Doctor, I'm really strong!

The existence of such a country in this world will likely make the Teyvat alliance's next steps extremely difficult.

It is necessary to contact the Rock King Emperor immediately!

Section 354: Keqing in the Community

(I want to go back to my hometown in Northeast China, but I can't go back, ~~o(>_<)o~~)

Keqing's conversation with Swire made her realize the enormous threat posed by the Community.

It really is a threat. Although many people died during the Demon God War, that was because of war, a war of life and death. Death is normal; it's terrifying if no one dies.

During the reign of the Seven Gods of Teyvat, the seven gods never massacred humans, at least not their subjects. People like Liu Jiuli, who would kill one percent of the population after conquering a place, and who specifically targeted the literate upper and middle classes, weren't they afraid of social collapse and chaos?

How could such a bloodthirsty regime exist? Was it like the barbaric, bloodthirsty tribes recorded in Teyvat's past history?

Thinking about it this way, it would be quite terrifying if tens of thousands of Hilichurls gathered together; they might even attack cities.

Despite having many ideas in mind, Keqing decided to conduct an on-site investigation before actually putting pen to paper.

To speculate about a country based solely on subjective assumptions is a cardinal sin in military strategy. What the Rock King Emperor needs is accurate intelligence that can be referenced, not a hypothetical enemy imagined from thousands of kilometers away.

Thus, Keqing took advantage of an opportunity to go on an expedition and came to the community.

Don't be surprised. In Yan Country right now, anyone with a bit of wealth will try every means to go to the community. Some are comrades who have betrayed their own class after awakening, so of course they want to learn about the advanced experience. Others are enemies who are hostile to the community, but precisely because they are enemies, they need to understand the community even more.

Others are fence-sitters looking for opportunities, hoping to gain some credit for their success or to figure out how many years their family's troubles could warrant under the community's legal system.

Those who could benefit naturally wanted to do so in other countries, but all the nobles of Yan knew that it was better to stay in their own country. After all, they were familiar with everything here, and even if they were suppressed temporarily, they could make a comeback in the future. After all, Yan's feudal autocratic system, which lasted for thousands of years, still left them with a lot of room to maneuver.

But if you go abroad, you'll be at the mercy of others, unfamiliar with the place and people, and you'll even have to be careful when you sneeze.

Especially those landlords, without their land, they are nothing at all; they really can't live without their homes.

If Liu Jiuli were willing to use a policy of appeasement to deal with them, these people would immediately offer up the Yan Kingdom's royal family to show their loyalty.

Unfortunately, the community has not made any statement, and the community's attitude towards the Ursus nobles has made these Yan nobles feel that the brutality of Franka is tragic. Therefore, in the new phase of the Yan court's military expansion, these people who were once stingy are now generous like money-giving children.

At the same time, they were also trying to transfer their wealth abroad and arrange for their heirs to develop overseas, ensuring their family line remained intact. They also used various channels, both overt and covert, to inquire about the community's official stance, a classic example of three eggs dancing together.

The fact that they've become so schizophrenic shows just how hard they've tried to survive.

However, this also exposed their weakness. Even if Liu Jiuli really went on a killing spree against the rentier class of Yan, other countries would at most protest and condemn, and would absolutely not take any further action unless they felt that the community had been weakened to the point of being able to be defeated. Otherwise, they would only shed crocodile tears while happily dividing up the overseas assets of Yan's nobles.

They will absolutely do that, and might even create a law specifically to legitimize these practices, ensuring that their double standards are justified, reasonable, and legal.

Very good, that's very American, you've grasped the essence.

However, these people who went to the community for investigation were also a time bomb for Yan. Who knows which one would suddenly be assimilated by the community, or who might choose to stay in the community and not come back. It was normal for a hundred or so people to go and a third or less to come back.

Yan Kingdom did protest, demanding that the community hand over the people, but the community simply shrugged and said, "I don't know, you can find out yourselves."

So what if we find them? Whether we find them in an immigrant city or somewhere else, they all have the community's ID card or passport. These are life-saving items and a form of deterrence. If you dare to harm our citizens, I dare to harm your ruling class. Don't believe me? Let's try it.

There were indeed some brave souls, but the very next day the community sent them back, and then killed all those who had tried to arrest them. Anyone who dared to resist would have their entire family executed. With the community's intelligence capabilities, trying to hide it was a pipe dream.

Over time, the officials of Yan Kingdom became numb and simply lay down on the ground with their legs spread apart, letting things take their course.

Even if I defend the sovereignty and dignity of Yan Kingdom, what good will it do? If my whole family is wiped out, the court won't avenge me. And even if they do, what good will it do? My whole family is gone. It would have been better not to provoke them in the first place.

Loyal and courageous individuals who dare to risk their entire family's lives are always a tiny minority. Such people, blindly loyal to the Yan Kingdom's court, have always been the community's primary targets. Every single one of them must be silenced. The Yan Kingdom would never risk its life for these people.

If they truly had that kind of awareness, when the Yanlong Army was completely annihilated back then, they should have staked the nation's fate, mobilized the entire country, and joined forces with the Community. If they had actually done that, the Community would have been forced to retreat to the north and would never have been able to gain the strategic advantage they have today. Unfortunately, they neither dared nor wanted to.

Once this relationship was understood, the loyalists lost heart. Even bureaucrats and nobles who were unwilling to "collude" with the community turned a blind eye to smuggling at the border, and more directly participated in it, opening the door wide for the community's smuggled goods, and completely giving up any thought of struggling.

Those who feel certain of being purged are especially emboldened to sell out their country without any pressure.

Since I'll be forced out sooner or later anyway, I might as well save up some money now and run away as fast as I can.

As she traveled, Keqing gained a direct understanding of the Community's strength, but when she actually stood on the Community's streets, she was still overwhelmed by the sight before her.

This is not a major city in the community; it's just an ordinary immigrant city with a total population of only 200,000.

That's a lot! I heard the Commonwealth's capital is a megacity with tens of millions of inhabitants. Keqing can't even imagine the population density there—it's like ten Liyue Harbors combined! It would be so crowded you'd die. Don't think that a megacity is just about having a lot of people. The people in the city don't engage in direct production. All the consumer goods they need daily have to be transported from the surrounding areas. The birth of a megacity requires a well-developed logistics system, especially since the surrounding area within 24 hours is the city's production and supply zone.

The simplest example is that in ancient times, transportation relied on dirt roads and manpower and livestock. Even in a highly developed agricultural centralized feudal dynasty, the supply could only reach a few large cities with a population of millions. This was determined by the transportation capacity at the time. Fresh fruits and vegetables, in particular, had a very short shelf life and had to be obtained from surrounding counties. Don't bring up the story of Yang Guifei being able to eat fresh lychees; that was an extremely rare exception. Was the kind of logistics and transportation that the royal family enjoyed something that ordinary people could not afford?

The same principle applies to Liyue Harbor. Aside from the absurd situation where the Seven Archons personally act as transporters, Liyue Harbor, which has little farmland in the surrounding area, has a population of over a million thanks to the support of maritime logistics. As for the inland areas, most of them are villages with a population of no more than a thousand, and some even have only a hundred or so. Excluding the impact of the Demon God War, the average population of a village is around four or five hundred, and any more than that would be unaffordable.

Cities with a population of over 10,000 are considered cities and require several surrounding villages to support them.

On the community side, there is a three-dimensional logistics and transportation network consisting of land transport ships, heavy-haul railways, high-speed rail, subways, airplanes, airships, river transport, and sea transport. Even a small city has at least one railway or highway nearby. If it is a transportation hub, it can grow into a metropolis with a population of millions in just a few years. For example, Wuhan has developed by taking advantage of its well-connected transportation hub.

In times of war, such cities would generally become important defensive nodes, and the surrounding rugged terrain would be developed into its subordinate passes, such as Hangu Pass, a gateway-level pass.

With logistics issues resolved, the next challenge is basic necessities like food, water, and shelter. Urban infrastructure, including drinking water systems, sewer systems, hospitals, schools, housing, and workplaces, all test the planning capabilities of city administrators. Once construction begins, the only recourse is to make minor repairs on the existing foundation. As time goes on, demolition costs will only increase. Unless all housing and employment are provided by the government, holdout households will inevitably emerge.

Keqing also noticed the technological gap between the two sides.

Teyvat is not without advanced technology, but advanced technology means it is difficult to mass-produce. Anyone who has led an army understands a very simple truth: a country that can mass-produce Astral Armies can never defeat a country that can mass-produce Astartes. The difference between the two sides is not as simple as numbers and equipment. Behind the war is a contest of comprehensive national strength.

The simplest example is the Community's airborne forces, which can deploy a heavily armored division to any corner of the battlefield at any time.

Note that this is a heavily armored division. The latest Kunpeng transport aircraft can circle the Earth one and a half times while carrying 1,000 tons of cargo. The latest airdrop pods can directly and quickly deploy tanks. And don't forget, the community's Kunpeng transport aircraft can take off and land vertically, so the requirements for airports are very low; any flat ground will do.

Ke Qing was unaware of such secrets, but looking at the huge passenger plane flying overhead, she felt the pressure from the technology.

Teyvat does have things bigger than this, but firstly, they can't be mass-produced, and secondly, that Ironclad Treasure isn't a transport vehicle.

These were just some of the scenes Keqing witnessed upon arriving in a border immigrant city within the community.

There are twenty such immigrant cities in the community, the largest of which have populations in the tens of millions. What Ke Qing sees is just one of the most inconspicuous small cities.

Section 355: The Foundation of a Nation

(Update delivered, good morning everyone (～￣▽￣)～)

Is it better to be an advanced city or a backward city?

When you start to seriously consider this question, you've already fallen into a trap. Advanced and backward are relative terms. For urban development, what matters is "suitability".

To give a simple example, the most sci-fi-like city in the community is Komsomolsk-on-Amur.

Those skilled in Originium Arts of the Spiritual Realm can thrive there, as everything can be remotely controlled with mental power. Many advanced control devices for micro-manipulation are primarily based on mental power, and the assembly and research of many of the Community's current cutting-edge technological products are completed there.

However, ordinary people in such a city have trouble making a living, let alone finding a job. The upper limit is very high, but there is a lack of downward compatibility for ordinary people. Therefore, the core industrial area of ​​Gongqing City is basically full of Originium Arts masters. The remaining work is handed over to technical workers who can use general Originium Arts. Below them are ordinary workers, forming a standard technical pyramid structure.

There's no way around it; the scientific research field is a place where talent and potential are tested. There's no shortage of hardworking people here, but if you don't have the talent, you just don't. It's just that in real life, many people haven't even worked hard enough to the point where they need to rely on talent.

This shows us that urban construction requires consideration from multiple perspectives. Apart from special functional cities, most cities are mainly for ordinary people. Therefore, the layout and use of various facilities should take into account the feelings of ordinary people. The wider the reach of technology, the more meaningful it is in such a city.

But regardless of the type of city, one thing is certain within the community—illiterate people cannot perform technical work.

Earning wealth through hard work is the right path, but you can't make those who repair warships and those who repair cars earn the same salary. You need to give people the motivation to move up, otherwise you'll end up with a bizarre scenario where water flows downhill and people are pushing themselves to the lowest possible level.

The purely agricultural population within the community has completely disappeared, replaced by agricultural workers. This highly technical term fully demonstrates the demand for skilled workers in all walks of life; at the very least, you need to know how to operate and repair machines.

Currently, after nine years of compulsory education, the community will adopt two parallel paths: technical colleges and research colleges. There is no distinction between the two in terms of superiority or inferiority, and the salary levels of top technical workers and top researchers are the same.

Don't be unconvinced. No matter how advanced your cutting-edge technology is, it still requires human hands to realize. Even if Einstein was amazing, he couldn't make a nuclear bomb by hand, but skilled workers can. They really make it by hand.

In addition, the community strictly limits the income of the entertainment industry. Even the top national superstars in the community's entertainment industry earn only the equivalent of the salary of an average scientific researcher in a year. Moreover, their publicity is at least an order of magnitude lower than that of real heroes and martyrs. Advertising pushes have to give way to the people's heroes, and they can't even make it into the top 20 trending topics.

If you have any objections, please leave the community. However, because the people of the community nurtured you and provided you with opportunities for advancement that other countries would never give you in this fair environment, you must, for the rest of your life, pay 10% of your after-tax income as a special tax to the community treasury, regardless of which country you are in.

Not paying isn't out of the question, but when the Cheka officials come to collect the debt, don't cry, because crying won't do any good.

Similar examples have occurred before, where the deceased remained calm at their graves.

Respect for knowledge, respect for talent, respect for culture, and respect for heroes—this is the social environment of a community.

Ke Qing experiences this constantly in immigrant cities.

Every city has a famous People's Heroes Street, lined with statues of ordinary people such as workers, farmers, teachers, doctors, and soldiers. Beneath these statues are many small photos with names on them, all of whom share a common identity—People's Heroes.

The original design for Hero Street was supposed to be a huge full-body statue of Liu Jiuli, with the name of the people's hero engraved on the stone tablet below. However, the person in charge was summoned to Liu Jiuli's office and given a severe dressing-down.

"Putting an ordinary person on top of a people's hero—which feudal remnant came up with this idea! Are you trying to restore the old order?! Who gave you permission to do this?! Who's the mastermind behind this?! Are there any foreign forces involved?! Explain yourself!"

The person in charge was almost scared to death on the spot. Afterwards, the stone tablet originally intended to be used to build a full-body statue of Liu Jiuli was smashed and used to build other professional statues on People's Heroes Street, which led to the layout we see today.

Although these statues are neither tall nor imposing, they inspire awe.

Looking beyond the surface, such a nation is definitely not lacking in cohesion; as the saying goes, "Those who are united in purpose will prevail!"

Speaking of which, apart from the Seven Celestial Statues, which represent the Geo Archon, all other statues in Liyue are statues of the Thousand Rock Army. The heroes of Liyue are mostly ordinary people, and even the Geo Archon, who is considered omnipotent by the people of Liyue, has times when he is powerless.

At this moment, what supports the entire Liyue is these millions of ordinary people.

Clearly, the community goes a step further on this basis, placing ordinary people at an unprecedented height. The people are everything, and everything belongs to the people. Even leaders must have reverence for the people.

Well, this level of progress is a bit beyond what Keqing is capable of.

She believes that people cannot always rely on God to decide their own affairs. People should take control of their own destiny, but ultimately, there is still a part that depends on God. She has broken through this barrier, but she has not completely broken through it.

Liu Jiuli is practically a god here? First, get an ID card. Write down your skills, and I'll assign you a job tomorrow. Remember to appear regularly to help the people solve their problems. Visit the masses more often during holidays. As long as you meet your KPIs, the people will shower you with offerings. What, you can't accept that? Want to be like Zeus? I think you're more like Louis XVI! Do you know what it means to be among the immortals? It means that even immortals have to work! Enough nonsense, get to work 996! Or I'll bombard you with cannons!

If Keqing still held some reverence for the gods, then Liu Jiuli's attitude towards them was: "Serve the people, good god! We can talk about benefits; social insurance and housing fund are negotiable." What? You want to be one of the Greek gods? Guards, nuke those worthless beasts!

"Mom, is this Dad?"

"Yes, this is Dad."

"Dad is so amazing."

“Come on, give the gift you brought to your father.”

"it is good."

Keqing turned her head and saw a mother and son offering flowers to a statue, which was a firefighter statue.

After the little boy put down the wildflowers he had picked, his mother picked him up. The little boy reached out and touched a photograph on it. Ke Qing noticed that the photograph was black and white. At that moment, the other person noticed Ke Qing looking in their direction and smiled and nodded at her.

Keqing took this opportunity to walk over, and the mother asked softly, "Are you here to pay your respects as well?"

"Yes, I heard there's a People's Heroes Street, so I came to check it out."

"I see. Miss, you are from Yan, aren't you?"

Ke Qing nodded: "Yes, this place is very different from Yan Kingdom."

"In Yan, there is no place for people's heroes."

"Are you from Yan?"