You were tasked with guarding the Sihang Warehouse, and you brought out a Tiger tank?

Spring plowing is approaching.

Lin Feng's expression turned extremely serious:

"Farmers are the eldest sons of this country."

What will we eat if farmers don't grow crops?

What do the soldiers on the front lines eat?

Therefore, we must treat farmers well!

Duan Tiangan was stunned for a moment.

He never expected that a warlord who graduated from the Whampoa Military Academy would elevate the status of peasants so highly in such a setting.

"The military government has confiscated a large amount of land belonging to traitors and local bullies."

Lin Feng announced his agricultural policy:

"These lands will be managed by the Department of Agriculture."

They rented the land to tenant farmers who had no land at extremely low rents.

At the same time, the military government will send engineering troops with machinery and equipment to rural areas to help repair water conservancy projects and combat the spring drought.

This requires the full cooperation of local gentry and common people.

Lin Feng paused for a moment, then presented the plan he had previously agreed upon with the agricultural experts:

"In addition, the military government will implement the 'knife-selling' strategy."

We will have the government step in to provide high-quality seeds and brand-new iron farm tools to farmers who lack farming tools and seeds, free of charge.

When the autumn harvest is plentiful and everyone has enough to eat, the surplus grain can be used to offset costs.

Upon hearing this, Duan Tianqian's eyes lit up.

Land rental at low rent?

The army helps the people repair water conservancy projects?

Are seeds and farming tools provided free of charge by the government?

This is not something a warlord would do.

If Lin Feng can really implement these policies, his prestige among the people of Shandong Province will probably reach an extremely terrifying level!

"Finally, I'll emphasize this again."

Lin Feng placed his hands on the podium, his gaze sharp as he scanned the entire audience:

"The Japanese army is pressing in, and the Great Xia nation is at its most critical moment."

There was no food, and no agricultural production.

The soldiers will become hungry and unable to fight!

If the workers are hungry, they cannot produce anything!

It could even lead to widespread famine!

Anyone who dares to disrupt agricultural production at this time.

They dare to hoard and speculate on grain prices.

They dare to obstruct the people's spring plowing.

That is a crime against the nation and the country!

That's helping the Japanese invade Great Xia!

I, Lin Feng, will punish this severely and without leniency!

The resounding words echoed in the auditorium.

After a brief silence.

Duan Tiangan was the first to stand up and clapped his hands vigorously.

Immediately afterwards, thunderous applause erupted throughout the venue.

Duan Tiangan clapped his hands as he made a decision in his mind.

After the press conference, he had to leave Qingchenggang immediately to visit rural areas in Shandong Province.

He wanted to see for himself whether the pro-people policies Lin Feng had mentioned were truly being implemented.

Or was it just empty rhetoric at a press conference to win people over?

If Lin Feng can really do everything he promised.

Could this young soldier truly become the key figure who changes the fate of the Great Xia Dynasty?

-----

The press conference concluded successfully.

Outside the auditorium, flashbulbs were still going off.

Surrounded by guards, Lin Feng walked down the steps and got into a black Ford sedan.

The car door closed, completely shutting out the noise outside.

The convoy slowly started moving and drove forward along the wide asphalt road.

Lin Feng leaned back in his seat and turned to look out the car window.

Shops along the street have gradually opened for business, and many people are sweeping the streets in front of their shops.

Red tiles, green trees, blue sea, and blue sky.

This city has a unique exotic charm.

Lin Feng mentally calculated the advantages of Qingcheng Port.

This area was the leased territory of Jiaozhou Bay, which originally belonged to the Hans.

After the outbreak of World War I, the Japanese took advantage of the chaos and seized control of the area.

It wasn't until 1922 that the Beiyang government, through international mediation, formally regained sovereignty over Qingcheng Port.

This is crucial.

Legally, Qingcheng Port is entirely part of the territory of the Great Xia Dynasty.

There is no "state within a state" here, unlike the Shanghai International Settlement or the Tianjin French Concession, which enjoyed extraterritorial rights.

There weren't those arrogant foreign consuls who were always pointing fingers and giving orders.

There was also no interference in domestic affairs by foreign police.

Lin Feng can implement all his industrial and economic development plans in this big city without any scruples.

"Sir, the Inner and Outer Cotton Mills are just ahead."

Sitting in the passenger seat, the legion's chief steward, Lin Peiji, turned his head and respectfully reported to the commander.

The convoy stopped in front of the gate of a very large factory area.

The towering red brick chimneys pierce the sky.

Lin Feng pushed open the car door and got out, leading Lin Peiji and several guards, and strode into the largest textile factory in Qingcheng Port.

The factory area is currently under military control, with heavily armed soldiers patrolling everywhere.

In the huge production workshop, the machines stopped roaring.

The air was filled with a strong smell of engine oil and the dusty smell of cotton wool.

Lin Feng walked between two rows of tall spinning machines and reached out to touch the cold steel body of the machine.

"Pei-ki, tell me the truth."

Lin Feng withdrew his hand and looked at Lin Peiji beside him:

"What exactly is the scale of these nine major textile mills?"

Lin Peiji immediately opened the ledger he carried with him; he already knew all the data by heart.

"Your Excellency, these nine major cotton mills are extremely large in scale."

The total number of registered spindles has reached 568,400.

There are 9,286 looms.

The total number of registered workers exceeds 30,000.

Lin Peiji turned to a page of the ledger and continued his report:

"These nine factories alone accounted for more than 10% of the total number of spindles in the country before the war."

If operating at full capacity, it can produce 500,000 bales of unbleached cotton yarn and 6 million bolts of cotton fabric annually.

An absolute money-making machine.

Lin Feng nodded slightly after hearing the data.

"With such a large scale, it must be a huge blow to our local national capital, right?"

"It's not just big, it's catastrophic."

Lin Peiji sighed and closed the account book:

"The Japanese cotton mills accounted for 90 percent of the city's total industrial capital."

They enjoy various privileges.

The land cost is outrageously low.

Japanese companies lease this industrial land for only two cents per ping (approximately 3.3 square meters) per year.

This is less than one-tenth of the rent for land in the suburbs of the city.

Lin Peiji pointed in the direction outside the factory building:

"In addition, this place is right next to a deep-water port and the freight station of the Jiaoji Railway is right next to it."

Raw materials were brought in, and cotton fabrics were shipped out, making cargo transportation extremely smooth.

They've driven costs to the bare minimum.

Lin Feng sneered, "They probably have more methods for lowering costs than just these, don't they?"

"Your Excellency is wise and discerning."

A flash of anger crossed Lin Peiji's eyes:

"The Japanese devils are best at exploiting our workers in Great Xia with low wages."

Before the war, the wages of workers here were about 25 percent lower than those of similar factories in Shanghai.

The working conditions were extremely poor; there wasn't even a ventilation system in the workshop.

After the war began, Qingcheng Port was occupied by the Japanese.

The Japanese overseers were extremely harsh on the workers of Daxia.

They frequently resort to beatings, verbal abuse, and corporal punishment, and arbitrarily deduct wages.

The workers toil for more than ten hours a day, yet they don't even get a decent meal.

Lin Peiji gritted his teeth:

"They made huge profits by sucking the blood of our Great Xia workers."

Then they transported all those profits back to Japan to manufacture guns and cannons.

These nine major textile mills were, in fact, the vanguard of the Japanese invaders' economic aggression against Great Xia.