Chapter 1587
Chapter 1587 - 1583: Industrial Competition
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8 min read
"Thank-you letter? Alright, just send it to my office."
After Lu Ping’an came ashore, he inexplicably received several medals and thank-you calls – it’s said that the Staff Headquarters received dozens of letters of thanks.
More bewildering, he was forced to endure another round of interviews... Even though he knew that maintaining public confidence was the most important task at hand, he was still tormented by a barrage of repetitive and meaningless questions that sent his blood pressure soaring.
"Yes, the war has not yet broken out, we are safe... No, I’m not saying the recent coastal incidents are unimportant, we are building a stable and solid defense line, but we need time."
As a news spokesman, Lu Ping’an was far from professional because he didn’t talk big or spout clichés, but spoke the blunt truth, and told the public about the current unsafe reality of the coast on the TV screen.
But this was the reality. The Long-Arm Tribe Military Region and the coast guards hadn’t even completed their integration, so how could they possibly organize an infallible defense line?
In fact, one of the main tasks that the various military regions just received was to assist with the evacuation of coastal residents... It seems that the decision-makers in the rear also recognized that, even if the defense line was completed, the coast could not be entirely safe.
Moving a part of the population too close to the ocean to establish a "war isolation zone" was essentially inevitable.
"Am I able to take responsibility for the lives of the migrating residents? I truly am not capable... Ahem, that’s not my duty, I am a military man, a warrior, and I believe our inland civil affairs departments have enough capability, they will handle all of this."
Lu Ping’an was indeed blunt, but surprisingly, his inexperienced straight talk, coupled with his general’s title, did fire up a bit on television.
"Losses? Of course, there will be losses... But compared to material goods, isn’t life more important? This is war; how could there not be casualties? If you don’t want to die, then just listen to the arrangements and complete the relocation as soon as possible."
Such utterances, which would normally be urgently halted, actually made it onto television because of his identity.
"Of course, we have to take responsibility for the safety of the people’s lives... But we can only be responsible within our capabilities; don’t trouble the warriors. Moreover, in the coming days, warriors from Alien Races will arrive in various regions, and the coast could potentially become a War Zone, and no one can guarantee absolute safety."
Lu Ping’an was mentally prepared for his interview not to be aired, but not only was it broadcast, it actually received Official push and was edited onto bigger news channels.
Clearly, Lu Ping’an became a mouthpiece for a moment. Some people felt that instead of maintaining a so-called "sense of security," it was better to tear through that facade and let more people survive the impending disaster.
This might also be hinting that when the storm hits, even the Eastern Country would not be able to protect everyone.
"Mayor Li, according to the previous agreement, will I fight for projects for my hometown? What? Not necessary? It’s not a matter of politeness? You mean you can’t do them?"
For the coastal residents, this was undoubtedly an unexpected calamity, but for inland cities inundated with a large influx of population, it might not be a bad opportunity for development.
At least in recent days the inland real estate market had indeed gone crazy... Thinking that his hometown might be affected, Lu Ping’an just made a call to inquire and also took the opportunity to discuss preparations for a forthcoming meet-up.
The response he got was subtle.
On one hand, the population of the Ancient city was still on the brink of an explosion, and the city genuinely could not afford the welfare of this wave of incoming population (due to the excessive number of outsiders); on the other hand, the "projects" that Lu Ping’an introduced were of no interest to the other party.
"Our car and ship factories’ project orders are booked until 2024, we really don’t need any more..."
Lu Ping’an had originally intended to use his influence to secure official orders for the industries in his hometown, but it seemed like they were already overwhelmed.
𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮
Orders were booked almost twenty years in advance, which even shocked Lu Ping’an as to what had happened.
"..... It was supposed to be top secret... Is this a secure line? Actually, we’ve received orders from the military, and our car production has shifted back to shipbuilding."
Originally, the pillar project of the Ancient city Development Zone was sand Boat, which was later transformed into speedboats, Aquatic Motorcycles, Boat, and a shipbuilding subsidiary was established in Mercury 42.
This had essentially become the mainstay of the entire Ancient city... These industries were not only high-profit, high-value-added but also supported a vast array of subsidiary and support industries, providing a massive number of job opportunities.
The rapid development of the Ancient city in the last few years ultimately came down to making the right choices back then. Even with Lu Ping’an as a "big name" out fighting, if the home front was in chaos without a Pillar, there would still be no development.
Now, when Lu Ping’an was introducing projects back home, it might seem self-interested but it was actually contributing to the entire city’s development.
But it seems he was too late...
".... The warship orders are full, not only in my City, but basically, all factories nationwide that can produce floating devices have orders scheduled for at least five years."
That moment, Lu Ping’an was stunned.
Is it to this extent? Has the whole nation started mobilization?
But then he thought about it... Actually, our country originally did not have much of a shipbuilding industry (in this world line), and now facing long-term pressure from the sea, it’s normal to maximize production like making dumplings.
Probably the ships made in the next decade of dumpling making won’t be enough for the oceanic war.
However, within this, Lu Ping’an sensed something unusual.
"If it’s just for defensive lines, there’s no need for so many Ships, it’s enough to be stationed along the continent. Entering the deep sea to chase is seeking death..."
The answer was actually quite clear. The Eastern Country not only wanted to hold its ground but also prepared to counterattack.
Only with a large number of warships would it be possible for warriors to use them as a base and launch a counter-offensive against Australia, to completely flatten that constantly bleeding wound of the world.
"... Quite bold."
Some things are open secrets, unable to be concealed, and probably before long, the strategic plan for early defense, mid-term stalemate, and late counterattack will be sent to Lu Ping’an’s hands.
"Will your ships supply our military region?"
Now, Lu Ping’an seemed to have a new job. Given a choice, no one would want the floating coffins on the water.
He needed to inspect the strength of each shipyard... For nearshore use, any shipyard would roughly do, but for the open sea, the quality of the ship was very important.
"The bigger, the better, size is always most important, it doesn’t need much speed, after all, its core function is to be a Floating Island at sea, it’s best if buoyancy is maximized and it can carry more. By the way, if it can be quickly repaired after damage, even better. If the area is large enough, I can also bring along war machines and beast swarms..."
"This isn’t a Fusang Tree Warship, Meow?"
Meow broke the deadlock with a single remark. The ideal warship Lu Ping’an envisioned was none other than the previous Ark.
In an era where extraordinary power decides outcomes, ships are more capabilities of transportation, with weapons onboard having relatively modest effects.
"This isn’t Mercury 42, how could there be Fusang trees... Uh, uh, really, they can’t have them?"
Lu Ping’an suddenly looked up to the sky, the God of Redemption was here, the tree seeds were here, and the Gardener capable of large-scale Planting was also here.
"Why not, let’s try our hand at shipbuilding ourselves?"
"By the way, should we also bring the Lamp Tree?"
— End of Chapter 1587 —