Courtyard House: I Rely on Time-Space Trade to Build a Nation

Just after the Lantern Festival, the conference room in the sea was full of people.

The leader sat in the main seat, flanked by several colleagues in charge of the economy. Zhao Ping'an sat on one side of the long table, a thick report spread out in front of him.

"Comrade Ping'an," the leader began, "we didn't even let you rest during the Spring Festival. I heard you spent six days in Xinjiang, visiting ten settlements?"

Zhao Ping'an nodded: "The comrades on the Corps side have worked hard, I should go and see them."

The top leader smiled and said, "Alright, then let's hear what you have to say about this year's plans."

I've read through your report, but you should present it to everyone yourself.

Zhao Pingan stood up.

"Yes, sir. The daily report mainly covers four lines of content."

"First, the development of the Northwest will continue."

Zhao Pingan turned to the first page.

"The expansion of the Corps, the construction of factories, and the extension of railways will proceed according to the original plan."

Last year, the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps reclaimed 8 million mu of land.

The harvests of corn, cotton, wheat, and potatoes were all good.

Grain crops basically met the needs of the Northwest State Farms Corps, achieving self-sufficiency.

Of these, 500 million mu were cotton fields, with a yield of 260 jin per mu, totaling 1.3 million jin of cotton.

This year's goal is to open up another 15 million mu (approximately 1.67 million hectares) of land, including 10 million mu (approximately 6.67 million hectares) of cotton fields.

We will strive to meet the clothing needs of the entire nation this year.

"A number of factories have also been built. The fertilizer plant and pesticide plant have completed equipment debugging, and this year there is no need to transport them from the Northeast, which can save a lot of transportation capacity to receive equipment and accelerate the industrialization of the Northwest region."

Meanwhile, cotton mills, garment factories, canneries, and other facilities have been completed and are already recruiting workers.

"The railway extends westward, from Hami to Urumqi, then westward from Urumqi to Jinghe, and northward to Alashankou. If we work for another year, it will connect with the railway of the Red Empire."

After Zhao Ping'an finished speaking, he paused, looked at his superior, and the superior nodded. Zhao Ping'an then continued.

"Secondly, infrastructure construction."

Zhao Pingan turned to the second page.

"Roads and village roads are being fully developed, and the railway is being pushed forward as much as possible."

Last year's plan was to complete the project in four years: 19,000 kilometers of railways, 700,000 kilometers of highways, and 1 million kilometers of village roads.

Zhao Pingan reported a set of figures.

"Last year, the first year of construction, a total of 2,200 kilometers of railways, 104,000 kilometers of highways, and 310,000 kilometers of village roads were built."

Village roads are prioritized for construction in the north, mainly concentrated in the Northeast, North China, Northwest, and Central China regions, primarily because these areas already have mature facilities such as cement plants.

Meanwhile, a number of cement plants were built in South China, Central China, and Southwest China last year, and village roads will be promoted nationwide this year.

At the same time, it connects over 320,000 villages across 300,000 kilometers, accounting for about 10% of all natural villages in the country. These villages have undergone significant changes.

The leader asked, "What specific changes have occurred in this village?"

Zhao Pingan said, "First of all, the roads have been repaired, and there have been changes in medical care, education, administration, and other aspects."

In the past, doctors could only go to rural towns, and farmers had to leave home very early in the morning to see a doctor.

After the doctor's visit, you have to rush back. Some illnesses even require enduring the pain because there's no way out, and patients can't get out.

Now that the roads are open, medical staff can make daily visits by bicycle and regularly go into the villages.

Minor illnesses and ailments can be treated in the village. Even in case of emergencies, there are roads to transport patients out for treatment.

"Then education. Previously, children had to walk dozens of miles of mountain roads to get to school, and the roads were difficult to travel."

There are still certain dangers involved, so many farming families, while supporting their children's education, are not entirely at ease with it.

Now that the roads are better, we can jointly run a school in several nearby villages, and the militia can send a group of children to school together on a daily basis.

Teachers can go in, and children can come out. Compulsory education is being extended to the grassroots level, starting with this one village.

"Third, the cadres. Villages that were previously beyond their reach can now be visited regularly to understand the situation."

Policies can be effectively communicated, and problems can be gathered together.

"Fourth, agricultural technicians can go to the fields and promote new varieties, fertilizers, pesticides, and agricultural machinery. Increased grain production depends on this."

Zhao Ping'an paused briefly before continuing.

"The most important thing is labor. With the promotion of high-yield seeds, the availability of fertilizers, and the introduction of tractors in some areas, we naturally don't need as many people in the fields."

"Last year, more than 12 million people left those 300,000-plus villages."

They entered factories in Northeast and North China, the Production and Construction Corps for railway and highway construction and Northwest China development, as well as mines, railway construction sites, and water conservancy projects across the country, providing a large labor force and accelerating the completion of various plans.

The meeting room was silent for a few seconds.

The leader paused for a moment, then said, "Twelve million?"

Zhao Ping'an nodded.

"In a small village with over two hundred people, there are at least thirty to fifty able-bodied men. With the promotion of high-yield seeds and agricultural machinery, especially tractors, the land remains the same, but the manpower is reduced by more than half."

At the same time, we have established collective canteens in rural areas, although there is some waste.

However, it saved a lot of manpower, especially liberating the productivity of women comrades.

In the past, men were the main force in farming, while women generally focused on taking care of children and cooking.

Now that kindergartens and canteens have been established in the village, the labor force of women, especially unmarried women, has been freed up.

They can also use agricultural machinery, and are even a major source of labor in textile and garment factories.

With over 300,000 villages and 12 million people, that's an average of 40 people per village, and about half of them are women—not a large number.

"The major cities in Northeast China absorbed more than three million new workers last year. This year, with the completion of factories in North and Central China, they will need to recruit more workers. Railway construction sites, mines, water conservancy projects, everywhere is crying out for workers."

"At the same time, people came out, the land was not left uncultivated, and grain production increased. Last year, the grain output of those more than 300,000 villages was 20% higher than the year before."

The meeting room was silent for a few seconds.

The leader looked at Zhao Ping'an without saying anything, but something flickered in his eyes.

Zhao Pingan turned to the third page.

"The third point is foreign trade."

"France and Britain reached foreign trade agreements with us at the end of last year. Trade in canned goods, tea, silk, and other commodities has been stabilized. The large trade surplus has given us ample foreign currency reserves."

The leader nodded.

Zhao Pingan continued.

"In the Far East, cooperation with the Red Empire's Far East region is progressing. In Mongolia, the railway is not yet fully connected, but trade has already begun."

"We worked on the Southeast Asia sector for a year and achieved good results. Chinese trade routes have been opened up, goods can enter, and resources can leave."

That area is currently our main source of natural rubber, and we also plan to cultivate rice there this year, which will be one of our important sources of rice in the future.

Zhao Ping'an paused again.

"Next, one line will go from the Red Empire to Eastern Europe. Poland, Czech Republic, and Hungary are all negotiable. The other step will be to go to Western Europe. Italy, Spain, and West Germany—these countries also need our resources."

Someone asked, "Is there enough food?"

Zhao Pingan said, "So this year we need to increase production capacity first. This includes canned mushrooms, canned vegetables, canned fruits, canned meats, as well as tea, silk, pig bristles, and some local specialties."

The factory is already expanding, and its production capacity will double next year. Moreover, the sale of these goods will not affect the improvement of the living standards of the domestic population.

After Zhao Ping'an finished speaking, he saw approval in the leader's eyes.

Zhao Pingan then turned to the fourth page.

Article 4, Water Conservancy Projects.

The leader looked up, somewhat surprised.

"Water conservancy?"

Zhao Ping'an nodded.

"Yes, 300,000 kilometers of village roads have been opened this year, allowing trucks to enter and cement to be transported. Water conservancy projects can now proceed."

As he spoke, Zhao Ping'an pulled out a document from the files.

"I recently received some information about locust control."

The meeting room fell silent again.

Zhao Pingan said, "Our country experiences a large-scale locust plague every few decades."

Locusts prefer warm and dry conditions.

In dry years, when soil moisture is low and vegetation is sparse, locusts can lay their eggs in large swaths, producing hundreds of thousands of eggs per square meter.

"Once they take flight, they'll blanket the sky and land wherever they go, leaving no food behind."

The leader's expression changed.

Zhao Pingan continued, "Water conservancy projects can solve this problem. Building reservoirs and canals can regulate humidity."

"When the air and soil are moist, locusts can't reproduce. Even if they do, they can be controlled."

"In addition, water conservancy projects can also generate electricity. A small hydropower station is enough for a village. It can also store water, preventing floods and droughts. This can be combined with the solar power generation we are currently promoting, reducing the demand for thermal power plants. Coal is a good resource, and burning it is actually the most basic way to reduce thermal power generation. We can use some coal resources in other places."

Zhao Pingan closed the document.

"Now that the roads are open and supplies can be transported in, it's the perfect time to build water conservancy projects."

After Zhao Ping'an finished speaking, he stood there and waited.

There was a moment of silence in the meeting room.

The leader put down his teacup and looked at him.

"Comrade Ping An, each of your four lines this year is bigger than the last."

Zhao Ping'an remained silent.

The leader stood up and took two steps.

"Three hundred thousand kilometers of village roads connect more than three hundred thousand villages. Healthcare, education, cadres, technology, and labor—all follow the roads. You're essentially reorganizing the grassroots level."

He turned around.

"And then there's water conservancy—controlling locusts, generating electricity, and storing water—killing three birds with one stone. You've even thought of locust plagues that will last for decades."

He looked at the people present.

"Comrades, what do you think of Comrade Ping An's plan?"

Someone said: "The development of the Northwest is a continuation, infrastructure construction is a rollout, foreign trade is an expansion, and water conservancy is a long-term endeavor."

Four lines, interconnected, none can be missing.

Another person chimed in: "With the roads open, medical care and education can reach the grassroots, and the workforce can come in."

With improved irrigation systems, food supplies are secured, and industry can develop. Each link in the chain is interconnected.

The leader nodded.

"Comrade Ping An, these four lines of yours are very important."

"Especially those hundreds of thousands of kilometers of village roads. There are still many farmers there who are looking forward to this road."