"There is no need to show me this kind of thing at all."
Li Guangya's index finger swept across the holographic screen. He was sitting at his desk. He swept a 20-page application into the recycle bin with a perfunctory attitude.
This 20-page proposal, or petition, was sent from Mars.
As for the core content, it could be summed up in two sentences.
In order to build a supply line for transporting water resources between Europa, the asteroid belt, and Mars, the Tiangong City authorities hoped to have their own armed defense force.
In short, they hoped to build a Mars defense fleet in the solar system, or the Pan-Asian Second Fleet, to combat air pirates active between the asteroid belt and the Mars route.
To be honest, after seeing such a proposal, in addition to feeling surprised, Li Guangya felt it was funny.
As the chairman of the Pan-Asian Cooperation, as long as he was not out of his mind, he would definitely not allow such a ridiculous proposal to pass through his hands. Originally, the autonomy of the Mars colony was a historical problem that could not be solved. Now that even the defense rights were approved, it was better to let the Martians directly establish a country.
What's more, it was still unknown whether the air pirates on the asteroid belt were created by the Martians themselves or funded by them.
Anyway, as far as he knew, New London of the North Sea Alliance and New Paris of the Ibero-French Alliance had become the largest black market trade centers in the entire solar system. Most of the looted goods were sold there, and even the futures market for stolen goods had been created.
And this was almost an open secret.
"I think we'd better treat this matter cautiously." Secretary Wei, who was standing at the desk, said with a serious expression, "Of course, we can't make concessions to this kind of request, but if we don't carefully reject it, your response to the colony's request is likely to become a weapon for people with ulterior motives."
"Even you have considered this, of course I know."
Li Guangya waved his hand. He put the knuckle of his index finger under his nose and spoke after thinking for a while.
"Don't worry, I admit that I may have been a little arrogant during this time, but I have never done any work perfunctorily … I will respond cautiously to this matter. In addition, we have to be cautious about those idiots who think too much. Do you have any good suggestions on this point? "
"We can start from two aspects." Wei Song continued after thinking for a moment, "On the one hand, we can carry out military exercises with anti-piracy as the main subject. On the other hand, we can send more garrison troops to Tiangong City. This way, we can not only dispel the concerns of the space pirates, but also strengthen the control of the colony … in preparation for future plans. "
The so-called future plan was naturally to take back the autonomy and implement direct jurisdiction.
Previously, autonomy was granted to the Mars colonies, including Tiangong City, mainly because the communication distance was too long, and it was impossible to make real-time decisions about the situation of the colonies, so a high degree of autonomy was implemented.
However, over the years, as the number of flights to and from Mars increased, the economic and trade exchanges between Mars and Earth became more and more frequent. This highly autonomous model became a burden.
Especially now that warp speed technology had made a breakthrough, the Qinling took the lead in completing the first superluminal transition in human history. In the near future, the problem of superluminal communication would also be solved, and the last obstacle preventing the Pan-Asian Cooperation from recovering the direct jurisdiction of Tiangong City would soon be removed.
After hearing Wei Song's obscure expression, a thoughtful expression appeared on Li Guangya's face.
After pondering for a long time, he spoke.
"Convene the Military Committee. At this time tomorrow, I hope to see everyone in the conference room. In a while, go talk to Commander Sun and ask the General Staff Department to study in advance which combat formations to participate in the exercise and which ground troops to send over. This will maximize our strategic deterrence on Mars and satisfy their 'sense of security' at the same time. "
Wei Song said seriously.
"I'll go in a moment."
Li Guangya said, "Just give the order. This matter is actually not so urgent. The focus of our current work is still on the space elevator and the stargate that is about to start construction. The relationship with the colony is very important. We should try to avoid making things too awkward with them."
Wei Song nodded and was about to turn around and leave.
However, at this moment, he suddenly thought of something, stopped, and spoke.
"Speaking of which, there is something I have to report to you."
Li Guangya raised his head again and cast a questioning look at him.
"What is it?"
"Recently, several well-known foundations registered on Mars have suddenly begun to raise funds on a large scale, intending to build a colonial ship." Wei Song continued after a pause, "Especially the Alpha Centauri Galaxy Famous Exploration Fund. They have raised nearly 150 billion credits through pre-sale of tickets and bonds."
"Colonial ship?" Li Guangya frowned slightly, then shook his head and said, "I'm not in charge of financial matters. I'll talk to the financial regulatory department later."
Wei Song smiled bitterly and continued.
"The key is not 100 billion … but Academician Lu."
Li Guangya was slightly taken aback.
"Academician Lu?"
"Yeah." Wei Song showed a strange expression on his face and continued, "He seems to have left his apprentice and went to Mars alone to participate in the art exhibition of the Alpha Centauri Colonial Exploration Foundation …"
Having said that, he was silent for a while, lowered his tone, and continued.
"… He might be serious."
The office fell into silence.
After a long time, Li Guangya broke the silence.
"A great man like him, who can influence the course of history, no matter what choice he makes in the face of fate, it is not something we can control."
He sighed softly. His voice was obviously a little tired, as if he was facing a more difficult problem than the defense rights of the colony.
After brewing emotions in his chest for a long time, he waved his hand as if he had given up.
"Don't report this to me in the future, let him be."
…
"Achoo!"
Ling looked sideways at Lu Zhou, who sneezed without warning. Ling, who parked the rover, cast a questioning look at him.
"Do you have a cold, Commander?"
"No, probably someone is thinking of me …" Lu Zhou sniffed hard. He reached out and touched the holographic interface lightly, cleared the water mist on the inside of the helmet, and changed the topic. "Are we there?"
Ling nodded and cast his gaze out of the window.
"We're here."
This was an abandoned mine, located in the rift valley one kilometer east of the old site of The Gates of Hell. It was also the place where everything began.
The Hiddell Mining sign was still hanging at the entrance of the mine, but compared to the last time he saw it, the mottled traces of time and sand erosion were more conspicuous.
Lu Zhou once promised General Reinhardt that he would come back to him when he had dealt with the matters on Earth. Although there might be a little time left before the day of departure, it was almost time to start preparing.
At the same time, he also had a lot of things to ask him about the mystery of the "Star Gate".
Holding Ling's arm, Lu Zhou jumped off the rover and stood in front of the abandoned mine. He couldn't help but have a nostalgic expression on his face.
Time flies so fast.
A year and a half has passed in the blink of an eye.
In this year and a half, not only did I see the world changed by my knowledge, but I also met so many interesting people. I even saw my descendant, who I sent to the future …
Lu Zhou's throat moved slightly. He seemed to have something to say, but he suddenly spoke.
"Ling."
Ling cast an inquiring look at Lu Zhou, and he responded aloud.
"What's wrong, Commander?"
Lu Zhou, who originally wanted to say something, suddenly closed his mouth for some reason.
After a moment of silence, he looked up at the deep and endless darkness in the depths of the cave in front of him, and a smile appeared on his face.
"Nothing … Lead the way."
The red pupils flickered slightly, like the light of fireflies.
Ling nodded slightly and took a step forward to stand in front of Lu Zhou.
"Yes, Commander."
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