"Understood!" Su Han readily agreed.
Su Han also took this opportunity to tour the major cities of Longguo.
...
Due to the global famine, grain prices were rapidly increasing. Scientists were helpless against the wilt disease, casting a pall of despair over all of humanity. Amidst this atmosphere, the global market was in chaos. Iron ore was no exception. With grain prices soaring a hundredfold, iron ore prices also jumped several times over. However, as vast sums of capital flooded into the grain market, snatching up grain still listed for trading, other remaining commodities were neglected. Consequently, although iron ore prices rose somewhat, sales plummeted by over ninety percent.
At this time, in the country of Minercar, Verford, a large iron mine owner, paced anxiously in his office, gazing at the several already mined iron deposits in the distance. The extracted iron ore had already been piled into mountains of ore hundreds of meters high.
"Oh, my God, these iron ores are just piling up here. Why does no one want to buy them? These are high-quality iron ores, you know," Verford lamented.
His secretary nodded in agreement, "Indeed, they are high-quality iron ores, but now, due to the wilt disease, countries across the globe have no appetite to purchase them. Before the wilt disease struck, these iron ores would have sold easily."
Hearing this, Verford recalled a foolish decision he had made.
"Damn it, if only I hadn't broken the contract before the wilt disease. I could have sold these iron ores now. Those Longguo steel factories paid promptly. If only I hadn't tried to cheat Longguo."
A secretary nearby remarked, "Boss, regretting it now is useless. All global capital is chasing grain. Other goods are being ignored. Even if they need iron ore, they are powerless. After all, grain is the most important thing now."
"Sigh!" Verford sighed deeply.
Suddenly, the secretary beside him received a phone call.
"Yes! He is here."
The secretary placed the phone to Verford's ear.
"Boss, someone is coming to buy our iron ore!"
Verford sprang up from his seat. "Hello, I am Verford. How may I assist you?" he said with a fawning tone.
A voice on the other end of the line inquired, "How much iron ore do you have in stock? I'll take it all."
Verford's grin stretched from ear to ear.
"Hahaha, of course, we have plenty! Tens of thousands of tons of iron ore."
"Excellent, send over the contract immediately. If there are no issues, we'll sign it right away. Prepare for loading. We'll depart tonight!"
"Good, good, good. I'll get on it immediately. God bless you!"
"I don't need God's blessing. Just deliver as promised."
...
Similar scenes were playing out with other mine owners across the country of Minercar.
And all these orders were from Longguo.
In addition to what was happening in Minercar, Huitun, the country with the highest copper ore content on the planet, also received copper ore orders from Longguo, all requiring immediate delivery.
At the same time, countries rich in various other metal ores also received orders from Longguo.
Longguo's aggressive spot buying in the international mineral market immediately attracted the attention of the Lighthouse nation.
Joseph John, the President of the Lighthouse nation, immediately convened his advisors for a discussion.
Joseph John sat at the head of the table and said, "What's going on? Why is Longguo suddenly sweeping the international market like this! What are they planning by stockpiling so much? What does Longguo intend to do?"
"Mr. President, I believe Longguo definitely has a conspiracy. We must stop them."
Joseph John said unhappily, "Of course, I know Longguo has a conspiracy. I called you here to find out what that conspiracy is. You fools. Don't throw the problem back at me!"
Seeing this, General Smith, a hardliner from the Lighthouse nation, stepped forward and declared, "It's war! Longguo is stockpiling ore to prepare for war. We must be ready!"
Another advisor nearby countered, "I don't think it's war. The wilt disease is rampant. Countries are facing food shortages. If Longguo were to go to war, they would have to consume vast amounts of food. This would not be beneficial for Longguo. Blindly going to war would only accelerate food consumption."
Lighthouse nation General Smith insisted, "Indeed, food is Longguo's confidence! Longguo now has the largest grain reserves on the planet. Their grain reserves are calculated for three years. Three years is enough time for Longguo to accomplish many things. Mr. President, let us also prepare our troops!"
"Wait, it's precisely because of the grain issue. We in the Lighthouse nation don't have enough grain to send troops. After all, food shortages are also our predicament. If we were to launch a war now, the protestors outside would tear you apart! Of course, only God knows if the hungry soldiers will obey your orders." Joseph John said.
At this moment, outside the White House where they were located, a large crowd of hungry Lighthouse nation citizens were protesting. If one listened carefully, the sounds of their demonstrations could be heard.
Protests were erupting all over the Lighthouse nation. They were protesting the Lighthouse nation's inaction against the wilt disease. On that day, their demonstrations also included numerous instances of "zero yuan shopping."
President Joseph John was, of course, aware of these situations, as he was the President of the Lighthouse nation.
Hearing this, the Lighthouse nation General fell silent. Just as Joseph John had stated, due to the grain shortage, soldiers in the Lighthouse nation's army were also going hungry. The President's meaning was clear: the Lighthouse nation also had a grain shortage, and in that situation, they would certainly not be able to mobilize a large army. Therefore, if orders were given, the soldiers might actually not comply.
The Lighthouse nation General could still suppress the protestors outside, but he could not suppress his own soldiers.
The situation quickly devolved into a dilemma.
President Joseph John of the Lighthouse nation declared, "In that case, then ban those countries from selling minerals to Longguo!"
"Mr. President, that may not be feasible. Because Longguo settles all transactions using Lighthouse dollars. Other countries can circumvent this by using a third party to facilitate the transfer."
As everyone was agonizing,
Suddenly, someone rushed in and whispered a few words into President Joseph John's ear.
After listening, President Joseph John's face broke into a smile.
"Hahahaha, I never thought our allies would be so wonderful! They have instantly solved our predicament. They have all halted transactions, demanding that Longguo settle using grain. They thought of the same thing as me! As long as Longguo uses grain for transactions, they will eventually fall into a food shortage. Without grain, Longguo, like us, will be unable to wage war."