Warhammer 40K in a box

Chapter 274 Construction Plan
How to increase the employment rate? Even in the 3K era, this remains a thorny systemic problem.

Modern economic research shows that relying solely on administrative means to create jobs is like drinking poison to quench thirst.

When labor is allocated to areas of ineffective production, it not only leads to resource misallocation but may also trigger a vicious cycle of diminishing marginal returns.

The essence of the problem lies in the sound mechanism of value creation.

According to Adam Smith's theory of the "invisible hand," an economic flywheel of "employment-consumption-investment" can only be formed when workers' productive activities can be transformed into effective supply through market exchange.

Taking the Soviet Union at the end of the 20th century as an example, although the planned economy system created the appearance of full employment, the structural imbalance between heavy industry and light industry ultimately led to the collapse of the entire economic system.

This confirms the core tenet of Keynesianism: demand-side vitality is the fundamental driving force of the job market.

In the fortieth millennium of human empire, this iron law of economics still exists in a somewhat distorted form.

Although the Mechanicus can dedicate hundreds of millions of workers to meaningless prayer rituals, and planetary governors can drive civilians to build monuments that reach the ionosphere, these apparent human expenditures still essentially follow the law of "demand determines supply," only the demand subject has been alienated from the free market into the manifestation of the will of the ruling class.

To accommodate the two billion people aboard the Rostov-2, it was essential to ensure that their labor could be translated into real economic value.

Even the most primitive, consumable labor serving the ruling class, such as building luxurious palace complexes for Planet Governor Chen Xi.

Under the ruling logic of human empires, even meaningless labor consumption can be considered a manifestation of "value" to some extent, as long as it can maintain the stability of the social structure.

However, Chen Xi was not the kind of vulgar ruler who indulged in personal pleasure.

He knew all too well that relying solely on symbolic, grand projects to absorb the excess population would be like drinking poison to quench thirst.

Even if he were to order the construction of a colossal complex comparable to Terra's palace—such as a gilded palace spanning the entire Tibetan Plateau, complete with tens of thousands of statues, gardens, and monuments—such a project would at most absorb tens of millions of workers, a drop in the ocean compared to the two billion unemployed.

Moreover, such massive non-productive construction will inevitably lead to the rapid depletion of the planet's finances, ultimately triggering a more severe economic collapse.

Therefore, the real solution must be more efficient and sustainable—not by having two billion people build a palace that will never be finished, but by getting them involved in industries that can truly drive the economic development of Rostov-II.

In the 3K era, this requirement would be enough to bring every government on Earth to collapse.

The employment needs of two billion people, even taking into account the supporting industries required to maintain the basic livelihood of these people, far exceeded the carrying capacity of any economic system at that time.

In the golden age of relatively low productivity, simply addressing the basic survival needs of two billion people—food rationing, clean water supply, waste disposal, and housing—would have been enough to cripple the financial systems of most countries.

Not to mention creating jobs with real value for them, which is simply an impossible task.

But fortunately, we are now in the fortieth millennium.

Human civilization has long since broken free from the constraints of Earth and established a vast empire spanning the Milky Way.

In this age of interstellar colonization, while resettling two billion people remains a formidable challenge, it is by no means impossible. Advanced industrial technology, vast resource reserves, and the Empire's unique "at all costs" administrative model make solving this problem possible.

After carefully analyzing various data from Rostov II—including its existing industrial structure, resource distribution, population density, and infrastructure—Chen Xi quickly formulated a series of unprecedented engineering projects.

These projects can not only effectively absorb surplus labor, but also fundamentally enhance the planet's economic strength and strategic value.

Every project is meticulously calculated to ensure that it creates enough jobs while avoiding waste of resources and inefficiency.

Chen Xi's first major decision was to expand the Shengzhu vineyard on a large scale.

As an important holy site of the state religion, the core area of ​​this sacred plantation was entirely monopolized by the Fighting Sisters, and ordinary people were not even allowed to approach it.

However, on a planet like Rostov-II, covered by deserts and wastelands, maintaining a vineyard of this size is a massive undertaking in itself.

Previously, the State Education had already established a massive logistical support system for this purpose.

From water recycling plants to climate control stations, from transportation networks to maintenance workshops, and even a whole city was built specifically to serve the fighting nuns.

Now, with the expansion of the plantation, these supporting facilities must also be upgraded accordingly.

In particular, the giant ecological dome that Chen Xi plans to build—this behemoth that will cover the entire plantation area—requires tens of thousands of workers to construct its fine metal framework, install force field generators, and lay irrigation pipe networks.

Once completed, a dedicated technical team will be needed just for routine maintenance.

At the same time, Chen Xi also launched another, even more ambitious project: to build three orbital elevators on the planet's surface.

The existing rail elevators in the Star Harbor area can no longer meet the growing transportation demand, especially after they are connected to the under-construction Star Ring rail system, which will increase the logistics pressure exponentially.

These three new rail elevators will be evenly distributed along the equator, and the base of each elevator will be developed into a new city center.

This not only solves the transportation bottleneck problem, but also effectively diverts the population and reduces the ecological burden on the original city.

Although the environment on Rostov II is harsh, fragile ecosystems have begun to emerge in some areas thanks to the ecological restoration project led by Ovilia.

Chen Xi deliberately built the new city outside these ecologically sensitive areas, while retaining necessary environmental protection measures.

Once these two major projects are launched, at least one-third of the two billion workers will be absorbed, which will greatly reduce the pressure.

In addition, Chen Xi plans to expand the existing cities on Rostov, build more state churches, and construct a planetary defense system. All in all, the two billion laborers have been largely absorbed, leaving only a small number of unemployed people.

At this point, even if Chen Xi wanted to repair the palace, it would be fine without causing any adverse effects.

(End of this chapter)