Cut off my army's food supplies? I'll open a portal between the two worlds and max out my

After Ariels left, Li Wen inquired about Blackstone's situation and commended him for his contributions.

Li Wen specially allocated a plot of land to Heishi.

It should be noted that those who can be allocated land in Anxi Town nowadays are all soldiers of the Anxi Army. When Black Stone learned of this reward, he was so excited that he almost burst into tears.

This is a sense of belonging and recognition!

Not only that, Li Wen also commended the other accompanying personnel, as well as Xiao Feige who came to report the news. Although the whole thing turned out to be a big misunderstanding, the reaction and actions of Heishi and the others showed that they had already regarded themselves as members of Anxi Town.

This was exactly the effect Li Wen wanted.

Li Wen originally intended to let Heishi and his men rest for a few days, but the next day Heishi took the initiative to come to his door and said, "General, I think this is the perfect time to take advantage of Princess White Elephant's influence to open up trade routes in Tongcheng."

"There's no need to rush this. Ariel's cooperation might not even work out. You can take a break for a while."

Li asked.

Blackstone, however, had a different opinion: "General, although that princess is somewhat naive, her status in the White Elephant Kingdom is the most noble. The White Elephant King only has her as his daughter, and his other sons are not well-liked. The White Elephant King bestows all his affection on her alone, so I do not think that the cooperation between this princess and us will necessarily be interrupted."

"Oh? Is that so?"

This was the first time Li Wen had heard of such intelligence.

Black Stone recounted the legend of the White Elephant Kingdom that had circulated in the Gobi Desert in detail.

After hearing these additions, Li Wen also felt that what Black Stone said made sense.

"So what are your thoughts?" Li Wen continued to ask.

Black Stone said, "General, my idea is very simple. It is a fact that the princess is very interested in you... cough cough, in soap. Regardless of whether the subsequent cooperation is successful, she is interested in cooperating with our Anxi Town. We can use this to establish a bridgehead trading post in Tongcheng. Once our products are known to local merchants, we will not need to actively promote them; people will come to Anxi Town to trade on their own initiative."

Blackstone's ideas are in complete line with the sustainable development strategy that Li Wen has mentioned.

He established a self-sufficient handicraft workshop in Anxi Town so that the town's economy could achieve sustainable development in the future. If everything relied on modern resources, Anxi Town would enter a vicious cycle once it reached a certain scale.

Because Li Wen's spiritual power is limited, even if it is improved, the limit of the supplies he can carry is only around a thousand people. It is unrealistic to rely entirely on the Two Realms Gate after Anxi Town develops to tens of thousands of people.

Moreover, Li Wen couldn't devote all his energy to transporting supplies.

Whether in Anxi Town or in modern times, there are matters that require his personal attention.

From the very beginning, when Li Wen established Anxi Town, the reclaimed farmland, potato cultivation, and handicrafts were all preparations for the sustainable development of Anxi Town.

Anxi Town is also located in a very important geographical location, with access to all four directions: east, west, south, and north.

To the west lies the Western Regions, to the north the Gobi Desert, to the south the Nanfan Plateau, and to the east the Great Zhou Dynasty.

This is a very important commercial route. With just a little development, it could become something like the Silk Road, and it is also an important strategic development direction for Anxi Town in the future.

"Alright, if that's the case, then do as you wish. But Black Stone, remember this: if there's any sign of change in the city, leave immediately. Don't worry about money or the princess's attitude; just make sure you all come back safely."

Li asked.

"General, I..."

Blackstone was so moved that he was speechless; he could clearly feel the sense of being valued.

"No need to say much, just remember that in our Anxi Town, people are the most important people."

Li Wen also specifically taught the people-oriented philosophy to those around him, which became the guiding principle of Anxi Town in the future.

"Yes, General!"

Blackstone's emotions transformed into a determination to complete the mission.

Blackstone led the same men to Tongcheng again, but this time they carried goods that filled more than a dozen wagons.

Regardless of whether the White Elephant Kingdom acknowledges the cooperation signed by Ariel, they will always give their princess face, and it will be no problem for Blackstone to establish a trading post there.

After two days of continuous work, Li Wen was also quite tired.

Today, after glancing at his schedule and finding nothing too urgent, he called Jiang Tian to come to the Tumu River area to check on the fields.

This area used to be overgrown with weeds, but now, as far as the eye can see, more than a thousand acres of reclaimed fertile land are neatly arranged there.

Jiang Tian followed behind Li Wen, feeling an immense sense of accomplishment.

For ordinary people in the Great Zhou Dynasty, there is an inherent longing for farming.

Seeing such a large expanse of newly cultivated fertile land, even Jiang Tian, ​​who had experienced many trials and tribulations, couldn't help but feel excited.

"Has the land allocation been completed?"

Li Wen turned around and asked.

Jiang Tian nodded and said, "We will do as you wish, dividing the land equally according to the number of people."

"The land reclamation team can now cultivate a second plot of farmland. This land is so fertile, it would be a waste not to plant something on it."

"By the way, how are the seedlings we planted in the field doing?"

Li Wen thought of something quite important.

Jiang Tian became quite excited when this was mentioned: "General! The seedlings and fertilizer you gave me are amazing! The seedlings sprouted very quickly after being planted, and the fertilizer is also incredibly effective. We used some fertilizer in the vegetable garden, and the yield of our vegetables doubled! They're also growing much faster!"

Li Wen had long anticipated the effects of fertilizers; having grown up in the countryside, how could he not know the role of fertilizers in crops?

"Even so, we still need to inspect the farmland tomorrow, and report any problems immediately!"

"General, rest assured, the brothers value the grain in the fields more than their own lives, checking on it two or three times a day."

Jiang Tian's words were true; the Anxi soldiers were also eager to see what the celestial seed given by their general would be like.

Li Wen smiled and did not tell Jiang Tian and the others about the yields of potatoes, corn, and sweet potatoes in advance.

In Da Zhou, the wheat yield per mu in the good fields is about 500 jin, and that's only the best fields can produce such a harvest. On the other hand, potatoes can easily yield four or five thousand jin per mu.

Once this batch of grain arrives, Anxi Town will not only be able to be self-sufficient, but also export grain.

In the Western Regions, food was also a scarce resource.

Li Wen inspected the fields and saw that the crops had grown quite a bit tall.

On the way, they encountered many busy Anxi soldiers, who all had genuine smiles on their faces when they saw Li Wen.

"Liu Erdao, how are you getting used to life now?"

Li Wen smiled and asked after seeing a burly man.

Liu Erdao was skilled at wielding two large swords, hence his nickname. As for his real name, he couldn't even remember it himself.

Liu Erdao tossed the weeds he had just pulled onto the edge of the field, a simple, honest smile on his face: "I love my life now! Not only can I eat my fill every day, but I eat so well!"

All you ever think about is eating!

Those nearby couldn't help but criticize Liu Erdao for speaking so crudely.

"Wang Xiucai, you've only read books for two days! What are you pretending to be so refined for!"

"I'm relieved that I can eat my fill."

Li Wen's first wish upon arriving in this world was to ensure that every soldier in the Anxi Army was well-fed. Now, seeing their energetic appearance, he finally felt truly relieved.

Although fulfilling my second long-cherished wish is still a long way off, at least there's no need to rush it now.

"Work hard, and once the house is finished, we'll bring our parents over to enjoy their retirement."

"Don't worry, General! I'm a very diligent worker!"

The people around them all laughed and said.

For the soldiers of the Anxi Army today, Li Wen is not only their divine general, but also the patriarch of their collective.

The general had said before that they, the abandoned people, would now be a collective, and that Anxi Town should be treated as a big family.

Moreover, their monthly labor was converted into wages, which, in the general's words, was their salary.

They can save their wages and build a bigger house later, and their parents can find them a marriage partner after they move in.

This kind of life, where every day's effort yields results tomorrow, is something that all the Anxi soldiers cherish very much.

If they weren't generals, they would have become cannon fodder long ago.

Every soldier in the Anxi Army silently reminded themselves that they would forever remember the general's kindness and never forget it.

Li Wen was very satisfied with the current state of the Anxi army. Everyone had a new goal and no longer looked like they had lost all will to live.

As for the issue of homesickness after a long time... Li Wen had already made arrangements for this when Anxi Town was first established.

Once Anxi Town has stabilized, the Anxi soldiers can bring their families over, which will also help to fill the population gap in Anxi Town.

As for whether their family members are willing to move, Li Wen might have worried about this issue a few years ago, but now that Da Zhou is in such a state, Li Wen doesn't need to worry about it.

Li Wen had previously spoken in detail with members of the Anxi Army, who revealed that the land annexation problem in their hometown was particularly serious.

Local powerful families not only use various methods to seize the land of ordinary people, but now it is very difficult for ordinary people to make a living by farming.

Not to mention that the current young emperor of the Great Zhou has opened the floodgates for tax increases, which will only make life more difficult for the people of the Great Zhou in the future.

Before the young emperor opened this door, local governments had to come up with clever pretexts to deceive the people when raising taxes. Now that the young emperor has broken the promise of the late emperor, if local governments want to raise taxes again in the future, they can simply shift the blame to the young emperor.

What puzzled Li Wen was why the Empress Dowager of the Great Zhou Dynasty, who ruled from behind the curtain, would agree to this decree.

Given her demonstrated political acumen, she shouldn't be unaware of the dangers of this matter, right?

-

Inside the Shangqing Hall.

The young Empress Dowager of the Great Zhou Dynasty was rubbing her head in distress.