Chapter 813: You Don

At around ten o’clock in the morning, Li Ye and the others finally arrived at Mitsubishi’s manufacturing plant in Aichi Prefecture.

Everyone in the delegation, except Li Ye, was stunned.

The endless workshops stretched like rice paddies across a vast plain, disappearing into the distance.

Ma Zhao’s face was calm, but his voice trembled as he asked: “Is this really just one branch factory of the Mitsubishi Group? Director Liu, are you sure this isn’t the entire Mitsubishi conglomerate consolidated here?”

Liu Muhang stared at the scene before him, uncertainly saying: “I’m not sure if it’s only Mitsubishi Motors—definitely not the whole Mitsubishi Group,

because Mitsubishi Shipbuilding must be by the sea, and Mitsubishi Steel and Mitsubishi Chemical should have towering smokestacks.”

Xiao Jингang frowned and said: “You don’t even know? Then just ask them.”

“Don’t ask. This is Mitsubishi Motors alone. Toyota’s plant is in Tanen City.”

Li Ye interrupted Xiao Jингang’s suggestion.

Asking Liu Muhang whether this was just one Mitsubishi factory? Would that reveal how unworldly we are?

I, Li Ye the Emperor, have seen the world. Don’t make me look foolish.

But Gu Jianqi spoke sternly: “Are you really that certain—or is it just your pride, afraid to admit the gap between us?”

“Come on, there’s obviously a gap—we’re here to find it. Why be so timid?”

“Exactly. If we clamp our mouths shut, do you think they won’t see our ignorance?”

“.”

Li Ye looked at the few “easygoing” fellows, his gaze growing cold.

Incompetent and destructive.

“Senior colleagues, I think you’ve misunderstood. Regarding the gap between us, I understand it better than any of you.”

Li Ye said coldly: “What you’ve seen is only Mitsubishi Motors’ factory in Japan. Mitsubishi Motors also has factories in the Lamp.”

“And Mitsubishi Motors is only a small part of the Mitsubishi Group. The group’s total assets are at least tens of billions, possibly hundreds of billions. Is that answer satisfactory, senior colleagues?”

“.”

Everyone froze. The staggering number and Li Ye’s icy tone left them unsettled.

Though Li Ye had a reputation for being hot-tempered, since leaving Jingcheng he’d maintained the demeanor of a humble junior—this was the first time he’d shown his temper.

Lu Zhizhang noticed the uneasy expressions and quickly blurted: “Li Ye, when you say hundreds of billions, you mean yen, right?”

Li Ye slowly shook his head: “No. Dollars.”

“Whoa~”

“Hundreds of billions of dollars? That’s a joke. How much money does a country even have?”

“What was our country’s foreign exchange reserve this year? This is… unbelievable.”

Those who had just urged Li Ye to admit the gap now refused to believe it.

But Li Ye was telling the truth.

Mitsubishi Group was founded in 1870, originally just a shipping company. As it grew, it expanded into shipbuilding, banking, and insurance.

Later, it acquired numerous subsidiaries—in aviation, papermaking, steelmaking, even oil. Once its businesses spread everywhere, even the Japanese themselves didn’t know what kind of giant it had become.

According to statistics, in the future, Mitsubishi Group’s total assets reached 20 trillion RMB—fifty percent larger than that so-called Samsung Universe.

But unlike Samsung, its structure was looser: eighty percent of companies bore the Mitsubishi name, twenty percent were unverifiable, and they competed with each other.

Regardless, Mitsubishi Group was a massive economic entity.

Decades later, the decline of Mitsubishi Motors gave the illusion that the entire group was dying—it was merely a small part of the Mitsubishi brand.

Gu Jianqi looked at Li Ye and said gravely: “Whether Li Ye is right or not, no one joke around. Remember—we represent Huazhong. Stay dignified, neither humble nor arrogant.”

“.”

Everyone’s faces turned blank. The leader was always right—even if he’d been doing somersaults and sticking out his tongue a moment ago, he could now scold you for being unsteady.

Mitsubishi Motors’ reception staff arrived. Their rank was unclear, but their posture was courteous, bowing at least forty degrees, which eased the delegation’s nerves.

Yet once inside the workshop, their expressions turned uneasy again.

Someone muttered: “This production line is even more modern than Volkswagen’s in West Germany—I personally inspected the Santana line in Hushi.”

“I haven’t been to Hushi, but Beijing’s 212 and Cherokee can’t compare to this…”

In mainland China, the Santana was the most advanced production line. But even Hushi Volkswagen’s line looked pitiful next to Mitsubishi’s small truck line.

Santana production in Hushi began in 1985. Before that, “Made in Hushi” was a prestigious brand, representing the pinnacle of mainland mechanical manufacturing.

But how was the Santana made?

Volkswagen produced semi-finished vehicles in West Germany, shipped them in crates along with parts to Hushi Volkswagen, where final assembly occurred.

At the time, every part of the domestic Santana was “Made in W.Germany.” The assembly line was abysmal—no conveyor belts at all.

But here, Mitsubishi’s truck production line was fully automated.

“Sorry, no photography. Please hand over your cameras to us.”

A cold command snapped the group back to reality.

Only then did they realize Zhong Secretary had brought a camera, intending to take photos of Gu Jianqi on-site.

Liu Muhang quickly explained to the staff and ordered Zhong Secretary to surrender the camera.

“Wasn’t it clearly stated that photography is forbidden? You’re risking our visit being canceled…”

“I didn’t photograph the equipment. Japanese visitors take photos in our mainland factories. So stingy…”

Zhong Secretary still defended himself, but eventually had to hand over the camera.

Li Ye glanced at Professor Zhao, who gave a slight nod—a silent “no problem.”

Why had Professor Zhao brought this “favorite student”? Because the kid had a photographic memory.

Li Ye could achieve photographic memory through his biological hard drive, but he didn’t recognize the equipment here, nor could he reconstruct the process details afterward.

Now Li Ye watched only the young man named “Xiao Zheng,” whose eyes never blinked as he scanned everything, hoping the professor’s praise was true.

After viewing the mini-truck production line, Liu Muhang, per Li Ye’s instructions, requested to tour the passenger car production line.

To everyone’s surprise, the Japanese readily agreed.

“Huh, these little guys are generous!”

“Yeah, we represent the nation.”

The delegation happily moved to the passenger car workshop—only to be struck again.

The production line here was even more advanced.

After their explanation, the mini-truck line turned out to be outdated equipment from the 1970s—ten years behind.

“Then how far behind are we?”

With this question in mind, and under Japan’s enthusiastic invitation, they toured the production line for the Pajero SUV—their flagship product.

Then, everyone fell silent.

Even the technical authorities sipping tea in the office had seen mainland auto plants. The vast gap filled them with dread.

Some now realized: their generous invitation was meant to crush their spirits, to make them kneel and worship.

The Lamp had used this tactic to subjugate the Japanese. Now the Japanese used it against Li Ye and his team.

On the return ride, everyone sat lost in thought. Only Xiao Zheng muttered to himself, rapidly sketching diagrams and symbols in his notebook.

Zhong Secretary suddenly asked: “What’s the point of drawing all this?”

Xiao Zheng looked up at Zhong Secretary, then returned to his sketching, ignoring him completely.

Zhong Secretary’s face darkened—until Li Ye said: “The point of his drawings is to learn, to catch up, to surpass.”

“.”

Zhong Secretary blinked, then burst into a laugh.

A mocking laugh.

Li Ye’s face was stone-cold, utterly calm: “You don’t believe me?”

“.”

No one answered. No one spoke to Li Ye. Even Professor Zhao sighed deeply.

The gap of the 1980s was truly despairing.

Catching up was one thing—but surpassing? Are you dreaming?

Perhaps Professor Zhao once believed it in his youth. Now, he was lost, uncertain.

Liu Muhang suddenly slapped Li Ye’s shoulder and smiled: “I believe you. I believe you!”

Li Ye smiled too, but it was bitter.

Finally, someone believed him—and it came as a joke.

Then Xiao Zheng looked up again and said firmly to Li Ye: “I believe too.”

Yes. Having someone walk beside you—felt good.