Two billion meters!
When this number was mentioned, everyone present felt a chill down their spine.
You have to know, the total steel production of Great Xia this year is only 115 million meters!
To gather two billion meters, relying solely on production would take twenty years! Even with overtime and overloading, it would still take ten years!
And right now, time is the most scarce resource.
"First, let's find a way to solve the 80 million meters of steel needed for Ludong. The national treasury should be able to meet this demand. As for the rest, as long as we get through this time, we can find more later," Lin Fan said, looking at the middle-aged man who had previously claimed responsibility for the steel resource issue.
This man was named Shang Weitian, the chief of the Ministry of Commerce, responsible for handling all resource allocations within and outside of Great Xia, and overseeing commerce imports and exports.
"I'll take responsibility!" Shang Weitian nodded without hesitation, "Not only will I address the remaining steel resource gap, but I'll also handle cement, sand, and food! I can pledge a military order!
But I need extremely high discretionary power!"
Lin Fan looked at the middle-aged man in front of him with a complex expression.
In the previous life, Shang Weitian had demonstrated astonishing logistical capabilities.
He was undoubtedly the chief logistics officer of Great Xia!
Lin Fan didn't even know how this guy managed to gather so many resources time and again to help Great Xia survive each Divine Cataclysm.
"Alright! I don't care what methods you use, as long as you don't harm Great Xia or its people, you don't need to report to me as long as you can gather two billion meters of steel!" Lin Fan nodded.
"I guarantee the task will be completed! If not, I'm willing to face military law!" Shang Weitian said, turning and leaving without any hesitation.
Decisive and swift!
"Everyone, go back to your tasks." Lin Fan clapped his hands; he had his own matters to attend to as well.
He needed to quickly enhance his strength and cultivate the Godslaying Demon-Exterminating Art to its limit, becoming a Mortal Demigod!
Once the Godslayer Army was formed, the Godslaying Demon-Exterminating Art would become humanity's weapon against the deities!
But.
Just as the meeting seemed to be ending.
A middle-aged man sitting in the back row tentatively raised his hand: "Commander-in-Chief, I have a better suggestion compared to building the Iron Great Wall!"
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"Speak," Lin Fan was slightly taken aback.
"You see," the middle-aged man stood up, walked to the wall, and pointed at the map of Great Xia hanging there, adjusting his glasses on the bridge of his nose, "Our Great Xia is vast, even if the God of the Ocean truly invades."
"Even if it's a hundred-meter tsunami, or even a three-hundred-meter tsunami."
"It would only affect a dozen or so provinces in the east of Great Xia."
"So why don't we just abandon these provinces and relocate the people and assets to the west? Wouldn't that save time and effort?"
As he spoke, a wise and calm light reflected in the middle-aged man's eyes.
But.
As soon as he finished speaking.
"What did you say?!" Old Jin, who had been sitting calmly, suddenly stood up.
He drew the gun from his waist, chambered it with a click, and pointed it directly at the middle-aged man, glaring, "Are you suggesting we abandon Great Xia's territory?"
Old Jin had fought all his life, a seasoned general.
Though no longer in his prime, at this moment, his presence was like an unsheathed sword, filled with murderous intent!
"Do you know that every inch of Great Xia's land was fought for by our ancestors over five thousand years?
Do you know how our forefathers protected this land from invaders a century ago?
Do you know that every inch of the land you stand on is soaked in blood? Do you know how many soldiers are braving the cold and heat at the borders just to protect this land?
You talk about retreating? Abandoning Great Xia's land? Our people have lived here for generations, and at the first sign of threat, you're suggesting we give up our homes? Are you even human? Would your parents agree, would your grandparents agree?
Damn it, say it again if you dare, and see if I don't blow your head off!"
Old Jin was clearly enraged, so much so that he even resorted to swearing.
For someone of his status as a Five-Star Golden General, this was a complete loss of composure.
He even disregarded the occasion, drawing his gun, ready to shoot the middle-aged man.
Yet, no one present tried to dissuade Old Jin; instead, they all glared angrily at the young man who had spoken!
How could Great Xia's land be handed over so easily?
What is land?
Land is the root of the people of Great Xia!
Back then, our forefathers braved the bullets and shells of invaders, shedding blood on this land, even sacrificing their lives, for what?
For the land beneath our feet!
Now, with the deities approaching.
How could the descendants hand over the land protected by the blood of their ancestors to the deities? How is that any different from being a traitor?
For a moment, the middle-aged man's face turned deathly pale, but he still stammered, "Instead of exhausting national resources, conscripting fifty million, and reallocating steel resources, wouldn't it be better to relocate the people, compensate where needed...
And if the Iron Great Wall doesn't hold, what if the people are still in place..."
BANG!
A gunshot rang out!
The middle-aged man stood frozen, and after a long time, he turned in shock to look at the bullet hole in the wall behind him.
If not for Lin Fan's quick reflexes in pulling Old Jin back at the last moment, the middle-aged man might have been shot by the furious Old Jin!
"Old Jin, calm down!" Lin Fan hurriedly pulled Old Jin back into his seat.
Old Jin gritted his teeth, glaring at the middle-aged man, but then a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes!
The strength in Lin Fan's hands was unexpectedly great!
In theory, Old Jin, having fought all his life, should still be strong despite his age. Even a soldier with two or three years of service might not be as strong as Old Jin.
But in Old Jin's perception, Lin Fan's hands felt like they were made of steel, impossible to resist, and he was forcibly pulled back into his seat!
"Old Jin, calm down," Lin Fan gently patted the old man's back, pushing a teacup towards him, "Have some tea, don't get angry. He's also considering the people of Great Xia..."
Bang!
It would have been better if Lin Fan hadn't mentioned it, but as soon as he did, Old Jin slammed the table hard, pointing at the middle-aged man, "You're lucky today. If Bai Zhan from Sichuan Province hadn't just left, with his temperament, he'd have shot you ten times over!"
In truth, Old Jin wasn't usually so irritable, nor would he normally draw his gun in public.
But the land of the nation is sacred and inviolable to a soldier!
Defending the land is a soldier's duty!
Old Jin had spent his life in the military, handling border disputes many times. In his youth, he had braved the cold and heat guarding the borders, stood off with others with guns in hand, and seen young comrades die on the border.
The peace others see is because people like Old Jin silently protect it!
So, upon hearing the middle-aged man's suggestion to abandon the land, a surge of hot blood rushed to Old Jin's head.
After two minutes of persuasion, Old Jin finally managed to suppress his anger, but even so, he continued to glare at the middle-aged man without speaking.
Lin Fan looked at the pale-faced middle-aged man who still refused to sit down and smiled, "It's okay, I understand you.
You're worried that if we can't hold our ground, what will happen to the people living in the east. Right?"
The middle-aged man nodded, "Yes!"
"Abandoning the land is impossible," Lin Fan smiled, "Not only because we can't give up Great Xia's land, but also because.
We're facing more than just the God of the Ocean.
If the God of the Ocean appears and we abandon the eastern land, fine, we get through it safely, but what about next? If the God of the Sky appears, with countless steel eagles soaring in the sky, do we hide in caves and not come out? If the God of Earth appears, where do we hide then? What about the God of Winter? The God of Flame? The God of the Sun? The God of Light? The God of Space?
Are we to give up everything?
Isn't the lesson of five thousand years of Great Xia not to persist, but to give up?"
Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan