Half a month passed, and the course was quickly halfway through.
Over the past two weeks, Jiang Ye had been incredibly busy, wishing he had three heads and six arms.
Within two weeks, Jiang Ye had dispatched over forty diplomatic missions to the planets of each student.
Each diplomatic mission, in addition to diplomatic officials, also included commercial representatives from Jiang Ye Star, Bi Rong Star, and the Exile Star, essentially leaders from various industries, to see if any business deals could be struck. Some planets even sent large numbers of experts, including sociologists, economists, and industrial experts, to observe the planet's conditions.
Executives from Tian Rao's company appeared on almost every mission roster. Tian Rao's company was highly involved in the visiting missions to the three planets, demonstrating an indispensable, dominant corporate status.
The primary task for these executives was to establish intelligence systems on the target planets.
The plan was to first open a branch company, then use this branch as a cover to continuously send in intelligence personnel. It was akin to breaking through enemy lines, creating a gap in the defense, and then having follow-up troops quickly reinforce and expand the gains.
Among all the students' planets, Jiang Ye was most concerned about his sister-in-law Cen Zi's Sa Lu Star.
Following Jiang Ye's instructions, Che Zhen dispatched over a thousand spies to Sa Lu Star, infiltrating various industries and regions globally.
Within a week of establishing diplomatic relations, Jiang Ye already possessed a massive amount of intelligence on Sa Lu Star.
Judging from the intelligence at hand, Cen Zi's data was largely accurate; she had been sufficiently candid, neither beautifying Sa Lu Star nor deliberately portraying it as desperately in need of help.
Jiang Ye's think tank quickly got to work, analyzing ways to assist Sa Lu Star and preparing to provide support in military, economic, and medical aspects.
On a weekend evening, Jiang Ye was busy alone in his dormitory, handling work remotely.
His phone vibrated on the desk. Jiang Ye looked up and saw it was "Wife."
"Answer," Jiang Ye said.
The call automatically connected, switching to speakerphone, while a small video projection popped up. Cen Ye Meng's face appeared above the phone. She was also sitting behind her desk, looking at Jiang Ye with wide eyes.
"Honey, are you busy?"
"Not busy, just some simple matters," Jiang Ye said, smiling as he looked up.
"Is there anyone else in the room with you?"
"Yes."
"I just looked at the intelligence from Sa Lu Star and had some thoughts I wanted to share with you, honey."
"Alright," Jiang Ye stopped his work and looked intently at his wife.
"Honey, are you planning to help Sa Lu Star?" Cen Ye Meng asked.
"I have that idea. We're still in the intelligence analysis phase, and specific measures haven't been decided yet," Jiang Ye said. "What are your thoughts?"
"I think we shouldn't help seriously, just go through the motions."
Jiang Ye's expression instantly turned surprised.
He had expected his wife to have one of two intentions when discussing this matter: either to urge for prompt aid to Sa Lu Star, or to discuss the methods of aid.
He hadn't expected her intention to be no aid at all.
"Wife, did you get the wrong script?" Jiang Ye chuckled. "Cen Zi is your sister!"
"I have plenty of sisters, what makes her so special? I'm married and have established a new family. Do I still have to take a large amount of money from my household to help a half-sister I've barely met since childhood?" Cen Ye Meng's tone was full of disdain. "She was out of contact for so many years, and now that I'm a planetary leader, she suddenly appears calling me 'sister'?"
Jiang Ye maintained his smile, secretly sighing inwardly that family ties in wealthy families were indeed scarce.
However, it made sense. Personal relationships were one thing, and official business was another. Moreover, the situation of his father-in-law's family was indeed too peculiar.
"Your sister is also a planetary leader. Sa Lu Star has a large population, vast land, rich resources, an advanced military, and unlimited future potential," Jiang Ye said. "By helping your sister now, we can control Sa Lu Star in certain aspects and gain some benefits in the future."
"Unlimited potential? Honey, are you talking about Sa Lu Star, which is plagued by biochemical pollution, radiation pollution, deformed people everywhere, an average disposable income that's only one-twentieth of Jiang Ye Star's, a depleted economy from constant warfare, and wealthy individuals rushing to escape?" Cen Ye Meng rolled her eyes.
"Oh, don't put it so harshly..." Jiang Ye scratched his head awkwardly.
"Honey, I've seriously reviewed the current intelligence on Sa Lu Star. Do you know what my feeling is? This planet is a complete garbage planet. If we help seriously, it will be like falling into a bottomless pit, getting dragged down and unable to pull out, like a stock that could plummet at any moment," Cen Ye Meng's expression turned serious. "You can't divide your focus. Honey, aren't you planning to take over Wheeler Star? Focus on Wheeler Star. Sa Lu Star is just a formality, don't put too much effort into it."
Jiang Ye's expression was strange.
"The most crucial thing is the Zerg, an enemy we have absolutely no prior experience with. Who knows what we'll encounter in future wars?" Cen Ye Meng asked. "Our previous battles were all overwhelming victories where our strength crushed the enemy, resulting in huge profits and guaranteed returns. But we can't overwhelm the Zerg now, we're only slightly stronger. Long-term attrition warfare is hard to avoid, and what will we gain after winning?"
Jiang Ye continued to scratch his head, feeling a swelling sensation in his head.
"Honey, do you think because Cen Zi is my sister, you're willing to go to great lengths to help her?" Cen Ye Meng suddenly changed the subject. "Honey, don't think like that. Just pretend I don't have this sister."
Jiang Ye burst into laughter. "Wife, you're so cute. Don't worry, I won't make a losing deal."
"Then what's your plan?" Cen Ye Meng asked.
"Weaken Sa Lu Star," Jiang Ye said, his smile fading.
Cen Ye Meng's eyes widened.
"On the surface, I will provide aid to Sa Lu Star, but in reality, I will bleed it dry. The stronger Sa Lu Star becomes, the harder it will be to control. But if it grows weaker, Cen Zi will become more reliant on us," Jiang Ye said. "I've already communicated with the think tank, and they will follow this plan when formulating the aid package."
"On the surface, providing aid, but in reality, bleeding it dry. How will that work?" Cen Ye Meng was taken aback.
"This kind of thing could be discussed for three days and three nights, there are too many methods," Jiang Ye revealed a cunning smile. "For example, selling weapons and establishing military academies."
"How so?"
"If we sell enough weapons, Sa Lu Star will have to go to war with the Zerg. If they don't, the military expenditure will be wasted. War will inevitably weaken Sa Lu Star's strength, leading to more citizens fleeing, making economic activities more difficult, and at the same time, a large amount of social wealth will flow into our arms companies," Jiang Ye said. "Establishing military academies has two main purposes: first, to instill a war-mongering ideology in the new generation of Sa Lu Star officers, promoting the outbreak of war; second, to poach talent, trying to lure some experienced old officers from Sa Lu Star to our side."
"That's a bit... a bit ruthless," Cen Ye Meng blinked.
"We'll discuss this issue later. I'm only presenting one aspect, it shouldn't be understood solely in this way," Jiang Ye said with a foxy smile. "Think about it deeply. Considering Sa Lu Star's current situation, what predicament does it face, and how exactly should it get out of this predicament? What role do we play in Sa Lu Star's process of overcoming its predicament? What price does it need to pay? What will our final relationship be?"