Great Power Reclamation

Chapter 2915 Father and son go into battle

When Li Damei stormed into the VIP room on the third floor of "A Bite of China" in a huff, Ye Yuze and Yang Geyong were pondering whether to add a serving of red rice rolls to a plate of freshly baked shrimp dumplings.

The little princess's usually sunny face was now clouded with gloom, and she rattled off a string of words:
"Oppa! Something terrible has happened! LG, Hyundai, and Sunkyung are teaming up against us! They have American capital behind them, and they're saying our food expansion is 'cultural invasion,' and they'll use every means to suppress us!"

She took a breath and continued, "They are lobbying the relevant departments to create numerous obstacles for our food imports and store approvals. They are also stirring up trouble in the media, saying that there are 'problems' with the seasonings we use, and even implying that there are problems with the identity of Sister Jin Ping Jin Wan!"

Yang Geyong exploded upon hearing this, slamming his hand on the table so hard that the shrimp dumplings jumped.

"Bullshit! I do business honestly and openly, and all my ingredients are top-notch! Why don't you say that the kimchi they're selling is practically fossilized? Are you trying to play dirty tricks?"

Ye Yuze didn't slam his fist on the table; he simply put down his teacup, his eyes instantly turning sharp as knives, all traces of his previous leisure vanishing.

He exhaled a puff of smoke, his expression inscrutable amidst the swirling smoke. "Cultural invasion?" Ye Yuze scoffed.

"Selling food is considered an invasion? Their desire to possess everything is the real cultural distortion. I just wanted to make some money peacefully and show those Koreans what 'authentic' is, but since they don't want to have fun..."

He looked at Li Damei: "Damei, are you sure which companies are leading this? Which American capital firms are behind it?"

Li Damei nodded quickly: "Confirmed! Mainly the Gu family of Lejin, the Zheng family of Hyundai, and the Cui family of Xianjing."

American capital… mainly consists of several funds associated with the Cleveland conglomerate, and Alnim Capital. They hold significant stakes in these conglomerates, and even controlling interests in some key companies!

“They felt that our success threatened their investments in the South Korean domestic food and beverage and consumer goods sectors, and they disliked the ‘Chinese influence’ we brought.”

“Cleveland? Alnim?” Ye Yuze narrowed his eyes, a cold smile curling at the corner of his lips.

"A familiar face. They've been trying to trip up our Warrior Group in the North American market, but I didn't expect them to have such a long reach, trying to stir up trouble in this small pond of South Korea."

Yang Geyong rubbed his hands together, eager to get started: "Old Ye, what do we do? How about I get a few old buddies and give them some..."

"Shut up!" Ye Yuze glared at him. "What era are we living in? We're civilized people and businessmen now. We should use business methods to defeat them fair and square."

He took out his phone, swiped his finger across the screen a few times, dialed a number, and then put it on speakerphone.

The phone was answered after two rings, and a calm, slightly magnetic young male voice came through, speaking fluent and standard Mandarin:

"Dad? It's rare for you to call me. Did you find another goddaughter somewhere and ask me to clean up the mess?"

There was a hint of teasing in his tone.

Ye Yuze laughed and scolded, "Get lost! You're so irresponsible. Your dad's run into some trouble and needs your help."

On the other end of the phone was Ye Yuze's eldest son, Ye Feng, a powerful figure on Wall Street.

"Oh?" Ye Feng's tone immediately became serious.

"What's going on with you in South Korea? I've heard a little about it. They're doing quite well exporting their food culture; even some of my subordinates are going there to try it. Have you run into any trouble?"

Ye Yuze briefly explained the situation, emphasizing the role of American capital behind it.

Ye Feng listened quietly, remained silent for a few seconds, then chuckled softly, a laugh filled with confidence and even a hint of bloodthirsty excitement:
"Cleveland and Alnim? Heh, they are indeed old rivals. They've been severely suppressed by our Brother Investment and Warrior Group in the semiconductor and new energy fields these past few years, so it seems they want to get their revenge in South Korea."

“Dad, I understand what you mean. They want to use the rules of capital and the market to pressure people, so we'll play along with the rules until they cry.”

Ye Yuze asked, "What are your plans? How can I cooperate?"

Ye Feng spoke calmly, yet with a ruthless decisiveness: "It's simple, a full-scale attack. Aren't they swaggering around with those conglomerate companies? We'll take down their most valuable asset—their stock price."

"Warrior Group's recent technological breakthroughs in solid-state batteries, high-efficiency motors, and automotive chips are time to be unveiled and shock the market."

For these South Korean conglomerates, automobiles and electronics are their lifeblood, and these industries are heavily reliant on our technology and components, or at least potentially so.

They announced a technological breakthrough, declared priority supply to domestic Chinese companies and friendly partner enterprises, and even considered imposing technology export restrictions on certain less friendly regions… well, like South Korea.

Ye Yuze's eyes lit up: "This is a great move to cut off the enemy's supply lines! I'll have the group issue a statement right away."

“Not only that,” Ye Feng continued, “I will immediately mobilize funds and unite with our allies on Wall Street, especially the financial backers of the ‘Future Party,’ to short-sell the stocks of core listed companies such as LG, Hyundai, and SK.

"Don't their American masters own a lot of shares? Let's see how long their stock price can hold up under the double blow of market panic selling and technological barriers."

The Future Party is a rapidly rising emerging political party in the United States, backed by Ye Feng's Brothers Investment Company. With slogans of technology, environmental protection, and fair trade, it has gathered a large number of young voters and Silicon Valley elites, and its influence is growing, enough to rival traditional parties and forces supported by some established financial groups.

"At the same time," Ye Feng added, "I will have Jin Ping and Sister Jin Wan increase their publicity efforts, spreading the news that 'A Bite of China' is popular and has been unfairly suppressed, to arouse public resentment, especially among young people, against the monopoly of conglomerates and conservative forces. We cannot lose the battle for public opinion."

Ye Yuze laughed heartily: "Good! Let's do it this way! This time I'll show them just how many eyes Master Ma has! Just name your price, I'll give you all of Old Yang's savings!"

Yang Geyong, standing nearby, was getting impatient: "Hey, hey, hey! Old Ye, you can't do this!"

Ye Feng laughed on the other end of the phone: "Don't worry about funding, Brother Investment has no shortage of liquidity. You and Uncle Yang can just watch the show. By the way, tell that Miss Li Damei to make some preparations as well. Samsung might be able to 'appropriately' expand its influence in the process."

The deeper meaning behind those words was self-evident. Li Damei, listening from the side, had her eyes sparkling and clenched her little fists excitedly.

After hanging up the phone, Ye Yuze felt a surge of relief, as if all the pent-up frustration in his chest had been released. He picked up a slightly cooled shrimp dumpling and popped it into his mouth.

"Old Yang, pass on the word: the Warrior Group will be holding a global press conference this afternoon."

"Da Mei, Xiu Ya, don't you like to play around? This time, let's go big!"... That afternoon, at the headquarters of the Warrior Group in China, a sudden press conference attracted the attention of global technology and financial media.

At the press conference, the Chief Technology Officer of Warrior Group announced a series of major technological breakthroughs:
"After ten years of research and development, our group has recently mastered the mass production technology of the new generation of all-solid-state batteries, which increases energy density by 300%, charging efficiency by 500%, and greatly improves safety!"

"We have successfully developed a new generation of high-efficiency permanent magnet synchronous motors, with power density exceeding the international leading level by 50% and cost reduced by 30%!"

"The 'Loongson 3rd Generation' in-vehicle intelligent chip, which is completely designed independently, has been successfully taped out. Its computing power has reached the top level in the world and can fully meet the needs of L4 and above autonomous driving!"

Each announcement elicited gasps and a flurry of camera flashes from the audience. These technologies are all crucial core technologies that will hold the future of the new energy vehicle and intelligent electronics industries in check!
What's even more noteworthy is that during the Q&A session, Ye Feng, president of the Warrior Group (via video link), stated with a serious expression:

"To ensure technological advantages and strategic security, the aforementioned cutting-edge technologies will prioritize meeting domestic market demands and will be used in cooperation with international partners who adhere to the principles of fairness, impartiality, and cooperation."

"For countries and regions where there is malicious competition, non-market interference, or even discriminatory policies, the Warrior Group will reassess its technology export and cooperation strategies and does not rule out the possibility of taking restrictive measures."

Although no names were directly mentioned, all the astute reporters immediately thought of South Korea, which has been embroiled in friction with China in many areas recently.

The news was like a bombshell, instantly detonating in global capital markets! The South Korean stock market was the first to react.

The following morning, the Seoul Composite Index opened sharply lower. Shares of chaebol flagship companies like LG Electronics, Hyundai Motor, and SK Hynix plummeted like rockets—but downwards!
Less than half an hour after the market opened, LG Electronics plummeted 15%! Hyundai Motor plummeted 12%! SK Hynix plummeted 18%! Panic spread, and sell orders poured in like a tidal wave.

"It's insane! It's insane! What on earth happened?" Inside the trading hall of a South Korean securities company, there was a scene of utter despair as retail investors stared in disbelief at the glaring green screen.

"It's the Warrior Group! Their technological blockade! Our automotive and electronics industries are doomed!"

A savvy investor cried out in despair, "Sell now! Otherwise, you'll lose everything!"

Meanwhile, on Wall Street, in the trading room of Brothers Investment Company, Ye Feng calmly watched the disastrous state of the South Korean stock market on the screen, as well as the precipitous drop in the ADRs (American Depositary Receipts) of several target companies listed in the United States.

"Boss, our short positions have already yielded substantial profits."

A trading manager reported, "Continue to increase the pressure."

Ye Feng said calmly, “Contact our allies and release all analytical reports that raise questions about South Korean chaebols’ reliance on external technology and their core competitiveness.”

"At the same time, get the Future Party members involved to get on board and introduce bills that question whether it is wise for American capital to invest in such companies that are technologically weak and highly geopolitically risky."

"Yes!"

The two-pronged approach, combining technological and capital-related blows, caught South Korean conglomerates off guard, causing their stock prices to plummet.

At the Leaks Corporation, Chairman Koo stared at his computer screen with a livid face. The phone in his office rang incessantly, all calls from shareholders and American investors demanding answers.

"Bastards! Ye Yuze! Ye Feng! How dare they?!"

He swept the valuable porcelain pieces off the table and onto the floor.

"President! We received a call from Cleveland, their tone was very aggressive, questioning our technical backup plan and response strategy! They...their losses are also very heavy!"

The modern-day Zheng family. Chairman Zheng, in a state of panic: "Quick! Immediately organize a conference call with analysts to stabilize market sentiment! Tell the Americans that we have technological reserves and are not afraid of a blockade!"

The secretary, with a mournful face, said, "Chairman, our solid-state battery development is still in the laboratory stage... and the motors and chips are even further behind..."

The Cui family in Beijing. Chairman Cui tried to contact senior executives at Alnim Capital, but the calls went unanswered.

"Damn it! These Americans are the fastest to take the benefits, but the fastest to run away when trouble comes!"

However, this was just the beginning. The joint attack by Ye Yuze and his son Ye Feng had only just begun. The real storm was yet to come.

The smell of gunpowder from the financial war is growing stronger over Seoul.

Meanwhile, long queues still formed outside "A Bite of China," with ordinary South Koreans voting with their feet, chasing after delicious food, completely unaware of the capital storm that was about to sweep through their country.

The plunge in the South Korean stock market was like the first domino to fall, and panic quickly spread to global markets, especially North America and Asia, which are closely linked to the businesses of South Korean conglomerates.

Inside the Wall Street trading floor, indicator lights flashed wildly, and the sounds of telephones ringing, keyboards clattering, and traders shouting created a tense symphony.

At the headquarters of Brothers Investment Company, Ye Feng stood in front of a huge curved screen wall, on which the real-time trends of major global indices, exchange rates, commodity prices, and stock prices of key targets were displayed.

His face was calm, but his eyes were as sharp as a hawk's, like a commander in control of the whole situation.

"Boss, Cleveland and Arnim have begun their counterattack."

The chief analyst strode over and said, “They are buying a lot of put options, trying to further short the South Korean market and create greater panic to force the South Korean government to intervene in the market. At the same time, they are also mobilizing funds to support the stocks in which they hold the largest proportion of shares, such as LG Chem and Hyundai Mobis.”

"sucker Punch."

Ye Feng's lips curled slightly. "They want to scare us off with even greater short selling pressure, and then cover their positions at a lower price to reduce their losses? They've got a very clever plan."

"Then we..." "Go against them."

Ye Feng ordered, "When they short sell, we'll buy in at that exact moment to drive up the index, creating volatility and uncertainty. This will render their options strategy ineffective."

"Focus on attacking targets where they hold a small stake but have a large market influence. For example, SK Hynix's memory business is the Achilles' heel of many American tech companies. If we hurt it, the entire tech sector will be shaken. Let's see how long their allies can sit still."

Thanks, Bookworm! Long time no see, comrades. This month's monthly votes are a bit low, let's catch up!