He changed Tiwat

"Sigh... This is something even the Geo Archon couldn't completely solve. Liyue lacks usable arable land, and most of its food relies on imports from neighboring Mondstadt." Keqing's expression also turned somewhat somber.

"The seven kingdoms of Teyvat are currently at peace, but we must remain vigilant. If someone cuts off our food supply from Mondstadt, we must have a plan in place. The importance of food security actually surpasses the cessation of production at the Golden House," Han Fulai said solemnly.

If he were still a secretary, he wouldn't need to worry about such things.

But now, "he is the Liyue government." Having entered the realm of thinking about the seven rulers of the world, some questions inevitably arise.

This is why Han Fulai's "Liyue's Radiance" project includes Liyue's agricultural development and industrialization plans.

The so-called three major industries are: primary industry "agriculture", secondary industry "industry", and tertiary industry "service industry".

Generally speaking, agriculture is the foundation of industry and commerce, while industry is the core of the three major industries and has a positive driving effect on agriculture. The development of the service industry generates demand and promotes the progress of the primary and secondary industries.

The current situation in Liyue is that its tertiary industry is exceptionally developed, surpassing Teyvat, and it is even a nation built on commerce; its secondary industry is still in the primitive stage of mining and handicraft manufacturing, far behind Fontaine and Winterfall; as for the primary industry, it is even worse than handicrafts.

Liyue's industries are in a very peculiar "inverted" state, with the primary and secondary industries being supported by a well-developed tertiary sector.

However, this is by no means a long-term solution. In fact, the drawbacks of the inverted industrial structure had already become apparent before the Rock King Emperor abdicated.

Agriculture is called the primary industry because without agriculture, people would starve to death.

No matter how developed a country's commerce is, its arable land area and food security are always the top priorities—a truth that history has eloquently proven countless times, whether in China or Liyue.

Economic problems can always be solved with economic methods. Even if we lose Mora, we can always print paper, even if it's done by deception, and we'll always find a way to get through it.

But grain doesn't grow on rice shop shelves; from sowing to harvesting, every grain is the result of hard work. Merchants can make money by deceiving people, but farmers can't make money by deceiving people to grow crops.

Liyue's current agricultural level is still in the ancient era, relying on human and animal power and manure as fertilizer.

In ancient China, the ratio of arable land to urban area was generally 80:1 in order to produce enough food to meet the needs of the people.

When Han Fulai traveled through time, China was still firmly adhering to the red line of 1.8 billion mu of arable land. Even after years of urbanization, the ratio of arable land to urban area was still about 14 to 1, and China still needed to rely on a large amount of grain imports.

China is a modern country with chemical fertilizers, agricultural machinery, and hybrid rice, and its arable land area far exceeds that of Liyue, yet it is still like this.

The ratio of arable land to town area in Liyue is an astonishing two to one. It is simply impossible for Qingce Village, Qiaoying Village, and the scattered arable land near Lisha to feed the entire population of Liyue.

Let alone feeding Liyue, the farmers of Liyue can't even support themselves. Otherwise, why would all the able-bodied young people in the countryside flock to Liyue Harbor? Why is Qingce Village full of the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled? Because farming is less profitable than working as a laborer at the docks!

If we were to ask which country on the continent of Teyvat has the most developed agriculture, it would undoubtedly be Mondstadt, whose specialty is wine.

Because wine is brewed from grains.

Generally speaking, it takes four catties of grain to brew one catty of liquor.

Mondstadt has a surplus of grain, enough to brew wine to supply the entire world.

Due to food shortages in Liyue, the owner of the "Three Bowls Before Crossing the Port" restaurant, De Gui, was forced to dilute his wine with water.

The Geo Archon isn't a food god, nor can it conjure food out of thin air. Furthermore, to maintain Mora's supply, Zhongli has consistently avoided using divine powers that alter terrain, minimizing his own "wear and tear." Fortunately, while Liyue is short of food, it has money. Zhongli's solution is to purchase food from other countries through trade.

Neighboring Mondstadt has always maintained good relations with Liyue, and it happens to possess the most arable land on the Teyvat continent, making it Liyue's largest source of food.

Grain ships from Mondstadt's Jingfu Port often dock at the Liyue Harbor's wharf, and merchants from Mondstadt and Liyue also transport grain to Liyue via the Stone Gate trade route.

Han Fulai remembered that in the game's backstory, Zhongli and Venti, the Anemo Archon of Mondstadt, were quite close. Two thousand years ago, when Venti first came to Liyue, before even explaining his purpose, Zhongli was already waiting to do everything he could to help Venti. This god, whom Venti described as old-fashioned, could even tolerate Venti's drunken pranks.

Looking back now, Zhongli, the God of Contracts, must have owed Wendy a favor regarding food.

As the star Keqing in charge of Liyue's land and development, she had indeed considered the issue of arable land in Liyue, but the reality of Liyue's conditions was a real constraint.

“Even if we complete the water conservancy project and truly solve the land problem of Guili Plain, turning it into large tracts of farmland… our food production still cannot meet our own needs.” Keqing shook her head with a sigh. Even if we really turned Guili Plain into farmland and encouraged the people to cultivate it, the increased production would not be able to meet Liyue’s needs.

"That's why we have this four trillion yuan of over-issued currency. Besides using a portion to address the potential counterfeit currency run caused by Pantalone, we need to do three things with the remaining investments," Han Fulai said.

"The first thing to do is to do a good job in the management of the Bishui River and build the original Guili embankment to create conditions for the construction of the 'Guili New Area'."

"The second thing is to purchase a complete industrial technology system from Fontainebleau, increase equipment imports, and at the same time expand economic exchanges with other countries."

"The third thing is to establish a fertilizer production system, with a complete set of fertilizer production equipment and trained workers with the corresponding skills, so as to completely solve the problem of feeding the people of Liyue."

"Use four trillion yuan to do three things, which I call the 'Four-Three Plan'!"

This is the "4-3 Plan" in the "Liyue's Radiance" project, which is hailed as the one that changed Liyue.

"Fertilizer?" Ke Qing heard a new term, the same as "Air Force".

"Yes, it means 'chemical fertilizer.' Simply put, it's fertilizer made using methods called 'chemicals' in my hometown, containing the nutrients needed for crop growth. With chemical fertilizers, not only can the soil salinization problem in Guiliyuan be solved, but grain yields can also be greatly increased. If traditional farmyard manure is at the mercy of the weather, then chemical fertilizers put the fate of agriculture in our own hands!"

Before coming, Han Fu confidently told Ke Qing that he could solve the problem of salinization of the Guili Plain, relying on the power of the Salt God within him.

Of course, this does not mean that he relies entirely on the power of the demonic remnants within him.

With his current strength, he is not capable of extracting salt from such a vast land as Guili Plain. Not to mention him, perhaps even Herria herself could not do it.

But he can transform the land using chemical methods.

A compulsory subject in junior high school chemistry textbooks, salt is inevitably associated with something called "salt and fertilizer"!

The fastest way to treat saline-alkali land is to replenish soil fertility with appropriate fertilizers!

Han Fulai has already come up with the name and advertising slogan for the fertilizer:

"Fertilizer mixed with Jin Ke La (a type of fertilizer) won't run off! It won't evaporate! Zero waste!"

"The fertilizer is mixed with Jin Ke La, which can absorb nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium from two meters below!"

"The fertilizer is mixed with Jin Ke La! One bag is as effective as two bags of fertilizer!"

Chapter 104 Let the Crystal Lilies Bloom All Over Guili Plain [4k5]

“'Fertilizer'... is made using chemical methods and contains nutrients needed for crop growth... It can improve the soil..." Ke Qing murmured, repeating.

These were all concepts Ke Qing was encountering for the first time. Although she was a young lady from a prestigious family who had received an elite education, this education did not include chemistry, and her background meant that she could not work the hard labor of an ordinary farmer. Therefore, she had doubts about what Han Fulai said.

Keqing is determined to get an explanation for anything that is in doubt—at least an explanation that can convince herself.

In fact, as the Jade Balance Star of Liyue, she only needs to issue orders from a high position and doesn't need to care about how her subordinates do things.

If her subordinates did well, the credit was attributed to her skillful command; if they did poorly, the blame was placed on their incompetence… Among the past Seven Stars, there have been many such people. But Ke Qing was an exception.

Keqing's ability to conduct such in-depth field research is not only because she imitates the style of the Geo Archon, but also because she genuinely wants to bring about change in Liyue and truly desires an era of rule by man.

She is strict with her subordinates because she is equally strict with herself.

As Gan Yu said, among the seven stars of Liyue, only Yuheng has always been wholeheartedly fighting for the future of the people of Liyue.

Ke Qing pondered for a moment, then looked up at Han Fulai with great seriousness: "Mr. Han, could you explain to me how this 'fertilizer' is specifically used to treat the land of Guili Plain?"

If we think of so-called "chemical fertilizers" as a new type of fertilizer, Keqing can understand its effect of increasing crop yields. After all, Liyue already uses manure and other farmyard manure.

However, traditional farmyard manure has no effect on improving saline-alkali land. In Guiliyuan, a land that has been hit by tsunamis and suffers from the frequent flooding of the Bishui River, farmyard manure is powerless to help with the severe soil salinization.

In China, areas like Guiliyuan are called "Yellow River floodplains," where severely salinized land is often left behind after the floods recede.

The soil of Guiliyuan is hard and easily hardens into clumps. If you dip your fingertip in some soil and taste it with your tongue, it will taste salty and bitter... All of this proves that this land is no longer suitable for cultivation.

Now that Han Fu has said that he can improve the soil texture with a single type of fertilizer, Ke Qing really can't believe him immediately.

However, for Han Fulai, a test-taker from a small town in China, the treatment of saline-alkali land in Guili was just a geography question on the college entrance exam. As a "successor to the ideal society," he had studied the wisdom of his ancestors and stood on the shoulders of countless giants.

"There are generally four ways to improve saline-alkali land," Han Fulai said with a smile, holding up four fingers.

"First, agricultural improvement. This requires leveling the land, improving cultivation methods, adding topsoil, and fertilizing."

"In the case of Guiliyuan, the first thing to do is to level the land. Level land allows water to seep in evenly, improving irrigation efficiency and, more importantly, the efficiency of 'salt washing'."

"Washing salt?" Ke Qing blinked. She had heard of salt drying, but never of washing salt.

Shen He, who was also listening in, was even more confused.

"Hmm, no rush, we'll explain that later." Han Fulai shook his finger.

"After leveling the land, we need to do deep plowing and harrowing. Salt is distributed in the soil with more salt in the topsoil and less in the lower layers. Plowing can turn the salt in the topsoil to the bottom layer and bring the less salty lower layers of soil to the surface. Harrowing can loosen the topsoil and cut off the capillary water transport of salt to the surface, thus preventing salt return."

“'Capillary water'...? 'Reversion salt'?” Ke Qing heard two new terms again.

"This is what's called 'capillary action,' just like the towels we use to wash our faces. If you only soak the bottom half of the towel in a basin of water, after a while, the entire towel will be soaked with water. This is because there are many tiny gaps in the towel, and water will spread along these gaps. Soil also has such tiny gaps. If the water contains a lot of salt, the salt will return to the soil surface through these gaps. This is called 'salinization.'"

Han Fulai gave a brief explanation of the phenomenon. As long as you can understand the phenomenon, that's enough. There's no need to explain the deeper explanations, such as "the forces between water molecules"... It's pointless to explain them anyway.

Ke Qing was not a scholar of the Sumeru Academy, so she was not so inquisitive. She nodded, signaling Han Fulai to continue.

Han Fulai continued, "Second, water conservancy improvement. For example, irrigation, drainage, silt removal, rice cultivation, and seepage prevention."

"We are surrounded by the Bishui River, which is a freshwater resource that can be used to irrigate the soil of Guili Plain. As long as we build water conservancy projects, people can easily obtain the freshwater needed for agricultural irrigation from the Bishui River."

He spread his hands out and made a watering motion.

"The land is divided into plots, and drainage ditches are built along the plots that need irrigation. Then, large amounts of fresh water are poured into the land to dissolve the salts in the soil. Through the infiltration of the water, the soluble salts and alkalis in the topsoil are drained into the deeper soil or leached out and then seeped into the drainage ditches for disposal."

This step is called 'salt washing'.

That is, washing away the salt in the soil with water, which is easy to understand, so Ke Qing didn't ask any further questions.

"Third, biological improvement. Plant salt-tolerant plants, such as the ones around us now." Han Fulai pointed to the tree that Lao Luo used to secure the tent not far away.

“Quesa wood?” Ke Qing immediately recognized what it was.

The people of Liyue often use sapwood to make furniture, such as sapwood bedside tables, which Keqing naturally recognizes.

“Yes.” Han Fulai nodded. “Plants that can live in saline-alkali land usually have some soil-improving effects. We can plant sand-loving trees on a large scale to improve the land.”

“These methods all sound good… but you haven’t mentioned the ‘fertilizer’ yet?” Ke Qing asked.

"Because these three methods are fundamental treatments, or in medical terms, 'strengthening the foundation and nourishing the source,' they must be introduced first." Han Fulai smiled. "The drawback of these three methods is that they require a lot of manpower and time, and their effects are relatively slow."

"The fourth method, chemical improvement, requires the use of what I called 'chemical fertilizers.' However, this method has some drawbacks... Let me demonstrate the operation process."

Han Fulai waved his hand and took out a package from the Eye of the Blank God. Inside the package were a small gardening shovel, a packet of plant seeds, a few green stones, and some gray solid particles.

"What's this?" Ke Qing looked at these things suspiciously, wondering what Han Fulai wanted to do.

"These are scraps of jadeite I bought from the stone shop owner at 'Jie Cui Xing,' they're called Cui Han Yan," Han Fulai said, pointing to the few green stones.

"And these are the gardening tools I borrowed from Gan Yu." Han Fulai then picked up the other items one by one and showed them to Ke Qing and Shen He.

"A very useful gardening shovel, for digging soil." Han Fulai handed the small shovel to Shen He and pointed to the ground, "Ahe, help me dig a hole."

"Okay." Shen He took the gardening shovel, but did not use it.

Shen He exerted all his strength in his toes and stomped on the ground. With a "bang," a large pit was created in the ground.

"...Actually, all you need is a hole the size of a flowerpot." Han Fulai's lips twitched.

Shen He looked at Han Fulai with an innocent expression, and Han Fulai couldn't help but cover his face, "Okay, I didn't explain it clearly."

The driver, Lao Luo, who had just drifted off to sleep inside the tent, was startled awake by the noise and cautiously peeked out from the tent's gaps to investigate.

Ke Qing awkwardly comforted him for a while and told him to go back to sleep.

After this brief interlude, Han Fulai continued his presentation.

"This is phosphate rock powder, also known as apatite. Gan Yu uses it to improve the soil quality of the Yuehaiting flower nursery and to fertilize the flowers."

"Improve the soil quality?" Ke Qing grasped the key point.

"Yes. This involves grinding phosphate rock into extremely fine powder, then coating it with green manure, which is basically mixing weeds, leaves, and other things into a mud-like consistency. This is then buried in the soil as a base fertilizer, which increases the 'phosphorus' content needed by plants. In my hometown, we call this 'phosphate fertilizer,' which is actually a type of chemical fertilizer. This fertilizer takes effect slowly, but the effect is long-lasting; one application can be effective for several years."

As the author of "Flora of Yujingtai," Gan Yu, Liyue's hidden agricultural master, put in a lot of effort to supplement her busy work with extra meals... no, to beautify the working environment of Yuehaiting.

Although Gan Yu didn't understand chemical components like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, three thousand years was enough for her to notice many phenomena and summarize a lot of valuable experience.

"And these emerald rocks have another name for me—ferrous sulfate. Or, ferrous sulfate."

He had seen this kind of stone before when he accompanied Yan Fei on her investigation.

This green, cheap ore, which is produced in large quantities but has little use, is actually a treasure. It's just that the people of Liyue lack chemical knowledge and cannot turn waste into treasure.

In ancient China, Taoist priests would mix ferrous sulfate with rice vinegar, calcine it in an alchemical furnace until it reached a certain temperature, then grind it into powder for use as medicine. It was mainly used externally to treat sores and blemishes, or internally to treat indigestion and constipation.

Some Taoist priests, after refining ferrous sulfate in their furnaces for a long time, discovered a strange substance called "ferrous sulfate oil"—which was concentrated sulfuric acid.

The immortals of Liyue clearly don't care much for alchemy, nor do they have any interest in the Emerald Rock. What they want is the Emerald Jade Rock, which grows alongside the Emerald Rock and is rich in elemental energy.

Gan Yu also keeps some Cuihanyan powder on hand—to use as fertilizer for flowers.

For Gan Yu, this substance can treat "yellow leaf disease," a condition where plant leaves turn yellow. A solution mixed with lime applied to the leaves of flowers can prevent pests. Furthermore, adding emerald powder and the ash from burning plants to the soil can improve plant growth.

—These are all recorded in her "Flora of Yujingtai". It was through Gan Yu's records that Han Fulai discovered the true nature of Cuihan Rock.

This can be seen as a divergence in development direction caused by the different power systems of different worlds. But for Han Fulai, it leaves him with a lot of room for development—he might be able to find "three acids and two alkalis" in Liyue, a mineral-rich country, and establish a chemical industry system.

Of course, as a liberal arts student, this idea is just that—an idea for now.

However, having taken the high school entrance exam, Han Fulai's chemistry knowledge surpassed that of most creatures on the continent of Teyvat—at least surpassing Heuria's. This knowledge would help him utilize the Salt God's power more effectively.

He put the emerald-containing rock and phosphate powder into the pit, then took out a kettle and poured about half a kettle of water into it. He then silently recited chemical formulas in his mind, such as ferrous sulfate decomposing into sulfur dioxide and sulfur trioxide at high temperatures, and sulfur trioxide reacting with water to form concentrated sulfuric acid. He then imagined the concentrated sulfuric acid and water reacting with the phosphate rock…