Chapter 574: 574
 

Chapter 575-Compassionate Farmer

Hong San took office that day.

After the food price turmoil and economic crisis, the most important thing in Yuangang was to stabilize prices and protect the people’s livelihood. Accompanied by Han Zezheng, he spent a few hours reading the economic structure and industrial distribution of the city. He also held an emergency meeting in the evening to summon the anxious dignitaries.

In the Hall of Justice, the new ruler of Distant Harbor offered a kind suggestion to the fish on the chopping block, an opportunity.

Because today was already the 14th day, the free food distribution was about to end. The people of the distant port had to return to the days where they exchanged labor for food and clothing. This required sufficient jobs and stable prices.

Most of the industries in Distant Harbor were still in the hands of these nobles.

Hong San’s request was very simple. Start work immediately, stabilize prices, and maintain stability.

In view of the heavy losses caused by the grain price incident, Hong San expressed that he could provide a low-interest loan and postpone the recovery of the loan, and temporarily stop calculating the interest of the previous usury.

If Hong San had made such a suggestion before, the nobles would have thought that he was showing weakness. They would also think that the people of Yuangang and the people’s livelihood could not be separated from them, the ” pillars of the country “. Then, they would start shaking again.

But now, they had already been beaten into a state of PDSD by Kant’s tyrannical iron fists. The death penalty was originally unavoidable, but it had now become a reprieve. The relief after despair was indescribable. Stockholm Syndrome was rapidly acting up. In an instant, they had developed a great fondness for Mayor Hong.

Even though some of the people knew that this was just a double act by this new upstart from the distant port and his master, one side was to confiscate his family and destroy his bloodline, and the other side was to be severely injured but still alive. The two paths were placed in front of them, and they had no choice but to shout out how fragrant it was.

Yes, all of this was not without a price.

From now on, all commercial activities in Distant Port, including the business dealings of the nobles, would be supervised by the Bureau of Price Control and other departments. In addition, the loans they owed must be repaid with the various industries under their names. Siegel Company had the priority to purchase them.

There was no need to mention loyalty, loyalty, and donations. The nobles present had to prove that they were worthy of His Highness Kant’s mercy with practical actions. From now on, they had to actively respond to all the calls of the Skyquaking Dragon, such as diplomatic and internal affairs, including war.

In short, Kant was their new lord, governor, and king.

” Or, you can choose to die unyieldingly, but I can guarantee that this death will not be glorious, nor will it be a pity. This land can lack anything, but it will never lack nobles, and there will never be a lack of people who want to become nobles.”

” Even if all of you die here today, your bloodlines are severed, and your titles are gone, there will still be as many people who will obtain your wealth, reputation, and status tomorrow and become new nobles.

” I assure you that this is in line with the law. The big guilds will grant these new nobles official titles, and they will not care that they were just farmers a day ago. The Emperor of the Empire and the Phoenix King of Sunset Moon will even congratulate them. This is the glory recognized by the most legitimate and noble king in the world.”

” In the end, this world is a good place, because loyalty and following the strong can give you seemingly sacred things. I hope everyone can understand this principle.”

“Otherwise…”

” Yes.” Hong San’s smile was gentle and kind.” We need to erect more poles in front of the City Hall.”

Now, all the bones of the nobles of Distant Harbor had been broken.

It was difficult for them to say no again.

They finally understood Hong San’s hidden meaning.

As they looked around and saw the familiar faces changing expressions, more and more dignitaries discovered a terrifying fact—a few of the noblest, wealthiest, and most prestigious lords were not present.

” Sirs who agree with my proposal and are willing to apologize to His Highness Kant and the people of Distant Harbor, you may come forward to sign the agreement and swear an oath in the name of Sun God Sura before the Eye of Horus. Your words will be branded in the form of light and electricity in time and space, forming the highest contract.”

Hong San chuckled.” In addition, I need the kind and righteous gentlemen of Distant Harbor to draft a joint statement. They will denounce and denounce the culprits who instigated the war of grain prices for their own selfish interests, disrupted the province’s economy, abused innocent civilians, and slandered His Highness Kant. They will also support the new government of Distant Harbor’s decision to sentence them.”

He stretched out his arm and pointed at the door.

“Sirs who have objections, you can leave now.”

Although these words were calm, they were like thunder that rumbled.

Joint statement.

Another joint statement.

The nobles looked at each other. They couldn’t help but recall the afternoon more than ten days ago when Kant had intended to punish the culprits who had incited the riots in Distant Harbor. He had also asked the nobles of Distant Harbor to issue a joint statement to agree with his punishment. This had aroused their resistance and disgust, so they protested and objected. In the end, it had evolved into an economic war against Kant, resulting in the current outcome.

Now, they had suffered a crushing defeat, and yet another joint statement was placed in front of them.

As one of the conditions for letting them off, they had to become Kant’s lackeys. The first thing they had to do was to declare to the entire continent that they agreed to punish the tycoons of Distant Harbor who were not present today. They were the leaders of the nobles who had the most wealth, power, foundation, and connections.

It was reasonable.

However…

They all revealed bitter smiles.

If he had known this would happen, he would not have done so.

However…There was no way to go back.

On the fifteenth day.

“Just this? Just this?”

Early that morning, Hong San, who had been busy for half the night, returned to Tidal Manor to have breakfast with Kant.

He brought a stack of land deeds and more acquisition plans. Yesterday, no one left the Hall of Justice. Everyone chose to compromise. Under the threat of death and extinction, no one dared to resist to the end…Because any resistance was meaningless.

Therefore, he could only choose to compromise.

They would listen to Kant’s orders and sell their properties.

Kant only flipped through the title deed that Hong San had brought before tossing it aside.

Lily’s dragon instincts told her that money was shining brightly. She took the pieces of paper that symbolized wealth and looked at them one by one. She was a little regretful now because these properties belonged to Siegel. If she had agreed to Kant’s employment…

Pei, pei, pei, 50%, he was dreaming.

Long Niang flipped through it a few times and revealed a stunned expression. Just this?”

” Yes?” Kant turned to look at her.” What?”

“What do you think? Hey, do you know how valuable the property in the prime area of Far Harbor is? Do you know how rich the foundation of these distant port nobles is after hundreds of years of management? What was the most valuable? Earth!

A house! And the Chamber of Commerce! And the fleet and the workers!”

“Oh… Here, the Magic Engraver Alchemist Heraldry Scholar Mining Advisor Exploration Team…And that was it? Brewmaster, Dyer, Top Tailor… Why don’t you make some of these?”

Lily’s eyes were full of disappointment, as if she was looking at a prodigal. She waved the title deed in her hand.” What did you take?” Farms, farms, farms, at least you should collect some grapes and plantations! Don’t you have food? Why do you still want to reclaim the farmland?”

Kant and Hong San looked at each other and smiled.

Lily said blankly,”…” You guys are so disgusting.”

” Let’s eat.” Kant pushed Long Niang back into the chair and flicked her forehead.

Lily was still glaring at him with dissatisfaction.

Even though the money had nothing to do with her, she could not accept Kant’s shameful waste of money. He had let the golden coins slip through his fingers and abandoned the huge gold mine to pick up the stones on the ground. Those shops and caravans were worth a thousand times more than these run-down farms!

“It’s done.”

” I’m not short of money,” Kant explained as he ate the dumpling he was poking with his chopsticks.” I’m not short of money. I…” The value recognized by the secular world of the continent and the value that I think of myself are two different things. The things that you think are valuable are insignificant from my point of view…”

Hong San tapped the table lightly. Lily’s eyes were wide open.” You guys?”

“.. Them.”

Kant corrected himself.” They think merchant ships are valuable, but I think these slow, low-capacity, risk-taking, and defenseless small wooden ships are worthless. They think trade routes are valuable, but I can open up more valuable trade routes at any time and sell wonderful goods that only I have a monopoly on.”

” It’s the same for the prices of houses and land. In fact, those land and shops are not worth anything at all. What’s valuable is my finger. I only need to point on the map and say that I want to build a new city here. Then, wealth will immediately flow into that wasteland, and opportunities and prosperity will follow. Many rich people will cry and offer me large amounts of gold coins just to buy the broken land that was a wasteland not long ago.”

He blinked and smiled at Lily.” Don’t you think so?”

” You were so handsome just now…” Long Niang’s face was flushed red as she stared blankly at Kant.

.. F * ck.

“Isn’t he handsome now?!” Kant’s expression changed.

” Handsome, handsome, handsome!” Lily immediately smiled obsequiously.

She stood up and patted Kant’s shoulders and back eagerly.” So, where do you plan to build your city?” she asked, trying to please him. Do you need an upfront investment? When will we start selling the land…”

Kant narrowed his eyes.” I know all about this. I also know that the property prices in the new city I’m about to build will skyrocket. Why do you think I’ll sell the land early?”

“.. Tsk.”

Lily’s face immediately turned cold and she sat back down in her chair sulkily.

” You said that those things are worthless, so you took a lot of farm property from these nobles. Do you think those things are valuable?”

” No,” Kant shook his head.” Those aren’t worth much either.”

“.. Then why are you taking these?”

“Because people are valuable.”

“People?”

“Yes, people are valuable.”

Kant said,” In this world, about 80% of the farmers provide for the remaining 20% of the population. Most of the population is tied to the farmland. This is cruel exploitation and shameful waste. The production tools are outdated, and the production efficiency is low. The farmers have a hard time. Their homes always stink. They work all year round in farming and herding. Sometimes, they don’t even have enough food to eat…”

The civilization of the other world was still relatively backward.

Even with the advanced production of magic, it had little to do with the commoners.

Druids could breed good seeds and increase the yield and quality of food. Elementalists could manipulate the weather and make the land more fertile. However, spellcasters had always been a rare resource.

Of course, these agricultural spellcasters would personally take care of agricultural production, but because of the extremely limited number, they usually only served the top manors of the royal family and the great nobles. The high-quality food produced by their care and cultivation not only produced more, but also tasted better. It could even provide more nutrition to the consumer, making their body stronger and their mind more agile.

However, due to limited production, it could only be enjoyed by a very small number of privileged people.

It was the same for raising livestock.

The reason why the Elven army was unparalleled in the world was because of their high attainments in Nature Spells and the large number of Druids.

Because they were good at farming, the yield of food was excellent and the quality was good. The large number of Druids meant that they could be produced on a large scale to supply the soldiers. Of course, they could create a strong army with extremely high quality soldiers. It was natural for the army to sweep the world and win every battle.

However, these advantages did not promote the progress of the entire civilization.

Instead, it worsened the gap between civilians and nobles.

The benefits that the people gained from agricultural development were probably only the improved seeds developed by the Druids, which would increase the production. In addition, the water irrigation projects built by the earth mages of the National Civil Engineering Corps according to the national orders could also increase the production of food.

However, these manors would obviously prioritize the convenience of the royal family and the great nobles.

It was very difficult for the real peasants to get too much light.

This was because using the water from the national water projects would require paying taxes to the feudal lord.

“That’s why I want to free them from the land.”

Kant said,” They can do things that are easier, more rewarding, and more meaningful. They can leave the remote and poor villages, leave the stinking thatched huts that share houses with livestock, and go to the cities to do better things. They can have days of rest, live in bright and spacious houses, have more entertainment, and receive more rewards. They will no longer be numb and ignorant…I won’t be a farmer anymore.”

People shouldn’t be bound to the fields.

Hong San and Li Li were deep in thought.

But even Hong San was unable to understand Kant’s deeper meaning.

He was only following Kant’s orders to collect the title deeds of the estates from the nobles of Distant Harbor to offset the loan sharks and compensation. The reason was easy to understand. The construction of the new city and the development of the underground world required a lot of manpower. Where would the manpower be the most abundant? In the countryside.

But now, it seemed that there was a deeper meaning behind His Highness ‘actions other than benefits.

However, he could not understand.

After all, they lived in this era.

It was only right and proper for farmers to farm and produce food. If they did not become farmers, what else could they do?

Hong San was just about to ask when Kant read out,” Hoeing the crops at noon. Sweat drops into the soil. Who would have thought that every single grain of food on the plate would be hard work…”

“Good poem!” The people of Aurora were moved.

” That’s right, a good poem. Even if the author of the poem is a b * stard who became extravagant and licentious after he made his fortune. He would kill hundreds of chickens to get their tongues for a meal. Even the phrase ‘used to it’is related to him…But this poem is still a good poem.”

“But it was only a good poem from that era. It shouldn’t be a good poem now.”

Why wasn’t it a good poem?

It was a very simple logic.

If he went to an ordinary village in China and read these four lines of poetry, everyone who heard it would definitely say that it was good and right. It really made sense.

However, if you went to the American countryside and told the American farmers that every grain on the plate was hard, the Yanks would probably roll their eyes and say that it was hard and that it was really a waste of oil.

Yes, why must it be hard?

Kant stirred the porridge in his bowl. Who would have thought that every single piece of food on his plate would be hard? This was a poem that he had memorized when he was young. However, compared to cherishing every single piece of food, it was hard…

He wanted this to be easy.

” A farmer uses a broken and inefficient plow, cattle, sweat, and an extremely low lifespan to plant dozens of acres of land in the dark. In the end, he can’t earn money or even fill his stomach. He’s like a consumable or even a slave. He’s numb without hope…I want to end this era.”

He took the title deeds from the table.

” Gather the scattered farmlands together, use better seeds, better irrigation, more efficient fertilizers, and more powerful machinery to increase the yield per mu, so that one person can take care of more and more land. Then, continue to develop and reform until agricultural production no longer requires human participation.”

” Let the machines solve everything.”

” Then, the countryside will disappear.”

” The farmer profession will also disappear from the history of civilization.”

” There’s no need for anyone to take root in the land, provide for others with sweat and hard work, plant wheat that can only be sold for a little more than one piece per catty, and look at and imagine the scenery in the city on TV and mobile phones.

“I don’t like the countryside, and I’m not interested in the so-called idyllic scenery. Only city dwellers who are full of unrealistic fantasies will praise and praise the style and simplicity of the countryside, but no farmer has the obligation to cater to these people’s imaginations and feelings and stay in a remote village for the rest of his life. Anyone is qualified to pursue a better life, live in a modern city, and enjoy the convenience of technology…”

“They say that rural people like simple and peaceful village life and don’t like crowded and noisy big cities…Stop joking.”

Kant smiled apologetically at Hong San and Lily.” I’m sorry. I spoke too much.”

Lily hesitated and slowly shook her head.

For some reason, even though he did not quite understand Kant’s words…

However, she felt that he was even more handsome than before.

“You look even more like a saint than yesterday.” Hong San smiled.

“I’m just saying, but if I can do it, I can indeed be called a saint.”

“Then set a goal…” Kant clapped his hands and said,” In my lifetime, eliminate the agricultural population. Let no one in this vast world farm for a living.”

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[PS 1: Upgraded…] His understanding of the countryside and farmers had also come from these two years.

P.S. 2: Personally, I don’t think anyone is born to farm. Of course, it’s a different story for those big landowners who drive combine harvesters and have endless land.

” But in fact, the vast majority of the agricultural population in China still maintain an inefficient farming model. Our 2 billion mu of cultivated land has hundreds of millions of people farming it, while the US has only millions of farmers farming 2.8 billion mu of cultivated land. This kind of production efficiency is indeed overwhelming, and it is also a long way for us to go…

” In fact, since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the country has been able to prosper today because of the silent sacrifice and dedication of countless agricultural people. I’m very happy that the country has not forgotten them. This can be seen from the proposal of the two sessions this year.

P.S. 5: As for me, I can only dream of a faraway dream in the book. I may not have much hope in my lifetime, but I still hope that one day, no one will have to farm to make a living.

P.S. 6: Lastly, if anyone disagrees with my opinion, I can be sure that he has never worked in the countryside.