Chapter 18

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Chapter 18: China’s Agriculture Is Magic!

Unlike the empire that has already gone through the industrial revolution, Nico is a civilization mainly based on agriculture and a small amount of light industry. There are very few heavy factories specially serving the empire fleet in the Governor’s jurisdiction. The global population is about 200-300 million, with an industrial population of less than 800,000. More than half of the population consists of peasant farmers and self-sufficient farmers who have never left their village more than 20 kilometers.

The empire adopts a typical colonial plantation economy in this area, with the military and power centered in the main large cities. It implements a unified policy of bulk purchases and acquisitions through local autonomous institutions left over from the city-states era, taking a large amount of agricultural products from local estates and villages at very low prices and then aggressively selling cheap industrial goods there.

Some empire merchants have also established large plantations near commercial towns and transportation hubs, obtaining cheap slaves as serfs by provoking struggles between villages and clan powers. Although Nico people have some feline features, they are closer to humans. Maybe humans are rubbish compared to most subjects and any other animals (no hesitation, so any humanoid vehicle is poorly designed), but they excel in endurance when compared to most species in nature (no hesitation, ancient humans used to exhaust animals by racing them to hunt them down).

For the empire people with weaker endurance, they are the best agricultural slaves. But due to their poor dynamic vision, night vision, and coordination, they are not suitable as industrial workers. Therefore, Nico people are mainly used by the empire people as agricultural slaves and cheap labor, rather than being exploited as industrial workers. As for which is superior, it’s a matter of personal opinion—at least serfs can sleep at night, while workers have to work night shifts—because kerosene for lighting the plantation is much more expensive than slaves…….

(So, early capitalism actually overwhelmed the feudal serf society with more cruel and bloody exploitation tactics)

Therefore, the resistance army choosing cities as a base has advantages such as easy access to supplies, easy personnel replenishment, and high-quality personnel. But there are also disadvantages like facing the empire’s main force, many people in the population adopting a wait-and-see attitude, and the shallow revolutionary soil. If China Dad intervenes strongly, it’s naturally best to start from the cities, where there are relatively more industrial workers, high-quality population, and easy access to various supplies. With China Dad’s combat power, not much loss is needed to defeat the empire people.

However, if the aim is to be more self-reliant, the city is not a good choice. If the empire fortress can be quickly taken, then it’s fine. If not, both sides will be locked in a tug-of-war, and the attitude of the city residents who suffer more losses in the war will quickly shift from support to neutrality. If the empire people are angered and retaliate with massacres, the citizen class will be the first part to waver, leading to a domino effect.

"We are very experienced in this kind of thing. Trust me. You all need to leave the city now, keeping only the key members of the organization and the listening posts for gathering intelligence. Stop all destructive actions and send in spies to gather information from the other side."

For example, if there is a meeting with ten people, nine of them might be part of an underground group, or if the Governor issues an order, it would be printed and copied by Communist spies, reviewed by Communist spies, approved and suggestions provided by Communist spies, and finally sent to the grassroots, which are all Communist spies. You could easily defeat them with your eyes closed! (Oh gosh!)

"But…the villages in our area have limited population and resources. You can’t keep providing us with food forever, right? And training serfs and farmers to become soldiers would also take a lot of time and resources. We must be running low on time and funds, right?"

"Yes, I used to work as a farmer in the countryside. Honestly, one village supporting three soldiers is already the limit. Having more would lead to starvation, even during the best times."

"Yes, and there are many conflicts between villages. They often end up fighting when they meet, sometimes even resulting in fatalities."

"Also, most of us are from the city or are fishermen. We really don’t know how to farm."

"Hmm, I know all of this. We are very experienced in handling these situations and difficulties. Not just as political commissars, but also as the first group of instructors and agricultural experts, along with sociologists exploring Nico’s society, customs, geologists searching for mineral resources, and biologists, all showing a mysterious smile."

"We will teach you what to do. Don’t worry, after the field investigation, we are particularly good at handling this kind of thing. You won’t find anyone better on the whole earth!"

The Chinese had two talents. The first one was, "I think to myself…I feel so uncomfortable. It must be due to the lack of suitable land." And the second one was, "I think to myself…what can be planted on this piece of land."

In the whole Blue Star, it was impossible to find another group as skilled at farming and gardening as the people there. Even a regular person, even elite city dwellers, when they saw a piece of land, their first thought was, "What should we plant? It’s a waste to leave it bare."

Soon, the land would be filled with all kinds of simple and easy-to-grow flowers and vegetables. Those who grew up in the countryside, even in neighborhood flower beds, would manage to grow a few herbs and spring onions here and there.

The agricultural technical teams sent by China were composed of the best of the best from all over the country. There were hardly any young people; most of them looked just like experienced farmers. Before obtaining all these advanced technologies, they had traveled through various harsh environments like the deserts of the northwest, the mountains of the southwest, the islands in the South China Sea, and the snowy plains of the northeast. With the help of a few experts from Longping High-Tech, they could even grow rice in nuclear wastelands and areas contaminated with heavy metals!

The team was made up of: a senior oak tree elder, two elder Druids, a reinforced Great Druid with a full set of magical scrolls (agricultural textbooks) and several high-level artifacts (seawater rice, magic rice type N, super wheat, etc.). They confidently claimed that even if the soil quality was just average, with proper irrigation systems in place, they could turn even a desert into lush wheat fields within twenty years! Could anything be more magical than turning the Northwest’s great desert into magic grass squares?

"Our greatest strength lies in feeding the most people using the least amount of land. With your population density and average land area per person, frankly speaking, even if we were to pull together a team of recent graduates from agricultural colleges, we could guarantee that you would be full in six months and have surplus food for export within a year. So, you don’t need to worry about food at all." Experts had already analyzed Nico’s local crops and soil samples. Even without using Chinese crops, with modern field management and selective breeding techniques, they could ensure more than enough food for everyone to eat.

"As for industrial production, we will need to conduct on-site inspections. Rest assured, even though we are not warriors, this is our battlefield." The heads of the geology and biology teams also expressed this sentiment. "Here, we have the country’s top experts and scholars who will provide you with technical support for three to five years." The political commissioner added at the right moment, "Although we won’t be sending combat troops to assist you, we will dispatch a few elite squads to protect these scholars. They are treasures of our country."

"Hmm, I understand. We will do our best to provide assistance." Though Cui had not received a formal education, she greatly respected knowledgeable and pragmatic scholars. In fact, as a classical city-state, the Nico people had always treated scholars very well. Many powerful city-states even had rudimentary forms of modern universities – unfortunately, much of their research had not been valued or applied.

After a discussion and ruling out areas too far from the Empire’s attacks and regions too close to cities that could be besieged at any moment, both sides chose a moderately populated village about 300-400 kilometers from Lin Mingsha as their base. Following orders from their leaders and several chieftains, the original resistance organization gradually withdrew from the city, leaving only necessary outposts. This move not only avoided large-scale searches by the angered governor but also worsened the city residents’ perception of the Empire.

Tata Town, a small town where planting a type of bush fruit was the main crop, had become increasingly run-down since the Empire arrived. Merchants bearing orders from Doge’s Palace openly bought the local "temptation berries" but only offered less than half of the market price. Meanwhile, the colonial government’s tax officials kept finding excuses to raise taxes, making the town, which was not very wealthy to begin with, even more impoverished.

Inside a simple wall made of big rocks that is less than 2 meters tall, there are several buildings constructed with mud and wood. These buildings serve as the town’s warehouse, the tax office for the Empire people, and a marketplace. There are also makeshift shelters made of rocks, tree branches, and thatch. The streets are deserted, with mostly poorly dressed and thin-looking people. Even the few well-dressed individuals are likely serving as assistants for Empire merchants. This scene gives off a strong sense of the past era. A journalist in the group immediately took out a camera to film the surroundings. These videos would later be used to persuade the Nico people to join the Chinese community for a better life.

"Normally, we should be working in villages further away, but with so many of us, we needed a base. It’s more efficient to work in town. As for the assistants and local bureaucrats…" In the distance, muffled gunshots could be heard from the town hall and the fortress built by the Empire soldiers. "Alright, issue resolved. Initially, we could have reformed those bureaucrats, but we are short on time. We will teach you some basic and practical knowledge related to governance. This place barely has a population of 1,000 people."

Over the next few days, the people of Tata Town were surprised to find that the Empire fortress seemed to have changed owners. The town mayor’s family was dragged out like pigs by two soldiers claiming to be part of a revolutionary army. After announcing their crimes, they were both shot. It appeared the town had been taken over by a warlord. The Nico people, who had experienced war in the past, stayed hidden at home for several days until the situation calmed. They cautiously ventured out to gather information and soon noticed visible changes in the town.

Firstly, several Empire merchants were forcibly taken away from the market. Their hired bodyguards were of no use. The merchants never reappeared, but their employees improved their attitudes significantly when buying berries and selling various goods. Their previous dishonest practices and price gouging also decreased considerably. (Obviously, the people with glasses and tall stature were not easily fooled. Those exposed were taken to the wall and punished, turning red with fear. – By a marketplace employee)

Secondly, every day, some oddly dressed individuals wearing green hats would leave the town early in a vehicle that made strange noises. They only returned when it was completely dark. Most of the time, they would be gone for several days, only to come back looking tired, carrying broken rocks. They would then disappear into the strange camp made of tin and tents near the town’s edge, making loud noises.

Lastly, a group of young people wearing green clothes started standing under the sun outside the town every day. A tall person in green used a stick to discipline them, sometimes harshly. This peculiar sight attracted many onlookers. However, as recruitment notices offering food to laborers appeared in town, these idle onlookers soon disappeared.

"The challenges are similar to those in Aid Africa. These Joy people seem much more industrious than the black people in Africa," remarked the instructor responsible for training the resistance army soldiers, compared with memories of the charcoal uncle. "And their memory is much stronger."

"It’s normal. Previously, when the Nico people fell ill, we scanned their brains. So, you see…" the captain of the medical team, responsible for providing free healthcare to win the people’s trust, paused and explained, "For humans, once they reach adulthood, their nerve and brain cells stop growing or regenerating. This means that humans are at their peak intellectually and physically between 25-35 years old. After this age, their abilities gradually decline."

"However, I have noted that some of these cat-eared people are at least forty years old. Their brain activity is similar to that of a twenty-year-old human, and from thirty to twenty years old, their brain cells are still active and regenerating. Though this talent might have been dormant for a while, recent training has shown a significant improvement—they are truly becoming smarter by the day. It’s not just accumulating knowledge; it’s an actual enhancement of their capabilities."

"So amazing?"

"Yes, let me give you an example. Their brain cells are like controllable cancer cells, I suspect that even if a part of the brain tissue is removed, given enough time, it would grow back. This is terrifying." The leader of the medical team pondered. "I wonder whether the offspring of mixed blood after intermarrying with humans can inherit this genetic advantage, or it may lead to uncontrollable deterioration, becoming a genetic brain cancer."

"Let’s cross that bridge when we come to it. There are always more solutions than problems." The instructor didn’t express a clear opinion, as the number of bachelors is on the rise in the country every year. To put it crudely, having a wife is already good enough. Haven’t you seen those desperate ones who are almost resorting to not sparing even the boys?

Now there’s a Cat Lady to choose, what more do you want?

It’s not a big deal to not have offspring or choose artificial insemination when giving birth, or use methods like eliminating these genes. If all else fails, there’s always adoption…

This, is a grassy square and a well-planted desert………. Hmm, a desert………._(:з」∠)_