"The second plan is that you fund the construction of the production line, you are responsible for daily management, you recruit employees and develop the market. The military will send some experts to guide production. For the profits from weapon sales, the military will take ten percent," Li Nannan said.
"What about the technology?" Jiang Ye still asked.
"Technology... this plan won't give you that either."
"Then let's move on to the next plan."
"The third plan is that you purchase patent usage rights from the military. You will fund the recruitment of some military experts to immigrate to your planet to work for you. Then the military will not interfere. You can find people to build whatever you want, or you don't have to build anything at all," Li Nannan said.
"Is this the last plan?"
"Yes."
"Then this is it," Jiang Ye said decisively.
Li Nannan frowned, "Don't rush to choose. Let me explain the pros and cons in detail."
"Okay." Jiang Ye adopted an attitude of attentive listening.
"This batch of weapons is not of the same generation as the weapons you built before. The difference is very significant," Li Nannan said. "The most significant difference is the cost of the production line. Your previous military factories could build an entire industrial park for one trillion, but half a production line for the new weapons might cost tens of trillions. If you choose to fund it yourself, you might not be able to afford the expenses."
"Besides that, if you choose the third option, personnel expenses will also be very high. The experts the military keeps are very expensive. To get an expert to move their backside to your place might cost more than the weight of the expert in gold," Li Nannan said. "It's not that the military will rigidly assign some experts to you based on how much money you spend, but rather a form of allowing you to poach. You set the terms, and the military experts will look at them themselves. If your terms can impress a few, they'll come. If you offer less money, perhaps none will come."
Li Nannan rambled on.
The general meaning was: don't choose the expensive options, choose the money-making ones, lest you go bankrupt.
Jiang Ye listened with a smile throughout, nodding occasionally.
Li Nannan suddenly stopped, "Why do you have that expression? It's as if you haven't heard anything I've said?"
"Commander, do you think I'm short of money?" Jiang Ye asked.
Li Nannan was taken aback, "Aren't you short of money?"
Jiang Ye was surprised, "Why would I be short of money? I have so many planets!"
Li Nannan looked suspicious, "Your planets are developing so rapidly, aren't they in need of money? Aren't you taking on debt to build them?"
"You've got the cause and effect reversed," Jiang Ye shook his head. "My planets develop quickly not because I'm pouring money into them, but because they inherently have money, which is why they develop quickly."
Li Nannan was completely bewildered.
She had always thought that Jiang Ye, in his rush for development, must have spent a lot of money regardless of the cost, perhaps even accumulating a lot of debt.
But now it was the other way around?
"You're very rich?" Li Nannan was confused.
"Very, very, very rich," Jiang Ye nodded. "So, regarding the new weapons, I don't care about the short-term financial investment. I want technology, talent, and hard power."
"Cen Yemeng has always told me that her side is severely lacking in funds," Li Nannan frowned.
"She's not wrong. Exile Star and Meteorite Star lack funds, but Jiang Ye Star and Bi Rong Star do not," Jiang Ye said. "My planets developed early, and the initial construction costs have already been recouped. The commercial markets have taken shape, and revenue is flowing in. Moreover, I have several major revenue streams from the arms trade, intelligent bacteria, reincarnation people, and interstellar trade. Exile Star and Meteorite Star are still in the recovery and construction phase, and indeed have a lot of debt."
"Are your and your wife's assets separate?" Li Nannan's brow furrowed even deeper. "I always thought you two were so close that you were inseparable."
"We are indeed inseparable, and our assets are not separate, but the planets are different. They are not private property, but public funds," Jiang Ye explained. "Mengmeng and I have discussed this issue. Each planet's finances maintain a certain degree of independence. We cannot blindly redistribute wealth to the poor, as it would dampen the enthusiasm for planetary development. If a planet has a surplus, the surplus money should be invested back into that planet as much as possible, for infrastructure or industry subsidies. If a planet is in deficit, we should try to find ways to save itself, and only transfer money from other planets in case of emergencies."
"Help the urgent, not the poor, is that what you mean?" Li Nannan asked.
"Exactly."
"You two are quite interesting," Li Nannan smiled.
"You asked me for a sum of military funds a while ago," Jiang Ye suddenly lowered his voice. "Are we still fighting?"
"There's no movement for now. They say the situation has eased," Li Nannan also lowered her voice. "Since you have money, can you provide more support?"
"Just say the word," Jiang Ye replied.
"How much can you provide?"
Jiang Ye hesitated, his expression contemplative.
"Is three trillion okay?" Li Nannan tentatively asked.
"Yes," Jiang Ye nodded.
Li Nannan's eyes moved, and she gasped, "You really have money! Well done, Jiang Ye, you've gotten rich quietly. You're not that poor kid from back then anymore!"
Jiang Ye smiled meaningfully, not offering further explanation.
"I might have to latch onto you in the future," Li Nannan suddenly sighed. "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river!"
...
After meeting with Li Nannan, Jiang Ye immediately convened a special meeting.
Industry experts and high-ranking military officials from Jiang Ye Star, Bi Rong Star, and Exile Star rushed to attend the meeting, which was strictly confidential.
Jiang Ye conveyed a clear signal: a batch of high-level military experts, true talents, titans, and masters, would soon be introduced. These experts would settle on several planets and exert their influence as much as possible.
The first step was the establishment of universities.
Three new universities were finalized at the meeting: Jiang Ye Star University of Advanced Weaponry, Bi Rong Star University of Space Defense Technology, and Exile Star University of Military Industry, which were a military academy, a general university, and a semi-military, semi-civilian institution, respectively.
All three schools were planned as century projects, with extremely generous funding support. The plan was to continuously recruit experts from all over the universe to teach. The first batch of admissions was expected to begin next year, with each of the three schools enrolling approximately 6,000, 4,000, and 5,000 students respectively. The scale was not large, adopting a small but refined approach.
Jiang Ye hoped that these universities, which he personally established, would become technological leaders for the major planets and play a guiding role in the future.
The second step was the establishment of new departments within the arms companies. Several planets had their own star-owned arms companies, but with the advent of new-generation weapon technology, entirely new departments or even subsidiaries would be needed to operate. At the meeting, Jiang Ye made preliminary arrangements for personnel to carry out the initial preparations.
The third step was the establishment of a new batch of advanced research institutes. Jiang Ye also decided to invest without regard for cost, striving to achieve some results. After all, the masters from the military possessed academic achievements. If they were merely helping to build weapons in companies or giving lectures in schools, it would be like burying a pearl in dust or burning a qin to cook a crane.