In just one week, Jiang Ye had signed a large number of contracts to poach talent, bringing in an initial batch of 1,876 scientists.
These were all military experts related to weaponry, ranging from newcomers to seasoned veterans, and they were offered extremely generous compensation.
Grand welcome ceremonies were held on Jiang Ye Star, Bi Rong Star, and Exile Star. Planetary leaders and high-ranking military officials personally attended to meet the recruited experts, signing contracts on the spot, posing for photos, and appearing on the evening news.
Following this, several star-based companies announced the establishment of brand new weapons divisions.
Jiang Ye Star Advanced Weapons University, Bi Rong Star Defense Technology University, and Exile Star Military Industry University also saw significant investment in their construction.
The internet was once again abuzz with trending topics, with hundreds of millions of people gathering online to discuss the frequent recent actions surrounding weapons and the military industry.
Public opinion was divided into two sharply opposing factions.
The supporters believed Jiang Ye's decisions were absolutely correct; by recruiting more military industry experts and vigorously developing the military, they could strengthen the planet's hard power and secure a brighter future.
Many netizens became fervent fans of Jiang Ye, even wearing T-shirts and sportswear printed with his image. Initially, these were self-made garments, but as the trend grew, many sportswear brands followed suit, launching new clothing featuring Jiang Ye's likeness, and at considerable prices.
When Jiang Ye attended events, he noticed many people in the welcoming crowds wearing clothes printed with his face. Jiang Ye privately said, "I was utterly bewildered at the time."
Jiang Ye soon issued a relatively mild prohibitory order: no one was allowed to print his face on any commercial products without permission. Existing products could be sold, but production was to cease, or face heavy penalties.
On social media, Jiang Ye posted a special update to explain the order:
"I received no notification, yet the merchants printed my face on their clothes, which infringes upon my portrait rights. I do not wish for businesses to profit from the public's affection for me, especially since many of the clothes sold were of poor quality. Many people excitedly bought them, only for the color to fade after two days. Jiang Ye's eyes on their chests would disappear, or after one wash in the machine, the clothes would shrink, and Jiang Ye's face would be wrinkled like an old man's. Thinking about it is just too unpleasant."
"For the clothes already manufactured, there's no need to destroy them, to avoid waste. But do not produce any more in the future. Thank you all very much for your affection. Those who have already purchased similar clothing can wear them normally, after all, they spent money."
Jiang Ye's prohibitory order actually caused the price of Jiang Ye-themed apparel on the market to skyrocket.
A sports shirt that originally sold for eight hundred yuan increased in price to over five thousand yuan overnight, and it was still in high demand with limited supply.
"Jiang Ye Apparel Becomes an Investment Product" read a newspaper's front-page headline. Jiang Ye found it both amusing and exasperating.
While the supporters were driving up the price of clothing, the opposition expressed concerns about excessive militarization, voicing their opposition to over-developing military strength online.
Slogans from some opposition members began to appear: "Jiang Ye Star must not slide into the abyss of war," "We want peace, not war," "Mr. Jiang Ye, there is no war prize in the world, only peace prizes," and so on.
Jiang Ye's response was equally direct. A few days later, he established the War Hero Award, personally presenting 300 gold medals and 682 silver medals to soldiers and officers who had performed exceptionally in various wars, and disbursed a total of 800 million in prize money.
The media quickly analyzed that the establishment of the War Hero Award indicated Jiang Ye's clear signal: vigorous military development was the future direction.
The stock market reacted even faster, with military industry stocks soaring across the board!
Those once robust military stocks surged to unbelievable heights. Even some military industry stocks that had been sluggish miraculously revived and climbed forcefully. Some stockholders, who had lost hope in those dying military stocks, were suddenly thrilled to find them performing so well again, excitedly boasting online, "I knew they would surge!"
The situation on Exile Star was even more intense. After all, Exile Star had experienced the baptism of war, and its inhabitants retained memories of conflict, thus both supporters and opponents had stronger emotions.
Netizens on Jiang Ye Star and Exile Star were limited to online verbal battles. However, street brawls erupted in multiple cities on Exile Star. Some fights escalated from online disputes, where arguments couldn't be won, to physical confrontations. Both sides were full of martial spirit and were ready to fight.
Some brawls occurred by chance. For example, at a street-side restaurant, one table of opposition members cursed Jiang Ye, and another table of supporters, upon hearing this, slammed their hands on the table and quickly grabbed wine bottles to fight. Subsequently, everyone was rushed to the emergency room.
There were even instances of couples fighting during discussions, leading to divorce.
The turmoil was not confined to the populace. Ministers from Exile Star's six ministries held differing views, constantly nagging Cen Yemeng, causing her a great headache, making her feel like she was cleaning up her husband's mess.
Jiang Ye had not expected that merely recruiting some experts and building three new universities would trigger such a significant reaction from both the government and the public.
To quell the conflict between the government and the public, Jiang Ye decided to give a televised speech during the evening news slot, specifically to explain the issue of weapons experts.
...
Saturday, 7:50 PM.
Television Station.
Jiang Ye had already finished his light makeup and was waiting in the studio. Tang Hanliu was busy directing the television station staff in adjusting the on-site equipment.
Su Yueming stood by with her phone, her expression surprised. "Commander, the viewership ratings have already surged, four times higher than usual! It's still during the commercial break, and the program starts in ten minutes."
Jiang Ye smiled, "More people are likely watching online."
"Major live streaming platforms currently have 2.8 billion people waiting," Su Yueming gasped. "And the number is still increasing. The citizens of all three planets are waiting to hear you speak, Commander. You have great prestige right now!"
"Those watching me speak might not necessarily support me; perhaps some are waiting to criticize me," Jiang Ye said with a calm smile. "Maybe some are also waiting to take screenshots to make memes of me."
"Commander, you're too pessimistic. The vast majority of people definitely support you," Su Yueming said earnestly.
Jiang Ye smiled and said nothing.
"One minute to countdown!" Tang Hanliu announced.
Jiang Ye sat down in front of the camera and reread his script.
He remembered his first televised speech back then; he had been extremely nervous, arriving hours in advance to prepare. He stood in the restroom for a long time, unable to urinate. After zipping up his pants and leaving the restroom, he felt the urge to urinate again.
However, after years of experience, Jiang Ye was no longer nervous. Even though tens of billions of people were watching him on screen, he felt no panic. Sitting in front of the camera at this moment, Jiang Ye felt it was no different from a video conference.
"All departments in position, ten seconds to countdown!" Tang Hanliu, sweating profusely, held up her hand and counted down.