It's better to conquer them than to command the steel torrent

Chapter 28｜Trilateral Defense Research Institute
After returning home, Shang Ke briefly recounted his experience today, saying that it was completely inappropriate and he would never waste time again.

He refused to listen, and Wei Shuhua tried to persuade him for a long time before finally giving up.

Shang Ke carefully counted the available savings he had on hand. Fortunately, Shang Ke was not a spendthrift, and his food and accommodation were all paid for by the state during his long stay in the military camp, so he had accumulated some money over the past five years.

The total amount of these deposits is 3.7 yen. Except for a small amount of change, the remaining 3.6 yen is in a fixed-term savings account at Donghua Bank.

In order to revitalize the economy, the savings interest rates of major banks in the Grand Federation are currently very low, generally only around 1.5%. Donghua Bank is considered to be relatively high at only 1.8%.

Shang Ke felt that this was meaningless, so he simply went to the bank and withdrew all the money.

Considering that there were only four days left until New Year's Eve, he thought that he could think about making money during the New Year and go to the Commercial Bureau to register the company first.

The attitude of the staff at the Commerce Bureau office was very negative and quite reluctant.

The receptionist looked listless and directly denied the request, saying, "You are an active-duty national defense soldier and cannot register a company."

"I want to register as a research institution, not a profit-making one."

"That's not OK."

"The law only restricts 'profit-making commercial companies,' and mine is not included."

"I don't know, we don't have such a rule here."

Before Shang Ke came, he went to the bookstore and bought a copy of the Constitution, so he took it out and turned to the corresponding page in person.

The clerk still gave it a perfunctory look and arrogantly denied, "No, we only follow our regulations."

"You can't make the decision? Then can you let the person in charge here come over?" Shang Ke said patiently.

"They are not here today because of something. You can go back and stop bothering them." The staff member waved his hand impatiently.

"Not here? Not on vacation yet?"

"If you're not here, you're not here. Go away."

Shang Ke originally didn't want to argue with the person in front of him, but it was obvious that there were people coming in and out of several offices not far away, but you guys lied with your eyes open and chased them away?
"Your attitude... is quite interesting." Shang Ke smiled slightly.

The clerk behind the counter was confused by this reaction. Before he could come to his senses, he was slapped hard in the face and fell off the chair to the ground.

The crisp sound spread throughout the hall, and people's conversations stopped instantly, and dozens of eyes gathered together.

The citizens who came to do business were stunned at first, and then watched the show with great interest.

It turns out that the employee's boss was there.

After a while, a middle-aged man came jogging with a cold face, followed by several people.

"I'm the section chief in charge of this area. I don't know why you took action, sir?"

Mr. Shang didn't hold back, and the employee who was slapped was obviously stunned. He staggered and couldn't stand steadily even when helped up.

"The management here is lax and you have no regard for the law. Let me give you a reminder." Shang Ke picked up the crimson booklet in his hand and shook it.

The middle-aged man said coldly, "If our officials are negligent, they will naturally be criticized. Sir, you are too arrogant to openly hit someone. What do you think of the law?"

Seeing the nearby citizens all looking secretly delighted, Shang stared at them and introduced himself, "I'm Army Military Police Major Shang Ke, and my father is Jiangsu and Zhejiang District Councilor Shang Yuxiu. I will definitely take responsibility for my assault. What about you? You must also take responsibility for your incompetence in managing your subordinates."

Huh? No way?
The middle-aged man's expression suddenly changed. He asked nervously, "Um...why is Chief Shang here? Let's go to the reception room and talk."

"Why are you going? Can't you explain it clearly here? It's too shameful to be seen in public."

"Uh...you tell me." Then, Shang Ke briefly recounted his previous experience.

The middle-aged man admitted his mistake without hesitation and apologized repeatedly, "I understand. Commander Shang, you are right. It was my negligence and mismanagement."

"How can hitting someone be considered right? I'm going to turn myself in now."

"No, Commander Shang, you're being too polite. You're just giving us a heads-up. I can't thank you enough."

Arrogant at first and respectful at the end, it makes people laugh when they think about it.

After recognizing the true colors of these guys, Shang Ke didn't have the energy to continue arguing and directly brought the topic back to the main business.

After all this trouble, the next business went quite smoothly.

Anything is allowed unless prohibited by law. The Constitution and its amendments only stipulate that active-duty military personnel are not allowed to engage in profit-making commercial activities. Therefore, in theory, it is feasible to register a research institution.

Just like that, after some minor setbacks, on the afternoon of the Southern New Year's Day in 1938, a public welfare organization called the Sanlian Defense Research Institute was registered and established.

The organization's logo is three hollow diamonds connected left and right, in red, black and blue, representing theory, technology and intelligence respectively.

This is a historic day!
Then the next step is to find a way to make money, otherwise I won’t have the confidence to recruit people. Let’s set a small goal for now, one million!

Shang Ke stood in front of the Commercial Bureau, looking at the busy traffic, and breathed a sigh of relief.

The sky gradually darkens, and the sun sets in the west, with red clouds flying.

The most important festival in the Confucian cultural circle is approaching. From Jiugang in the south to Kuwu Island in the north, from Yili in the west to Honshu Island in the east, the festive atmosphere has filled the streets and alleys.

A few days later, in the northern suburbs of Tuzhongfu city.

At the junction of Xijian Lake and Langya Mountain, there are several rows of independent houses. The environment here is beautiful, and you can see the main peak of Langya Mountain shrouded in clouds and mist without leaving your home.

Late at night, the crescent moon hangs high in the sky and everything is silent.

In the west wing of one of the mansions, Jian Keqiu was working late into the night...actually, she was writing a reply letter.

After their hasty farewell, she continued to exchange letters with Shang, keeping in touch with him frequently at the rate of one letter per day.

Shang Ke didn't hide anything in the letter. He frankly admitted that he had registered a defense research institute and was currently preparing to launch several ambitious plans - no matter what, he would make a million first!

Jian Keqiu was skeptical about this. She did not doubt Shang's character, but she felt that he did not seem to have a good business sense - making money was not that easy.

She thought about how her own business had been in recession for several years, shrinking by half, and had only finally started to improve in the past two years.

In today's letter, Shang Ke said that he was sure that he had come up with a brilliant idea, but unfortunately the letter paper was too small to fit it, so he would talk about it later.

He only wrote about the things he was researching: one was how to make tapioca starch into chewy and delicious little balls; two was the progress of the commercialization of artificial chemical synthetic fibers; and three was the feasibility of using tinplate sheets to make cans for liquids.

Although it seemed puzzling, Jian Keqiu could roughly guess that Shang was indeed seriously thinking about making money. She wrote down her replies one by one, as well as New Year's greetings.

Just as she put down her pen, the sound of brisk footsteps was heard.

The door was pushed open, and a girl about sixteen or seventeen years old greeted with a smile: "Sister, it's so late, why are you still awake? Aunt Liu made a midnight snack, come and eat it!"

"Hmm? Rice dumplings?"

“Tofu pudding.”

Jian Keqiu's expression changed instantly. The girl asked in surprise, "Sister, what's wrong with you?"

(End of this chapter)