven land, strewn with rocks and overgrown with weeds.

It has now become a modern agricultural scientific research and breeding base.

After being distracted for a while, Guo Yang said, "Ledong is further north, right? Will the temperature be lower?"

Wei Shuyang said: "Well, Ledong's base is the largest and covers more categories, including vegetables, flowers, cotton, corn, soybeans, etc., all of which are available in Ledong."

"The banana plantation is also in Ledong, boss, do you want to go take a look?"

Ledong, Lingshui and Sanya are all located south of Wuzhi Mountain on Hainan Island, and the nationally designated southern breeding research and breeding protection zones are all located in these three cities and counties.

Ledong has the largest base area, but its geographical location is relatively north. Vegetables, bananas and rubber are the three major pillar industries. Therefore, the economic conditions are relatively worse.

"never mind."

Guo Yang pondered and said, "I heard that the situation in Ledong is better, so I won't go there. I have to hurry back to Jiuquan."

"Row."

Wei Shuyang felt a little regretful, as the situation in Ledong was indeed better.

This 'better' does not refer to the superficial scenery, but to the actual breeding. Compared with grain crops, it is easier to achieve results in vegetable and flower breeding.

There are several new varieties in Ledong that are performing very well now, but they have just begun to be promoted and need to be verified by the market.

So, he just felt a little regretful.

Moreover, the boss was rushing back to Jiuquan at this time, probably because of that incident.

Wei Shuyang asked: "The hearing for Monsanto's acquisition of Syngenta is about to begin. There should be assets that will be required to be sold. Boss, is the group taking any action?"

Several key breeding researchers nearby also became excited.

Guo Yang shook his head and said, "The possibility is very small."

Everyone was stunned.

When Dow and DuPont merged, the group took the opportunity to acquire Dow's corn business in Brazil. There should be more opportunities for cross-border acquisitions like Monsanto and Syngenta.

“The group has indeed been in contact with Monsanto, but Monsanto has little interest in selling its business to Golden Harvest.”

Wei Shuyang said: "We should still give it a try."

"Well, we still have to fight for it."

In fact, in Guo Yang's opinion, there is no hope for Jiahe to acquire the assets of Monsanto and Syngenta.

However, not only Wei Shuyang, but everyone at Tianhe Seed Company, from top to bottom, was eager for the technology and channels of Monsanto and Syngenta.

After all, these represent the two top groups in the world's seed industry.

Acquiring its assets is the best shortcut to going overseas.

But Guo Yang knew that Monsanto was hostile to Tianhe; in addition, Syngenta was also unhappy with Jiahe because Jiahe had disrupted Sinochem's high-premium acquisition of Syngenta.

Besides, Guo Yang didn't want to be a scapegoat.

But not many people know about this.

Instead of calling a halt to the project, it is better to let Tianhe’s people hit a wall first, and then they can move forward with a lighter heart psychologically.

That evening, after having dinner with the main team, Guo Yang flew back to Jiuquan overnight.

Wei Shuyang watched the car disappear into the darkness, "It seems the boss is not willing to give up either!"

"Of course, they are Monsanto and Syngenta. Tianhe is very powerful in China, but it doesn't have much room for survival abroad."

"That's right. As for overseas breeding branches, Tianhe's foundation is decades behind."

"I hope I can have some soup this time."

If Guo Yang knew what these people were thinking, he might feel a little guilty.

The reason why he was in such a hurry to return to Jiuquan was not because of work, but because Lin Keqing had been in Jiuquan for several days, but he went to Guangxi Province first and then to Nanfan.

Even though Lin Keqing was not anxious, he became anxious too.

When he arrived at the door of his house, Guo Yang felt a little excited.

When I saw Lin Keqing bring out a bowl of hotpot, my anticipation turned into emotion.

"They said you like to eat hotpot. I have nothing to do these two days, so I learned how to make it. Come and try it."

Huguo is not as valuable as noble food, nor can it please people with its appearance, but Guo Yang has always liked to make rough food.

This may be related to the fact that he was born into an ordinary family in both his lives and was accustomed to a simple and plain life.

Guo Yang started eating it spoonful by spoonful.

The long-cooked chicken soup is thickened with starch into a paste, which is clearer and thicker than the spicy soup; the chicken shreds and ginger powder are used to season the fragrance; and the most essential pepper is used to embellish the taste; soft, crispy, and smooth...

While Lin Keqing was staring at him in surprise, Guo Yang drank up all the soup.

"good to eat!"

"Is it that good?"

"Yes, it's the most delicious hotpot I've ever eaten in my life." Guo Yang said with a smile: "After eating it, I feel much better all of a sudden."

"Didn't we have dinner in Hainan?"

"That's why I need you to accompany me for a walk to help digest the food." Guo Yang stood up and naturally pulled Lin Keqing out the door.

A gust of cold wind blew, making him shiver suddenly. It was March in Jiuquan, not Hainan, and the temperature was just above zero degrees.

"Why not just forget it?" Lin Keqing blinked and almost laughed out loud.

"Take a walk around the house."

After walking for a while, the two of them arrived at the garden balcony on the second floor. After thinking for a while, Guo Yang said thoughtfully: "The house is a bit small."

Lin Keqing was surprised: "Is this still small? It should be at least 1,000 or 2,000 square meters!"

"It's too small. I can't even walk for a while." Guo Yang held Lin Keqing's hand and said with a smile: "I plan to rebuild a manor."

"Oh, just for a walk?"

"It's to take a walk with you."

The two of them established the foundation of their relationship last year, and after the Chinese New Year this year, everything came naturally.

Guo Yang said: "This manor can be regarded as a wedding house."

"Who said I want to marry you?" Lin Keqing muttered, but the hand she was holding began to swing like a swing.

"what?"

"nothing."

...

America.

St. Louis is the second largest city in Missouri after Kansas City and is located roughly at the geometric center of the United States.

Although the temperature here can drop to minus 20 to 30 degrees Celsius in winter, it was a southern city before the American Civil War.

It is also an important city in the West and one of the three major hubs of the Mississippi River, the other two being New Orleans and Chicago.

There are a lot of black people on the streets here.

Through the window of the business car, Qu Yang could see gang members from time to time. The crime rate here was high.

“Sometimes, just walking down a street can take you from heaven to hell, and you may never get out again.”

"Have you ever encountered this before, Xiao Wu?"

Yang Xiaowu was wearing a pair of black shorts and a down jacket, dark blue jeans, and had long bangs. He didn't look too smart.

But in fact, he is an outstanding student majoring in biomolecular biology at the University of Washington.

Yang Xiaowu shook his hair, and this action made Qu Yang, who was wearing a hat, frown.

“No, I seldom run around. The block where I live is full of school buildings and students, so it’s very safe. You can almost leave your door unlocked at night and no one will steal anything. But if you walk one block further in, you’ll get a spooky feeling.

My senior from the previous class was once the target of a carjacking attempt, and the other party opened fire in that neighborhood. Fortunately, the senior drove away safely. "

"I'll go check out your school when I'm done."

"it is good."

The car fell silent. Yang Xiaowu lowered his head and played with his nails, looking like a mentally ill person.

Qu Yang thought of Yang Dawu, the team member who fell during the anti-counterfeiting process.

In fact, he didn't have a deep impression of Yang Dawu, but he knew that Yang Dawu and Yang Xiaowu were two completely different people.

After passing a section of the main street, the city's style changed again. The streets here are clean and tidy, people's mental state is better, and you can see white girls walking their dogs on the streets.

“This is a white neighborhood.”

Qu Yang saw the St. Louis Arch, the city’s iconic building, next to the Mississippi River.

"What about the other side of the river?"

“East St. Louis.”

“Where the rich live?”

"Rich people don't go there. In school, it's a scary place that everyone is afraid of. It's the legendary no-man's land. Even if they go there, they don't dare to get off the bus."

Yang Xiaowu lifted his hair again and grinned, "Here we are, Mr. Qu, from Monsanto."

A white wall stands on a green lawn with the words 'MONSANTO' written on it, and behind the letters are branches with about 10 leaves.

Behind this wall are two circular buildings. They are not tall and look ordinary, which is totally inconsistent with their fame.

But this is Monsanto.

Qu Yang greeted the people in the other two cars, then turned around and patted Yang Xiaowu on the shoulder. "Let's go, follow me."

Yang Xiaowu followed as a matter of course, without showing any fear at all.

He was a "translator" that Qu Yang had found temporarily. In fact, there was no need for a translator at all, as most of the members of the joint acquisition team knew English.

There are better options for translators, such as Li Yang in Springfield, Illinois.

The distance between the two cities is no more than 150 kilometers, and it takes less than two hours to drive there on the highway.

But after Qu Yang and Meng Shandu agreed on a meeting time and place, he suddenly remembered that Yang Xiaowu was in St. Louis and was about to graduate.

Over the years, Yang Xiaowu has been receiving funding from Tianhe.

Although the boss had already given a large subsidy, he also promised to pay for Yang Xiaowu's tuition.

But no one thought that he was a highly intelligent person who went all the way to the University of Washington and studied biomolecules.

In addition to Monsanto, which has its headquarters in St. Louis, other well-known companies such as Pfizer, Surrey, Donald Denver Plant Science Center, and Sigma-Aldrich also have important facilities in St. Louis.

The medical and biotechnology industries here are well developed, and the University of Washington is also a world-renowned university.

Therefore, Qu Yang brought Yang Xiaowu with him to serve as his full-time "translator", even though he seemed so unreliable.

But it didn't matter, he knew this was a fruitless negotiation because neither side was sincere.

After the assistant made the contact, Qu Yang took Yang Xiaowu and others to a conference room. One side of the long table in the conference room was full of people, all white people.

Qu Yang looked at everyone and saw Mengsandu's arrogance at a glance.

This is a meeting room for ordinary people.

The Monsanto members who attended the meeting all had arrogant expressions, and some even had disdain written all over their faces.

Qu Yang's gaze finally fell on one of the tall white men who also had very little hair left.

He looked to be in his fifties, his suit was spotless, his belly was slightly protruding, and there was a faint smile on his face, which was completely different from the arrogant crowd.

But Qu Yang knew that it was just Brett Biggman hiding it well.

In fact, the CEO of Monsanto was very resistant to Golden Harvest. If Tianhe had not contacted one of Monsanto’s shareholders through an intermediary team, he might not even have had the chance to visit the company.

"Hello, Mr. Brett."

"Please take a seat, my guests."

After a few pleasantries, Qu Yang stated his purpose again, and someone immediately translated it, so Yang Xiaowu was not needed at all.

"The hearing of the Federal Judiciary Committee is about to begin. Tianhe hopes to participate in the acquisition of Monsanto's divestiture business."

"Yes, we welcome every interested enterprise. This is a free country."

Brett's smile was still so warm, which made everyone in the Tianhe team feel relieved.

"Yes, Mr. Brett, I can already feel the breath of freedom, it makes my cells beat."

The Monsanto attendees laughed, and the atmosphere in the conference room seemed to become a little more cordial.

They looked at the man who was speaking. He was a well-dressed business elite, wearing a neat suit and a well-groomed face.

"You are a humorous man, sir. May I know your name?"

"Bai Zhian, Vice President of Tianhe Seed Industry, I am serious, the air here seems to be sweet."

Bai Zhian sniffed exaggeratedly, and in the eyes of everyone, he looked as funny as a dog trying to please its owner.

Everyone laughed even more happily.

Bai Zhian looked around and found that everyone else was also smiling slightly.

But if he looked closely, he would notice that these were all fake smiles, and Qu Yang had a stern face and said nothing.

However, Bai Zhian didn't notice all this.

He only saw that the fool who was invited to join him temporarily, and whom he hated, shook his long hair again, revealing a clear and stupid face.

He especially noticed that Brett Biggman also had a look of disgust on his face, which made him even more disgusted.

"Student, if you don't cherish this opportunity to learn, you can get out."

Bai Zhian said this in English, and most people understood it. Even Qu Yang, who was not very good at English, knew that he was targeting Yang Xiaowu.

He didn't say anything, wanting to see how Yang Xiaowu would handle it.

Yang Xiaowu looked a little confused.

He shook his hair again, then pointed his finger at himself, as if to say "Me?" His silly look made people laugh again.

Bai Zhian was really angry this time. He didn't know who Yang Xiaowu was. He only knew that after getting off the plane, this man got into Qu Yang's car.

Maybe he was Qu Yang's relative, he thought so, so he would have more reason to target him.

Yes, he and Qu Yang don't get along. Both of them want to climb up, and Tianhe has been on a downward trend under Qu Yang's leadership in the past two years.

The planned sea route has not shown any improvement.

I heard that the boss has been dissatisfied with Qu Yang for a long time.

This gave him an opportunity.

If Tianhe can complete the acquisition of Monsanto's divested business, it will have a chance to expand overseas.

Therefore, he mainly tried to acquire the global seed business that Monsanto was about to divest, and this proposal received responses from many managers within Tianhe.

Although Monsanto has a bad reputation, no one can deny its technology. It is a company standing at the top of the biotechnology industry.

It has also been working in China for many years, and many executives of large domestic seed companies are deeply influenced by Monsanto.

Some people may come into contact with Monsanto right after graduation, or even go to work for Monsanto.

Bai Zhian is one of them.

His first job was at China Seed Group, which was almost thirty years ago, just after the reform and opening up. As the only state-owned seed group, China Seed was responsible for the important tasks of introducing foreign varieties and exchanging technologies.

Monsanto was one of them, and its powerful technology left a deep impression on Bai Zhian.

Especially after the establishment of the joint venture company Zhongzhong Dika, Bai Zhian, as one of its members, introduced genetically modified cotton seeds that were resistant to bollworm and glyphosate from Monsanto.

This overturned the previous cotton seed market and brought huge wealth to Zhongzhong Deka.

It also made people of the previous generation, such as Bai Zhian, have an inexplicable affection for Meng Shan.

Now, Tianhe has the opportunity to participate in the acquisition of Monsanto. What a glorious resume.

Qu Yang shouldn't have brought such a person in. This is an important negotiation.

Bai Zhian looked at Yang Xiaowu with murderous eyes. The latter glanced at Qu Yang and then looked at his fingers silently, occasionally touching his hair with his hands.

Every time he lifted his long hair, Qu Yang would feel Brett's unfriendly eyes, probably because he was also bald.

Eh... why should I use it? I still have a few hairs.

"Xiao Wu, please sit in the back."

There were some individual chairs outside the conference table, and Yang Xiaowu moved them indifferently.

"Let's get down to business, Mr. Brett."

"I don't want to waste time either."

Brett smiled and glanced at Yang Xiaowu who was sitting in the corner of the conference room. What a stupid boy.

"This time, in order to meet the requirements of the regulatory authorities, Monsanto needs to sell a $120 billion business."

"So, what kind of business do you have?"

A professional immediately gave an answer.

“The global vegetable seed business, some seed treatment products, the canola business in Australia, the hybrid wheat R&D platform;

The European part of the glyphosate herbicide business is mainly used in the industrial field; 3 rapeseed-like mustard research projects;

Some selective herbicides, pesticides and digital agriculture platforms..."

A series of business was exposed, and Tianhe's staff quickly got into work mode, studying the information and taking notes...

Many people showed excitement in their expressions.

“There are a lot of good stuff this time!”

Bai Zhian muttered softly in Chinese. No one said anything about him, but he did have a lot of things that Tianhe urgently needed.

For example, the global vegetable seeds business.

Monsanto once acquired Seminis Seeds, which ranked first in the global vegetable seed industry.

The second one is Syngenta.

Now, in order to pass the antitrust review of its acquisition of Syngenta, Monsanto has to divest and sell the assets of Syngenta Seeds.

This is indeed very eye-catching.

Qu Yang pondered and said, "Can we acquire the business separately?"

"Are you referring to Seminis Seeds?" Qu Yang nodded. Someone from Monsanto showed a mocking expression. Brett said again: "That's impossible."

"The total price is $120 billion. This price is too expensive. It is almost equivalent to 1/4 of Monsanto."

"The price is negotiable, this is not the final offer."

Qu Yang was silent. How could he get a good deal at this price?

Among this huge pile of assets, the most valuable one is the Seminis Seed Business. The entire Jiahe Group is not interested in other herbicides. Tianhe does have a shortage of R&D platforms, but the price is too high.

The only sound in the conference room was the rustling of pages turning, but everyone's attention was actually focused on Qu Yang and Brett.

Again, neither of them spoke.

It seemed like the talks had just started and they were about to fall apart.

Bai Zhian tried his best to keep his tone calm, "Mr. Brett, $120 billion is indeed too expensive, can you give me a better deal?"

"Well, how about $110 billion?"

Bai Zhian was a little happy at first, and turned his head slightly to look at Qu Yang and others, as if to say, "Look, I negotiated $10 billion right away."

But then he realized something was wrong.

Why is it so easy?
Because it is seriously inflated!
"Not so good." Qu Yang pondered, "Monsanto acquired Seminis Seeds five years ago, and it should have been 5 billion US dollars at that time. What is your estimate this time?"

Someone at Tianhe wrote down the data and said, "US$42 billion."

"Mr. Brett, what makes you think that Seminis Seeds is worth this price?"

Qu Yang smiled intriguingly, "As far as I know, Shengnis Seed's business in China has not been going smoothly in recent years."

"But compared to a few years ago, its global business has expanded again. Moreover, Seminis Seeds is still one of the largest vegetable seed suppliers in China, and its seed sales have maintained an upward trend."

Brett leaned back, and the chair moved back half a meter on the pulleys. He looked at the people in Tianhe arrogantly.

"Besides, it is Tianhe who needs Saint Nice."

"At this price, Tianhe doesn't need Saint Nice."

(End of this chapter)