Doctor, I'm really strong!

Section 257: Escaping to a Better Future

(Second update! There will be a third update, everyone's encouragement (?ω?))

Yan Kingdom is now facing the same problem as Letania: refugees.

After the community took over Jiuqu, it thoroughly purged the old order in the area, to the point that "only one in ten of the gentry and wealthy households in Jiuqu survived." The land was redistributed, and many people were taken with them when they left, directly destroying the feudal foundation of Jiuqu. After the Red Army left, the surviving old forces immediately launched a counterattack, trying to take back everything they had.

They would certainly succeed, since those left behind had little power to fight against the land-based ships. However, the local people, who had already been liberated once, were naturally unwilling to continue to be slaves to those landlords.

The common people finally had some money, and now not only has it been robbed, but their lives are also in danger. You are looking down on the culture of resistance inherited from China. What's more, Liu Jiuli left them with the idea that "revolution is no crime and rebellion is justified."

If they can't defeat you head-on, can't they at least use guerrilla warfare to annoy you? Besides, they are backed by the community now, so they naturally have no shortage of weapons, and they even have the help of the community's rule. Even if Yan can hold out for a while, it can't take care of the entire Jiuqu Plain, which is Yan's granary.

Adhering to the principle that my happiness comes from the suffering of my enemies, Jiuqu has never stopped since that day.

Originally, Yan Kingdom wanted to learn from a certain principal, but unfortunately their enemy belonged to another dimension.

At least Liu Jiuli wouldn't allow the Second International to interfere with the revolutionary comrades in Yan State. Instead, he would take the most down-to-earth approach to his work and select enough outstanding comrades to help. As long as his side didn't make any foolish mistakes, the enemy would have a hard time.

Land-based ships are indeed powerful, but complex mountainous areas are not places where they can operate. Their massive size means that there are some places that land-based ships cannot reach, and the poor infantry on foot have to solve the problem.

The urban warfare of the Battle of Iron Grid has already demonstrated the fate of traditional infantry against modern infantry.

Yan Jun has certainly grown as well; at least they understand that skirmish lines are safer and more cost-effective.

They were all burst out by heavy machine guns and anti-aircraft machine guns.

Since the government alone cannot suppress the situation, we can only ask the local authorities to step in. After all, this land belongs to your family, so it's not unreasonable for them to spend some money.

For those landlords and gentry, they had no other choice, so they organized local militias under the guise of returning to their hometowns.

It's hard to say what other skills these guys have, but when it comes to harming ordinary people, one of them is worth ten.

Then came a vicious cycle: many small landlords couldn't stand the local militia and went to the community to beg the Red Army to come back. Apart from those who were determined to oppose the cave dwellings, local support was almost zero.

The community has also provided a very humane solution to this group of inhuman beasts—eliminate them.

You're always playing those "stone over fire" tricks, huh? I'll make your hometown over fire!

It was a clear and sunny afternoon when the home of Zhao Guangli, a high-ranking official of the Yan Kingdom, was suddenly engulfed in flames. When the flames were extinguished, firefighters discovered that all 34 members of Zhao Guangli's family had been killed, and that they had been murdered before the fire started. A deep red dagger was found at the scene, gleaming with a cold, blood-red light.

Zhao Guangli was the minister who proposed "completely eradicating the Red bandits' strongholds, changing the people, and burning the stones."

The next day, Li Guangchen, who was also a first-rank official like Zhao Guangli, was shot three times in the street. The murderer used specially made explosive bullets, and Li Guangchen's body was broken into three parts.

After the same thing happens twice, anyone would know who is behind it.

On the surface, they are guerrillas from the Jiuqu region, but behind the scenes, they must have the help of the community.

The fact that the enemy could attack his own capital in particular terrified Emperor Yan, who couldn't sleep soundly for several days. Other ministers were also trembling with fear, wondering if they had done anything similar to those two.

If two high-ranking officials met such an end, then if I were to do anything outrageous, I'd probably be cremated on the spot.

The solution is very simple: just resolve the community issue.

Okay, this problem is too difficult, let's try another one.

That's treating the symptoms but not the root cause, causing continuous bleeding. Without overcorrection, it won't work, but if it does work, then you're just waiting for the other party to come knocking on your door demanding an explanation, and no one can afford that price.

In the end, it was Yan Huang who came up with the solution.

Since the Jiuqu region can no longer return to its former state, we should try to improve the living standards of the locals. After all, the locals are all Yan people, and they still tend to lean towards the imperial court. As long as the imperial court speaks for them, at least they will choose to remain neutral.

Everyone present felt aggrieved after hearing this.

Those lowly people are considered to be helping if they just stay neutral and behave themselves. What kind of nonsense is this? Would they have dared to do that before? Would they have dared to do that?

They dared to, but back then the resistance lacked a system, making it easy to suppress. Now, however, a giant dragon looms over Yan, threatening to strike at them, so they have to be careful in everything they do.

However, plans are one thing, whether they can be implemented is another. In any case, the local landlords and gentry have already gotten angry and wish they could turn into cannibals and devour all those who oppose them. In addition, they do have a certain influence in the area, and the surrounding counties do not want the guerrillas to come to their territory. Therefore, they have secretly sent a lot of money and food to them, intending to turn Jiuqu into a buffer zone.

Otherwise, why don't we head north and fight the community to the death?

Life is what it is, and we can't get divorced, so we'll just make do.

This infuriated the Flame Emperor. "Even now, you're still playing games with me. Do you have to wait until the community comes and hangs them on that crooked tree before you know right from wrong?"

Therefore, the imperial court forced the local counties of Jiuqu to carry out reforms. The local big landlords and gentry tried every means to turn Jiuqu back to its former state. Other regions, seeing the imperial court suppressing Jiuqu, began to worry about the loss of their interests and also put pressure on the imperial court, hoping to reverse the order. After all, private land ownership was the foundation of the feudal dynasty. The emperor was also a big landlord. Now he actually wanted to seize the land from the local tyrants and distribute it to the people. Was he trying to rebel?

Only then did Emperor Yan understand why, in the dynasties of ancient civilizations, even if the emperors understood the general trend of the world, they could not rebel against themselves unless they were prepared to destroy everything. Otherwise, it would be difficult to reverse the decline of a dynasty. But if an emperor was prepared to destroy everything, would he still be an emperor representing the feudal system?

After Zhu Yuanzhang died, the Ming Dynasty was no different from other feudal dynasties.

Throughout history, in the feudal dynasties of pre-civilization eras, there was only one Zhu Yuanzhang.

So the question is, does the Flame Emperor have the resolve to destroy everything?

Obviously not. If he did, he wouldn't be the Emperor Yan, and he would have to consider the possibility of drowning, being strangled by a palace maid, or choking to death while eating.

As a result, the situation in the Jiuqu region began to churn. The imperial court wanted to do something, the local authorities had their own agendas, and in the end, it was the common people who suffered. Those who could not find a way to survive had no choice but to flee, and the community was obviously the best option.

As a result, a large number of Yan people fled north, which the community naturally welcomed.

However, the massive loss of population, especially the loss of young and middle-aged people, has been a devastating blow to Jiuqu.

When there are no people, there is nothing left. You can't expect landlords and gentry to farm the land themselves, but it's also impossible to expect them to change the lives of ordinary people. In such situations, they will only want to use force because they feel that once this door is opened, the demands of these lowly people will only become more and more excessive, and they must be resolutely suppressed.

You could say that it was one thing for ordinary people to do this when they had no other choice, but now that they have a choice, you still dare to play like this? Do you want to die even faster?

Thus, the community found itself in a situation where it received Yan citizens while simultaneously confronting Yan soldiers.

Chapter 258: The Ursus Empire Chooses to Bow Down

(Please give me more votes, everyone. It's tiring to update early in the morning so as not to affect my normal work _(:з」∠)_, this is the third update)

When Froststar arrived, Red Army soldiers and Yan soldiers had already begun a standoff at the border, but the scene was quite comical.

The Red Army soldiers were only a squad, but they stood resolutely in front of the enemy with bayonets in hand, while the enemy, consisting of at least two platoons, put on a show of bravado but were actually cowardly.

It's a perfectly normal scene. For the Red Army soldiers, they were defending their homeland; their lives were noble and their deaths glorious.

However, for the soldiers of Yan, they were just laborers who made a living by serving in the army. Faced with someone who was truly willing to fight to the death, such an army dared not confront them head-on.

If you don't believe me, ask the US military on the Korean Peninsula.

Even with superior weaponry, mercenaries from these countries are hardly combat-effective, especially given the vast disparity in equipment between the two sides. The Red Army has already widely adopted flexible exoskeletons and metal exoskeleton power systems. Once the more advanced electronic muscles are successfully developed and paired with power armor, becoming an Astartes would be a stretch, but a fifty-dollar good buddy would still be no problem.

In the previous Battle of Steel Grid, the Yan soldiers were completely outmatched by the fully armed Red Army soldiers. Unless they had the Yan Dragon Guard or other elite heavy armored forces, even if they were all equipped with cold weapons, they would still be easily cut down.

So even though there's only one squad here, if a real fight breaks out, the Red Army might not be the ones to suffer.

Besides, the Yan soldiers were just putting on a show. This was the Red Army's control line, and there were countless cannons aimed at this place. The Yan veterans who survived the battlefield trembled just thinking about the power of the Red Army's cannons.

A few stubborn idiots chased the line before, only to be blown to bits by a few 155mm bullets and ended up as QR codes. I heard no one dared to come and collect their bodies.

They didn't want to become wandering ghosts in the middle of nowhere.

At this time, the fleeing Yan people had entered the territory of the community. The Red Army's medics immediately ran over to check on their condition. As for the Yan soldiers twenty meters away, they were simply ignored.

Upon seeing the arrival of a high-ranking official from the community, the Yan soldiers immediately put away their weapons. This was someone they absolutely could not afford to offend; even if the official tripped and fell while getting off the vehicle, their side would definitely be the ones to suffer.

Upon seeing Shuangxing, the squad leader immediately saluted and said, "Commander."

After returning the greeting, Froststar asked, "What happened?"

"Reporting to the commander, a group of our civilians accidentally entered the border of Yan State and were being hunted down by the enemy. We are dealing with this matter."

Hearing this, the Yan platoon leader almost fainted from anger. "Look at what these people are dressed like! The people on your side of the community are all dressed smartly, like young masters and young ladies of landlords. These sallow-faced, emaciated scoundrels don't look like your people at all. They're wearing coarse linen, okay?"

But it's impossible not to back down now, because when Froststar came over, there happened to be a Red Army land-based naval fleet conducting training nearby, so they were brought over to train together. With twenty of the latest Type 59 modified ships parked there, the pressure was immense.

Moreover, that pipe was noticeably thicker than the one I saw last year; if that were to hit, it would probably be reduced to ashes on the spot.

"Sorry, sorry, it's a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding! We're leaving now, we're leaving now! Brothers, let's go!"

The platoon leader from Yan was quite pragmatic. He immediately acted with French speed, decisively leading everyone to evacuate, fearing any misunderstanding.

After all, if a misunderstanding really occurred, no matter what the outcome, his group would definitely be finished. The higher-ups wouldn't pay for his life, and he still had a wife and children to support.

But just then, a gunshot rang out, and immediately afterward, a large wall of ice appeared to Frostnova's right, with an Originium bullet embedded heavily within it, but it ultimately had no choice but to stop advancing.

Frostnova's current equipment is a complete upgrade. Her traditional spell staff has been replaced by more advanced spell rings and spell gloves, and there are also many supporting components to enhance the spell effects. Frostnova may look like she is wearing an ordinary military uniform, but underneath she is wearing a full set of spell suits, ready to be deployed at any time. Coupled with her intuition honed by years of experience, she is capable of providing absolute defense against this level of sniping.

"Enemies!"

The Red Army soldiers immediately raised their guns and aimed at the Yan soldiers, but many of the latter had their backs to them, their faces full of confusion. The platoon leader from before kept waving his hands, indicating that it had nothing to do with him.

At this moment, Frostnova spoke up: "The enemy is at that location, a thousand meters away, fire!"

The nearby land-based ship immediately rotated its gun barrels, and the new 210 twin-mounted main guns immediately sent their blessings to the target a kilometer away. The violent explosion quickly engulfed that hill.

After the explosion stopped, the community dispatched helicopters and found a twisted, mangled heavy gun in one of the craters. It was the kind that fired large-caliber armor-piercing Originium bullets.

Meanwhile, two other snipers hidden in the shadows swallowed hard and chose to remain silent until Frostnova and the others left.

This matter immediately drew the attention of the community. It was clear that someone was secretly stirring up trouble in the surrounding areas of Yan and the community. Although there were indeed frictions and conflicts between the two countries, the community could not possibly swallow up the entire Yan in the present day. Therefore, the community immediately contacted Yan to inquire about the situation.

What we're really saying is that we're just having friction right now, and we're only thinking about friction, we have no other intentions, but someone is secretly sabotaging us, so you should check if it's someone from your side.

Although Yan is unhappy, they will still investigate, even a thorough and chaotic one. After all, they don't want to face the military might of the Commonwealth right now. The Commonwealth doesn't want to fight now, and neither does Yan. Even if they have to fight in the future, they need to maintain peace first. Building up an army takes time.

News of the failed assassination attempt quickly reached Gregory, the royalist Black Serpent, who sighed.

The enemy's strength has expanded too rapidly, and their underhanded tactics are becoming increasingly risky and unrewarding. It seems necessary to reconsider the relationship between the Ursus Empire and the Terran Community.

In fact, Emperor Nicholas, who had just ascended the throne, thought the same way. The Ursus Empire needed to be reformed. Only reform could save the Ursus Empire. Otherwise, once the Community was ready, the Red Army's steel torrent would engulf the entire Ursus.

Moreover, many of Ursus's goods and industrial intermediates are currently imported from the Community. The economic interests of anti-dumping and countervailing duties force Ursus to make rational decisions. At least in the short term, Ursus is not capable of launching a war against the Community. Even if it develops in the future, it will still need to cooperate with other countries as a precaution, and it would be best to organize an eight-nation alliance.

Driven by reason and reality, the Ursus Empire decided to normalize diplomatic relations with the Community.

Section 259: Cities and Rural Areas

(Update here, why doesn't everyone like sending bullet comments? ε=('ο｀))) Sigh)

The relatively stable international situation gave the community ample room for development, and Liu Jiuli also had enough energy to carry out deeper internal reforms, transforming the community into a truly new industrial nation.

It is not the traditional Originium industry, but a modern industrial system inherited from Earth and even pre-civilization.

In this industrial system, although Originium has a place, Originium itself is not indispensable. Modern industry cannot allow something indispensable to become the cornerstone of the entire industrial system. There must be substitutes. Even if the product is downgraded, it must still be available. Being able to use it and not having it are two different concepts. The difference between 0 and 1 is always infinitely greater than the difference between 1 and 1 million.

Just look at how Britain, which had just completed the Industrial Revolution, utterly crushed the United States. If there was still a chance of victory during the First Opium War, by the Second Opium War, the United States was simply a doormat in front of them, trampled on as they pleased.

The biggest challenge to the full industrialization of the community is population and education.