Didn't you go to Teyvat to earn money to support me?

"This is not a comparison between Umijima and the Shogunate army, but a comparison between Umijima and Narukami Island. Umijima is much weaker than Narukami Island, much weaker, far weaker than the comparison between the national strength of Inazuma and Liyue."

Shen Liang thought to himself, "I don't know how Li Yue and Inazuma can be compared," so he remained silent.

The little shrine maiden paused, and not hearing Shen Liang's question, she could only continue, "For many years, Haiqi Island has been under the jurisdiction of the shogunate. The shogunate knows our geographical and population plans like the backyard, so fighting a war is like playing a game in their backyard. But our war potential is no match for the shogunate's—oh, you might not know what war potential is, let me explain..."

“I know,” Shen Liang interrupted, “Go on.”

Xin Hai looked at him with a strange expression. "War potential" was a new term she had come up with after studying military strategy books. Theoretically, no one should know what it meant. Shen Liang... was he also well-versed in military strategy? Yes, after all, he was from Liyue.

“The manpower of the Umijima Island has always been a problem. The shogunate's army comes from Narukami Island, Kannazuka Island, Hachiyū Island, and even the sparsely populated Seirai Island and some small islands. Their number of able-bodied men is more than ten times that of ours. Meanwhile, the number of soldiers on Umijima Island is decreasing with each use, and most of them are converted from fishermen and farmers. Although we have gained some strong men who fled due to the Eye Hunting Order, the gap in troop strength is still particularly large.”

"The difference in troop strength is manageable, since we are an island nation rather than a continental one. The confrontations are usually concentrated around the Nashii Beach, which is not a large area and can only support a battle of 10,000 men at most, so the difference in troop strength will be somewhat mitigated. Moreover, one of our Umiji people is worth two of the Shogunate army, so we won't be much weaker in a confrontation."

“But…” Coral Palace Heart Sea said this with a bitter expression.

Shen Liang seemed to have guessed what she wanted to say along the way. As a Chinese person, the military skills of analyzing the war situation are almost cultivated from childhood. He subconsciously replied, "The logistical gap cannot be bridged."

The little shrine maiden looked over in surprise with just one sentence, and even Ruko showed an incredulous expression, exclaiming, "Mr. Ryoko is amazing!"

Good heavens, they've already called for a gentleman!

"My name isn't actually Ryoko. It's just that Hokuto-nee is deliberately making fun of me. I only know that adding 'ko' to the end of a name is how you Inazuma girls address girls." Shen Liang took this opportunity to try to get rid of her bad nickname.

But the little shrine maiden seemed to have a new understanding of Shen Liang. She put away her slightly sad expression, took a deep breath, and continued, "What you said is right. The biggest problem on Haiqi Island is indeed logistics, which is also the biggest advantage the shogunate has in pressing us."

The sea of ​​my heart is definitely not that big now.

Chapter Sixteen: The Golden Miracle

“When I came to Haiqi Island, I saw that at least eight out of every ten acres of farmland I saw were wasteland, so I can probably guess that,” Shen Liang said.

Haizhi Island seems to have a lot of farmland, such as the road from the port to Wanglong Village. Almost all the flat areas have been cultivated, but it is obvious that these fields are abandoned.

“This is not due to one or two reasons,” Coral Palace Xin Hai shook her head. “Because of the war, most of the young people joined the army, leaving only the elderly, women and children to manage the fields. They have to farm on the one hand and support their families on the other, so they cannot sustain all the farming.”

"Secondly, the farmland on Haizhi Island... is indeed not worth the effort to cultivate. Our main source of food is still fish. Anyone with some strength goes fishing, and at least we can barely survive on fish. But we can't rely on the fields."

This statement touched on a knowledge gap that Shen Liang lacked. As a Chinese person, he genuinely did not understand what it meant to "barely survive by fishing, but not by farming."

Although the catch from fishing can be eaten on the same day, if the grain grown from the land is not taxed, even people in ancient times would earn enough in a year to eat for several years. Grain is the foundation of the people, so how could there be any reason for people to starve to death from farming?

Seeing Shen Liang's obvious confusion, the little witch bent down, stretched her small hands, wrapped in white silk gloves, into the field, not caring about getting them dirty, and scooped up a handful of soil. "Your Liyue is a vast and resource-rich land, so naturally you don't know the difficulties of coastal island nations. Crops can't grow on land like this."

Such land?

Shen Liang also picked up a piece of soil and examined it closely before understanding the problem.

Haiji Island has a low horizon and a humid climate. The so-called farmland is actually improved and reinforced mudflats! The few flat areas here have been eroded by the sea for countless years. The land looks no different from normal rice paddies at first glance, but in reality, they are completely different.

On Earth, such land has a name: "coastal saline-alkali land"!

A desolate wasteland, like a desert.

“The land here is already quite good. On the eastern side of the island, you can see white salt flowers even under the sun, in large patches.” Coral Palace Heart Sea watched Shen Liang’s expression change from confusion to silence. “This is Haigi Island. Actually, if it weren’t for the fact that the land on Haigi Island is impossible to grow food, the shogunate wouldn’t have given us such a large island to govern ourselves.”

"The soldiers on Haizhi Island rely on fish and meat for supplies every day. Getting a bowl of rice is practically a pipe dream. Logistics? Where is the logistics? The farmers are fishing, and they don't even have enough to eat for themselves every day. They have to give most of their food to the army because their husbands, children, or fathers are the ones risking their lives in the army. It's ridiculous. The people in the rear are starving to death. Where is the logistics?"

This is Haiqi Island. Shen Liang had considered their weakness, but he never imagined that the root of their weakness lay in the land.

"Can't the deal be made?" Shen Liang asked, then realized he had asked a stupid question.

“In peacetime, Haiqi Island could buy rice from the shogunate using its catches and specialties, as well as… the mining rights to the snake god’s remains on Hachiyun Island. But now it’s wartime. The shogunate has severed diplomatic ties with us and blocked the shipping lanes. It’s impossible for us to trade with other countries.” Coral Miko Shinkai threw the soil back into the field and washed her and Shen Liang’s hands with water. “This is also the shogunate’s plan to force us to admit defeat.”

No show.

Shen Liang really felt that there was no hope.

He originally thought Haiqi Island was a separatist warlord's island, but he never expected that the island was actually a village!

What gives this island the audacity to rebel? You rely on imports for food, and your land is practically useless! You're an island whose livelihood depends entirely on tourism, yet you dare to rebel and raise an army? They've cut off your trade, and you're about to starve to death. You dare to raise an army?

They're not just brainless, they're downright brainless!

To be honest, Shen Liang felt that, based on the normal course of history, Coral Palace's current war of independence was basically a matter of surrender. The shogunate wouldn't even need to lift a finger; starving Umijima Island for a year or two would inevitably lead to a mutiny, and then the people would rise up against Coral Palace and defect to the shogunate!

Don't tell me you can't see through such a simple situation. You're all united in rebellion now, but once you've been starving for a long time, see how many supporters you have left. People need to eat, regardless of who the leader is!

"What's wrong? Why aren't you saying anything, sir?" Ruko reminded him with a smile. "Weren't you supposed to be coming to Haiqi Island to profit from the war? What's wrong? You've become mute as soon as you hear about the current situation?"

The little witch also wanted to see what else Shen Liang had to say. She was quite looking forward to Shen Liang's insights, as he could see at a glance that Haiqi Island was weak in logistics.

Shen Liang laughed.

Although the Coral Palace was destined to lose according to historical development, is it possible that time travelers would be involved in the course of history?

Time travelers are here to make history!

"I still have to make my fortune from this war, Xin Hai. Your words have not made things difficult for me; in fact, they've made things much easier!" Shen Liang laughed. "Logistics is really just about food, isn't it? That's easy to solve. How long can the Shogunate starve you? At most, only a year or two. I'll make money off your food!"

Coral Palace Heart Sea was actually stirred by his confident tone. She wasn't stupid. She knew that Umijima had no chance of winning against the shogunate. She didn't expect a fifteen-year-old boy to come up with any brilliant ideas to save Umijima. But at this moment, every little bit counts. Umijima didn't have a single strategist. Heart Sea desperately needed someone to give her some advice.

Even if Shen Liang is just a cunning strategist, Coral Palace is desperately in need of talent in planning!

"Teach me, sir!"

Faced with the eager little witch, Shen Liang didn't intend to keep her in suspense, because his method was something the Coral Palace absolutely couldn't accomplish on its own; it was something only his Earthling identity could achieve. He handed her his phone, which displayed an offline encyclopedia. The image showed a coastal saline-alkali land, with lush, waist-high rice paddies.

Golden rice stalks sway in the wind, with an endless beach and sea nearby, and white salt flowers in the undeveloped area.

The image on Wikipedia is of Mr. Yuan Longping’s experimental field at the Qingdao Seawater Rice Research Center. The yield of this experimental field exceeded 1,000 jin per mu. In the Teyvat world, where the yield is only three shi (about 400 jin) per mu, such rice is like a miracle.

Or perhaps it was a miracle in itself.

Coral Palace Xin Hai was truly stunned. After a long while, she reached out her slightly trembling little hand to take Shen Liang's Apple Thirteen and stared at the lush expanse of gold.

— Unheard of, rice that can be grown in saline-alkali land and seawater.

—If possible, it shouldn't be called rice.

—It should be called hope.

Shen Liang was just about to watch the Coral Palace's Xin Hai's dramatic change of expression—a sudden change of demeanor as she bowed and addressed him as "Master"—when he saw the little witch holding her phone, stunned for a long time, silently shedding tears.

Chapter Seventeen: You wouldn't even feel bad if I shot your father while you were eating.

We've already left the port quite far, and the road has turned into a mountain path. We're about seven or eight li away from Wanglong Village.

As Shen Liang and Coral Palace walked along the beach, they discussed matters related to seawater rice. Shen Liang knew very well that this thing was definitely not something that the Teyvat continent could research at present, so he gave the reason that he was a disciple of a powerful alchemist. That alchemist had traveled all over the seven kingdoms and was also a member of an immortal race. He was very knowledgeable but did not deal much with the secular world, so he was unknown.

Although this statement is full of loopholes and probably won't fool Coral Palace's heart, Coral Palace is definitely desperate and will try anything. Even if he lies, Coral Palace will only believe it if it's true. The key is whether seawater rice exists, not his background.

As they walked and talked, Lu Zi suddenly took a few quick steps forward from behind them, waving her hand behind them. Coral Palace's expression changed slightly; she pulled Shen Liang to a stop and then looked ahead.

Shen Liang also looked ahead, but found nothing.

"Something's happened," Coral Palace Xin Hai whispered to Shen Liang during a break.

Shen Liang frowned slightly.

"Coral Palace has set up sentry posts on the ridges of every mountain on Haiji Island to prevent outsiders from sneaking in through mountain trails, but now it's eerily quiet here." Coral Palace's breathing slowed, and his expression turned grim. "Someone killed the sentry. I don't know if it was the Shogunate army or just ordinary bandits or ronin."

Ruko cautiously scouted ahead. Since the sentry had been dealt with but hadn't been discovered, it meant the attack had just ended, and the attackers might still be there! The changing of the guard might not arrive for some time, and what would happen to the two priestesses and the merchant if they were attacked?

Shen Liang also quietly touched the Desert Eagle at his waist. He knew that the martial arts practitioners in this magical world were basically like those in martial arts novels, while the two witches beside him were only fifteen or sixteen years old. Where did they get their fighting power? You can tell from their names, witches, witches. Isn't the profession of witches to deal with evil spirits and strange tales? Especially beautiful witches, wouldn't they be easy targets for strong men and bandits?

Coral Palace Xin Hai squeezed his hand, signaling him to relax. Then she looked around and spoke in a soft but firm voice: "If you dare to commit violence on Haiqi Island, then you are probably not afraid of a mere woman like Xin Hai. So let's follow the rules of the martial world, come out and meet each other to settle our differences in a fair and square manner!"

What kind of weird rules of the martial arts world are these?

Shen Liang never expected to hear lines from a 20th-century Chinese martial arts novel from the mouth of a witch leader, but he was even more surprised that as soon as Coral Palace Xin Hai finished speaking, rustling sounds came from the forest, and then someone actually appeared!

"Hmph, that's true. Using a sneak attack to deal with a few shrine maidens would tarnish the brilliance of my Demon Net Kanemitsu! You're the chief priest of the Coral Palace, aren't you? Your head is worth at least five million with Kujo Takayuki!" Leading a group of ronin swordsmen, the Sea Demon, dressed in tattered red armor, laughed as he stepped out. "Coral Palace Kokoro, your life is mine, I, Iwakura-ryu Okuden Tanba Tetsuo, have taken!"

There really are highway robbers who openly and honestly announce their identities.

Shen Liang couldn't quite understand these people's behavior, but in reality, it was mainly because modern people had lived in peace for a long time.

In feudal times when the rule of law was weak, criminals were not so concerned about their crimes being known to the government. In fact, they preferred their crimes to be as widely and infamous as possible!

The purpose of perpetrators of violence and evil is to instill fear in the common people, so that they can continue to act arrogantly through illegal acts. If someone kills a high-ranking official, such a person may seem to be hunted down, but in reality, wherever he goes, local powerful figures will treat him with courtesy and even host banquets to welcome him, because even high-ranking officials and nobles need such wicked people to demonstrate their "prestige".

Evil people disdain to conceal their crimes, which is why Hong Qigong in The Legend of the Condor Heroes said that he had killed 231 people in his life, all of whom were evil, and that he had never done anything wrong. Because evil people in feudal times were unscrupulous in their evil, and even openly proclaimed it with pride, you didn't even need to collect evidence to be sure that you hadn't killed the wrong person.

But I digress; let's return to the standoff.

“Your life is only worth five million Mora. A dockworker’s life is worth more than yours after working for half a year.” Shen Liang suddenly had a whimsical idea.

“I’m a junior palace official, not a palace official, and I don’t have much real power. If I die, they can just put someone else in the position. Do you really think a fifteen-year-old junior palace official like me is worth much in the eyes of the shogunate?” Coral Palace Heart Sea retorted angrily, then said seriously, “If it were a palace official, the bounty would be around five hundred million.”

"Is there really that much of a bounty?"

"No, but if someone went to the shogunate and told Kujo Takayuki that he would take the head of the current human priestess of the Coral Palace for 500 million mora, cash on delivery, Kujo Takayuki would definitely not refuse."

"Hiss—interesting, this is quick money."

Coral Palace Xin Hai pinched him hard, "What are you doing? You want to make money too? Do you even have the ability!"

While striking a pose, Tanba Tessō saw the little shrine maiden and the small merchant across from him whispering and occasionally pointing at him. Feeling somewhat embarrassed, he roared and drew his fierce Oni-net Kenko from his waist. It was a nodachi over three feet long. He then wiped the blade with a talisman, and flames quickly burst into flames.

Seeing this, Coral Palace Heart Sea could no longer continue her laughter. The reason she chatted with Shen Liang was to create an atmosphere of confidence that she could solve the problem, so that Danbo Tessei would hesitate a little and buy time for the changing of the guard to arrive.

But now Tanba Tessei didn't want to waste words. She wasn't sure if she was a match for this chaotic sea demon who had mastered the technique of divine talisman paper, and her worries deepened.

"Does the other party also have the Eye of God?" Shen Liang asked.