Video spoilers history, starting with the blitzkrieg on Poland

Western Jin Dynasty.

Shi Chong, a wealthy man who once refused to obey Saudi Arabia's oil giant.

After this period of popular science education on Tianmu, we have come to know the importance of oil to future generations and how wealthy the oil dads are.

I have a more complete understanding of it.

Now Shi Chong saw in the video that Saudi Arabia’s desalination plant stood on the seashore. The huge equipment converted seawater into clear fresh water, which was continuously transported to all parts of the country.

Shi Chong couldn't help but exclaimed:

"Saudi Arabia actually has such a method! Seawater can also be turned into fresh water. It's unbelievable."

"They are very rich because of oil."

“With oil, you have everything.”

A complex emotion flashed across Shi Chong's eyes, and there was a hint of unwillingness in his heart.

When he was the governor of Jingzhou, he robbed wealthy businessmen.

He accumulated huge wealth through hard work and risking his life.

The Saudi oil daddies dare not do anything. They just rely on God for their luck.

"How can such a barbarian land be so wasteful?"

"I, Shi Chong, really don't accept it!"

……

And the sky continues.

[You might think that a water-scarce desert country that pays a high price for water should save water, right? ]

【But the reality is just the opposite. 】

Saudis are extremely generous with their water use.

[Saudi Arabia is incredibly wealthy and has strong spending power, so it naturally uses more water.]

[In addition, Islam requires washing hands and feet before prayer, so Saudis naturally use more water for daily washing.]

【More importantly, high temperature causes rapid evaporation. 】

[So in reality, Saudis use more water than any other country.]

[The Saudi government also realized that in addition to increasing revenue, it also needs to cut costs. ]

【In recent years, sewage treatment and reuse technologies have been vigorously developed. 】

[As early as 2000, Saudi Arabia launched a national sewage treatment network construction plan, investing more than 200 billion US dollars in the construction of sewage treatment facilities. ]

[As of 2023, Saudi Arabia has built more than 160 sewage treatment plants. ]

【Annual processing capacity reaches 20 billion cubic meters! 】

[About 60% of the treated water is recycled.]

[The sewage recycling rate in the capital Riyadh is as high as 80%! 】

[The treated water is mainly used for industrial cooling, municipal greening and limited agricultural irrigation. ]

[For example, the irrigation water for King Fahd Fountain in the center of Riyadh and the surrounding green areas comes from recycled water from the city's sewage treatment plant.]

【Through advanced tertiary treatment and disinfection processes, the water quality has reached irrigation standards. 】

[It not only saves precious fresh water resources, but also beautifies the urban environment. ]

[However, due to cultural and religious factors, Saudi Arabian people's acceptance of recycled water is still limited. ]

[Currently recycled water is used primarily for non-potable purposes.]

[In addition to developing new water sources, Saudi Arabia is also working to improve water use efficiency. ]

[In the past, due to high government subsidies, Saudi residents wasted water resources seriously. ]

[In 2010, the average daily water consumption of Riyadh residents was as high as 265 liters, far higher than the average level of major European cities.]

[In order to change this situation, Saudi Arabia began to gradually adjust its water price policy in 2016, drastically cut subsidies, and implemented a tiered water price system. ]

[At the same time, the government is also promoting smart water meters and leak detection systems to reduce the leakage rate of water pipelines. ]

【These measures have achieved remarkable results.】

[By 2023, the average daily water consumption of Riyadh residents will drop to 180 liters, a decrease of more than 30%. ]

【Across the country, water waste has also been curbed to a certain extent. 】

[Agriculture accounts for the majority of Saudi Arabia’s total water use.]

[In the past, traditional irrigation methods consumed a huge amount of water.]

[Nowadays, Saudi Arabia is gradually eliminating traditional irrigation methods that consume a lot of water and vigorously promoting water-saving technologies such as drip irrigation and sprinkler irrigation. ]

[The government has also adjusted agricultural policies to reduce the area planted with water-intensive crops such as wheat.]

【New drip irrigation technology is being promoted across the country.】

[Saudi Arabia expects that by 2030, 80% of the country's farmland will use modern water-saving irrigation technology.]

[Even Saudi Arabia has contracted large tracts of arable land in African countries such as Sudan, South Sudan, and Ethiopia.]

【Transfer water-intensive agriculture to further reduce water resource consumption. 】

[In addition, Saudi Arabia has also introduced new regulations to impose fines of up to 20 riyals - about 38 yuan - for wasting water resources. ]

[A leaking water tank will be fined 5 riyals, and using an inefficient irrigation system will be fined 10 riyals.] [Even not posting water-saving slogans will result in a fine of 1 riyals.]

[The Saudi government also attaches great importance to new ways to solve water resource problems in the future. ]

[They are developing and promoting solar-driven desalination technology, which relies entirely on solar power.]

[It produces a large amount of fresh water every day without consuming fossil resources, and is expected to reduce desalination costs by more than 30%. 】

[In addition, they also plan to achieve 100% wastewater recycling in the future. ]

【Relying entirely on seawater desalination driven by renewable energy and advanced water recycling technology to achieve sustainable use of water resources. 】

【The Saudi Arabia story tells us that the real resource is not water. 】

【It’s about money and technology.】

[This country has used its oil wealth to develop the world's most advanced seawater desalination technology, and has used its "money power" to make up for its natural deficiencies.]

【There is no river in the country? 】

[You only need money to solve the problem! 】

……

The video ends here.

Barrages of comments flew out one after another.

"Well, it turns out that money can solve problems."

"No Rivers, All Oil!"

"When I was in kindergarten, they said that there would only be enough oil for 20 years. I'm almost dead, but the oil is getting more and more."

"Only enough for XX years, referring to the oil that has been explored..."

"It's like exchanging oil for water."

"I didn't expect Saudi Arabia to have such a large population."

"Saudi Arabia's groundwater is not good to drink, it contains too much oil."

"Doesn't that mean drinking water is very expensive in Saudi Arabia, more expensive than oil?"

"In fact, Saudi Arabia's water is now cheaper. Saudi Arabia's bottled water is all produced locally, and the price is normal."

"Gasoline in Saudi Arabia is about 4 yuan per liter. Bottled water there is about 3 yuan per liter, and the price of tap water is about the same as in Shanghai."

"Why is it so cheap?"

"Reverse osmosis desalination of seawater costs about 3.5 to 4.5 yuan per ton of water, which is not expensive."

"Saudi Arabia's energy is cheap and the cost is lower. The commercial price of desalinated seawater is RMB 1.5 per ton!"

"Saudi Arabia is even a major agricultural exporter, so it has no shortage of water!"

"If a war breaks out and the seaside freshwater plant that we rely on so heavily is bombed, it would be fatal!"

"Saudi Arabia is rich, so it can easily pay protection fees to the five permanent members."

"Although Saudi Arabia is an oil-rich country, the Arabs are still smart and have long-term strategic planning."

……

And in the late Ming Dynasty.

Chongzhen stared at the picture on the sky.

Amidst the vast expanse of yellow sand, the silvery-white desalination plant continuously pumps fresh water along steel pipes for thousands of miles into farmland.

Think about the barren land in Shaanxi, Henan and other places, the people were displaced and the people were starving everywhere.

Chongzhen could only be described as envious, jealous and hateful.

In order to alleviate the drought, he issued a self-criticism edict and called on officials from all over the country to lead the people in digging wells to fight drought.

But with little success.

Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, has easily solved its water problem, which makes people feel mixed emotions.

"They... can actually turn sea water into sweet rain?"

"Why should they?"

"I have been working hard to govern the country and have not been able to sleep well at night, but why can't I even get a good rain?"

"They are just barbarian chieftains, yet they are so extravagant!"

"If the Ming Dynasty also had this capability, why would we have to worry about drought?"

As Chongzhen looked at the mountain of memorials, the image of the people suffering in the drought emerged in his mind.

"Unfortunately, our Ming Dynasty has neither Saudi Arabia's oil nor such advanced technology."

"Never mind, this is just wishful thinking."

“I just don’t know what can be done to alleviate the drought in Shaanxi and Henan?”

Chongzhen's face was full of sorrow, and he began to blame himself again.

"Since I ascended the throne, I have worked day and night, determined to revive the Ming Dynasty."

"But now there are bandits at home, powerful enemies outside, and a drought, and people's lives are difficult."

"If we can solve the flood problem like Saudi Arabia, the people will suffer less, and there may be a chance for our Ming Dynasty to turn around." (End of this chapter)