40: Chapter 40 Trade War

The first batch of large-scale Controlled Nuclear Fusion power stations, with an annual power generation capacity of 1 trillion kilowatt-hours, has already begun installation at key power supply nodes across the country. Ma Baoxia has been so busy lately that he is nowhere to be found, flying all over the country.

Super God Company simply does not have enough employees. Those graduate students who participated in the construction of the Nanshan Controlled Nuclear Fusion Power Station and have construction experience have been sent in batches to the various newly built nuclear power plants; they are in high demand.

Currently, only the administrative and logistics personnel, as well as Zhang Minghan and others from Super God Battery, remain at Super God Company.

Zhang Minghan is now responsible for coordinating with the military regarding the production and procurement of Super God Battery 1.0.

"Talent, oh talent, we are lacking talent!" Su Fan lamented.

Without talent, building a spacecraft is certainly impossible. He does not want to give the blueprints and data to the government; if he were to do that, he might as well have joined the government as soon as he obtained the super god black technology system.

"Let's manufacture the Ternary Food Synthesizer first," Su Fan thought to himself.

The production of the Ternary Food Synthesizer is relatively simple, requiring only one new material to act as the core catalyst.

No sooner said than done, he soon arrived at the newly built Institute of Materials Science, where he had his exclusive materials research lab.

As soon as he began researching the new material, Su Fan noticed a difference. His mind was clearer and sharper, as if his processor had been upgraded.

"Could it be the credit of the gene optimization fluid?" Su Fan speculated in his heart.

"I'll ask Zhou Xiaoxiao later if she has become smarter."

Su Fan continued his experiments. Becoming smarter was a good thing, as it could greatly accelerate the speed of research and development.

...

Just as Su Fan was developing the new material for the Ternary Food Synthesizer, negotiations between the Eagle Nation and Xia Country over Controlled Nuclear Fusion technology broke down. The Eagle Nation directly launched a trade war against Xia Country!

First, a comprehensive ban on major chip companies such as Qualcomm, Intel, and Nvidia from providing products and technical services to Xia Country.

Second, a comprehensive ban on the export of food crops such as soybeans and corn to Xia Country.

Third, a comprehensive ban on the export of 128 types of resources to Xia Country, including copper, iron, crude oil, natural gas, primary-form plastics, and meat.

Fourth, a comprehensive increase in trade tariffs on Xia Country's exports to the Eagle Nation.

Fifth...

There were over a dozen sanctions in total, and every single one hit Xia Country's main arteries.

In response to this kind of 'lose-lose' sanction plan that hurts the enemy but also harms oneself, Xia Country resolutely retaliated, listing over a dozen countermeasures of its own.

However, out of consideration for its own enterprises, Xia Country did not list a 'lose-lose' sanction list.

This trade war was more serious than any previous one; the Eagle Nation was clearly desperate.

Among these sanctions, the one closest to the lives of ordinary people was the ban on the export of food crops like soybeans and corn to Xia Country.

The other impacts were also significant, but none were as major as the issue of food.

Xia Country's grain is only enough to feed its people, but not enough to feed its livestock. Therefore, every year Xia Country imports a large amount of soybeans and corn from countries like the Eagle Nation.

If there is a shortage of soybeans and corn, the livestock raised by farmers will starve to death.

If the livestock starve to death, the people of Xia Country will face a shortage of meat.

Although Xia Country's meat reserves are sufficient, no one knows how long this trade war will last.

Moreover, under these circumstances, meat prices would certainly skyrocket. The situation years ago when pork was over 30 yuan per catty might be even more severe this time.

When meat becomes expensive, the cost of living for ordinary people increases sharply. Coupled with the reduced corporate earnings caused by sanctions in other fields, layoffs and salary cuts will definitely become a widespread social phenomenon.

Xia Country was already experiencing economic stagnation or even a downturn due to the real estate bubble, with a surge in the unemployed population. Add to that the sanctions, plus car and housing loans...

With this, let alone economic takeoff, whether the common people can even eat their fill is another matter.

Regarding this, netizens were talking animatedly.

"Our company's products just arrived in the Eagle Nation, only to be told that tariffs have been increased. But our profit margins are small; once the tariffs go up, we'll be losing money."

"What should I do with my 1,000 cattle! Feed is going to get more and more expensive, and there might even be a shortage. My lovely cows!"

"Upstairs, hurry up and slaughter them for meat!"

"Get lost, they're calves!"

"I'm also raising cattle, and I'm worried about the future feed!"

"I raise chickens, and I'm worried too!"

"What are you bunch of bosses worrying about? My company is preparing for layoffs. Everyone over 35 is being let go. What about my mortgage and car loan!"

"Heh, I've already been laid off. My former company did foreign trade and is completely finished. Now I'm drinking the northwest wind at home every day. Someone come and give me some relief!"

...

The trade war has only just begun, and the impacts are only just starting to show, but it is foreseeable that the impact on Xia Country will grow larger and larger in the future.

Of course, that's assuming Su Fan doesn't take action.

Exiting the materials lab, when Su Fan learned that the Eagle Nation had launched a trade war against Xia Country, his anger flared up instantly!

He hadn't even looked for trouble with the Eagle Nation yet, but they had picked a fight first.

He picked up his phone and called Zhao Jun, telling him to immediately arrange for some experts and professors in mechanical engineering to come over. Su Fan was preparing to reveal a big move.

Additionally, he also asked Zhao Jun's elderly father to come along; injecting the gene optimization fluid would only take a moment.

Zhao Jun was deeply grateful for this.

The next morning, Su Fan, who had worked through the night, had just left the lab when he saw Zhao Jun and Zhao Jianguo.

They had brought over 300 urgently mobilized mechanical engineering talents.

Specifically, there was 1 full professor, 5 associate professors, 30 doctoral students, and 300 master's students.

Su Fan distributed the prepared new mobile phones to the professors and told them to manufacture the finished products as quickly as possible according to the blueprints on them.

After working through the night, he had successfully synthesized the new material.

The six newly arrived professors looked at the data on the phones in shock. A machine that existed only in theory actually had complete manufacturing data. It was simply incredible!

Su Fan beckoned to the Zhao father and son and led them to the biology lab on the fifth floor.

"Chairman Su, you are truly young and promising!" Zhao Jianguo said with a smile.

"I don't deserve such praise. It's Commander Zhao who truly earns my admiration. Your bravery during the Battle of the 38th Parallel back then has always made you a hero I respect," Su Fan said sincerely.

Zhao Jianguo came from a peasant background, yet he was able to rise step by step to become the Commander of the Central Theater Command of Xia Country. It had to be said that it was a miracle.

"I'm old, I'm old. Now even walking makes me tremble, haha," Zhao Jianguo joked.

"You won't be old for much longer. No time to lose, please lie down on the bed now, and we'll begin the injection of the gene optimization fluid." Su Fan picked up the syringe containing the gene optimization fluid.

"Alright! Let's begin! This is truly exciting!" Zhao Jianguo glanced at the syringe in Su Fan's hand; that purple color was so soul-stirring.

Soon, Zhao Jianguo finished the injection of the gene optimization fluid, and Zhao Jun stayed in the lab to keep watch.

Su Fan, meanwhile, drove toward home. He was preparing to go home and exchange for a very important piece of black technology!

One that would be used to break another of the Eagle Nation's blockades!

...