Courtyard House: From Deputy Division Commander to Civilian, Progressing All the Way

The airport's duty-free shops are filled with expensive French perfumes, Swiss watches, and high-end leather goods.

Even the work carts pushed by airport cleaners seem more advanced than the equipment in many factories in China.

Lin Jianguo was at the very back of the group, and he couldn't see enough of the people in the group.

He looked at the glamorous Japanese people and at the rows of vending machines with their flashing electronic screens.

A strong visual impact and a huge sense of disparity struck him like a heavy hammer blow to the chest.

in the country, owning a black and white television set was something that made you the envy of your neighbors.

Here, color televisions seem to be just the most common display devices in the airport terminal.

"Second Uncle...has Japan really developed to this extent?" Lin Jianguo couldn't help but swallow and asked in a low voice.

He originally thought that he had earned hundreds of thousands in the Southern Special Economic Zone, which made him a worldly person.

But standing in this city built with money and technology, he felt like a country bumpkin who had just come out of a mountain valley.

Lin Yang walked at the front, his steps steady, not even glancing at the luxurious goods for half a second.

"It's just a gold-plated shell."

Lin Yang's voice sounded particularly cold and aloof in the noisy airport.

"The frenzy of capital cannot conceal their inherent weakness—their scarcity of resources and their vulnerability to others."

"Take a closer look at the infrastructure that supports this prosperity, and don't be blinded by the superficial glamour."

Pei Yihong walked beside Lin Yang and nodded in deep agreement.

From the moment he stepped off the plane, his gaze remained fixed on the steel dome at the top of the airport terminal.

And those seamlessly welded metal support columns.

"The commander is right," Pei Yihong said to Lin Jianguo in a low voice.

"Look at that main load-bearing column. The surface treatment process is perfect, which shows that their special steel rolling technology and anti-corrosion coating have reached the world's top level."

"This is what we want to see."

Upon exiting the airport, several black Toyota Crown sedans were already parked on the roadside waiting.

These vehicles were arranged in advance by the Japanese mission.

The convoy entered Tokyo city.

As night falls, the entire city of Tokyo transforms into a sea of ​​neon lights.

On the streets of Ginza, drunk office workers are everywhere waving 10,000 yen bills while hailing taxis.

Huge neon signs flashed in the night sky, proclaiming the most extravagant wealth of this era.

The Plaza Accord had just been signed, and the yen was appreciating rapidly.

The Japanese, holding their increasingly valuable currency, felt they could buy the whole world.

The convoy eventually stopped in front of a five-star hotel in Chiyoda Ward.

After checking in, Lin Yang did not rest in his room, but instead led everyone directly to a small, confidential conference room.

Inside the conference room, someone had been waiting for quite some time.

This is a woman dressed in a smart business suit, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, with a shrewd and capable demeanor.

She is the head of Lou Xiao'e's offshore investment company in Tokyo and also the vice president of Xiangjiang Ocean Group. Her name is Su Qing.

"Greetings, Commander." Su Qing stood up immediately and bowed respectfully when she saw Lin Yang walk in.

Although she was stationed overseas, she knew very well that the real boss behind the Ocean Group was the man in front of her, who was as unfathomable as an abyss.

"Sit down and talk." Lin Yang sat down in the main seat and waved his hand.

"How's the task assigned by General Manager Lou going?"

Su Qing opened a document and handed it to Lin Yang.

"Sir, as you instructed."

"All fifteen shell companies we registered in the Cayman Islands have completed capital verification by the Bank of Japan."

"The total initial capital of US$2.5 billion has been fully deposited into the forex long position account."

Su Qing pushed up his glasses, his eyes revealing a hint of awe at this crazy gamble.

"Over the past month, the yen has risen from around 240 to around 210 against the dollar."

"We used 10x leverage, and our current unrealized gains exceed $500 million."

Upon hearing this number, Pei Yihong and Lin Jianguo both gasped in shock.

He did nothing but make five hundred million US dollars just by trading in the financial markets!

In 1985, this was an astronomical sum!

That's enough to build more than a dozen modern heavy machinery plants in the country!

Lin Yang showed no surprise on his face, as if everything was within his precise calculations.

"Continue to add the floating profits back to the principal, do not close the position."

Lin Yang coldly issued the order.

"The appreciation of the yen has only just begun. The Americans will not stop until they have drained the Japanese dry."

"I want you to hold onto this piece of meat tightly until the exchange rate falls below 150!"

"Yes!" Su Qing wrote down the instructions.

"Also, is tomorrow's inspection itinerary arranged?" Lin Yang changed the subject and returned to the business.

"It's all arranged." Su Qing turned to another page of the schedule.

"Tomorrow morning, the delegation will visit the Chiba Rinkai Steel Works of Tokyo Heavy Steel."

"This is currently Japan's most automated and largest producer of specialty steel integrated enterprises."

"In the afternoon, a visit to Genesis Animation Co., Ltd." was arranged.

Pei Yihong was stunned when he heard about the afternoon's schedule.

"Sir, I understand going to the steel mill; that's our forte."

"But what's the point of going to an animation studio? That's for kids. What does it have to do with our heavy industry revival?" Pei Yihong was completely baffled.

Lin Jianguo also looked completely bewildered.

Lin Yang picked up the ice water on the table, took a sip, and glanced at the two of them.

"You only see steel and machine tools, but you don't see the industrial extension behind cultural hegemony."

"The reason why Japan can sell electronic products all over the world is not only because of their quality, but also because of the cultural foundation laid by these so-called 'anime'."

Lin Yang put down his water glass and patiently gave these straight men from the industrial sector some pointers.

"A Doraemon movie and a Gundam movie were broadcast on television."

"It not only boosted viewership ratings, but also led to the sales of millions of color television sets!"

"There were also VCRs, Walkmans, and countless plastic toy models!"

Lin Yang pointed at Lin Jianguo.

"If you want to get into home appliances, you need to understand the psychology of end consumers."

"And behind those plastic toys, what scale of precision injection molds are needed? What size chemical plant is required to supply ABS plastic?"

"This is an invisible behemoth of a light industrial chain!"

Pei Yihong and Lin Jianguo suddenly realized what was happening and broke out in a cold sweat.

They then realized that Lin Yang's vision had already pierced through the traditional steel jungle and seen a deeper level of industrial ecosystem.