Chapter 197: Unparalleled Power
The files contained core logs and chemical analysis results for hundreds of drill holes, trench and pit exploration data, and various geophysical and geochemical survey outcomes.
The most important among them was the midterm exploration summary report.
Seeing the director flipping through the documents aimlessly, the staff member quickly pulled out the specific report and opened it to the final chapters, pointing to a line of numbers. "Director, look at these figures!"
Jirigela stared at the blocky Chinese characters in confusion, wishing he could smack his subordinate's forehead.
Did the kid think everyone could read Chinese?
"I brought a translator," the staffer remembered at last. He himself couldn't read the characters either.
Fortunately, since the country's economic reforms, many Chinese enterprises and individuals had entered Mengguo to do business. The Mineral and Petroleum Administration had long since hired dedicated translators.
The translator was summoned and entered the office, directly interpreting the contents for Jirigela. "This is the reserves section of the Taluge Copper-Gold Project. According to the report, the total reserves identified so far across the southwestern, southern, central, and the two far-northern ore bodies are: 23 million tons of copper metal, 760 tons of gold, and 5,400 tons of silver."
"Read that again!"
Jirigela understood what those kinds of metal reserve numbers meant — otherwise, he wouldn't be in charge of the bureau.
Still, hearing them, he couldn't believe his ears.
"23 million tons of copper, 760 tons of gold, and 5,400 tons of silver," the translator repeated, then continued flipping through the report. "It states that copper reserves were calculated using a cutoff grade of 0.6%. The following sections detail each ore body's individual reserves, average grades, and thicknesses. There's a special analysis of the southwestern and far-northern ore zones. For instance, the high-grade section of the southwestern orebody, from 600 to 800 meters depth, has an average copper grade of 1.3% and gold grade of 3.6 grams per ton. The far-northern zone has two high-grade orebodies at depths of 400 to 800 meters, with an average copper grade of 3.2%."
Jirigela scribbled in his notebook as he listened. When he finished, he stared at the numbers in silence.
What did these figures mean?
It meant Mengguo had just discovered a copper-gold deposit twice the size of Edente!
Edente Copper Mine was currently the country's largest and most important mine, contributing massively to the national economy — a pillar of Mengguo's GDP.
But now, Taluge Copper-Gold appeared to eclipse it in both scale and grade.
"Is this real?" he asked, still doubting.
"It's real," the staffer replied with absolute certainty. "I've checked the drill data myself. The Chinese team's work is extremely precise and professionally documented."
"Taluge Copper-Gold..." Jirigela couldn't believe it.
He had thought, as long as the Chinese were willing to invest real money, even if they found nothing, it would still benefit the local economy.
He — like many others — had always considered Chinese teams less skilled than those from Canada, Austria, or other developed nations. He hadn't expected anything from them.
But these Chinese hadn't just brought money — they brought real ability.
In just a few months, they had discovered a world-class deposit. And not just any deposit — a rich one.
This wasn't just a Chinese success. It was a huge win for Mengguo's resource industry.
The country's four-year-long reforms and its push to liberalize the mining sector had just been justified in the most spectacular way possible.
This was also a massive achievement for the Mineral and Petroleum Administration itself.
"Bring the file. We're going to see the Minister."
With visible excitement, Jirigela rushed to the Ministry of Industry and Trade. Minister Bayar greeted him with a smile.
"You're here."
Bayar was pleased with his subordinate's performance over the past year.
Jirigela didn't even shake off the snow from his coat. He had his assistant place the thick stack of documents on Bayar's desk and exclaimed, "Minister, you won't believe the surprise I've brought you today!"
"What surprise?" Bayar asked, patting his round belly with a chuckle.
Hands trembling, Jirigela handed over his notebook with the translated numbers. "Taluge Copper-Gold Project in Nanhang Province — they've found a massive deposit! Copper reserves of 23 million tons. This is now the largest copper deposit ever discovered in Mengguo. It could become the most economically valuable mine in the nation!"
"What?" Bayar jolted upright, grabbing the notebook and flipping through it.
As Minister of Industry and Trade, he understood full well the impact of mining on Mengguo's economy.
The entire economy relied on two things: livestock and mining.
Service industries? Manufacturing? High-tech?
In Mengguo, none of these could lift the economy.
Livestock had always been lukewarm, unchanged for centuries.
No country had ever developed purely through herding cows.
Every citizen in the country knew: to become prosperous, improve living standards, and grow the national economy — foreign investment in mining was the only viable path.
Since 1997, the nation had moved from a planned economy to a fully liberalized market system. Mining was the most aggressively opened sector.
Foreign companies were even allowed 100% ownership of mineral rights.
After four years, the reforms had worked — but the results weren't yet big enough.
They needed something massive. Something that would draw the eyes of the world.
Something that would attract capital.
In that moment, Bayar saw clearly what this meant.
Those numbers, simple as they were, had the power to summon every mining giant in the world.
They wouldn't need to ask for investment — the investors would come running.
"Is the data reliable?" Bayar asked, locking eyes with Jirigela.
"It is," Jirigela nodded solemnly. "This is globally significant. Taluge is bigger than Edente!"
Bayar stood up and began pacing in his office, overwhelmed.
The more he thought about it, the more his shock deepened.
This one mine could transform the national economy — affect the lives of all three million citizens of Mengguo.
If managed properly, it could lift the country from poverty into prosperity.
"I never imagined a Chinese team would discover something this big," he murmured.
It was the largest deposit ever discovered during his entire career.
"What now?" Jirigela asked, fully aware of the mine's significance.
"What now..." Bayar muttered, momentarily blank.
But as he calmed down, ideas flooded in.
Attracting foreign capital had been his greatest challenge in recent years.
Despite favorable tax policies and incentives, most foreign companies left after a quick visit.
They needed a headline — something that would draw the world's attention.
Why not make a big deal out of this?
Let the world know Mengguo had massive mineral wealth.
A single deposit worth tens of billions — who wouldn't come?
"I remember Financial Post from Canada sent a journalist recently — here to report on Taluge, right?"
"Yes. Elvin has been in Kulun for a while," Jirigela confirmed.
"Notify them immediately. And inform our national TV station. We're making this public!"
Bayar knew the news would leak eventually.
But he wasn't going to wait. He wanted to grab the world's attention now.
This would send shockwaves through the global mining and finance markets.
Soon, Elvin from the Financial Post rushed over.
After listening to Bayar and Jirigela's briefing, he was left stunned.
His mouth hung open.
"You're telling me… Taluge Copper-Gold has 23 million tons of copper? 760 tons of gold?" he gasped.
"Yes. And you can trust the Ministry of Industry and Trade to verify it," Bayar said proudly.
Just seeing Elvin's reaction told him everything — this was going to make headlines.
Once global media got wind of this, every mining company on earth would turn their eyes to Mengguo.
"This is the biggest mine in Mengguo's history!" Elvin exclaimed. "And it's a high-grade deposit! This is going to shake global mining and finance markets!"
"With the discovery of Taluge, Mengguo will become the world's third major copper base — after Chile and Peru," Bayar declared, lifting his chin proudly.
"I knew it. I knew this was coming..." Elvin muttered in awe.
But what amazed him most wasn't just the deposit — it was the man behind it:
Li Tang.
Yes, Elvin hadn't come just to wait for the Taluge results.
Deep down, he already knew what the outcome would be.
Every project Li Tang touched seemed to shake the world.
Elvin had traveled to China many times, interviewed Li Tang, and even investigated his past to prepare for earlier reports.
What he discovered had left him astonished.
This young man, seemingly so ordinary, had already accomplished one earth-shattering feat after another.
Then, he spent $8 million acquiring a license from BHP Tuo.
Then, he came to Mengguo.
And again, he proved to be a miracle worker.
"This is unbelievable. Just unbelievable..." Elvin whispered.
In that moment, he felt proud that he had fought for funding and insisted on tracking this young Chinese man.
Following Li Tang wasn't madness — it was genius.
This young man possessed an unparalleled power.
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