"I know your foundation is solid," Jiang Ye said. "Don't be stingy now; money comes and goes."
"You mean..." Xu Yan was taken aback.
"The difficulties you just mentioned, none of them are difficulties if you throw money at them. Short on manpower? Offer triple or quadruple the wages to workers going to Birong Star, and you'll have more applicants than you can handle. Need machines or factories? Buy them, then pay for shipping," Jiang Ye advised. "It's a sure-win business, so why hesitate to invest?"
"It's not exactly a sure win. We're actually losing money steadily right now," Xu Yan shook her head. "Ore is profitable when sold locally, but there's no local market for it now. The demand from factories is minuscule, smaller than a mosquito's leg. We've mined so much ore it's piled up like mountains, unsellable. Shipping it to other planets is prohibitively expensive."
"The only profitable mines I have are a gold mine and a silver mine. The silver mine is actually breaking even; only the gold mine makes a bit of profit," Xu Yan lamented her poverty. "The copper and iron mines I'm extracting are only because Wei Hongyang and Che Zhen forced me to. I have to operate at a loss, losing money every single day..."
"Xu Yan!" Jiang Ye was exasperated. "You can complain about being poor to anyone else, but why complain to me?"
Xu Yan looked innocent.
"Selling ore at a loss? Do you really think such a simplistic excuse can fool me?"
"I'm really losing money! I can calculate how much we lose by shipping a spaceship full of pig iron to the nearest planet..."
"You insist on selling pig iron? Can't you process it? Make it into products?" Jiang Ye was speechless. "A smartphone, broken down into its raw materials, is only worth the cost of a meal. The key is to process it into a product!"
"Building a supply chain is incredibly expensive..." Xu Yan looked wronged.
"Money comes and goes!" Jiang Ye said, frustrated by her lack of ambition. "Hurry up and invest. Build the supply chain you need. Wei Hongyang's troops can help you clear land. The land on Birong Star is practically worthless now. It's a golden opportunity you're not seizing!"
"Then..." Xu Yan's eyes darted.
"Don't get any funny ideas. I've already given you plenty," Jiang Ye knew what she was about to say. "For building the supply chain, you invest your own money. I won't contribute a single cent. Once the products are made and making money in the market, I'll take thirty-five percent."
"Thirty percent. That covers a lot of travel expenses," Xu Yan haggled.
"If you try to cut the price again, it'll be forty percent," Jiang Ye adopted an unreasonable demeanor. "If you still disagree, I can find someone else to do it. Others would be grateful to me for even five percent."
"Alright, alright, alright!" Xu Yan pouted, looking as if she had been bullied.
In reality, she was already making a fortune.
This was just a routine performance.
"You've shared plenty of good news. What's the bad news?" Jiang Ye asked again.
"The forces invading our territory might not be limited to just Dan Star," Xu Yan said. "This is a deduction; there's no concrete evidence yet."
"I'm aware of that," Jiang Ye nodded.
Their territory on Birong Star occupied one-third of the planet.
With such a long border, even a million troops might not be able to manage it effectively.
Beyond the border lay countless star systems and factions. Some of these factions' territories were as small as a single town; they would easily cross borders when playing tennis, naturally seeking expansion.
"Do you have a strategy to deal with this?" Xu Yan asked curiously.
Jiang Ye smiled without explaining.
"The second piece of bad news is that winter is fast approaching on Birong Star," Xu Yan said. "The severe cold will extend to lower latitudes, making work even more difficult. Many places are already experiencing hailstorms and snow. The hailstones on Birong Star are truly a spectacle, often half a meter thick."
"I know about that too. Is there any bad news I don't know about?" Jiang Ye asked.
"No," Xu Yan blinked. "With winter coming, are there any cold-weather subsidies or anything like that?"
"You're not here to report on work today, are you? You're specifically here to ask for money?" Jiang Ye asked suspiciously.
Xu Yan's eyes flickered with panic.
She had been seen through so quickly?
She had only feigned an attack; the real offensive hadn't even begun!
"I have no money left. Not a single cent," Jiang Ye stated his position immediately.
"How can you possibly have no money!" Xu Yan exclaimed, anxious.
Jiang Ye smiled slightly and took out his phone.
He opened his account and showed it to Xu Yan.
[Balance: 128,800 million yuan]
Xu Yan blinked and rubbed her eyes.
[Balance: 128,850 million yuan]
"Hey! I see it! Fifty thousand yuan just came in this second!" Xu Yan exclaimed dramatically. "You're so rich!"
Jiang Ye was speechless.
Fifty thousand yuan was considered money?
"Alright, I believe you. You really are poor," Xu Yan said with a worried expression. "How long can Birong Star sustain itself with such limited funds?"
"That's why I'm relying on you," Jiang Ye said calmly. "I know you've already invested a lot in Birong Star. If we lose this battle, all your investments will go down the drain. For your own sake, please put in more effort."
Xu Yan's expression turned serious.
She lowered her head, lost in thought.
After a moment, she stood up. "I understand. Don't worry, we're in the same boat. You rest for a while; I can still row."
Jiang Ye smiled and remained silent.
He watched Xu Yan leave his office.
Jiang Ye picked up his phone from the desk, pressed and held the screen, switching "Card 2" to "Card 1."
[Balance: 41.83 billion yuan]
His phone vibrated. Feng Zishuang's message popped up again:
"I've double-checked the orders, and there are no issues. Please confirm one last time: 20 interstellar spacecraft, one carrier-class shipyard, 50 quasi-satellites, for a total of 780 billion, correct?"
"That's right. Urge the companies to deliver as soon as possible," Jiang Ye directly activated the earpiece in his ear.
"This is a huge undertaking this time; your treasury will be empty. The risk is very high. If Jiang Ye Star encounters any crisis, you won't have enough financial resources to respond."
"Relax, I have a backup plan. I still have some money on hand. If I'm truly stretched thin, some planetary leaders can lend me some," Jiang Ye said. "Now that I'm familiar with the battlefield rules, I need to deploy all my forces quickly. The tactic of throwing troops in piecemeal is a major taboo."
...
A week later.
Birong Star, Satellite Launch Site.
What was called a launch site was actually a super-sized space station capable of accommodating fifty spacecraft for takeoff and landing.
Tens of thousands of troops had worked tirelessly for a week at this location, finally completing the facility on time.
In the launch center's main control room, a group of staff in blue shirts were busy, with vast amounts of data scrolling across rows of screens.
"The first batch of satellites has entered orbit, a total of ten! All systems normal!" a voice boomed from the broadcast.
All the staff applauded collectively. The applause was enthusiastic but quickly subsided, as if awaiting something.
"The second batch of satellites has entered orbit, a total of ten! All systems normal!" the broadcast announced again.
Applause erupted once more, slightly more fervent than the first round, then gradually died down.
After five rounds of applause, the staff relaxed. Some wiped their sweat, some drank water, and others took out their phones to play games.
They were all staff members dispatched by the same satellite company. They had performed similar tasks hundreds of times. When they first launched satellites, they would lose sleep, jump for joy, scream, and cry. Now, battle-hardened, they were accustomed to it, offering a round of applause as a formality.
Che Zhen stood in a corner of the main control room, a look of joy on his face.
Beside him, Xu Yan was in a daze.
She had been unaware of this project's progress and had been kept completely in the dark.
Two hours earlier, she had been brought here by a flight crew. The moment she entered, she was informed that fifty satellites were scheduled for launch today, leaving her utterly stunned.