The military operation against the powerful capitalists’ private armies was exceedingly smooth. From the initial "Nuclear Deterrence" strike to the final mopping up of remnants, the entire action took less than twenty hours. The fighting subsided everywhere, and Yang Ying’s forces achieved an overwhelming victory.

Though the battle appeared effortless, it was far from simple. The operation, from conception to execution, involved the contemplation, suggestion, summarization, and refinement by hundreds of staff officers before a concrete tactic could be formed. The saying, "one minute on stage takes ten years of practice offstage," applies not just to the theater, but equally to the battlefield; only with more thorough preparation can military victory be secured.

Yang Ying possessed intelligence gathered by Observers, superior firepower, air supremacy, space dominance, and the ultimate deterrent of nuclear weapons. Considering all these factors, it would have been surprising if the victory hadn't been swift.

However, the primary targets—those major capitalists—had evaded capture. By interrogating prisoners, Yang Ying learned that the capitalists had retreated through several secret tunnels with a small retinue just before the nuclear detonations. Fleeing with them were some quickly reacting psychics and a handful of elite troops.

Fortunately, the number of escapees was small; even if they got away, they posed little threat of stirring up new trouble. Yang Ying dispatched several pursuit teams composed of Ghost Agents, tasking them, with the help of the Observers, to track down the fugitives.

Afterward, Yang Ying handed over the land-based command responsibilities to a Lieutenant General of the Marine Corps to manage all post-conflict affairs, and then returned to the Jushou (Behemoth).

Back on the bridge, Yang Ying exchanged a few words with Howard regarding the battle’s progress before taking time to contact Cinnedy.

Shortly after the staff initiated the communication request, Cinnedy's holographic image appeared before Yang Ying.

"Master Yang Ying, judging by your demeanor, I presume the battle went very smoothly," Cinnedy said with a smile.

"Heh, it was all thanks to the meticulous planning of my subordinates. We have finally eradicated the last pocket of rebel influence on Dolon Star."

"Then I must offer my congratulations. Losing Dolon Star's heavy industry will reduce the rebels’ logistics capacity by at least twelve percent, which is extremely beneficial for breaking the current stalemate between the Royal Army and the rebels." Cinnedy paused. "A major battle has just concluded, and I imagine Master Yang Ying has many matters to attend to, so I will be brief. I heard your mercenary group intercepted a batch of rare resources from the Kustar people some time ago?"

"So, it is about that," Yang Ying thought internally, before replying verbally, "Yes, that is correct."

"We Kaxians are very interested in those resources. If Commander Yang Ying is not in urgent need of them, would you consider trading them to us?" Cinnedy asked directly.

Yang Ying pondered for a moment. "That isn't entirely out of the question, but I have a use for a portion of them; only some can be made available for trade."

When they initially acquired the rare resources, Yang Ying had his staff analyze the best way to handle them for maximum benefit. The staff's conclusion was that although the quantity and variety of resources were substantial, only a small fraction was directly useful to Yang Ying's industrial system.

Take Kunying Stone, for instance. Its powder, when added to the coolant of a faster-than-light engine, significantly enhances the coolant's efficiency. However, Terran technology already possesses a formula that substitutes for Kunying Stone, yielding cooling results no worse than the original, but at over ninety percent cost savings. Thus, Kunying Stone was of limited value to Yang Ying.

Many other resources were similar—either completely unusable or possessing viable, superior substitutes. Even incorporating the Protoss industrial system didn't change this; many resources remained essentially 'chicken ribs' (useless yet regrettable to discard).

On the other hand, although the Terrans had begun expanding, certain critical resources still required conversion from Silicate Ore. Constructing a single Behemoth-class battlecruiser demanded tons of Silicate Ore, a universal strategic resource that should be conserved whenever possible.

Therefore, trading away the surplus resources for needed materials was an excellent business proposition. The Kaxians were already shortlisted by the staff as potential trading partners. Now that Cinnedy had taken the initiative, perhaps those 'chicken rib' assets could command a good price.

The Kaxian industrial system differed vastly from the Human and Protoss systems. What was a burden to Yang Ying might be treasure in Kaxian hands. Moreover, the Kaxians were powerful and possessed massive stockpiles of various resources, undoubtedly including many Yang Ying lacked but could utilize—a perfect case of exchanging what one has in abundance for what one needs.

"Partial trade..."

Cinnedy had learned the detailed specifics of these resources from Idini’s report to the royal family. Since both the Kaxians and the Kustar were preparing for war, the Kustar's accumulation of these resources was for military use, meaning the Kaxians could also make good use of them. Consequently, Cinnedy had initially hoped to acquire the entire batch.

However, judging by Yang Ying's stance, acquiring everything seemed unlikely.

Cinnedy paused to consider. While purchasing everything was impossible, even a partial exchange was significantly better than nothing. She nodded slightly. "Then I would be pleased to hear how Master Yang Ying envisions this partial trade being conducted."

Yang Ying stated, "Master Cinnedy, you know that the Terran branch still oversees departments responsible for manufacturing weaponry and equipment; thus, various industrial raw materials are vital to us. I hope this transaction can primarily involve resource-for-resource exchange, allowing both sides to obtain what they need. Any remaining shortfall can be settled with currency."

Cinnedy frowned slightly. "Master Yang Ying, I must remind you that the Kaxians are also urgently in need of various resources right now. How about we purchase them at a ten percent premium over the market rate? What do you say?"

Yang Ying replied, "I understand that the Kaxians are also preparing for war and are under some strain regarding resources, but it shouldn't be so tight that this transaction cannot be finalized. I have high hopes for this deal, precisely because it allows us to exchange what we need, benefiting both parties."

Cinnedy considered this. "Very well. Master Yang Ying, your point is valid. A win-win transaction is always more stable and sustainable than a one-sided gain. Agreed, the exchange can proceed in a resource-for-resource format."

Seeing her agree so readily, Yang Ying felt a flicker of surprise. "Master Cinnedy, are you authorized to make this decision?"

Cinnedy offered a faint smile. "Do not underestimate those under my grandmother's tutelage. While this transaction involves a considerable volume and requires coordination with the Resource Department, meaning I cannot decide everything unilaterally, I can certainly command at least half of the decision-making power, and I am confident those who decide the remaining half will not contradict my judgment."

Yang Ying gained a new appreciation for Cinnedy. He recalled the massive Stellar Defense System of the Solar System, an undertaking far exceeding the value of these resources, which had been entrusted entirely to Cinnedy’s management. It was clear that Cinnedy held a significant, if not paramount, position within the Kaxian hierarchy. "Very well then. I will dispatch a delegation from my side to handle the specific details of the exchange."

"Mm," Cinnedy nodded. "Calculating using Terran metrics, we are discussing over seven hundred million tons of material. If it were just the two of us, we'd be debating until the next age. I will also send a representative delegation."

Concluding the communication with Cinnedy, Yang Ying did not have the Jushou return to the Vulcan Base but kept it suspended over the sky above Vulcan City. This arrangement made handling matters far more convenient.

Not long after, Phosfor of the Resistance organization paid a visit. Following this battle, the major rebel forces on Dolon Star were practically annihilated. Although the Resistance suffered a major defeat, they ultimately won control of the planet.

Phosfor's purpose was obvious: first, to thank Yang Ying's forces for eliminating the vile major capitalists, and second, to urge Yang Ying to fulfill his earlier promise to open the granaries and armories, allowing the Resistance to develop fully. This way, when the Terran Mercenary Group departed and the rebels eventually reclaimed Dolon Star, the Resistance would possess sufficient capacity to fight back.

Yang Ying reiterated his promise: the armories and granaries would open only after the Resistance had fully evacuated all large industrial cities and after the Terran Mercenary Group had destroyed every rebel arsenal.

Seeing that Yang Ying would not open the two stores immediately, Phosfor settled for a fallback position: requesting another tranche of aid in food and weapons so that the armed worker units could restore their original numbers and morale. His reasoning was that once the armed workers lost their factories, they would become invaluable assets to the Resistance, contributing greatly to the cause against the rebels.

Yang Ying ultimately agreed to the food aid but refused the weapons. The reason was simple: with no large-scale enemy remaining on the planet, what need was there for so many weapons? If the armed workers possessed weapons, their ambition would swell, potentially causing them to shift their focus of rebellion onto the Terran Mercenary Group if they became displeased.

If Phosfor could not control the armed workers, he had no justification for requesting weapons for them. If Phosfor could control them, then giving them weapons was even more imprudent, as Phosfor himself would become the principal problem.

Phosfor failed to persuade Yang Ying and left with the grain, accelerating the evacuation work in the major cities.

Over the next few days, the thirteen members of Yang Ying’s group dispersed across the planet, moving machinery from various factories to augment the Human territory on the Floating Continent. These machines, capable of constructing space warships and assembly lines for combat robots, were immense; some were as large as a small city. If Yang Ying hadn't been able to instantly place the items into the Floating Continent with a touch, dismantling them into components alone would have taken days.

Every time an arsenal was cleared, Yang Ying would plant a low-yield micro-nuclear bomb. After ensuring everyone had evacuated, he would detonate it, using the resulting blast to erase all evidence of the machinery he had removed.

Tonight, I must fight to finish the third chapter!!! To know what happens next, please log in for more chapters, support the author, and support genuine works!