The Tyrant Billionaire

Selling cars was a small matter.

Capital manipulation was where the real money was.

During this period, military badges were also selling like crazy, at $2 each. In just one month, over a million were sold. Some people, whether they had a car or not, bought a badge first.

They also received tens of thousands of letters requesting to investigate their wartime experiences. Each certification letter cost $10, bringing in over a million in revenue.

Hmm, Even those piled up envelopes and postcards came in handy.

The Jeep combat badge, issued by the military, was made with a copper alloy typically used for minting coins. Each badge contained roughly the same amount of material as five pennies, giving it a certain value. Each badge was sold for $2.

This business was handled by the logistics department. Anyone interested in purchasing a badge would send a letter and transfer funds to an account designated by the logistics department. About two weeks later, the buyer would receive the badge by mail.

As for verifying combat experience and issuing proof letters, the logistics department couldn’t handle that. However, they had a solution: all requests received would be forwarded to the Pentagon’s military archives.

Major General Williams personally went to the Pentagon to meet with Major General Cooley, who was in charge of archives management, and offered a deal: one dollar for each proof letter issued.

"What? Just one dollar? You only receive the letters and forward them to us, pocketing $9 without lifting a finger. Williams, you’re the most shameless person I’ve ever met!"

"Do you know how much work this requires? We have to carefully verify each soldier’s information. The archives are piled high, and some records are nearly impossible to find. Do you realize the workload this involves? And you’re offering us just one dollar?" Major General Cooley shouted at Williams.

His voice was so loud that it reached the offices outside, causing many staff members to look over, wondering if the two generals might start a fight.

However, Williams knew that Cooley was just putting on a show. He never actually rejected the deal, he was merely complaining about the low price. It was clear he wanted more money.

William spread his hands and said softly, "I’ve already instructed those requesting proof letters to provide their own clues. Many of the letters already contain clear information. You only need to verify their authenticity."

"That still involves a significant amount of work," Cooley said.

"$1.5, no more. We can supply a batch of envelopes and postcards," Williams countered.

Cooley wasn’t really worried. After all, only they could handle this business. Without the Pentagon’s stamp, the proof was meaningless.

But he was also afraid of the deal falling through. His department was a "clean office" with no external income. This opportunity to make money was rare, and Cooley was determined not to let it slip away.

As for the money, it wasn’t for personal gain. But there were plenty of legitimate ways to spend it. By transferring the funds to the Pentagon archives account, they could organize team building activities, even with families, in places like Miami or Hawaii, fostering good relationships. No problem with that, right?

"Too little. At least $3," Cooley said.

Williams wouldn’t agree to that.

The two generals began haggling as if they were buying food at a market, eventually settling on $2 per letter.

Both smiled and shook hands, signifying a pleasant cooperation.

It was all just a performance, trying to secure a bit more benefit.

"Badges and proof letters, Williams, whose genius idea was this? How come we didn’t think of it? If we had, all the profits could have gone to our archives," Cooley remarked.

"This idea wasn’t ours either. It was Jon Hardy, the owner of Hardy Group, who thought of it. He’s currently helping us sell post war supplies," Williams explained.

"Jon Hardy, I’ve heard of him. I heard he built his own group in just two or three years. Impressive. No wonder he could come up with such a clever idea, turning the ability to make money into an art form," Cooley said with a laugh.

"I’d love to meet Mr. Hardy someday."

Although the income from this business might only be in the tens of thousands, it was significant for the archives, a department with little external funding. It could greatly improve the welfare of the staff.

Hardy also had a share in the badge and proof letter business. Although he didn’t participate directly, it was included in the sales contract, and Hardy would receive his share.

Hardy told Williams that this business could continue long term. With millions of veterans, the potential market was huge. If they could sell 10 million badges, it would be a $20 million business.

And if they could issue a million proof letters, that would be a multi million dollar business as well.

When Major General Williams returned to the logistics headquarters, he called Hardy to inform him of the situation. Upon hearing it, Hardy thought of something.

"General, I’d be very interested in meeting Major General Cooley. There’s also something I’d like to ask for his help with," Hardy said.

"What help?" Williams was slightly puzzled.

What could the archives do?

"The archives are responsible for the details of battles, battlefield footage, and other materials, right? ABC Television is producing a war documentary, and they’ll need a lot of text and video resources. I hope to borrow some of those materials," Hardy explained.

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"That does fall under their jurisdiction. Alright, I’ll contact him for you. Let’s arrange a meeting where you can discuss it with Cooley directly," Williams said.

Hardy never missed an opportunity to leverage relationships.

This was a manifestation of how extraordinary his social skills were.