Magic? My Iron Torrent will sweep it all away!

"Therefore, the population on the register may only be a conservative figure," Zhao Gang said solemnly.

The population registrations of the two groups appear to be two clear sets of numbers, but on the map, at least one hundred settlements still only have vague coordinates.

Terra is so vast that these people can easily hide underground or deep in the mountains, and not only can they not be found, but even the demons cannot find them.

Just like during the wars before the Great Xia Dynasty, how many people and villages migrated into the deep mountains to seek refuge and become isolated from the world?

Lin Mo was somewhat puzzled and looked at the hundred dotted lines, saying:

Why is there such a big difference?

Zhao Gang retrieved the information about the Dwarf Kingdom.

"On the dwarf side, many of our people hid in underground mines and old fortresses when the demons invaded."

"People have moved in, but there are no complete records of births, deaths, and emigration."

"Some mines have been closed for decades. The outside world only knows that there are still people inside, but doesn't know exactly how many are left."

He then switched to the Orc Alliance.

"The orcs are more complex. Their tribes migrate with the seasons, hunting grounds, and wars, so their location on the map is constantly changing."

"The elderly, children, and the wounded are also often dispersed and resettled."

"In many places, only the chief has a rough list, and even the chief himself is not sure."

Lin Mo rubbed his temples.

It turns out that the initial work of integrating the two ethnic groups was so difficult and complicated; just counting the population was a huge headache.

It's not enough to simply build two autonomous regions on a blank sheet of paper; it's about rebuilding the Great Xia's national system on two old systems that have been in operation for countless years.

He could imagine how many more complex problems lay ahead.

He said:

"Then let's not list the projects for now."

"The population, settlements, and roads have not been verified. Today we decide to build ten schools, and tomorrow we may find that the students are on another mountain."

Lin Mo pushed the construction list aside.

"The same goes for hospitals, water stations, and grain warehouses. If they're in the wrong locations, the money will be spent, but the people still won't be able to use them."

"The first step is to figure out where the people are."

Xu Zhiyuan remained silent on the side of the conference room.

Only then did he open his terminal and project a new document into the air.

"Commander Lin, registration is necessary, but I suggest we take another step forward."

Lin Mo turned his head: "You go ahead."

Xu Zhiyuan enlarged a model of a school and then listed a series of fees next to it.

"In the past, when we donated to build schools, we mainly covered the construction costs."

"Teachers, teaching materials, water supply, electricity supply, and daily maintenance are to be resolved locally."

Next to the model, a string of expenditure figures quickly stretched out.

"But now that the two tribes have been merged into Great Xia, the construction of the school is just the beginning. Teachers' salaries, winter heating, student transportation and nutrition subsidies will all become long-term financial expenditures."

He pushed the timeline forward ten years.

"Construction costs are a sum of money, operating costs are for ten or twenty years, but maintenance costs will always exist."

"It's even more obvious in hospitals. Building a building isn't difficult; the challenge lies in medicines, equipment, medical staff, disinfection systems, and subsequent maintenance."

"Moreover, our current research on medicines for various races is still very superficial, and we can only rely on magic for most of them."

Zhao Gang clicked on another set of data.

"Many orc tribes don't even have a stable source of drinking water, while dwarven mining areas are at risk of dust, heatstroke, and mine collapses."

"The healthcare system they need is completely different; we can't simply copy the existing standards of Great Xia."

Xu Zhiyuan put away the model and said:

"Therefore, service standards must be established for all construction projects first."

"For example, how many people does a school cover, and how far can students live from the school?"

"How many residents does a clinic serve, and how long does it take to get seriously injured people to the hospital?"

"Only after the standards are set can we deduce the number of schools, clinics, water supply points, and roads."

Lin Mo looked at the map on the table and nodded slowly.

"First determine the minimum guarantee, then build according to population density and actual distance."

"Food, drinking water, basic medical care, children's education, and the minimum living allowance for elderly people who have lost their ability to work are listed as essential expenditures for people's livelihood."

Zhao Gang asked:

"What if the budget isn't enough?"

"We can slow down the construction of other non-essential infrastructure, such as factories, tourist facilities, and non-core roads," Lin Mo said, then looked up.

"But money cannot be extracted from these five items."

The meeting room was quiet for a moment.

This statement sounds simple, but it means that the Great Xia Dynasty will have to allocate some resources from its existing projects.

Xu Zhiyuan retrieved the overall project list.

"This is also something I want to remind everyone of."

"The spacecraft production line is being expanded, the production of weapons and robots cannot be stopped, planetary engines are still being invested in, and the terraforming of the moon and Earth also requires equipment, materials and technical personnel."

"Large-scale projects in China are already fully booked."

He drew three red lines at the top of the table.

Money doesn't come from nowhere, and people don't just appear out of thin air.

"We must clearly calculate what we can do, when we can do it, and to what extent we can do it."

"We cannot let Terra drag down the main body of Great Xia."

In the past, when the various tribes of Terra looked at Bactria, they saw a continuous stream of supplies, a powerful army, and constantly emerging new weapons.

In their eyes, it seemed that as long as Daxia decided to do something, it could immediately accomplish it.

But the Great Xia knew that being powerful did not mean having unlimited resources.

Every factory, every transport team, and every senior engineer is simultaneously being sought after by several important projects.

The Great Xia has already made the most of all its resources and population.

Xu Zhiyuan continued:

"The original mineral resources, workshops, and local material reserves of both ethnic groups should not be left idle."

"After receiving the assets, we will first take stock of them and establish a financial account for the autonomous region."

"The Great Xia provides start-up capital and a safety net for people's livelihoods, while the production income of both ethnic groups is incorporated into the national system under a unified tax system."

"This way, we don't push all the blame onto the Great Xia, nor do we expect the two tribes to shut themselves off and fend for themselves without taking any responsibility."

Lin Mo nodded.

"You make a good point."

Zhao Gang quickly supplemented the record.

"The initial resettlement, training, and medical care also require an investment."

"Only after education and training can both ethnic groups provide a large number of adult laborers, which can alleviate the labor shortage in some industries."

Just then, Long Zhan pushed the military map to the center of the table.

"Beyond the people's livelihood, there is also the Allied Forces."

"The demons won't wait for us to finish building all the roads, warehouses, and training grounds."

"When the war actually starts, if ammunition can't be transported to the front lines, wounded soldiers can't be brought back, and damaged equipment can't be repaired, then that army, even if it has a unified designation, will just be a scattered force."

He brought up the logistics model.

"A soldier needs rations, water, and basic ammunition every day. Add to that salaries, medical care, equipment maintenance, and rotations, and the logistical burden increases exponentially with every additional 10,000 soldiers!"

Lin Mo asked, "Your proposal?"