Two Realms Shuttle Gate: Don't Call Me a Demon! Chapter 356

Chapter 356: Chapter 250: Berserk Troop (Second Update)

Blue Star, Jiwei City.

On the streets, fleets of heavy-duty trucks, excavators, cranes, bulldozers, and other engineering vehicles bustled back and forth, clearing away the ruins and dangerous buildings caused by the war.

Many refugees, displaced by the war, were settled outside the city, where Jieke Group had built vast expanses of simple prefabricated houses in just a few days.

“Please rest assured, everyone. We at Jieke Group will rebuild damaged houses for each family, and they will be even bigger and more beautiful than before.”

Under the scorching sun, Liu Yingying stood holding a microphone, delivering a speech to these refugees who had lost their homes.

“Everyone, please live here peacefully for a while. If you have problems with food, go to the canteen we have set up. Those of you with able-bodied family members, regardless of gender, can come and do some work within Jieke Group. In terms of wages, our pay will be more than double the local minimum wage… Our company, Jieke, is here to liberate you all, not to acquire territory and become a warlord,” she declared.

The refugees below were deeply moved, shedding tears of gratitude.

Many had lost relatives under the indiscriminate artillery fire by the Chan Country Government Army and had thought that Jieke Group's occupation of Ji State would also bear the style of warlords.

Unexpectedly, not only did Jieke Group compensate the deceased victims, but they also rebuilt houses, and took in the elderly and orphans displaced by the war, providing new jobs for everyone.

Even the cleanup work inside the city paid much more than what these ordinary people used to earn.

After finishing her speech, Liu Yingying immediately had Jieke's staff distribute various supplies–clothing, medicine, and non-perishable food, among other things.

After busying herself for a bit, Liu Yingying wiped the sweat from her forehead. She was doing this kind of work nearly every day.

After the recovery of Ji State, she had traveled to every city in Ji State, and nearly every industrial area, delivering speeches to stabilize people's hearts.

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As the second-in-command of Jieke Group, in the days when Su Jie was not around, she took on many responsibilities, even losing seven or eight pounds.

“President Liu, we received a tip and have captured a gang involved in robbery, rape, and murder in the refugee area. How would you like to proceed?”

A Jieke Security officer came over and saluted Liu Yingying respectfully.

Liu Yingying looked up and asked, “Has the criminal evidence been confirmed?”

“Yes, it has been confirmed, and many refugees at the scene have identified them.”

“Convene a temporary tribunal, announce these people's crimes, and then carry out a public firing squad execution to deter other criminals.”

“Understood!”

After saluting, the officer turned and went to make arrangements.

Not even an hour had passed, and in a clearing in the refugee area, witnessed by many refugees, a group of criminals were executed with guns to the back of their heads. As the gunshots rang out, a mighty cheer erupted from the refugees present.

Liu Yingying watched all this in silence, reflecting that in the past, she could never have imagined being so ruthless in deciding the fate of dozens of people's lives.

But after following Su Jie to Chan Country and undergoing various trials, she had grown capable of facing life and death without changing her expression, without even offering those criminals a chance to be jailed.

In these chaotic times, strict measures were necessary. For those who dared to loot amidst the chaos, profiteer from national disasters, and bully war refugees, Liu Yingying acted swiftly and severely, offering an all-in-one service from capture and trial to the execution.

Buzz buzz!

Just then, Liu Yingying's personal phone rang.

After picking up the call and hearing the familiar voice on the other end, a smile appeared on Liu Yingying's face. After a few words, she decisively ended the call and instructed her secretary, “Huihui, get the car ready. We're going back to the company.”

Jieke Group building.

“Su Jie, I've put all the paper-based technology diagrams you wanted in the warehouse,” Liu Yingying said as she walked in, her preparations complete.

“Thank you,” Su Jie nodded, then patted his thigh.

Closing the door, Liu Yingying's cheeks turned slightly red as she sat on Su Jie's lap.

“How did you lose so much weight?”

Su Jie, caressing Liu Yingying's slender waist, immediately noticed the change in her.

“Really? I haven't paid much attention, perhaps I've lost a bit of weight with all the running around lately.”

“Make sure to get plenty of rest; don't wear yourself out,” he admonished as he pinched Liu Yingying's cheek, asking, “Any problems in Ji State lately?”

“Ji State is doing fairly well; industry is resuming production in an orderly manner, and public sentiment has stabilized. We're also recruiting and training new troops.”

“Additionally, many of the fifty thousand Chan Country soldiers captured at Jinlao Mountain are willing to join our Jieke Group.”

“After screening these recruits and with this new source of troops, our overall military strength has reached one hundred and twenty thousand, capable of being deployed directly to the battlefield, primarily consisting of mountain light infantry.”

“A greater number of soldiers are still in training. We have compressed the training cycle, so once they are in service, they will be placed behind the front lines, paired in groups with one experienced soldier leading four new soldiers. Unless the battle situation is extremely unfavorable, we won't send them directly to the frontline.”

“Currently, including those in training, our total military strength has reached two hundred and forty thousand, organized into two heavy composite brigades, four mechanized infantry divisions, twelve mountain infantry divisions, one aviation group, one army aviation brigade, and three artillery brigades… Many of our equipment still has shortfalls which we are slowly addressing to fill these gaps.”

Liu Yingying was reporting to Su Jie on the current development of Jieke Group, with the military being of course the most important aspect.”

“The war between Jieke Group and the Eight Nation Group has not ended; neither side has even reached a ceasefire agreement.”

“Currently, the ceasefire is merely both sides tacitly licking their wounds and accumulating strength in preparation for what will surely be an even more astonishing and fierce battle next time.”

“That's why Jieke Group is furiously increasing its troop numbers. Of course, in the Asian Monster Room region, the number of Jieke Group soldiers can only be considered moderate. North Korea, with a population of over 25 million, has an army of over 1.3 million.”

“With only half the population of North Korea, Jieke Group has a 240,000-strong military, which is not considered excessively militaristic.”

“240,000 soldiers, the financial pressure must be significant.”

“Su Jie was tapping his fingers on the table, the number of soldiers more than most countries have.”

“Like those established nations of the UK, France, Germany and others in Europe, their military strength is also around two hundred thousand nowadays.”

“Undoubtedly, they have the luxury of a peacetime military due to a streamlined force, but this also relates to the exceedingly expensive nature of maintaining and cultivating an army.”

Liu Yingying nodded repeatedly, her face full of worry, and said, “There is indeed a lot of pressure. I've seen the military's budget, and due to our soldiers' high pay, just the salaries account for a significant portion of the expenses. Plus, we recently procured a large shipment of military weapons and ammunition to prepare for the upcoming war, including a new fleet of fighter jets, air defense missiles, armored vehicles, etc.”

“Our military spending for this year might exceed 30 billion US dollars, with outside weapons purchases being particularly costly. We have tried to rely on Ji State's local industry to produce some light weapons, ammunition, and armored vehicles. If successful, our military expenses will decrease by a tier.”

“Beyond military spending, to maintain the high wages and extensive civil construction in East Qin State and Ji State, we've consumed a vast amount of funds. Even after imposing some taxation locally, it's not enough to meet our needs; Jieke Group's profits are completely invested back in.”

“If we were to occupy more territory, with the current revenue of Jieke Group, we would quickly exceed the limit we can sustain.”

After listening, Su Jie fell into contemplation. Jieke Group, solely relying on Tianyuan Hair Growth Liquid, could achieve a monthly revenue of 10 billion US dollars with a net profit margin of around 60-70 percent.”

“But as the saying goes, once the cannons fire, gold amounts to ten thousand taels.”

“Armies are gold-consuming beasts, and to cope with external military threats, Jieke Group can only procure various weapons and ammunition at high costs.”

“Imported arms at a minimum are marked up by 50 percent, and it is normal for some to be sold at several times or even more than ten times their price.”

“Taking the major northern nation as an example, with an army of over two million, their annual military expenditure is over two hundred billion US dollars.”

“In comparison, Jieke Group has only one-tenth of their troop numbers. Although Jieke Group currently lacks a navy and has only just started its air force, the main strength still lies in the army, lacking two major gold-consuming branches.”

“But just the army's ammunition, personnel living costs, training and maintenance, and equipment expenses have already consumed a huge amount of capital, especially since the newly established army is starting from scratch, with weapon costs remaining high due to rampant purchasing.”

“And Jieke Group also has to manage its populace, with the taxes collected locally far from sufficient.”

“As Chan Country is a poor nation, wringing out a few coins by squeezing the local resources would only lead to grievances, turning the people against Jieke Group – a loss that's not worth the gain.”

“Unless Jieke Group wants to follow in the footsteps of the Chan Country Government and completely neglect the local populace's well-being, halting the massive investment in civil infrastructure and major constructions like the ones currently under construction–roads, bridges, railways, schools, hospitals, power plants, agricultural water projects, and so on–essentially treating Chan Country as a poor agrarian nation, there would indeed be hardly any expenses.”

“However, Jieke Group's extensive infrastructure projects are fundamentally aimed at winning hearts and minds, maintaining the legitimacy of their rule locally.”

“If all these projects stopped, it would not be conducive to Jieke Group's approval ratings or future development and expansion.”

“It seems we need to develop more revenue streams; relying solely on Tianyuan Hair Growth Liquid is not enough to rejuvenate a nation in dire need of recovery.”

Su Jie furrowed his brows as he spoke. Jieke Group was already one of the companies with the highest net profits in the world, yet the ongoing war and the investment in civil life and infrastructure made even the cash cow of Tianyuan Hair Growth Liquid insufficient.”

“Su Jie, if we can't manage, we should slow down the construction projects and prioritize military capabilities. We need to survive before considering anything else.”

Liu Yingying looked at Su Jie somewhat sympathetically, expressing her thoughts.”

“We haven't reached that point yet. I'll find a way to solve the financial issues. Now, tell me about any recent activities from the Eight Nation Group.”

Su Jie didn't let Liu Yingying dwell on it, promptly changing the subject.”

“The Eight Nation Group has been consistently assisting the Chan Country Government with military aid and issuing military loans. The twenty thousand soldiers from Japan have all arrived in Chan Country and started adaptability training for the local climate. Additionally, the Beautiful Country has been slandering us at the United Nations, causing us troubles by branding us as extreme terrorists and asking Europe to join the fight against us.”

Liu Yingying said with an amused shake of her head, “However, Europe didn't take the bait this time, flatly refusing to send troops.

“It's likely due to our stunning victories in previous battles; they're afraid of suffering losses against us, which might lead to anti-war protests back home and a fall in approval ratings. In short, Europe is unwilling to send troops.”

Chapter end

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