Chapter 1023: Never stopped

Translator:

Legge

To control people in these wastelands, the consortiums were used to keeping all the production resources firmly in their hands. Water, land, and everything that the people relied on for survival were all controlled.

When Zhang Jinglin was at Stronghold 113, he had profoundly said to Ren Xiaosu, This is a world that has been meticulously designed by the consortiums.

Previously, even Zhang Jinglin did not dare to break this status quo. Fortress 178 could not even take in any refugees because if they broke this rule, everyone would start attacking them.

For example, Luoyang City had wanted to completely open its gates to everyone and sought to end any differentiation between refugees and stronghold residents. However, they were warned by the Kong Consortium, the w.a.n.g Consortium, and the Zhou Consortium as soon as they introduced those changes.

In the end, doc.u.ments like visas were created, and there was still a huge gulf in the treatment of refugees and stronghold residents.

But now, Ren Xiaosu not only wanted to implement land reforms, but he also wanted to completely topple the walls separating the stronghold residents and refugees in the Northwest.

Actually, Stronghold 144 had already done so. After all, it was impossible not to let people into the city if you wanted to promote trade.

Ren Xiaosu said, Ive read a lot of books, but what weve planned is just textbook theory for now. So I need everyone to work together as a group. Im just sharing my thoughts right now. As the largest trade hub in the Northwest, it should be more open here in Stronghold 144 than other places. So our pace of reforms should be faster than theirs. Dont be afraid of making any mistakes. If theres any, Ill take responsibility.

The Great Hoodwinker looked at Ren Xiaosu quietly. Regarding Zhang Jinglins uncaring att.i.tude towards Stronghold 144, he was most aware of it.

He knew very well that Commander Zhang was doing this because he wanted to see how Ren Xiaosu would lead the people of this city to create a new world.

Perhaps even Ren Xiaosu himself did not realize that while he was only trying to solve the problem of the food shortage, what he was actually doing was planning a roadmap.

w.a.n.g Yun thought for a while and then said, But actually, we still have to discuss the pros and cons of the contract responsibility system. Everyone should know that when this system is implemented, therell definitely be a lot of people who are willing to own their own land even if the lease will only last for a few decades. But in terms of agricultural efficiency, it will not be as beneficial as large-scale mechanized production.

Ren Xiaosu thought for a moment and replied, I think nows the right time to reclaim the wasteland. The land in the Northwest that needs to be reclaimed will need manpower to do so. We can divide the development process into stages. Its still too early to introduce large-scale mechanized production at this stage, and we dont have the conditions for that either. We have to improve the enthusiasm of the people first to cultivate the wasteland into farmland.

I agree, w.a.n.g Yun said with a nod.

In this process of privatization, we still have to pay attention to the large families swallowing up the smaller land parcels. So its best to add certain restrictions to the awarding process of the contracts. w.a.n.g Yuexi thought for a moment and said, Moreover, I feel that besides contracting out the plots, we can also contract out the building of brick kilns and other factories as well. Therell be all sorts of things that can be contracted out. But the prerequisite is that our economic lifeline must always remain in the hands of Fortress 178. This is the foundation that cannot be shaken.

Ren Xiaosus eyes lit up. w.a.n.g Yuexi has. .h.i.t the nail on the head. Currently, our Northwests productivity is still several notches below that of the Central Plains. But if we take everyones enthusiasm into account and make use of it, the Northwest might be able to advance by leaps and bounds. However, all yall have to be careful. Once the brick kilns are privately owned, therell likely be extreme cases of exploitation in the industry as well. So the supporting labor laws will have to keep up to prevent that from happening.

At the side, Yang Xiaojin just sat there quietly. She leaned her chin on her hand and looked at Ren Xiaosus profile.

In the past, Ren Xiaosu would always be reading books whenever he had free time, even in the wilderness.

Some people felt that studying was useless, but Yang Xiaojin could see the charm of books through Ren Xiaosu at this moment. The young man who used to be a refugee had never stopped increasing his own knowledge. And now, his hard work was starting to bear fruit.

If she were to ask w.a.n.g Yuexi now, Do you believe that Ren Xiaosu used to be an average refugee who couldnt even afford to attend school?

w.a.n.g Yuexi would probably not believe it.

If Ren Xiaosu had not persevered in his book reading and understanding of the world, he could never have become the true master of the Northwest even if he were extremely powerful in combat. Zhang Jinglin would also not have placed his hopes on a boor who only knew how to solve problems with force.

Previously, no one could understand why Zhang Jinglin chose Ren Xiaosu as his successor. Only he himself knew he had seen unlimited potential in this young man.

When this young man was still a refugee, he was willing to squat on the walls to listen in on his cla.s.ses. That att.i.tude of knowledge seeking even made Zhang Jinglin feel ashamed of himself.

Ren Xiaosu had never stopped on his path of enriching himself.

In the eyes of others, Qing Zhen was someone born with extreme intelligence, and a person like him deserved to s.h.i.+ne brightly in this era.

But in Yang Xiaojins eyes, Ren Xiaosu, a pragmatic young man who firmly believed that diligence made up for the lack of talent, was even more precious.

Ren Xiaosu instructed w.a.n.g Yuexi, Everyone in the strongholds administrative center will have to start getting busy. Your responsibility will be to keep up with the publicity work so that our people will take in the ideologies.

w.a.n.g Yuexi nodded and wrote it down in his notebook. But theres another problem. We need seeds to reclaim the wasteland. The seed bank in the Northwest does not have enough seeds to support such a large-scale program.

Ren Xiaosu smiled and said, We can now see the importance of having friends. The seeds that we need will be delivered to us by the Qing Consortium in a few days.

w.a.n.g Yuexi was stunned. He had long heard that the future commander was on good terms with the Qing Consortium, but he did not expect it to be true.

Ren Xiaosu continued instructing w.a.n.g Yuexi, The labor acts and the contract responsibility system will need to be drawn up as quickly as possible by yall. We need to communicate with Fortress 178s bank as well to create small loan programs to support the residents willingness to sign the contracts. Theyll need money to buy seeds and raw materials after theyve signed the contracts to farm and build factories. We have to consider all aspects of this.

At this moment, w.a.n.g Fugui chuckled and said, Our Northwest Chamber of Commerce can do that since were well-funded. Why dont we set up our own bank?

However, Ren Xiaosu shook his head firmly. We cant have Yunsu get involved in such matters. Yall can take some contracts on your own, but we must not get involved in matters that involve the economic lifeline of the Northwest. It concerns the entire plan of the Prosperous Northwest, so the economy cant be held hostage by the merchants. Perhaps the Northwest Chamber of Commerce wont cause any trouble while Im still around, but you and I will leave this world someday. I cant let a new consortium be born in my hands.

Rich merchants could be allowed to exist in these lands of the Northwest, and they could even become the richest people in the world. But they must not gain the ability to shake the foundations of the Northwest, and that was Ren Xiaosus principle and bottom line regarding this matter.

w.a.n.g Yuexi stared deeply into Ren Xiaosu.. He knew that Yunsu was actually Ren Xiaosus private business, so to be able to restrain the temptation at a time like this was enough to make w.a.n.g Yuexi look up to him.