It's reasonable for me to be a three-time Golden Horse Award-winning director and an all-around

Chapter 219 of "Soldiers' Assault" is now online! A huge hit! A massive profit! (Seeking monthly votes!)

At the end of June, the second TV series produced by Ruishijie, "Soldiers Sortie", was broadcast simultaneously on Shandong TV's Qilu Channel and Tudou.com.

In its previous life, this drama was not favored by investors and television stations, so its premiere was only broadcast on Channel 2 of SX Province Television.

Limited channel coverage and low viewership of the series resulted in heavy losses during its run, with no prospect of recouping the investment in sight.

It wasn't until it spread and gained popularity through the internet, and then aired a second time on Beijing TV on Army Day, that it became a nationwide sensation!
In this life, in order to avoid detours, Lü Rui laid out a dual broadcast route of "satellite TV + internet" from the very beginning.

At this time, the overlap between internet viewers and traditional television viewers is not very high, so broadcasting on both platforms can reach a wider audience.

Tudou.com is easy to deal with; he's a shareholder, so recommending a show to go online is just a matter of a word.

The difficulty lies in negotiating with Shandong Qilu Channel.

After much negotiation, the distribution department finally finalized the cooperation by signing a performance-based agreement with the TV station.

If the ratings are high, the TV station will need to settle the bill at the market price plus 10%.

However, if the project fails to meet expectations, the production company will have to pay out of pocket to compensate the television station for its losses.

This means that Lü Rui has complete confidence in the quality of this drama. If it were any other production company, they would probably have settled for a local channel long ago.

During the promotional period before the official launch, the main creators, including Wang Baoqiang, Chen Sicheng, Duan Yihong, Zhang Yi, Zhang Guoqiang, and Li Chen, worked non-stop, attending various announcements.

With the upcoming July 1st Party Founding Day and the upcoming August 1st Army Day, "Soldiers Sortie," a military-themed drama, attracted considerable attention during its pre-release phase with its tagline of "the journey of an ordinary soldier to become a king of soldiers."

And most of the publicity and promotion resources came from Enlight Media.

The main creators appeared on many terrestrial TV programs produced by Enlight Media or connected with it, gaining a lot of exposure.

This made Lü Rui feel even more strongly that Enlight Media's terrestrial television advertising channels are absolutely top-notch in the industry!

He even secretly calculated that if he could achieve a deep cooperation with Enlight Media, the promotion of TV series produced by Ruishijie would probably save a lot of effort.

On the day the TV series premiered, Enlight Media specially helped organize a launch press conference.

At that time, Lü Rui had just delivered the revised second version of "Dying to Survive" to the Film Bureau and happened to have some free time, so he made a special trip to help support the film.

After all, it was a key project produced by his own company, and it involved potential cooperation with Enlight Media. His trip was both to help and to pave the way for future developments.

However, it would have been better if he hadn't shown up. His appearance instantly made him the most eye-catching focus of the press conference!
Even though he never participated in any work related to "Soldiers Sortie" from preparation to post-production, reporters still swarmed him with cameras and questions.

"Mr. Lü, 'Soldiers Sortie' officially premieres tonight. What are your expectations for its ratings? Are you confident that it will surpass 'Qiao Family Courtyard' and 'The Return of the Condor Heroes'?"

The reporter's tone was clearly provocative.

"Qiao Family Courtyard" is a CCTV hit, and "The Return of the Condor Heroes" is the most popular period drama in recent months. The success of both shows is undeniable, and any answer will easily leave room for criticism.

Lu Rui could see that perfectly well, and immediately smiled and smoothed things over: "Qiao Family Courtyard is about family and country, and The Return of the Condor Heroes is a classic adaptation. It's different from the military theme of Soldier Sortie, so they can't be compared directly."

What we care more about is whether we can let the audience see the growth of ordinary soldiers and feel the spirit of 'never giving up'. This is more important than just ratings numbers..."

He rattled off a string of words, but didn't respond to the reporter's question.

Seeing that he wasn't falling for their tricks, the reporters immediately changed the subject, pointing the finger at the currently hotly debated "The Deer and the Cauldron": "Director Lü, what do you think of the cast announced for 'The Deer and the Cauldron'?"

Lu Rui raised an eyebrow, secretly wondering if this guy in front of him was sent by that old bastard Zhang Jizhong.
One minute they're talking about "The Return of the Condor Heroes," and the next they're talking about "The Deer and the Cauldron"—it's like they're deliberately bringing up the very thing they don't want to talk about.

Just last week, the cast of "The Deer and the Cauldron" was announced.

Huang Xiaoming, He Zhuoyan, Ying Caier, Shu Chang, Liu Yun, Li Feier, Hu Ke and others were among those listed.

Regardless of whether the actors fit the original characters, the casting process was exactly the same as that of the previous "The Return of the Condor Heroes," making it the target of much criticism.

Most of the actors who were not selected felt that their fame had been taken advantage of by the "open audition" and were very dissatisfied.

Du Chun even held a press conference to bluntly state that Zhang Jizhong's talent show was "a scam, a publicity stunt, and a waste of time," reminding his colleagues not to fall for his tricks.

Zhang Jizhong has now joined the Huayi family, and Huayi also invested in this drama.

Left with no other choice, Huayi Brothers issued an emergency statement and lobbied extensively to barely quell the resentment within the industry.

Asking this kind of question at this time is clearly an attempt to stir up trouble.

Lu Rui remained unmoved: "Today is the press conference for the premiere of 'Soldiers Sortie,' so let's talk about our own drama. I haven't paid attention to 'The Deer and the Cauldron,' so I can't comment on it and won't answer."

Not only him, but the other main creators also tacitly avoided the minefield.

He refused to fall into the traps set by the reporters.

Even someone as honest and kind as Wang Baoqiang has honed his interviewing skills to perfection after years of working in the industry.

Whenever asked about anything other than "Soldiers Sortie," he would laugh and say, "I don't know," "I don't understand," or "Let's talk about our show instead," maintaining an impervious attitude.

Until the press conference ended, having failed to find any explosive news, the media could only report on the new drama produced by Ruishijie in a conventional manner:
"The story of 'Soldiers Sortie' mainly tells the story of how Xu Sanduo, a country boy, grows from an ordinary soldier into a 'king of soldiers'."

"Steel Seventh Company, Grassland Fifth Platoon, Seventh Brigade, we will never abandon you! We will never give up on you! We will advance and retreat together! We will share weal and woe!"

"As an actor who came from humble beginnings, Wang Baoqiang, when discussing his insights from the role, said that he learned a life principle from this drama:"
No matter the difficulties or adversity, no matter who you are or what your background is, as long as you persevere, work hard, and are persistent, you will always succeed!

"..."

There is a lot of discussion about "Soldiers Sortie" from the outside world.

Meanwhile, in the hotel's private room, Lü Rui set up a table of food to reward the main cast and crew, thanking them for their hard work and efforts in promoting the film during this period.

The show is full of men, with not even a proper female lead, so the atmosphere at the dinner table is naturally exceptionally lively.

After a few drinks, the conversation inevitably turned to women.

Chen Sicheng started talking non-stop again, saying that he had been dating non-stop recently, and he was very excited: "What is a single period? I have never experienced it, because I am never short of women around me."

Wang Baoqiang sat to the side, listening with wide eyes and a face full of envy.

Seeing his expression, Lü Rui chuckled and teased, "Baoqiang, what about you? Have you ever been in a relationship?"

Wang Baoqiang was taken aback upon hearing this, and his face instantly turned red to the roots of his ears.

Seeing that everyone was looking at him, he shook his head and whispered, "I've never...never been in a relationship. I'm not good-looking, and no girl has ever liked me since I was a child."

There was a hint of shyness and a subtle sense of inferiority in his words.

“Things are different now!” Lu Rui put down his wine glass and comforted him in a relaxed tone. “Now that you’re famous, you have representative works and a reputation, there will definitely be many people willing to get close to you.”

If you meet someone you like, you can try dating a few more to enrich your romantic experience; it's always better than staying single.

However, to his surprise, Wang Baoqiang frowned upon hearing this: "Why do we need to talk about it? What I'm thinking about now is saving money, making good films and earning money. Once I've earned enough, I'll buy a car and a house, find a suitable woman, and live a peaceful life."

These words reveal the simplicity and honesty of a man from a rural background.

In his eyes, making money, starting a family, raising children, and living a normal life is the most down-to-earth life path.

But Lü Rui shook his head, pointed to Chen Sicheng who was still laughing beside him, and changed the subject: "What you want is stability, but there are too many temptations in the entertainment industry, and there are also many people with ulterior motives."

How do you know if she's truly committed to you, or if she's only after your fame and money? What if she's good at pretending, secretly cheats on you after marriage, and then demands your car and house? What will you do then?

These words struck Wang Baoqiang like a stone.

He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a word for a long time.

Because he had never thought about it in that way, he only felt that "living a good life" was something that would happen naturally.

Lu Rui continued, "Think about it carefully. Right now, you're focused on getting married, buying a house, and having children. You're unwilling to spend a single penny on yourself. You're saving all your energy and money to 'go all in' on your marriage, and you even consider this 'sacrifice' an honor."

But what's the result? Personal quality of life is lost, and personal development becomes easily tied down by romantic relationships. Ultimately, if problems arise, everything is lost…

As soon as these words were uttered, not only was Wang Baoqiang stunned, but the others at the table were also dumbfounded.

The main problem was that this idea was too avant-garde! In the context of 06, it was considered unconventional and even heretical!
Everyone swallowed hard, their faces full of confusion.

Can emotions and life be analyzed like this?

Only Chen Sicheng's eyes lit up. He put down his wine glass and clapped his hands: "President Lü's words make so much sense! Baoqiang, you have to listen to this. There are plenty of bad women in this industry. Don't let yourself be deceived in both your feelings and your money. That would be a huge loss!"

As he spoke, he patted Wang Baoqiang on the shoulder, looking like someone who had been through it all.

Wang Baoqiang gripped his wine glass, his brow still furrowed, his mind replaying Lü Rui's words.

He still didn't quite understand, but he felt there was a reason he hadn't considered in those words, so he could only take a sip of his drink and mutter to himself, "Is...is it really that complicated?"

Unfortunately, there's no one who can answer his question right now; he can only wait for himself to figure it out.

...

That evening, "Soldiers Sortie" was officially launched.

The extensive pre-release publicity paid off, as the series broke through the crowd of other dramas on its premiere night and secured a place on the ratings charts!
The following day, the headlines of major media outlets further amplified the buzz:
"The premiere of 'Soldiers Sortie' was a resounding success! Shandong Qilu Channel's ratings broke 2! A new dark horse has emerged in the military-themed genre!"

"The premiere of 'Soldiers Sortie' on Tudou.com broke records! It garnered over 25 views in 24 hours, becoming the biggest surprise of the summer!"

"Never abandon! Never give up! 'Soldiers Sortie' truly captures the passion and ordinariness of soldiers!"

Based on this data alone, Ruishijie's bet with Shandong Qilu Channel is already a sure win.

The combination of strong popularity, solid word-of-mouth, and steadily rising viewership has created a wonderful chemical reaction.

In the following days, the viewership ratings rose day by day, and the number of views on Tudou.com also increased accordingly. Coincidentally, there were few competitors at the same time, and military-themed dramas were even rarer. In addition, with the festive atmosphere of the July 1st Party Founding Day and the August 1st Army Founding Day, "Soldiers Sortie" directly ushered in a viewing frenzy.

Within a few days, local TV stations from Hebei, Henan, Sichuan, Jilin and other provinces came knocking, vying for the second-run broadcast rights.

Even CCTV's National Defense and Military Channel extended an olive branch, hoping to capitalize on this popularity to broadcast the show to a wider audience.

Lu Rui looked at the financial report and was extremely satisfied.

This drama, with an investment of only 1200 million yuan, easily recouped its costs with just its first broadcast.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the subsequent second and third rounds of broadcasting will generate another profit.

What surprised him even more was the popularity of Tudou.com.

In less than a week since its premiere, the cumulative number of views has exceeded one million!
It's important to know that the total number of internet users in China is only slightly over 1 million, and most people are still more accustomed to watching dramas on television.

Although Tudou.com relies on old and new dramas to attract traffic and its user base grows rapidly, it only has a few million registered users.

With millions of users, the video has garnered over a million views – a truly impressive achievement!
After all, the data at this time was not inflated, unlike in later years when platforms and production companies openly spent money to buy views and clicks in order to boost popularity.

Behind these impressive results lies a dense array of comments in the comment section:

"In this era where good and evil, beauty and ugliness are distorted, this drama sets a benchmark and standard for men, standing tall and upright, clearly distinguishing right from wrong, handling heavy matters with ease, and always keeping a childlike heart."

"When you look at it, everyone is Xu Sanduo, but afterwards, no one is."

"The road that Xu Sanduo repaired really moved me. It may seem like a simple little thing, but if you keep doing it day after day, it will definitely become a great thing!"

"Damn, they're both military-themed shows, so why is 'Soldiers Sortie' so much better?"

"It has a feel of Forrest Gump + Band of Brothers. Wise Vision is amazing! From Chuang Guandong to Soldier Sortie, and Qin's Moon, every single one is a masterpiece!"

"..."

With the popularity and positive reviews of "Soldiers Sortie", Ruishijie's TV drama business has completely taken off.

It not only built a strong brand reputation, but also became a highly sought-after company in the industry!
Taking advantage of this momentum, Hou Hongliang made a clever plan.

He started using the achievements of "Soldiers' Assault" to make grand promises and poach talent.

In particular, the Zhouyi team lost many of its key personnel, from screenwriters to executive directors, who were capable of working independently, directly providing a strong boost to their own team.

At the same time, Ruishijie's long-prepared "My Chief and My Regiment" has also been targeted.

This drama, featuring the original cast and crew of "Soldiers Sortie," had already attracted over a dozen television stations and investors who wanted to get a piece of the pie even before filming began.

But Lü Rui had already made plans.

This drama, with an investment of up to 4000 million yuan, was fully controlled by the TV department of Ruishijie from the very beginning.

Whether it's investment or production rights, they haven't given outsiders a single chance; they've kept everything firmly in their own hands.

At the same time, the immense popularity of "Soldiers Sortie" has propelled the actors into the mainstream.

Wang Baoqiang's portrayal of Xu Sanduo, from a "bad soldier" to a "king of soldiers," resonated deeply with the audience.

Duan Yihong's Yuan Lang exudes charisma and has become the "ideal military officer" in the hearts of countless people.

Zhang Yi's portrayal of Shi Jin is both gentle and resolute; the line "Never abandon, never give up" brought tears to many eyes.

There are also Gao Cheng played by Zhang Guoqiang, Wu Liuyi played by Xing Jiadong, Cheng Cai played by Chen Sicheng... Each character is vivid and three-dimensional, and they became popular all over the country in an instant. The actors can be recognized wherever they go.

Even more unexpectedly, "Soldiers Sortie" also led to a surge in the number of people registering for the autumn conscription.

This was during the conscription period in the second half of the year, which ran from April to the end of July. The deadline was fast approaching, and the number of applicants in various regions had been basically tallied.

Unexpectedly, as soon as "Soldiers Sortie" started airing, many young people who watched Xu Sanduo's story were immediately inspired to join the army and rushed to sign up.

Immediately, the phone lines at conscription offices across the country were overwhelmed with calls, and long queues formed at registration points.

Even the official media issued a special article mentioning the positive impact of the drama on conscription work, which in turn added to the popularity of the drama, forming a wonderful cycle of "the drama's popularity driving conscription, and conscription boosting the drama's popularity".

In contrast, the ratings for "Soldiers Sortie" skyrocketed, as if it had stepped on the gas.

Starting with a 2.1 rating, it broke 3 on the third day, then surged to 4 a few days later, and then steadily climbed to the 4.5 mark...

Industry insiders are very confident that once the hype surrounding the August 1st Army Day arrives, it will be no problem for this drama to break the 5% viewership rating mark!

Of course, while this result is good enough, it is still not enough to top the ratings chart for domestic dramas this year.

After all, "Crossing the Guandong", "Wrong Love", "My Own Swordsman" and "Qiao's Grand Courtyard" are too powerful, each of them is a ratings monster!

However, it's a foregone conclusion that "Soldiers Sortie" will break into the top ten of the year.

If you only look at the data from satellite TV stations, this result is definitely at the level of the annual champion!

It's important to know that this is a military drama that is not a period drama, not a romance drama, not a family drama, and doesn't even have a female lead. It's all performed by men!
To achieve such results is simply perfect.

However, as Lü Rui scrolled through the online discussions, he was filled with questions.
He simply couldn't understand how anyone could think that Xu Sanduo, played by Wang Baoqiang, was a "copy of the female lead."
Even more outrageous, some people are shipping Xu Sanduo with Shi Jin, or Xu Sanduo with Yuan Lang, and even posts have popped up saying that Shi Jin treats Xu Sanduo like a 'little wife' and that Yuan Lang has a crush on Xu Sanduo.

"This is fucking ridiculous!"

Lu Rui couldn't help but curse inwardly.

What is clearly a bond of brotherhood and camaraderie has been distorted in the eyes of some people.

This is blatant misinterpretation! They've completely distorted a perfectly good show!

Fortunately, this was only the opinion of a small group of people, otherwise Lü Ruizhen would have found it difficult to look at.

Meanwhile, in Huayi's office.

Having just cleaned up the mess of public opinion surrounding "The Deer and the Cauldron," Wang Zhonglei looked at the viewership ratings and buzz surrounding "Soldiers Sortie," his face filled with undisguised envy.
"SmartVision has made a fortune again this time!"

He may have been envious, but he knew in his heart that he would never get a bite of that cake.

Unlike film projects, which occasionally allow for co-production, Ruishijie always keeps its TV series projects very tightly under control.

Let alone getting a 1% investment share, it's difficult to even get a little bit involved.

Especially regarding copyright, they treat it like a thief, controlling every step from scriptwriting to post-production distribution, for fear that someone might steal even the slightest bit of profit.

This not only puzzled Wang Zhonglei, but also other film and television companies in the industry.

Is it really necessary to be so stingy?

If we all work together and make money together, wouldn't that make the business bigger?
Regardless of what outsiders thought, Lü Rui simply wouldn't budge.

Because he understands the importance of copyright all too well, especially in the current TV drama market where regulations are not yet fully in place. Only by holding core rights in his own hands can he avoid future troubles.

However, while many outsiders didn't quite understand, Jia Yueting, who was in charge of LeEco at the time, knew all too well why Lü Rui was doing this.

Everyone is focused on how much Ruishijie earned from the TV rights fee for "Soldiers Sortie," but no one has seen through Lü Rui's true hand.

—Tudou.com!!!

In Jia Yueting's view, compared to the meager revenue from second and third-run broadcasts on television, Lü Rui's gains from Tudou.com were the real "big winners."

Compared to the former, it is simply not worth mentioning.

He specifically asked someone to check the industry data, and the result stunned him!
During the airing of "Soldiers Sortie", Tudou.com saw a stable daily increase of over 3 new user registrations, and this number continues to rise.

In 2006, when the total number of internet users had just exceeded 1 million and video websites were still in their infancy, such a growth rate was simply terrifying!
Jia Yueting is all too aware of the core advantages of video websites.

Viewers who miss a episode don't need to wait for a long second run; they can simply skip ahead to catch up on key moments.

This convenience is far more appealing to viewers than traditional television.

It is precisely this advantage that has allowed Tudou.com to create a significant siphon effect, boosted by the popularity of "Soldiers Sortie".

As the number of users grew, the discussion atmosphere on the website became increasingly intense. Some netizens even spontaneously edited famous scenes from the show and created fan fiction, which in turn attracted even more new users to join.

Currently, a few leading video websites are barely managing to stay afloat, but smaller platforms are already showing signs of decline.

Creators are attracted by Tudou.com's traffic, and users are migrating with them. If this continues, Tudou.com will eventually be sucked dry!
According to Jia Yueting's estimate, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Tudou.com's registered users will successfully surpass 10 million in the short term, giving it a significant lead over its competitors.

The explosive growth in user numbers will inevitably drive up Tudou.com's valuation, with estimates suggesting it could increase several times over.

Although he did not know Lü Rui’s specific shareholding percentage in Tudou.com, given Lü Rui’s style of doing things, he must have firmly held onto the core share when he invested, and conservatively estimated it would not be less than 30%.

Based on the industry's conservative valuation of Tudou.com at $5000 million (approximately 4 million RMB), a 30% stake would mean a net worth of 1.2 million RMB.

This is just a static estimate; once the user base exceeds ten million, this number will skyrocket!
Thinking of this, Jia Yueting couldn't help but pace back and forth in his office, his face full of complex emotions: "Lu Rui's vision is truly far-sighted."

While others were scrambling for immediate profits from TV dramas, he quietly leveraged the drama's popularity to deeply establish Tudou.com's foundation.

While reflecting on this, he picked up the user data report from LeTV on the table and compared it with the growth curve of Tudou.com, feeling a sense of urgency.

"Their methods are shrewd, precise, and ruthless. They've managed to disrupt the video industry like this with just one drama. If LeEco wants to rise again, this young man will probably be its biggest rival!"

However, he soon realized that he was not yet worthy of being Lü Rui's opponent.

Because... the script for Pacific Rim has been approved!

(End of this chapter)