Once the commands were issued.
Tang Yi started busily assigning tasks and setting up a series of plans involving various matters, such as negotiations, military suppression, action deployment, privilege handling, benefit distribution, company registrations, personnel recruitment, and market sales, to name a few, which were enough to keep them fussing for a while.
A considerable amount of funding was still required to mine these minerals. Relying entirely on the 'cooperative' forces for funding was a bit unrealistic. Even leaving aside whether they could afford it, pushing such expectations could be seen as a bit overbearing.
Hence, the necessary investment was still required.
Of course, Tang Qing didn't have to worry about spending this money. Instead, it would be borne by the Black Jail. The funds raised through cooperation with Chai Ren, various 'suppressive' robberies, and Tongtian's 'debt collection' treasury were expected to cover the upfront costs.