I have a debt of 3 trillion, and my creditors are begging me not to die.

Chapter 213 200 people VS 25000 people, the advantage is on my side!

The person making the call was a general from the Pakistani military named Muhammad Hussein.

His purpose in making this call was to purchase a batch of drones, robotic dogs, robotic wolves, and other equipment from Yang Chen in order to completely eliminate the Pashtun rebels.

As long as the money is there, none of this is a problem.

Yang Chen immediately asked, "How much equipment do you want to buy?"

Hussein replied, "That's right, we don't have a budget and can't settle accounts with you in cash. We can only use the gold mining rights in Pashtun to settle the debt. The total number of rebels is about 25000. How much equipment do you think we need to completely wipe them out?"

Yang Chen then asked, "What kind of equipment do they have?"

Hussein replied, "According to the intelligence we have obtained, their main equipment consists of submachine guns such as AKs, along with a large number of grenades and some RPG rocket launchers, but in small quantities, no more than 100 sets."

Yang Chen continued, "Do you have their photos or videos?"

"We have photos and videos of the main core members, but not of the other lower-ranking members," Hussein replied.

Yang Chen quickly assessed that sending a team of about two hundred men would be enough to wipe them out.

Yang Chen said, "How about this? You can exchange the five-year mining rights to three gold mines in Pashtun for mines. My personnel will choose which three mines they are. I'll provide the personnel and the equipment. You won't have to lose a single soldier. I guarantee that all 25000 terrorists you mentioned will be wiped out. What do you say?"

In fact, these terrorists are rebels who have been troubling Pakistan for half a century. Due to outdated military equipment, low-quality military personnel, and the complex terrain of the mountainous and forested areas where the rebels are located, the Pakistani government forces have never been able to deal with these rebels.

In previous years, the international community generally classified these rebels as terrorists, and Pakistan has been seeking help from other countries to eliminate them.

But there's no such thing as a free lunch. Who would do things for them if they didn't have money?

If more people are killed or injured during the operation, we won't be able to explain it.

Pakistan also considered exchanging minerals, but the prices offered by various countries were too high. They either wanted permanent mining rights or dozens of mines, which was simply unacceptable.

Recently, Pakistan has seen that the use of drones, robotic dogs, and other intelligent equipment in combat between Russia and Pakistan has proven highly effective, resulting in no casualties. Therefore, Pakistan wants to purchase some equipment from the Sihai Group to deal with Pashtun terrorists.

Most of Pashtun, especially its mineral resources, is controlled by these terrorists. Over the years, the profits from these mineral resources have been divided up and used to purchase weapons and equipment.

In this context, if Pakistan could exchange the five-year mining rights to three gold mines in the region for the elimination of terrorists and the reclaiming of all its territory, it would certainly be willing, since it would gain these things for free without paying anything in return.

Hussein immediately replied, "Really? Mr. Yang isn't going back on his word, nor is he joking!"

Yang Chen said with a smile, "Just because of the slogan 'Long live the friendship between Lombard and Bahamas,' I can't joke with you, and I won't regret it."

Hussein laughed heartily and said, "Okay! We'll hold a meeting right away to discuss it, and we'll contact you once we have a result."

After hanging up the phone, Yang Chen called Guo Hu, the president of Sihai Security Group, to come over.

"We have a fantastic opportunity right now. You'll need to build a team of around 200 people, proficient in operating drones, robotic dogs, and other equipment. Soon you'll be going to Baba Yang's territory for a mission to eliminate a terrorist organization of approximately 25000 people. After completing the mission, you'll select three gold mines there, and the mining rights will belong to us for the next five years. In addition to your regular salary and benefits, each member of the team will receive an extra 100,000 yuan for travel expenses. My requirement is that not a single one of you can be injured, and absolutely no one can die. If any accidents occur, I'll be responsible for your medical treatment and will provide compensation depending on the circumstances. If anyone dies, they will receive a resettlement allowance of 1 million yuan. Is that clear?" Yang Chen instructed.

Guo Hu quickly replied, "Understood! I've got it. Don't worry, Chairman Yang, I'll get it done."

Yang Chen nodded and said, "Go and get busy. Get everything ready as soon as possible and then we'll set off."

Guo Hu nodded and hurried back to prepare the personnel for the business trip.

Yang Chen called Huang Wei, the president of Sihai Intelligent, and instructed her: "Prepare 1000 drones, 200 robot dogs, 100 robot wolves, and 10 robot tigers, and send them to Baoli Military Industry for modification. Also, prepare 1,000 mosquitoes that can inject toxins for our experiment, with venom added to them. After everything is ready, seal them up and wait for Guo Hu to hand them over to you."

Huang Wei quickly replied, "Okay, I'll go prepare right away."

About three hours later, Hussein called Yang Chen again.

“Mr. Yang, we accept your terms of cooperation. When can you send troops over? Also, is there anything we need to prepare?” Hussein said.

Yang Chen replied, "Make sure to communicate well internationally to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings. Also, we will be sending a team of 200 people this time, so you need to prepare food, lodging, and necessary security measures."

Hussein was dumbfounded on the spot. He quickly said, "Mr. Yang, did I not make myself clear before, or did you not understand? I said that the other side has 25000 people, and you only sent 200 people over, and you don't allow us to send a single soldier. How are we supposed to fight like this?"

Yang Chen smiled and said, "200 vs 25000, the advantage is on my side. Don't worry, as long as your intelligence is largely correct, 200 men are enough to wipe them out. I won't joke around with my own people's lives, you understand that."

Since Yang Chen had already said so much, Hussein naturally didn't say anything more. They just waited to see how Yang Chen's team would eliminate the terrorists.

Hussein said, "Okay, then we'll do as Mr. Yang says. We'll prepare food, lodging, and security for 200 people. When will your team arrive?"

"About two weeks. You'll come over in person to sign the contract with us, and then take them there," Yang Chen said.

If it were to go to another country, Hussein would most likely not dare to go.

But he can rest assured about coming to China.

Hussein immediately agreed, "Okay, I'll arrange it right away. That's all for now, I won't disturb Mr. Yang's rest any longer."

"Okay, I'm hanging up," Yang Chen replied with a smile.

Three days later, Zotye sent a delegation to Sihai Group to discuss the acquisition with Yang Chen.

Zotye almost went public, but the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) injected capital into it, temporarily saving its status as a listed company. However, because it no longer has a market share in the automotive industry, the company has been laying off employees and reducing its business scope, and now it is barely hanging on by a thread.

Now that Yang Chen wants to acquire it, everyone is more than happy to do so.

Zotye offered two acquisition proposals.

First, all the shares held by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, as well as the shares held by other major shareholders, totaling about 56%, will be sold to Yang Chen at the price calculated based on today's closing price, thus retaining Zotye's status as a listed company.

Second, Yang Chen launched a takeover bid for all Zotye shareholders, aiming to acquire 100% of the equity and delist Zotye.

Zotye currently has a market value of just over 10 billion yuan. If it retains its listing status, Yang Chen can gradually increase the company's market value, which will allow many people to get rich together.

Yang Chen can lead his employees to prosperity and can also secure benefits for the country and its people from foreigners, but he can't be expected to carry someone else's sedan chair.

Therefore, Yang Chen still prefers the second option: he will acquire all the shares held by the shareholders at a 10% premium based on today's closing price. Zotye will then be delisted, and Xingchen Auto will be relisted once it takes off. At that time, the market value will definitely be several hundred billion, and all the profits will go into Yang Chen's pocket. He will not be helping others to profit.

After both parties finalized the plan, Yang Chen and Zotye jointly issued an announcement stating that they would launch a takeover offer to all shareholders at a 10% premium based on today's closing price. Zotye will hold another shareholders' meeting to vote on whether to accept the takeover offer, and the company's stock will be suspended from trading after the market closes today.

Since Yang Chen announced his intention to acquire Zotye, the company's stock price has hit the daily limit for three consecutive days, closing at 3.55 Dragon Coins, with a market value of 177.5 Dragon Coins. Yang Chen's acquisition at a 10% premium would cost 195.25 billion Dragon Coins, which is negligible for Yang Chen, whose income has just exceeded one trillion.

Three days later, Zotye's shareholders' meeting approved the proposal for Yang Chen's acquisition and issued an announcement to begin the next steps.

Since it was Yang Chen who made the acquisition, all departments attached great importance to it. What would normally take ten days or half a month was completed in just one day.

Going global with new energy vehicles is a major national strategy, but it has been stalled due to issues such as tariffs. Now, we are counting on Yang Chen to break down these barriers and lead China's new energy vehicle industry to the world stage, so that the people of China can enjoy the positive social benefits brought by the high added value of industrial products.

Yang Chen posted a Weibo update.

"Thank you for your support. From this moment on, Xingchen Automotive is officially launched. Our first new energy vehicle will use solid-state batteries, with a range of over 2000 kilometers. Before the vehicle is produced, Xingchen Automotive will build more than 10000 battery swapping stations in cities at the county level and above across the country. We will operate using a battery swapping model to completely solve problems such as range anxiety and inconvenient charging. A dedicated Xingchen Automotive app will be launched later, where we will publish detailed service information. Interested friends can follow us."

"In addition, we will move Zotye Auto's original production line here, and we will also add workshops for battery production, auto parts production, and assembly, which urgently require a large number of workers. Interested friends can pay attention. Thank you for your support."

This Weibo post quickly attracted numerous comments from netizens. "See? I knew Mr. Yang would definitely get into new energy vehicles. It's the future trend, no doubt about it. Once our lunar base is built and controlled nuclear fusion is achieved, a large amount of helium-3 from the moon can be transported to Earth to generate electricity, enough for humanity for 1 years. Electricity will be dirt cheap then. As long as new energy vehicles solve their safety and range issues, everyone will choose them. Don't doubt the country's vision, and don't doubt Mr. Yang's vision."

"Isn't it said that solid-state batteries are not mature enough and are very expensive? If Mr. Yang uses them now, can the car be safe? And the price will definitely be very high, at least around 50 yuan. Who would buy an electric car at that price? Aren't BBA (BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi) better?"

"I've said for a long time that battery swapping is the optimal solution for electric vehicles. Many families don't have the facilities to charge their vehicles, and you have to queue to charge on the highway, which is just too troublesome. With a range of 2000 kilometers plus battery swapping, you won't have range anxiety no matter where you are in China. I just don't know how much of what Mr. Yang said can be achieved. The construction cost of more than 10,000 battery swapping stations alone is more than 30 billion yuan. Well, it seems that more than 30 billion yuan is nothing to Mr. Yang. I think it can be done. As long as you have money, nothing is a problem."

"Boss Yang, let's be friends. How about starting at 9.99? If it starts at 9.99, you're Master Chen. If it starts at 15.99, you're Father Chen. If it starts at 19.99, you're Brother Chen. If it's over 20, then you can only be Son Chen."

……

Netizens joked and watched the spectacle, but major car manufacturers and battery producers panicked.

With solid-state batteries available, who would still buy current lithium batteries?

BYD and other new energy vehicle companies, and CATL and other battery factories, immediately held a meeting to discuss countermeasures. In the end, the countermeasures they came up with were basically the same: first verify whether Xingchen Automotive really had solid-state battery technology. If it was confirmed to be true, then they should quickly reduce the price of existing cars and batteries. If Yang Chen was just talking, then they should maintain the status quo.

CATL Chairman Xu Yumin quickly called Yang Chen and asked bluntly, "Chairman Yang, why so suddenly? I just added a few ternary lithium battery production lines, and now you've suddenly come up with solid-state batteries. I'm going to suffer a lot. Tell me quickly that you're joking, please tell me!"

Yang Chen laughed heartily and said, "How could I dare to talk nonsense about something so important? I have indeed developed a solid-state battery. But you don't need to worry. In the future, cars under 20 yuan will use your ternary lithium batteries, and my solid-state batteries will only be supplied to cars over 30 yuan. There are still many ordinary people in China, and the best-selling cars are still those under 20 yuan. You just need to firmly grasp this market. Everyone can shine in their respective markets, so you don't need to worry about so much."

To put it more bluntly, Yang Chen meant that the high-end battery market would be handled by Xingchen, while the low-end battery market would be left to brands like CATL and BYD.

If they accept this market division, everyone will be fine; if they don't accept it, then it's up to each individual to see who is more competitive.

Xu Yumin naturally had nothing to say; for CATL at present, maintaining its position in the lithium battery market is the best option.

The golden age of new energy vehicles has passed, and we are now entering the second half of the elimination round. In the end, only a few brands will survive, and they will definitely be divided into high, medium and low-end markets.

Given Yang Chen's financial resources, technical skills, and personality, he will definitely target the mid-to-high-end market. If you don't have enough confidence to compete with him, then you should obediently avoid the market he operates in.

Xu Yumin smiled and said, "Okay, I understand what Chairman Yang means. I won't bother you any longer, I'll hang up."

Meanwhile, BYD, a domestic new energy vehicle company, is holding a meeting of its senior executives.

Executives are divided on BYD’s chosen course of action, and the argument is raging.

"Solid-state batteries will be hard to sell for under 100,000 yuan in the short term, so we'll have to cut our pure electric series and look for opportunities in hybrids. Our brand positioning is already deeply ingrained in people's minds; it's a car for the masses around 100,000 yuan. If we raise prices, we'll definitely lose a lot of customers, and the company will be finished."

“I think everyone is overreacting a bit. Xingchen Automotive’s decision to go straight to solid-state batteries means it can only target the mid-to-high-end market. Our low-end market doesn’t conflict with theirs at all. We will continue with our original plan, aiming to mass-produce solid-state batteries for large-scale replacement by around 2030. For now, we will continue to use lithium batteries.”

“What I fear most now is that Yang Chen will drive down the price of solid-state batteries, then we’re finished. Other brands can sell for over 20 yuan and people will buy them, but if we sell for over 20 yuan, I’m afraid no one will buy them. I’ve said before that our strategy is flawed. Once people think we’re just ride-hailing cars, just low-end cars, it will be difficult to raise prices and move into the mid-to-high-end market.”

"When technology needs to be updated, there's no way around it. If we want to move to the next stage, we must have the courage to cut our losses now. We need to sell off our inventory and get solid-state batteries on the market as soon as possible to achieve economies of scale. I estimate that we can become profitable in three to five years. If we hesitate here, once Xingchen Battery scales up and costs down, and solid-state batteries become as cheap as lithium batteries, we will have no chance at all."

……

The executives argued endlessly, but in the end, it was President Wang who made the decision to directly follow Xingchen Motors' pace, clear out the current cars first, and go straight to solid-state batteries next year.

BYD headquarters sent a price reduction notice to 4S stores and dealers nationwide, announcing a price reduction of 0 yuan across the entire series starting at midnight tonight, while continuing to enjoy national subsidies and trade-in benefits.

BYD's sales staff immediately called potential customers, sent messages, posted on WeChat Moments, and shared on Douyin (TikTok), and the news of BYD's price reduction across its entire product line quickly became a trending topic online.

As soon as it was light, brands such as Galaxy and NIO followed suit with price cuts, with discounts of 20,000 yuan for models under 200,000 yuan, 30,000 to 50,000 yuan for models over 200,000 yuan, and discounts of over 100,000 yuan for models in the million-yuan range.

When electric vehicles lower their prices, gasoline vehicles will naturally follow suit. Gasoline vehicles are already difficult to sell, and if they don't follow suit with price reductions, they will be even harder to sell.

之前卖20万的别克君威直接一口价10万，20多万的凯迪拉克CT5直接干到了15万，就连奥迪Q7都来到了30万区间，只有劳斯莱斯、宾利等豪车不受影响。

Yang Chen woke up early in the morning and was stunned when he checked his phone. His Weibo post announcing his car manufacturing venture had received an astonishing 100 million comments.

"Thank you, Mr. Yang, for letting me buy my dream Audi Q7 for just over 30 yuan. Even though I don't support electric cars, I still want to give you my special thanks."

"Mr. Yang is amazing. Just by saying he wanted to make cars, he got all the car companies to compete to lower their prices and promote sales. Although I know that buying an electric car now might mean getting a rare, discontinued model, the Qin P with a price of less than 3 yuan is still too good to pass up. I feel like I could make more than that by selling it as scrap metal. Thank you, Mr. Yang."

"I really want to die. I just bought an Audi Q7 for over 50 yuan, and I lost more than a dozen yuan in less than a day. I'm unhappy all year."

……

Yang Chen quickly posted another Weibo post.

"The price reductions by car manufacturers have nothing to do with me, so please don't try to give me credit. I don't want that credit. Furthermore, we welcome new energy vehicle manufacturers to order solid-state batteries from our company, and we also welcome them to join our battery swapping alliance. Two thousand years ago, the First Emperor standardized writing and cart tracks; today, I hope for standardized electricity. We will cover the cost of building the stations; you only need to share the subsequent operation and maintenance costs. I still maintain that technological progress should improve people's lives."

This Weibo post looks like an invitation, but it's actually an order.

Relevant departments quickly took action, contacting major new energy vehicle manufacturers and urging them to join Xingchen Automotive's battery swapping alliance.

Once Xingchen Motors' more than 10000 battery swapping stations are built, the country's new energy vehicle strategy will be able to take another step forward.

Yang Chen's car was blocked at the company entrance, and the roadside was full of official vehicles with license plates from Haicheng, Hecheng, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Hefei, and so on.

Yang Chen got out of the car, and everyone surrounded him.

It was only after exchanging greetings that I learned that these were all delegations personally led by mayors from various cities, and they all had only one purpose: to hope that Yang Chen would establish Xingchen Automobile's factory in their cities.

When Jiangcheng Mayor Huang Zhenhua heard that other cities were vying for the site of Xingchen Automobile Factory, he immediately led his team over as well.

Yang Chen said with a smile, "Thank you all for your support and trust in Xingchen Automotive. Let's go inside and talk. Since there are too many people, it might not be enough to accommodate everyone. Let each company select 2-3 representatives to go in, and the rest of you can just browse around."

Each mayor quickly selected two assistants to accompany them into the Sihai Group to discuss the factory construction with Yang Chen.

Yang Chen got straight to the point: "Thank you all for your support. Let's get straight to the point. What I'm thinking of right now is a plot of land of 3000 to 5000 acres to build a complete industrial park covering the entire supply chain, from R&D to parts and battery production, and finally to vehicle assembly. We'll handle every step ourselves, which will minimize costs so consumers can get the cheapest and best cars. So, let's hear what policies you can offer us. I won't favor anyone or be biased; we'll choose based on everyone's sincerity."

Each city took turns speaking and announcing its own preferential policies.

"We in Haicheng will provide Xingchen Automotive with a free loan to buy land and build a factory, which can be repaid within 20 years. We will also exempt them from taxes for 10 years, and if the funds are used for export, they can receive a full tax refund. We will also open bus and subway lines..."

"What Haicheng can offer, Hecheng can offer too. In addition, we can lead the professional teams from Hefei University of Technology and Longyan University of Science and Technology to cooperate with Sihai Group, providing Sihai Group with outstanding talents every year. We can even provide targeted training programs to ensure that Sihai Group always has a sufficient supply of talents."

"If that's your point, then we in Haicheng can facilitate cooperation between Haicheng University, Shuangdan University, Tongji University, Haicheng Jiaotong University, and the University of Science and Technology and Sihai Group, absolutely guaranteeing that Sihai Group will have outstanding talents to choose from every year."

……

Each city is doing its best to offer the best policies it can, hoping that the Xingchen Automotive Industrial Park can be built in their city.

This made it harder for Yang Chen to choose. Everyone's conditions were excellent and almost the same, with the only difference being the level of their university. However, this difference was negligible, and with the salary and benefits offered by Sihai Group, there was no shortage of talent.

"Oh dear, I've seen everyone's sincerity. To be honest, I'm in a dilemma. I can choose anyone, but I just can't decide," Yang Chen said with difficulty.

At this moment, Chen Xi hurriedly walked in and whispered a few words in Yang Chen's ear.

Yang Chen smiled and nodded, saying, "Everyone's tired of talking, let's take a break and watch a real-life bandit suppression operation together."

(End of this chapter)